Help! Legal e-bike kit

Adamroze

Pedelecer
Sep 19, 2021
27
0
How many hours daily? Start with one battery and see how it goes. 20Ah is a lot.
Well commuting to gym and day job will be 2 hours and then food delivery for around 3/4 hours so total 5/6 hours. Yh that’s fair, I’ll try 1 batt first.
 

Az.

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2022
2,044
903
Plymouth
Well commuting to gym and day job will be 2 hours and then food delivery for around 3/4 hours so total 5/6 hours. Yh that’s fair, I’ll try 1 batt first.
Start with food delivery. Put some effort into it and at the end of the day you might not need to go to the gym :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Adamroze

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,895
6,500
more speed = more power = more waight so if you want to do 50mph with no effort its not going to happen.

nothing that delvers food to me is road legal gangs of um outside mcdonalds ect even plod uses them :eek:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Adamroze

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,812
3,150
Telford
Well commuting to gym and day job will be 2 hours and then food delivery for around 3/4 hours so total 5/6 hours. Yh that’s fair, I’ll try 1 batt first.
48v gets you 30% more capacity and gives you more options for the amount of power. They're around £300 for a 20Ah one from Greenace. You're not going to do 5 hrs with one battery unless you do a lot of pedalling and I wouldn't use a crank-drive for that sort of riding.
 

Adamroze

Pedelecer
Sep 19, 2021
27
0
more speed = more power = more waight so if you want to do 50mph with no effort its not going to happen.

nothing that delvers food to me is road legal gangs of um outside mcdonalds ect even plod uses them :eek:
Looking stay in level speed limits so 15.5mph
 

Adamroze

Pedelecer
Sep 19, 2021
27
0
48v gets you 30% more capacity and gives you more options for the amount of power. They're around £300 for a 20Ah one from Greenace. You're not going to do 5 hrs with one battery unless you do a lot of pedalling and I wouldn't use a crank-drive for that sort of riding.
Yes 48v seems better and £300 is decent, ah ok so you suggest a hub drive also. I’ll be going over London Bridge quite a lot, will a hub drive be ok for that? Reason I started looking into mid drives in the first place was that it seemed better for riding up inclines compared to hub.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,895
6,500

turbo delivery extra £2.50 ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Adamroze

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,812
3,150
Telford
Yes 48v seems better and £300 is decent, ah ok so you suggest a hub drive also. I’ll be going over London Bridge quite a lot, will a hub drive be ok for that? Reason I started looking into mid drives in the first place was that it seemed better for riding up inclines compared to hub.
It's an urban myths that hub motors don't climb hills as well as crank drives. If you run with 48v, a hub-motor can tackle any normal hill with ease. You get 30% extra torque compared with 36v.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Adamroze

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
20,365
16,870
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Likewise, you can go for a 48V crank drive kit if you need more power. The advantage of cranks versus hubs is cranks can take advantage of chainring to cassette gearing while hubs can't.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Adamroze

Adamroze

Pedelecer
Sep 19, 2021
27
0
It's an urban myths that hub motors don't climb hills as well as crank drives. If you run with 48v, a hub-motor can tackle any normal hill with ease. You get 30% extra torque compared with 36v.
Fairs, appreciate the advise
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,812
3,150
Telford
Likewise, you can go for a 48V crank drive kit if you need more power. The advantage of cranks versus hubs is cranks can take advantage of chainring to cassette gearing while hubs can't.
Crank motors should be confined to off-road use only. They don't make sense for a bike that's going to be used on the road.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Adamroze

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
20,365
16,870
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
I don't disagree. The choice comes down to personal preference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Adamroze

Adamroze

Pedelecer
Sep 19, 2021
27
0
Likewise, you can go for a 48V crank drive kit if you need more power. The advantage of cranks versus hubs is cranks can take advantage of chainring to cassette gearing while hubs can't.
Fair, I see decent options
 

scbk

Pedelecer
Feb 25, 2019
56
18
Highlands
I’ll be going over London Bridge quite a lot, will a hub drive be ok for that? Reason I started looking into mid drives in the first place was that it seemed better for riding up inclines compared to hub.
I've done this plenty of times with a hub motor, I'm sure london bridge will be fine
 

Attachments

  • Like
Reactions: Adamroze

Adamroze

Pedelecer
Sep 19, 2021
27
0
I've done this plenty of times with a hub motor, I'm sure london bridge will be fine
Ah yh that’s looks much steeper then London Bridge! I’m 100kg so with my backpack or food delivery bag I would be 105-110kg. Would you guys deffo recommend 48v over 36v. And does front or rear hub make a big difference. I’m starting to like the idea of less maintenance.
 

Az.

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2022
2,044
903
Plymouth
Ah yh that’s looks much steeper then London Bridge! I’m 100kg so with my backpack or food delivery bag I would be 105-110kg. Would you guys deffo recommend 48v over 36v. And does front or rear hub make a big difference. I’m starting to like the idea of less maintenance.
48V rear hub seems like an optimal solution for you. 48V is maximum legal voltage. It will give you extra omph.
Also keep in mind legal limit is on motor rated power, not on power provided by controller, so you can have very powerful legal bike if you want to.
 

Benjahmin

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2014
2,590
1,746
70
West Wales
A 48v 17A controller will give you 816w on maximum. For this you would need a battery capable of delivering at least 20A. Note this 20amps not 20Ah, this is the capacity.
Here's an AKM100cst 250w as an example. Although rated at 36v, if you bought the 201rpm version and ran it at 48v it would give you the rpm you need.
Of course it depends on gear mounting, cassette or screw on.

Although , as a first time conversion, it might be wise to give Woosh a go. You'll get all the advice you need prior to buying.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Adamroze

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
20,917
8,533
61
West Sx RH
The 816w is average nominal power from the battery and not the motor, typically one may acheive approx. 600w or so from the motor at max assist power. With a charged battery one likely may see 700w +/- 25w motor power for a while.

How the riding power is delivered is dependant on the controller system used .
 
  • Like
Reactions: Adamroze