Novice to build x2 Wheel drive efficient tourer

[shamblingform]

Hello everyone,

Want to rebuild the current passion (Cove Stiffee downhill) - into a rounded switchable pedelec tourer focused mostly on range and comfort that can keep some of its offroad ability and balance to explore trails found along the way, going fom legal on road mode to unrestricted off road.

Seems it's finally time: the technology meets my wallet after long dreaming about this since being a kid seeing Shotaro Kaneda's bike.

Mountain biked all I could until an injury set me back long ago. Since then I rode cheap crappy bikes to get from A to B, until getting lucky finding my current Cove. When bought it - I thought "this is going to be the base for an ebuild".

It really is a thing of beauty to ride - that I've already spoiled the pureness of by putting a pannier rack on it.

I don't know the breadth of options or capabilities much yet. Would really appreciate advice:

Had initially been thinking about a 500 watt rear hub motor kit - until realised how much weight over the back wheel (with panniers and luggage) and that most 500w hub motors drag and don't freewheel like many 250w geared motors do.

Now I'm thinking about x2 250 watt efficient motors front and back with x2 frame batteries in the centre for weight distribution, all running from one controller if possible that can switch from limited to unlimited modes. Perhaps eventually a couple spare batteries in the panniers for really long trips.

Not high budget.
Range, efficiency and weight balance highest priorities to get to long (as possible) distances in any conditions.

 

[shamblingform]

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You can't run two motors from one controller. Each motor needs it's own one because they need their own pulse timing.

That's a hardtail bike, so there's not so much advantage of 2WD. I would only do it if you're planning a lot of riding on slippery surfaces, otherwise a single rear motor will be a lot better - or a crank motor. There's plenty of motors that can give substantial power without any drag: Q128C, Bafang CST, Ezee and MAC are all freewheeling cassette motors.

If you still want to go ahead with 2WD, you only need one battery, but it needs to be capable of delivering at least 30A continuous for two 15A controllers, so look at ones with Samsung 30Q cells or even lipos. My preferred way of controlling is to use the PAS to work only the rear motor and the throttle to work both. For the throttle connections, you connect one as normal with the three wires, and the other has only the signal wire to its controller. If you want brake switches, use the front for one controller and the rear for the other.

You can use two batteries, but to share the throttle you have to join the negative wires so that you have a common ground.

If you want one PAS to work both controllers, it's the same as the throttle. One has all three wires, then split only the signal wire to the other controller.