October 12, 201213 yr Hi I am keen to convert my 700c wheel road bike to electric assist so that I can have some assistance with commuter route hills and heads winds while still having a bike that's fun to ride and light enough to use if the battery fails or runs down on a ride. I am thinking in terms of a small front hub motor and 10Ah lithium battery and would value any advice on where I can source these and other necessary reliable bits. Also any feedback from others who have done similar conversions would be great. Cheers Nick
October 12, 201213 yr We could do with some more info Nick What sort of range do you need ? Whats more important to you Price Weight Range Feel/balance of bike For example I originally wanted to make my conversion as stealthy as I could - low weight, low assist motor with no rolling resistance. Problem is these sort of motors (such as used by Cytronex - actually a "tongxin" motor ) provide only mild assist and carry a high cost in UK (Cytronex wanted £1000 to convert) Not only that but to keep weight down you cant really have a 10ah battery -again by way of exmaple Cytronex supply a 4ah NiMH In the end I went with the 8Fun conversion kit with a 9ah bottle battery at a shade over 400quid. You can get it cheaper direct from china but I wanted a uk based guarantee Downs sides are - its heavy adding around 8kg to the bike (I'd guess 60% is the battery) On the plus side it does the job, the are reliable, they are cheap, the motors can take both higher voltage and higher amps. This means I could upgrade my battery/controller at a later date if I wished (or even just the battery and do a "shunt solder" mod - serach site for details on this). Potenitally I could even just swap out the motor for a tongxin. Most of the cost of any kit is the battery Essentially there are a series of compromises/decisions to make based on whats more important to you. So the more info you can give the better ! Kirstin
October 12, 201213 yr Also be good to know how technically an electrically handy you are ? Kits are never as easily plug n play as the manufacture allude so ability with soldering iron, wattmeter and basic tools essential especially when ordering from china Also how wide are the forks on your bike - not just at drop outs but also about 10cm up ? Finally what brakes do you have ? Is it more of a hydrid bike or true road warrior !
October 12, 201213 yr I've been through a similar thought process to you - don't know if my build log will be of any help to you. http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/9442-new-build.html It doesn't look like this now but this when I had it nice and light with an easy to remove battery. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/amigafan2003/IMAG0046.jpg I have since however gone "full" assist - bigger battery, faster, etc Edited October 12, 201213 yr by amigafan2003
October 12, 201213 yr Hi Nick, You might want to take a look at our kits, seems like a good fit for what you are looking for. We make our own small handmade hub motors, and the whole kit is very light as well. Would add a mere 4-5kg of net weight to your bike once fully converted. We've got 700c available and prices start at only £399. Check us out: www.cyclotricity.com
October 12, 201213 yr We make our own small handmade hub motors, and the whole kit is very light as well. You make your own motors ? Regards Jerry
October 12, 201213 yr You make your own motors ? Regards Jerry Doesn't everybody make their own motors Jerry:confused:
October 13, 201213 yr Handmade hub motors built here in the UK ? that is just so beautiful, so patriotic, the Tory Party conference should be told immediately!
October 13, 201213 yr I suspect they mean they build their own wheels with hub motors in them Regards Jerry
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