Stealthy conversion for bike thats left at train station

[ee4775]

As the title says i want to convert my current bike to an ebike where its primary use will be transporting me to and from a local train station.

Im looking at a 1500w rear hub kit but i dont know what to do about battery placement. I will have to carry the battery about with me during the day where i will do approx 10 miles or more of walking so it needs to be a small/light battery.

The other concern i have is security. The bike i wish to convert is a 2019 mid range mountain bike that cost me approx £300 but is worth close to £500. It is the shiny one out of the 10 or so bikes left at the train station so i am concerned about theft especially when ive put a few hundred pounds worth of electric goodness on it.

I did have someone tell me not to bother converting it and to just get an electric skateboard which i could easily carry around with me all day as it'd be too much of a risk leaving the bike there based on it being the most expensive one and looking more attractive to thieves.

 

[trevor brooker]

I used to leave my bike at the train station all day - I suggest camouflage - search online to see the results of making a bike look distressed. Does your station(s) offer lockers where you could leave the battery/saddle.
What distance commute/road surface/elevations are you looking at

 

[sjpt]

1500 rear hub kits are not suitable for most uses, certainly not for commuting. Also,quite the opposite of 'stealthy' if you mean not visually obvious. And need very large battery to work because of the large (mainly wasted) power draw.

How long/hilly is the commute: makes a big difference to the battery size you need.

 

[Wicky]

Ditch the idea of a 1500W motor and look at more discrete (and legal) 250W.

Learn from how easy a bike can be stolen in broad daylight >

Custom bike stolen

Hello, I've unfortunately got my bike stolen. The thieve did that on day light and CCTV has captured his face so I'm hoping that maybe we can someday catch him. And the bike is so unique it can only be sold to DIY enthusiasts... so it'll probably someday come back here as well. Here's what my...

www.pedelecs.co.uk

 

[flecc]

For stealth to avoid e-bike theft, best bet is a moderate size legal rear hub motor and a rear carrier with a pair of large low cost pannier bags concealing it. The battery can be in the bottom of one pannier bag. That doesn't unbalance the bike, I've often ridden with one pannier bag containing a heavy battery and both Giant and Izip have made new e-bikes with single side batteries.
.

 

[georgehenry]

This bike has been seen often at a local station to me in Surrey for about two years now without getting nicked. Quite remarkable.

Stations are known to be high risk areas for bike theft.

What about a folder that you can take with you and use the other end to ride the 10 miles you do each day rather than walking.

 

[Woosh]

maybe a not showy bike with a small geared hub motor just for hills like the Woosh Faro:

 

[KirstinS]

I have two bikes. My ideal and much loved titanium super bling hardtail

And a nondescript looking sliver hybrid with cheap panniers

I tend to tie plastic bags and bits of gaffer tape to it also. It looks like a heap of junk. Actually it's a shaft drive, alfine hubbed, ebike which can do 25mph if I plug in a booster

Right now it is leaning against the cafe I'm in without lock (though I can see it)

 

[sjpt]

Don't forget no kit above 250w is legal to use on the road or in any public place off road. 250w shouldn't be a problem for that commute. Mostly the big power kits are direct drive and very inefficient; as well as very noticeable as I said before.

 

[Benjahmin]

Agreed, 1500w motor will be far from stealthy, in fact it'll shout, and be even louder when it's in use.
Illegal power rating. Will need to go above legal assist speed limit to operate efficiently. Will need a large battery of high quality cells to deliver the current needed without severe voltage sag. Plus it'll be pants on hills.
Really, do yourself a favour, listen to these guys and get a 250w geared rear hub. For a round journey of 3 miles you could get a small battery and take it with you.

You do have a point about the wastage so I could probably do with a 1000w kit as well but nothing less as I do want the power.

The 'power rating' is merely the continuous rating and nothing to do with 'oomph'.
A motor can only use what the controller delivers, and then only if the battery can deliver.
A '250w' motor with a controller max rating of 17A, will give you a nominal 612w @36v, if backed up by a battery capable of sustaning 17A without sag.
Do not get hung up on motor power ratings, they are headlined to sucker in numpties who like big numbers.

 

[georgehenry]

You should test ride some legal bikes, as although they are 250w they are allowed to peak a lot higher and still be legal and you might find that they are more powerful than you had expected. Test riding is a good idea anyway.

 

[Wicky]

I do realise now that i am a bit of a numpty. I wanted the 1000w+ because i have tried a 250w before and i found it inadequate. Reading your comment made me realise i probably dont need more than 1kw as i won't ever be able to maintain a high enough speed for the motor to work.

i have now found a much smaller geared 750w paired with a 22A controller that i think will do nicely as the seller claims it has a peak of 50nm and can reach speeds of 24 - 30mph which is more than enough.

Thank you for replying and making me see sense

You're still not getting it. The right 250W motor/kit is more than adquate - what you mentioned will effectively make your build a moped, which will need registering, insurance, helmet no.plate etc. to be road legal.

 

[Woosh]

i have now found a much smaller geared 750w paired with a 22A controller that i think will do nicely as the seller claims it has a peak of 50nm and can reach speeds of 24 - 30mph which is more than enough.

e-bikes are limited to 15mph assisted speed. Any kit that goes faster than that needs to be registered with DVLA and you have to wear a helmet.

 

[trevor brooker]

I can not see the post showing the distance but if it was 3 miles then at 15mph that would take 12 minutes, whereas if he used a high powered kit & managed an average 30mph he would save 6 minutes.
But I think he said it was not all hills so the 250w would be increased by his leg power on the flat, whilst the say 1000w would be reduced to say 10mph on the hills.
so instead of a difference of 6 minutes it likely to be less.
In other words not worth the hassle of losing your driving licence, as anyone doing 30mph on an electric bike is going to catch the attention of the Police.

 

[sjpt]

Several posts seem to have gone missing ... I remember it was just 1.5 miles each way with 400 feet of climb (but my memory isn't that good, so ???)

Maybe if OP wants less negative feedback about his ideas he should post on https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/forums/speed-pedelecs-general-discussion.43/

 

[esuark]

he`s done a runner

 

[KirstinS]

he`s done a runner

Hopefully not. Forgetting legality he is going to end up not hitting his own requirements if he insists on a powerful DD hub over a geared 250w.

he won't be able to have a small light battery to carry around. A big powerful battery will be needed to drive it. Or he will try and will kill a small pack very quickly with pitiful real world experience as the voltage saga horrendously. All rather pointlessly as a 250w Nominal system will meet all requirements (many can be de stircted in settings for over 15.5mph anyway). My xf07 motor can do my commute of 15miles using around 5ah of battery (sometimes 4 and sometimes 6). And that isn't even trying to save power