Which ebike to choose?!

[saneagle]

Do you know if the bottom bracket on those Rocky Mountain Elements is compatible with a BBS01 / 02 ? As @saneagle says, for a mid drive it's probably worth finding a steel replacement cassette (and maybe ebike grade chain)

They have standard bottom bracket.

 

[Woosh]

Do you know if the bottom bracket on those Rocky Mountain Elements is compatible with a BBS01 / 02 ? As @saneagle says, for a mid drive it's probably worth finding a steel replacement cassette (and maybe ebike grade chain)

From the pictures, that bike has hollowtech II bottom bracket so it is compatible with Bafang BBS01/02.

 

[mtjnr]

Hi all,

Just wanted to thank you all for your input and advice and let you you know what I decided in the end (nothing worse than an unresolved thread lol)

I decided in the end to go for a prebuilt ebike and chose the woosh camino.

Main reason was I just couldn't seem to find the right donor bike and I realised in the end I probably want an ebike and a good non assist bike and I was trying to find one solution that solved both which is not possible.

So I've done my first commute to work yesterday on the camino and it ran like a charm. Meant I could coast to work in the morning and arrive sweat free and then pedal home for some exercise.

Only thing I thing I noticed was a slight stickiness and a bit if a whistle from the front wheel so assuming I need to adjust the front brake disc which I've never done so that will be a learning experience.

Did have a final question though. Where and how does everyone store their ebikes, especially with winter approaching? I have a garage but it's not the most weather tight and being up north the temperatures can get pretty low. Is it safe to store the bike and battery in the house overnight long term or do people have other solutions?

Thanks

 

[Woosh]

The front disc brakes are hydraulic. If you feel any binding, take a look at the caliper. You want the rotor to be centered between the pads.
If it's not centered, loosen the front quick release skewer a turn, squeeze the front brake lever, tighten the quick release and release the brake lever. Check again that the rotor is now centered.
The brakes will then on automatically adjust themselves.

 

[thelarkbox]

0-35 ℃

The ideal operating temperature level for lithium batteries is 0-35 ℃. The low-temperature conditions will decrease the lithium ions' activity causing the LiPO battery discharge capacity to be weaker, and the usage time is reduced

cheers google..

Keep the battery in the house when temps start to fall below 5c at night to be on the safe side.


if ridding in the colder weather a 'cozy' might be an idea worth looking into

 

[Woosh]

Storage temperature : the range is wider, from minus 20C to 40C so no need to bring the battery indoors.

 

[thelarkbox]

I am no expert i rely on my ability to cut and paste into a search engine, so not doubting the correction.

However what if your jumping on the bike early morning for a ride into work after a sub zero night?

Wouldn't it be better to keep the battery within operating temps?

 

[Woosh]

You lose some voltage, so some capacity but the battery won't die from cold.

 

[thelarkbox]

You lose some voltage, so some capacity but the battery won't die from cold.

Cheers, I will shut up now get my coat and skulk home..

 

[mtjnr]

Storage temperature : the range is wider, from minus 20C to 40C so no need to bring the battery indoors.

On the flip side of this though would there be any issue in keeping it indoors overnight?

 

[Woosh]

no, but there is always a tiny risk of battery fire. If you do take the battery indoors, keep it in a ventilated place to vent any eventual smoke. To minimise fire risk, unplug the charger after charging is finished.
It's a good habit to keep a log book to record mileage and date/time of charges. Allow 6 minutes per mile, so you know when charging is expected to be complete.

 

[thelarkbox]

me leave? nah,,

It's a good habit to keep a log book to record mileage and date/time of charges. Allow 6 minutes per mile, so you know when charging is expected to be complete.

Is that a better gauge than using the battery% and battery size to determine the charge required, ie 50% 11ah battery would require circa 5.5ah to charge up from a 2a charger, should take about 2 and 3/4 hrs to charge fully.
I ask because i am using battery% as reported by my controller headset as my charge duration guide and set a segment timer accordingly, I didn't look it up it just seemed obvious.

 

[Woosh]

I ask because i am using battery% as reported by my controller headset as my charge duration guide and set a segment timer accordingly, I didn't look it up it just seemed obvious.

2A charger: 6 minutes per mile
3A charger: 4 minutes per mile
4A charger: 3 minutes per mile

This rule allows enough time for balancing at the end of the charging period so it minimises fire risk.
Fire risk increases kind of exponentially with high current charging so best avoided unless your charger can get the temperature reading / talk to the BMS.

 

[mtjnr]

2A charger: 6 minutes per mile
3A charger: 4 minutes per mile
4A charger: 3 minutes per mile

This rule allows enough time for balancing at the end of the charging period so it minimises fire risk.
Fire risk increases kind of exponentially with high current charging so best avoided unless your charger can get the temperature reading / talk to the BMS.

Are there devices that you can run your charger through while charging the battery that allow you to set a charging limit? Sure I saw someone say this and you van set it to stop at 80% charge for example?

 

[Woosh]

there are special chargers that let you do that. They have presettable lower charging voltage likle 40V to prepare the battery for long storage period. Your battery does not need to be prepared for storage.

 

[Saracen]

I have finally received my cycle2work voucher and after months of research I still haven't decided whether to get an ebike or a new non assist bike and an conversion kit.

I have a top budget of £1500. My main use will be a 30 minute commute to work and back 2/3 times per week. Ideally I would also like to use for leisure rides on weekends. I'm not totally unfit, 6ft, 15 stone.

My question is if you were me and had my budget. What would you go for? If ebike, which one would you buy today? If non assist and kit, which ones?

Really keen to see if I've missed any good options in my research and also just to see what everyone else would go for if they had one choice today!

If you only want to ride roads then many are ok, I personally chose the upgrade route with the only GOOD route, MID drives, more power/torque for off roading, and whilst people will be rear, front or mid drive people the MID drive is better than all front/rear hubs and that is fact, but more expensive.

I like off road, gravel rides round forests and in Wales that means ROUGH so hub drives for me are out.

 

[Saracen]

Are there devices that you can run your charger through while charging the battery that allow you to set a charging limit? Sure I saw someone say this and you van set it to stop at 80% charge for example?

All GOOD manufacturers and chargers will cut off when charging is complete, not carry on charging, when my Bafang is charged I can hear the fan stop and charger turns off, avoid cheap unbranded 100% (Chinese)

 

[saneagle]

the MID drive is better than all front/rear hubs and that is fact, but more expensive.

Better for what? I've heard that the repair shops like them quite a lot, and they make good boat anchors because the cranks dig in the mud better than a hub-motor.

 

[Nealh]

To compare differing drives you have to compare like for like so power /wattage output needs to be very similar . To evaluate both one has to use them to compare rather then assume from hearsay.

 

[mtjnr]

there are special chargers that let you do that. They have presettable lower charging voltage likle 40V to prepare the battery for long storage period. Your battery does not need to be prepared for storage.

Thought I read somewh

All GOOD manufacturers and chargers will cut off when charging is complete, not carry on charging, when my Bafang is charged I can hear the fan stop and charger turns off, avoid cheap unbranded 100% (Chinese)

Yeah but I read that if you are not going to be riding the bike soon its better to charge it to 80-90% rather than 100% and had seen someone say they had a device that you could select when the charging would stop so it wouldn't charge to 100%.
Also read that you should try to run the battery to 40% or below before charging if you can to maximise the battery life. No idea if any of these things are true lol but as with everything you want to maintain it as best you can.