Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

cachexian
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Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby cachexian » Sun Jul 25, 2010 11:18 pm

Hi All.
I've been looking at ebikes for some time now and have rarely been able to find any reviews or opinions about the motors and various conversion kits that are available in Australia. Most of the reviews and testimonials are from the distributor's websites, which are all positive!

Many distributors in Sydney do not carry stock of ebikes or will only allow you to test them around the parking lot or some equally useless test run.

I had the opportunity to try out an ebike over a long distance for the first time this weekend. I hired a Ezeebike Torq with 10Ah Li battery it from a shop in Marrickville. I rode it over two routes.

The first route was 23ks from Five Dock to Drummoyne and Gladesville bridge and back via Ryde, Putney and Concord. This route has some quite steep hills through Putney not to mention Gladesville Bridge. I was quite impressed and averaged about 28kph with quite a lot of personal effort. Similar personal effort over this route on my flat bar Scott Sub 40 gives me an average of 20-22kph depending on how tired I am.

The second route was nearly 50ks from Five Dock to Manly and back. That one's got some serious hills. Average speed on this route was slower 25kph. But without assistance I usually achieve about 20-21kph. This one's my regular commute and in the car at peak hour I average about 35kph (but it is Oh so warm in the nice heated car in winter).

I was quite impressed with the Ezeebike but found that generally these bikes are built for comfort. They've got thick soft tyres and heavy bouncy (but comfortable) seats. Because of this, it's hard to keep them above about 22kph with pedal power alone (even on the flat). I tried riding up Sydney road hill in Manly without assistance (hard) and also found that I was often overtaken by road bikes on the downhill stretches even if I was pedalling furiously in top gear.

So in the end, from my test ride I've decided that if I am going to do the ebike thing to help me with my commute I'd look into converting a flat bar bike similar to my Sub 40 to reduce the weight a bit and reduce the rolling resistance.

I think that I'd rather spring for the LiFePO4 battery and reckon that I'll probably need 14Ah or 10Ah and two chargers to reliably do the distance and not overtax the battery.

So Ezeebike has a conversion kit available. The other one that seems good to me is the EVS Evo 3 kit from EVS in Melbourne. I prefer the look of the EVS Evo kit because the motor is much smaller but service and support in Sydney would be better for the Ezee kit.
The going rate for these kits generally seems to be around the $1600 mark for a 200W 36V motor with a 10Ah battery.

Does anyone have any experience with these kits or recommend another?
Any advice with regards to tyre type for the converted bike?
I'd really appreciate some advice.

Thanks. :)
Scott Sub 40 with 200W, 36v Ezee geared front hub motor
and...
Trek Madonne 3.1 driven by left leg and right leg

Joeblake
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby Joeblake » Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:48 pm

Have you approached Greenspeed in Melbourne? They've made up two rear "power wheels" (Heinzemann) for me that pretty much went straight into my trikes (26" and 16"). Although there are no batteries (cost of postage etc) everything else was supplied. Controller, cables, switches, and they worked "straight out of the box". I had to get one light-weight throttle mounted switch replaced a couple of years ago, but other than that, have had absolutely NO problems.

I tend to be wary of "conversion" of a standard cycle, since the frame and running gear, brakes, etc, may not be able to handle the extra power. However, 200 watts or thereabouts doesn't seem to be a problem.

I'm using a Xenith 80 lb/in slick tyre on my 26" wheel. It's been on for 3 years, and never even punctured.

From memory, I think the cost was about $1600 plus batteries, including building the wheel and heavy spokes. But they may have gone up in the interim.

Joe
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cachexian
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby cachexian » Tue Jul 27, 2010 7:34 pm

Thanks for your advice Joe. I'll look them up.
Gordon.
Scott Sub 40 with 200W, 36v Ezee geared front hub motor
and...
Trek Madonne 3.1 driven by left leg and right leg

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Mububban
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby Mububban » Wed Aug 11, 2010 1:39 pm

$1600, ouch!

I saw an ad in the RAC magazine for this mob http://www.e-bikesrus.com.au who do conversion kits
E Bikes R Us has a choice of conversion kits to suit bicycles with 700c, 26 inch and 20 inch wheel sizes. You can convert your own bicycle to be an Electric Power Assist bicycle by installing this robust and powerful kit in just a few hours.
If your present bicycle is in good condition this may be an attractive option and it will save you money. No need to desert your faithful steed. We can install it for you if you prefer.

Features of the conversion kits are as follows;

Powerful Lithium Polymer batteries. 36volt 10 amp hour capacity
New double thickness alloy front wheel with 200 watt brushless magnetic motor and stainless steel spokes.
Rear carry rack to support the battery pack and control unit on 700c and 26 inch bicycles.
Throttle control on the handlebar.

We recommend these conversion kits for their reliability and performance. The front wheel drive is proving very popular because it is easier to install and service and is very pleasant to ride.

Has anyone got any experience with a converted bike? I'm thinking it might make my commute faster, thus I'll use the bike more and the car less. Peak hour traffic drives me nuts and takes 50 minutes to go 25km, never mind the expense of fuel. I've commuted on the MTB, I used to do 30km a day okay but since moving, 50km a day is beyond my body (yeah yeah I know, htfu, but seriously my body does not put on muscle, I'm 31 and weigh the same as I was in high school despite eating like a pig and doing weights). Public transport to where I work takes double the car time.

Their FAQ answered some questions I had but I'm after first hand experience with e-bikes. And as the OP said, it's hard to find first hand personal information!
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby Joeblake » Wed Aug 11, 2010 1:57 pm

Mububban wrote:$1600, ouch!
Certainly there are much less expensive motors around, but I'd give you the drum that this is an area where quality pays, not costs.

When you're looking at the motor, the efficiency is very important, and "el cheapo" motors use less efficient magnets, coils with fewer windings, perhaps of smaller diameter wire (which can lead to excessive heat losses) to name but a few points. Further, it's unusual for cheapies to have good thermal protection. Without that, it is quite possible to overheat the motor, eg running it under full power for long periods, or, as I've heard of in at least one case, having the controller rewired so it gives more power to the motor, and goes faster ... but not for long. And once a motor is burned out, it's not an easy or cheap thing to repair. On the other hand, it's possible that a cheap motor will have the thermistor trip too soon, to prevent the motor burning out, which can limit your performance.

I've only had my thermal protection cut in on one occasion, and that was climbing up Welshpool Road on a day when it was over 35 degrees. It took about 5-10 minutes to cool down sufficiently, but by that time I was almost home anyway.

This link should give you a few tips on what makes a good motor.

http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/the_motor.shtml

Joe
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cachexian
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby cachexian » Wed Aug 11, 2010 11:25 pm

Mububban,

Hey, If you live in Perth, I'd suggest that you try Solarbikes
solarbike.com.au
They let you book and borrow one of their bikes for free. There are independent reviews of their bikes available.

The $1600 kit I like at uses a Suzhou Bafang motor which is small and has some good reviews on endless sphere on "brand name" Alex rims. The only independent review of this particular kit that I've found is posted in this forum on the "what have you got" thread by aussiejeff.
http://www.evehicle.com.au/index.shtml?openmenu=
The thing that appeals to me about these people is they've been in the industry for years already and have the Australia Post contract. I think that they are reliable at least. I'll let you know what I think when I get the kit.

I've been advised that for 50ks you'll need a 14Ah battery.

You can save quite a lot of money by ordering kit direct from China or Canada/US but forget a warranty. Have a look at kits on http://www.ebikes.ca. Only thing is that OS kits don't tend to be 200W so you risk a hefty fine if you're caught.
Last edited by cachexian on Wed Aug 18, 2010 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Scott Sub 40 with 200W, 36v Ezee geared front hub motor
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Mububban
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby Mububban » Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:36 pm

For anyone interested, this is the back and forth between myself and e-bikesrus so far. I’ve arranged a demo on Wednesday coming, weather permitting.
I'm after some information on your conversion kits please. I currently have a mountain bike I used for commuting, however 25km each way just takes too long with my fitness level. Perhaps an electric boost might help me use the bike more and the car less!
It will certainly make a difference. I have several bikes and I live in Currambine and frequently commute to Fremantle (45km’s each way). The electric bike gets me there just 8 minutes quicker than my Cannondale carbon fibre racer but a whole lot more refreshed. You can imagine how good I feel after doing that ride for a few weeks and the kilos have just dropped off me. You are a good weight to get much better distances from the battery. The things that reduce the performance are hills, wind, low tyre pressure and weight.

From your website it looks like the battery pack sits flat on top of a rear bag rack. Can it be mounted vertically inside the main triangle of my frame tubing? My top tube is almost parallel with the ground and there'd be a good 40cm+ between the pedal crank and the top tube.
That would probably work if we made a bag to attach the battery to the top bar. You would have to mount the control box somewhere too. It may not be the best option but we can try it for you.

Anyway, my main questions are:

- cost of conversion kit (DIY vs you installing it) Discounted RAC price is $900 for DIY or $1080 if we install it.

- charge cycle life of battery Expect approximately 50-60 km’s per charge if you are using pedal assist or 40 km’s on the throttle only. Pedaling is easy so you won’t want to use throttle only.
- time required to fully charge the battery From dead flat it will take 5 hours to charge the battery. You can charge it 800 plus times for a life of 40,000 km’s or more.

- can you do a "top up" charge or best to run flat then charge to 100% Yes definitely. The is no memory in Lithium Ion batteries.
- distance on purely electric power in a "best case" scenario ie flat, no wind, no stopping etc (I weigh 70kg) 40 km’s or maybe more. See above.

- can the conversion kit be used with a child bike seat on a rear rack We haven’t done that yet but I see no reason why we can’t do that. The rack has a carry capacity of 25kg’s.

- can the conversion kit be used with a child bike trailer hooked to the seat post We haven’t done that either but I intend to do exactly that so I can take my grandson for rides. Can’t wait!

The motor is a brushless magnetic motor and requires no extra maintenance. It has no drag what so ever if the motor is turned off. Please call me if you have more questions or want to try an electric bike. I’ll come to you if you like.

Would it get hooked up to the rear or front wheel? The front wheel. If the rear wheel, would the regulation chain and gearing I've got be able to cope with the extra torque of the electric system? No problem.

How much weight does it add to an existing bike? Approximately 6 kg’s. You won’t notice it when you have the power on and it will actually help you going downhill but uphill without power is another thing!

If it was a "perfect scenario" of flat, no wind etc, what sort of speed would someone my weight get on electric drive only? The legal limit for unassisted electric bikes is 25kph. It will do that but again I doubt you will ever find out because it is so easy to pedal you will always want to pedal.

Is the electric throttle a motorbike style rotator, or something like a thumb button/pull lever? It’s a thumb style. The bike will also have a sensor and pedal assist which is what I use all the time.

Does the battery have any sort of % charge level indicator? Yes. It has two indicators – one on the battery itself and one incorporated in the throttle. They are just indicators not 100% accurate electronic devices but they are all that is needed.
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Mububban
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby Mububban » Fri Aug 13, 2010 10:57 am

More Q & A – so far from what little I know, the gear they’re using sounds decent quality?
If you do the conversion, would you respoke my existing wheel or replace it with something purpose built? I’d replace it with a fully integrated double thickness alloy rim with 13mm stainless steel spokes.

How long would you require to do the conversion and where would it need to be done? We prefer to have the bike for half a day.

I have basic front suspension forks, is that a problem? No problem assuming you don’t have disc brakes on the front.

If for some reason I wanted to remove all my battery gear and just ride as a normal bike, how easy is this to do? (assuming I used velcro cable ties and not the hardcore plastic type) No hard at all.

How splashproof is the battery housing and front wheel motor etc in the event of unexpected puddles or light showers? I never ride in heavy rain but have been caught in light showers before. Very splash proof but not submersible of course.

What are the dimensions of the battery pack and bag? I don’t have those details at hand but will get them for you when I see you. Just wondering if it would be practical to fit inside the frame rather than on a rear rack or if it would get in the way of pedaling? We have never fitted the battery inside the frame and I really don’t think it is a good idea. However we can look at that idea if you want us to. No guarantee we can do it though.

Just confirming, this is not one of those systems that only works when you pedal? You can either pedal only, use electric only, or most commonly combine the two? That is correct. You have all the options.

What is the current cost of a replacement battery? A complete battery pack is $600. It is better to get the batteries replaced at Siomar Battery’s for about halp the cost. The result is the same.
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby Mububban » Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:31 pm

I had a ride of a converted comfort bike, and a dedicated e-bike from e-bikesrus and was very impressed. As soon as you pedal you get a boost which I wasn't expecting, I thought it would be all throttle controlled but obviously this makes more sense :D

Coasting on a flat on pure electric power I was doing 18-21kph. Pedalling gently that sprung up to 26kph very quickly. I tested a short moderate hill near my work with and without boost and geez, what a difference. Especially for my scrawny pigeon legs :mrgreen:

Needless to say I'm now very keen to convert my MTB, I just need to find a magical money tree for the $900 kit and will install it myself.
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby Joeblake » Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:56 pm

Sounds cool. Personally I prefer a system which runs entirely off the throttle (or at least has that option) because as you say, you can get the "unexpected" and that isn't always a welcome surprise. :lol:

If you are up around this way drop in and take the trikes for a spin. You can then get a feel for how the same motor reacts when built into two different sized wheels (16" and 26"), comparing acceleration versus top speed (16 km/h vs 24 km/h). Once you build your "pigeon legs" up you'll probably find yourself pedaling at well above the maximum "motorised only" speed and you won't use the motor so much. If you have a choice between high torque and high speed gearing, high speed motors are much less useful on steep hills, and trying to ascend a steep hill with a high speed motor just flattens the batteries and overheats the motor while YOU still have to do more work. :lol:

Joe
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby glowwormbicycles » Sat Sep 04, 2010 5:45 pm

cachexian wrote:Hi All.
I've been looking at ebikes for some time now and have rarely been able to find any reviews or opinions about the motors and various conversion kits that are available in Australia. Most of the reviews and testimonials are from the distributor's websites, which are all positive!

Many distributors in Sydney do not carry stock of ebikes or will only allow you to test them around the parking lot or some equally useless test run.

I had the opportunity to try out an ebike over a long distance for the first time this weekend. I hired a Ezeebike Torq with 10Ah Li battery it from a shop in Marrickville. I rode it over two routes.
Hi Cachexian, the eZeebikes you test rode were from our shop. i didn't have the pleasure of meeting you, but you met my brother Jeremy. Thanks for stopping by.
I was quite impressed with the Ezeebike but found that generally these bikes are built for comfort. They've got thick soft tyres and heavy bouncy (but comfortable) seats. Because of this, it's hard to keep them above about 22kph with pedal power alone (even on the flat). I tried riding up Sydney road hill in Manly without assistance (hard) and also found that I was often overtaken by road bikes on the downhill stretches even if I was pedalling furiously in top gear.

So in the end, from my test ride I've decided that if I am going to do the ebike thing to help me with my commute I'd look into converting a flat bar bike similar to my Sub 40 to reduce the weight a bit and reduce the rolling resistance.
This is true, they are built for comfort. Two main reasons:

1 - the demographic of people who want these bikes has usually got practicalities in mind (comfort, dont want a sore back or bum, dont want their suit to be all wrinkled up). Clearly this doesn't apply to you as you'd rather prioritise speed, so my apologies that we don't quite have the ebike for you, maybe in the near future we'll have something.
2 - once you add the weight of the battery and motor, the bike inevitably feels less like a road bike. You start to want stronger rims and spokes for the motor wheel, some people want suspension, mass compounds, a few more kg doesn't seem to matter and voila, you have a city commuting electric bike. So I'll be interested to see how you go with your conversion in terms of reliability and rideability, I'd love to see the end result.
I think that I'd rather spring for the LiFePO4 battery and reckon that I'll probably need 14Ah or 10Ah and two chargers to reliably do the distance and not overtax the battery.
I'd recommend against this, particularly for your application - LiFePO4 batteries are heavier by a good kg or two for 10Ah and 14Ah. We use Lithium polymer batteries. Lighter, smaller, not as long lasting but long enough for us to put long warranties on them.
So Ezeebike has a conversion kit available. The other one that seems good to me is the EVS Evo 3 kit from EVS in Melbourne. I prefer the look of the EVS Evo kit because the motor is much smaller but service and support in Sydney would be better for the Ezee kit.
The going rate for these kits generally seems to be around the $1600 mark for a 200W 36V motor with a 10Ah battery.

Does anyone have any experience with these kits or recommend another?
Any advice with regards to tyre type for the converted bike?
I'd really appreciate some advice.
Obviously this advice is coming from someone who sells the equipment but I think it will useful all the same. The EVS kit I don't recommend to you and not just for reasons of back up service - it's just an entry level ebike kit. It has a Suzhou Bafang motor. It is smaller and lighter than the eZee motor but won't give useful power at high speeds. It's a reliable motor but would have to be described as entry level. For example, the eZeebike Quando, the folding bike, uses that motor because it was decided a folding bike didn't have to be high performance (mind you we rode that one from canberra to melbourne and it performed very well) and the Wisper 905 uses that motor because the 905 is $1000 cheaper than the 906 and so needed cheaper parts. If you use an eZeebike kit you'll find that the performance will be similar to what you test rode in terms of torque and power and speed and range. You might make improvements on your preferred tyre, but then again, you could just put a 100psi Marathon on the eZeebike Torq instead of the 85psi Marathon plus that's on it now. However, I don't think eZeebike is what you want, purely based on size of motor. Check out daahub.com. It's Wisper's ebike conversion kit but it isn't out yet. I imagine it'll be worth waiting for though. Did you see the Wisper 906 Alpino when you were in our shop? Have a look at our website, it's got a small and lightweight motor like EVS, but it's top of the line and more efficient. Also the control unit is a good one if pedal assistance mode interests you. You're welcome to try it out at the shop if you think a kit based on its parts will work out for you.

cachexian
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby cachexian » Sun Sep 05, 2010 11:16 pm

Hi Maurice,

Yes I did meet your brother Jeremy in the shop (one of those cyclists with the legs that can ride single speeds that you were talking about in another post). You guys were really helpful and thanks for all the above advice. Although it doesn't quite fit the bill of "independent" advice. :P Seriously, obviously, you have done a vast amount of research in choosing which brands to support when you set up your business and I really appreciate the frank advice.

I did try the Wisper Alpino but found that at first I was trying to pedal faster than the motor's speed limit and the bike felt terribly heavy (even though I know that it's not). I guess that you just have to get used to this. That's why I liked the Torq better (higher top speed I guess) it was more like the bike that I was used to riding.

Generally a bit scared to LiPo. seems like it needs a great deal of TLC (balancing etc). It seems from the endless sphere that a lot of people with Lipo seems to spend a lot of time poking at their battery packs with voltmeters and ammeters. Too technical for me for sure.

I realise that I'm not the "typical" Ebike rider. Mububban doesn't fit the mould either but is out there looking at the technology. Perhaps there is a market out there of people like me. You guys just need to work out how to tap into it! :D
Scott Sub 40 with 200W, 36v Ezee geared front hub motor
and...
Trek Madonne 3.1 driven by left leg and right leg

cachexian
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby cachexian » Mon Sep 06, 2010 9:17 pm

Hi Maurice,
Could you please explain what you mean by "entry level". Is it the construction of the motor, it's components or it's performance you feel is lacking? I'm not sure which model of Suzhou Bafang (SB) motor the EVS kit uses but most of the things I've read about them seem to be reasonably good. Only the nylon planetary gears seem to be the weak link if you let the motor overheat. If I'm not mistaken, I think that many of those who have had the overheating problem were putting well over 1000W through the motor. I would imagine that that type power and resulting speed on a pedal cycle would attract the attention of the police quite quickly in Sydney.
Scott Sub 40 with 200W, 36v Ezee geared front hub motor
and...
Trek Madonne 3.1 driven by left leg and right leg

glowwormbicycles
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby glowwormbicycles » Sat Sep 11, 2010 7:51 pm

cachexian wrote:Hi Maurice,
Could you please explain what you mean by "entry level". Is it the construction of the motor, it's components or it's performance you feel is lacking? I'm not sure which model of Suzhou Bafang (SB) motor the EVS kit uses but most of the things I've read about them seem to be reasonably good. Only the nylon planetary gears seem to be the weak link if you let the motor overheat. If I'm not mistaken, I think that many of those who have had the overheating problem were putting well over 1000W through the motor. I would imagine that that type power and resulting speed on a pedal cycle would attract the attention of the police quite quickly in Sydney.
I mean 'entry level' in the literal sense, nothing derogatory implied towards the motor or EVS. Entry level as in to make a basic ebike cheap but still reliable, it's the motor to use. If there is a need for high performance (power, efficiency, torque at high and low range) then maybe not. Definitely 'reasonably good' describes the Bafang. In fact I think they should get an award for being a Chinese manufacturer to make something cheap, consistent and reliable. If there were controllor, battery, battery charger, BMS and throttle manufacturers like that then cheap ebikes would not only be abundant (as they already are), they would be a reasonably safe buy (and a scary competitor to me, but then I'd probably stock some..). For example, I think I mentioned, our entry level Wispers, the 905, 705 and 805 (folding ebike) all have Bafang motors. Ditto the eZeebike Quando (folding). They also have entry level pedal gears - a screw on gear cluster 7 speed Shimano (mix of Alivio and Tourney). Go up about $800 to the top level Wispers and you get a Shimano Alfine 8 for your human powered drive chain and instead of a Bafang, a Dapusch motor - disc brake compatible, smaller and lighter but still as powerful, more efficient etc.

The overheating can also happen on the Bafang at lower power, but less often for sure. Might happen if you say, go up the 1 in 20 in Melbourne without pedalling, maybe 2 or 3 times... So again, nothing against Bafang, it is a reliable motor.

As for your comments about your experience of the Wisper Alpino vs eZeebike Torq, I can definitely understand that you liked the Torq better, mainly because essentially you're a strong cyclist looking for a higher average commute speed. The Wisper Alpino stops giving useful motor power at around 30km/h, the eZeebike at around 33km/h. So if you are capable of pedalling at say, 28km/h and you jump on a Wisper and pedal your heart out, you find that you go at around 30km/h and do almost all the work and therefore feel the weight of the heavier ebike. Get on a Torq and do the same and you'll go about 34km/h, still doing a fair amount of work but going faster than you could on a normal (lighter) bike so you don't feel the weight (for reference other readers, the two ebikes in question weigh almost exactly the same, around 26kg).

What I think might be best for you in the end, is a higher rpm motor. This means more useful power at high speed and less at lower speed, so hill climbing will be compromised, but still, as you know, a breeze compared to only pedalling. Just like a single speed rider will choose a higher gear ratio if they want a higher top speed instead of hill climbing ability, you need to pick a higher geared electric motor. One way to do that is to order a motor that is normally meant for a 20" wheel and therefore the motor's copper windings are designed for high rpm, and then lace it into a 28" wheel. Result, high speed motor but still low enough power to be legal and reasonably efficient, with a drop off in the steepness of hills it can climb, but definitely can still do steeper hills than you can do on a normal bike.

cachexian
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby cachexian » Sat Sep 11, 2010 10:52 pm

thanks. that's really good advice. G.
Scott Sub 40 with 200W, 36v Ezee geared front hub motor
and...
Trek Madonne 3.1 driven by left leg and right leg

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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby alan101 » Sun Sep 19, 2010 3:15 pm

I've got 2y on a Jamis Coda Sport with EVS's Souzou Bafang motor, 36v 10Ah Li-ion batter. I think kit is now $1700-1900,
My Bafang motor, battery and controller have been very reliable. Can view on URL below.
A made up Jamis flat bar ebike is around $2700. Mine is 27spd, and 2.1kg lighter than the Shogun I had it on earlier. A good sporty rig, I have commutted 1-2x/wk 34km Werribee to Melb CBD reliably in 1'15". Typically go 28-32kmh, after 34kmh (eg RR bridge or tailwind) let got the throttle and crank with ergo bar extensions. In a 15-25kn headwind speed drops to around 24-26kmh. Weight with mudguards, speedo, rack, lights and bell is 22kg ready to roll.

These guys do AustPost ebikes nationally.

EVS - Knoxfield Head Office and Showroom
Opposite Bunnings
Unit 4, 1488 Ferntree Gully Rd, Knoxfield
Ph: 03 9763 6271
http://www.evehicle.com.au

Knox store Open 8:30 am-5:30pm M-F Sat 9-2pm
Last edited by alan101 on Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:44 am, edited 3 times in total.

cachexian
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby cachexian » Sun Sep 19, 2010 7:55 pm

Thanks Alan101,

I really appreciate the input from your personal experience.

I noticed that you have put a lot of information about various ebikes on the BV website. I'll read through all of it eventually. You might find a more receptive audience for your information about ebikes on this forum...?

Thanks again,
Cachexian
Scott Sub 40 with 200W, 36v Ezee geared front hub motor
and...
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby glowwormbicycles » Sun Dec 05, 2010 2:55 pm

Hi Cachexian and others,

it's been a while but finally we've had some time to play around with our conversion kits on various bikes. We think they're pretty cool and you're welcome to come by and test ride them and give us an opinion. We've converted a Giant Seek 2, a Giant Transend, Kona Ute, somebody's mum's tricycle and a couple others. I've put some photos of the conversions at flickr.com/photos/glowwormbicycles. Also got a page about conversions on our website which will start to build up some more detail.

The Giant Seek 2 might be up your alley. It's fast, has a 27 speed Deore set so you can get full human power input over a big range of riding speeds, with or without motor. And it looks cool. The rack used holds the battery underneath the pannier rack where it is lockable and removable only by key. This allows full use of panniers, baskets, whatever you want and makes the bike look more bicycle-like, especially with a pannier or two to cover the battery.

let us know what you think

maurice

cachexian
Posts: 124
Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 10:39 pm

Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby cachexian » Sun Dec 05, 2010 5:08 pm

Hi Maurice,

I've been watching your website and saw the photos of the conversions. They look good. I particularly like the neat battery under the pannier rack system.

I just finished converting my Scott Sub40 on Friday. Still have to fine tune the throttle position. I used the "ahem" EVS Evo kit to do it. :oops: I'm happy with it so far.

I have only done one commute to work so far (23ks Haberfield to Manly) but I cut 15mins off my normal cycle time and was even looking forward to the ride home for once! I only used about 1/3 of the 10Ah LiPo battery that I have for each direction.

I enjoyed converting the bike myself and it was is reasonably easy to do it myself but it took me a lot longer to do than I expected. It makes Glowworm installation charges for the Ezeebike kits quite reasonable. The most difficult part of the installation was installing the Cycle Analyst - the wiring of the shunt was a little fiddly. If I'd gone with your kit I could have simply plugged in directly! Oh well there's always pros and cons.

I'll need to come to see you guys for servicing (if you don't mind, that is) because my LBS has made it clear that they don't want such an abomination in their shop. It'd be bad for business!

I'm still waiting for the negative comments from non-assisted cyclists as I pass them and was thinking of attaching a "ONE LESS CAR" bumper sticker to the back of my basket.

Hope to come in to the shop soon.

Cachexian.
Scott Sub 40 with 200W, 36v Ezee geared front hub motor
and...
Trek Madonne 3.1 driven by left leg and right leg

glowwormbicycles
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 12:39 am

Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby glowwormbicycles » Wed Dec 29, 2010 12:44 pm

We'll be happy to do your bike servicing and look forward to seeing how the conversion went.

I don't know if it's the done thing to name names on this forum, so i won't ask who your LBS is, but I will point out that they are being incredibly short sighted if they think turning away a 50km/day commuter is good for business!

yes the cycle analyst plug and play is a nice feature of the eZee kit but not usually taken advantage of so we probably don't pitch it as much as we should.

See you round and happy e-biking,

maurice

cachexian
Posts: 124
Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 10:39 pm

Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby cachexian » Thu Mar 03, 2011 10:59 pm

I decided against the "one less car" bumper sticker for the bike after I saw that there seemed to be some demand on the internet for "one less bike" bumper stickers. There's no point infuriating car drivers any more than we already do.

Seriously, I've not had any other commuters or cyclists even mention it (the electrification of the bike, that is)- which has surprised me.
Scott Sub 40 with 200W, 36v Ezee geared front hub motor
and...
Trek Madonne 3.1 driven by left leg and right leg

cachexian
Posts: 124
Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 10:39 pm

Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby cachexian » Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:51 am

I've written a detailed review of my experiences with my E-bike now that I've had it for a few months, worn in the battery and done some decent distance on it. It's in a different thread on this forum.

Cachexian.
Scott Sub 40 with 200W, 36v Ezee geared front hub motor
and...
Trek Madonne 3.1 driven by left leg and right leg

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Mububban
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Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby Mububban » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:03 pm

As at March 2011, this is updated info from E Bikes R Us in Perth:
The new kits have a different carry rack and control box which makes for a neater finish which is also more weatherproof. It also has different batteries with a better battery management system however they are still 36 volt 10 amp hour.

The price of $1,150 is the RAC fitted price. Full price is $1290


Every time I think I can afford to get it done, something unexpected crops up and blows the budget. One day....
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

blompod
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Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 7:04 pm

Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby blompod » Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:25 am

I can tell you a company not to deal with thats ETAus I bought a 500w conversion kit from them it took over a month to recieve it after telling them it was urgent, it failed 3 months later, I sent the suspect control box back that was almost a month ago have had no contact with them and they wont return my emails. So that was an 800 dollar write off. I put the address of ETAus into google maps and its just a block of flats in Rockdale NSW. I was totally ripped off. Thats Electric transport Australia :evil:

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KenGS
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Location: Rosanna, Victoria

Re: Can anyone recommend a brand of conversion kit?

Postby KenGS » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:50 pm

blompod wrote:I can tell you a company not to deal with thats ETAus I bought a 500w conversion kit from them it took over a month to recieve it after telling them it was urgent, it failed 3 months later, I sent the suspect control box back that was almost a month ago have had no contact with them and they wont return my emails. So that was an 800 dollar write off. I put the address of ETAus into google maps and its just a block of flats in Rockdale NSW. I was totally ripped off. Thats Electric transport Australia :evil:
Did they tell you that a 500W kit is not street legal?
--Ken
Helmets! Bells! Rego!

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