Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

by **adrian_d** » Tue Nov 27, 2012 7:51 pm

Hey all,
I have been following e-bikes for some time now and I also happen to be a huge fan of the film tron. Has anyone seen a successful ebike conversion to a conventional road bike before? I am all up for using my legs to get some fresh air but some days it would be awesome to just put your feet up and check out the scenery (not that you couldn't do that normally).

I know it defeats the point of cycling but there is no reason it couldn't be an awesome project. Especially that i've decided to try commute every day I can (thats partly due to my car being off the road for the next month or too haha).

The only pics I could find of an Electric Bike were these:

by **BNA** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 10:24 am

by **MattyK** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 10:24 am

http://www.commuterbooster.com/photo-album

An electric road bike seems anachronistic to me, unless you plan on travelling at 60kmh everywhere. Drop bar geometry is great if you're pushing hard on the pedals, as it takes the load off your hands.

Ease up on the pedalling (as you would when motor assisted) and you'll have a sore back and arms before you know it. And a sore crotch from more weight on the saddle...

by **clackers** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 2:50 pm

MattyK wrote:
An electric road bike seems anachronistic to me, unless you plan on travelling at 60kmh everywhere.

The motor cuts out on legal e-bikes above 25 kmh, Matt.

Think of all that extra weight as resistance training!

by **rkelsen** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:00 pm

Cancellara had one, didn't he?

by **Riggsbie** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:36 pm

And then why would you go for such a poor aerodynamic design as a DF, you'd go recumbent and add some bodywork and hey presto you've got a velomobile !

Although I do like the look of that Specialized......

Would love to electrify my Mango but does not seem any point with the draconian rules of 25kph limit on electric assist, I can average 35kph on pedal power on the Mango...... ;-)

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by **Hamster** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 4:11 pm

clackers wrote:
MattyK wrote:
An electric road bike seems anachronistic to me, unless you plan on travelling at 60kmh everywhere.

The motor cuts out on legal e-bikes above 25 kmh, Matt.

Think of all that extra weight as resistance training!

The simplest conversion is to use a hub motor. However hub motors regardless of legalities cease to deliver any useful assistance at anything much above 30 kph. A more powerful hub will get you up to 30 kph faster, and flatten hills even more and make headwinds a thing of the past. However, with powerful motors the battery will discharge really quickly. You will need to give the battery considerable thought.

Having the motor driving through the gears is more efficient and will permit higher speeds. However, you then hit the problem of the adequacy of bicycle brakes, steering and cycling infrastructure not to mention the boys in blue might react badly to being overtaken by a bicycle.

Cruising speed on my single-speed electric bike is around 24 to 26 kph which is plenty for me, plus hills are flattened and headwinds are merely an annoyance.

by **John Lewis** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 5:47 pm

Hey Riggsbie,
I don't think the speed is limited to 25kmh with the legacy 200W units. Then again the 200W will limit you nicely. Think too of all that extra weight

I am very taken with John Tetz's idea of a small 100W or so motor working through the gears and with a very small battery about 4 aH to keep weight down. Its purpose is to help up hill, speed in roundabouts and intersections and to assist in accellerating. That appeals to me. Iyt is meant to be assist after all and not a means to speed along with no effort. :mrgreen:

I've posted the link before but here it is again so Adrian won't have to try searching.
http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/tetz/e-assistmetric/

I recall the unit that fitted in the downtube. I think that was what they claimed Cancellara used.
http://www.vivax-assist.com/en/produkte ... ssist.html

If you just want something simple this might be the go. Uses model aircraft motor I think.
https://sites.google.com/site/commuterbooster/

John

by **Riggsbie** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 8:34 pm

Brilliant info John !

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by **adrian_d** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 12:26 pm

Oh wow thats neat thanks for all that info. Lots to read.

I am very tempted for my daily commuter to chuck on an electric motor on my Chopper Bicycle once and for all haha.

Would be awesome to cruise on in. No doubt the looks i'd get would be priceless haha.

by **Riggsbie** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:09 pm

Cool chopper !

What is that back tyre from ? A scooter or small road bike ?

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by **jaffaman** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:11 pm

Awesome chopper - and yes, cruising electric on that would be cool. Much better than a drop bar.

by **adrian_d** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:37 pm

Riggsbie wrote:Cool chopper !

What is that back tyre from ? A scooter or small road bike ?

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Oh thanks for that

It actually came like that. It was originally called a Flight Dragster which is very similarly based around the Shwinn Chopper but its spaced out more to suit an adult. Its very comfy and fun to cruise. I've done an 80km ride with it once haha. I got so many looks and laughs but we don't do things in life to always keep everyone else happy so I just enjoy the moment

jaffaman wrote:Awesome chopper - and yes, cruising electric on that would be cool. Much better than a drop bar.

Thanks for the heads up. Whats great is that I can cruise with one hand, its that easy to ride. Being close to the ground also helps stability at lower speeds.

I went for a ride the other night and I had an absolute ball lmao. I found this hill and went down it so fast that I physically couldn't pedal any faster haha. My cadence must have been over 200 LOL.

For the sake of an electric motor conversion, I may end up running a fixie, that way it will look like i'm always pedalling even though the motors running lol.

The kit that I have was custom made for the front wheel, although it looks a bit strange I don't mind it too much.

Heres what it looked like with the front hub motor installed.

by **Cognoscente** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:40 pm

I have one of the Commuter Booster units on a flat bar roadie and love it!

Key advantage of this over a hub motor IMO is the weight. The commuter booster comes in at around 1Kg and is roughly centred in terms of weight on the bike. Hubs weigh many times more (depending on direct drive or geared hub and stator size) and are either extra rotational weight on the front or back wheels. The unit can be removed from the bike in minutes if I want to or even used on multiple bikes within 10min. Try doing that with a hubbie.

Power assist can be regulated via the controller for the unit or can be set as a 'cruise control'. This unit is definately an assist motor only.

Only downside is the whine that comes from the high revving RC motor.

PS. Not anti-hub in any way - got a couple of them too but the CB is awesome.

by **adrian_d** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:50 pm

Cognoscente wrote:I have one of the Commuter Booster units on a flat bar roadie and love it!

Key advantage of this over a hub motor IMO is the weight. The commuter booster comes in at around 1Kg and is roughly centred in terms of weight on the bike. Hubs weigh many times more (depending on direct drive or geared hub and stator size) and are either extra rotational weight on the front or back wheels. The unit can be removed from the bike in minutes if I want to or even used on multiple bikes within 10min. Try doing that with a hubbie.

Power assist can be regulated via the controller for the unit or can be set as a 'cruise control'. This unit is definately an assist motor only.

Only downside is the whine that comes from the high revving RC motor.

PS. Not anti-hub in any way - got a couple of them too but the CB is awesome.

Yeah I guess its all down to the applications its running. The Commuter Booster definitely sounds like a very good option. The one thing that still gets to anyone investing in anything "electric" is the cost and weight with battery sources. Range out of most packs under 8-10kg in lifepo4 chemistry are limited to around 40km range with an initial outlay of around $600. Lipo batteries are much cheaper but i've always found myself more comfortable with nimh and lead "boat anchor" acid'. I love my long distance riding but find myself rather limited in how far I can go, especially when carrying an extra 20kg or so (4kg for motor and 14kg for boat anchor batteries).

by **adrian_d** » Mon Dec 03, 2012 8:09 am

Well it might not be much to look at, but its a HEAP of fun.

She is all going, my grin is absolutely HUGEEEE

I am so suprised how much torque the motor gives out, there wasn't one hill I couldn't climb.

I am still using SLA 12ah 48v but it was sooo unreal. I have never had so much fun.

Just wanted to thank everyone for your help.

I made myself some torque plates that seem to be holding up really well.

I am taking it to work tomorrow. So excited. I do like being able to do front wheel burnouts when going up hills haha
I know its not much to look at but its functionl (and heavy lol) for now till I can afford a better battery, I built a decent metal frame round the batteries and it is very strong.

by **rkelsen** » Mon Dec 03, 2012 8:17 am

I'm sure I speak on behalf of many others when I ask: Where has the cestino gone?

by **adrian_d** » Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:06 am

rkelsen wrote:I'm sure I speak on behalf of many others when I ask: Where has the cestino gone?

Good question LOL I have about 7 in the garage now, I find its easier to match the colour of the basket to the scene for a better contrast haha

by **Riggsbie** » Mon Dec 03, 2012 1:01 pm

Do you think you have used enough duct tape ?

I hope you,used plenty of cable ties too !

I am sure you can "refine" the installation as you use it ;-)

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by **adrian_d** » Mon Dec 03, 2012 3:15 pm

Riggsbie wrote:Do you think you have used enough duct tape ?

I hope you,used plenty of cable ties too !

I am sure you can "refine" the installation as you use it

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Thanks

There is always more space for duct tape hahaha. I went through a whole 20 metres of duct tape and 20 metres of electrical tape lol. The actual batteries have been structurally mounted with several brackets taped in. Its very strong, I can pull at the battery and it won't budge. I will definitely need to redo the mounting points somehow as the current option at the moment is pretty average.

The tape at the front and back of the frame needs to go as its not actually doing much and makes it look even worse than it is haha.

by **ChrisRider** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 10:49 am

If you are looking for a Pure Road bike that is electric, the only one ive seen is the Reef Bikes Carbon Racer. It is a full Carbon Racing frame, and it uses Panasonic battery technology. I havent seen anything like it

by **eldavo** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:06 pm

I found it easier to put perspective on your comments when you had this in your signature from the Stealth Bomber thread:

ChrisRider wrote:Resident Electric Bikes Engineer at Reef Bikes

ChrisRider wrote:If you are looking for a Pure Road bike that is electric, the only one ive seen is the Reef Bikes Carbon Racer. It is a full Carbon Racing frame, and it uses Panasonic battery technology. I havent seen anything like it

I won't get into attacking Reef Bikes due to your comment, but it's easier to not take the bait when you disclose your position.