Update Pictures of my Humble e-Bike

[snowcrow]

My humble Wally World Special



  The Crystalyte's 48v 25amp controller moves the bike right along!! Top speed on the flats is about 25mph. I've used as little as 10wh/mile of power consumption when pedaling. I plan on getting a front motor hub as well, to make the hill climbing easy, two motor hubs, two controllers, and one throttle!!! It will crazy dangerous, with a top speed of 45-50mph!!! I think I'll be changing out the front fork first!!





Just used a couple of "U" bolts with rubber hose over them for mounting the controller on the tube. It's always nice to have the kill switch were you reach it!!!!





I used 8awg wire between the batteries instead of 10awg, hoping to reduce "sag" which did help a little. The saddlebags have held up well, considering the 40lbs. of SLA's they're carrying down bumpy Vermont roads.

So far, the range has been great, 16 miles on a charge no pedal @ 20mph average, and 28 mile on a charge with pedaling @ 15mph average. (48v 12ah SLA) I'm working on getting the regenerative braking system up and running too, which the range a bit more!!

More Pictures to come!!

Blessings, Snow Crow

[spinningmagnets]

E-bike's looking great, Snowcrow! I'm jealous...

If you ever decide you want a rear tire fender, one option is a "PVC sweep" which is a a gentle curving conduit 90-degree turn. Gentle curve, so cables can be pulled through them. Plastic, and easy to cut and shape:

http://www.coatedconduit.com/images/pvc-sweep.gif?45cdfc40

Have you ever felt the two V-brakes weren't quite enough? I will probably be getting a bike soon to electrify (only a few miles to my job) and I noticed the front disc brake model is about $50 more (is it worth it, or un-neccesary?)

[Jon Miller]

Thats looking cool.

What is the Wattage of the hub motor?

[zap]

All right Snow Crow!  Thanks for the pictures.

I'm glad she's working out for you, it looks and sounds like a nice ride.  And those numbers show some pretty good performance.

Did you figure out the 10wh/mile from recharging or do you have a Watts Up type of device?

And last but not least...

Are you going to put studded tires on for the coming weather???

[zap]

Another inexpensive fender material is coroplast and with the coming elections, many 'free' samples will be tossed into the trash in a few weeks.  Add in a couple of coat hangers and you can have some cheap fenders.

Even with the weight of the bike and rider over 300lbs, properly adjusted V-brakes should be more than adequate. Disk really shine when there's water involved as any type of rim brake can go to hell in a hand basket quickly once wet.

I would say $50 extra for disk brakes seems like a good deal.

The down side could be the maintenance of the disks but I've read of people getting thousands of miles and many years out of a disk setup w/out any problems.

[snowcrow]

  Thanks spinningmagnets, I decided to go without fenders for two reasons, one it's just extra weight that will limit range and two the system isn't all that water proof, so I won't be doing any riding in the rain, at least not on purpose! It's going to be a fair whether bike.

  YES, disc brakes are a must, front and back!!! The V brake pads just don't last. Some motor hubs come with a threaded nipple on the side cover for mounting the disc, and others, like my hub, you can buy one.

  Went you get your ride done you'll have to post some pictures

Blessings, Snow Crow

[snowcrow]

  Well...they really don't say what the wattage was, but it's the controller and not the motor that makes all the difference.  I've put 1300 watts through my hub motor, and I know some hub motors that can go as high as 3 Kw peak input!

  The law states that systems here in the US should not be more than 750 watts, with top speed of 20mph, with a 170 lb rider.  So if "Johnny Law" asks me, it's 750 watts

Blessings, Snow Crow

[snowcrow]

  Thanks zap, yes it has great performance!! I was surprised when I did the math after a couple of rides.

  Yes, I am using a "Watts Up" meter to keep track of power consumption. When your bike weighs 80 lbs., it's nice knowing how much power you have left for the return leg of you trip :| I haven't run out of power yet and hope I never do!!!

Blessings, Snow Crow

[jmk]

 I want one!

[tecker]

I bought a Road master all solid and put a front hub motor on it 2 years ago ( China ) 36 volt the controller is lame . I have it covered now until I rebuild the controller . I like that battery carry . I started a box with fiberglass but haven't got it past the frame stage. Weight is a factor especially in braking . Regenerative braking will defiantly help .

[snowcrow]

  Sorry to hear that tecker  How did you kill it?

 Yes, the 36v is pretty wimpy!! I thought about going 72v, but than again, using regenerative braking is really not practical at that voltage.

 The 408 series hub I have, can produce just enough power, to make it practical for charging a 48v battery pack at about 12mph. A second hub in front which would double the regenerative ability of the system, which is the plan

 Good luck with the rebuild :|

Blessings, Snow Crow

[tecker]

 It's still cookin but it tops well below a good power range . The motor has a figerglass rack the drive coils are on . So not much chance of getting the volts out to regen with .I 've got a new plan for the motor controller . It's threephase though and I need to work out the feed back circuits.

[snowcrow]

Just got myself a Schwinn S60 full suspension frame for FREE!!:>





This frame has got to be a lot less harsh to ride than the other one on these rural Vermont roads :?

I'll post a new thread when I get some pictures of the build.

Blessings, Snow Crow