Has anyone tried ebikes.ca's Nine Continent hub motor?

http://www.ebikes.ca/store/store_nc.php - the link

It apparently has more torque than the crystalyte due to the higher pole count/windings count and has higher efficiency but it's not available in a rear-wheel version nor does it seem to have high tolerance for going beyond the design specs(But the manufacturing tolerances are so much better than crystalyte's!). So, has anyone tried it? I'll be looking forward to the review!

I saw it in person, it looks good- nice casings, and the kit including the cycle analyst is a good deal.- haven't had a test run yet.

Photos are up on the Nine Continents kit on ebikes.ca. They look like a nice motor anyway and they sound good, especially with the CA included.

Nine Continents @ ebikes.ca


Looking closely at that picture one would definitely suspect that the AmpedBikes motors and the Nine Continents sold by Ebikes are infact the same motor. I wonder if they are wound the same? Amped bikes has talked about changing windings to a faster motor, which sounds remarkably like the 20" versus 26"/700c options Ebikes is running. Of course, all speculation.

Amped Bikes


Same rim, same motor shape. I suspect the polishing done for the Amped Kits is to remove the nine continents logo possibly (??). Ebikes kits uses a pedal first 20a X'lyte controller, the Amped one uses an unidentified 22amp controller, both can take up to 48v. Amped also offers a rear motor.

Good to see more choices coming out. Of course it just makes it harder to decide which one you want though.
HB

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I saw a posting on this forum for these same motor kits being sold on an italian website. From what I remember, that site had nine continent motors that were rear-wheel and fitted with disc brakes. If ebikes.ca had that available, I'd definitely splurge.

They are available for sure. As I said, Ampedbikes has the rear (not in stock) and ebikes suggests they will get rear eventually. I'd love to see disc brakes as well. A lot of bikes nowdays just dont have v brakes as an option.

HB

pizark said:

I saw a posting on this forum for these same motor kits being sold on an italian website. From what I remember, that site had nine continent motors that were rear-wheel and fitted with disc brakes. If ebikes.ca had that available, I'd definitely splurge.

Click to expand...

Hey, out of more than just curiosity, would you be willing to splurge if it could only handle a 5 speed freewheel and if getting the disc caliper to fit meant adding additional shims and spacers and possibly spreading the dropouts a bit?

Let us know! Justin

justin_le said:

pizark said:

I saw a posting on this forum for these same motor kits being sold on an italian website. From what I remember, that site had nine continent motors that were rear-wheel and fitted with disc brakes. If ebikes.ca had that available, I'd definitely splurge.

Click to expand...

Hey, out of more than just curiosity, would you be willing to splurge if it could only handle a 5 speed freewheel and if getting the disc caliper to fit meant adding additional shims and spacers and possibly spreading the dropouts a bit?

Let us know! Justin

Click to expand...

Lol. I like how that can either be taken as a serious question and/or as sarcasm. I'm getting the impression it's both.

I would certainly ride one with 5 speed if it meant a disc on there, but the spacing would be dependent on frame. Cheap frames, bend away!!

Hey Justin,

Yes, I would for sure. Honestly, I rarely ever switch out of my highest gear (14t rear), so even if it was a 3 speed (if it exists) freewheel with an 11t high gear would be fine for me. Right now I only have a front disc brake. Given, the front brake provides most of the stopping power anyways; I'd still feel more comfortable if I could use my rear brake for those non-emergency type stops.

pizark

I think that's the rub... If someone had a 5 speed freewheel that went down to 11 teeth, the world would be a wonderful place. I have a Shimano freewheel that goes from 11 to 28, but with a stack of 7 gears. With a GM rear hub motor, the extra spread required to get this puppy mounted (with the requisite spacers) is just a bit uncomfortable with my alloy frame, so I stuck with a 5 speed. :-( Having that 11 tooth cog makes a BIG difference. I get the impression that the Nine Continent rear option might have the same dimensions as the GM...

But... Even If the fit >IS< exactly the same as a GM unit, I'd be game to to try one anyways... if the cogging torque were comparable or lower than that of the GM (I like to be able to pedal-only when toodling along with friends/family with non-motorized bikes).

I suspect a person could fit it with disc brakes on the right bike. This is a golden motors motor (which I suspect has the same geometry as the nine continents) fitted to a giant and a 7 speed freewheel. It is a very tight fit.
You could probably do the same with the nine continents motor provided that you had a second threaded cover.

We use this motors in Viña del Mar and Valparaiso (both hilly cities in Chile) .

Very good technology and quality.

Here some pictures of inside of an 500W 48V rear motor.





2 motor experiment just fur fun :

One of them was the generator and the other operated as the motor.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXi2yn7RRSc[/youtube]

And at least one of our ebikes :


Rodrigo
http://www.movielectric.cl

More info here


http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2869&p=103324&hilit=nine+continent#p103324

I recently received an Ampedbikes rear kit. As I was looking at it I noticed a small sticker on the side upon which was handwritten "RH205 36V 500W 9X7" Also etched into the side was a serial number that begins with"JZ36V..." Hmmmm....

Searched Google and found this--http://www.cnjzdj.com/en_showProDetail.asp?ID=621&ClassID=328

Looked at ebikes.ca and the dimensions of the Nine Continents motor are identical to mine.

Sooo... Johnbear...

What is that bike? A Giant Warp of some flavour (DS3 maybe?).

All three of the bikes I put Goldens on are Giants - how far did you have to open the dropout to get all of that to fit? I'd never try to permanently bend an alloy frame ("cold set" it), but I often wonder what impact it would have on the frame if I simply forced the rear dropouts apart an additional centimeter to get the 7speed freewheel to fit. By placing the rear triangle under permanent stress, does it become more susceptible to cracking when one hits the inevitable pothole?

I'm thinking that it might wind up being MORE than a centimeter - you'd kind of need a spacer on the opposite side of the motor to keep it centered (dishing a wheel with a motor in it doesn't seem like a great idea). My biggest concern is what happens when you tighten down the axle nuts when the dropouts have been pushed out - it'll mean that the "forks" are no longer parallel, and the nuts will want to MAKE them so - likely resulting in a crack...

You have me wanting to try it, just for giggles. I took a bunch of measurements with calipers, and decided against trying the 7speed based on the measurements alone...

Skipping the sales pitch...

Thanks, johnbear, for getting me thinking about this again. As mentioned, I had a 7 speed freewheel (11 - 28) that I wasn't even going to TRY to mount on my bike, as the existing 5 speed seemed to be already maxing out the space I had available. I was already spreading the rear dropouts a bit to get THAT to fit, so anything taller was out.

After seeing your post, I was inspired to chuck aside the measurements I'd taken with the trusty digital calipers (and the academic conclusion that went with that exercise) and "just see" how bad the fit would be if I just tried the parts out for real.

Here's the freewheel in question...



And after moving a few things around and only adding 2 spacers, this (fuzzy) picture shows the degree to which the whole arrangement would fall short...



Just about HALF the thickness of the dropout "forks" themselves. Pffft. If the frame can't stand being opened THAT much (and it does so EASILY), then I'll have to rethink my appreciation for the technology that makes some of these alloys possible...

So, I went for it. I *DID* need to slightly dish my wheel to compensate, but we're talking about a difference which was easily made up with 3/4 turn of each spoke nipple (tightened on the freewheel side, loosened on the opposite).

With all said and done -wheel exactly centered, derailleur adjusted, and shifter indexing tweaked - it works PERFECTLY. But I've got the clearance with the frame down to a minimum...



The picture makes it look *slightly* tighter than it really is - nothing clashes/rubs/scratches/grinds (or even touches) in ANY of the 21 speed combinations!

Back to the subject matter of the thread... Is the Nine Continent rear wheel option THAT dimensionally different from a Golden Motor? I realize that it's possible that I lucked out getting the particular freewheel I did from a local shop (it might be discontinued), but the combination does work brilliantly. Of course, I've been given to understand that your mileage can vary with the machining of the axles on some hub motors (from unit to unit) - maybe I got lucky twice?

Thanks again, johnbear, for moving me to spend a few hours rather well!

That's great! There is over 2000k on the golden motor pictured with the disc brake and so far so good. It is actually my friend's bike it is a Giant SL I believe, 6061 aluminum. He is using the same freewheel as you. My bike is a Giant Warp DS1. The golden/nine continents motor seem quite torquey, I think a torque arm like the one amped bikes sells is a good idea.

I'm sorry for raf242's spam, sometimes italian guys thinks that forum rules apply only in forums they frequent a lot.

I'm very curious about these as well. I'm very anxious to see when ebikes.ca will let the rest of us purchase a kit online. The kit they're offering seems awesome. I'm waiting for the wright combo for my delta trike project. The fact that they're throwing in a CA is icing on the cake. Leave it to Justin and his team to come up with better ideas with more options. This guy is really revolutionizing e-biking before our eyes.
There must be someone out there with some feedback on these models.
I don't want to start bugging Justin for one just yet, since he's quite busy.
Common guys! Feedback please! The suspense is killing me!

gip_mad said:

I'm sorry for raf242's spam, sometimes italian guys thinks that forum rules apply only in forums they frequent a lot.

Click to expand...

While commercial activity is usually disapproved on "general forums", I think his mention of selling rear-versions was quite pertinent given the seeming absence of them in the general marketplace according to common knowledge at the time and the then conversational tangent.

swbluto said:

While commercial activity is usually disapproved on "general forums", I think his mention of selling rear-versions was quite pertinent given the seeming absence of them in the general marketplace according to common knowledge at the time and the then conversational tangent.

Click to expand...

I agree, but, c'mon, look at the post! He could have said it in a completly different way, maybe telling some more info... BTW, the guy selling these motors in Italy is a very god guy, he has a good reputation and he doesn't do it for the money (alone)... He is very known on Italian's ES, http://www.jobike.it, and he keeps on asking feedback on how to improve his kits. I don't know what's the shipping overseas,but he is a good guy and maybe he can give you a little discount.

You see, _this_ is how to spam!!

Woah, that's quite an active forum! I'm so oblivious to what's out there beyond my own internet bubble that I often think that the (insert subject) forum I'm at is the only major one out there. But, Europe is generally particularly more suited to electric bicycles so it makes sense there'd be some great interest in the technology in other European languages.

And, If I'm reading that "poll" below correctly(assuming it is one), it seems like the "Non blah blah" is the most popular. I assume that's the Nine Continents one? It seems like "they" already know the good stuff and most of us Amerikaners(possibly including a few British) are reliant on ancient technology.

Well, ES _IS_ the major one on this subject! Here in Italy there are a lot of people concerned by the environmental problems, but we are still in greater minority. Crappy laws made by rich people on SUVs doesn't help the diffusion of ebikes: here we have a limit of 25kmh (15mi/h), max power of 250W, and can't go if you don't pedal. And while germay became tolerant and "silently" allowed people to pass these limits, here in Italy it's still a matter of how the policeman that stopped you woke up in the morning. You can get a big fine of about 2000$ if your bike doesn't meet specifications, because it's considered a motorcycle and so they fine you for not having insurance, license plate, helmet, etc...
The poll lists the commercial, ready-made bike models, all the kits (nine, crystalyte, etc) are included in the last row that you quoted.

Getting back to the original question, I have a Nine Continent kit and it rocks.

I picked up the 20" version and the torque is very good.
With the supplied 20A pedal first controller is is a little weak and sometimes choppy on takeoff
I soldered the shunt for 35A and now it pulls hard
A little finesse on the throttle and it takes off smooth.

If I were to change the kit it would be to up the current limit to 35A and run the hall sensors for immediate start.

The wheel and build in general were great. Good, strong, quality wheel.
A very pretty build.

I got a wheel on an 5305 from Electric Rider once that ended up splitting in half!
Never had a problem with anything I got from ebikes.ca
Thought I had a problem once and Justin was ready to send out a replacement no questions asked
Ended up finding out that it was a stupid mistake by me. Loose connection.

Another important thing to note is that not only do you get a CA, but your controller also comes "plug and play" ready to go with the CA connector.

If you dont own a Cycle Analyst then you truly are missing out

This is the kit that i recommend for all nOObs.

-methods