Hyena's e-bike builds (now with HD video)

[Hyena]

My dad came to visit on the weekend, riding around on his ebike. While it recharged I suggested he take a few of mine out for a test ride
Here's a vid of him on my 5kw blue hardtail at first and then swapping over to my fighter in the 2nd half. He's about 10kg lighter than me so found it a bit more of a challenge to keep the front wheel down
Unfortunately the camera wasn't rolling when it got away on him when setting off, going completely from under him and plowing up in the middle of the road. Only cosmetic damage luckily but it took a good chunk out of the back of the seat, which I've been meaning to replace anyway.
When we went to race the front came up on him so he backed off, then I backed off because I thought he wans't going to hit it, then he took off and had a good head start before I hit it. So it's by no means a fair race but I reckon this vid gives a better feeling of what the acceleration is like on these bikes
The 9C running 5kw is definately snappier off the line but the more powerful H40 on the fighter running aorund 7kw (currently) quickly reels it back in with its strong midrange and higher top end.


(still an hour away on the upload and processing if you're reading this as soon as I post it)

As you can see from the vid there's a big blur on my gopro lens. Sadly it's not on the outer case, my 1 year old managed to climb up on the cabinet where I leave it, pulling it down onto the tiled floor and putting a big chip in the lens It's not ruined You can't get replacements from gopro but I'm going to try and fit another type of camera lens to it which uses the same thread side. Hopefully it still fits inside the case

[ROG130]

fab vid good to see you and your dad on the bikes just lost my dad from the big c so him and me will never get the chance but this vid said it all thanks for posting it now i will have to get bikes my dad and me where working on finished and go for a run and have some fun

[GCinDC]

meow.

great vid. brought a smile to my face.

Unfortunately the camera wasn't rolling when it got away on him when setting off, going completely from under him and plowing up in the middle of the road.

thank god it wasn't as bad as what happened to methods dad.

As you can see from the vid there's a big blur on my gopro lens.

bummer about the lens! is it the case lens, or the camera proper? if the latter, i got this response after chipping mine:

Hi Greg,

The lens of the camera itself can not be replaced as it is fixed into the camera.

If the scratch on the lens of the camera is shallow enough, a camera, jewelry, or eyeglass repair shop may be able to buff out the scratch for you.

Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Many Thanks,

GoPro Support

That said, if anyone can do, you can. Just take photos along the way.

Dueling bikes is sweet! I'm just getting there myself. Now I can show my guests to proper hospitality (but hopefully not the 'hospital' part of that)

[knoxie]

fab vid good to see you and your dad on the bikes just lost my dad from the big c so him and me will never get the chance but this vid said it all thanks for posting it now i will have to get bikes my dad and me where working on finished and go for a run and have some fun

Sorry to hear that I lost my dad back in 2003 to the big C I got in to ebikes shortly after and in fact it was a kind of damn it all you could die tomorrow attitude that made me buy my first ebike kit and I loved it, the hobby and all the people involved was such a great distraction from what had been a very sad time, ebikes and the fun that was opening up for me on them really got me through I tell you! its a great hobby.. My dad would have so loved the ebikes I ride now, he used to tool around on all sorts of motorbikes in the fifties and sixties, I have all these great pictures of him looking like James Dean

Thanks for a great video Jay, your old fella looks in good shape too, everyone should make time to ride with their old man and what a great excuse to build another bike, whipping acceleration from the fighter buddy and I hardly noticed the chip in the lens, why Gopro dont give you a rubber lens cover in the kit I have no idea, it would cost nothing, I use a 20mm rubber button cover to cover mine as I have just started using it for my commutes after my buddy almost got killed the other day on his bike.

Keep the videos coming

[ROG130]

thanks knoxie yes e-biking is the best and the best thing is finding endless-sphere.com and all the e-bikers here like jay have there problems but keep us all smiling with there vids and jays are the best

[Hyena]

fab vid good to see you and your dad on the bikes just lost my dad from the big c so him and me will never get the chance

Sorry to hear that mate. I nearly lost my dad about 18 months ago to a heart attack but some major bypass surgery has given him some extra years now. I build his bike for him just prior to it (little FWD 350w 9C running about 1.5kw on a cheap $100 kmart bike) and he said it was a great rehab tool post surgery to get out again and do a bit of exercise without the fear of overdoing it or getting caught out. If I knew how much he was going to ride and enjoy it I would have made him something better to start but that leaves and upgrade path I suppose

thank god it wasn't as bad as what happened to methods dad.

Yeah luckily he wasn't on it at the time. I think it was the usual trap for young players of bumping the throttle as you throw your leg over. He held on for a bit but it it was too strong and went for a fly on its own His arm was grazed and bleeding so something must have clipped him on the way through but he didn't actually hit the deck so that was good.

bummer about the lens! is it the case lens, or the camera proper?

Nope, the actual convex camera lens itself unfortunately. I read online the lens is loctited on pretty good but if you heat it up and use alot of persuasion they can be removed, then they're fairly standard thread to replace. I'm willing to bet a large sum of money the replacement lens I've bought will sit a little too far out from the camera body to fit the waterproof case but if I can salvage the camera at all I'll be happy. I guess it's not too bad as is for ebike videos where alot is road and you don't notice the detail anyway but it's more noticable if you pan around or have other detail you're trying to look at. Maybe I shouldn't risk killing it all together...
Good excuse to buy a hero 2 though

Dueling bikes is sweet! I'm just getting there myself. Now I can show my guests to proper hospitality (but hopefully not the 'hospital' part of that)

Heh yeah I normally have a 3 speed switch on mine but it broke when my bike fell over the other day (I leaned it on a glass window at a shop not realising it was actually a really long sliding glass door!) That helps tame it alot of people start out in 30% mode.

My dad would have so loved the ebikes I ride now, he used to tool around on all sorts of motorbikes in the fifties and sixties, I have all these great pictures of him looking like James Dean

Yeah my dad has pics from the late 60s early 70s when he used to ride bikes too - a triumph 650 I think which he says had the power:weight ratio of a jumbo jet
Re: his hair Greg, it's the same haircut he's had since he was 18! (which was probably fashionable for bikies in the 60s.... )
Each time my dad rides my latest new and improved ebike he comes back super impressed but then does the parent thing and says it's too fast and powerful and I'm going to end up killing myself on it. Bah, worms have gotta eat too

[RallySTX]

That was very nice to see, a father and son on an ebike ride together. The video looked ok to me Jay. I too will have to ride with others, as my father also has preceded me to the great beyond. I like your attitude, although I suspect I will end up as dust it the wind.
Brian L.

[deecanio]

another good vid Jay, what else do we expect from you?
that fighter is the nuts, pisses along sweet, very jealous here, must take the time to catch up with the build and see what you've been up to, nice to see youo doing your thing

D

[Timma2500]

Man that H40 has some pace! Pics of the Fighter would be good when you have time Mr Asia

You're lucky your dad is still able to be out riding bikes with ya, make the most of it dude
My dad too was a motorbike rider back in the late 50's and early 60's, hooning around Europe on various BSA's with his brother. They had a ball!


Paul

[Tinto]

Man those things really rip along! Great to see some father and son bonding.

I've got a 2005 Giant AC I have earmarked for a conversion (shot you an email late last week asking about kits).
Seeing the pace of bikes on here (and just having read through timma's M3 thread) I certainly have a lot to learn.

Inspiring stuff - thank you.

[ManxE]

Great vids! That modded Fighter rips along, and the blue bike has got some nuts too
You guys ought to be wearing motorcycle or maybe ski helmets at those speeds as cycle helmets will become polystyrene confetti if they get a hit! I think I saw someone in a ski helmet on one of Knoxie's Bomber videos...

[knoxie]

yeah Jay normally rocks along with one of these

[Jaffasoft]

Just wanted to post to say its good to see someone that has passion for what they do and the story from the early begginings.

Glad I was able to entrust hyena to build me a system for "dummies" and to just get on and start riding leveraging not having to go through all the experimental stages. ESP when I didn't have a lot of time on my hands.

I bought a 2000watt 36v 15 amp hr polly battery kit and had it posted all the way from Sydney down to Hamilton, victoria, Australia from Hyena and the bike has been oresome, it went down a long hill on very first new batteries at 52 kilometers an hr it was flyen, for a pushbike this is fast and it never went that fast again but gets average 50 but it always averages 42 on the flat and can get up any hills i encounter at bout 30k. I never pedal i tell ppl after forty yrs old you dont have to pedal anymore lol.

I recormend any Aussies and the world for that matter deal through hyena as he has good follow up after sale service. I've got to contact u about something soon actually Hyena.

[Hyena]

Glad you're enjoying the bike jaffasoft. It was actually a 45v pack though not 36. That's where the extra speed came from.
Country Victoria is a hop skip and a jump, I've sent stuff to Perth, NZ and even the US, UK, Germany and Spain. I've had requests from most other corners of the world too but often shipping is too expensive to make it worthwhile.

yeah Jay normally rocks along with one of these

Yep, usually armour and a full face dirt bike helmet when offroad riding zooming around fast. My dad and I were actually just intending a leisurely ride up the street, but when you get 2 fastish vehicles together, when does that ever go to plan

I took the fighter out for a good run today, finally got the chain on and hooked up a CA. The people at my nearest LBS were impressed with the fighter and for once not ebike snobs so I'll be sure and give them repeat business. I offered them a ride but none of them were game after me telling them how much power it had. Heh.

I think I've been lying to you guys and myself about the power output. And in a good way!
I programmed it such that it should have been about 120 amps but I think because of the board type setting in the controller it actually only programmed around half that - peak current was only 60 amps!
I still haven't accurately calibrated the shunt, just going off 1.5 mohm which is around what most 18 fet crystalyte controllers run. But yeah, it's around that which is great because that means it's only running around 4kw peak so it'll have alot more in it when i wind the juice up I thought it was the faster winding in this motor making it not feel as brisk as my 9C off the line but it looks like it was actually being fed LESS power!
What a spaz

I got totally covered in mud on my ride today, it's been bucketing down for weeks here and its the first nice day in ages. The tracks were still soaked though and a few times I nearly came off when I hit patches of water and mud at speed that were alot deeper than I expected. One I dropped into (only going slowly luckily) was so deep with thin mud that it went about 80% of the way up my spokes to the motor!

muddy.jpg (86.81 KiB) Viewed 376 times

Until I edit the video, here one of me overtaking a ferrari.


What, I never said it was moving

[deecanio]

Lolz, looking forward to the vid later.

D

[RallySTX]

Not every day you gat to pass a F430! I liked it. If only I had the cash, I would definitely buy from Jay only. Still looking forward to dumping 66v into the brain box you sent me! That should be fun.
Brian L.

[millzy555]

Just wanted to post to say its good to see someone that has passion for what they do and the story from the early begginings.

Glad I was able to entrust hyena to build me a system for "dummies" and to just get on and start riding leveraging not having to go through all the experimental stages. ESP when I didn't have a lot of time on my hands.

I bought a 2000watt 36v 15 amp hr polly battery kit and had it posted all the way from Sydney down to Hamilton, victoria, Australia from Hyena and the bike has been oresome, it went down a long hill on very first new batteries at 52 kilometers an hr it was flyen, for a pushbike this is fast and it never went that fast again but gets average 50 but it always averages 42 on the flat and can get up any hills i encounter at bout 30k. I never pedal i tell ppl after forty yrs old you dont have to pedal anymore lol.

I recormend any Aussies and the world for that matter deal through hyena as he has good follow up after sale service. I've got to contact u about something soon actually Hyena.

Long time lurker, but my first post should be about Jay! Service is second to none and always has the time to answer ANY question. Quality kits that are practically bulletproof. I'll have no hesitation in recommending his kits to anyone from Melbourne. Hats of to you sir

[Tinto]

Jay are you running 24" wheels front and rear?
Did you get a chance to ride this bike with 26, and if so was there much difference in handling?
Which one is more stable at speed?
It is probably a question for the general section, but I'm interested in the effect of being slightly lower has on handling and stability.

The idea of a strong set of 24" wheels on an ebike is growing on me.
But I'll take 26" if I'm moving under my own steam

[Hyena]

Thanks fellas, I'm going to quote you all when I redo my website

Jay are you running 24" wheels front and rear?

Yep, though with the big chunky tyres there's no much difference between a normal 26" rim.

Did you get a chance to ride this bike with 26, and if so was there much difference in handling?

No I didn't but I imagine there's nothing much in it.

Which one is more stable at speed?

They both feel fine at speed (60-70km/hr) but I guess I have more confidence in the fighter because I know it's made of stronger parts. The hardtail is definitely more nimble and maneuverable but it doesn't really feel twitchy at higher speed. The triple clamps and geometry on the fighter make it feel heavier and more motorbikeish but at speed its not an issue. Sort of like driving a car with power steering vs none (at speed it makes little difference but parking / tight spaces kinda suck)

It is probably a question for the general section, but I'm interested in the effect of being slightly lower has on handling and stability.

Again fairly negligable but it stands to reason that being lower is better.

The idea of a strong set of 24" wheels on an ebike is growing on me.
But I'll take 26" if I'm moving under my own steam

24" tyres are harder to come by but I do like em. For my commuter I'm running 26s but for offroad with big tyres the 24s are nice.


In other news I dropped in to glow worm bicycles yesterday and hung out with voicecoils a bit. I finally managed to get my CA calibrated (it was only slightly out in the end) so now I know exactly what sort of power I'm burning. This motor is surprisingly economical yielding the same or even slightly less whr consumption as my 9C running the same voltage and current.
I used 4.5 ah to cover 16km to work with an average speed of 39km/hr and a top speed of 74. I was on the power a fair bit but not blasting WOT alot of the time. Because this motor is a faster wind than the 9C I don't ride it in 100% mode most of the time. 80% speed gives a top motored speed of around 50 which is about as fast as I can comfortably pedal along with with the schlumpf so that's perfect. Then there's 100% for when there's no peds/traffic around or I need the extra burst of power and speed to dart past slow traffic before they have time to move over on me!
Though I wont be riding this on the road much so that doesn't really matter.

I also sorted out the brakes while at glow worm, using their facilities to shorted my hydro brake lines and route the rear hose through the frame.
I offered one of the girls a ride and she said her heart was racing at the end
Then I gave her a go on my bike
She only rode it in low speed mode and wasn't keen to give it squirt in the higher power mode. You can't see much but I'll post the video later

Also... I have a killer new bike in the works. My new general all rounder, stealthier than a stealth, smaller, lighter and unique
The frame is leaving today from the other side of the country so should be here late next week. I'm hoping to have it all built to take with me on my trip to Canberra at the end of the month. Those on the ball will be able to work out what this is and where it's come from

[AussieJester]

Comes from Timma2500 aka Paul..looking forward to seeing her built up, been awhile in the making...

KiM

[Hyena]

Oi, the dummies were supposed to try and figure that out for themselves

I was planning to have Paul make up a number of these frames for me which I could then build up with sweet powertrains and sell as complete turn key ebikes but he's too busy now and with my health still up in the air, well, bugger you lot - make your own custom frame ebikes

[Hyena]

This is the frame I started with - the aim is for a comfy full suspension bike that has a low key side profile so doesn't stand out like the fighter.
The 18S2P pack shown here strapped to the top bar is fitted to the down tube - 1 5ah pack wide at the BB and steerer end 2 wide in the middle.

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db-frame.JPG (151.9 KiB) Viewed 557 times

Controller will sit on top of that removable panel (for accessing the batteries) and there's room up in the neck for a DC converter for lights.
Shitty shock was replaced with a manitou air shock that should give 4" of rear travel and rock shox tora airs up front will give the same.
I was going to put a mac on it in keeping with the low key/stealth approach but might go with a larger 9C style DD hub for now to maintain a higher power level. (4-5kw)

Now, what colour to paint it ?!
I'll probably put stickers on it too, in an attempt to make it look like a commercial bike product.
I think I shall call it... the Positron X

[gtadmin]

Great stuff Jay/Paul, that frame shouldn't twist a bit - I'm just a tad jealous

[GCinDC]

that's beautiful. keeping the weight low. how wide is it? were you tempted to fill up the triangle?

i keep wondering if there's a perfectly sized extruded aluminum box that can can be trimmed and folded at the ends where it gets welded to BB & headtube...

more pics of the whole job?

i kinda feel sorry for all your spare inner tubes - they'll have to find new work soon, or else they'll turn to the bottle.

oh, ps. we talked about the quad copter in your thread before, and just wanted to mention the concept is gaining traction... their sample vid. game changer.

[Hyena]

how wide is it?

About 110mm I think, I'll measure when it arrives

were you tempted to fill up the triangle?

nooooo, just the opposite, the whole purpose of this bike was to retain as close to normal MTB appearance with a hollow triangle. From the side the down tube isnt much taller than standard. If I wanted total stealth I would have had a single file row of 3 6S packs in teh top and down tube, but that would have been more work for Paul. Ideally if doing from scratch I'd make the whole traingle section in one neat piece so there's no joins.

i keep wondering if there's a perfectly sized extruded aluminum box that can can be trimmed and folded at the ends where it gets welded to BB & headtube...

There's not, that I've come across anyway. If you buy enough you could have it made but I'd be making a serious investment there and I'm not keen to make that leap.
If done on a larger scale I think I'd try and do it in 2 bent L shaped halves welded together, to minimise welds and cutting. Easily done with a big pan brake.

more pics of the whole job?

I'll post more when it arrives

i kinda feel sorry for all your spare inner tubes - they'll have to find new work soon, or else they'll turn to the bottle.

haha I haven't used inner tubes on anything for ages*

*for more than test rides

oh, ps. we talked about the quad copter in your thread before, and just wanted to mention the concept is gaining traction... their sample vid. game changer.

Very slick. I'll have to go past the hobby king store front near my again some time soon and sus out of any of the locals have bought those quad copter kits, then go along to one of their meet days and hit them up. Though hardly worth it with my gopro in its blurred lens state at the moment Funds are tight after my rather long and sudden departure from work so I won't be getting a hero 2 any time soon unfortunately.