If I have the following, do I need anything else for Ebike?

[neithermovingnorstill]

Hi,
Somewhere I saw someone mentioning that people generally add another component, other than:
Motor, Battery, Controller, Throttle.

I'm not sure where they said it goes, perhaps between controller and motor, or something.
I wish I could remember the name of it, but they said it was usually done, but I don't see anything listed in kits.
It was some small thing, I don't THINK they called it a resistor or solenoid, but they might have.
Any help would be appreciated, thanks,
Nmnor

 

[Ypedal]

I would suggest a Cycle Analyst ( ebikes.ca ) but that list is the basic.

also add..

- proper helmet
- gloves ( always wear gloves )
- headlight
- mud guards
- rain gear ( shoe covers, rain pants/coat )
- Rear rack ( i personally like a good backpack ) for basic parts, zip ties, elec tape, wire cutters and knife )

- road tires ( to hell with knobies that come on 90% of big box store bicycles )

that about covers your first year of ebike sickness... you either quit or keep going that this point.

If you plan to run 48v+ a pre-charge resistor is handy.. but not required.

a " relay " is just a big switch, also can do without if using proper connectors ( andersons, deans, etc etc etc )

 

[neithermovingnorstill]

Heh, thanks.
Yeah, I realize there are other things, all good ideas.
I just wonder about the other electrical component that people frequently use.
I suppose it could have been a pre-charge resistor, or relay, but they aren't ringing a bell.
I know it can run without the component I am thinking of, the person just said that people usually use one, and that it's a good idea.

I'm with you on road tires vs knobbies, wtf are they thinking? Something in the middle would be understandable, but knobbies are exhausting on asphalt.
Gloves, that's one I wouldn't have thought of, I'll give that a try, would be great if I crashed.

 

[Thecaptain115]

Depending on your area, some personal protection. I carry a collapsable baton on my belt. I also have a holder for my cell, lets me use the gps as a dashboard for speed and distance. A bell/horn is also very useful. you also might want to invest in a charger that you carry with you.

Finally, a copy of your local ebike laws so you dont get hassled.

 

[Ypedal]

If you dont already have one... at the very least .. a basic digital volt meter ( DVM )

 

[d8veh]

Depending on the size/power of your motor, you might need torque arms to re-inforce your dropouts. Slso, you will need a rack/bag/box to mount the battery. You nearly always need vonnectors of your choice to join the battery to the controller, and lastly, it's nice to have a means of monitoring battery usage - wattmeter, Speedict, Cycle Analyst or Voltmeter.

 

[Chalo]

Don't forget the following:

Patience
Sense of humor
More room on your credit card

 

[neithermovingnorstill]

"More room on your credit card" - it's becoming increasingly clear how true that is Chalo. :lol:

Rack, torque arms, good thoughts. I have a rack for the battery, but it's right up against the back of the seat - kind of disturbing.
Trike came with motor mounted, so torque arms taken care of, but thats helpful to be reminded of for another project which I'm doing next with a hub motor.

Thanks for thinking of battery monitoring, I forgot about that too, oops. Cycle analyst would bring the price up too much, but a battery meter is an absolute must.
Portable charger sounds like a great idea.
As for the baton, it's not a "bat" idea to carry something, but I'd be worried it would be wrestled off me.
Trike has air horn built in, wow that thing is loud, great feature to have, pumps up with bike pump. The tank is a small water bottle, so I wonder if I used a 2-liter pepsi bottle instead, and wore ear plugs, if it could serve as my defense

 

[skaplan]

The one thing I see missing is a safety cutout. Ebrakes, an on/off switch on the handlebars, or a jumper with a pull loop are great things if something shorts and the motor wants to run away.

 

[Kin]

Don't forget a bike!

...I didn't see "bike" listed.


P.S,

- road tires ( to hell with knobies that come on 90% of big box store bicycles )

Just wondering, what makes you say that? I actually added some knobies to my bike recently when I bought a innertube for my 20" wheel. my road tire was wearing a bit and I wanted to have slightly better slide-out traction...It was a $15 REI tire, 20"x1.75 replacing a 20"x1.5 road tire that came with my bike. ...I don't have much experience with tires, why is it bad? I realize it's moderately less efficient.

 

[Chalo]

Thanks for thinking of battery monitoring, I forgot about that too, oops. Cycle analyst would bring the price up too much, but a battery meter is an absolute must.

The Watts Up meter from Powerwerx ($60) is what I use. It doesn't have all the useful functions or the voltage range of the Cycle Analyst, but I've had mine since Cycle Analyst was a mere pup.

Chalo

 

[DAND214]

Maybe a FUSE.

Dan

 

[Gregory]

Everyone has already covered my ideas, wattmeter is so useful, and possibly torque arms and pre charge resistor depending on power levels.
Greg

 

[Lebowski]

Hi,
Somewhere I saw someone mentioning that people generally add another component, other than:
Motor, Battery, Controller, Throttle.

I'm not sure where they said it goes, perhaps between controller and motor, or something.
I wish I could remember the name of it, but they said it was usually done, but I don't see anything listed in kits.
It was some small thing, I don't THINK they called it a resistor or solenoid, but they might have.
Any help would be appreciated, thanks,
Nmnor

A BMS (Battery Management System) ? Necessary to prevent over-discharging and ruining the battery.
Goes between the battery and the controller.

 

[neithermovingnorstill]

Oh wow, that all does sound important. Emergency cutoff, fuse, battery management system, ok looks like I won't be just sticking a battery and controller in there after all.
Kin: "A bike" :lol:
Immediately the image of a unicycle with a hub motor flashed into my mind, with the torque arm attached to the seat post, and you just lean back to create resistance. Now that would be badass. If you didn't end up losing most of your teef.

 

[skaplan]

You can get a fuse and fuse holder at your local auto parts store or radio shack. Same for an on/off switch. Ebrake levers are fairly cheap on the net. BMS depends on the batteries you run, if you're just running lead I don't know how necessary it is, but hopefully someone else will chime in. Everything can be upgraded, but the fuse and safety switch are easy enough to do up front and worth adding. Don't worry about having the perfect setup, odds are you'll want to upgrade later anyway .

 

[Ypedal]

Oh wow, that all does sound important. Emergency cutoff, fuse, battery management system, ok looks like I won't be just sticking a battery and controller in there after all.
Kin: "A bike" :lol:
Immediately the image of a unicycle with a hub motor flashed into my mind, with the torque arm attached to the seat post, and you just lean back to create resistance. Now that would be badass. If you didn't end up losing most of your teef.

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