RustyKipper
100 W
Morning folks,
I wonder if you chaps could offer any advice about where I might source a rear 500W hub motor that would accept a 9 speed cassette. I have emailed GreenBikeKit but they don’t offer such a beast.
A little background info, I have a Garry Fisher Tassajara mountain bike (fab bike), the idea was to build a commuter to travel between Rotherham and Sheffield, a trip of 14 miles and some Very hilly terrain. I fitted an el cheapo ebay pie dish kit together with a 9Ah water bottle mount battery with a small addition 0f a 20Amp ammeter. The system worked very well indeed, it would provide assistance up into the low twenties where the current could be seen to tail off, the only issues were the hub motor was VERY obvious, Very heavy and when in the low 30’s would add quite a bit of resistance to peddling. The best bit is the bike is 100% solar powered as it is charged from my off grid shed every evening.
So swapped this system out for a Bafang (probably copy of) SWXK front hub motor, it is so much more stealthy and lighter and looks really cool with a 203mm disc. It does alas top out at about 16mph with a 26 inch wheel and a large 2 inch road tire, interestingly without the drag of the pie dish I can easily top 30mph and on one of the more monster hills have done 38 albeit a bit bum clenching. The motor does however bog down badly going up the same hill slowing to around 9mph, I have done the shunt mod so the maximum current is 18Amps so the poor little motor is being hammered!
I’m not after silly speed but want to climb these hills at about 20-25mph as they are very long and very twisty so the quicker I climb the quicker I can get out of danger. I need to climb about 700 feet on the way home from work, if it wasn’t for the hills I wouldn’t really need the motor assistance except for the fact that the firm I work for insist I do some sort of constructive work when I arrive.
So I’m thinking keep the front hub motor and fit a 500W geared hub to the back, obviously I would need a bigger battery ( higher discharge C rate) and a second controller. Unfortunately I cannot find a 9 speed capable rear. GreenBikeKit do sell a 500W mid drive unit, however as I have to bike past the South Yorkshire Police traffic head quarters twice a day on a shared cycle path it has to either be fully legal or dead stealthy. ( Quite often the boys in blue are out jogging before work so get to see the bike at close quarters!).
Sorry about the long post but am sure you fellas will have found it of interest, any motor advice would be greatly appreciated.
I wonder if you chaps could offer any advice about where I might source a rear 500W hub motor that would accept a 9 speed cassette. I have emailed GreenBikeKit but they don’t offer such a beast.
A little background info, I have a Garry Fisher Tassajara mountain bike (fab bike), the idea was to build a commuter to travel between Rotherham and Sheffield, a trip of 14 miles and some Very hilly terrain. I fitted an el cheapo ebay pie dish kit together with a 9Ah water bottle mount battery with a small addition 0f a 20Amp ammeter. The system worked very well indeed, it would provide assistance up into the low twenties where the current could be seen to tail off, the only issues were the hub motor was VERY obvious, Very heavy and when in the low 30’s would add quite a bit of resistance to peddling. The best bit is the bike is 100% solar powered as it is charged from my off grid shed every evening.
So swapped this system out for a Bafang (probably copy of) SWXK front hub motor, it is so much more stealthy and lighter and looks really cool with a 203mm disc. It does alas top out at about 16mph with a 26 inch wheel and a large 2 inch road tire, interestingly without the drag of the pie dish I can easily top 30mph and on one of the more monster hills have done 38 albeit a bit bum clenching. The motor does however bog down badly going up the same hill slowing to around 9mph, I have done the shunt mod so the maximum current is 18Amps so the poor little motor is being hammered!
I’m not after silly speed but want to climb these hills at about 20-25mph as they are very long and very twisty so the quicker I climb the quicker I can get out of danger. I need to climb about 700 feet on the way home from work, if it wasn’t for the hills I wouldn’t really need the motor assistance except for the fact that the firm I work for insist I do some sort of constructive work when I arrive.
So I’m thinking keep the front hub motor and fit a 500W geared hub to the back, obviously I would need a bigger battery ( higher discharge C rate) and a second controller. Unfortunately I cannot find a 9 speed capable rear. GreenBikeKit do sell a 500W mid drive unit, however as I have to bike past the South Yorkshire Police traffic head quarters twice a day on a shared cycle path it has to either be fully legal or dead stealthy. ( Quite often the boys in blue are out jogging before work so get to see the bike at close quarters!).
Sorry about the long post but am sure you fellas will have found it of interest, any motor advice would be greatly appreciated.