My Retro look eBike project.

Hi Everyone!

I am new to ebikes, and thought I would share my project. The bicycle is a 1990's Huffy department store mountain bike. Two years ago I completely stripped it of all components and rebuilt the frame as a retro looking cruiser with Monarch spring fork, 2.25 x26 Kenda tires, cruiser bars, and upscale shimano derailleurs. To keep weight down, the handle bar, stem, cranks, and rims are now aluminum. But it didn't see much use, as I ride a touring bike most of the time. So it seemed like a good candidate for an ebike.

Ordered the 48V 1000w rear wheel kit from Amazon (CNEBIKES, co ,ltd) and have installed all the hardware but have not done anything with the wiring yet. I didn't want to put the battery and controller on top of the rear rack and looked for some hard saddle bags to put those pieces in. I didn't want to use Panniers because they are soft, and wanted a sort of retro look. I found these motorcycle saddle bags on Amazon for only $60. The reviews were horrible! The complaints were that they were small, light weight, and not good enough quality for a motorcycle. Sounded perfect for a bicycle! They came today and I was just playing with them. Took off the metal tubes wrapped around them and hung them on the rack with duct tape. Also, the rack is just sort of balanced in place, so nothing is bolted up yet (thats why things may look crooked in the pics).

I figure one Lithium 20Ah battery and the controller will go in one side, almost filling it half up, and the other side will be open for cargo. The battery I ordered is just in the PVC wrap, no aluminum case, so its as small as I can get it (10" x 6.7" x 2.75"). The saddle bags are 16L x 11H x 5.5W. Yep, definitely on the small side. I plan to put some LED bulbs in the tail light for night time riding.

What do you think? Do they go with the style of the bike or no?

Right out of the box. Long pigtails for the lights, and some generic metal brackets.


Stripped off the metal tubing to save some weight.


Attached to rack with duct tape trying to get a feel for where they look best. And the rack is not bolted on yet either.


I might remove the red plastic that covers the hinge or paint it black. I think its supposed to be a reflector.


Those locks for the lids are actually good hardware. Much better than expected.


Still waiting for the battery, a disk brake adapter for the rear, and some waterproof quick disconnects for the battery. Should be here next week. I can hardly wait!

Liking the hardcases..bike looks great,got some torque arms?

Thanks Beast775! I have read about torque arms, but haven't looked any for sale. The kit did come with washers that match the flattened axle shape and have a tit that sits in the dropout. I am guessing that will help prevent axle spin, but I would guess I should buy a good torque arm kit.

That looks pretty good to me. You are right the hard cases look much better than the soft bags.

They really dress it up well, great find! 8)

Looks great (bike and cases).
Although they seem to be rather far backwards. If possible I think placing them as much forward as possible without your heels touching them when cycling might be even better.

Woo Hoo! Battery came today. I ordered this from AliExpress, $394 shipping included. From placing order to front door took 7 days (China to east coast USA by FedEx).

The battery is a 20Ah 48V Lithium battery with 2 amp charger. Thought there might be some charging instructions but noooooo! Leads are 12AWG. I put it on to charge right away.

Specs read:
Suitable Wattage of Motor: 1000 Watt,
Applications: E-Bike, Electric Bike, E-Scooter, Electric Scooter
Voltage: 48 Volts
Capacity: 20 Amp Hours
Weight: 7Kg
Nominal Capacity (AH) 20ah
Nominal Voltage (V) 48V
Source Resistance (mΩ) about 40
Cell Specification 3.7V 2.4AH
Cell Combination 9-parallel 13-series
Cell Size18650
Cell Quantity (parallel*series) 117
Discharge Cutoff Voltage (V) 20 +/- 1V
Charge Cutoff Voltage (V) 54
Rated Discharge Current (A) 30A
Instantaneous Maximum Discharge Current (A) 60A
Maximum Continuous Discharge Current (A) 30A
Maximum Continuous Charge Current (A) 5
Charge Mode CC/CV
Standard Charge Current (A) 2A
Charge Time under Standard Charge Current 6
Fast Charge Current (A) 5A
Charge Time under Fast Charge Current 2.5
Charge Temperature Range -20 - 60
Discharge Temperature Range -20 - 60
Battery Size 170*70*255 mm (6.7 x 2.75 x 10 inches)
Battery Net Weight 5.5kgs (12 lbs)
Battery Gross Weight 6kgs

48v 13s 30a bms / PCB / PCM, used for 13s 3.7V li-ion battery pack.

Battery charging. Thats a Galaxy S5 phone for size reference.


Label on battery.



Info on bottom of charger.



Wish me luck with this battery. I hope it was a good choice. Plan to get a 4 Amp charger a little later because it can take up to 6 hours to charge with the 2 amp charger.

Today the rear rack was installed and brackets to hang the saddle bags were made. The bags are now bolted on and the controller is bolted in the left side bag. Have to bring the wires into the bag. Think a 1" hole in the bottom front of the bag is a good way to run the wires in. Making those brackets took longer than anticipated. Also have to install a disk brake conversion bracket so the bike will have a decent brake on the rear wheel. Especially seeing as there is no brake on the front wheel due to it having a Monarch suspension fork.

This is the bag bracket bolted to the rack. The "legs" are 3/4"x 3/16" steel bar and are strong enough to support the weight of the battery. The bracket is bolted to the rack in 3 places (two at the top and one in the center). If its not rigid enough another mount will be added.



I took the advice from SlowCo and moved the bags as far forward as I could without hitting them while peddling. Also lowered them so they are below the top of the rack. I think they look good in this location.






I'm pretty happy with the way its coming out. I was peddling around the driveway and street and although the bike weighs 25+ lbs more than it did (battery included) it was still easy to ride around. I was expecting a noticeable drag caused by the motor, but I didn't notice anything to speak of. Hopefully, having the battery lower on the side rather on the top of the rack will help lower the center of gravity.

Youre going to want high density foam under your battery on the sides as well.it needs to be held down fairly tight.ive cut slits in hard bags before on the bottom and used cheapish ratchet hold downs,just dont crack the fibreglass or plastic i did and spent 2 days fixing my mistake.or just cut out the battery shape out of high density foam so it will encase the whole battery tightly.

Thanks for the tip. I think I still have some 1.5" thick rigid pink foam used for home insulation. That should do the job. And a strap or bracket inside sounds like a good idea too.

Get as much dense foam-yoga mat type under the battery as you can,i would go 3 inch minimum,and make sure there is no slop when its tied down,the road bumps are very unforgiving..and theres a lot of 18650s in your pack.i just got done fixing a battery that wasnt clamped down well in a plastic case and it was a loooong fix.

Looking Good!

You might post a link to those bags. Lots of lookers ot here.
Maybe even the battery. We all need to know how the battery performs as well the motor.

Dan

I'm definitely interested in those bags at $60. Only problem is, right now an electric motorized couch is sucking down my fun budget.

how fast does the couch go and can the dogs ride in it too?

that battery looks identical to the calibike battery so you should verify it has a balancing network in the BMS.

measure the charging current to see if you have a balancing current at the end of charge.

dnmun said:

how fast does the couch go and can the dogs ride in it too?

that battery looks identical to the calibike battery so you should verify it has a balancing network in the BMS.

measure the charging current to see if you have a balancing current at the end of charge.

Click to expand...

I went to the manufacturers page on AliExpress and found this info that I believe indicates it has a balancing network in the BMS:
·Large overcharge tolerance and safe performance
·Self balance
·Simplifying battery management system (BMS) and battery charger
48V 13S 30Amp BMS

I bought this battery because a few other people who bought this ebike kit all recommended this battery. Do you know what "Charge Mode CC/CV" means?

Thanks for asking. Never hurts to double check!

Today is testing day. Its a cool 66* F with light breezes, sunny and low humidity. Connected up the wire harness and used a two pin water proof automotive connector for the battery to controller. Packed the battery in place using simi-rigid foam (from the box it was shipped in) to hold it snug in the saddle bag as per Beast775. Double checked all bolts were tight, wires cleared moving parts, turned it on and ran it a minute at low speed with the tire in the air. No sparks, no smoke, nothing got hot. Took it out for a ride. Drove a 1/4 mile stopped and checked wires and battery for heat and all was cool. Rode until odometer showed 2 miles, stopped and checked again. Still A-OK. And the controller is not getting warm. Expected it to be quite warm to the touch, especially being inside the case. Right now I'm posting before I go for a longer ride, about 7 miles on a mix of flat and hills and will keep speeds at 15-20 mph. Have to wait for my bluetooth headset to charge up so I can listen to music while I ride!

Initial impression is mixed. I was ecstatic that the LCD display came right on and it was easy to switch to imperial miles from metric. Then raised the rear tire, twisted the throttle and tire spun. Great! Then hit the road. Was having fun cruising at 15 to 20 mph, but it did not pull well up long steep hills. I thought it would have more torque, but it slowed down. I didn't have to pedal, but I think I will pedal from now on to help relieve stress and heat buildup in the motor. Also ran WOT on a ever so slight incline and was able to reach 25.6 mph. I expected to reach 30. Its hard to find a perfectly flat section of road because everything is gentle rolling hills around here. Oh, well. Also, because I sit upright on this cruiser style bike, there is lots of wind resistance. The saddle bags probably don't help any either. Having the battery hung off one side does not seem to affect the balance/ride at all.

Soon as the headset is charged, I'm hitting the road. Will also start Strava app on my phone to compare its speed/distance by GPS to the LCD computer on the bike.

DAND214 said:

Looking Good!

You might post a link to those bags. Lots of lookers ot here.
Maybe even the battery. We all need to know how the battery performs as well the motor.

Dan

Click to expand...

Bags came from Amazon. $59.99. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Q0R2VK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Listed as "TMS® Cruiser Motorcycle Hard Saddle Bags Black Trunk Bag With Tail Light Bracket For Harley Davidson Honda Yamaha Touring Cruiser".. TMS makes a few other motorcycle parts too. Be forwarned that these are plastic bags, and are flimsy. Even attached to the rigid frame by the side and bottom, it still flexes a bit with the weight of the battery inside when I hit a bump on the road. I am going to add a cross brace inside the bag to connect the out side wall of the bag to the hanging bracket. Will post a pic when I get to that. They are nice looking, but really don't have much space inside, about 1/2 a cubic foot each. But what can you get for $60? Great for those who don't mind a little fabrication.

TMS also has these bags on Amazon and the price just dropped! These are 55 plus about 20 shipping.



Battery came from AliExpress, I paid under $400 delivered by FedEx. http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6644685589.html?orderId=67076554879814. There are lots of specs posted about the battery. Search around AliExpress because the same battery is available with a variety of power connectors or none at all. Also found same battery without charger for $380 while browsing around.

Will post more about performance after I go on a 7 mile ride in a few minutes....

That's not lifepo4 battery.

riba2233 said:

That's not lifepo4 battery.

Click to expand...

Why do you say that? The seller specifically stats it is: "Our LifePO4 battery is mainly made of prismatic cell".

Because cells are 3.6 V nominal (lifepo4 is 3.2 and would be 16 in series, you have 13 in series) and also cells are 2.2 Ah which is impossible for lifepo4.
And it's obviously not prismatic, if it's 18650 cells, which are cylindrical.

riba2233 said:

Because cells are 3.6 V nominal (lifepo4 is 3.2 and would be 16 in series, you have 13 in series) and also cells are 2.2 Ah which is impossible for lifepo4.
And it's obviously not prismatic, if it's 18650 cells, which are cylindrical.

Click to expand...

Yep, you are correct. Its just a Lithium Ion battery. My mistake. Silly Chinese....

Anywho.... When I started riding today the battery was fully charged reading 54 + volts (I forget the exact decimal value). Traveled 15.4 miles averaging 15 mph in hilly territory and the battery now read 48.8 volts.

Someone said to measure the balancing current at the end of charge. How do I do that? What do I need?

You don't need to do that, pack is new and everything should be ok and balanced. 48.8 volts is probably about 60-70% SOC.

yep, the BMS will balance the pack when you charge it. if the charging current drops to zero at the end of charge then you may have one with the non balancing BMS or the charger may have a latching output.

Everything has been going OK. Put a few more miles on the bike, trying to follow fairly flat roads.
Latest battery reading are:

47.5V
22.5 miles
1.22 hours.

The last 10 miles or so were done 12 mph or under, but not less than 10mph.

dnmun said:

yep, the BMS will balance the pack when you charge it. if the charging current drops to zero at the end of charge then you may have one with the non balancing BMS or the charger may have a latching output.

Click to expand...

How do I measure charging current? What device do you use? The charger that came with the battery is a 2 amp charger with the typical red and green LED's ... So what do you suggest I add to my eBike portfolio of testing equipment?