eBike 36v 500w 26in FRONT WHEEL Electric Bike Bicycle Motor

[gorj]

I recently purchased an eBike 36v 500w 26in FRONT WHEEL Electric Bike Bicycle Motor Conversion Kit from Xtremfx on eBay and want to express my opinion of the electric bike kit. The kit was shipped from the USA but was actually a product of China. Upon opening the kit and inspecting the parts I saw right away this was inferior product. For example, this kit came with a front wheel, spokes, tire and tube, but no spoke end protector on the wheel. None of the spokes were tightened properly. The brake handles with built in switches to cut power when braking were the cheapest looking I have ever seen. The throttle control was flimsy too. The luggage rack that came with the kit was the only part of the kit that looked well built! I decided to install the kit despite my reservations about its quality. I swapped out my front tire and spoke protector, adjusted the spoke tension and mounted the wheel. Replace the brake levers and installed the throttle switch. Installed the wiring, controller, and my own 36V 12AH LiFePo4 battery on the luggage rack. I also installed my own battery monitor on the handlebar. I flipped on the power switch and the led readout showed 38 volts. I lifted the front wheel off the ground and gave the throttle a twist and front wheel rotated as it should have. I thought, this thing just might work. So, I took it out for a spin. The bike I mounted this kit on is a older Peugeot 21 speed trail bike with mild knobby tires. I rode out our drive - about 400+ foot to the county road peddling and giving it slight throttle and down the road about 1/4 mile and was delighted the power it had. So I decided to ride up a slight incline of about 20-25 degrees and about 1/8 mile long. I got about half way and the power suddenly went out, but the voltage still showed 36+ volts, then the power came back on. I rode to the top of the incline and for another 1/2 mile or so on a relatively flat road and the power went off again, but the meter showed 36+ volts. I decided to return to my home and check out the wiring. On the way back it cut once more. At home I checked the wiring and the power going to the wheel motor. All worked fine. I wired a test lamp to the wheel motor circuit and went on another ride. After about five minutes the wheel motor stopped pulling but the voltage was still 35+ and the test lamp was lit, meaning the wheel motor was getting power but not functioning. I continued to ride and it continued to cut out and run, cut out and run at no particular sequence. I decided there was a fault in the wheel motor wiring. Had this not been in warranty I would have tried to repair the fault, but I took it all apart, packed it up and sent it back. I wasted several hours of my time and had to pay for the return, but I will not make the same mistake twice. No more cheep Chinese products.

 

[wesnewell]

All these kits are made in China. if this is the one you bought, you just paid more than twice what you should have paid for one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/eBike-36v-500w-26in-FRONT-WHEEL-Electric-Bike-Bicycle-Motor-Conversion-Kit-USA-/161222910239?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2589a2611f
Forgive me, but your lack of knowledge shows. They was likely nothing wrong with the kit. A 36V lifepo4 pack sags worse than my old ladies teats. If you started out with it only at 36V it was likely about drained to start with. Fully charged it should read about 43V. Good luck. Next time perhaps you should ask for help before making assumptions. Might save you a lot of anguish.
BTW, a 20-25 degree incline is not a slight incline, it's between a 40% and 50% slope.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_%28slope%29