Fastest and Most Powerful Electric Bicycle Possible?

[solbike]

Hi, I was pushing to see what I could make in terms of fastest and most powerful and also what a bicycle could "hold" in terms of electric conversions. I've put up my review on how mine came out and a few problems along the way but I'd be very interested to see what others have come up with. The link to the review is here http://solarbike.com.au/testimonials.php. Briefly, I used the Crystalyte HS4080 with the 72V 50A controller but had to downgrade to the 72V 45A for stability with everything. The bike I decided on was the KONA UNIT in the end. It seems to be getting to the point that there is a hazy line between electric bicycle conversions and electric motorcycles. After setting this one up it's hard to go back to a typical 1000W one - perhaps will have to move to a country where they allow people to get around on these sorts of bikes - so much fun. Reaches about 80km/h.

Matt - Solar Bike

 

[Ypedal]

nice bike, but it wont win the power prize on this forum !! :wink:

 

[Lebowski]

pfff, I'm busy with the finishing touches of a 120V 80A home-made controller.... 72V40A is for lady-bits

 

[itchynackers]

ho hum. Does that bike even meet the AVERAGE bike power around here?

 

[john7700]

Take a look around the site solbike. Some serious hot rods here. check Lukes "dangerous bike" out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJsMDsT8siU

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Forgive my suspicious nature, but solbike's website seriously spammed two other forums I look at, neither related to bikes or ebikes. I got pretty wound up over one of these spam-fests from this company a year or so ago.

Being the sort of individual I am I can't help but wonder if this isn't just way to get people to go to solbike's web site...................

 

[liveforphysics]

I run 780 battery amps at 116v.

You need 20x more power to start making most powerful claims.

You need 3-5x more power to start making average sporty ES ebike claims.


Realistically, the thread should be titled, "bike with about half the performance of average ebikes on ES"

 

[itchynackers]

lol. I think we are almost past the "most power" thing, and should be looking at 1/4 mile times instead. Just like cars, more power doesn't necessarily mean quicker. Lets see some times Luke!

 

[Chalo]

The thing that can be said about the OP's bike is that it's basically a bicycle, and while uglier than a normal bike, it's not half as hideous as many of the high performance e-rides that pop up 'round these parts. I'd be irritated by the junk in my knee space, since I don''t pedal knees-out like I'm riding a fat horse.

80 klicks is arguably too fast for a normal bike, in terms of mechanical reliability and safety margin. But you don't have to carry 50mph just because you can. That hub motor probably wouldn't appreciate the waste heat anyway.

Chalo

 

[spinningmagnets]

The rear hub-motor that won the recent Pikes Peak was using 104V nominal. Luke was too busy with some very interesting and important stuff, because if he had gone there, its a pretty safe bet he would've taken first. (edit: 111V nominal, 124.5V hot off the charger)

 

[Trackman417]

If you want the most powerful bike around you need a hubby that can handle the extra current and power. There is a 5404 in the for sale- used section of this forum. Buy that while its here/cheap. I bet it won't be around for much longer.

 

[dogman dan]

Now now, sureley 3000w is about average. You know, the setup that just gets you into the 40 mph club.

50 mph club takes quite a bit more.

 

[itchynackers]

The rear hub-motor that won the recent Pikes Peak was using 104V nominal. Luke was too busy with some very interesting and important stuff, because if he had gone there, its a pretty safe bet he would've taken first.

Actually, I was running 30s lipo, so 3.7v*30 = 111v nominal, 124.5V hot.

 

[Trackman417]

Actually, I was running 30s lipo, so 3.7v*30 = 111v nominal, 124.5V hot.

Just read the article about you on electric bikes.com. You're my hero

Now now, sureley 3000w is about average. You know, the setup that just gets you into the 40 mph club.

50 mph club takes quite a bit more.

You can say that again stupid air resistance. What is the formula for air resistance anyways? Velocity cubed?

 

[Chalo]

What is the formula for air resistance anyways? Velocity cubed?

Proportional to velocity squared, if you mean the force required to cancel air friction at a given speed. But if you want know how much power that takes, it's force times velocity, or an amount proportional to velocity cubed.

Chalo

 

[solbike]

Jeepers, harsh but fair enough. Knew there would be some pretty decent beasts out there that would put this to shame. Was hoping to see some pics or vids and find out what is available and from where. Seems that need there is a need to set things at 120V plus and do the controller yourself to make an impact here. There is a limit to what a bicycle can handle though and just as importantly - what you can get away with on streets with 200W laws. There is a transition from bicycle to motor bike at some point.
What are people doing for gearing to gain from pedal assistance from 0-80km/h? Has anyone tried or modified a Hammer Schmidt to any useful purpose?

 

[dogman dan]

Unfortunately for you, that transition point is at exactly 201 watts. Ouch! Likely the reason your bike is pretty hot for your continent. Any speed at all will really stand out from the 200w bikes.

Us Yanks though, well we are in the habit of using more energy for everything than anybody else in the world right? Mostly, if you aren't laying in the road bleeding or going 50 mph in a 25 mph zone, cops just ignore you here. So a lot of us ride unregistered illegal homemade motorcycles that look like a bicycle daily and no cop gives a shit. The key thing is still vaguely resembling a bike, and not being known by every cop in town as the DUI asshole. Even if you have the DUI, if you weren't the asshole, they'll ignore you if you look like bicycle.


Our laws vary too. In my state, I have NO WATT LIMIT. Just a 30 mph speed limit. So far, nobodies kicked me off the bike trails either.

One last little nit pick. I get tweaked about inflated claims for range, speed etc. Your max speed needs to be done both ways on as flat a place as you can find. Then average your speed. Just like they do at bonnevile for speed records. My fastest bike once hit 51 mph on a pretty flat road one way. But in fact, it's a 47 mph bike. Only about 46 mph back the other way. NO 50 mph club membership for me.

 

[Punx0r]

50mph and no suspension must be interesting on any road not as flat and smooth as a billiard table?

 

[kriskros]

there is a bike IN PRODUCTION in ontario...oto 60k in 2.5 seconds...top speed 100k. designed froim the ground up...not available to thepublic as yet....i cant post names or other details because its not my bike..they will post when they are ready

 

[Samd]

I don't think it's fair to ask the forum to come to you solbike with photos and videos of high powered bikes. I would say that is harsh.
You have to go read the forum yourself and look at what others do. Invest the time.

Solarbike.au states that you guys do research. Investing time to read up on what others are doing is research.

I don't want to p!ss you off as Australian ebikes are a small scene, but you aren't doing Aus any favours here posting topics with titles such as these.....

 

[John in CR]

there is a bike IN PRODUCTION in ontario...oto 60k in 2.5 seconds...top speed 100k. designed froim the ground up...not available to thepublic as yet....i cant post names or other details because its not my bike..they will post when they are ready

Till then it's vaporware.

 

[MikeFairbanks]

That's an impressive build (OP) and good choice of bike.

You mentioned blurring the line between ebike and e-motorcycle.

The thing is, inertia becomes a friend in certain situations. Take big wave surfing for example. When the waves are twenty feet (generally considered the size in which performance is pretty much irrelevant and surviving the take-off and maintaining speed is the focus), you want a big, heavy board. It paddles faster, cuts through chop better, and sticks to the wave better while keeping your speed. The guys who surf Mavericks in California or Waimea Bay in Hawaii (and other big-wave spots) are trying to paddle hard, fast, catch the wave, make the steep drop after standing up, and reach the shoulder of the wave (the outer portion that isn't breaking) and avoid the huge mass of pounding, whitewater just behind them. It's the thrill of the drop that they're after, and the ability to turn sharply isn't that important.

However, on smaller waves (in the pro category that generally means ten feet and under), you want a light, thin, smaller board designed to turn on a dime so you can perform radical maneuvers as close to (or inside) the breaking section of the wave. You generate your own speed through "pumping" your board in the water.


So, a bike is the same way. If you really want to go fast...really fast....then you want a ton of power and a lot of weight. Get a motorcycle. Electric or gas, a motorcycle is much safer than a souped up bicycle.


That's just my opinion. I've ridden a friend's ebike that was 96 volts and I had to really nurse the thumb throttle on take-off to avoid a wheelie and eat it. It could hit about 45mph or so, and I wasn't comfortable.

Heck, mine hits 29.2mph, and I don't like that speed.

Having some power is cool, though, but unless you're experimenting, etc., why would people want to go so fast? Maintaining 30mph for even a few minutes on a bicycle isn't safe. Too much can go wrong (I'm not really talking about dirt and stealth bikes, etc. They are built for that).


Just my opinion.

 

[Samd]

Well pushing the boundary is useful for trickledown technologies. Imagine cars If we'd stuck with the first Daimler/Benz and not wanted to go faster than that....

I think LiveforPhysics commented earlier. If you want to see what has been done, go track his videos on youtube, or those from users like Doctorbass, or search youtube for people using greyborgs. This isn't a plug and play exercise sub-ten kilowatts though...

Pushing the edge isn't about just plugging together commercially available products, it's about fabricating things that don't exist. if you want to achieve something new, you'll have to push past those who are doing things like liquid cooling of controllers and motors. Not for the faint hearted.....

 

[liveforphysics]

That's an impressive build (OP) and good choice of bike.

You mentioned blurring the line between ebike and e-motorcycle.

The thing is, inertia becomes a friend in certain situations. Take big wave surfing for example. When the waves are twenty feet (generally considered the size in which performance is pretty much irrelevant and surviving the take-off and maintaining speed is the focus), you want a big, heavy board. It paddles faster, cuts through chop better, and sticks to the wave better while keeping your speed. The guys who surf Mavericks in California or Waimea Bay in Hawaii (and other big-wave spots) are trying to paddle hard, fast, catch the wave, make the steep drop after standing up, and reach the shoulder of the wave (the outer portion that isn't breaking) and avoid the huge mass of pounding, whitewater just behind them. It's the thrill of the drop that they're after, and the ability to turn sharply isn't that important.

However, on smaller waves (in the pro category that generally means ten feet and under), you want a light, thin, smaller board designed to turn on a dime so you can perform radical maneuvers as close to (or inside) the breaking section of the wave. You generate your own speed through "pumping" your board in the water.


So, a bike is the same way. If you really want to go fast...really fast....then you want a ton of power and a lot of weight. Get a motorcycle. Electric or gas, a motorcycle is much safer than a souped up bicycle.


That's just my opinion. I've ridden a friend's ebike that was 96 volts and I had to really nurse the thumb throttle on take-off to avoid a wheelie and eat it. It could hit about 45mph or so, and I wasn't comfortable.

Heck, mine hits 29.2mph, and I don't like that speed.

Having some power is cool, though, but unless you're experimenting, etc., why would people want to go so fast? Maintaining 30mph for even a few minutes on a bicycle isn't safe. Too much can go wrong (I'm not really talking about dirt and stealth bikes, etc. They are built for that).


Just my opinion.

Motorcycle and bicycle each provide a completely different experience. It's silly to compare them or suggest one over another, it's like saying crunchy peanut butter is the only way to go vs smooth peanut butter (or whatever). It depends on the experience you're seeking.

As an example, 100mph on my GSX-R1000 makes you sleepy. I can take my hands off an respond to texts or search for a song on my phone etc at 100mph on the GSX-R.

100mph on bicycle of doom feels like an incredible intense rush that leaves me shaking with excitement afterwards. It delivers more thrill per mile and more intense experiences than riding anything else I've ever piloted in my ~20 years of motorcycle riding. The GSX-R1000 has ~3x the power of bicycle of doom, and it's comparatively a dull experience to ride (ultra-stable and effortlessly in-control feeling at all times).

They both have their place, but if someone is seeking to push the limits of an intense riding experience, the bicycle is the correct chassis for the job IMHO. If you want a safe reliable machine to take you from place to place swiftly, a motorcycle is a great tool. If you just want to feel the rush (and are willing to pay in flesh occasionally), a high powered bicycle seems to do the trick nicely IMHO.

Different machines for different applications. Maybe 80% of the time I even take an e-bicycle or motorcycle out (electric or gas), I'm not looking to get somewhere, I'm just seeking out an intense riding experience to enjoy.

 

[Confab]

100mph on bicycle of doom feels like an incredible intense rush that leaves me shaking with excitement afterwards. It delivers more thrill per mile and more intense experiences than riding anything else I've ever piloted in my ~20 years of motorcycle riding. The GSX-R1000 has ~3x the power of bicycle of doom, and it's comparatively a dull experience to ride (ultra-stable and effortlessly in-control feeling at all times).

I start feeling nervous at 24mph on my bike. 100mph would be adrenaline rush central. Also aerodynamic drag central.