Help build my E Bike

[Driverkpk]

-18 mile commute round trip virtually flat paved trail (would like as much distance as possible)
-Would like 20+ mph, pedal assistance and or throttle
-Biggest battery I can afford
-6'3 215lbs
-Have a k-2 mountain bike bought 4-5 years back
-budget $2700 (feel free to reccomned a complete e bike too)
Please help me with kits or parts and suggestion of where to purchase these products and installing if possible.
Thanks!!!!!

 

[wesnewell]

Welcome to ES****Do this before your first post or now (it's retroactive)*****
Please go to the User Control Panel, select Profile, and then enter your city, state/province, and country into the Location field (country minimum) and save it. This will help people help you. Example: Wylie, TX, USA. or just USA, but country as a minimum. Without knowing what country you are in it's hard to make any recommendations. Thank you.

 

[dogman dan]

With that budget, you should have no problems getting what you want.

Since you are so close to them, and you have some money, it would be a no brainer to just go straight to the Grin Cyclery website. They are in Vancouver, so shipping time should be short, even with the border crossing.

Any of their kits will do the trick for the speed you want. 36v 20 ah or 48v 15 ah battery for the range you would like at 25 mph.

 

[Driverkpk]

Is there going to be a noticeable difference between these two battery with distance and speed to justify the extra cost in 48v 20h $400 more?
48V 10Ah LiMn battery pack with 5C Samsung cells

48V 20Ah AllCell LiMn rectangular battery

What motor kit would you combine these with?

 

[wesnewell]

The 20ah pack will give twice the distance of the 10ah pack. What size bike? You can have a 26" 48V 500W kit at your door in about 3 days from a US seller for ~$225 total, or you can pay 2-5 times that much. There are lots of choices out there. Some inexpensive, and some a lot higher. Pretty much all the motors come from china. Buy from a large USA seller that sells hundreds or thousands of kit sells can save you a lot. If you buy direct from China, you have no legal recourse, shipping will be expensive, and it will tajke more time to get the product. I buy a lot of smaller things direct from China, you have to watch the shipping charges closely. Sometimes they really stick you on shipping. I've bought all my kits here.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rear-Wheel-Electric-Bicycle-Conversion-Kit-24V-36V-48V-250W-500W-700W-800W-1000W-/290754592384
Ebay seller for
http://www.yescomusa.com/Electric_Bicycle_Engine/
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49638
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=%2Byescomusa

 

[Driverkpk]

Love to spend least amount as possible for quality products. I believe the tires are 26" as the tires say ritchey tom slick 26 1.4 on side of tires. Where and what battery would purchase??
Thanks!!

 

[chuckufarley]

www.aliexpress.com....Only place to shop for this stuff. Direct from China, use the search function.
Search e-bike items with "free shipping"
I saw a deal the other day...Buy one get one free.... including batteries for 650$
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-36V-500W-electric-bike-Conversion-Kits-DIY-Ebike-Conversion-Kits-36v-12Ah-lithium-battery/1063618387.html
Thats for 2 Complete Ebike kits.....With 36v10ah batteries.
Search keywords "buy one get one free"

 

[lbz5mc12]

With a $2700.00 budget you could just buy a complete e-bike.

 

[dogman dan]

Since you mention the Samsung cells, you might just go buy everything from EM3ev.

But seriously, you live a short distance from the best ebike kit vendor on the planet. Grin. Notice that there are no ads here hawking cheap junk? Justin at Grin paid for that. Thanks Justin.

If I were you, I'd make a road trip to visit Grin personally before I made any decisions.

To reliably make that 18 mile trip in all weather, I'd say get 48v 15 ah or 36v 20 ah of battery. Unless you can charge at 9 miles then return. If you can charge at work, then a 10 ah Samsung pack should do it for a 20-25 amps controller.

Any larger than 48v 15 ah will be a bitch to carry, unless your bike is a cargo hauler.

 

[Driverkpk]

Didn't see a 48v 15h availaible on Grin's site only a 48v 10h??
what would be the diference between 48v 10h and the 36v 20h kn terms of speed and distance?

 

[wesnewell]

48V 10ah =480wh
36V 20ah =720wh, so more distance less top end speed.

 

[Driverkpk]

How could I get 30mph and 20miles distance what battery and motor etc?
Ive seen that alluminium alloy bikes are not recomended is that true?

48V 10ah =480wh
36V 20ah =720wh, so more distance less top end speed.

 

[wesnewell]

Just found this. Looks like a good deal.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/26-Rear-Wheel-48V-1000W-Electric-Battery-Powered-Bicycle-Motor-Conversion-Kit-/111209713494
30mph for 20 miles is going to take a 20ah 48v battery. Steel dropouts can spread without cracking like aluminum tends to do more easily. Aluminum frame with a steel swing arm is fine.

 

[dogman dan]

Yeah, 30 mph would take more watthours to go 18 miles. He said 20 plus in the first post. But, if he gets a 48v, likely he will end up riding 25 mph or more.

48v 10 ah will go 18 miles, but at sub 20 mph speeds. Or, pedal 5 of the miles motor off, and of course it will do the other 13.

But here's the deal on a 48v 10 ah. It will be very tight on the range brand new for there and back, the 18 miles. The solution is stupid simple, charge at work. Then the Grin 48v 10 ah will be more than adequate.

 

[Driverkpk]

Does your mongoose really go 45 mile range at 20mph and if so how do I build that efficient of a e bike?

Just found this. Looks like a good deal.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/26-Rear-Wheel-48V-1000W-Electric-Battery-Powered-Bicycle-Motor-Conversion-Kit-/111209713494
30mph for 20 miles is going to take a 20ah 48v battery. Steel dropouts can spread without cracking like aluminum tends to do more easily. Aluminum frame with a steel swing arm is fine.

 

[wesnewell]

No, I have to limit speed to 19.6mph for 45 miles. Only get 43miles at 20mph. That's on level ground, non stop. Headwinds and terrain can drastically affect range, as will 1-2mph difference. Range goes up over 60 miles at 18mph. At 20mph, you need ~21wh per mile on a regular bike. Size your battery accordingly.

 

[Driverkpk]

I'm seeing a lot of info all over the map as to distance and mph. 18-20miles 20mph-25mph would be perfect flat and paved trail. What's your suggestion on a build to obtain these mph and distance??

No, I have to limit speed to 19.6mph for 45 miles. Only get 43miles at 20mph. That's on level ground, non stop. Headwinds and terrain can drastically affect range, as will 1-2mph difference. Range goes up over 60 miles at 18mph. At 20mph, you need ~21wh per mile on a regular bike. Size your battery accordingly.

 

[wesnewell]

Always get more battery than you think you'll need for your maximum distance. Going up steep hills and/or into a headwind will more than double what you need on level ground without a headwind. Stop and go also uses a lot of extra power. So if you have a lot of stops on your route, you need to take that into consideration too. About the only true way to tell for anyones route is trial and error. Just another reason I like RC lipo. You can easily add capacity to it by just plugging in more bricks.It takes me 2 seconds to change my 10ah 24s lipo pack into a 20ah 12s pack. If you want 20 miles at 20mph, you could get by with a 10ah 12s lipo pack. I'd start with that and then if it isn't enough, add to it as required as you learn how much you need for your route. In the mean time, just ride slower to extend your range.

 

[Driverkpk]

Any thoughts on this kit a local dealer is recomending this to me?

http://www.hi-powercycles.com/copy-of-hpc-black-lightning-high-speed-complete-kit/

 

[wesnewell]

My complete bike, motor kit, and battery pack cost less than half that. It's your money.

 

[dogman dan]

48v 15 ah is perfect for 20-25 mph and 20 mile range. At 25 mph, you will get about 22 miles. At 20 mph you will get about 28-30 miles. That's on a bike with bad aero, like with some panniers.

48v 20 ah, crosses the line on being easy to carry. Definitely too much to put on top of a rear rack. If you have 48v 15 ah, it's too much to put on the rear rack of a bike with a rear motor and have it ride well.

The easy solution is to get a 48v 15 ah size battery, or ride a lot slower with a 12 ah. Carry it in the middle of the bike, and it will handle good. Ideal bikes are hardtail mtb's, comfort bikes, and beach crusiers. Look for large space in the triangle to mount the battery there. Often the largest space is found on the less expensive steel mtb's and cruisers. If cruiser, get one with a 7 speed rear gear, and v brakes. Only about $150 for those, so the bike need not cost an arm and a leg. I'm not sure which K2 bike you have, or if it's even got a frame with a triangle. It can be an option to use a front hub with a Y frame full suspension bike. I did that for 10,000 miles of commuting. The front motor allowed me to carry 15 ah on a rack. But mounting a front hub on a suspension fork is extremely tricky. Getting it wrong can cost you your teeth.

Then the rest is easy, any 48v rear hubmotor kit with 800-1000w will get you the power and speed you need to make the ride.

Efficiency is directly tied to speed, assuming you are comparing regular upright bikes like mtbs or cruisers. 20 mph takes 400-600w, 25 takes 600-800, 30 mph takes at least 1000w. 20-30 watthours per mile is typical for 20-25 mph travel. More if it's windy though. You have to slow down a lot to make the same range in headwinds.

Another option is two batteries. Particularly if you will really ride about 20 mph. Then 36v will be perfect, and two 10 ah 36v batteries is the perfect size. Same watthours as a 48v 15 ah. I found a 36v 20 ah pingbattery lifepo4 worked great for about 7000 miles of that commuting I did. It would fit in the triangle of a large frame mtb too.

 

[Driverkpk]

Sounds good! Looking on Grin's site seems 500w motors are all they have in the kits and 48v 20ah batteries not the 48v 15ah as suggested any suggestion on who carries this kind of kit or products?
Thanks!

48v 15 ah is perfect for 20-25 mph and 20 mile range. At 25 mph, you will get about 22 miles. At 20 mph you will get about 28-30 miles. That's on a bike with bad aero, like with some panniers.

48v 20 ah, crosses the line on being easy to carry. Definitely too much to put on top of a rear rack. If you have 48v 15 ah, it's too much to put on the rear rack of a bike with a rear motor and have it ride well.

The easy solution is to get a 48v 15 ah size battery, or ride a lot slower with a 12 ah. Carry it in the middle of the bike, and it will handle good. Ideal bikes are hardtail mtb's, comfort bikes, and beach crusiers. Look for large space in the triangle to mount the battery there. Often the largest space is found on the less expensive steel mtb's and cruisers. If cruiser, get one with a 7 speed rear gear, and v brakes. Only about $150 for those, so the bike need not cost an arm and a leg. I'm not sure which K2 bike you have, or if it's even got a frame with a triangle. It can be an option to use a front hub with a Y frame full suspension bike. I did that for 10,000 miles of commuting. The front motor allowed me to carry 15 ah on a rack. But mounting a front hub on a suspension fork is extremely tricky. Getting it wrong can cost you your teeth.

Then the rest is easy, any 48v rear hubmotor kit with 800-1000w will get you the power and speed you need to make the ride.

Efficiency is directly tied to speed, assuming you are comparing regular upright bikes like mtbs or cruisers. 20 mph takes 400-600w, 25 takes 600-800, 30 mph takes at least 1000w. 20-30 watthours per mile is typical for 20-25 mph travel. More if it's windy though. You have to slow down a lot to make the same range in headwinds.

Another option is two batteries. Particularly if you will really ride about 20 mph. Then 36v will be perfect, and two 10 ah 36v batteries is the perfect size. Same watthours as a 48v 15 ah. I found a 36v 20 ah pingbattery lifepo4 worked great for about 7000 miles of that commuting I did. It would fit in the triangle of a large frame mtb too.

 

[torker]

Also there are different windings so motors will go a different speed on a given voltage. If you have truly a flat commute a faster wind at 36 volts may go plenty fast for you. Plus after you ride for awhile you can always try out 48 volts if you just have the need for speed.. Also 500 watts just means it will put out that on 36 v with 15 amps Most kits will take more volts and amps .. U should see if there is a dealer in Seattle where u could ride an ebike or two.