I picked up a 24v Lee Iacocca EVG Ebike

Hi Kauaikit,
I sent you a PM about the controllers.
In the last 2 days I have been able to ride my bike now and since I do not yet have a battery (even the controller is not back in the bike yet) it is a regular bike for now, but I like it a lot with the 48t front chainring.
Note that I did not replace the crank, I simply bolted the 2 larger chainrings from a mountain bike (42t and 48t) directly to the original 33t sprocket, which is still usable but also acts as "spider" for the larger chain rings.
I am even considering squeezing a 60t into there - for that I will probably need to lose the chain guard and trim some more off the battery pack door and extra compartment, we will see. And of course add some chain.
Interesting that they upgraded the 36V bikes with a slightly more usable 38t although it is still way too low gear: my mountain bike chainrings are 36-42-48t and I am using the 48t exclusively. The only reason for me to mount the 42t onto the original 33t is that the 48t chainring has 5 "spokes" that give fixed offset and that did not allow it to bolt directly to the 33t or be able to use it, so I kept the 42t in between there.
I also want a different freewheel with an 11t top gear so that even on downhills and with higher voltage assist, I don't spin out.
Just need to find where to get one for decent price around here.
 
Cor...on the 24v ebikes, it's best to just buy a nice used complete crankset with a 46t gear attached. I've bought several off of ebay. Generally they are take offs from new bikes & so are nice. Though anything over 44t & you will need to trim the side case a bit & the chain guard is removed.

The truth is your going to want to go around 42.5v on your ebike to get the speed to 20mph. The 24v setup is to slow. Which means figuring a way to upgrade the 24v controller, to maintain your lights/cruise/throttle/horn, or get a 36v brushed controller w/throttle & brake cutoff levers. But you will loose the "goodies". The lithium battery option is $180 range shipped from Hobbyking. It's two 18.5v batteries (5lbs) you hook in series for 37v (42.5v) & then you need a 36v cheapy chinese charger.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__20837__ZIPPY_Flightmax_8000mAh_5S1P_30C_USA_Warehouse_.html

You can buy the 7spd 30-11 freewheel & tool from Pat @ SDelectric (619)216=8572. I just ordered two more yesterday for a total of 7. They work great with minor adjustments to the rear derailleur.

Give me a direct email & I can sent you photos that will help you decide a path to update your ebike.

Kit
kauaikit(at)earthlink(dot)net
 
Hi Kit,
Will send you an email.
My existing 48t chainring came off a mountain bike that I sacrificed (I got it for the effort of taking it off premise) and it had a decent rear wheel that I needed for my then daily rider, another mountain bike that developed a bad leak, possibly from the steel rim rusting and the rust flakes cutting into the tube. Green slime did not help any more. The tire was also worn and there was play on the bearings plus an unusual ticking sound from some gears in the freewheel. Good moment to swap wheels. Indeed, as soon as you go over 40t the 24V's chain cover needs to go and over 42t you will need to start trimming. I already removed 1/2 inch semi-circle off the battery cover. If I go taller then more needs to go...
It is pretty flat around here, so I love riding with 48t / 14t gearing that I now have on this 26" wheel (no assist) and I easily reach speeds between 16-20 MPH just by myself (not straining as I don't want to arrive in the office all drenched) so with electric assist, I am counting on 25-30 MPH while pedaling and that is why I want to increase the gear ratio. With the smaller rear cog I will still need to pedal faster, that is why I am looking at buying a really tall chain ring.
 
I just got back from riding my NOS '99 24V Black 24v that I upgraded using a Tres Terra (formally EVG) Callisto controller/throttle-key/brake handles. It's of course using the original stock 24v/400watt rear hub, & I've upgrade to a 42t (origin8 gold/blk) front chainring (36v parts bike crankset) & a 30-11 rear freewheel. I'm also using the Zippy 42.5v lithium battery.

Top speed is 21.5mph, pedaling is fine, though the 24v/400watt hub doesn't give any low end torque. But, the bike works for what it is.

This bike had a bad controller & appears someone used a 36v battery pack & burnt out the controller when it was new. Good thing, as the bike is literally brand new.

Ideally you want to find a used EVG 36v ebike to upgrade. Since you only need to upgrade the battery & gearing, & all the "goodies" still work & you still get the torque of the 36v/500watt hub. I've got a SX/LE/PE & I used a "parts" 36v ebike (bad freewheel gear) to update another 24V ebike. I used the controller/36v hub/front 35watt Headlight/throttle/brake levers. This "parts" ebike was a whopping $40 from a black dude! :)

I also have a '00 Yellow mini folding 36v ebike that I upgraded. These use the same 24v/400watt rear hubs. I'm getting 17.5mph/14.5mi range, & I too upgraded the front chainring with a complete new 46t Lesco crankset for $20 (ebay) & 7 spd 30-11 freewheel ($23 over 3 units). This ebike is a hoot to ride, the kids like it because it will do wheelies as they weight only 100lbs to my 200lbs. I'm tempted to exchange the 36v/500watt rear hub to see how it performs. Though you don't want to go to fast on this small of an ebike!

You don't want to go over 42.5v on a stock 24v/400watt hub, though I've over charged the packs to 44v & it works great. You can burn it out from overheating on longer rides since the overheat sensor wires don't hook into a replacement controller. Maybe you can hook it into one of the brake cutoff connectors on a replacement controller? Generally my "cardio" rides are uphill to the Mountains for 6 miles, & then back down for a 12mi ride. I'm getting 27.5mph pedaling hard on the downhill with these ebikes.

You will need to go to 60v range to see 25+ mph on any ebike. The 24v/400watt is only good for 20mph range, & I'm not sure of the top end speed for the 36v/500watt hubs. Which is why I wanted to find out the voltage max on a stock EVG 36v controller. As the goal is to retain the stock lights/cruise/horn.

Kit
 
Hi Ian,
I found out that the Patrick Winston you mentioned is the same Pat that Kit mentioned, he is at SDelectricbike.com and located in Bonita, CA near San Diego.
When I mentioned the name of Kit as referrer (I did not know at that time he is the same Patrick Winston you referred to, I just found that out just now that I looked up the website) he gave me a break on the price of a 11-34t freewheel ($25 iso $30) but shipping will add $5 again. He offered to throw in a few chain links, but I already have a chain lying around here. I did ask him to add a freewheel removal tool, otherwise I will not be able to swap the freewheels...
 
Cor....I tried a 32-11 on the LE & it works, but it's my understanding that the stock derailleur struggles with a 34t low gear. Which is why I just went with the 30-11t freewheel for the rest of the ebikes, because in practice your only going to be using 4/5/6 to start off, & mostly the high 7th (small) gear the majority of the time.

So, what battery solution are you thinking on the 24v ebike?
 
Let's see - if I install a 60t chain ring then the chain needs half the difference from the 48t added, so 12/2 = 6 extra links. In the back I go from 28 max to 34 which means 3 extra links and since you can't install an odd nr of links, I will have to add 10. I hope that if I ever run the chain back on the original 33t that it does not fall off because it is too long...
Wow, I would then be able to make a gearing *lower* than 1 (34t rear, 33t front) all the way up to 5.5 (11t rear, 60t front)
That will certainly take care of spinning out when descending & riding with higher voltage assist.
My plan is to modify to a *very low* current limited high voltage (48 or 60V) controller, so that the motor does not burn up from excessive current, but it can keep on assisting up to very high speeds. Drawback is that it will lose torque and won't go fast without pedaling, but that makes it safe: experienced bikers can ride fast while inexperienced riders run out of steam and go slower...
I will definitely need to add a bracket to support a front derailleur if I have 4 front sprockets...
 
This afternoon I got in contact with a business that does eBikes, they have a customer who is desperate for a 24V battery case with charger, since that customer had worn out batteries and recycled them.... including the case! I don't need mine because I want to upgrade to higher voltage and Lithium Ion batteries. I rather have NOT my expensive batteries in an easy carrying case that anybody can easily walk away with.
So I will install them permanently on the bike and I will always need to bring the AC to the bike for charging, Oh well.
They asked me how much I wanted for the battery case with charger. I had no idea, so I said $80. The customer accepted that and tomorrow I will ship an empty case across the country to a happy 24V EVG owner.
 
Cor....with the stock 36v crankset, I'm only able to go with a 46t max front gear. Otherwise it will hit the frame.

Even when I went with a 46t front & a 32-11 rear, I didn't need to add any chain links to the stock chain on the LE.

You may have the "offset" to go higher with your stock 24v crankset, though it may interfere with your side case/door?

Personally I'd keep your stock battery box as you may decide to put lithium cells in it & run a charging wire, or the balance plugs thru it for an outside charger. The advantage to this setup is you have the option of removing the battery to charge it, in home or @ work. Also the stock battery box has a capacitor inside, so it doesn't "arc" when the battery is installed. I don't use a BMS on the lithium cells as the stock controllers will shut the power off around 34v (?) & I use a voltmeter while charging to keep it around 43v. I know that two Zippy batteries (8ah) will fit inside the stock battery box, maybe 3, & I'm not sure on four for a 16ah battery. It depends on how far you intend to ride the bike.

I've not attempted to try this idea. All my ebikes retain the stock bottom terminal, so if I wanted to use the stock battery box as a "heavy" backup, I can. I just ran an extra power & ground wire (C bullet connectors) from the back of the bottom terminal, which can hook into the battery that just sits in the side case.

Also a very cheap solution for 36v is to buy 6/7ah batteries (around $10 each) that fit inside the box perfectly & hooked in series. Though the range would suck & your top end would be around 17.5mph.

Kit
 
Hi Kit,
My 48t chain ring has quite some offset from the original 33t because I reamed the 5 holes in it until they matched the 110 BCD of the mountain bike chain rings and then I bolted the larger 2 chainrings on with 1/8" spacers. It should have been about 3/16" to have the correct distance for the derailleur, but the chain just sits flush with the next sprocket with 1/8" spacing and this reduces the forces on the crank. Still, the largest chain ring sits about the level of the battery box door. I had to cut about 1/2" width semi-circle from the door and also a small bit from the bottom of the large side cover. When I add the 60t chain ring then the offset will again be larger, but I will try and reduce the offset of the 48t about 1/16" so that I will only need to cut another (about 1" wide) semi-circle from the battery cover, but I can't cut that much from the large cover as that has a mounting point there, so the offset will need to be large enough to allow the chain to slip between the 60t chain ring and the cover. We'll see.

I plan on installing Li-Ion batteries permanently - I may even use screws on the battery box cover to avoid someone opening it and snipping wires and running off with my expensive batteries if I have to park my bike in a different place than at home or work. In both locations I have an outlet nearby - at home there is an outlet on the side of the garage, at work I park in an empty cube.
 
BTW, anyone have experience with the "Transmetic" Li-Poly batteries that are offered on Ebay for $51?
I am looking at the 10Ah 14.8V pack that should allow 4 of them in the original space of the 24V battery.
Advantage of having 4 is that I can either configure it for 29.6V and run the stock bike (with maybe an extra resistor in the tail light or so) with 20Ah capacity
or reconfigure it for 60V 10Ah when I upgrade to a high voltage (low current limit) controller....
Don't want to buy crap so I like to hear any experience others have, but I like the price - it is about $1.25 per Ah per cell, which is about the price I see for individual cells in reasonable quantity. I am aware that this pack does not have a BMS (that is why it has 5 wires coming out the top, besides the power wires) so I will build a BMS to protect the cells during charge & discharge.
 
Anybody having (bad) experience with flats on the stock tires?
I was riding home (in the dark) tonight and about 3 miles away I suddenly had 2 flat tires and an unexpected 1-hour walk home.
Probably I missed some debris on the shoulder in the dark that I usually avoid when I ride with daylight.
It was a weird night anyway, probably because it was middle of the rush hour, because I had 2 times that I came within inches of hitting a car that suddenly pulled out just in front of me and two times a driver had to break hard because he only saw me last minute while they were merging onto the road.
Anyway, I have had many flats on this commute - there are spots where Puncturevine grows and plenty areas where broken glass (windows, headlights) is spread out over the shoulder (only swept from the traffic lanes, not from the road)
So, I fear that I need to patch both tires. Maybe I need to look into a more puncture resistant tire and some layer in between tube and tire to deflect and stop punctures. I tried pumping the tires but the air escaped faster than I could pump, so slime would probably not have helped...
 
Haven't been here in a little while.
I enjoy using my EVG bike. It is my workout machine in the dark early AM hours. The power to climb overpasses is a bonus.
I admit they are a little heavy but that is part of the workout.
Here is what it looks like now:
1999EVGEbike.jpg


The electronics is a bit under designed and doesn't have much margin for over volting. The hub motor itself can be if you properly use the thermal sensor.
The most vulnerable part is the microprocessor in the controller. I have 2 controllers with a fried processors. It is custom and has custom code.
I have collected some spares to keep mine going. I do have spare power boards. If anyone is interested please PM and I will respond to the email.
Thanks,
 
You guys are such a bad influence. Last night I picked up a black 24V EVG in L.A. for a killer price. I'm only interested in the frame, so all the electronics and rear hub are coming off today. I have a 48v yescomusa kit and a 11tooth sprocket from Pat at sdelectric. I'm going to go make some measurements in the battery compartment so I can finalize my order with cell-man.

This is my first ebike project so it seemed rational to start with a frame that was designed for ebikes.

I've learned so much from endless-sphere.com. I'm definitely not a pioneer but just following in all your footsteps. I just want to thank everyone here!

What should I do with the 24V controller and heismann motor? Anyone here want it?
 
Hmmm after measuring the battery compartment, it looks like I will only be able to fit cell-mans 9.5ah 52V with the 420mmx110mmx70mm dimensions, and that's if I shave the bottom bracket off first. I have a 20 mile round trip commute, and I want to pedal the entire time, though I wanted the extra reserve that the 11.5 ah had. 9.5ah x 52.8V= 486Wh, and 486wh / 20wh/mile (assuming no pedaling at all) gives me a hypothetical 24 mile range.

There's enough room in the original controller space to put my yescomusa controller, so everything will package up nice and stealthy. There's also some room to spare there if I could wire another 52V 16s1p pack with the 9.5ah 52V 16s4p in parallel. I wonder how creative cell-man can get...
 
I'm using two Hobbyking Lithium poly 18.5v/37v (42.5v-$180 shipped) batteries in all of my EVG ebikes. This 42.5v 5lb pack gives me around a 14.5 mile range in the 36v ebikes. It of course can be doubled for a 16ah battery pack that can easily fit in the side compartment. My "cardio" ride is 12 miles, with a 21.5 mph on level ground, with a uphill 6 mile ride around 18.5mph, & then an easy 6 mile downhill ride with speeds up to 27.5mph. An overall average of 19mph with stop & go riding. This too is all with the original 24v/36v EVG geared brushed hubs, including all the original "goodies", like lights/cruise/horn, on the 36v ebikes! The 24v ebikes loose the "goodie" option with the upgraded 36v brushed controller/throttle/brake shutoff levers.

So, a 10 mile ride one way with a 5lb pack is easy & you can charge the pack @ work, or even have a second pack/charger @ work for a simple swap, to keep the weight down, for the ride home.

You can even go with the 22.2 packs/8ah (6 cells) for higher voltage.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__20837__ZIPPY_Flightmax_8000mAh_5S1P_30C_USA_Warehouse_.html
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__20647__ZIPPY_Flightmax_8000mAh_6S1P_30C_USA_Warehouse_.html

My goal on these EVG ebikes is to stay as close to original equipment as possible, which too keeps the upgrade costs down.

Let's hear about your upgrade & functional EVG ebike after you decide what path you go & it's total costs.

Kit
S.CA
 
I have on order four 14.8V 10Ah packs, so I can either make a 29.6V 20Ah pack (initially) and later rewire it for 59V.
But then the controller must first be upgraded...
Those packs are flat enough that 3 can stack on top of each other and one next to the stack within about 4x4 inch space of the battery case.
 
I looked at the tires of my 1999 24V EV Global (still original tires) and noticed that the front tire had only picked up one Puncture-vine spike (that is a weed that grows along my commute route and drops pods with a single spike, ideal for puncturing bike tires, hence the name) so that was an easy fix. I now also have slime in both my EVG tires.
The rear was a bit different - it had picked up a nail almost an inch long. Since I could not immediately stop when I felt the tire deflate (I was in front of an off-ramp) the nail had puncture the other side of the tire in a pattern of spots, so essentially unrepairable. Luckily I had one new 26" tube that I bought for a different bike a month ago, so it was just a matter of unscrewing the bolt in the torque arm, undoing two axle nuts and pop off the bad tube and put a new one on.
We'll see how long till the next flat, I seem to get more than my share of them. I ran out of patches in my patch kit...
 
Those are some great ideas for battery packs. I suppose I simply want to go with the cell-man A123s for the life span. The more I work on this frame, the more I'm impressed. They thought of everything, and it's a breeze to install upgraded components on. The stock motor with wheel & tire weighs 12.5 lbs. Interestingly it comes with a stock torque arm, but the axle is not flat so the arm is necessary. In contrast my yescomusa 48v motor + wheel & tire weighs 16 lbs. The yescomusa spokes are thicker. After removing the stock controller, there is plenty of room for the yescomusa controller. Some pics:

picture1framedimensions.jpg

picture352v115ahextraspace.jpg


I did ask if anyone wanted the parts I'm removing, and I got a bunch of PMs over the weekend! Someone here thinks that they can convert the stock controller to a higher voltage and will post the schematics for the benefit of endless-sphere, so I might just turn that over to him. Not trying to make any money off this but I would like to trade for parts if anyone has some lying around. I'm interested some commuter tires (blue or lime green color) and a bigger front sprocket.
 
Here is a picture how I fitted the large 48t chainring onto my 24V EVG.
I originally had slightly too short bolts, so I asked a friend to get slightly larger ones and this is what he came back with,
those still need to be trimmed back but do not stop the joy of riding with a 14/48 gearing.
You will see a total of 3 sprockets: the silver and smallest one is the original 33t, then a black medium 42t as filler and finally the black 48t. To top it all off, there is a black plastic chain protection ring attached with rusty bolts.
111218_002.jpg

NOTE that the size of the 48t chainring is much larger than the 24V bike will allow, you have to cut a semicircle about 1/2 inch wide from the battery box as also a bit from the side cover of the bike.
Here another shot looking down on the chainrings:
111218_003.jpg

You will notice the bolt heads on the right of the small (original) chainring and the double washers between it and the next (middle) chainring which looks like a straight line because the camera is directly above it. The chain is running on the large chainring, which is stamped steel and has 5 Z-shaped spokes that offset it from the middle chainring. You may notice that those spokes look roughly cut and that is exactly how I got this chainring: it was welded to a cheap mountain bike crank, so I had to cut the 5 spokes to clear the 5 mountings of the crank arm. Good job for a sawzall.
 
Hi Hillhater,
Not sure if I read it right, but it seems that just about every of the cheap batteries had some issues being discharged anywhere near rated spec?
Or did I not read it right? I will definitely check for any puffing of the cells when they arrive - don't want to burn my bike (or a house) down.
Also, I ordered 4 packs of 10Ah so that I can pull just over 1C (25A from 20Ah pack) if I run with 8S2P (29.6V). Only if they perform decently will I try to put all in series (16s1p or 59V 10Ah) feeding into a current limited controller to give assist at up to high speed, not so high acceleration as I can do that by myself.
Let me know if I did not read the thread correctly.
 
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