Looking for 2 cents on this build

nutnspecial

10 MW
Joined
Mar 3, 2015
Messages
3,753
Location
PA
Actually, maybe any cents/sense would help-

I've decided to take the plunge, being a mountain biker, and also having a few dirt and sport bikes over the years, An ebike obiously is logical, and something I never realized possible to this degree until wathing videos and reading Alot in the forum.
Kudos to all the builds and members I've read, this is a great forum. Gotta say, the best ones so far have to be tomato monster (hilarious sense of humor), Allex w/ Stealth, GC w/ Giant in DC, oh and The Aussie guy that was new in like 2013, but now has a great bike- damit I forget his name, it'll come to me. <John Bozi> There are so many, also that dude that was wanting to do pikes peak 2012- with the dual hubs I think, I read about it in an awesome Neptronix thread? I have to go back and check the tangent of the dude that got third with water cooled and how all that transpired. Sounded interesting.

My first and only fs was and still is my 99 mantra. I've lightly upgraded it to keep it goin over the past 16 years. It's a great all around bike, and I see the high pivot geometry as a benefit as it changes wheelbase with rear comp/rebound. And also it's damping characteristics when pedalling sitting down. (standing up you really should have a lockout, which I never did, so you learn to stay seated when really killing a hill.)
I wish to not make any unrevocable mods, as I'm unsure if I'll like the handling and if the light frame will even take what it's gonna get- that being said, I ride pretty rough going down, so only thing I'm changing is being able to ride hard going up too. Just the 40 extra pounds of hardware on the bike, but I am around 160lb, so I think it's conceivable.

IMG_20150219_003520.jpg

The picture shows the headtube slackened from almost 70deg to 64/65deg- the front wheel will move about 1.5" forward with the angle change. (pretend the new longer shock is just compressed up 3.5 inch in the pic- new shock will have the wheel down on the ground)
Raise/maintain crank/pedal height at 13"/5.5"
Lengthen rear by about 6" to take wheelbase from ~40" to 46"- this will plush out the overall control and center the me better on the bike for up or downhill, or highspeed in general.

I have the air 120mm and 7" spec'd and ready to buy (nothin fancy, although hopefully the air rear will be adjustable within spec because of the greater force on it from extended swingarm &hub; and plan to fab a simple utilitarian but clean extension from maybe 6"x 1/4" channel. Thinking of a clamping style a few inches front the current dropout to avoid permanency or weakness from holes in frame or welding aluminum. The channel would continue 6/7" past current dropouts where It would also be bolted. I can then customize axle and brake placement. I was thinking aluminum, because it would mate better to the same, although steel is easier overall to manipulate and I can weld it.
The pic shows the new geometry plan, and although I might lose some clearance with mx wheels, (19 & 18 prob) The angles will remain the same.

By messing with rear axle placement and rear shock length, I can achieve the geometry changes I think will improve stability and control going up and down mountain freeriding, and definitely some road riding at a minimum of 30mph (realistically 40mph will be enough for me on this build, but on the steep in the mountain I'd like to be able to go down to 10 without pedaling ).

Which leads me to power- I have considered every hub I've come across and ~think~ the mac 12t or that new mxus will give the best power/torque at low and highspeeds on hard climbs without overheating.

I am totally up in the air because the 12t has little cogging and is lighter, but cannot take as much power if you get bored and want more speed and power (96volt). Also, no one selling on this continent, so high shipping.
edit, teslanv is the US mxus distrib now!

For those of you that have the low turns, what is the maximum speed you are getting from high volts and amps. (72& up)? Is the new version holding up in high torque applications?
edit- low turn mac's are best up to 60v and maybe 35mph; read neptronix's mac build on his findings.

Does the hub maintain the effeciency (low heat) when climbing 15mph even at the high voltage? (I'm guessing yes, you just use less throttle) how do they even compare with mxus and a low turn?

There are several threads and builds I'm yet to read on the mxus3000 (and also the mac, but gotta say dogman's 'rockclimbing' vid tells me alot). I assume the mxus will perform like cro or or big crys, in that it is heavier and doesn't like slow as much, but is just as capable goin slow when at 72v+ and 5k watt+, and can really go much faster than a mac?

I planned on 3 or 4x turnigy 6s 5a 20-30c. That's like 150 max amps? and I had only wanted 50 continuous @72v. Wonder what kind of mileage you get with demanding riding. Maybe don't even need that much at first for 5-10 mile all-out mountain biking, or longer (15-20mi) road trips w/ less elevation change and 30mph avg? (build and rider 230lbs)
edit, 5.8ah turnigy 25c holds up for good for 5mi high draw, or 10mi the way I ride and pedal with my setup. 70amps is pushing them for discharge though, and running out the pack all at once about 70f ambient warms them up. I doubled the pack modularly for 2 paralleled 5.8ah.
Now running 20s (6644) 2p (8 batteries, 40cells) 11.6ah

IMG_20150219_003734.jpg

So to recap, I like to ride everywhere, and yes I like fast too.

Is the mantra a canidate, or would you go bigger and more $ with a dh bike. Will I ever be able to crawl up bad hills without middrive? (Dogman did say he made a long climb 5-8 mph I think with the mac)
If the mantra, will I be happy with climbing power and top speed of low turn mac? Max power input capabilites of this motor? Alternative closer places to buy than em3ev? They have some bmc on ebay from sf I think, are they desirable?

Thankyou very much, I look forward to hopefully contributing to the group!!!!!
 
Man, really hard to meet such a wide criteria of desires.

Two basic choices, a Mac or a motor like one. 12t ideal, but 10t better if you want a higher 48v top speed. Not for hucking huge air, but if you want to pedal some on your "bike" a great choice, even when run at only 1000w. There are several vendors for this general type of motor in the USA, but shipping from EM3ev is not excessively costly either. With pedaling on 48v, you'll be able to climb some very steep hills, 10-15% slopes not a big problem. I pedal only the very steepest bits on mine. (48v 22 amps, 1000w)

Big heavy dd motor. Muxus , big crystalyte, whatever. The idea here is a more motorcycle like ride, much heavier, much more expensive for the battery if you are now running at 60 watt hours per mile or more. But damn fun! 8) In general, this kind of build requires a really beefy frame to perform well on challenging dirt terrain.

Your frame in the pic? I'd lean towards the lighter gear motor build. Carrying a 20-30 pound battery on that frame would suck I think, unless it's a lot more rigid from side to side than it looks.
 
After some consideration and consternation, I downgraded my battery for my Trek/MAC 10T build to 48V. With an Infineon 12fet 4110 controller and high-C A123 battery, I'm still pushing it to 2000 watts. These motors are not really capable of higher amping than that. So I'd not recommend it. If you want a high-amp ride, then get a motor like the MXUS 3000w, that can handle it. But you also seem to understand that putting excess weight & force at higher speeds really does require a higher degree of engineering and a bike frame may be less than adequate. If you want moto-speeds, then build moto.
 
Gotta remember that the speed your seeking and off road abuse from higher speeds will reek havoc on the suspension and brakes on that bike,let alone a swingarm extension.

You can get a great swingarm from farfle? and build from there.
 
Thanks for the replies! To confirm a few values will really help the initial decision making process. . .

dogman dan said:
Two basic choices, a Mac or a motor like one. 12t ideal, but 10t better if you want a higher 48v top speed. Not for hucking huge air, but if you want to pedal some on your "bike" a great choice, even when run at only 1000w. "" (48v 22 amps, 1000w)

So a 12t running 50v 25a is pretty optimal? Is anything gained by running 24s 30c lipo? (i think that's 60v 150a max, and maybe 5lbs ;CA would of course be usefull)
edit- I think I meant 14s, and don't even think about running a low turn mac with more than 30amps @ that voltage!
I assumed you would not lose the low speed but spin up faster with more voltage and more amps are the power to back it up. Even to parallel the whole pack for 10ah, it would only weigh bout 10lbs, which I thought to try pannier or triangle style towards the front of the main tube.
IMG_20150219_144707.jpg
IMG_20150219_144925.jpg
The frame is strong enough so far, so I'm willing to give it a shot for sure- I beat it plenty on downhill, am just looking at a +40lbs to achieve the similar against gravity? The weight 'tween mxus and mac? (guess about 20lb vs 12lb?)
I assume the hucking (drops?) destroy the gear mesh, and you end up stripping stuff?
On your current setup what kind of top speed on flat can you get assisted or not?
Thankyou sir, I think you're a "gentleman and a scholar"!! :D

IMG_20150219_144725.jpg
IMG_20150219_144735.jpg
@beast775: Thankyou, I'll check em out.

arkmundi said:
After some consideration and consternation, I downgraded my battery for my Trek/MAC 10T build to 48V. With an Infineon 12fet 4110 controller and high-C A123 battery, I'm still pushing it to 2000 watts. These motors are not really capable of higher amping than that. So I'd not recommend it. If you want a high-amp ride, then get a motor like the MXUS 3000w, that can handle it. But you also seem to understand that putting excess weight & force at higher speeds really does require a higher degree of engineering and a bike frame may be less than adequate. If you want moto-speeds, then build moto.

So, was the reason for that was too much heat? Or you thought you would break it? What are the top speeds you had/have for each config (26" wheel). I could have sworn I saw someone running higher voltage and careful amperage to achieve power and some speed?

I think izeman built a mantra @ several k watts- I read the build and it seems the mantra is a worthy canidate to at least try. . . I'll see if I can find out more of his thoughts (pro's, cons) of that build too.

I suppose I'll start by changing the angles on the bike with new suspension, and try the extended rear idea awhile. If not happy with that it'll be time to go bigger scale bike I suppose.
Thanks guys!
 
If you want a longer swingarm, maybe you should make one. I think stretching the one you have with hokey bolt-on extensions and then attaching a 20 pound hub motor is just asking to break your bike. With a URT design like that, you could probably make a swingarm by cutting down and modifying another bike's frame. Start with a long Townie style flatfoot bike frame and you'll have your extension built in.

I think your bike is a better candidate for a crank drive conversion, even if that means you don't get to 40mph. But if you want to use a hub motor, I suggest keeping it lightweight for the sake of your bike and its ride qualities.
 
Thanks Chalo. I feel sure you are most likely right. . .that being said lol I already am gonna try the 'hokey' (haha agreed!). It does seem strong, and at 30% more length, that can only add up to at least 200% more structural stress right? Just need to get the 5 pcs aluminum welded, then pretty up and mod clearances to mount wheel and for chain (need more chain too). I'll give it a try, but upon accepted failure (sure I could do it the right way and get a bender and nice tig, and use tube, ((hmmm tempting after a beer or too)) but only planning on ever being an amateur in this area of metalurgy so I'll prob stop the idiocy upon failure of this design) and will keep 'stock' and find a more suitable candidate, or attempt to 'lightly' power stock, although I do think the geometry needs refreshing.
IMG_20150219_232149.jpg

I've read more on dd vs geard, and understand 60v and 30mph is the barely reliable maximum for single motor geared at any distance flat, while it still does better than dd in very slow climbing, and I could def live with that.
Some personal firsthand experience would be pretty key with any ebike actually. . any reputable points of interest around hbg pa I wonder?
Thanks guys!
J
 
Figured I'd post an update.

Ordered better suspension front and rear, and mech discs. something like 250$ amazon

Ordered aluminum spool kit for the lincoln welder-amazon (decided I'd rather invest in the tool, as welding steel has always come in handy) I'm gonna be really tempted to weld to the bike if the first method doesn't work. . .

ordered 4x 6s turngy 25c 5800. hobbyking (running 3 in series (6,6,6) is 66.6v -wth) Think I might parallel the 4th for a little more ah. Hopefully that's plenty for 5-10mi of wot.

and a single 6s charger/balancer and battery check/alarm for now. will rig a supply later for bulkcharge

ca and 12magnet crank sensor from ebike.ca

inquiry to em3 for an order of infineon 18fet 60a controller and some controls.
**Are people using that to good results with 65v and mxus 5t??? seems like it should be good- I assume it's sinewave and I'll be able to procure docu's and software

Now planning on 5t mxus from Kinaye in a 19mx. By the way, kudos man on getting the business goin! I'll have to drop a post on your build or look you up.

**Need to find 19mx for the front, and decide if I'm building or buying the wheel. tires needed- got that link for treatland i guess for them. Maybe ~3 in front and 2.5- 2.75" rear
edit- I don't think I need mx for this build, I'm very happy with the upgraded sunrhino rims and hd slime tubes.

I'm thinking the heavier wheels and tires, battery ahead of rider, controller 'bove crankset, 20lb hub, that it may be fairly balanced. guessin at maybe 60lbs build? if so, that's pretty light I think? If it's horrible I'll just have an upgraded old fav, and find a dh for all this stuff.

Any input on how you guys are likin the mxus (include wheel size and turns) I'm really curious especially with stall/ heat on inclines.
 
The low quality images with blur made it impossible for me to get a visual of your swing arm and pivot point.

I found this image of the same bike, maybe other people also had the same problem so here is a sharper and bigger image.

mantra+006.JPG
 
Preeeeeeeetttaaayyyyyy prrreeetttaayyyy prreeeetttyyyy good. "larry david"

Thanks mcribs! Nice pic, I'll have to figure it out for those 'after' shots. . .

I'm documenting my current mindset that when a few simple details 'r' iron'd out I will have chosen a route for the electric powertrain. It seems so simple, but after days and days of reading I don't think I've found one build (that's been covered) like this. 'though there's been plenty of info which I'll source should this get off the ground

No hubs, no middrives.

There are plenty of large bike sprockets up to at least 55t, there are pleeenty of pulleys up to 10", there's also plenty of streetbike sprockets and all can offer down to close to 10-1 ratio for a mid (in my case rear triangle just behind downtube) mounted brushless.

Customizing a sprocket or pulley to the left side rear disc (hopefully keeping disk& caliper) and a freewheeling sprocket/pulley @ motorshaft ;

Or by using a double freewheeling hub (think I've found one or two) -which would be optimal for drivetrain separation from stock crank & cassette, although vbrakes would be necesary and a 1.4x 19 mx rim might not work.

So plenty of choices/gRRrrr decisions there, but it should be easy to find an inexpensive reversable (counterclockwise spin for left side) brushless 1k motor to gear from 3k rpm @ 1x7 down to about 450rpm for top speed of 30mph on a 25" wheel. obvously you could do whatever you want with the ratio

Seems to me that would bring the best from both worlds-
-The best from a 20lb hub while retaining the handling, no cogging, and weight of a middrive.
-The best from a midrive while not sending the power through your stock drivetrain, more power and simplicity, less maintenance.

Just incase it wasn't clear I'm talking about a 1000watt mid mounted dc motor spinning at 3k max geared down to produce 30mph via isolated left hand belt or chain directly to the rear wheel.

I'll have to go thru the builds one by one, because I'd like to see at least someone's done it and is happy with it before I pull the trigger-
But to all those out there looking, this seems like one hell of an option that just isn't all that common from what I've seen.

Edit- Evolutiongts, Bzwindtrader, Skeetab, Drum, Jackjetful, and mine are all builds that are categorically a little different. Each is also highly unique imo.
 
toolman2- large outrunner
john in cr,hubmonster, midmonster, bluefang green bike mini-monster
there are some 1000w hub builds as mid drives here too......also several geared hubs driving the crank

zero comes to mind

now u need a high voltage controller, that is the biggest benifit is more power at higher rpm
 
Nutspecial wrote:
ordered 4x 6s turngy 25c 5800. hobbyking (running 3 in series (6,6,6) is 66.6v -wth) Think I might parallel the 4th for a little more ah. Hopefully that's plenty for 5-10mi of wot.
5800mah won't give you much and the 4th pack is useless. You need 6 packs to run 18s2p or as you put it 66.6v at 11.6 ah. That might get you 10 miles, depending on what motor you decide to go with.

Dan
 
Hi Dan, thanks, I thought to use 66v I could parallel 2 of the 4? Otherwise I can do 88v. !0 miles is ok to start.
*edit - Oh I get it -can't serial different ah's? and you mean I might get 5 miles with 5.8. Thankyou!

tOme if you see this, found this on evolutiongts's build that shows off the versitility of such a setup. http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=63428
and my fav ebike vid !
[youtube]REeeYtp-8qE[/youtube]

I believe I could do the same on my bike while keeping the stock drivetrain.

Here's one of a belt drive although bmx or motorcycle drivetrain is also conceivable

[youtube]ZAsTJFyxQSI[/youtube]
 
nutspecial said:
Hi Dan, thanks, I thought to use 66v I could parallel 2 of the 4? Otherwise I can do 88v. !0 miles is ok to start.
*edit - Oh I get it -can't serial different ah's? and you mean I might get 5 miles with 5.8. Thankyou!

tOme if you see this, here evolutiongts's build that shows off the versitility of such a setup. http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=63428
and my fav vid he did
[youtube]REeeYtp-8qE[/youtube]

I believe I could do the same on my bike while keeping the stock drivetrain.

Here's one of a belt drive although bmx or motorcycle drivetrain is also conceivable

[youtube]ZAsTJFyxQSI[/youtube]

Yes, the versatility of the LiPo bricks is great but you need matched packs. You can't just throw a single pack in parallel somewhere in the series to get more total AH. You would give that one set of packs more AH but the rest of the series would still be only 5800mah and die early.
As for the mileage, if you run full throttle with a single 5800 mah capacity you get about a mile per AH. Since you don't want to run your pack to zero DOD you will get less.

You really don't want to run a MAC at much higher than 60v at full throttle for long. Yes they do climb great but they are not a GOOD high speed choice. A DD is much better on long HS rides.
Love my 8t MAC for speeds 25mph or less (it does more) for long runs my 12t at 44v seems to top out at about 23mph with the small knobby winter tires so far. I'm sure it will run 25+ with the 2.5" hookworms this summer.

Dan
 
I kindof gave up on this thread when I got pointed in the right direction. But because I hate how threads just end, I've revisited this one and edited some of my ramblings for accuracy so as not to mislead newcoming wanderers that don't know any better!
I really don't envy those trying to grasp this all at once especially for an unconvential build.
If I could suggest a route for firsttimers, it would be make sure you go with batteries that can support any of the builds you are leaning towards. The sticky tuturials were very helpful.

As far as a build direction, that's up to you, each system has it's pro's and con's, and sometimes it's just better to start with a cheap entry level system to get a feel for ebikes.

A belated thankyou to Dand, and other responders!

[youtube]8x37c6r5OQI[/youtube]
This is my bike running my half pack of 5.8ah. 65lbs.
THE END!
 
We as a group almost always end up with more than one eBike. Trying to "predict" and understand EVERYTHING for one build is futile, IMO. Get into the game, cheap - ride, learn, rinse & repeat. There's pros & cons to everything and until you can actually touch & feel the variations - typing a bunch of text on a keyboard is wasting time that could be better spent riding and actually learning.
 
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