My first e-bike build

[ronniec95]

Hi guys,

Newbie here, just starting my first build. I need a all round bike that I could use for commuting as well as the occasional light offroad. So after reading a lot on this forum, decided to contact Hyena and get a build off him. I'm ok with putting a bike together but I just don't have the machining tools nor the detailed electronics knowledge to play with torque arms or swap around FETs etc. Hyena's kits looked great, and they felt solid in terms of quality; english speaking helped too! Also I realised I'd spend far to much time and money putting together my bits of parts, and it would no way be as good as something off Jay.

So definitely want to thank him for all the effort - awesome kit. Worked like a dream first time. Slight confusion when putting it together due to some puzzling instructions, but it all worked in the end. I have an extra CA cable which I don't know what's for, and a couple of washers left....?

So far, I bought a steel frame, the hyena kit complete with all the 18.5ah battery; volted to 52.8v according to CAv3 in emv3 triangle bag.

Here are the build pics so far.
View attachment 2



Questions for anyone:

1. Controller - what's the best way to attach it to the bike in this build. I can't have it get wet, and rather not have it too dirty. I was thinking under a rear rack, but that was straining the cable in this particular battery pack. Also I'm worried it might get stolen if left around for a while. what is the best way to attach it to the bike anyway? Any thoughts?

2. Battery pack - The anderson connector is going to be stressed a lot when I take out the battery daily when I get to work - what's the lifetime on these things? Is it easy to replace, safely?

3. CaV3 - same issue with connector to controller - I'll have to remove it daily to stop it getting nicked - any long term issues on the plug?

Cant wait until the rest of the parts arrive - front wheel, fork, handlebar, brakes, and crankset are still on the list...

 

[ronniec95]

Bike building

 

[ronniec95]

Finally built they hyena e-bike.

I wanted a good looking, but stealthy ebike that would be fast, reliable and get me long distances.

My commute is 50-60 miles round trip from the suburbs (fast) right into City of London (traffic), and I can't generally charge at work too often. The reason is that I realised after building the bike, that I need to disconnect all the wiring from the battery and controller in order to be able to take the battery in. That's not as easy as it looks when the battery is tightly packed; especially after a long wet commute.

Bike Specs
Frame is on-one inbred steel frame for a comfortable ride. (£130)
Brakes are Shimano SLX hydraulics.
Front rotor is 185mm, Rear is 205mm
Fork is fox 32 120mm
Frame bag is em3ev
Shimano SLX derailleur for rear, single front chain ring 44T (30mph at 90rpm)

Electronics spec
Cellman triangle battery: Hyena supplied 18.5AH, 58V at 100%
Motor Hyena supplied 1800W upgraded MAC6T motor
Controller: Hyena supplied upgraded controller

Setup
Controller just about fits inside the bag, which gives me a very clean look.
Cable ties keep the wires nice an tidy
Electrical tape is used at the connection points to keep things waterproof.

 

[ronniec95]

Still to add:-

To keep crud off the battery box:-
I'll be using a clear plastic bottle cut in half and attached to the downtube with cable ties.

For commuting/carrying:
Attaching a rear rack with a cover to act like a mud guard
Rear light: Exposure Flare
Front light: Four4th light

 

[beast775]

Welcome to E-S....Nice clean build.i really like those kits! ,when raining just slow down to keep heat down,when its not, open bag a bit keep everything happy.what size frame is that? battery bag fits the frame like a glove.electrical tape just keeps condensation on the plugs.just unplug them every month see if there is any buildup of condensation.anderson connectors last quite a while,and you should be able to put on new ones,there a bit tricky at first.youre definately gonna want fenders!

 

[ronniec95]

Frame is 18" frame and yes I was pleasantly surprised at the fit. I managed to get the controller in there two which made it really nice.

I doubt I'll ride in rain so hopefully that should keep things nice and dry.

 

[ken1645]

Nice clean looking build. Congrats. Question though, why take apart the controller & batteries when you get to work? Could you not simply bring your bike inside and store it somewhere? You should ask your boss; I keep mine in the server room.

 

[ronniec95]

Hi ken1645

We have great bike parking facilities - dedicated space for over 500 bikes where no one even needs to lock anything. However it's in the basement and I work on the 40th floor. I've not managed to locate and electrical socket in the bike parking area, and we're not allowed to take bikes upstairs in the lifts.

I've figured that if I stick to 20mph with moderate pedalling I do the 25 mile one way commute using 2.5-3AH (so 6AH in a day). That hopefully doesn't deep cycle the battery too much if I can recharge every night.

 

[andyshirley]

Good luck with that.

I reckon you'll use all of the 18.5 ah...... and then some.

 

[gwhy!1]

you are defo gonna to need to recharge your batteries when you get to work.

 

[andyshirley]

That looks like a very small chainring. Will you have the gearing to pedal at 20mph?

I have a 48 tooth front and 11 at rear to pedal about 30mph max.

Suggest you would need at least 48 front, 14 rear.

 

[ronniec95]

Yep, it is a small 32T chain ring. I've replaced that with a 38 this weekend which works better.

The max I can fit on the frame is 44 though.

I tend to cycling up to 25km/h under pedaling (no assist), then use the motor to push myself to 35km/h with a quick 2s burst and then just pedal to the next lights. So very little energy is used. That's just the nature of london commuting unfortunately. When I got to the open roads outside london then I use it more like an ebike where I'm consistently pushing out 300W to maintain 35km/h or 400W for 40; along with pedaling around 90rpm at the top gear. For daily commute, now done 20 days so far, I've averaged 5.5-6AH round trip (80km/50miles) using this technique. That gets me into work, not too sweaty, and not too tired (I used to previously cycle this on a regular bike daily and was tired by the time I got to work).

I went back and forth between the 44T,38T,32T over the last 3 weeks trying it on my commute; what I found was that given I'm a regular cyclist who spins at 90-100rpm, I prefer lower gears which have less impact on my knees; at the loss of the higher speeds. So 38x11T gives me about 39km, which with the motor I can maintain rather than struggle.

With the 44T I could do the higher speeds, but the 2 x 10% hills (apx 2km each), I could not really assist at the lower speeds (my knees would hurt trying to rotate a 44x28T big ring at 90rpm). That made the biggest difference in AH usage. By keeping the power output low (300W) and pedaling hard, I can go up those hills at 20-25kmh without straining myself and not using too much energy either.

I'm probably not a speed junkie, more efficiency junkie lol

 

[andyshirley]

Cool, sounds like you've got it all sussed out. Thats some very frugal battery usage. How long does the commute take?

 

[ronniec95]

2 stages

1st stage Staines to Brentford - 22km, 35min. Fast, almost no traffic so 35-40km/h
2nd stage Brentford to EC1, London - 16km, 50min. Stop/start, average speed 18km/h