Thoughts on This eBike Kit and Battery

[portals]

Hello,

I've been researching ebikes for a good few months now dipping in and out and given the weather should be getting better as we approach Spring and Summer I'm now in a position to buy the kit I need.

I will be doing this on a budget as it's my first dip in to ebikes, tbh I haven't fixed a puncture or done any bike maintenance in probably 30+ yrs so I know I have a few things to learn!

I spent a LOT of time looking at the various kits available and also researching batteries even contemplating making my own battery pack housed in my own designed 3D printed case (I have a CR-6 SE), but there doesn't seem to be a great cost saving in going down this route.

This is my current 'budget' shopping list, it's from Aliexpress but ships from Germany and they have a returns policy so if it all goes south and what I buy ends up being junk I'll have some redress...

I'd really appreciate any thoughts you may have on the conversion kit and battery I've listed below. I will be using the bike mainly on public roads for school run and more leisurely weekend runs. I know about the legality of idiots whizzing about on over-powered ebikes and scooters, when I'm on public roads the bike will be limited so it's legal but will also have the option to remove this when permissible..

Electric Bike Conversion Kit 26 28" 700C eBike Conversion Kit 36V 350W 500W 48V 1000W 1500W Front Rear Bicycle Hub Motor Wheel
aliexpress.com/item/1005001437503560.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.47ce3c00kQRNf0&mp=1
Color: 48V 1500W Rear
Ships From: GERMANY
Wheel Size: 26''
Display Model: KT LCD3
Brake Type: Brake Lever

Electric Bicycle Battery 1500W 52V 20Ah 24Ah 48V 24Ah 20Ah eBike Bateria Pack for 1800W 1000W 750W 500W Bafang Motor eBike DIY
aliexpress.com/item/1005001625912806.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.47ce3c00kQRNf0&mp=1
Color: 52V20Ah 40A BMS
Ships From: GERMANY

I also need to buy a torque arm.

Any/all thoughts most welcome.
cheers

 

[LewTwo]

I also need to buy a torque arm.

Hammer ebikes is the trading name of Hammer Engineering Ltd, a British ebike manufacturer based in Northampton.
They manufacture a line of Torque Arms in the UK.

www.hammer-ebikes.com
07754032024

You did not mention if you were planning on a front or rear hub motor (Daddy said "Never assume").

 

[portals]

Thanks for the link!

The kit is 48V 1500W Rear (brushless direct drive)

 

[E-HP]

Thanks for the link!

The kit is 48V 1500W Rear (brushless direct drive)

My first kit and motor were pretty much the same as your choices. Mine had a 1000W MXUS direct drive, and I upgraded the controller to for slightly more power and sine wave. The UPP battery pack was basically the same, but without the useless battery indicator; same generic Chinese cells. The kit worked great, and would pull about 2kW on steep hills. It was a great kit to get started with, with no maintenance issues. You'd better re-learn how to fix flat though, since they'll be more likely, since you'll be riding a lot more and covering more disatnce.

 

[portals]

My first kit and motor were pretty much the same as your choices. Mine had a 1000W MXUS direct drive, and I upgraded the controller to for slightly more power and sine wave. The UPP battery pack was basically the same, but without the useless battery indicator; same generic Chinese cells. The kit worked great, and would pull about 2kW on steep hills. It was a great kit to get started with, with no maintenance issues. You'd better re-learn how to fix flat though, since they'll be more likely, since you'll be riding a lot more and covering more disatnce.


Thanks for your response, that gives me some faith, I probably just need to bite the bullet and try that setup.

 

[calab]

You should note that whatever wattage rating they give their motors, its probably meaningless, as it could really just be a 25h motor for 1kw and not a 35h wide stator for 1,5kw. Without that info in the description of the motor, just move on to a seller who knows what they are selling.

 

[999zip999]

1,500 watt 35mm stator rear hub dd motor with 52v 35amp controller and torque arm or two. 52v ed15ah or 20 ah better. Name brand cell better than no name Chinese cells with charger. Make a cardboard box the size of battery and controller to see if it fits before you buy anything. A three speed switch is good should be included.

 

[portals]

You should note that whatever wattage rating they give their motors, its probably meaningless, as it could really just be a 25h motor for 1kw and not a 35h wide stator for 1,5kw. Without that info in the description of the motor, just move on to a seller who knows what they are selling.


1,500 watt 35mm stator rear hub dd motor with 52v 35amp controller and torque arm or two. 52v ed15ah or 20 ah better. Name brand cell better than no name Chinese cells with charger. Make a cardboard box the size of battery and controller to see if it fits before you buy anything. A three speed switch is good should be included.


Appreciate the feedback, I can't tell from specs what size the rear hub direct drive motor is, I assume it's 35mm but as said might be smaller one. For the price, it's not a deal-breaker so we'll see!

 

[portals]

I don't think I posted the cost.

Could I spend way more, sure, but I like the idea of building it myself on a budget!

What's in my basket:
the ekit (48V 1500W Rear) = £291.32
the battery (52V20Ah 40A BM) = 218.24
torgue arm (from above UK link, thanks!) = £12
The old plateau 26" mountain bike I have = £0
TOTAL = £521.56 (shipping is free)

Note that this is the price I pay - NO TAX if I select China when checking out - but they actually ship the stock from a warehouse in Germany with free delivery in 4-7 days, not sure how they get away with that, maybe they're exploiting a Brexit loophole?

 

[amberwolf]

or they hold it at customs for you until you pay the taxes and import duties that they didn't charge you. (this kind of thing has happened here to various people from various sellers in various countries over the years).

 

[portals]

or they hold it at customs for you until you pay the taxes and import duties that they didn't charge you. (this kind of thing has happened here to various people from various sellers in various countries over the years).

Yes, that is a real possibility, if that does happen I would have little option but to pay.

So on £500 that would be approx £180 in taxes (bike UK Import Tax at 14% and VAT at 20%), not the end of the world and £680 is still pretty competitive in UK for the 1.5KW kit and battery. Others in UK have bought from them and had no problems with customs so we'll see.

Or thinking about it the smart move might just get is shipped from China and wait the 4-6 weeks, then there is no liability

 

[999zip999]

How about a link to the 1500 kit add a link for the battery plus a pic of your bike. Please

 

[sungod1]

Well there is really no such thing as bargain shopping for Chinese ebikes.. I would say close to 95% of the market will be etrash and scrap metal in 2-5 years, So as long as you know, get one and see how much you use it... by the time it is ready for the the scrap yard you should know what kind of ebike you really want. Oh and when you get it.. and unbox and bolt it all up.... do not turn it on before you inspect all of the wires and the controller connectors every thing end to end. It will last you a lone time if you never take it in the rain, never ride it up a hill to stall and if you have regen turn that shit off.. so really really basically never use it and it will last a long time LOL,

You want a mid drive.. that can do 30mph+ and drive up a wall. Oh wait that is me..

 

[portals]

How about a link to the 1500 kit add a link for the battery plus a pic of your bike. Please

Thanks for responding.

Here is a link to the 1500W conversion kit:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001437503560.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.40d53c00rm5bqh&mp=1

Here is the link to the 1500W battery
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001625912806.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.40d53c00rm5bqh&mp=1

It's a pretty standard 26" mountain bike, these are the only photos I have before I started to strip the bike down.
Next steps are:
1. Cold set the rear drop outs from the current 126mm to 135mm for the new hub
2. Strip the decals/paint from the frame, has anyone used a local stripping service to do this and what did it cost?
3. Apply 3 coats of grey primer using a shaker followed by 4 coats of dark grey matt using a shaker, exact colour yet to be decided

When I am confident that my frame will take the kit hub then I will order the kit and battery.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ojNX2gHrQV2wqUTx8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/WvDPZFMnot8wi3rE8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9Nbs3936BQXEVSry6

 

[portals]

Well there is really no such thing as bargain shopping for Chinese ebikes.. I would say close to 95% of the market will be etrash and scrap metal in 2-5 years, So as long as you know, get one and see how much you use it... by the time it is ready for the the scrap yard you should know what kind of ebike you really want. Oh and when you get it.. and unbox and bolt it all up.... do not turn it on before you inspect all of the wires and the controller connectors every thing end to end. It will last you a lone time if you never take it in the rain, never ride it up a hill to stall and if you have regen turn that shit off.. so really really basically never use it and it will last a long time LOL

Well for the outlay (£500), I'm prepared to take a punt!


You want a mid drive.. that can do 30mph+ and drive up a wall. Oh wait that is me..

We've all done it...

 

[sungod1]

That BOM looks like it will be a pretty good build. At 52v the rubber on those big rims will be spinning with no limiter that thing should hit 30+ I was going to get envious that you found any goods in stock that you wanted, then I remembered the your stuff is coming from the same place as mine is.

 

[portals]

That BOM looks like it will be a pretty good build. At 52v the rubber on those big rims will be spinning with no limiter that thing should hit 30+ I was going to get envious that you found any goods in stock that you wanted, then I remembered the your stuff is coming from the same place as mine is.

Thanks!

Are you saying you know something I don't about ordering from that company and stock levels? When I checkout before clicking the [BUY] button it says:
Delivered before Mar 26 or full refund Free Shipping DHL_DE

 

[amberwolf]

You want a mid drive.. that can do 30mph+ and drive up a wall. Oh wait that is me..

We've all done it...

I don't really want something that does 30mph. 20mph is good enough, 99.9999% of the time.

I just want to be able to tow a loaded 30-foot semi-type trailer :lol: up a steep hill at my full 20mph, and accelerate from 0-20mph (with that load) in 0.01 seconds.


(the only time I need anything faster is that one time every year or maybe half year that some car or truck driver decides suddenly and without warning that they want the space in the lane I am already occupying, and there is traffic behind me close enough that me braking to get out of the way is not an option, so accelerating to get out of the way of the driver changing into my lane/space is the only option (that doesn't result in my death or injury) to get out of their way.

 

[portals]

(the only time I need anything faster is that one time every year or maybe half year that some car or truck driver decides suddenly and without warning that they want the space in the lane I am already occupying, and there is traffic behind me close enough that me braking to get out of the way is not an option, so accelerating to get out of the way of the driver changing into my lane/space is the only option (that doesn't result in my death or injury) to get out of their way.

So I think that means you actually DO want a 30mph bike? :wink:

 

[E-HP]

(the only time I need anything faster is that one time every year or maybe half year that some car or truck driver decides suddenly and without warning that they want the space in the lane I am already occupying, and there is traffic behind me close enough that me braking to get out of the way is not an option, so accelerating to get out of the way of the driver changing into my lane/space is the only option (that doesn't result in my death or injury) to get out of their way.

So I think that means you actually DO want a 30mph bike? :wink:

It's just like a car. For safety, you don't buy a car that only does 65mph even if that's what you'd mostly ride at. Same with an ebike; you won't have the ability to accelerate out of a situation, if you don't have the headroom (and torque curve decreases toward top speed for electric motors) So if you're riding on the street, you have to take that into consideration. If you only ride on trails or not competing with cars, then you may focus instead on having the highest efficiency for the speed you normally ride instead.

 

[portals]

So, 5 months later the ebike build is now almost complete, it's still in testing so will tidy up the cable management when I'm 100% happy.

Original plan was to take donor bike and make it an ebike for a budget of £500 however it's turned a bit in to 'Trigger's broom', the only original parts are the frame, seat and head set, everything else is new for various reasons.

I took it for first test drive 10 weeks ago without brakes which was a mistake, long story short smashed it head on in to bollard near where I live at approx 10mph, left knee was knackered (4 weeks on crutches), and bent original steel front forks...a lesson learnt.

Knee is pretty much sorted now and on second test drive I spun the rear wheel out of the dropouts despite the torque arm, luckily I noticed when stopped that the nuts on both sides were hand loose....yikes...close call.

Local bike guy re-did the rear hub assembly and bent the dropouts back.

It's a 1500W rear hub powered by a 52V 17.5Ah Samsung battery pack.

eBike kit: £300
battery: £500
shot blasted and powder coated frame/new brakes/rear derailleur/shifter/new front wheel/new front forks/2 tires & tubes/stand: £300

After summer I will add a pannier and mudguards

So I went well over budget :-(

However I'm very pleased with the final result, it goes like the clappers and is a pleasure to just mosey around on using level 2 PAS.

I need to find a solution to fit a second torque arm on drive side, anyone got any suggestions?

Here are some pics:

 

[99t4]

I need to find a solution to fit a second torque arm on drive side, anyone got any suggestions?

Why not the Grin Tech TorqArm_V4?
https://ebikes.ca/product-info/grin-products/torque-arms.html

 

[portals]

Thanks, they look like a candidate but are very expensive, £50 GBP each, that's nuts as I want two!

What price peace of mind I suppose.....

 

[LewTwo]

Torque Arms:
www.hammer-ebikes.com
07754032024

Also, it does seem that your rear axle does not fully sit into the drop outs.

 

[Chalo]

Torque Arms:
www.hammer-ebikes.com
07754032024

Also, it does seem that your rear axle does not fully sit into the drop outs.
2.jpg

If you look at the right side dropout, you can see that the derailleur mounts on a hanger claw that in turn mounts in the dropout slot. Because the hanger claw hardware occupies the rearmost portion of the slot, the axle must sit forward of this. The left axle end also must sit forward of the rear of its slot, just so the wheel can be parallel to the bike frame.

Forward opening dropouts like that are not strong against flatted axle torque, but as long as there are torque arms that attach to something other than the axle slot, they should be fine.