We are a special bunch.. on ES..

[Ykick]

One of my coworkers recently broke a 14ga spoke on his pedal bike and the LBS charged him $15 to replace ONE SPOKE. The look on his face when I told him I buy entire 14ga sets from Danscomp for $15 shipped.

$15 is a good deal for having a wheel trued up and correctly dished after replacing a spoke. At my shop, the spoke costs $1 but I usually charge $12 for the labor. More if I have to remove and replace a freewheel or cassette or disc rotor to do the swap.

As for batteries, those are the biggest caveat for e-bikes, for me. I can build and maintain wheels, overhaul or replace every bearing, set up a reduction drivetrain including machining parts for it, select and configure electrical components, fabricate secure mountings-- all no problem. But between physical packaging, charging, and balancing requirements, and the vexing puzzle of what bits work with what other bits, batteries are a huge hassle. I started off on this stuff with SLA bricks. We all know how much those suck, but at least they are not mysterious or complicated. I don't know if I'd ever have gotten going if RC lipo (for example) was my option.

If I could get a battery that held a kWh and discharged continuously at 50A, that cost less than $1 per Wh including built-in charger and full-time BMS, and never needed anything from me except to plug it in for recharging, I'd be a lot more satisfied with e-bikes generally.

I'm sorry, my comparison wasn't intended to discredit shop work but merely to illustrate to my co-worker and others what the same amount of money could buy IF you put some effort to learn how to do it. Especially, considering that he's probably gonna need more and more spokes....

Battery pack is EV mojo-bone and it's getting better all the time. Working with the RC stuff can teach you more than you can imagine and something like a BesTech D167 BMS would pretty much satisfy your wish list. Don't underestimate how mechanical skills translate to something like battery construction. Afterall, the interconnections and wiring harnesses for both power & sense functions are very mechanical. Once you get into the connector/wire world, battery pack construction becomes more of a reality.

 

[teslanv]

I find battery building immensely easier than controller modding and programming. I know when I have screwed up a battery connection. But thanks to ES, I am constantly pushing myself to learn and understand electrical engineering concepts.

 

[arkmundi]

++1 for the posts and ditto that

 

[e-beach]

Anybody ever built a DVI to MIPI bridge? Please PM me if you have because I am going to need a couple of them soon.

Hey ? MIPI actually exists and became something ? I remember working on a first MIPI prototype back in 2004... Left the company before the prototype was finished an never heard from it again.

MIPI has become very big. PM sent.

 

[Rassy]

Timely post YPedal.

Folks are impressed that each of my tadpole trikes cost under $1000, but don't like that the total when electrified is close to $2000 and I had to do it all myself.

Recently moved to Eugene, Oregon, USA, and was surprised to learn that electric assist was not allowed on the multipurpose trails here. Not consistent with the rest of the state. Bright side is the city council is addressing it this month and a positive outcome is likely. I'll be attending two more meetings in July as an advocate. Then maybe I'll no longer be "illegal" on my favorite rides and I'll be able to become a promoter of electric assist when out and about. Any other riders in Eugene? You will have a chance to speak your piece at 7:30 pm on July 21.

 

[mvadventure]

What a great thread. YPedal has been an inspiration to me and provided essential assistance to me in times of need more then once. In a way I totally agree with the idea of folks not wanting to build their own ebikes, having done so I realize the amount of effort and thinking outside the box it takes. I used my ebike exclusively for several years and was able to overcome, with the forums help, 99% of all problems that came up with the exception of overcoming rain and it's negative effect on my electronics. Eventually the need to transport grandkids and other responsibilities put the bike further and further back into the garage and several thousand miles on the LiPo4 batteries had me in the car more then the bike. Last year I sold it, didn't think I would miss it and after a few weeks wanted it back.
Lots of research into available kits and new ebikes almost satisfied the need to get back on but I wanted a bike. What I didn't want was to go back on the internet and buy a kit, or a bike, that I would have to piece meal together. We have no ebike vendors in my town in NE Florida and the local bike shop did not appear to have any interest. St. Augustine though was a different market, different customer base and has a fairly new bike shop that offered Pedego and Prodeco bikes which were among the brands I had been researching. 50 y/o biker had done an extensive review on his Pedego City Commuter, loved it and I found myself in St. Augustine so stopped by Island Life bike shop and was amazed at the offerings. These folks were into ebikes, had knowledge and had product. I wound up having a Pedego Interceptor delivered that day (only 25 miles)
Yes, I bought a ready made. A bike designed from the ground up to be electric, is somewhat stealth, has a great 48 volt battery, geared rear hub motor, a headlight that can only be described as awesome and is pedal assist. I was encouraged not to buy a spare battery as Island Life told me the range in pedal assist would meet my 40 mile range requirements. I keep up with my Sunday riding group that averages 30-35 miles at 14-16 MPH in pedal assist and have 40 to 50% battery left over. The bike is comfortable and so far maintenance free.
But...this is me and fortunately the actual cost of the bike was not a deterrent for a quality item. However when I talk to my friends, neighbors and biker friends no one seems interested in an ebike and they all know I had been riding one for +15 years. I even offered to stock a local sporting goods store with a couple of different brands but received NO interest. (I'm not looking to go into business and have given up on that idea) It seems that ebikes are not catching on in my area and over the years, despite my encouragement, only two of my friends tried them and both no longer own them. I've seen less then FIVE over the years. Lots of questions, a few sample rides but no serious interest. I don't understand it but will continue to use and ride mine, enjoy it and grin when I pass the lycra's going over the bridges. I'll probably give my Trek 100 to one of the grandkids. I don't ride it.
Oh, Pedego warrants the lithium ion battery 100% for the first year and two more years pro rata.
Mike

 

[cal3thousand]

What a great thread. YPedal has been an inspiration to me and provided essential assistance to me in times of need more then once. In a way I totally agree with the idea of folks not wanting to build their own ebikes, having done so I realize the amount of effort and thinking outside the box it takes. I used my ebike exclusively for several years and was able to overcome, with the forums help, 99% of all problems that came up with the exception of overcoming rain and it's negative effect on my electronics. Eventually the need to transport grandkids and other responsibilities put the bike further and further back into the garage and several thousand miles on the LiPo4 batteries had me in the car more then the bike. Last year I sold it, didn't think I would miss it and after a few weeks wanted it back.
Lots of research into available kits and new ebikes almost satisfied the need to get back on but I wanted a bike. What I didn't want was to go back on the internet and buy a kit, or a bike, that I would have to piece meal together. We have no ebike vendors in my town in NE Florida and the local bike shop did not appear to have any interest. St. Augustine though was a different market, different customer base and has a fairly new bike shop that offered Pedego and Prodeco bikes which were among the brands I had been researching. 50 y/o biker had done an extensive review on his Pedego City Commuter, loved it and I found myself in St. Augustine so stopped by Island Life bike shop and was amazed at the offerings. These folks were into ebikes, had knowledge and had product. I wound up having a Pedego Interceptor delivered that day (only 25 miles)
Yes, I bought a ready made. A bike designed from the ground up to be electric, is somewhat stealth, has a great 48 volt battery, geared rear hub motor, a headlight that can only be described as awesome and is pedal assist. I was encouraged not to buy a spare battery as Island Life told me the range in pedal assist would meet my 40 mile range requirements. I keep up with my Sunday riding group that averages 30-35 miles at 14-16 MPH in pedal assist and have 40 to 50% battery left over. The bike is comfortable and so far maintenance free.
But...this is me and fortunately the actual cost of the bike was not a deterrent for a quality item. However when I talk to my friends, neighbors and biker friends no one seems interested in an ebike and they all know I had been riding one for +15 years. I even offered to stock a local sporting goods store with a couple of different brands but received NO interest. (I'm not looking to go into business and have given up on that idea) It seems that ebikes are not catching on in my area and over the years, despite my encouragement, only two of my friends tried them and both no longer own them. I've seen less then FIVE over the years. Lots of questions, a few sample rides but no serious interest. I don't understand it but will continue to use and ride mine, enjoy it and grin when I pass the lycra's going over the bridges. I'll probably give my Trek 100 to one of the grandkids. I don't ride it.
Oh, Pedego warrants the lithium ion battery 100% for the first year and two more years pro rata.
Mike

I have in-laws in Fernandina and would LOVE to get the capital together and open up a shop there. Jax and Amelia Island would be awesome for ebiking, especially with all the new bike paths down by the Plantation and through to Jax.

 

[beast775]

Fun post ypedal .i went to the grand opening of a huge new pedego store here in town.it was funny to see people excited like it was the newest thing to have electricity run a bicycle 8) .