Kurt
10 kW
A few years ago we decided to get my wife into ebike's so we could enjoy rides together. She doesn't ride as often as me so was happy with something simple and low spec. We found her a second-hand tebco aluminium full suspension folding ebike on eBay for $80. The 36v lead battery's were shot and so was the speed controller. At the time it was a good deal to get her on a e bike.
Being a little folder It has 20" wheels and a small frame. My wife is only 5'2" so she likes the small bikes. It has very basic old school 6 speed separate index shifter mounted to the handle bars. Its powered by a small geared brushed hub motor. We removed the rear bag and replaced it with a nicer topek bag and replaced the chain and seat and that was about it. I replaced the brushed speed controller with a 30a 36v unit from ebay. We used a 36v 20ah headway lifepo4 battery to replace the lead bricks.
With a good 1000w being fed to the motor the bike served her well for a few years.
Just recently on a 20km ride to the city and back I had my wife follow me. I was on my rc powered recumbent trike. We took a different path and went up some crazy steep hills. Finally after years of abuse the little geared brushed motor called it quits and burnt out.
I kind of felt responsible for the death of her bike. I made her follow me on that ride. So I felt I needed to rebuild her bike better than befor.
After stripping it all down I realised a few things. The front and back wheels are so dam heavy. They are like ICE motor scooter Tyers with super thick rubber. Even the tubes were overly thick and heavy. A lot of weight could be saved with new wheels and Tyers. The folding plastic peddles were very heavy and rubbish. I think she once slipped off them and feel off her bike. The brake levers were just cheap rubbish and so were the v brakes themselves. The 6 speed shifter was also rubbish and difficult to reach.most likely why she didnt like changing down gears for the hills :? The good thing was I liked the aluminium dual suspension frame. It folds down small and it's very light weight. Although the forks and rear shocks are rubbish.
Now considerig the old brushed hub was toast. I needed to find a good performing brushless geared hub motor. After some hunting around I purchased the larger BPM code 9 bafang geared hub. I got one of the custom order jobs from Ben on ES. They are black with hall sensors and smaller spoke flange holes to make lacing 14g spokes easer. I found 2 black Sunrhyno lite 20 rims "same rim i run on my trike" very cheap on ebay. I will build them up with Sapim Polyax nipples and good Q ss spokes. I have a disk brake front hub to use for the front. I will buy some nice light weight 20" high pressure slick rubber wrap over them both.
I already have some avid jucy 3 front hydrologic disk brakes. I will use avid cable disk brake rears. I will need to upgrade the suspension fork to mount the disk up front. I have a few option for forks from cheap and god value at around $50. To over the top and expensive at around $360 .
The cheap ones are RST Capa T10 Suspension Forks with 50mm of travel disk brake mounts and some tune ability.The good thing is I can get them with a 1" threaded steering tube.
The 2nd expensive choices are Saso Carbon AC Suspension Fork. This fork has the some 50mm travel but is way better Q carbon fibre and over all a better fork. its also available in a 1" threaded steering tube and RRP $300.
The last fork is a seconhand White Brothers RC.8 Air Suspension Fork with 80mm travel at $360 and I would need to replace the steering tube to 1" threaded. I think this last option is way over the top
I will most likely go with the RST Capa T10 Suspension Forks and spend the money elsewhere.
I will replace the folding peddles with the same shimano peddles I have on my recumbent. They are clip in one side a platform the other.
I will run a 7 speed cluster on the rear. I am thinking of using the avid 3 hdro front brake lever on the left of the handle bar "wife is left handed so prefers this". Then I can use a full length twist grip throttle on the right of the handle bars with 7 speed shimano index rapid fire shifter/break lever combo as rear brake on the right. I already have a nice deore one I can use. I have already replaced the stock rear no name rubbish 6 speed derailed with a Shimano Ultus derailer I already had.
The rear coil spring shock on the bike is rubbish its rated at 1300lb inch and is almost seized solid . Its about 100mm long but I could go with a 150mm easy. Will scout around online and see what I can come up with.
I picked up 4x 5000mah 6s lipo bricks to make her a 12s 10ah battery pack. Way better than her 36v/20ah mega brick. I will make up a little aluminium box that will replace the big rear rack that's on there now. It will use the stock rack mounting lugs but tucked ck up nice and neat little brick just under the seat tube.
Anyhow the bike is going to get a total make over. I really want her to have something that is a pleasure to ride.
This is a pic of when we first got the bike a few years ago.
a pic of what they looked like new although its later model in the pic.
A pic of the Crap stock front fork - non disk brake and super stiff locked solid rear shock
Stripped down frame ready to clean up and upgrade.
Kurt
Being a little folder It has 20" wheels and a small frame. My wife is only 5'2" so she likes the small bikes. It has very basic old school 6 speed separate index shifter mounted to the handle bars. Its powered by a small geared brushed hub motor. We removed the rear bag and replaced it with a nicer topek bag and replaced the chain and seat and that was about it. I replaced the brushed speed controller with a 30a 36v unit from ebay. We used a 36v 20ah headway lifepo4 battery to replace the lead bricks.
With a good 1000w being fed to the motor the bike served her well for a few years.
Just recently on a 20km ride to the city and back I had my wife follow me. I was on my rc powered recumbent trike. We took a different path and went up some crazy steep hills. Finally after years of abuse the little geared brushed motor called it quits and burnt out.
I kind of felt responsible for the death of her bike. I made her follow me on that ride. So I felt I needed to rebuild her bike better than befor.After stripping it all down I realised a few things. The front and back wheels are so dam heavy. They are like ICE motor scooter Tyers with super thick rubber. Even the tubes were overly thick and heavy. A lot of weight could be saved with new wheels and Tyers. The folding plastic peddles were very heavy and rubbish. I think she once slipped off them and feel off her bike. The brake levers were just cheap rubbish and so were the v brakes themselves. The 6 speed shifter was also rubbish and difficult to reach.most likely why she didnt like changing down gears for the hills :? The good thing was I liked the aluminium dual suspension frame. It folds down small and it's very light weight. Although the forks and rear shocks are rubbish.
Now considerig the old brushed hub was toast. I needed to find a good performing brushless geared hub motor. After some hunting around I purchased the larger BPM code 9 bafang geared hub. I got one of the custom order jobs from Ben on ES. They are black with hall sensors and smaller spoke flange holes to make lacing 14g spokes easer. I found 2 black Sunrhyno lite 20 rims "same rim i run on my trike" very cheap on ebay. I will build them up with Sapim Polyax nipples and good Q ss spokes. I have a disk brake front hub to use for the front. I will buy some nice light weight 20" high pressure slick rubber wrap over them both.
I already have some avid jucy 3 front hydrologic disk brakes. I will use avid cable disk brake rears. I will need to upgrade the suspension fork to mount the disk up front. I have a few option for forks from cheap and god value at around $50. To over the top and expensive at around $360 .
The cheap ones are RST Capa T10 Suspension Forks with 50mm of travel disk brake mounts and some tune ability.The good thing is I can get them with a 1" threaded steering tube.
The 2nd expensive choices are Saso Carbon AC Suspension Fork. This fork has the some 50mm travel but is way better Q carbon fibre and over all a better fork. its also available in a 1" threaded steering tube and RRP $300.
The last fork is a seconhand White Brothers RC.8 Air Suspension Fork with 80mm travel at $360 and I would need to replace the steering tube to 1" threaded. I think this last option is way over the top
I will most likely go with the RST Capa T10 Suspension Forks and spend the money elsewhere.
I will replace the folding peddles with the same shimano peddles I have on my recumbent. They are clip in one side a platform the other.
I will run a 7 speed cluster on the rear. I am thinking of using the avid 3 hdro front brake lever on the left of the handle bar "wife is left handed so prefers this". Then I can use a full length twist grip throttle on the right of the handle bars with 7 speed shimano index rapid fire shifter/break lever combo as rear brake on the right. I already have a nice deore one I can use. I have already replaced the stock rear no name rubbish 6 speed derailed with a Shimano Ultus derailer I already had.
The rear coil spring shock on the bike is rubbish its rated at 1300lb inch and is almost seized solid . Its about 100mm long but I could go with a 150mm easy. Will scout around online and see what I can come up with.
I picked up 4x 5000mah 6s lipo bricks to make her a 12s 10ah battery pack. Way better than her 36v/20ah mega brick. I will make up a little aluminium box that will replace the big rear rack that's on there now. It will use the stock rack mounting lugs but tucked ck up nice and neat little brick just under the seat tube.
Anyhow the bike is going to get a total make over. I really want her to have something that is a pleasure to ride.
This is a pic of when we first got the bike a few years ago.
a pic of what they looked like new although its later model in the pic.
A pic of the Crap stock front fork - non disk brake and super stiff locked solid rear shock
Stripped down frame ready to clean up and upgrade.
Kurt
and didn't allow any rear suspension movement unless you weighed 600lb :? . My idea was a softer and well dampened shock would allow the rear suspension to function correctly and absorb the shock.
