Electric bike conversion kits, minimal drag and noise

[Oiseaux]

I seem to be going round in circles, getting nowhere with time and summer soon slipping by. I have started to identify what I need and am hoping that forum members can steer (excuse the pun) me in the right direction. I have been inspired by others on this forum who have installed kits on their own bikes and being reasonably handy with tools thought I should go this route first.

My principal need is for a motor with low drag in non assist mode and quiet when working. My terrain is small undulations rather than hilly, I only want the assistance for the bigger hills plus when I get tired, and am of an age when distance is more important than speed.

As I mentioned on a previous thread the Giant Twist with Sanyo motor was, for me, superb, but I cannot find a conversion kit with this motor. I have read here that the Nano motor meets my criteria but is a bit unreliable. The ready to ride bike I rode with a Bafang (fun 3 ?) motor was very noisy and very high drag in non assist mode.

So suggestions / recommendations for kits meeting this criteria would be very much appreciated, plus guidance on batteries would also be helpful. (I realise that trying them out is essential and intend to do so when I next return to UK )

Many thanks,

Oiseaux

 

[banbury frank]

Hi Oiseaux

Have you looked at the daahub from wisper

D a a H u b By Wisper Wisper Electrifies Cycling

Frank

 

[NRG]

Yes the Dahub is a possibility but nobody outside of Wisper has any experience of it yet. The other option is the LBH motor fitted to the new Raleigh bikes but where or how you get one of these is unknown...given the price of the Dahub and the price of a complete Raleigh it may be simpler to buy a new bike and either use it as is or transfer the parts over if compatible....

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Rather than spending a lifetime finding your ideal system, why don't you just go for a nice cheap Bafang kit and start enjoying it. You can always upgrade the motor later if you don't get on with it.
I've had four 8-Fun motors and not one of them had any noticeable drag. Some of them made a lot of noise at first, but quietened down after a few miles, but they do make a slight, but (for me) bearable noise at low speed under high load. I've been wondering about the perception of drag: Sometimes you can be pedalling uphill with the assist on, but you don't realise it's uphill because it's so easy to pedal. When you switch the motot off, it feels like you're riding through treacle by comparison, which is due to gravity - not drag. Some people said their motors had a bit of drag when new but loosened up with miles. As I've said before, you can get the whole kit (less battery) from BMSbattery for about £150. If you don't like it, you'll probably be able to sell it on Ebay for more than that. I'm very happy with my Bafangs and have done hundreds of miles unassisted. I can't say anymore.

 

[banbury frank]

Hi d8veh

I would also look at this complete kit on eBay UK seller with good feed back


26" 8Fun Ebike Electric Bike Conversion Kit 36V-8F26F36 | eBay UK



Frank

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Oiseaux,

An eZee kit might be more powerfull than you need, but would certainly give a reserve of power when needed. The smallest eZee 8.5Ah LiFePO4 battery would probably adequate for your circumstances

One of our members came to me for a test ride last Saturday. Dan was pleasantly surprised how little drag there was from the eZee motor and that it is not particulary noisy when in action.

 

[NRG]

Hi d8veh

I would also look at this complete kit on eBay UK seller with good feed back


26" 8Fun Ebike Electric Bike Conversion Kit 36V-8F26F36 | eBay UK



Frank

Good find, UK supply and seems to be the same kit as Alien is offering...

 

[Scottyf]

Regarding Drag,

With the Bafang motors I've noted that if you leave the throttle pinned and head down a hill where by you go over the assist speed there is a small amount of drag.

However release the throttle (Throttle only) as the bike freewheels no problem.
All be it not as well as a wheel without a motor - but nothing to really hinder your rolling potential.

All motors will have "some" drag when compared to an unassisted bike.

 

[Oiseaux]

Thanks for replies, as I'm sure other newcomers would agree it's good to get feedback from senior members and others who have taken the plunge.
Regarding the replies so far:

I have earmarked the ezee for a test ride.
Although going for a Bafang would be very easy and therefore very tempting, I will berate myself for ever more if I bought and time did not change my initial impressions.
As has been said, the Dahub is an unknown quantity at the moment but I might give it a go when I come over
The bottle battery and links provided by Hansen to steveindenmark (newbie needs advice) look interesting.
Although I realise that all motors have drag of some degree, it would appear that I have been 'spoilt' by the Sanyo experience.

Oiseaux

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi again Oiseaux,

I'm sure you won't be disappointed with the eZee and hope you will feedback following your test ride.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I would also look at this complete kit on eBay UK seller with good feed back
26" 8Fun Ebike Electric Bike Conversion Kit 36V-8F26F36 | eBay UK
Frank

That's exactly the same kit as Sunlova are selling for £5 less. Even the photo is the same. So it's possible Sunlova or one of their friends selling under another name, or the whole kit is supplied by Bafang (8-Fun) and they're both selling it on. Not quite as cheap as BMSbattery, but I guess you get it a lot quicker and it's got the useful 3 speed control.

Oiseaux, The point that I was making is that it's not a high risk decision to by a Bafang. They're so cheap compared with other kits. When you fit a kit, there's lots of small things to sort out to get everything right. It usually takes a bit of head-scratching and time, but when you've done it and later don't like it the motor, you can change just the wheel and motor that shouldn't cost much compared with other motor kits. It's a five minute job to change it, so no need to berate yourself. You can spend a long time looking for the perfect solution while the rest of us are enjoying our less than perfect bikes.

 

[morphix]

That's exactly the same kit as Sunlova are selling for £5 less. Even the photo is the same. So it's possible Sunlova or one of their friends selling under another name, or the whole kit is supplied by Bafang (8-Fun) and they're both selling it on. Not quite as cheap as BMSbattery, but I guess you get it a lot quicker and it's got the useful 3 speed control.

I can confirm that is Sunlova, same people, they have rebranded their biz or setup a new separate brand recently ;-)

 

[jbond]

I've been wondering about the perception of drag: Sometimes you can be pedalling uphill with the assist on, but you don't realise it's uphill because it's so easy to pedal. When you switch the motot off, it feels like you're riding through treacle by comparison, which is due to gravity - not drag.

Interesting and good point. There's a style of E-Bike design where you go for minimal components and then try not to use it. Key to this is reducing the additional weight and siting it on the bike where it's least felt. To that end I'd really like to see small, light, low AHr batteries with a high enough C rating to still work well when using the power. Another reason why people experiment with RC LiPo batteries. The closest is probably an A123 pack in 12s2p from cellman (on ES).

Imagine a Bafang QWSX motor (front or rear) with a 36v5Ahr battery low down in the triangle. You might even get the extra weight below 5Kg. Use it purely for slow hill-climbing and riding into the wind and a 20 mile range should still be possible.

As for drag, the first and biggest thing is to get the basic bicycle as low drag as possible before worrying about the drag from the motor.

 

[Oiseaux]

............Oiseaux, The point that I was making is that it's not a high risk decision to by a Bafang. They're so cheap compared with other kits. When you fit a kit, there's lots of small things to sort out to get everything right. It usually takes a bit of head-scratching and time, but when you've done it and later don't like it the motor, you can change just the wheel and motor that shouldn't cost much compared with other motor kits. It's a five minute job to change it, so no need to berate yourself. You can spend a long time looking for the perfect solution while the rest of us are enjoying our less than perfect bikes.

A very valid point and one I will keep in mind, Thanks.

Oiseaux