I said I'd post some pictures of the new Tongxin bike that I've built up for my wife. Now that it is working well, I'll risk doing so.
The bike is a new Viking step-through frame. It is a fairly low spec bike, but one of only a couple of models I managed to find for sale in the UK which met her criteria, which were:
step-through frame
700c wheels
non-suspension forks
broad range of gears including triple chainring (this ruled out the Dutch bikes)
rack and mudguards
chainguard (this one ruled out hundreds of bikes!)
Revoshift preferred
Not too heavy
I upgraded / changed / added a few bits, notably:
gearing - changed from a 6 to a 7 speed megarange
shifters (6 for 7 speed)
rear mechanism - took off the basic shimano and fitted a Deore LX that I had in the garage, for an extremely smooth shift
stem and handlebars - fitted a high rise stem with swept back bars that my wife bought in the Netherlands
Abus wheel lock fitted
I fitted the Tongxin kit with my preferred set-up of thumb throttle with no spring. It currently has an eCrazyman controller, which is quite a bit bigger than Tongxin's own one, so is more noticeable. Keywin (aka eCrazyman) assured me that this one had higher spec mosfets and should not burn out, although it seems to give about 10% more speed than the Tongxin one did.
The motor is a 260rpm but I also have a 175 for hillier country. The IEC connector means it is a two minute job to swap the motor wheel over. The 260 is for high speed. It will give assistance up to c.25 mph (but beware of controller burn-out if used at full throttle for extended periods!) but is not much good on steep hills. The 175 is the same as fitted to the Cytronex so is a decent hill climber and can assist up to about 17mph on the flat.
The battery is a Ping LiFePO4 - 36v/10Ah.
Finally, my new battery storage system - a Carradice saddlebag. Hardly a new product but I've not seen anyone use it for a battery before. Better balance than a pannier and better looking than a rack or frame pack. It doesn't move around when in use and the rack supports it well. We've not done it yet, but we could squeeze two batteries in there for up to 60 miles range.
Bike weight with one 10Ah battery is c.22kg
The bike is a new Viking step-through frame. It is a fairly low spec bike, but one of only a couple of models I managed to find for sale in the UK which met her criteria, which were:
step-through frame
700c wheels
non-suspension forks
broad range of gears including triple chainring (this ruled out the Dutch bikes)
rack and mudguards
chainguard (this one ruled out hundreds of bikes!)
Revoshift preferred
Not too heavy
I upgraded / changed / added a few bits, notably:
gearing - changed from a 6 to a 7 speed megarange
shifters (6 for 7 speed)
rear mechanism - took off the basic shimano and fitted a Deore LX that I had in the garage, for an extremely smooth shift
stem and handlebars - fitted a high rise stem with swept back bars that my wife bought in the Netherlands
Abus wheel lock fitted
I fitted the Tongxin kit with my preferred set-up of thumb throttle with no spring. It currently has an eCrazyman controller, which is quite a bit bigger than Tongxin's own one, so is more noticeable. Keywin (aka eCrazyman) assured me that this one had higher spec mosfets and should not burn out, although it seems to give about 10% more speed than the Tongxin one did.
The motor is a 260rpm but I also have a 175 for hillier country. The IEC connector means it is a two minute job to swap the motor wheel over. The 260 is for high speed. It will give assistance up to c.25 mph (but beware of controller burn-out if used at full throttle for extended periods!) but is not much good on steep hills. The 175 is the same as fitted to the Cytronex so is a decent hill climber and can assist up to about 17mph on the flat.
The battery is a Ping LiFePO4 - 36v/10Ah.
Finally, my new battery storage system - a Carradice saddlebag. Hardly a new product but I've not seen anyone use it for a battery before. Better balance than a pannier and better looking than a rack or frame pack. It doesn't move around when in use and the rack supports it well. We've not done it yet, but we could squeeze two batteries in there for up to 60 miles range.
Bike weight with one 10Ah battery is c.22kg
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