Low Power but efficient

Herbalrick

Finding my (electric) wheels
Mar 5, 2018
7
0
38
Leicester
I currently have a carrera crosscity e with I think an 8.7ah battery in it. My partner has been using it for longer day trips and we have been amazed at the range it offers. We have done 45 mile rides with the display still showing 2 bars of charge left (it's rated for 30miles tops).

I know she must be doing most of the work but we want to make her a full size bike that we can use for longer trips.

What is the best motor for low power and generally sedate but long distance touring? We would probably also use a larger battery, hopefully extending range to 60 miles+
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
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everything is usually a compromise. 60+ miles range is not too difficult. What's her weight? What sort of gradient that she will need to overcome? What's the speed that she likes to ride at? What's the weight of her bike?
 

Herbalrick

Finding my (electric) wheels
Mar 5, 2018
7
0
38
Leicester
Her weight 60kg
Bike weight unknown as yet. Possibly looking at a Raleigh pioneer with steel frame we have sat in the shed or else getting something newer second hand that's a bit lighter.

We are in the East Midlands so not too bad on gradient. She does put in quite a bit of effort but just needs an extra helping hand to keep up with me.
 

Woosh

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May 19, 2012
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you did not say how fast you ride. Although she will be limited by the legal maximum assist at 25kph, it is still useful to have a motor that can give you two a blast of speed now and then.
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
If you want ultimate efficiency, you need a low-speed motor with a maximum speed of 201 rpm. A light-weight one will also help, so something like a Q100H or Q100C that you can get from BMSBattery.

At only 60kg and no serious hills, any motor kit would be OK with something like a 40-cell battery of around 12AH. A 40-cell battery will weigh around 2.5kg. A 50-cell one will naturally weigh 25% more. The cell-count or configuration is often hidden in the small print, not in the headline specification.
 

Herbalrick

Finding my (electric) wheels
Mar 5, 2018
7
0
38
Leicester
I've had a look at those motors before but was put off by the shipping costs and lack of support if something goes wrong.
Are there any UK suppliers that are able to offer something similar?

Btw I normally ride around 10mph on longer rides
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
These motors don't go wrong unless you do something stupid.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Btw I normally ride around 10mph on longer rides
There are lot of kits that can suit your requirements. You should let us know which bike you are going to use for the project. We can advise accordingly.
 

Herbalrick

Finding my (electric) wheels
Mar 5, 2018
7
0
38
Leicester
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but we have found the bike she likes. It's an Orbea Katu 40 with Sturmer archer 5 gear internal hub. It's the heavy duty one designed for cargo use.

This limits us to a crank drive or front wheel conversion. It has large panniers on the back and the huge basket up front so will be used for weekly shops as well as leisure rides.

Have been looking at the yosepower kit but it appears the 20inch kit doesn't come with an integrated controller which would be really nice to keep the conversion looking tidy.

Any other kits have a controlled built into the battery?
 

anotherkiwi

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2015
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GSM mid motor, all kits with HL battery with internal controller.

The model you have chosen doesn't have a disk brake - I would want one of those even un-powered if I was loaded with shopping.