In August 2008 I bought a 36V 250W Alien kit £400, which I fitted to my Claud Butler MTB. It worked OK, but it was difficult to get into the back of the car so I decided to look around for a 26” wheel folding bike. At the beginning of March 2010 I bought a new ‘dealer returned Dahon Espresso on Ebay for £100, cheap because the fold mechanism was a bit stiff. I thought it would make a reasonably light bike which I can load into the car and take to new areas to explore.
Although the Espresso is new (2009 model), I found the gears very poor. In fact the teeth on the outer ring are so badly formed the chain jumped off. So in its place, on went a Shimano Hollowtech crankset up front (from my bits box), and an 8 speed cassette and Deore rear dérailleur. Being a heavy-ish rider, I didn't like the rear wheel so replace it with a Halo Combat (also from my bits box). The original fork on the Dahon was not ideal to attach the hub motor, so I replaced it with a Gusset Cro-Mo Fork. Which I think is stronger and lighter than the original Dhaon example. Now, apart from the frame, seatpost, saddle, pedals and bell, there is not much of the original bike left. I've spent around £80 to rebuild the Espresso with the extra ‘bits and bobs.
I have also bought one of the low priced QBP batteries (on Ebay). This is the one that Blew it described back in March QBP 36 volt 10 ah battery evaluation. I have made a similar re-packing job on the battery as Bob describes. As it happens QBP Brakes the company selling the batteries is quite local to me so I made a visit to their warehouse. (It’s run by a Chinese family, the owner rides an electric bike). This battery is connected in parallel with the original Alien battery. I have used 2 Ideal Diodes which I purchased from Tiberius (Nick), and they work great with no noticeable voltage drop and good isolation between the batteries. Much less voltage sag on long uphill climes with both batteries in use. Also Ebay purchase of a charger for LiFePo4 batteries. The one that was discussed here Cheap Charger - what could possibly go wrong? .So far I see no problems with this charger or the battery, but I have no idea about the long term reliability of either product. But for £210 for both battery and charger it was worth a punt. I notice the battery has gone up £20 since I purchased mine.
I have used a 2-way waterproof connector with a new lead from the re-wired QBP battery, and into a small plastic box that houses the ‘Ideal Diodes, wiring from the controller, throttle and original Alien battery pack.
Just for peace of mind I have made and fitted a torque arm on the fork, I have used some short lengths of 3mm x 30mm stainless steel flat bar and 6mm SS cap screws.
Now I am looking out for a cheap Full suspension bike to put my other system (a cyclone 3 chainring kit) on to. The Claud Butler hardtail MTB I am using now is just too uncomfortable for off road and even on the local roads here which are terrible. They were bad before this winter, but now, many surfaces are so broken and potholed they are worse and more hazardous to ride on than the cinder tracks in the parks and woodland, I explore around here.
Long post so, here are a couple of pictures of the conversion.
Photo1
Photo2
Photo3
Photo4
And here links to YouTube videos:-
YouTube - ride through park4.flv
YouTube - ride through park5.mpg
YouTube - ride through park6a.mpg
Vhfman
Although the Espresso is new (2009 model), I found the gears very poor. In fact the teeth on the outer ring are so badly formed the chain jumped off. So in its place, on went a Shimano Hollowtech crankset up front (from my bits box), and an 8 speed cassette and Deore rear dérailleur. Being a heavy-ish rider, I didn't like the rear wheel so replace it with a Halo Combat (also from my bits box). The original fork on the Dahon was not ideal to attach the hub motor, so I replaced it with a Gusset Cro-Mo Fork. Which I think is stronger and lighter than the original Dhaon example. Now, apart from the frame, seatpost, saddle, pedals and bell, there is not much of the original bike left. I've spent around £80 to rebuild the Espresso with the extra ‘bits and bobs.
I have also bought one of the low priced QBP batteries (on Ebay). This is the one that Blew it described back in March QBP 36 volt 10 ah battery evaluation. I have made a similar re-packing job on the battery as Bob describes. As it happens QBP Brakes the company selling the batteries is quite local to me so I made a visit to their warehouse. (It’s run by a Chinese family, the owner rides an electric bike). This battery is connected in parallel with the original Alien battery. I have used 2 Ideal Diodes which I purchased from Tiberius (Nick), and they work great with no noticeable voltage drop and good isolation between the batteries. Much less voltage sag on long uphill climes with both batteries in use. Also Ebay purchase of a charger for LiFePo4 batteries. The one that was discussed here Cheap Charger - what could possibly go wrong? .So far I see no problems with this charger or the battery, but I have no idea about the long term reliability of either product. But for £210 for both battery and charger it was worth a punt. I notice the battery has gone up £20 since I purchased mine.
I have used a 2-way waterproof connector with a new lead from the re-wired QBP battery, and into a small plastic box that houses the ‘Ideal Diodes, wiring from the controller, throttle and original Alien battery pack.
Just for peace of mind I have made and fitted a torque arm on the fork, I have used some short lengths of 3mm x 30mm stainless steel flat bar and 6mm SS cap screws.
Now I am looking out for a cheap Full suspension bike to put my other system (a cyclone 3 chainring kit) on to. The Claud Butler hardtail MTB I am using now is just too uncomfortable for off road and even on the local roads here which are terrible. They were bad before this winter, but now, many surfaces are so broken and potholed they are worse and more hazardous to ride on than the cinder tracks in the parks and woodland, I explore around here.
Long post so, here are a couple of pictures of the conversion.
Photo1
Photo2
Photo3
Photo4
And here links to YouTube videos:-
YouTube - ride through park4.flv
YouTube - ride through park5.mpg
YouTube - ride through park6a.mpg
Vhfman
