Nano motor kit?

[mikepepler]

Hi all,

First post here...

I've been reading a thread about the nano motor on the Brompton:
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/755-nano-brompton-first-experiences.html

I was wondering, has anyone fitted it to a 26" wheel bike? Or had a go on one with it fitted?

My wife and I both have decent bikes, and so are more interested in electric conversion kits than a whole new electric bike. We need something capable of hill-climbing, and possibly pulling a trailer at some point in the future.

Any comments or suggestions much appreciated!

Thanks, Mike

 

[flecc]

I don't think we have a member with a Nano kit in a 26" wheel bike yet Mike.

A to B magazine now have a Schwinn bike on test with it in a large wheel, I think 700c, so their review will appear in due course. Otherwise the experiences are mostly in the USA.

It can be misleading, as it's often expressed as very powerful "for it's size", so it's important to read between the lines. In the Nano Brompton test it was low geared in the 16" wheel, only just about reaching 14 mph with a fully charged battery, dropping to 13 mph. Of course with the motor being low geared like that, it would climb hills quite well. The 26" wheel version would be normally geared in that size wheel so would not be as good.

There were some technical details on the web at one time but I can't find them now. I think from memory it had around 400/450 watts peak power which is not especially powerful, many mainstream hub motors being around that. The Heinzmann, all eZeebike models and Powabykes are all well above that for example.

I'd expect a Nano equipped 26" wheel bike to climb 10% hills very easily with little help from a rider, but the rider would need to have quite good cycling fitness for a 20% hill.

There are some more powerful kits which are slightly into the illegal area, notably from Crytalite and marketed by Team Hybrid.
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[mikepepler]

In the Nano Brompton test it was low geared in the 16" wheel, only just about reaching 14 mph with a fully charged battery, dropping to 13 mph. Of course with the motor being low geared like that, it would climb hills quite well. The 26" wheel version would be normally geared in that size wheel so would not be as good.

I gather they do two motor speeds, with the Brompton using the fast low-torque one. Their slower one is meant to give ~15mph on a 26" wheel. I'm not too worried about top speed, just keeping a good 10-15mph up hills for safety on roads where the cars are coming up fast, and also pulling a trailer at some point. I'm happy to be pedalling hard as well!

I think from memory it had around 400/450 watts peak power which is not especially powerful, many mainstream hub motors being around that. The Heinzmann, all eZeebike models and Powabykes are all well above that for example.

Heinzmann was the first one I looked at - are they considered to be more durable than the Nano? A to B described them as a bit old-tech, but seemed to think they were reliable.

There are some more powerful kits which are slightly into the illegal area

Do people have a problem with motors over the legal limit? Do the police ever take an interest?

 

[flecc]

15 mph was the one I meant Mike, so it would have about 15% less hill climb ability that the low geared Brompton setup. That's what I based my 10% climb ability assessment on.

Since you are clearly a keen rider, having a motor providing assistance and not for use as a moped is all you need, so the Nano should be enough.

The Heinzmann is an old type brush motor, peaky power response, but powerful. It's very well made but that's not too important since most hub motors are reliable.

The police have never shown any sign of awareness of electric bike law. The only time it could become a problem is if there's a personal injury accident, since the police can investigate those very thoroughly at times. If the e-bike rider was deemed responsible for the accident and had an illegally powered motor, the consequences could then be serious. Hence the warning on that site about riding responsibly.
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[alex]

Nano?

Hi. Like MikePepler I am considering a motor kit on a large wheeled cycle & am prepared to contribute a fair amount of effort to hillclimbing so guess the Nano might be powerful enough. I narrowly missed buying an Currie Electrodrive kit on eBay (the Allotmenteer's old kit), & still might be tempted by a Currie kit though am not sure if the high power demand of the motor might mean range is just not sufficient. Re; Crystalyte motors, they sound quite good but how reliable are they, I think a French seller has dropped them recently in favour of their own Phantome motors citing technical problems as the reason? Any info. on experiences of any motor kits would be appreciated. Alex

 

[flecc]

The Nano would certainly be very much better for range Alex. It's a weak point with the Currie, and also the high powered Crystalite motors. The latter seem very robust and even withstand stunt riding impacts and I think it's more likely to be trouble with controllers than the motors. That's true of most hub motors though.