Powabyke Xbyke/Tongsheng TDZ - a 'not another build thread' thread

Swizz

Pedelecer
Oct 1, 2017
211
161
48
Sk14
Hiya All,

Here is where my rebuild is up to.

Spec as follows:

* Powabyke Xbyke step thru frame
* Suntour CR8 hard spring
* Magura HS11 rim brakes
* Mavic A119 rims, Deore hubs, Schwalbe Energiser + Tour tyres
* North road handlebars
* 8 speed drivetrain - SRAM X4/SX4
* 48v lights off Amazon - German approved
* SKS mudguards & chainguard
* Dutch frame lock
* Halfords pannier rack with diy longer stays from ally tube
* Suspension seatpost and Hypergrip pedals from Decathlon (not arrived yet)
* Tongsheng TDZ mid drive 500w from PSW
* 48v downtube battery - 14.5ah Samsung

Some of the parts were NOS bargains.

Anyway, pics of the build so far. Am awaiting the pedals arriving to be able to have a test ride. She does move though, albeit in walk assist mode ;D

Nearly finished - 2 by Isla..., on Flickr

I mounted the battery on the downtube a'la an old moped fuel tank and the jury is out on whether it's a good idea or not. It keeps some of the weight lower down than a rack battery and being a stiffer fork, am hoping it will okay and the step thru ability of the frame is maintained.

Nearly finished - 5 by Isla..., on Flickr

The Bafang cranks were a cheap upgrade that narrows the Q factor a touch, although the motor unit is still stightly off centre from the frame. This is frustrating as the chainline is a little harsh meaning that the 32tooth sprocket will be unusable. I understand that with the motor assist the lower gears may not see much use anyway although they may do if the battery runs flat. Have regrets here in not going for a Nexus hub... :/

Nearly finished - 6 by Isla..., on Flickr

Have wanted to try these brakes for an age as they have been gaining popularity on Dutch bikes in recent years. The rack is pictured without its stays as I had not made them when taking this picture last week. The ones Halfords supplied were too short so the rack would not sit level! The Dutch frame lock sits beneath the Maguras and is screwed into Rivnuts.

Nearly finished - 4 by Isla..., on Flickr

Despite wanting to tick the '250w legal' box, I eventually plumped for the 500w version of the Tongsheng motor from PSW. The lower current draw benefit & extra torque from running at 48v made my mind up in the end and it will stay speed limited to 25kph. It may look like a moped with the tank/battery but am not interested in going fast, just levelling out the hills to a certain extent. In any case am sure the higher end mainstream motors are potentially more powerful but speed restricted in a similar fashion so will not be losing much sleep over it.
Anyway moving on, the torque reaction mount on the rear of the motor did not want to go anywhere near the chainstays on the frame so I fabricated one from a tube nut, a slither of 1/8 plate and a set screw. Am pondering adding some more weld to where the set screw meets the tube nut but will have a test ride first.

Homebrew Torque Reaction mount - 1 by Isla..., on Flickr

Will add some more detail when its bikeworthy.

Am hoping the 8 gears can be made to work having read of peeps on here using the newer even wider range cassettes available so we will see. I even considered grinding the spare 4 or 5mm off the bottom bracket shell at one point to move it leftwards a bit, having done the same on a Raleigh Twenty once for other reasons, but as yet have resisted and put the angle grinder away ;D
 

Gavin

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 11, 2020
316
179
Hiya All,

Here is where my rebuild is up to.

Spec as follows:

* Powabyke Xbyke step thru frame
* Suntour CR8 hard spring
* Magura HS11 rim brakes
* Mavic A119 rims, Deore hubs, Schwalbe Energiser + Tour tyres
* North road handlebars
* 8 speed drivetrain - SRAM X4/SX4
* 48v lights off Amazon - German approved
* SKS mudguards & chainguard
* Dutch frame lock
* Halfords pannier rack with diy longer stays from ally tube
* Suspension seatpost and Hypergrip pedals from Decathlon (not arrived yet)
* Tongsheng TDZ mid drive 500w from PSW
* 48v downtube battery - 14.5ah Samsung

Some of the parts were NOS bargains.

Anyway, pics of the build so far. Am awaiting the pedals arriving to be able to have a test ride. She does move though, albeit in walk assist mode ;D

Nearly finished - 2 by Isla..., on Flickr

I mounted the battery on the downtube a'la an old moped fuel tank and the jury is out on whether it's a good idea or not. It keeps some of the weight lower down than a rack battery and being a stiffer fork, am hoping it will okay and the step thru ability of the frame is maintained.

Nearly finished - 5 by Isla..., on Flickr

The Bafang cranks were a cheap upgrade that narrows the Q factor a touch, although the motor unit is still stightly off centre from the frame. This is frustrating as the chainline is a little harsh meaning that the 32tooth sprocket will be unusable. I understand that with the motor assist the lower gears may not see much use anyway although they may do if the battery runs flat. Have regrets here in not going for a Nexus hub... :/

Nearly finished - 6 by Isla..., on Flickr

Have wanted to try these brakes for an age as they have been gaining popularity on Dutch bikes in recent years. The rack is pictured without its stays as I had not made them when taking this picture last week. The ones Halfords supplied were too short so the rack would not sit level! The Dutch frame lock sits beneath the Maguras and is screwed into Rivnuts.

Nearly finished - 4 by Isla..., on Flickr

Despite wanting to tick the '250w legal' box, I eventually plumped for the 500w version of the Tongsheng motor from PSW. The lower current draw benefit & extra torque from running at 48v made my mind up in the end and it will stay speed limited to 25kph. It may look like a moped with the tank/battery but am not interested in going fast, just levelling out the hills to a certain extent. In any case am sure the higher end mainstream motors are potentially more powerful but speed restricted in a similar fashion so will not be losing much sleep over it.
Anyway moving on, the torque reaction mount on the rear of the motor did not want to go anywhere near the chainstays on the frame so I fabricated one from a tube nut, a slither of 1/8 plate and a set screw. Am pondering adding some more weld to where the set screw meets the tube nut but will have a test ride first.

Homebrew Torque Reaction mount - 1 by Isla..., on Flickr

Will add some more detail when its bikeworthy.

Am hoping the 8 gears can be made to work having read of peeps on here using the newer even wider range cassettes available so we will see. I even considered grinding the spare 4 or 5mm off the bottom bracket shell at one point to move it leftwards a bit, having done the same on a Raleigh Twenty once for other reasons, but as yet have resisted and put the angle grinder away ;D
Looks really good @Swizz. I like the display mounted on the stem- keeps it protected when you invert the bike.

Just a thought regarding battery mounting- have you got room to mount it on the underside of the downtube? That'll get the C.O.G lower and also allow you to retain the step-through....
 
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Benjahmin

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2014
2,460
1,675
69
West Wales
Tidy install, love the paint job.
Let us know how you get on with the battery mount, 'cos I know it would get in the way of my plates of meat !
 
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Swizz

Pedelecer
Oct 1, 2017
211
161
48
Sk14
Looks really good @Swizz. I like the display mounted on the stem- keeps it protected when you invert the bike.

Just a thought regarding battery mounting- have you got room to mount it on the underside of the downtube? That'll get the C.O.G lower and also allow you to retain the step-through....
Thank you :)
Unfortunately not with the battery. It would have been a nice & secure mount under there too as that tube is flat on its underside.
 

Swizz

Pedelecer
Oct 1, 2017
211
161
48
Sk14
My pedals arrived eventually this afternoon so I had a quick test ride - in work on nightshifts so it was only a bimble around the block but am happy to say the kit works well enough!

Will tidy the cables up over the weekend and give her a better shakedown.

Am happy with where the battery is fitted and wasn't aware of the weight having any negative effect on the handling.
 

Swizz

Pedelecer
Oct 1, 2017
211
161
48
Sk14
Am declaring my lockdown project done!

Put 15ish miles on her today with no issues, so finished the last few jobs off. Am pretty happy with it overall. There are a few characteristics of the motor that I would like to change such as the speed at which it reapplies the power after riding beyond 15mph & then slowing back down, although I will do some more mileage beforehand and if it still niggles then...firmware.

Happy with the lights too. The headlight is no Phillips/Spanninga, but is a helluva lot better than the old bulb lit dynamo light my old Gazelle had.
 

Swizz

Pedelecer
Oct 1, 2017
211
161
48
Sk14
Yay 1st battery charge time!

Woohoo it's done! by Isla..., on Flickr

This afternoon I rode to the Woodhead tunnels and back with a friend. Arriving home, the battery capacity on the display was down to 1 bar, time then for a recharge. So, fresh out of the box the battery had completed 57 miles. Am quite happy with that but will be interested to see how it performs after a few cycles and if it improves. It will no doubt have travelled further before conking out but I would not wish to damage the cells.

Ebike at Woodhead tunnels by Isla..., on Flickr

Oh, and the cheap 40 lux headlight was fab on the last few miles home. The pic below is in my kitchen because I was too busy watching where I was going!

We have lights! by Isla..., on Flickr

One thing I have noticed is that I am in the habit of managing the assist setting each time we reached an incline. It's a shame it couldn't be left in a higher setting all the time but I understand how it is all based on pedal input so hey ho. I happily pedalled her up Mottram Moor without breaking a sweat in Tour mode so it is all good really. My friends Shimano Steps equipped bike (2000km so far) has developed an error that we kept having to stop to reset so there were many hill starts too.

Non electrical - the Magura rim brakes are just lush - very happy with those.
 

Lee5005

Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2020
34
9
Margate Kent
Hi there, first of all great build, it looks fantastic, I'm very impressed.

Due to circumstances i'm now going to do a conversion and not an off the shelf buy and you have chosen the same spec I'm looking at. motor and battery, and even the same supplier. I have a few questions if you don't mind?

How did you find PSWpower, would you recommend them?
Did all the connections 'match', specifically battery to motor, or did you need to change anything?
Are the cables overly long, did you have much slack to hide?

Thanks for any replies, much appreciate and enjoy your riding :)
 
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Swizz

Pedelecer
Oct 1, 2017
211
161
48
Sk14
Hi there, first of all great build, it looks fantastic, I'm very impressed.

Due to circumstances i'm now going to do a conversion and not an off the shelf buy and you have chosen the same spec I'm looking at. motor and battery, and even the same supplier. I have a few questions if you don't mind?

How did you find PSWpower, would you recommend them?
Did all the connections 'match', specifically battery to motor, or did you need to change anything?
Are the cables overly long, did you have much slack to hide?

Thanks for any replies, much appreciate and enjoy your riding :)
Hiya Lee & thanks for the compliment :)

I found PSW fine although I have not had any Comms with them due to not having any issues with the kit - there is lots of info online re installation & setting up.

Ordered the kit & battery on Amazon and was quoted delivery round about now. As is obvious it arrived much sooner.

All the connectors match. There is a bit of room to play with on the cables but nothing a cable tie cannot fix. The only overly long one is the power cable from the motor that connects to the battery cable - I intend to replace the bullet connectors on that at some point so will trim to length when doing so.

The only thing I did was buy some Bafang Cranks to reduce the Q factor. Unfortunately the pedals were offset a fair bit to the right so I refitted the Tongsheng one to the left.

Hope that helps!
 

peter.c

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 24, 2018
1,611
491
thurrock essex
Well done nothing better than your first build [except your next]:)
in the display setting on the vlcd5 the only simple speed option is 4.15 in the manual then 15.45 to adjust ;)
PSW power service is good delivery is fast [unlike the tsdz2 fat bike motor supplier that i use which take about a month from china]
PS buy direct its cheaper on psw website
 
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Lee5005

Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2020
34
9
Margate Kent
Hey, thanks for replying.
Aha, so you ordered via Amazon and not direct, guess it gives you more protection that way.

I was toying with the idea of ordering one of these small controller boxes to hide any excessive cables, or, as you said, cut them down and solder on new ends.

 
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Swizz

Pedelecer
Oct 1, 2017
211
161
48
Sk14
Well done nothing better than your first build [except your next]:)
in the display setting on the vlcd5 the only simple speed option is 4.15 in the manual then 15.45 to adjust ;)
PSW power service is good delivery is fast [unlike the tsdz2 fat bike motor supplier that i use which take about a month from china]
PS buy direct its cheaper on psw website
Lol unlike my first build - an unassisted recumbent - this one is a breeze to ride :D

Don't think it was cheaper than their Amazon shop at the time for me but if it is the case then yes deffo order direct!
 

Swizz

Pedelecer
Oct 1, 2017
211
161
48
Sk14
Hey, thanks for replying.
Aha, so you ordered via Amazon and not direct, guess it gives you more protection that way.

I was toying with the idea of ordering one of these small controller boxes to hide any excessive cables, or, as you said, cut them down and solder on new ends.

I like the look of that tbh - could sit behind the seat tube & tidy everything up a bit!

The power lead from the battery is too short for that but thinking about it, I could make the join in the battery base plate. Have soldered in another inline fuse holder in there for the 48v lights as there is a bit of free space.
 

Lee5005

Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2020
34
9
Margate Kent
Glad to be of assistance, they do variety of sizes etc.
One thing i hate is lots of wires on show cable tied together, hence looking at a box like this.