Hi All,
Just after a bit of advice, i've recently taken a bit of a dive into the world of ebikes and am surprised by the sheer number of variables and the limited availability of information, given the potential usefulness and demand. So i'm hoping someone here may be kind enough to share their experience and wisdom with a novice who has rudimentary skills as a bike mechanic and minimal electronic knowledge (can strip and join wire, and have multimeter).
I've just got a setup removed from a pre-facelift Raleigh Array, it appears to be in pretty good order and comprises 700c front wheel with hub motor, pannier rack with battery (rack-mounted housing incorporates computer), charger, twist throttle, computer/dashboard thing and a damaged PAS sensor, which led to the kit being removed from the original bike (which is now being used as a standard push bike - and which i don't have access to).
I would like to pair it with a road bike with drop bars and now that i've got it i'm beginning to see the challenges involved! I've seen that i can buy a new sensor for £40-50, but i can't establish how it's mounted, i had thought it might sit beneath the cable guide on the underside of the bottom bracket, but this now looks quite impractical, so given that the basic drive assembly is fully functional i'm wondering whether there's a simple method of either using an alternative sensor, or putting a simple switch on so that i can apply power when needed, e.g. when hitting a hill. There is a throttle but seemingly this is set up in a way which limits it to short bursts and very low speeds - perhaps there's a workaround for that?
I'm after a bike that is fairly fast touring in nature, that has a decent range of gears which i could take on longer rides (i.e. a compact chainset), including tours, but that would also take the sting out of a thirty mile commute as i gradually rebuild fitness. This is why the idea of a modified road bike with pannier rack appeals, i've had a bit of a search here, but again the challenge is in finding the info specific to my needs and the bits i've just bought. Rather than having a huge battery i'd prefer the flexibility of running two batteries enabling charging at either end of the commute (or if i needed extra range chucking one in a bag as a spare).
The main reason i've approached as i have is that i don't have a big budget (otherwise i'd get a Ribble ebike) so given the above do you have any suggestions? Has my first move been a wrong one?
Thanks.
Just after a bit of advice, i've recently taken a bit of a dive into the world of ebikes and am surprised by the sheer number of variables and the limited availability of information, given the potential usefulness and demand. So i'm hoping someone here may be kind enough to share their experience and wisdom with a novice who has rudimentary skills as a bike mechanic and minimal electronic knowledge (can strip and join wire, and have multimeter).
I've just got a setup removed from a pre-facelift Raleigh Array, it appears to be in pretty good order and comprises 700c front wheel with hub motor, pannier rack with battery (rack-mounted housing incorporates computer), charger, twist throttle, computer/dashboard thing and a damaged PAS sensor, which led to the kit being removed from the original bike (which is now being used as a standard push bike - and which i don't have access to).
I would like to pair it with a road bike with drop bars and now that i've got it i'm beginning to see the challenges involved! I've seen that i can buy a new sensor for £40-50, but i can't establish how it's mounted, i had thought it might sit beneath the cable guide on the underside of the bottom bracket, but this now looks quite impractical, so given that the basic drive assembly is fully functional i'm wondering whether there's a simple method of either using an alternative sensor, or putting a simple switch on so that i can apply power when needed, e.g. when hitting a hill. There is a throttle but seemingly this is set up in a way which limits it to short bursts and very low speeds - perhaps there's a workaround for that?
I'm after a bike that is fairly fast touring in nature, that has a decent range of gears which i could take on longer rides (i.e. a compact chainset), including tours, but that would also take the sting out of a thirty mile commute as i gradually rebuild fitness. This is why the idea of a modified road bike with pannier rack appeals, i've had a bit of a search here, but again the challenge is in finding the info specific to my needs and the bits i've just bought. Rather than having a huge battery i'd prefer the flexibility of running two batteries enabling charging at either end of the commute (or if i needed extra range chucking one in a bag as a spare).
The main reason i've approached as i have is that i don't have a big budget (otherwise i'd get a Ribble ebike) so given the above do you have any suggestions? Has my first move been a wrong one?
Thanks.
