Which kit?

[Mussels]

Electric moped is out of the question as it wouldn't get me to my destination any sooner.

But it would be a whole lot cheaper. You could build what you want but it may be three times more expensive than the scooter.

 

[flecc]

Thanks guys, I don't understand why these kits are advertised if it's not feasible to actually use them.

OK, let's say for arguments sake I'd like a set up which gives me 10mph non assisted up hills and around 20mph non assisted on the flat for a total of roughly 20km. What would be the best kit/batteries etc...?

It goes without saying that I'd be pedalling at some points...

Anyone used a Forsen kit? They seem to have decent results.

These very high powered kits exist for the Anerican leisure market. There most regard electric bikes as playthings and few use them for serious transport as we do in Europe, so short burst of fun with limited battery capacity suits them.

If you buy the 350 Watt BionX kit from Canada or the USA you'll get 20 mph assisted in a 26" wheel or a touch faster in a 700c and reasonably good hill climbing, though you might need to apply some moderate pedal assist to maintain 10 mph on steeper hills.

I don't know anything about the Forsen kit, seemingly little information on that name outside of China where they list complete bikes.
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[torrent99]

In Paris you can bend the rules slightly as a 'cyclist' and a bicycle will allow me to ride in the many cycle lanes we have over here.

Well the 5304 bike you were looking at might not look much like a bike when you've finished strapping the batteries on to it. It'd probably attract quite a bit a unwanted police attention.

Getting hold of one of those bikes 2nd hand her in Paris or my hometown (London) would be next to impossible. Ebay has nada listed at the moment.

I kinda wanna build this thing as well, would be fun! I think...

Well the generic idea is take an existing e-bike and pimp it up a bit. That way many of the problems are sorted out already for you. (You might also be able to get the Bafang motor as part of the Alien Ocean kit, though make sure you ask for it specifically!)

I think building it yourself would be a fun thing to do too, but as flecc has indicated if you are relying on it for your main means of getting to work, it might not be so wise! It's also quite a big job, especially if you are having to engineer your own battery.

The Bionx kit looks like a nice compromise as flecc has mentioned.

 

[Lovesexy]

Jeez, those Bionx kits are seriously expensive compared to the rest. Why so?

 

[flecc]

Jeez, those Bionx kits are seriously expensive compared to the rest. Why so?

They are, but the quality is very high and they are one of the most sophisticated systems around. They have switched power levels which can be changed while riding to suit the circumstances and a recharge position which recovers energy into the battery on overrun as in downhill. (Make sure you are looking at the 350 watt kit and not the slower 250 watt one.)

The contrast looks extreme since you've been looking at the cheap end of the market, but if you look at other parts of the mainstream market the difference isn't so great. For example the eZee kit is about £900.
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[Bigbee]

48V battery with 250W motor is legal in UK isnt it?

 

[flecc]

48V battery with 250W motor is legal in UK isnt it?

Only if the motor is designed to be a 250 watt one with a 48 volt supply.

If you change a nominal 250 watt bike from a 36 volt to a 48 volt battery, it becomes a nominal 330 watt motor and is therefore illegal.

If you change from a 24 volt battery to a 48 volt battery it becomes a 500 watt motor.

Ohms law: Volts x Amps = Watts

increasing either of the first two increases the Watts.
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[torrent99]

48V battery with 250W motor is legal in UK isnt it?

The law doesn't say anything about voltage, it just says that the output power must be "250W", and it doesn't say if this is peak power or average power. So 48V should be fine.
Though I suspect if you started using 240V then it might be frowned upon

 

[Bigbee]

Only if the motor is designed to be a 250 watt one with a 48 volt supply.

If you change a nominal 250 watt bike from a 36 volt to a 48 volt battery, it becomes a nominal 330 watt motor and is therefore illegal.


Ok,thanks

 

[georgesign]

I too live in France. If you visit the VELECTRIS site (which is also in English) They will put together any combination of motor, power, battery etc. plus the bike. I asked the local supplier about rules and regulations and he just gave me a "French" shrug.