helecats

I got no instructions with my kit but your supposed to fit the sensor on the RHS. There was no way I was going to mess about removing the bottom bracket there was no room anyway with 3 chain rings. So I put it on the LHS. Just dremeled the hole in the ring so it fitted over the bottom bracket, took the LHS pedal off and stuck the ring with sensor in place with silicon sealant. Oh I had to turn the sensor round by 180 deg by drilling the ring and refitting the sensor as LHS pedal turns the wrong way. As for the question on cutting the ring then I don't see why cutting it would make any difference I've read that some people remove the sensor from the ring and stick them in place.

Just a standard 8fun 250 watt kit. I should rephrase loads of power what I meant was I have power all the time when I am pedalling with not much effort. I like to pedal but have a bad knee so light pedalling suits me. I found on the Bosch that I needed to push a lot harder to get power. Maybe I just needed to to ride the bike more to get the best out of it.

So basically the purpose of a torque sensor is to increase the range and make the bike harder to ride! I prefer my cheapo kit where I'm getting lots of power all the time and if I pedal harder I can see the current come down or the speed increase.

If cadence and torque are measured then I don't know why manufacturers don't give you the option of selecting a preference like switching the torque sensor off or changing the percentage mix of the two. I have a conversion kit on my bike no torque sensor and it is effortless to ride. I had my heart set on a KTM Macina race but found it hard work compared with my bike. In fact most times I've ridden a torque sensor bike I say to myself I thought this bike was supposed to be electric! I find with the torque sensor when I push hard on the pedals you get some power, but when you have achieved the required speed you ease off the pedals slightly and the power has gone and your riding an unpowered bike even on the highest setting. I must be missing the point or doing something wrong!

Hi, thanks for the excellent comparison. I have been looking for new bike and find this information very useful. I want a quality mountain bike as light as possible with a good range 60 miles plus with lots of power, legal and will climb hills. I assumed the Bosch drive would be the best. After riding both the Bosch and the BH extreme I felt that my 8fun kit had as much if not more power but probably a lot less range. Admittedly I did not ride these very far or up hills so I may need a longer ride to evaluate them properly. I think one of the problems may be that my kit works off cadence only but on bikes with torque sensors you have to put a bit effort in, which I wasn't doing. I wondered if you considered trying the new kalkhoff Xion hub drive fitted to Raleigh, Focus and kalkhoff bikes. I am asking as I'm interested in the focus Jariffa offroad it comes with a 15.5Ah battery, has regenerative braking and Focus are quality bikes. FOCUS Bikes: Bikes 2013 Google Translate There is no chance of me trying one as there are non available in the UK, I would need to just order one, but it would be interesting to hear some views on the Xion drive on other bikes. I haven't seen any reviews on this motor at all, I guess they are quite new.

I wonder if someone on this forum could explain what battery conditioning is for. I read somewhere that it was to set the battery level gauge. As far as I have read one of the worst things you can do to a li-ion battery is fully discharge it. I use LIPo's quite a lot in RC helicopters if they are discharged down to 3.3 volts per cell they are damaged, I thought li-ion were similar. I guess the controller must limit the level of discharge voltage to prevent any damage, but I would have thought 3 discharges in a row would be risky?

How about this Lit c1 Lit Motors

Hi Martin I think 29ers are becoming more popular than 26, eg when I asked in the LBS "do you have any 29ers" the response was nearly all our mountain bikes are 29ers".I think die hard mountain bikers may want 26ers for maneuverability and light weight for jumps etc. For riding on trails and and roads like I do then I think a 29er will be a better ride. As for size I think I will probably need to get a 26er unless I want my anatomy squashed! The LBS suggested I would need a 16 inch (40cm) so I don't think a 45cm frame will fit. See test below. 26er Versus 29er: The Shootout You've Been Asking For | News | mountain-bike-action

Hello, no I haven't tried a 29er. There are no available bikes to try in a 200 mile radius as for as I know! I could go into bike shop and trying a non electric one but I feel a bit guilty doing this when I have no intention of buying one. I have read a lot about them an they seem to have a number of advantages over a 26 inch wheel. I also like the look of them and to be honest I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to new fads and technologies.

Hi Martin, thanks for your help on this but on reflection I need to try a few bikes. it's not just standover height I would need to test it's the reach to the handlebars and the general fit of the bike. I don't think I could just buy one and have it delivered, if I'm spending that much it needs to be spot on. I'm going to try and attend the Redbridge event in April and try some bikes, thanks.

I would like to buy a 29 inch wheeled high spec mountain bike but my inside leg is only 29 inches. I think the only options may be the KTM Macina race (frame size 430mm) or the Focus Jarifa offroad Premium XLS (frame size 420). Most other bikes I have seen e.g. Haibike Xduro RC 29, smallest frame size is 450mm which are too big. Most non electric bikes go down to frame size 16 inches, but not electric. On my current bike a 17 inch rockhopper I have about 0.5inch clearance from the top tube. I tried a 17.5 (444mm) inch frame rockhopper 29R in a shop and I had no clearance and was virtually sitting on the frame. As it's impossible to try the bikes mentioned above for size, no one in the UK seems to have one, I wondered if anyone has experience of 29R bike sizes verses leg length.

I needed some way of adding switches to the hydraulic disk brakes on my rockhopper 8Fun conversion to cut the motor. The kit was supplied with brake levers with a cable and built in switch for cable operated brakes, which plugs into the controller, no use for hydraulic brakes. I went onto Ebay and bought a pack of 3 mini micro switches for 99p + 70p p&p. [ATTACH]5237.vB[/ATTACH] I cut the cable from the supplied brake lever and soldered the wires to the microswitch normally closed contact (open when the switch is pressed). I then wedged the switch into the brake lever (see pics) so that the switch button was pressed. When the brake lever is operated the button is released. I had to file a small amount of plastic off the switch to make it fit. The switch is now a really tight fit, plugged the cable into the controller and it works fine. I think the switch would stay wedged in place on its own but I added a couple of drops of epoxy just to make sure it wouldn't move. [ATTACH]5238.vB[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]5239.vB[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]5240.vB[/ATTACH] The photos show the lever in the normal position and then pulled, releasing the button. [ATTACH]5241.vB[/ATTACH] I just needed to bend the soldered pins to refit the handebar grip and then tidy the cable. It looks neater in reality than it does in the close up pics and you don't even notice it's there. I have no idea how reliable or durable these switches are or how many operations they can do but after testing and a ride yesterday they have had at least 30 ops and are still working, only time will tell. Not water proof but they could be coated with tape, silicon sealant or epoxy.

Hi Electro, I think the controller I'm using is quite an old one, nearly 18 months old as I bought the kit second hand. There were no markings on it other than the current rating which stated 10 amps and max 16 amps. There are separate wires comming out for the throttle and the led display. If you havn't got a throttle connection you could buy a new controller I have seen them on ebay for around £20. Have you contacted 8Fun as they seem quite helpfull, I notice on their web site that it states the current kit comes with a thumb throttle.

Hi Lynda, Your right I live in Boldon, been there for 20 years. Originally from South Shields. My other interest is sailing, not so much now, spent a lot of time in the north sea, and South Shields Harbour! Also buggying with a kite on the beaches and the Lees, but packing that in, because I got dragged in the air last year and dumped hard on the ground and injured.

Hi, one of my favourite trips is from Boldon to Jarrowthrough the Tyne pedestrian Tunnel then to North Shields then across the ferryto South Shields up the coast to Whitburn and back to Boldon about 25 miles. Derek

Hi, thanks for the advice on the cable ties. I haven't fiited brake switches yet but bought some micro switches which I intend to fix in place with silicon sealant. I don't mind the motor running on so much as having a problem such as a stuck throttle!

Hi Lynda My round trip was 51 miles if I remember correctly, I couldn't walk properly for over a week! That was 4 years ago. I didn't think I would be able to do it again, but with my new found energy (electrical) I my try it again. Actually it's not too bad as it's uphill to Consett but then it's downhill all the way to Gateshead freewheeling most of the way for about 15 miles. Derek

Hello, this looks like an excellent ride past consett, I've just had a look on the map, although my battery won't get me anywhere near that far. Although now having got the e-bike 'bug' I'm tempted to buy a proper bike instead of my conversion. I am thinking about a KTM Macina race.

Hello, C2C sounds good, I've done the round trip from Suderland to Consett to Gateshead and back a couple of times, a few years ago but It should be a lot better now with some electrical assistance.

I've read a lot about Pedelecs in the last few weeks so decided to give it a go. Converted my 7 year old Specialized Rockhopper with a used 8FUN kit. The conversion was tight Squeeze as the bike has a 17 inch frame. The Motor is a Bafang SWXK 250W with a 9Ah bottle battery. The first job was to fit the front wheel, first thing was that the wheel wouldn't fit in the forks and I had to file a small amount off the dropouts. Next thing was I have 160mm disk brakes and the wheel was hitting callipers. Onto Ebay and purchased a used 185mm disk for £10. Also bought the 185 adaptor(£8) which moves the calliper out to match the disk. The wheel had a plastic spacer fitted in place of the disk, I read somewhere that you should leave this fitted but I removed it to make everything fit. Refitted the front wheel and some of the spokes where still hitting the calliper. I managed to move the calliper about 0.5mm away from the wheel and all is fine, brake works well. If I was doing this again I would purchase a larger disk. Plugged the battery in, connected the controller and switched on, operated the throttle and the wheel spun round, Eureka! I fitted the battery on the frame down tube in place of my water bottle, It was a really tight fit and hit the crossbar, but with a bit force it went in. After removing and replacing the battery a few times it is now easy to fit and remove as the mounting became a bit loose. Couldn't wait to try it (better than Christmas morning as a kid) so fitted the throttle and selector/LED indicator to the handlebars, removed the pedelec sensor and shoved the controller in my saddle bag, wires hanging out everywhere, and took it for a test drive down the street using the throttle, brilliant it works! Although a howling gale and about -2 deg means I didn't go far. Next job was to finish the bike off by adding the pedelec sensor and fixing the controller/plastic case to the frame, there was no way I was going to remove the bottom bracket to fit the sensor, and there was no space to fit the sensor on the chain side with the 3 chain rings. So I removed the LHS pedal (with an extractor I got off ebay) and found that the sensor mounting would not fit over the plastic part of the bottom bracket, so out with dremel and ground enough off the sensor mounting to make it a tight fit, refitted the pedal and tried pedalling, after trail and error I found that I had to turn the sensor 180 degrees to make it work, this involved drilling the mounting bracket and rotating/refitting the sensor. Final fitting was done with silicon sealant to make sure it wasn't going to move. Now to finish by fixing the controller/case to the seat tube. I found that the plastic controller case would not fit as it was preventing fitting of the battery. Took a hacksaw to the box and made it 8mm smaller and everything now fits, just. The wiring was tidied up a bit, job done. [ATTACH]5170.vB[/ATTACH] I have ridden the bike a few times now and it's brilliant. Goes about 14.5 mph according to my GPS which is fast enough, although there was only 25 psi in the tyres, they are now blown up so it's probably a bit faster. Bike weighs 21kg and I'm 65 kg so it performs quite well. Just fitted the Turnigy power meter, I was going to remove the shunt and run small wires to the meter, but my battery cable was quite long and in the end I took the easy option and stuck the meter on the handlebars with tie-raps and chopped the battery cable and routed it to/from the meter, it works fine. I was surprised how good this conversion is, I tried it on a couple of hills which normally 'kill' me and it breezed up. [ATTACH]5171.vB[/ATTACH] I think it's interesting to see some of the readings from my Turnigy meter. After about 7 miles of mixed riding on the flat, hills and throttle I had used 2.5Ah. I noted that using the throttle I am drawing around 6 amps at 14.5 mph on the flat. The highest current reading I saw on a steep hill was 16 amps, although I need to do some more testing now that I've blown the tyres up and have some reduced drag. Derek

I had never heard of a Pedelec until about 7 weeks ago when I stumbled across this site by accident when googling for 'electric bike' after seeing someone riding one. From the information gained mostly from reading posts on this forum, I managed to fit a used 8fun kit to my specialized rockhopper. I found that 7 years ago when I first bought my rockhopper that by getting out of the car and cycling I discovered places I didn't know existed even though they were virtually on my doorstep. As someone who loves cycling but isn't very fit now I think my conversion is brilliant, I just can't beat the freedom cycling gives me and with the added bonus of electricity I can go for miles. I have written an account of the build with photos and will post it on the forum. Many thanks to the members on this forum for their posts which give me the information and inspiration to build a Pedelec. Derek