the battery consumption is pretty much the same, 36.8WH/km against 36.9 WH/km

don't see much in it.

 

Exactly, so if you can get away without having to splash out on a new controller etc and have less heating, better hill climbing capability, I know what I would chose.

 

Of course, it may not be possible to run this particular Lishui controller at a higher voltage, someone needs to do that experiment and if it won't work, take it apart to find out why.

 

However, there are a lot of other controllers and kits out there of similar spec, which can be over volted and thanks to these simulations, we can see the benefits that can bring.

you still don't get it.

The OP has a G06, his situation does not call for overvolting. If he wants speed, he does not have to spend anything. If he wants to climb 10% hill, he does not have to spend anything. Why should he (or someone with a similar kit) spend £400 to run his bike at 48V?

Now, let's examine the argument that he'll climb faster at 48V than at 36V.

Let's say he has 300ft vertical to get home and the gradient is 8% so the length is:

tangent of 8% = 0.0801, let's call it 8%. Length = 300ft/0.08 = 3750ft = 1.143km

 

His bike at present will go up at 22kph and take 187 seconds to complete the climb before he gets hit by legal speed limit.

If he spends £400 on the overvolting,

https://www.ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html?motor=MG60_500&cont=cust_17_70_0.03_V&grade=8&batt=B4816_GA

he'll be going up at 26.1kph and take 3600sec * 1.143/26= 157.6 seconds.

in fact, he would be hit by the speed limiter (remember, he is a law abiding citizen): 3600 s * 1.143/25= 164.6s

Would anyone want to spend £400 to save 187 secs - 164.6 secs = 22-25 seconds a day?

Edited July 7, 20205 yr by Woosh

The OP said:

 

"I took it out for my first ride this afternoon and at level 6 PAS I still needed to pedal quite hard up (admittedly a steep) hill trying to keep a good cadence."

 

Then he went on to ask whether it would be better with a 48V system (blissfully unaware at that time, of the can of worms he was about to open ).

 

From that it doesn't sound like it is hill climbing very well, or at least to the user's satisfaction.

 

As I've shown from the simulations, over volting is a possible solution for many people to improve their set up without spending a lot of money, but it is not for everyone.

 

I think I've covered this topic quite comprehensively now, so unless something new and meaningful is put forward, I'm going to leave it at that.

"I took it out for my first ride this afternoon and at level 6 PAS I still needed to pedal quite hard up (admittedly a steep) hill trying to keep a good cadence."

he should give us the location of the hill so we can see.

What this thread is about

 

Ultimately, what this thread is about is differing opinions and viewpoints, all of them equally valid (in my opinion). What makes it interesting (for me at least) is the level of technical debate and the educational potential contained therein.

 

The point I was making (and will make again) is that the use of financial cost as a measure of who's opinion is correct, is flawed for the reasons I outlined previously.

 

Anyway, crack on with the debate chaps 'coz I'm learning loads from this....

Wow guys, sorry if my post has caused a bit of a stir? But atleast I have learn't a few things even if most of it was out of my depth of knowledge and understanding.

 

Just to be clear here, I'm an ex driving instructor I have no desire to go beyond the legal speed limits of 15.5 mph. I may not always be sensible 100% of the time, but I don't want to affect my licence with even the remotest of chances with these bikes.

 

Having said that I live in a hilly area and surrounded by roads with 10+ degree gradients and even some as much as 20 degrees.

 

This is my first ebike and as such I didn't know what to expect. What was just a little disappointing was the lack of power to maintain speed as the roads started to incline even at PAS 6. Now to clarify the FB is a big bike, however it did with some effort from me get to the top of these very steep hills, albeit slowly and me panting. I doubt I could have got up some of these hills with my old Raleigh Record Sprint that's been in my garage for 35+ years. The G06 motor is a great motor and I know it has one of the best torque ratings for a 250w motor. Therefore I'm sure with any 36v 250w rated motor I would have also struggled and may not have even got up some of those hills.

 

I did however get out on a longer ride yesterday on more flat roads with a mix of different graded hills and I have to say I am very happy with the performance, build and quality of the Woosh FB. It feels well put together, solid and hopefully will be reliable.

 

I plan on keeping it as it is and maybe next year look to upgrade to a 48v bike just to give me that extra 33% more for those hills. I just wish I could get closer to that 15.5 mph limit going up a hill.

OK, I'm starting to learn more and more about these ebikes. I have a question for all you knowledgeable people out there.

 

Some of the hills I tackle are quite steep at what point should I get off and walk the bike. Even with me pedaling extremely hard, would pushing the motor at a high PAS under say 7 mph up a hill cause too much heat and stress on it?

 

BTW I understand that a mid drive maybe a better option for hills, but I do not like the aesthetics nor the stress and strains to the chain and drive system or the costs of the setup.

OK, I'm starting to learn more and more about these ebikes. I have a question for all you knowledgeable people out there.

 

Some of the hills I tackle are quite steep at what point should I get off and walk the bike. Even with me pedaling extremely hard, would pushing the motor at a high PAS under say 7 mph up a hill cause too much heat and stress on it?

 

BTW I understand that a mid drive maybe a better option for hills, but I do not like the aesthetics nor the stress and strains to the chain and drive system or the costs of the setup.

When you go too slow, you're more likely to get controller problems than motor. When you overload and overheat the motor, it's normally the hall sensors that are first to go.

 

If your motor ever starts making that fierce rasping noise, often with vibration, or if it stops, you shouldn't try to run it with high throttle or prolonged PAS because, the electricity will still flow, and without being able to turn into proper motion, it'll turn into heat, then something will burn.

 

5 mph is about as slow as you should go on a normal ebike with a normal motor, but it depends on how fast the motor is wound for and the size of the wheels. Maybe 4 mph with 20" wheels. More importantly is the time like it. Going up a short hill slowly is no problem, but a long one at high power for a long time is dodgy.

 

If you have steep hills that make you go too slow, it's sometimes worth adjusting your controller to provide more current, which is easier for you and, counter-intuitively, better for the bike, but only if it gets you up faster.

Could the OP problem (struggling to keep up a good cadence to assist the bike up a steep hill) not have been easier to overcome by just selecting a different gear on his bike?

By selecting a higher toothed rear gear it would have made it easier to keep up his cadence in and assisting the bike up the hill.

hub bikes are not as good on steep hills as crank drive bikes.

15% gradient is easy with crank drive bikes but practically the limit for most (95%) hub bikes. The Fat Boy is very good on hills but 13%-15% gradient is about as much as it would climb.

Here is the simulation:

https://www.ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html?motor=MG60_500&cont=cust_17_70_0.03_V&grade=13&axis=mph&hp=50

 

for 15%+ gradient, I would recommend the Woosh Rambla or the Santana CD which has 9-speed cassette.

Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated. Just as a bit of background I am 51 years old but have been working out since I was a teen in fact I also blog about health and fitness and am quite fit and strong, so this isn't an issue with being unfit or overweight in anyway, just thought I'd mention that. However I haven't ridden my bikes for more than 10 years, so I suspect more time building those essential cycling muscles may help later on.

 

I'm busy at the moment, but hopefully will be able to get out tomorrow and see what speed I am able to get to on some of these hills with me pedaling with various amounts of effort and in different assistance levels. I'll also listen out for any changes in motor noise when under load.

 

I also have a 24 speed mountain bike and a very lightweight road bike and will try these out on another day to see if weight and gearing and the type of bike has much affect on these same hills with me riding them.

 

I'm not really a cyclist and so still finding my feet so to speak with regards simply riding around. With the added addition of a motor it maybe that I just need to also learn the extra nuances this brings.