Finally found some time to spend on my new build this weekend and took it out for it's test run. I fitted a 10a circuit breaker to use as a switch and it obviously is not big enough which I found out on climbing the first hill. Still not much of an issue as a larger one should fix the problem.

 

The other thing I found is the pedelec stops working after about 10mph. It is fine up to that speed then as I go into 4th gear it stop's working. I have checked the connections to the controller and all seem's fine.

 

Any idea's what the problem could be?

 

Thanks for all the help so far it is much appreciated.

 

Alan

Finally found some time to spend on my new build this weekend and took it out for it's test run. I fitted a 10a circuit breaker to use as a switch and it obviously is not big enough which I found out on climbing the first hill. Still not much of an issue as a larger one should fix the problem.

 

The other thing I found is the pedelec stops working after about 10mph. It is fine up to that speed then as I go into 4th gear it stop's working. I have checked the connections to the controller and all seem's fine.

 

Any idea's what the problem could be?

 

Thanks for all the help so far it is much appreciated.

 

Alan

 

It works on speed. You have to pedal at a certain speed before you get power, then the power is proportional to your pedaling speed. Change down and you get so much power that you can't pedal fast enough; change up and you lose power, which makes the bike slow down: Not very clever really! That's why I changed to my cruise control.

Spot on description d8veh. Up to 3rd gear It pulled really well and I could not pedal fast enough then into 4th and the pedal assist disappears, slow down to 3rd and it is back again. I see now why you use the cruise control. I did test mine and it works great. Suppose I will get used to the pedelec if that is the way it works. I thought maybe I had something wired up incorrectly.

 

Despite this first impressions of the bike are very positive. I do need to change the gearing a bit. 7th gear on the rear is 14 teeth and the front outer is 42t. I really would like 52t on the front but so far can only find 48t to fit Shimano Alivio 4 bolt 104pcd crank.

 

Anybody know where to find 52 teeth outer ring to fit?

Once you get used to it, it isn't so bad: You just have to think about your pedalling speed. You can get a rear gearset from Cyclezee with an 11T top gear, which should solve your gearing. I use a 52/14T setup that is nice for going between 16 and 20mph, and I change down from 7th to 6th when I get to 15mph. I have a fairly lazy cadence of about 70.

Bad luck. Hopefully they'll just use the value on the paperwork (about $50), so it won't be too much. keep us informed. Merry Xmas.

 

I got stung on a second hand keyboard. Trouble is they charged 20% VAT on £108 rather than $108 as was clearly specified on the docket. Oh and £8 quid handling charge. This was Parcel Farce....

 

Thinking about getting a Ping battery but this is making me think twice....

Just been out for first proper run on the Dawes. Gave it a 20 mile test up as many hills as I could find locally. It performed really well. The hills simply disappear. Cruise control is a fanatastic tool when you get used to it. Probably just as well since the pedelec is pretty useless. Works fine up to 10mph then fades away. Open the throttle and hold it at preferred speed for a few seconds and the cruise kicks in.

 

Hydraulic disk brakes are excellent and have a solid feel.

 

It really coped well on the hills though which is what I wanted. I am most impressed. far better than my 250w bike. Just hope it has a good range.

 

Special thanks must go to d8veh and Scottyf for their assistance on here and to catsnapper for building the wheel and supplying the kit.

 

I have a few pictures if anyone is interested.

 

 

Pictures by hurricane868 - Photobucket

Nice result. Can you itemise all the costs?

Nice result. Can you itemise all the costs?

 

Okay Cost of bike is:

 

Dawes 1.8xc bike 300

350w BPM Kit 160

Ping 20ah Battery 508

Spiral wrap 4

Mudguards 17

On/Off Switch 12

Anderson Powerpoles 23

Circuit breaker 4

Mirrcycle mirror 12

48t outer Ring 15

Rear Pannier Rack 18

Kick Stand 6

 

TOTAL 1079

 

Crickey I didn't think it was that much. I hadn't intended spending as much but it is a cracking bike and worth every penny.. Just need to get better weather now so I can use it.

 

The Claud Butler for the Mrs is taking shape now too. Just waiting for some more parts to arrive and it will be ready. Have tested the motor and controller, throttle etc on the bike in my shed and all seems good to go.

 

Alan

The Alien Aurora at approx £1000 is the nearest equivalent to your bike, but you have a 20aH Ping, which allows you to exploit the full potential of the motor for effortless hill-climbing and long range. With the smaller battery, the Aurora, though better than most ready-mades, still can't do that.

I hope you get as much enjoyment out of your bike as I do from mine

 

p.s. A Cycle Analyst will make it complete

Yep, it may seem expensive but its got a great battery and is custom made to your specs and so its unique!

I try not to think of it any more. As soon as I past the £700 mark I lost interest in the cost.

 

Main thing is you enjoy it.

Seems the belt is being tightened. Just been stung for an extra £16 on a £20 item from HK, that's £4 VAT plus a ' clearence fee' from a company in London that I've never heard of. If this continues I'll certainly pull back my spending which completely goes against what's needed in these times of financial worry...

 

Another example - if you overstay your ticket at the pay and display of a certain Council you're invited to pay by card. In very small letters it says "Debit Card only".

 

If you ignore the warning and pay the £20 by Credit card, the system will apparently accept your money - but fail to collect from your card! A month later, you'll get a demand for £40 ... but this time they'll accept the Credit card payment!

 

Neat trick, huh? I know someone else this has happened to.

I don't want to look how much I spent neither lol. I just spend too much!

 

BMSBattery are close until the 29th. Have to wait

 

p.s. A Cycle Analyst will make it complete

 

 

So what do you recommend d8veh

So what do you recommend d8veh

The Cycle Analyst is a bike computer that also shows and records battery information so that you can accurately predict your range and see how you and your battery are performing. You get them from Ebikes.ca. You can also use it to limit your speed or protect your battery from over-current or under voltage. About £105 direct from them inc. postage.

The Grin Cyclery

The Cycle Analyst is a bike computer that also shows and records battery information so that you can accurately predict your range and see how you and your battery are performing. You get them from Ebikes.ca. You can also use it to limit your speed or protect your battery from over-current or under voltage. About £105 direct from them inc. postage.

The Grin Cyclery

 

Very nice but a bit pricey for my use. I only need the bike for leisure and don't intend doing more than 30-35 miles in one trip.

 

What about this one as an alternative.

 

Turnigy Watt up Meter and power Analyzer UK seller | eBay

Very nice but a bit pricey for my use. I only need the bike for leisure and don't intend doing more than 30-35 miles in one trip.

 

What about this one as an alternative.

 

Turnigy Watt up Meter and power Analyzer UK seller | eBay

 

To mount it on the handlebars where you can see it, you either have to have thick wire running all over the place, which looks very untidy, or you have to unsolder the shunt and wire it externally. I prefer this one because it's easier to remove the shunt. I normally pay about £16 direct from China, but can't see any listings at the moment.

JP ENERG POWER ANALYSER, LIPO BALANCER, WATT METER - LiPO LiFe LiIon BATTERY | eBay

A few of us use the turnigy watt meter for that.

I personally use one. Good little thing for the price. But as Dave has said above the cycle analyst is much better with more features and allows you to change settings on the fly.

 

Nothing wrong with the turnigy ones there but limited. But at a 5th the price you can hardly complain. I also run a few low voltage alarms as there light but rarely use up the full amp hrs. The ping will last for ages anyway.

A few of us use the turnigy watt meter for that.

I personally use one. Good little thing for the price. But as Dave has said above the cycle analyst is much better with more features and allows you to change settings on the fly.

 

Nothing wrong with the turnigy ones there but limited. But at a 5th the price you can hardly complain. I also run a few low voltage alarms as there light but rarely use up the full amp hrs. The ping will last for ages anyway.

Did you do the remote shunt mod? If not, where did you mount it?

Mine sits up front

 

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4071/4250873142_1953926f09_z.jpg

 

It is easy for my setup as my controller and battery are in the front bag.

 

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2723/4250099983_f90664c480_z.jpg

 

I have never found the screen that easy to read on the move though. I used it quite a bit when I first built the bike to check current and the trip capacity of the battery I was using, but having worked all that out I now rarely use it.

 

Regards

 

Jerry

Did you do the remote shunt mod? If not, where did you mount it?

 

I did do this when I had the 36v battery mounted on the rack. I ran it up to the handle bars and tie wrapped it on the stem.

 

As soon as it hit autumn/winter and I got rid of the rack and went Lipo I ditched it and just left it in the bag with the batteries. After using a 10ah 44v battery for a couple of weeks I was using around 8ah as I changed offices. This meant an extra 2 miles each way. Hence the extra amphr each way plus winter so it was colder i didn't want to get caught with my pants down on capacity... So I brought that winforce lipo battery 5200mah to add to the 10ah battery.

After a few commutes I now know I can safely do the journey without even getting close to full draining the battery.

 

Now I've changed the bearings and increased tire pressure again I'm getting close to 18watt per mile. Giving in theory a range of 36miles. Even at 30miles I have more than enough capacity to keep me going.

 

 

 

In any case the cycle analyst is worth the money. Anyone that seems to have purchased one has not look back. They also allow up to 100v as well as a higher amp limit.

 

The turnigy only goes up to 60-63v without burning out. So for modders this only records so far. Anything custom made without BMS's at least needs something to clock the figures on.

Finally finished the Claud Butler for my better half. Took both bikes out for a run today.

 

Photo's below

 

http://s1176.photobucket.com/albums/x335/hurricane868/

 

We did get a fair bit of dirt spraying up from front wheel. Down tube mudguard is not much good. Any suggestions for decent front mudguard would be appreciated. Can't go into a pub on bike run all splashed in muck.

Edited January 20, 201214 yr by Hurricane

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/10118-winter-riding-3.html

Post#23. keep the rain/mus off quite well and easy to fit. £18 pr

I reckon it is 25% Both batteries cost £802 so a quarter is £200. VAT is 20% and import tax I am guessing at 5%

 

Just wasn't expecting such a hit, That makes each battery costing just over £500 That is more than the Synergie Cruiser for the whole bike!

 

Old post, but thought I'd comment on this for anyone reading it.

 

You have to understand the way import VAT is calculated as to why it can seem so high and much higher than 20% VAT sales tax on domestic goods.

 

Customs make couriers follow a standard practice across the EU (EU law) which means they calculate Duty (about 3.5-6%) on the goods value first, and goods value means cost of goods + shipping + VAT on shipping. Then import VAT at 20% is calculated on top of that final price.

 

But here's the sting. EU law makes couriers use a set scale of minimum shipping cost where the shipping fee is not stated (with proof) on the paperwork. Often this shipping estimate is much higher than what you actually paid.

 

Yes it's a racket. The end result is you often end up paying 30-35% import taxes on your goods.

 

Also there's the £15 clearance fee/deferment fee routinely extorted by couriers just for paying the VAT/Duty for you through their account with HMRC. This is also a racket and basically a way to exploit customers and make incredible profits from doing very little. I have checked with HMRC, and customers (and businesses) who are importing goods DO NOT have to pay on deferment accounts with couriers, you can ask the courier to pay the taxes DIRECTLY to HMRC and they cannot refuse you. Often if you argue over the £15 fee and say you didn't request that service and preferred to pay it directly, the couriers will just drop it and not pursue the fee. You don't have a written contract/agreement with them after all to pay for any service and it's not worth them pursuing you for such a small amount. So stand your ground.