Electric Bicycle

Gare

Gold Member
Dec 30, 2012
8,380
15,830
Canton Ohio Area
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Presently using Deus 2's & have Minelabs, Nokta's Tesoro's DEus's Have them all . Have WAY to many need to get rid of some
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I am building a Electric Bicycle. I plan on riding it to a lot of places that are a long walk to get to.In 2007 I was in a bad horse accident and fractured my pelvic. It is hard for me t0 walk a long distance.This bicycle will have knobby tires and will be a front wheel drive bicycle.It is supposed to have a 30 mile range on a full charge. I am building this bicycle for less then $500. Do any of you have one and if so how does it work out on the off road trails ? What are your thoughts ?
 

Its a very good idea, with the proper set up. I am also fixing to dive in to this. I have been looking for a couple of 3 wheelers to modify into 1 fat tires off road electric bike. I have a 48v ebike motor and the works. Its just the proper body style im looking for for the added weight. I will be running 4 12 v VRLA batteries for the source. Figuring how to configure the battery alignment for a good balance is important on any 2 wheeled vehicle. I did manage to get my hands on a yamaha big wheel 200, but as hard as those are to find, I really can't bring myself to cut it up and modify it. Thus I'm still hung up. I have been kicking the idea around of add ing a 10 speed bike gearing from the jackshft to the rear wheel. It would vary the tourque for better climbing ability. Ibe also been looking into a 2 speed setup with separate clutches on the jackshaft as well. Alot like some of the rarer classic mini bikes of the 60s.
 

There are YT vids of a Dutch kid that powers his bike at the pedal point using a powerful cordless drill, the bike really moves out.
 

Hub motors work great on flat, smooth ground. If you want off-road best to go with a mid-drive motor so you can gear it down with your chain /sprockets derailleur. The hub motors get warm when worked too hard and this will degrade their power, actually do damage if they get tooo hot. Add those fat tires and you get even more rolling resistance. Yes, you can drive them up hills and off-road but don't push the throttle too much and do a lot of peddling. If you can feel the throttle response you are okay, but it's easy to open it up and bog it down. I'm talking about 1000 watts and a 48/52v 20AHr battery. Now there are some geared hub motors that would help but still not as good as the mid-drive. Mid-drive is noisier and wears out the chain. The hub motor I have is called Voilamart. Think I paid $550 for everything. I got a Lithium Phosphate LiFePo4 which has many more charge cycles and is less fire hazard. But it weighs quite a bit more. Also check your state laws. Many only allow 20mph and 750 watts.
 

Last edited:
As for the battery, do not run it down when new. You need several charge cycles to be sure all the cells are awake and accepting a charge. Best not to make a habit of running it complete discharge. When it's cold out be even more careful. But I use mine down to near freezing and there is a noticeable drop in power but it still works pretty good.
 

The conversion kit i bought was $261 for the kit $167 for the battery .i guess some kits come with a battery. I paid $50 for the bike. When i get it done i will post pictures and maybe a video. Still waiting on the battery
 

I forgot to mention, don't believe those mileage claims. 52v 20AHr battery I can get about 25 miles driving fast and peddling away from the stops. (I don't peddle much otherwise.) That's with some hills but mostly flat. Of course stop and go will drain the battery more than steady driving.
 

Battery curret draw is important. Continuous use at 30 amps is good for a 1000 watt motor.
 

Its a very good idea, with the proper set up. I am also fixing to dive in to this. I have been looking for a couple of 3 wheelers to modify into 1 fat tires off road electric bike. I have a 48v ebike motor and the works. Its just the proper body style im looking for for the added weight. I will be running 4 12 v VRLA batteries for the source. Figuring how to configure the battery alignment for a good balance is important on any 2 wheeled vehicle. I did manage to get my hands on a yamaha big wheel 200, but as hard as those are to find, I really can't bring myself to cut it up and modify it. Thus I'm still hung up. I have been kicking the idea around of add ing a 10 speed bike gearing from the jackshft to the rear wheel. It would vary the tourque for better climbing ability. Ibe also been looking into a 2 speed setup with separate clutches on the jackshaft as well. Alot like some of the rarer classic mini bikes of the 60s.

An electric bicycle also known as an e-bike or ebike is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor which can be used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, from e-bikes that only have a small motor to assist the rider's pedal-power to more powerful e-bikes which are closer to moped-style functionality. All retain the ability to be pedalled by the rider and are therefore not electric motorcycles. UPSers Login
 

Last edited:

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top