/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Buy a cheap dirt motorbike, or just suck it up and pedal.

>>621902
>advice on e-bikes
Yes. Avoid them. They're a dead end. Overpriced, over-complicated, too heavy. You get much more benefit from a lightweight regular bicycle in cost savings, ease of and reduced cost of maintenance, and health benefits.

There are loads of e-bike conversion kits you can buy from ebay. Some motors are able to reach 80 km/h. Price is around 200 dollar, problem is they're all made in china, and you never know if you can trust that shit.
The most expensive part is the battery you will need. Those range from 500 to 1000 dollars depending on how much amp hours you want.
Might as well buy a scooter or motorcycle.

>>621945
>>621965
>>621989
Thank you for the input but im not looking for a scooter or motorcycle. Those require registration and license. Neither of which I want to do. If I wanted a motorcycle Id take one of my Uncle's.

I simply want some assistance on my bipedal locomotion. I already have five bikes. A Touring frame, MTB, my tricross, a stainless steel road frame I built, and a surly fatboy. Ive commuted by bike for going on 21 years now starting in junior high (4.5miles one way), all of high school (10miles) and all of my adult life. I easily have over 100k miles of cycling just for commuting alone not including leisure. So im not in need of "getting more exercise".

As I stated in my OP this project is to fill a niche requirement in my life. Namely riding 35 miles with a low amount of effort to arrive at my destination fresh and ready to spend a day together. I ride up to 30 miles for fun on the trails but thats a workout. I dont want to arrive exhausted after pedalling over rolling hills for a date only to have to turn around and do it all over again at the end of the day.

Kindly, Im not looking to be sold another mode of transport. Im looking for input on whether anyone has put together an e-bike or has ideas in regards to motor options.

The batery is a done deal. I built two 9kWh battery packs for a 4wheeler conversion for some buddies and I have 32 20ah cells to build whatever pack I want.

>>622090
I have the exact same plan as you, turning a sturdy mountainbike electric. In my case I want it to be high speed, so I found this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1500W-70KM-Hour-Electric-Motorcycle-Motor-Extreme-power-and-Extreme-speed-/221390083683
Pretty expensive, but something like a 500w motor will be much cheaper, at the cost of being a lot slower.

>>622090
Secondly, these e-bike motors are mostly 48V, so that's something to keep in mind when building a battery. If you put several 12v in series it might be a hassle charging. Depending onthe type of battery they might also not be able to supply the motor with enough amps to reach it high speeds.

>>622095
I love that ebay listing. They show a 4000w StealthBomber
> Motor used on this bike is similar but slightly different in design
Yeah, by slightly different they mean three times the power output...

Thats a goldenmotor hub drive. 9C or Crstalyte would be better value for the money. Plus youll have regionally based distributers rather than dealing with questionable chinese dealers.
And you can shop around and get the crystalyte h40 series motors for about 450. They have fast and slow wind versions. Fast winds trade off torque for a higher kV (rpm/volt), whereas the slow winds trade off kV for higher torque.

If youre building a bike for MTB youre deffinitely going to want a geared motor to reduce the weight and provide more low-end torque for climbing and to reduce the unsprung mass.Ive seen quite a few threads of direct drive motors getting uber hot with low speed demands of high torque.

The handling concerns are why im considering a mid-drive option. With gravel roads and no rear suspension I want to avoid having that weight in the wheel to dampen tracking. And the mid drive can use the bikes gearing to effectively use its efficiency band through the whole speed range.

Of course this introduces complexity. But on the other hand im a natural born tinkerer.

> Secondly, these e-bike motors are mostly 48V, so that's something to keep in mind when building a battery.
With the cells on hand I can build anywhere from a 48-96v 20ah battery rated at a maximum continuous 2C. considering im only looking in the 500-750w range thats enough for me. I could also build two 48v20Ah cells for long haul trips. Im expecting that I'll only need an average of 11-15Wh over the 35mile trip when using a minimal assist profile and limiting to 20mph as per federal regulations. An average of 15wh/mile id get high 50-ish miles. Essentially I have access to cheap pouch cells. That dont pass a local shops testing requirements.

Scooters only require registration if the engine is over 50cc. If you buy a "50cc" scooter, the actual engine displacement will be something like 48 or 49. They top-out around 35mph and are legal for street use. Get one and use it. Don't even bother fucking around with the e-bike nonsense; it isn't worth the expense and time. Sell a couple of your bicycles and buy a cheap scooter.

>>622182
Ok. Since you're being simple:

In the state of nebraska any motorized vehicle over 45cc is treated as a motorcycle. Requiring vehicle registration and a motorcycle operators license.

The only way to avoid this is to have the device capable of human power as well with an engine not exceeding 50cc. Thereby classifying it as A MOPED.

> capable of being operated by human power...
Boy if im not mistaken that sounds A LOT like a bicycle....

So since I do not want to:
* register a vehicle.
* acquire a motorcycle operators permit (or ANY permit)
* put a noisy, high polluting combustion engine on my bike

I am therefore constrained to an electric assist device.

I want the primary source of power to be my own two legs with optional assistance.

> it isnt worth the time
Its a hobby. Most hobbies arent worth the time. This point is moot

> or money
Again ...hobby... Ive spent a couple hundred dollars on arduinos and leds that sit in a drawer. I still buy legos.

I spent more money building my steel road frame than buying one off the shelf with better quality control and standards than mine. Its something to do for fun. And since I have 2kWh of battery sitting here unused for a dime on the dollar I might as well build something with them.

Bicycle with electric assist.

>>622090
>I simply want some assistance on my bipedal locomotion
Ride more and you won't find it to be such a problem.

Whatever. Do you have any input on an electric motor?

wow, /diy/ dissapoints me. buy a bike this, buy a bike that. might as well close /diy/ and buy everything.

Sometimes DIY is a great way to get results, but other times doing it yourself is just jerking off and not doing a particularly pleasurable job of it.

You'd likely do well to buy a motor then mod it to your desires and roll your own battery pack.

The RC electric motor hobbyists have some neat ideas on the subject so in your situation I'd study commercial bicycle motors and lurk RC forums. They make some serious power for their size. They do fun shit like rewinding their motors for higher output. Also note that if you start with a cheap motor you can buy better class bearings for it. Fun stuff to study and should get you interesting results. Minor machining if needed might be done at a local machine shop. Machinists tend to like cool projects.

If you actually build anything interesting, send some specs and pics to
logisticslist61 (AT) yahoo with an appropriate subject line. It's a spamdump addy and I don't run Windows so I don't care about posting it here.

>>622348
My my, you turned bitchy in a hurry.

Strap a blower motor and a boat battery to your Huffy and see how far it gets you, Sport. Now be sure to come back here and tell us how great it was, okay? We're all going to want to know what a genius you are.

>>622494
>Sport
*tips fedora*

But seriously, I'm interested in e-bike conversion too. Anyone know a good place where I can order a powerful motor that ships to countries in europe?

Image search "electric bicycle conversion kit", find a design which appeals to you, track down maker, consider what you might like to change, proceed accordingly.

Unless you have a machine shop you won't be making hubs etc so anything you "DIY" will be a MIX of premade components and self-fabricated components.

Now get to your homework. It's fun.

>>621902
OP, google it.

seriously. DIY needs more thread closing.

>>622348
obviously you know what you want, and you can build stuff. A member of my scooter club has built several e-bikes--
he's really cheap, so it's always been the hub motors for him, but he has said the mid-motor design is best for those coming from the bicycle world.
the biggest factor will be find a good controller -- nothing else in the build will be acceptable without it. Unfortunately, I don't know of a good one.

a friend of mine did a conversion of a road bike with a hub motor on the front wheel. The back wheel & chain is unmodified. He tows a trailer with a big solar panel on top. On a sunny day on the flat he does not expend any effort pedaling. He has a couple lead acid batteries in his paniers. The area under the solar panel in the trailer is for storage. I think just his batteries would work for only a 30 mile ride.

>>621902
>no front gear guard
in to the trash

Despite the trolls I'm excited about this thread. I don't know why e-bikes are such a niche thing, they shouldn't be. They make so much sense in many parts of the US which really isn't built for functional cycling.

I'm not working now, but if I start again, an e-bike is the only option for commute. I'm actually not capable of working due in part to wearing myself out too much bike commuting three years ago (chronic illness followed). I've biked unassisted up till now, and I can certainly relate to your situation, OP. Sometimes it is too far to pedal and I Iearned the importance of realizing that the hard way.

Good luck to those trying to make e-bikes~

>ruining a brand new bike with a stupid project
you're a fucking idiot.

Pedal harder.
Do you even lift?

>>623685
>>623706
>>>/b/

>My intent isnt to have a motorcycle on a bike frame.

Ebike builder here. The thing about motorcycle likened performance is having to deal with the correlating weight. Requiring bigger brakes, more rubber, and a beefier frame/wheels to achieve a marginal improvement safe operation.

>>622372
looks good 2me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYIJm7101pg

I built a 1000watt hub motor bike when I lost my licence, the motor and controller was $300 from eBay and I spent about $200 on rc plane battery's, 48v 10ah. This was enough for me to cruise around at 50kms/hr for about 15km. Pedalling, even lightly, will greatly increase your range! These things are awesome fun, and I did jumps and went through the local skate bowl with it quite regularly. Check the laws on power limits but, as Australia can't have more then 200w.

So... ur a faggot?

>>623899
Back to /b/ please.

Who keeps letting them out of their pens?

>an e-bike is the only option for commute.

"Only option?" Scooters and mopeds work fine and may be cheaper used in your area. Small motorcycles are even better.

>>624315
License req'd regardless of motor size, insurance would immediately become $1500/yr because living with family. It makes no difference to the insurance company if we say I'm driving the car or not, and rates don't begin to decline till I turn 25 (I'm 20). I've looked into scooters many times but it just doesn't work out. I'd get a nice scooter if insurance wasn't a factor. I'd make enough money to get a scooter or live on my own if I was in better health.

I've got sort of an unusual situation, but it seems like many people who work 10-20 miles from home would be spared a lot of grief by having an electric bike.

>>624428
This actually makes alot of sense.

>>624428
you're assuming that insurance is just a dumb waste of money mandated for no good reason.

>>624428
This kind of raises a good point. I've thought about electric bikes before. I live pretty near to my work, however, I work second shift, and would thus be biking home at midnight. However in the summer I have the option of working earlier shifts. Now my place of work would be a straight shot of about 2 miles, however, the Mississippi is in the way and the nearest bridge is an interstate so I cannot bike on it. So I have to go further away to bike. Makes the trip about 5 miles, the issue with this being that I to climb back up out of the river valley each way. So this seems like a nice way to make this a bit easier.

I ride an 80's schwinn heavy duti. It's built like a fucking tank and is single speed. So basically imagine the heaviest bike possible with a terrible gear ratio for climbing hills. Do you think it would be worth it to put a motor on it or should I buy a new cheaper lightweight bike and mod that. I know one common concern is that these motors can do damage to the frame of the bike and this frame is solid steal.

>>624493
It kind of is though. The idea of insurance is great, wasting money on expensive as hell managers and CEO's is not. But let's not have bound to be retarded discussion on a diy board.

>>621902
>This was quite recently posted here
I built a 1000watt hub motor bike when I lost my licence, the motor and controller was $300 from eBay and I spent about $200 on rc plane battery's, 48v 10ah. This was enough for me to cruise around at 50kms/hr for about 15km. Pedalling, even lightly, will greatly increase your range! These things are awesome fun, and I did jumps and went through the local skate bowl with it quite regularly. Check the laws on power limits but, as Australia can't have more then 200w.
Good Luck

>>624506
A lighter bike would definitely be worth the money, I think. If you haven't ridden a light road bike in a while, it'll probably feel like a rocket. Five miles one-way seems very manageable. The more heavy stuff you can leave at work so you don't have to carry it, the better.

I probably should've said in my first post that my job location would be eleven miles away, which would be a walk in the park if it wasn't followed by a workday and an eleven mile ride home... fatigue hits me especially hard too.

Weather and location aside, I don't think road biking/commuting in the dark is difficult at all. I enjoy it actually, as there are often very few cars and the weather is cooler in summer. Pic is my helmet in its permanent state; sorry it's not really DIY.

>>624493
Actually insurance is just a huge chunk of income when I am only capable of working a day or two per week. Driving my own car to work would be, financially, about the same as staying at home. Job experience alone looks pretty pale in comparison to maintaining a functional level of health for the rest of the week.

don't listen to the trolls in this thread. ebikes have really come into their own for a certain group of people looking for a certain thing. they're fun to ride and cost effective - especially since you already have all the batteries.

I don't understand why naysayers are wasting their time in a thread they have no interest in.

>>624621
god i hate people with stupid lights

flashing lights are distracting to all other road users and difficult to judge distances to a light thats off half the time
lights on helmet is pretty silly, you loose any periphery of whats ahead if you look around, as well as blinding people by looking at them instead of lighting the road ahead.

i wonder how useful that helmet will be with those lights attached. I'll bet it didn't pass its safety inspection like that.

>>621902
By the way converted the 50kms/hr=30mph and 15 km=9.3 miles. Am empathetic to your plight; insurance for a young person is astronomical.

>>624632
>I don't understand why naysayers are wasting their time in a thread they have no interest in.
You got that right.

>>624621
>can't afford to travel
>find a loophole in insurance laws by combining the worst parks of bicycles and motorcycles
sometimes things are just not what you should be doing. You traveling further than you can bike or walk is one of those things.

>>624621
>Five miles one-way seems very manageable.

Yeah, five miles is a cake walk (bike) however, as I pointed out I have to pedal back out of a fairly steep canyon. My house is lower so the nice part is home would be easier than going to work. It's a 1,000 foot climb up a pretty steep hill. Honestly my options would probably be limited to my current bike or a walmart special.

Also I work a fairly labor intensive job so being tired when I get to work is a no-go, and after work I can be pretty wiped.

>>625078

1k feet is a lot, I see why e-bike makes sense. If you think you can make an electric bike for the cost of a new walmart bike, it'd be worth a try!

bump

I've follow e-bikes for several years.
I had this piece of junk as my primary transportation for a year.

Since it's electric it slips in through a DMV code loophole in my state. Anything traveling below 35mph is technically a moped here no matter its power source.
It's a 1kw hub motor with a 60v 22ah battery pack. Its maximum range was only 15miles and its top speed was only 22mph.

>>626612
As a comparison, this is the moped (Tomos Streetmate) I switched to. Range was 60 miles on a 1 gallon tank.
Top speed was 40mph.

I had to put fairly constant maintenance into both to keep them working. But being Chinese-made the electric scooter was much more labor intensive and more of a money pit. The Streetmate gave me way more range, more cargo room (the "tank" is actually a cargo box). It also have much larger wheels and much more suspension travel so it handled way better.

Both ended up costing $1200 for a whole year of use. But the moped was much easier to resell at a much lower loss.
In contrast the used Volvo 240 I bought only cost me $2000 for a while year of use/insurance. But I do have USAA so the insurance costs for me are tiny.

I never have had the health or stamina to bike everywhere. So my input is that the easiest setup to try and install will be a front wheel hub motor.
Mid-drives require a great deal of machining and drive train modification to get just right.

I've tried several forums on the topic and this is the only one that's helpful and worth reading through for research.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/

>>626614
And now that I'm done babbling about what I've ridden around on I'll give input on your situation.

First: You already have batteries. And if they're good batteries then you already have one of the most difficult parts to sources and afford. Now you just need a decent charger you can bring with you on your bike so you can charge then at work or elsewhere.

As far as I've read the 8Fun is the best (and for most people the only) mid-drive kit out there so its worth the money.
Finding a reputable seller to buy it from is difficult though.

>>626614
USAA is incredible. I've had it since I can remember for banking and insurance. I cannot fault them for anything.