Converting Into Ebike

[Adam319]

Ok, so I know that everyone wants to have the most bike for the least amount of money spent. I already have a bike that is a Nashbar AT2
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
I want to be able to do part of my commute with it. It is only about 5 miles each way what I want to do, but I will be doing this year round in Iowa. I can't bring the bike inside, but I do plan on bringing the battery in with me daily as to not wear it down due to temperature extremes. The battery I was looking at is the PingPing 36v 10ah LifePO4 http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-8/lifepo4-lithium-phosphate-iron/Detail
As far as the wheel and motor I would like to go front mount due to not wanting to put another set of gears on my rear and adjust the derailer....since I am still pretty new at this. I was looking at this on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/36V-800W-Hu...-Conversion-/291425721261?hash=item43da539bad
I don't know if I can put my disk brakes on that hub though.
Is this all that I will need to make my conversion?

thanks

 

[pxpaulx]

Putting a front motor with a suspension fork is pretty much a no-no - the suspension is not designed to handle the stress a motor puts out.

 

[Adam319]

Darn. Welp that is why I asked. I am not scared of a challenge. So if I put the same equivalent on the rear?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/36V-800W-26...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[pxpaulx]

Rear should be ok. If you are looking to do a budget build, you'd find a lot of help at the endless sphere forums, where the members are much more diy oriented! Good luck with the build.

 

[JoePah]

@Adam319 Sounds like fun.. I'd avoid any ebike on ebay unless you know the product they're selling. Ping battery has a good reputation but his batteries are heavy and mounted on a rear rack.. not ideal.

Suggest you call Luna Cycle.. For about $800 you'll have a system that will work, and a vendor in California with a great reputation.
http://lunacycle.com/black-friday/golden-motor-v5-magic-pie-complete-kit/

 

[harryS]

You might consider that the motor on something like a direct drive Magic Pie V weighs 7.5 Kg or 16 pounds. You need big magnets to go 30 mph. And if you get caught having to pedal on a flat battery, the magnet drag will build strong thighs quick. You don''t have to get a DD motor that big though. You should consider torque arms even in the rear, as you have an alloy frame.

Geared hub motors are half that weight, have very little drag, have a mechanical advantage starting off, and on hills, but the gears can wear out, plus they go half as fast on power. Everything has tradeoffs. Midmount motors take more work to install and tune, cost more, and need an intelligent rider. I never knew there were so many e-bike rideers who don't understand gearing. Well, my wife is like that.

By the way, I got my e-bike out a few sunny days this past winter. Battery power at 35F seemed like half of what I had when it was 70F.

I have bought stuff from lunacycle too. I'm glad they are around.

 

[George S.]

This guy did a Magic Pie install, rear motor, and made a very helpful video:

http://electricbike.com/forum/forum...gic-pie/161-magic-pie-v5-giant-sedona-install

There is a smaller DD motor in the same series, the Smart Pie. It's less conspicuous. I think Luna may stock them, at some point, otherwise Golden Motor Canada is the source. I think Luna has the 26 inch wheel. I've looked at that Nashbar bike. People seem to like it. The price is right. It is a 26 inch wheel. The Goldens are set up for disk or rim brakes on every laced wheel, which is handy. You need to get the right wheel size, and choose front or rear.

The Goldens are smooth and very quiet. There is less drag with the smaller motor. I have a Smart Pie and I also have a Mac motor, which makes some noise, but it's very capable with a 48v pack. A geared motor with a clutch. Unless you have steep hills, the mid-motors are not really very advantageous.

 

[sexton Tom]

This guy did a Magic Pie install, rear motor, and made a very helpful video:

http://electricbike.com/forum/forum...gic-pie/161-magic-pie-v5-giant-sedona-install

There is a smaller DD motor in the same series, the Smart Pie. It's less conspicuous. I think Luna may stock them, at some point, otherwise Golden Motor Canada is the source. I think Luna has the 26 inch wheel. I've looked at that Nashbar bike. People seem to like it. The price is right. It is a 26 inch wheel. The Goldens are set up for disk or rim brakes on every laced wheel, which is handy. You need to get the right wheel size, and choose front or rear.

The Goldens are smooth and very quiet. There is less drag with the smaller motor. I have a Smart Pie and I also have a Mac motor, which makes some noise, but it's very capable with a 48v pack. A geared motor with a clutch. Unless you have steep hills, the mid-motors are not really very advantageous.

Hi George ! Are all the Goldens DD or do they make geared ?? Would you consider a 7 to 10 % grade about one fourth to a half a mile long steep ? Do you think either of the ones you ride would get over heated on the hills I mentioned ??

 

[George S.]

Hi Tom,

The Goldens are a DD design with a lot of variations and versions. A solid geared motor would be something like a Mac. The only complete source for Mac kits is Paul, EM3ev, who ships from Asia. For a 10% grade, a 48v battery would be better. The motors run 36/48, so it's not too much of an issue. The 36v versions would be fine if you pedaled fairly hard, but nothing strenuous. The pedaling keeps the motor turning which keeps it cool. I rode a 36v Smart Pie up a long hill today with a 20 mph headwind. The wind was the killer. Motor was pegged at full power, 735 watts for 5 minutes. Only way I could get up the hill, which is mostly 6-7% Motor was a bit warm, but fine when I touched it. I pedaled some, never hard. Flat out with a 20A controller and 36v is about 730 watts, but more like 900 watts with a 48 volt. I'm glad I have the 36v system and the small motor. It's just enough power and I doubt I can damage the motor no matter what I do. The Mac with a 48 volt system basically rolls up the hill with 1250 watts, no problem. I would not want to push the Mac motor at full power more than a few minutes with 48v, fine with 36v.

 

[Adam319]

Thanks for all the replies. I ended up getting a magic pie. Waiting on it to get here. Another question, with my bike (and the pie being 48v 1000w rear setup) do I need torque arms? 0, 1 or 2?

Thanks

 

[flymeaway]

do I need torque arms?

Yes.....1 arm.

 

[George S.]

@flymeaway is correct. Basic rule for a real hub is over 500 watts especially aluminum frames. The MP5 is around 1300 watts with your setup.

The throttles tend to give you a lot of power from a stop. This is probably what does the damage, and it may or may not be what you want. I live on dirt and gravel. Anyway, if you have a program cable or the BT module (if it works) you can set the throttle ramp. I have my front Magic at 50% and the rear and more powerful at 70%. They call it acceleration % or ACCEL %. The programming capability is pretty nice.

 

[Adam319]

Welp, I got a magic pie 3 off ebay. It came looking good, but no programming cable from this guy (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Then I also ordered a battery off there...it is on a slow boat from china at this point. got it from this guy (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

So, now i need a torque arm and possibly a rear cassette? And if I do that, then maybe a new derailer if I have to go to a 6 speed on back down from 8.

 

[George S.]

You may not need a programming cable and you might only use it once. You can get one from Golden Motor Canada. Those batteries have worked for many people (Sun) but it is a long wait. Main problem is that they are heavy and the motor is heavy. A triangle frame bag might work. Get a torque arm. Luna has a cheaper one than the Grin from Amazon. I got the Grin.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Most people seem to get 7 speed freewheels, but cassettes may work. There are forums for the Canadian site of Golden Motor. The shifter would limit the derailleur, so get a 6/7 speed shifter.

The battery listing says a 20 amp continuous draw, so that's good. It's the older controller on the motor.

 

[Joe Remi]

You'll be fine with your current 8-speed shifter and derailleur, just set up the shifting so the derailleur limit screws prevent the shift into 1st/low gear. If it's a 7-speed freewheel/cassette, you'll use the shifter as 2 through 8. Your local bike shop can set this up if it's not your thing.