Ebikeling 1200w rear wheel kit from Amazon

[BigMatt]

Did exactly what you propose, Big Matt. However, my setup was for snow, not for riding to work. I'm glad I don't have to do either.

Front motor was an ebikeling geared motor that I laced into a rim. Rear motor is a bafang geared motor I bought with the wheel already on it. Used only throttle for the front, and put it om the right side. I later turned it around to have it next to the grips. In the pic, it's in quite a ways.

In snow, I'd throttle up the front to get rolling, and PAS would kick in on the rear when I started pedalling.

I took it apart after one season. I caught bronchitis in Februrary and had it thru April.

View attachment 41872 View attachment 41874

Harry,

Here’s what she looks like done. I hooked the single throttle and single PAS to both controllers with separate displays. I think I’ll likely end up keeping the front set to a slightly lower throttle and PAS setting than the back.

I haven’t opened her up yet, but I took her around the block and performance (get up) was unbelievable...

- 48v 20 AH on the rear hub
- 48v 20 AH on the back (2 identical 10 AH parallel).
- I was going considering running them all parallel then split to both controllers, but the fully charged voltage (between the front and back) is ~0.7 volts apart (54.8 vs 54.1), far enough apart. That’s too far for comfort. The 2 (10 AH) batteries that are run parallel are identical voltage, make and age/wear with identical BMS.

PS. You’ll notice my urban camouflage on one hub. Hint: They’re not 250/500 watt hubs, but 250 + 500 = 750... ;-)

 

[harryS]

So all the batteries are in the bag? Looks good. Ride safe! Let's hope this is one of dem years with more rain than snow,

 

[BigMatt]

So all the batteries are in the bag? Looks good. Ride safe! Let's hope this is one of dem years with more rain than snow,

Yeah, the batteries all fit in there (along with 2 controllers). I had to play a game of Tetris to get things to fit efficiently. When I increased from 20 to 40 AH, I lost most my storage space although the rear rack bag has relatively sturdy side (unzipping) panniers.

I’ve also got the batteries zip tied down (thick massive zip ties) to the rack cutting slits in the bottom of the bag. I also have a lock on the zipper and a (Insanely loud) motion alarm to eliminate a casual theft. Has to be a highly determined thief with tools on hand.

 

[BigMatt]

So all the batteries are in the bag? Looks good. Ride safe! Let's hope this is one of dem years with more rain than snow,

Hi Harry,

I ended up swapping some batteries (between 2 bikes) and running them parallel after all (2 identical 20 ah batteries). The controllers might draw up to 26-27 amps each, and each battery has 50 AMP continuous discharge, so parallel seems to work well. I also am only using the front motor on a separate right side thumb throttle (PAS turned off) whereas the back is PAS and left twist throttle. I only use the front for acceleration from stop, traction or turbo (5th gear) and it’s simpler to control than it may sound.

I haven’t weighed this bike, but it is now very, very friggin heavy (maybe 120 LBs+) with the two 20 AH batteries and the 2 hubs. I’m afraid to guess, but it needs 2 kick stands to keep it upright.

Given the weight, braking was slowed so I did a search and found these hydraulic brakes (link below) that actually work with cable actuated levers and cables making install a breeze. I never heard of this before, but these things are unbelievable compared to my otherwise pretty high quality mechanical brakes. If you ever felt you lacked stopping power on a heavier fat bike, these could be your answer...

On an unrelated front, I also built a new sixthreezero cruiser bike into a killer EBike for my wife’s birthday. Not my cup of tea, but she loves the cruiser bike (with the ridiculous handle bars), so I went as far as to paint the torque arms blue to match it. This one will fly (1200W hub and light 10 ah battery).


TRP HY/RD Road Hydraulic Disc Brake Caliper Black Rotor Front 160mm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076WSDSNH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_J1W7DbGEQM6QH

 

[harryS]

You're the EBike Man in Chicago!

 

[tomjasz]

Best grin of the day....

 

[BigMatt]

Best grin of the day....

Until these arrive from Asia...

;-)

 

[tomjasz]

Until these arrive from Asia...

;-)

Hopefully the local cops stay ignorant.... what is the max wattage and speed there? BBSHD motors are labeled 750W but run up to 1500W. Hopefully no one knows a hub drive from a mid drive. Me? I’m not willing to try to sell a bike I just road by a cop at 28mph and expect he’ll believe it’s 36V 250W. Probably good for now but when they do wise up it seems to me that stretch could lose a bike to the cop garage. YMMV.

 

[BigMatt]

Hopefully the local cops stay ignorant.... what is the max wattage and speed there? BBSHD motors are labeled 750W but run up to 1500W. Hopefully no one knows a hub drive from a mid drive. Me? I’m not willing to try to sell a bike I just road by a cop at 28mph and expect he’ll believe it’s 36V 250W. Probably good for now but when they do wise up it seems to me that stretch could lose a bike to the cop garage. YMMV.

I think 750W is (technically) the Illinois limit along with 28 MPH but there are very few ebikes in Chicago and seemingly no rules (enforced) for cyclists as a whole. I read the regs recently (standard 3 classes), but it was very unclear what was actually kosher and what was not. I pass cops every day and often see cyclists run red lights and stop signs in front of cops (they know are there) with literally no reaction.

I’m certain zero cops in Chicago know how to discern the Wattage of an ebike or carry any equipment that could aid them in that regard. Of course, that could all change if ebikes proliferate, but there are really no EBike retailers in DT Chicago. I rarely if ever exceed 28 MPH anyway because there are too many damn red lights and too much traffic (including cars, foot traffic with people on their phones walking into bike lines, and other slow Divvy bikes in front of me).

I think I see more guys on unicycles (no joke) and electronic skateboards than ebikes.

Chicago just killed Lyme/Byrd scooters earlier this year after a trial period. Those who walk, ride bikes and drive cars seemed happy with killing the rental scooters.

My fat bike (dual hub) is for crappy (winter) weather days when super speed is not really in the cards anyway.

My DIY (1500W rear hub) 700c Trek Verve EBike is my faster bike that is much less obviously an EBike, but I’m not riding that much in November and December. That bike is faster because of the tires, aerodynamics and much, much lighter weight.

700c (urban camouflage) ebike pic:

 

[harryS]

Now I've got the itch to put the snow tires back on my 20" Ecotric. Got me thinking about doing dual drive again. Yikes.

I better think small and swap the tires first.

 

[stanmiller]

TRP HY/RD Road Hydraulic Disc Brake Caliper Black Rotor Front 160mm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076WSDSNH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_J1W7DbGEQM6QH

Thanks for the tip! Just installed the 180mm kit up front on my Mongoose Envoy. These are the real deal.

 

[BigMatt]

Thanks for the tip! Just installed the 180mm kit up front on my Mongoose Envoy. These are the real deal.

Yeah, I’ve been using them a few days now on my Chicago commute on my super heavy fat bike where I need to stop and slow down a lot. Night and day from mechanical disk brakes! I My hands used to get tired from all the super hard squeezing mechanical braking required to slow down fast.

I also put them on my 700c bike and looking forward to an above freezing day to actually test them out beyond a round the block trip.

Inexpensive hydraulic brakes that install in about 5 minutes. One of my better finds.

Do you know if the 180 MM kit calipers are any different than the 160 MM kit? If it’s just swapping the disks (that are obviously different), I might do that too.

 

[stanmiller]

Do you know if the 180 MM kit calipers are any different than the 160 MM kit? If it’s just swapping the disks (that are obviously different), I might do that too.

I don't think there is any difference in the caliper - only the size of the disc (160 vs 180) and mounting position. My bike came with an 180 mm setup up front, so installing the TRP was plug-n-play. The rear is 160 mm and I have an old BB5 installed there.

 

[BigMatt]

Now I've got the itch to put the snow tires back on my 20" Ecotric. Got me thinking about doing dual drive again. Yikes.

I better think small and swap the tires first.

Alright, Harry, I officially lost my mind...

- I added a third 20 AMP hour battery to the frame (three 20 AMP Hour batteries in parallel now) and now might be able to make it to Madison, Wisconsin from Chicago, Illinois (~144 miles ~ 2,880 Watt Hours assuming 20 WH per mile). The battery was orphaned from a different build and I felt guilty not finding a use for it.

- I wired both displays together to the same centered handlebar mount for a cleaner look.

- Both motors/controllers are on the same PAS system. Front right thumb and rear left twist, but really the the only thing needed is rear throttle to get the rear going and then pedaling toget both motors going.

- Notice the 2 kick stands zip tied together so they go up and down together. Damn thing is so heavy now it will bend a single kick stand like it’s a drinking straw.

- I was concerned that the ~6 inch wide frame battery (between the knees) would get in the way when pedaling, but I have plenty of clearance. Despite the overall weight increase, I think it rides better with a little more weight centered balancing out the heavy weight (two 20 Ah batteries) in the rear trunk bag. I used the bottle mounting holes, a sturdy piece of mounting plastic (Lighter/stronger than plywood), some super thick zip ties and a waterproof trunk back to get that center battery mounted securely and rather cleanly.

I ordered a front fork rack I intend to mount to install another bag. My original Idea was to put the battery there (rather than the frame), but adding that weight to front fork might really make steering weird. I may just make that front a cargo bag for things (keys, wallet, iPad, groceries, etc.) that are likely to be much lighter than a 20 AH battery with Aluminum protective casing.

 

[harryS]

Wow, what a monster bike.

I've had problems with the same kickstand. Tightened it too much and bend the chainstay. Thought about it a bit. Made an upper strap to the top chainstay so it wouldn't slip. Turns out they sell them like that. It worked, but the lower arm snapped off. I'm on my second one. Maybe you need a center mount stand, but they look flimsy too.

I ordered these 20"x 80mm in yellow. $97 for two. I would rather buy off ebay, but they only sell 100mm in black, but 100mm is too wide for me. FWD someday for the Ecotric 20".

 

[FlatSix911]

Alright, Harry, I officially lost my mind...

- I added a third 20 AMP hour battery to the frame (three 20 AMP Hour batteries in parallel now) and now might be able to make it to Madison, Wisconsin from Chicago, Illinois (~144 miles ~ 2,880 Watt Hours assuming 20 WH per mile). The battery was orphaned from a different build and I felt guilty not finding a use for it.

- I wired both displays together to the same centered handlebar mount for a cleaner look.
- Both motors/controllers are on the same PAS system. Front right thumb and rear left twist, but really the the only thing needed is rear throttle to get the rear going and then pedaling toget both motors going.
- Notice the 2 kick stands zip tied together so they go up and down together. Damn thing is so heavy now it will bend a single kick stand like it’s a drinking straw.

- I was concerned that the ~6 inch wide frame battery (between the knees) would get in the way when pedaling, but I have plenty of clearance. Despite the overall weight increase, I think it rides better with a little more weight centered balancing out the heavy weight (two 20 Ah batteries) in the rear trunk bag. I used the bottle mounting holes, a sturdy piece of mounting plastic (Lighter/stronger than plywood), some super thick zip ties and a waterproof trunk back to get that center battery mounted securely and rather cleanly.

I ordered a front fork rack I intend to mount to install another bag. My original Idea was to put the battery there (rather than the frame), but adding that weight to front fork might really make steering weird. I may just make that front a cargo bag for things (keys, wallet, iPad, groceries, etc.) that are likely to be much lighter than a 20 AH battery with Aluminum protective casing.

View attachment 42725

Great looking ride... thanks for sharing your build. You may want to consider one last upgrade... the cable lock.

 

[BigMatt]

Great looking ride... thanks for sharing your build. You may want to consider one last upgrade... the cable lock.

View attachment 42755

I do have this alarm thing mounted to the rear rack (between rack back and seat). Move the bike a millimeter (when armed) while trying to cut a chain lock or cut a luggage lock (on the bags) to try to steal a battery, it screams at 113 decibels (after a warning chirp). Ear-splitting!

Onvian Wireless Anti-Theft Motorcycle Bike Alarm with Remote, Waterproof Bicycle Security Alarm Vibration Sensor, 113dB Loud https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFBV7TW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BLP9Db2JSGJ7K

 

[BigMatt]

Wow, what a monster bike.

I've had problems with the same kickstand. Tightened it too much and bend the chainstay. Thought about it a bit. Made an upper strap to the top chainstay so it wouldn't slip. Turns out they sell them like that. It worked, but the lower arm snapped off. I'm on my second one. Maybe you need a center mount stand, but they look flimsy too.

I ordered these 20"x 80mm in yellow. $97 for two. I would rather buy off ebay, but they only sell 100mm in black, but 100mm is too wide for me. FWD someday for the Ecotric 20".
View attachment 42754

What are these (rubber?) rings? For the wheels around the inside of the wheel base? If so, purely cosmetic or for hub protection?

This is the material (cut to size) mounted to the water bottle frame holes (2 screws and 2 zip ties) and bag. The bag is mounted to the (board inside mounted to frame through the bag bottom) and and the battery is zip tied (super thick 200 pounders) to the board.

That frame mounted battery is on there really tightly and securely. I have the bag zip tied closed and Locked. The plan is paralegal charging through the rear battery parallel connections.

SOURCEONE.ORG Source One Premium UHMW, Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, Sheets, Available in Every Size and Thickness,Opaque White (1/4 Inch Thick, 12 x 24) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0789M1249/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XWP9Db4EMYFV0

Also, I had trouble finding a center mount (“upside down V”) kickstand that would fit around fat tires.

 

[FlatSix911]

I do have this alarm thing mounted to the rear rack (between rack back and seat). Move the bike a millimeter (when armed) while trying to cut a chain lock or cut a luggage lock (on the bags) to try to steal a battery, it screams at 113 decibels (after a warning chirp). Ear-splitting!

Onvian Wireless Anti-Theft Motorcycle Bike Alarm with Remote, Waterproof Bicycle Security Alarm Vibration Sensor, 113dB Loud https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFBV7TW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BLP9Db2JSGJ7K

Thanks for the clarification... I have the exact same alarm.

 

[tomjasz]

Thanks for the clarification... I have the exact same alarm.

Me too, but it’s pitch is out of my range. (HA wearer) Wish it was louder. Or it could actuate my AirZound.