Have old dirty bike. What chinese motor to use?

[FPSa_]

Haven't used this bike since 2018 December, I read that I need to clean up the chains (remove rust, oil it up)

What kit do you guys recommend? Needs to be cheap, and chinese.
A cheap battery would be a benefit, but I have the skills to solder/wire up a pack my self

 

[tomjasz]

Amazon prime budget kits. Soldering a battery pack is an accident waiting to happen. Use a kit like Vruzend. Far less likely to burn down the house. UPP is as cheap as I would ever go for a China battery. endless_sphere.com is a better forum for DIY budget kit development and building. Just remember budget kits get budget assistance. Fellas have built decent kit bikes, but it’ll take some research to sort a decent build.

 

[FPSa_]

Amazon prime budget kits. Soldering a battery pack is an accident waiting to happen. Use a kit like Vruzend. Far less likely to burn down the house. UPP is as cheap as I would ever go for a China battery. endless_sphere.com is a better forum for DIY budget kit development and building. Just remember budget kits get budget assistance. Fellas have built decent kit bikes, but it’ll take some research to sort a decent build.

no accident. it is safe

 

[Stu]

I would definitely lose the chain and the sprockets on the free wheel. then get a mid drive. Sounds like you want o get it cheap. It probably wont be several months down the road. A hub motor might even be cheaper and easier to install. Neither are hard. If its your first build get what you can afford. They will all work. I like Luna because they have a good forum and good on line chat. but I have had some problems recently, only about 200 mi out of a battery and I think the controller might be shot too, so I am not happy about that. BUt both drives are easy to install hub is probably easier. NO matter what it will be a good learning experience. Have fun

 

[tomjasz]

Mid drives and cable rerouting can be a problem. These days Amazon Prime has some cheap kits. Find a gear driven hub there. And then please get Micah Tolls battery book if you insist you’re building a battery.

 

[FPSa_]

Thanks all for the input

 

[harryS]

The ebikeling kits on amazon have decent reviews. I've bought his ebay products, in fact, have at least three of them. All were the 500W geared motor. His LCD displays don't work right with geared motors. I had one kit with the LCD, and I replaced the controller/LCD with different models. I have no problem with the LED models, but they only have 3 PAS levels. The kits have a 22 amp controller and will push your bike around at 20-22 mph on 36V.

He sells a direct drive motor, which I've never seen. The nuances of DD motors, heavier weight, difficult to pedal w/o power, but simple with high speeds, don't attract me.

My two ebikeling 36V 500W kits. First one is an old Trek with the LED display and 3 level PAS. $200 kit and $280 36V10AH battery. Motor went on in 2015 and has never come off (no flat tires), Battery still useful. Second is a Schwinn my neighbor threw out last year. I had the LCD kit for $210, but I used a different controller/LCD ($75). Both are 20-22 mph.


I also built a mid drive with Bafang BBS02, I rode it in Colorado past the "no ebikes" signs back in 2017, with the highly visible rack battery covered with pannier bags and duct tape. That build was over $1000 back in 2016 when batteries and motors cost more than today. For a beater bike, go with a hub motor, but get a safe battery or build it safe.