Help Critique My Stealth e-bike Parts and Sellers Choices

[Handlebars]

Here's my intended choices. Thanks for looking! The intended use is almost all for street, mostly "stop and go" in city. I intend to limit the motor to 18 mph assist and will pedal hard and shift from stops, to keep up with traffic between traffic lights. Otherwise, to take it easy on side streets, almost all of them having lots of stop signs. so it will be easier pedaling but still helping the motor and battery get going from the stop.

1. CCM Avenue 700 girls' sleeper bike. Cost: "free" because we own it already, it's taking up space and hardly ever used. Oddly, most of the pics of it online are from police auctions. Even the strong carrier bought at a bike shop is identical to ours. I had no idea when I bought the bike that it was such a favoured target.

2. Bafang 500W rear hub kit from ebay seller "greenergia" for thehttps://www.ebay.ca/itm/Electric-Rear-Wheel-Conversion-Kit-48V-500W-Rear-Hub-Motor-Regeneration-Ebike/173908344921?var=472659721679 Cost: $375 USD plus shipping $33
EDIT: The above link is not correct, it's for "greeneria" and it says it's a regenerative motor. Thanks to harryS for noticing my error.

Here is the "greenergia" rear hub geared motor kit: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07H77QT3J/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=AF0FBM1E362GS&th=1&psc=1

3. 17.5Ah battery w/ Sanyo NCR GA cells http://recycles-ebike.com/home/102-...battery-for-bafang-1000w-bbshd-motor-kit.html Cost: $545 USD

4. Torque arm.

Suggestions or criticism very welcome.

 

[indianajo]

Recycling an old bike to make an e-bike is good for the planet.
Disk brakes stop better in the rain than rim brakes. Buy the disk with the motor and get a mechanical caliper. I have mechanical, they need adjusting twice a year. You can mount the caliper to a strut with a steel U made of sheet metal with holes drilled in it. I use #10-32 1 1/2" stainless sheet metal screws with elastic stop nuts to tighten up the U. THe caliper might be tapped for 5 mm or 6 mm screws. Fastenal & grainger might operate in CA, don't buy anything from the US because UPS & Fedex have a $20 loan origination fee for the customs. If the disk comes without bolts, they tend to be 4 mm x 15 mm.
I got two garbage batteries from vendors on amazon & ebay. Couldn't put out 5 amps without the voltage collapsing. Didn't get money back from ebay. I don't know this vendor. Grin tech in vancouver has a great reputation for e bike kits, but is not cheap. IMHO the higher price battery is worth it. I bought from Lunacycle in the US.
I bought a $189 DD motor wheel kit from ebay and a $200 geared hub motor kit from ebikeling.com. Both were fine. I ride unpowered a lot for exercise so I put the DD motor away. It drags unpowered. Rims that come with motors (deep center) typically require a long stem tube to be inflated. Spokes that come with motors are cheap. I am 170 lb and haven't broken any, if you're more 200 lb or ride over curbs get the DT swiss spokes. Spoke calculators don't work, measure the old ones and order the same length. Spokes can be tightened with a 6" crescent wrench. Make sure the ping pitch is the same for even tension.
I clamp the torque arm to the Strut with another steel U with holes drilled in it. Use safety glasses with power tools.
My controller is under the seat, wires down, to keep it out of the rain. Crimp connectors on wires are best from Dorman (auto supplies) 3m T&B Ideal Panduit (electrical & electronics supplies). The bullett connectors from ***** will melt out at 30 amps. Crimp on 12 ga wire with a Ideal or Klein tool, then pull test, to avoid over heat from bad connections.
Have fun.

 

[rich c]

That’s a big battery, do you really need that much range? I’m no fan of ordering from China. What happens if something fails in a few months? I didn’t see anything about warranty. Maybe I missed it.

 

[TimJohn]

The rear Bafang has the flange for a disk brake. Definitely look into installing a mechanical disk brake or even a hydraulic one. I even found disk brakes (complete hydraulic ones) on my local craigslist listings for around $50 to $120.

I just went to the Toronto CL listings and did not find any disc brake parts for sale but found a couple of them in Vancouver, BC listings. Here are two of them, 1. mechanical and 2. hydraulic

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[Handlebars]

Recycling an old bike to make an e-bike is good for the planet.
Disk brakes stop better in the rain than rim brakes. Buy the disk with the motor and get a mechanical caliper. I have mechanical, they need adjusting twice a year. You can mount the caliper to a strut with a steel U made of sheet metal with holes drilled in it. I use #10-32 1 1/2" stainless sheet metal screws with elastic stop nuts to tighten up the U. THe caliper might be tapped for 5 mm or 6 mm screws. Fastenal & grainger might operate in CA, don't buy anything from the US because UPS & Fedex have a $20 loan origination fee for the customs. If the disk comes without bolts, they tend to be 4 mm x 15 mm.

I would like a front disc brake and want to avoid any complications with the rear wheel, so I can do that task even before the e-bike parts arrive . Thank you for tips on the caliper mounting.

I got two garbage batteries from vendors on amazon & ebay. Couldn't put out 5 amps without the voltage collapsing. Didn't get money back from ebay.

I guess I was mistakenly under the impression that paypal and ebay would provide some extra security on purchases of equipment that isn't as promised. Vendors of small items seem eager to keep their record looking good. Maybe for bigger ticket they don't care?
I wonder if it's better to buy direct with credit card?

I don't know this vendor.

I've seen a few good reports on endless sphere but nothing recent, which is also a thing about Chinese vendors. I've bought perhaps a thousand smaller ( $2- $100) RC items and almost always it ws a good deal, always got replacement if anything was wrong, except on one small order of cheap LiPo batteries, where I took a 50% loss - but for all, never having to return any item. It's been great to have a few good sources. For ebike parts they aren't even worth considering though.
As well, sometimes even though a company was good, they later collapsed on service.

Grin tech in vancouver has a great reputation for e bike kits, but is not cheap. IMHO the higher price battery is worth it. I bought from Lunacycle in the US.

I really dislike their product setup pages and especially their prices, and some of the kit items are out of stock as well. I'm suspicious of their claims of "waterproof". I dunno, but it seems quite sketchy for an electrical engineer to make that claim without backing it with code and number.

Rims that come with motors (deep center) typically require a long stem tube to be inflated.

Thank you for that detail.

Spokes that come with motors are cheap. I am 170 lb and haven't broken any, if you're more 200 lb or ride over curbs get the DT swiss spokes. Spoke calculators don't work, measure the old ones and order the same length. Spokes can be tightened with a 6" crescent wrench. Make sure the ping pitch is the same for even tension.

I should be OK as lightweight and not a curb crasher, and will keep a close eye on spoke tension for some months.

I clamp the torque arm to the Strut with another steel U with holes drilled in it. Use safety glasses with power tools.
My controller is under the seat, wires down, to keep it out of the rain. Crimp connectors on wires are best from Dorman (auto supplies) 3m T&B Ideal Panduit (electrical & electronics supplies). The bullett connectors from ***** will melt out at 30 amps. Crimp on 12 ga wire with a Ideal or Klein tool, then pull test, to avoid over heat from bad connections.
Have fun.

I know! I have been looking at the thin wires coming out of the batteries and saying to myself "what the heck?". I was intending to replace with heavier gauge good copper wire with silicone and good XT60 connectors.


indianaJo, Thank you for your guidance, I appreciate the help.

 

[Handlebars]

That’s a big battery, do you really need that much range?

I do plan on doing some long range rides. l expect to go over 50 miles fairly often. I also thought to extend battery life by having an ample battery and keeping it only partially charged most of the time and fully charging it when I am going to use it a lot in the following day or two, and so to balance the cells every so often.

I’m no fan of ordering from China. What happens if something fails in a few months? I didn’t see anything about warranty. Maybe I missed it.

I like saving the money. If the local sellers weren't charging so much more, I would prefer them - although I'm more worried that their batteries might have been sitting for years. So I'm conflicted because I haven't got a personal experience for these items in China.

What happens if something fails in a few months? I didn’t see anything about warranty. Maybe I missed it.

I think you didn't miss anything.
I imagine that if something fails, I would have to buy a new part or whole item. I've been lucky to find decent Chinese sellers for my RC hobby that have been consistently FAR BETTER than any Canadian business I know of - way, way better, in fact. Getting more than I had hoped for. I have experienced bad Vancouver sellers more than from anywhere else though. Not a lot, just enough to make me resistant to buying anything from Vancouver. It's not a selling point for me.
But with no experience with ebike parts from Chinese sellers, I do need recent confirmation that they are good.
I'm going with Bafang simply because they sell so many and seem good. I almost always prefer "popular and found everywhere" over "uniquely fantastic and soon all gone forever".

Rich c, thank you for your input!

 

[Handlebars]

The rear Bafang has the flange for a disk brake. Definitely look into installing a mechanical disk brake or even a hydraulic one. I even found disk brakes (complete hydraulic ones) on my local craigslist listings for around $50 to $120.

I just went to the Toronto CL listings and did not find any disc brake parts for sale but found a couple of them in Vancouver, BC listings. Here are two of them, 1. mechanical and 2. hydraulic

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Hi Timjohn. Do you think it would be good enough to install only a front disc brake and keep the rear rim brake?
Overall, I wanted to keep the stealth aspect (no disc brakes), and go only low speed and on roads. I do want to have more safety and especially for wet conditions, so disc brakes with motor cutoff switches is probably the way I need to go.

Thank you!

 

[Handlebars]

That’s a big battery, do you really need that much range? I’m no fan of ordering from China. What happens if something fails in a few months? I didn’t see anything about warranty. Maybe I missed it.

There is also the highly recommended seller em3ev with battery prices substantially better than Canadian seller prices and more likely to have fresh supplies. I do want the Bafang 500W rear hub though. I really like the selection and price at "recycle ebikes", but if I don't find a bunch of satisfied buyers, it'll be em3ev, I suppose. If they carried my motor, I'd probably buy everything there.


em3ev has this:

52V (14S5P) EM3ev Jumbo Shark Options - 52V 14.3Ah (14S5P-PF) Shark

I'm shy of buying the higher voltage. This 48V one is probably what I'd go for

48V (13S5P) EM3ev Jumbo Shark Options - 48V 14.3Ah (13S5P-PF) Jumbo @ $523 USD including shipping.

 

[tomjasz]

eBikes.ca and EM3EV are top tier. Your criticism of Grin is contrary to their quality and engineering. Lots of sellers tag products with IP ratings. Pretty much blather from many Chinese sources. You may get what you pay for. Being new it’s best to relax and sort the advantages and disadvantages of kit building. You do yourself no favors by buying from multiple sources to save a few bucks. I take several calls every day from builders that can’t get help from their reseller.

 

[tomjasz]

BTW none of my bikes have brazed on mounts for discs. Nor are most rims adaptable to discs.

 

[indianajo]

Yeah, for a front disk brake & no motor, you'll have to buy a front wheel with a disk mount flange. I know some US suppliers but there is a big customs advantage to buying in CA. I lucked out my cargo bike came with disk brakes already, before I converted to electricity. When the rear brake cable wore out I rode with a front disk brake only for 10 weeks, doable but not to be recommended. Kept getting cables too short.

 

[Handlebars]

eBikes.ca and EM3EV are top tier. Your criticism of Grin is contrary to their quality and engineering. Lots of sellers tag products with IP ratings. Pretty much blather from many Chinese sources. You may get what you pay for. Being new it’s best to relax and sort the advantages and disadvantages of kit building. You do yourself no favors by buying from multiple sources to save a few bucks. I take several calls every day from builders that can’t get help from their reseller.

"Waterproof" is a big claim. For sure, I do not take most Chinese seller claims at face value.

You do yourself no favors by buying from multiple sources to save a few bucks

I fully agree, but the trouble is that the known good sellers of batteries aren't selling the motor I want or do not ship to Canada. The known sellers of motors don't have sufficient battery descriptions OR good prices, or don't send to Canada. I've been searching for a single seller, no dice. It's not about a few bucks, it's about a fairly substantial price difference.
If it's Grin or nobody, I just have to forget about an ebike for now.

 

[tomjasz]

Bafang rear covers a few different motors. Grin chose versions to sell after much testing. Some versions can be a bit difficult to source repair parts. FWIW Just something I’ve observed in 5 years of parts sales.

 

[Handlebars]

Yeah, for a front disk brake & no motor, you'll have to buy a front wheel with a disk mount flange. I know some US suppliers but there is a big customs advantage to buying in CA. I lucked out my cargo bike came with disk brakes already, before I converted to electricity. When the rear brake cable wore out I rode with a front disk brake only for 10 weeks, doable but not to be recommended. Kept getting cables too short.

I'm more inclined to buy another new bike that has disc brakes. The brake question bothers me.

 

[Handlebars]

Well, the 14 Ah PF battery from Grin is $690 vs the $523 from em3ev. That's not as bad as I thought the difference is.

$400 for Panasonic PF from recycles-ebikes vs $690, though. For the motor, it's going to have to be ebay, it seems.
I'm not satisfied enough to go ahead with it all.

 

[tomjasz]

PF cells are fine with a 500W motor. I have a couple of old PF packs and they've held up extremely well. recycles-bikes owner is a great reseller. I'd not be too concerned with well-tuned rim brakes and a 500W motor. KoolStop ebike pads are great. One piece of advice... eBay wheel builds are notorious for being poor and often very low-end rims. Even if double walled. The devil is in the details, not the price.

 

[Handlebars]

PF cells are fine with a 500W motor. I have a couple of old PF packs and they've held up extremely well. recycles-bikes owner is a great reseller. I'd not be too concerned with well-tuned rim brakes and a 500W motor. KoolStop ebike pads are great. One piece of advice... eBay wheel builds are notorious for being poor and often very low-end rims. Even if double walled. The devil is in the details, not the price.

Thank you very much, Sir.
I'm going to be riding carefully and not above 20mph, so with motor cutoff switches and the good brake pads suggestion I feel a bit more secure now. The PF comparison was to get everything equal in Ah and cell type. I might get the higher Ah Sanyo cell pack for just a little more. Those are good batteries.
One more thing: is it possible to nerf the power and speed through the 850C display?

 

[tomjasz]

Thank you very much, Sir.
I'm going to be riding carefully and not above 20mph, so with motor cutoff switches and the good brake pads suggestion I feel a bit more secure now. The PF comparison was to get everything equal in Ah and cell type. I might get the higher Ah Sanyo cell pack for just a little more. Those are good batteries.
One more thing: is it possible to nerf the power and speed through the 850C display?

 

[Handlebars]

. One piece of advice... eBay wheel builds are notorious for being poor and often very low-end rims. Even if double walled. The devil is in the details, not the price.

Right. I'm studying the experts' wheel lacing techniques so I can be prepared before I even use the wheel.

 

[tomjasz]

Most motors can be overvolted. I’m not understanding your being sold on Bafang. MAC motors with a programmable controller can run at a range of power settings. Cheap kits have cheap controllers. Untrainable brains. Exactly why I stick to Grin and EM3ev for complete kits. I sell EM3ev batteries and own several. My first build was with an EM3ev battery. 5 years later my wife still rides with that Dolphin pack. We tried batteries some several China sources but have fewest issues with EM3ev. A real one year warranty. I do not advertise and ever sell here. But I will vouch for their work. EM3ev is developing a USA presence. Making them ever more attractive. To me warranty service for kits is paramount. I’ve taken risks with UPP batteries but the builds are sub par. Even so I have 4 year old packs from them. They just have s higher failure rate. Any warranty replacement is hit or miss and usually a frustratingly long process. Same for Luna. All good until there’s an issue. I hate fighting for good service. So, I have to ask, why Bafang overMAC? Which Bafang motor are your source selling? Sondors used a low end Bafang with a cheap controller and display. While at Luna I sold scores of upgrades. I contend we do better by sorting exact specifications. The sales blather gets confusing. I support and sell mid drives and Bafang is by far the worst parts support ever. I run and love their drives but they are solely interested in dollars and lack sense when trying to access parts. Which explains my support of purchases fromGrin. Parts and support in English. Now I do buy parts China direct, but from s very limited group of sellers. Understanding that I am the problem solver. I hope that helps!