Hunting e bike for road use

[BrianK]

I purposely haven’t recharged my 48v 10.4ah battery for three days now, just to see how far I can go on one charge. Riding ten miles a day on PAS1, no throttle, on hilly back country roads, I’ve ridden 30 miles on one charge. The battery indicator has dipped down to two bars on hills this last ride, but recovered on flats at first to four bars, then to to three bars by the time I got home.

I’m debating whether to try another ten mile ride (total 40 miles) on this current charge. If so I’ll do a continuous loop closer to home so I’m not “stranded” if the battery gives out. (I’ve had 5 strokes and can only walk about 2 miles a day at this point.)

I have no idea how fast the second half of this current charge will deplete.

 

[Taylor57]

I purposely haven’t recharged my 48v 10.4ah battery for three days now, just to see how far I can go on one charge. Riding ten miles a day on PAS1, no throttle, on hilly back country roads, I’ve ridden 30 miles on one charge. The battery indicator has dipped down to two bars on hills this last ride, but recovered on flats at first to four bars, then to to three bars by the time I got home.

I’m debating whether to try another ten mile ride (total 40 miles) on this current charge. If so I’ll do a continuous loop closer to home so I’m not “stranded” if the battery gives out. I have no idea how fast the second half of this current charge will deplete.

 

[BrianK]

I know it sounds strange, but due to serious health issues, I really can get “stranded” if my e bike let’s me down too far from home. That’s why I have a back up battery on order, and I’m trying very carefully to figure out the limits of this current battery. (I don’t think my AAA would give me a tow if I’m too far from home with an e bike break down ;-)

I recently managed to find matching camo panniers on e Bay for $69. RAMBO wanted $89. I’ve also added a Mirrcycle handlebar rear view mirror.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I purposely haven’t recharged my 48v 10.4ah battery for three days now, just to see how far I can go on one charge. Riding ten miles a day on PAS1, no throttle, on hilly back country roads, I’ve ridden 30 miles on one charge. The battery indicator has dipped down to two bars on hills this last ride, but recovered on flats at first to four bars, then to to three bars by the time I got home.

I’m debating whether to try another ten mile ride (total 40 miles) on this current charge. If so I’ll do a continuous loop closer to home so I’m not “stranded” if the battery gives out. (I’ve had 5 strokes and can only walk about 2 miles a day at this point.)

I have no idea how fast the second half of this current charge will deplete.

If your display can show battery voltage I would use that to determine your available battery.
Round'd off here.. you can use these numbers
TOTAL BATTERY RANGE 34.5V - 54.5V = 20V.
(1V = 5%)
I personally don't like to drop my battery below 40% = 42.5V

By this method you can more accurately predict what you have left. When I ride I typically go about 20 miles and on average burn about 1 volt.
Keep in mind as the voltage drops the voltage use will increase.
So when my battery is at 54V I might only use .7v but at 45v I might use 1.3v on the same ride.
After you watch your voltage for a few battery cycles you'll have a pretty accurate estimate of what's left in the tank


ps... Good score on the matching Rambo bags!

 

[BrianK]

If your display can show battery voltage I would use that to determine your available battery.
Round'd off here.. you can use these numbers
TOTAL BATTERY RANGE 34.5V - 54.5V = 20V.
(1V = 5%)
I personally don't like to drop my battery below 40% = 42.5V

By this method you can more accurately predict what you have left. When I ride I typically go about 20 miles and on average burn about 1 volt.
Keep in mind as the voltage drops the voltage use will increase.
So when my battery is at 54V I might only use .7v but at 45v I might use 1.3v on the same ride.
After you watch your voltage for a few battery cycles you'll have a pretty accurate estimate of what's left in the tank


ps... Good score on the matching Rambo bags!

Thanks!

I just took the bike to a local guy who builds Bafang driven mid motor e bikes. He has all the cables and software to “jailbreak” my motor controller, and just reprogrammed it for me to increase the top speed from 18 where it had been set by Rambo to 24mph. That’s more than enough for me for now. (He could have set it at 30mph.)

 

[BET]

I know it sounds strange, but due to serious health issues, I really can get “stranded” if my e bike let’s me down too far from home. That’s why I have a back up battery on order, and I’m trying very carefully to figure out the limits of this current battery. (I don’t think my AAA would give me a tow if I’m too far from home with an e bike break down ;-)

I recently managed to find matching camo panniers on e Bay for $69. RAMBO wanted $89. I’ve also added a Mirrcycle handlebar rear view mirror.View attachment 61032

I belong to AAA and I think they will assist with bike breakdown.

 

[Taylor57]

I belng to AAA andcI think they will assist with bike breakdown.

It looks like it varies by region but most AAA will come pick you and your bike up. It appears they will not fix flats or offer air though, but I'm sure a couple of George Washingtons would take care of that little issue...

 

[Frank/Delaware]

I belong to AAA and I think they will assist with bike breakdown.

AAA will get you home - they have a max. distance then you have to pay per mile extra. If you add there RV coverage the milage is around 75 miles.

 

[BET]

AAA will

AAA will get you home - they have a max. distance then you have to pay per mile extra. If you add there RV coverage the milage is around 75 miles.

Depending on your plan it is, 5 miles or 100 miles. I have a 100 mile plan. However I just found out that because of covid AAA will now transport your car or bike but you can no longer sit in the tow truck. You will need to find a ride. It's a hassle but I understand why. .

 

[Gionnirocket]

Thanks!

I just took the bike to a local guy who builds Bafang driven mid motor e bikes. He has all the cables and software to “jailbreak” my motor controller, and just reprogrammed it for me to increase the top speed from 18 where it had been set by Rambo to 24mph. That’s more than enough for me for now. (He could have set it at 30mph.)

Hey Brian
I don't know what “jailbreak” is. . and he may have some software that I haven't heard of. But the readily available software allows you to make several changes to the controller including setting the Speed Limit. Since you don't have a Windows pc, next time have him set it to " By Displays Command" this way you can continue to make future changes as you like using the display. The Speed Limit can be set for both the PAS and Throttle independently.

 

[BrianK]

Hey Brian
I don't know what “jailbreak” is. . and he may have some software that I haven't heard of. But the readily available software allows you to make several changes to the controller including setting the Speed Limit. Since you don't have a Windows pc, next time have him set it to " By Displays Command" this way you can continue to make future changes as you like using the display. The Speed Limit can be set for both the PAS and Throttle independently.

View attachment 61271

He had a Luna controller box that he plugged into the controller cable. It brought up all the standard parameters the cable and Windows software would have, and he used Luna’s settings for the BBS02. We set the top speed at 40kph.

As soon as the rain lets up here I’m going to take it for a ride and see if I like these settings. Ifnot we’ll tweak it some more.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Coolio...
It's nice to tweak it to how you ride. I like my BBS02B much more now that it responds as I want. I found the stock parameters way to jerky and aggressive. Feels much more fluid and refined now.
Yeah I'm rain'd out here too today.. C'mon Isaias....move along now.

 

[BrianK]

The new e bike parameter settings increased my pace about 1.5 mph, so that meant I could increase my distance and still ride the same amount of time.

I had been riding 10 miles a day at 11.5-12.5mph for about 50-55 minutes.

Today I rode 11.5 miles at 13.4mph in 51 minutes.

Nice improvement.

I just ordered a 52 tooth front sprocket to replace the 46t so I can keep up my pedal cadence with my increased average speed. That way I’ll also be able to make more use of the lower two speeds of the Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub

 

[ruffruff]

Nice! I like that design.

Can I ask where you found them? I just searched online and they were sold out everywhere.

Sorry I didn't see this sooner. I got lucky and got them off Craigslist.

 

[Gionnirocket]

The new e bike parameter settings increased my pace about 1.5 mph, so that meant I could increase my distance and still ride the same amount of time.

I had been riding 10 miles a day at 11.5-12.5mph for about 50-55 minutes.

Today I rode 11.5 miles at 13.4mph in 51 minutes.

Nice improvement.

I just ordered a 52 tooth front sprocket to replace the 46t so I can keep up my pedal cadence with my increased average speed. That way I’ll also be able to make more use of the lower two speeds of the Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub

No stopping you now!

 

[Cyklefanatic]

Thanks!

I just took the bike to a local guy who builds Bafang driven mid motor e bikes. He has all the cables and software to “jailbreak” my motor controller, and just reprogrammed it for me to increase the top speed from 18 where it had been set by Rambo to 24mph. That’s more than enough for me for now. (He could have set it at 30mph.)

Keep in mind that at higher speeds the battery will drain much faster. So recalculate you’re ange every time you up your speed. At 30 mph vs 18 I would guess your range would be reduced 75%. Thinner, smoother tires would help the equation.

 

[BrianK]

Keep in mind that at higher speeds the battery will drain much faster. So recalculate you’re ange every time you up your speed. At 30 mph vs 18 I would guess your range would be reduced 75%. Thinner, smoother tires would help the equation.

Yes, thanks. I’ve already noticed a difference with quicker battery drain with the new parameter settings. I haven’t done enough rides with the new settings to determine how much yet.

 

[BrianK]

Just finished 20 miles on my e bike on a rail trail near Hershey PA. Put FSA Metropolis Handlebars on it last night. Big improvement!

Averaged 12 mph, even with climbing up the grade from Elizabethtown PA to Mt. Gretna and back.

It’s was a bit more of a climb than I expected. Good thing there was a well placed bench at the top of Mt. Gretna.

I’m supposed to come back here Sunday and do a group e bike ride for 30 miles. That will be ... interesting.

My e bike battery still had 3 bars out of five left when I was done, which went to 4 out of 5 after it set a couple minutes, so I think a 30 mile rail trail ride on one battery charge is doable.

 

[BrianK]

I would recommend staying with 26"x4" tires for the best fit on your rims.

Fat Bike Tires - BikeTiresDirect

Fat Bike Tires cycling products at BikeTiresDirect.

www.biketiresdirect.com

Amazon.com : Origin8 Supercell Wire Bead Fat Bike Tires, 26 x 4.0", Black/Black : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Origin8 Supercell Wire Bead Fat Bike Tires, 26 x 4.0", Black/Black : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

The Supercells are no longer available at Amazon or most other sites I’ve checked currently.

Just out of curiosity I searched the local Facebook Marketplace for “fat bike tires.” An ad for two brand new, never mounted 30tpi 26x4 Supercells popped up, 50 miles from me.

I misread his ad and thought he wanted $40 each, since they still had the packaging on them. When I got there and asked about the price, he said $20, 10 dollars each.

So for a hundred mile drive, I just got two brand new 30tpi Supercells for $20.

Can’t wait to mount them and try them out.

 

[FlatSix911]

The Supercells are no longer available at Amazon or most other sites I’ve checked currently.

Just out of curiosity I searched the local Facebook Marketplace for “fat bike tires.” An ad for two brand new, never mounted 30tpi 26x4 Supercells popped up, 50 miles from me.

I misread his ad and thought he wanted $40 each, since they still had the packaging on them. When I got there and asked about the price, he said $20, 10 dollars each.

So for a hundred-mile drive, I just got two brand new 30tpi Supercells for $20.

Can’t wait to mount them and try them out.

Great news on your new tires... it sounds like you really got a deal!