My Chinese Delivery eBike Is So Slow. Can it be fixed?

[Bioethical]

Hello fellow bikers, I'm a newbie with ebikes and feel a little frustrated since I traded my recently acquired first bike of 250W for a 400W one. It results that this new bike doesn't have speed gears for pedaling and also is as slow as the first one; about 22km p/h (less than 15 miles p/h) I believe that such lagging is due to its very heavy body which includes a second seat that can be transformed into a platform to carry goods of whatever; also, it has two lateral metal platforms to carry more boxes. Those who know all type of ebikes probably know what I am talking about. My honest question is: Can I do something to make it a little more faster? I'm thinking to get rid of the second seat and the metal transportation gear, but I still think that the bike is going to continue being slow after I take off the heavy stuff. Your insights and advise will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Victor.

 

[Ann M.]

Hi Victor, yes stripping off a bunch of the unneeded metal carriers will help just by reducing the weight but that isn't going to change the speed limiter inside the controller. Are you in a European country, the speed limit for throttle only bikes is 15-16mph. The makers of your bike may have limited the speed for safety reasons since this is a cargo bike, which might be used to carry children or adults.

You might consider purchasing a higher amp generic controller (make sure it matches the type of battery: SLA or Lithium) which can provide some boost. Or consider putting a higher voltage battery pack on the bike along with the appropriate matching controller. Most brushless hub motors can be pushed a bit in voltage and produce more speed. There's a downside to this, since all of this will wear out components faster; they will be running hotter or it could potentially be too much for the wiring harness. Some throttles are voltage specific and you could damage the original throttle or get nothing from it, so you might have to replace the throttle too; however, that's not always the case!
If you decide to try a different controller, online sources like partsforscooters.com, monsterscooterparts, electricscooterparts.com, Ebay, AliExpress and EBikeSchool.com has extensive links to sources for DIYers.

Also check for some hints & info from other members in our DIY Forum on this site

 

[Bioethical]

Hello Ann M. , thank you for your fast and very educational response. I really appreciate it. I live in Hollywood, CA.
Actually with a slight increase in speed I would be happy, so I hope not to mess with the electronic components with an overcharge of power. I am very cautious since I am an a enthusiast drones 3D builder and can imagine how powerful those big bike batteries may be. I'll start reading posts here and visit the links that you provided me and get enough learning from you guys. In the meantime I'm going to detach the heavy harnesses and wait until I have the confidence enough to even open and touch the bike electronics which I respect very much after fried a lot of drone electrics parts, during my learning period. I wish I had known your site before buying my bike which incredibly I am getting in love with, Thanks again for your welcoming.

 

[Ann M.]

Another option, Victor, would be to leave the bike as it is and Craigslist it. Then you can make a different ebike selection with your new perspective

 

[harryS]

How about a picture or more info about who made that bike?

 

[Bioethical]

Ann and HarryS, I wish I could download a picture of it, I tried and just got a message that says that my picture or file is too large.
If there is not hope to upgrade it, I 'd like sell it on Ebay. It's pretty new.