Please recommend a kit for me.

Joe EE

Joe EE

Active Member
Once the weather warms here in the Northeast I am going to pull the trigger on a kit. I am looking for something that is at least 1000 Watts and at least 12 AH battery. I have been looking at the Dillenger ARC off road kit or the 1500 W Samsung 20 AH kit but have not decided on either or even Dillenger for that matter. Rear hub install btw. Any and all suggestions appreciated. Thanks guys.
 
hello JoeEE, there are lots of options for hub motor kits out there. First thing is where are you riding? Off Road, bike trails, commuting? All the above. Both kits you list are direct drive hubs- quiet, smooth, fast. But very heavy. they also lack low end torque. Excellent for high speed commuting, not so good for offroading. For general riding, I like a geared hub kit. it is lighter, has higher torque at the low end, is almost as fast, and freewheels when off the power. The watt rating is not a completely accurate description of the kits performance. My geared hub kit is rated at 500w, but under full power draws almost 1200w thru my volt meter. the "power" is more a combination of the battery and the controllers ability to deliver energy to the motor. So, tell us a little more about your usage intent, so we can try to give you a "best case" recommendation.
 
Cool. Nearly all of my riding is on paved surfaces with occasional lengthy gradual hills. My interest is in speed and long distance on a charge. I am over 230 pounds and the bike unmodified is around 50 pounds.
 
Speed and long distance are enemies. You can have lots of either, but not both at the same time. My E-bikekit 48v/20amphr battery has 5 power assist settings, 1-walk assist, 2- 9mph, 3-17, 4-21, 5-28mph. In power#3, its good for 40+miles, In #5- 25 maybe! With a 36v battery, it would top out 20mph, with a 52v it would do 31. Just like your car, slam it to the floor- get 10mpg, run it sane- 25mpg. We are just about the same size, the kit is rated for 300#. My kit has been bullet proof, its run 3 seasons and almost 3000 miles. The newer kits now have pedal cadence and programmable power settings. You can source a battery from other vendors- Luna, Grin etc.
 
I would be interested in the kit you have been using. Reliability is also important and that sounds like a good setup.
 
Buy a well known and reliable MAC rear Gear Drive. One of the toughest motors out there. Can run on 36V 48V 52V and even 60V. Lots a power. EM3ev I like Jason and his products but find the MAC to be a more solid choice.
 
Do you want a bicycle or a moped? Sounds like you want a moped. The donor bike is going to be critical. With your weight, a big battery, and big speed, you will be on the margin of safety. Spokes, tires, and brakes on pedal bicycles are not designed for any of those parameters you are asking about.
 
That’s interesting Rich. Everything I have read on this site refers to bicycles. Some of them are capable of speeds that I would never endeavor to approach... yet they are still bicycles. I haven’t shared the rest of my plans for my summer project and any additional upgrades I might have in mind for my ‘legacy’ bike. In this post I was only researching propulsion. I do appreciate your concern for my safety though. Should I become interested in mopeds in the future I will locate a forum for them. Thanks again and ride safe.
 
Joe EE said:
That’s interesting Rich. Everything I have read on this site refers to bicycles. Some of them are capable of speeds that I would never endeavor to approach... yet they are still bicycles. I haven’t shared the rest of my plans for my summer project and any additional upgrades I might have in mind for my ‘legacy’ bike. In this post I was only researching propulsion. I do appreciate your concern for my safety though. Should I become interested in mopeds in the future I will locate a forum for them. Thanks again and ride safe.
Click to expand...

Maybe I made a wrong assumption. I ride bikes with 350 watt motors, you asked about 1,000 and 1500 watt motors. If you are talking nominal ratings, they will be drawing 1,500 to 2,000 watt maximum. You said you were interested in speed and distance. You sure don't need a 1500 watt motor if you will be running under the 28mph my 350 watt bike is capable of.
 
I should clarify. I have 2 really nice electric bikes that I love. They are both governed at 20 mph max. They are great rides but I was never a big fan of being governed. I have no interest in breaking the sound barrier on a bicycle... I would just like to know I might be able to approach that if the spirit moves me. Additionally since I will be routinely underutilizing my new setups’ capabilities I am hopeful to have the dividend of a great deal of range.
I also have not seen anything else quite like what I am planning because if I did I probably would have just bought it and skipped the legwork. It’s great to have a place like this where we can all share the benefits of our experience and give each other a helping hand.
 
Then you already have batteries, Joe EE. Can they be deployed into another bike?

For $200, you can buy and try one of those cheap 1000W ebay direct drives and hit 30 mph if your batteries are 48V and willing. Put two in parallel for a speed run. If you like it, buy a battery. Lots of owners have thousands of miles on those cheap DD motors, although a good number were unlucky.

Big DD motors don't appeal to me, but I've often considered throwing away $150 at a 1000W kit just to see how they ride.
 
That link didn't work for me. This one did. http://sdelectricbike.com/MAC.html
I bought a 1000 w geared hub motor, I won't mention the brand because it lasted 65 miles (or the controller). Did get me up to 25 mph. It was front wheel, my rear wheel gear cluster was obsolete 5 spd. I want disk brakes at that speed, at least on the front. It was drawing about 400 w at 25 mph on the level. The various amazon-ebay kits look similar, but this one came with pedal sensor, handbrake switch offs, lcd display, twist throttle (which I used, the pedal sensor was slow to pick up). Hint- luna stopped selling the gear motor about the time I bought mine. So they know something about quality problems, I suspect.
 
indianajo said:
That link didn't work for me. This one did. http://sdelectricbike.com/MAC.html
I bought a 1000 w geared hub motor, I won't mention the brand because it lasted 65 miles (or the controller). Did get me up to 25 mph. It was front wheel, my rear wheel gear cluster was obsolete 5 spd. I want disk brakes at that speed, at least on the front. It was drawing about 400 w at 25 mph on the level. The various amazon-ebay kits look similar, but this one came with pedal sensor, handbrake switch offs, lcd display, twist throttle (which I used, the pedal sensor was slow to pick up). Hint- luna stopped selling the gear motor about the time I bought mine. So they know something about quality problems, I suspect.
Click to expand...
Still being sold and identical to ebikekit. An email war between resellers ended in selling deeply discounted kits. I had two, both had problems. I have two MAC motors, very different, much more robust and a number of choices in winding for speed. EM3ev and MAC direct are the best sources IMO.
 
JoeEE, I think I'm going to agree with Thomas on this one. Mac does have a long record of reliability. They also have a splined option allowing you to use a standard cassette, where as the ebike hub requires a screw on freewheel. They also offer a wide range of winding speeds which would allow you to get that "go fast fix".
 
As it turns out, I am going to require a 24 x 3 inch rear wheel kit. I am not particular as to whether it is direct drive or geared. 1000 watt minimum. Still researching.....
 
Joe EE said:
As it turns out, I am going to require a 24 x 3 inch rear wheel kit. I am not particular as to whether it is direct drive or geared. 1000 watt minimum. Still researching.....
Click to expand...
Mac still works...
 
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