Turn Your Bike Into an Electric Bike

[tomjasz]

I ordered a half-twist grip from Luna today

Don't forget about us!

 

[Browneye]

Ah dayummm...would have gotten one from ca ebike. I forgot...
Bookmarked!

 

[Browneye]

How do you fit it on the bar with the shifter/brake?
Or replace the brake lever?

 

[tomjasz]

How do you fit it on the bar with the shifter/brake?
Or replace the brake lever?

Honestly I’ve never installed a twist throttle. I have refused to install on builds for others. IMO they are dangerous. I wish we didn’t sell them. But there are shorter Versions to fit the right side with shifter and brake levers. Not sure what Luna sells anymore.

We sell “half twist” only. L&R

 

[stanmiller]

How do you fit it on the bar with the shifter/brake?
Or replace the brake lever?

Here's where the thumb throttle goes. You can coordinate braking, gear shift, and thumb throttle in one fluid motion.



A twist throttle would go where the gear shifter is in the picture.

When you have a twist shift you need a shorter grip to make room for the shifter. The right grip is shorter. I have Ergon GS1's.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[tomjasz]

When you have a twist shift you need a shorter grip to make room for the shifter.

As above, “half twist” throttle. I find the lever style to be more usable. That said I’ll never be without a spare throttle. Nothing worse than being down waiting for a $16 part.

 

[Browneye]

I get it, but her bike has these shimano trigger shifters with the brake handle built in. The housing for it would interfere with a throttle placement inside of it on the bar, or if you moved it in and put the thumb throttle first next to the grip, then the brake handle and thumb shifter would be an inch or so further in, depending on how wide that throttle housing is.

I'll try some combinations on the bar and see what works best. One alternative would be to do away with the left shifter and just get a new brake handle, or a bafang mechanical brake handle. Like I say, I doubt she's going to be changing front chain rings once she gets assist power.

A right twist throttle seems like it would be easy to integrate and use - I rode motorcycles for fifty years and it's a natural feeling control, but I've never tried one on a ebike. I do think a left thumb throttle for her would be the easiest to use, and she's left handed. Right hand can do the shifting.

Anxiously awaiting the parts kit. Slow-boat from China - and I even opted (paid extra) for expedited shipping.
They did send tracking, but have split up the shipment, battery separate and 'it takes longer'. Had I known that ahead of time I would have got a battery from a US retailer instead.

 

[harryS]

Them is two nice bikes, Giant and Specialized, Browneye. Ditto for the KTM.

Nice shifters too, but I would get separate trigger shifters to use the ebrake levers .I like Shimano Quickfire shifters. A lot of ebrake levers are poorly made, loose and wiggly, unfortunate, but one needs those motor cutoffs. I've got some magnetic switches coming in to use with hyrdraulic levers.
.

 

[tomjasz]

- I rode motorcycles for fifty years and it's a natural feeling control,

Me too! But I typically didn’t move the MC on foot when it was under power. What I’ve seen dozens of customers do is dismount, it shut down power and inadvertently twist the throttle and dump the bike. I tried. twist throttle and sure enough dumped the bike moving it. YMMV, but this is the reason. I believe most eBikes have thumb throttles.

 

[Browneye]

Them is two nice bikes, Giant and Specialized, Browneye. Ditto for the KTM.

Nice shifters too, but I would get separate trigger shifters to use the ebrake levers .I like Shimano Quickfire shifters. A lot of ebrake levers are poorly made, loose and wiggly, unfortunate, but one needs those motor cutoffs. I've got some magnetic switches coming in to use with hyrdraulic levers.

That's what I was thinking - change out the left shifter and brake. I have the magnetic sensors coming, but still think we're going to have a mess on the bars making everything fit. Got to get the control button pad for the display/controller on there too.

As far as half-twist grip, or 'half grip twist throttle' - I didn't think they would actuate the motor without activating the PAS as well. That's how they setup the Aventon bikes I test rode. For any PAS setting, no throttle 'till you at least pedaled a half a turn on the crank.

We'll figure it out.

 

[AHicks]

A thumb throttle is purpose built and better in my view. You engage the thumb throttle momentarily to get going or to maintain momentum when navigating at lower speeds. It's ergonomic and a valuable tool.

For those just giving the throttle a momentary "blip", I think the thumb throttle is easier on your wrists as well.

 

[Al P]

Thumb throttle is definitely easier on your wrists, but if you get a twist throttle and don't like it the 1859 Northwest twist-to-thumb throttle adapter works very well. I bought one last year.

JA E-Bike Throttle Attachment ** Free Shipping **

Our twist throttle attachment, The JA's Throttle Attachment, is designed to fit on e-bike twist throttles with a diameter of 37mm (+/- 1.5mm). This design allows you to use your twist throttle with ease by using just your thumb - not your wrist. Features a cinch strap that allows for a strong...

1859-northwest.myshopify.com

 

[tomjasz]

twist-to-thumb throttle adapter

I think FeliZ and other motorcycle guys will remember similar products introduced a decade ago. Some bright fellas with 3D printers have re-marketed the design to eBikes. Your find looks nice. I used them on my Vespa GTS. It remains a twist throttle and I continue to have safety concerns. It remains a slow seller compared to thumb throttles. I Still think there’s good reason it’s not seen wider acceptance by eBike brands, except from aftermarket sources and in kits.

From Aliexpress for $2, and eBay to $30.

Throttle Assist for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for Throttle Assist at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

 

[Browneye]

Kit finally arrived today...
Looks good. Everything looks pretty straightforward. For sure I got new brake handles, not sure if they included the mag-switches for legacy handles or not. I think I'll use them anyway, just get new shifters unless they're costly. Shopping now. This will make it easier to fit everything on the bars as well. And yes, thumb throttle for sure now.

Wheel looks good, although it's skinny - we'll see how that 2.3" tire fits on it, looks to be about 20mm wide. Shraeder valve though, so maybe it'll fit.

I'm going to search for some info on the PAS sensors - don't understand why they provide two versions, nor if I need a special tool to remove crank arms to fit the sendsor. Appreciate any feedback here.

Display is nice, good switch gear, fits over the bar stem. They provided a whole new freewheel cassette. I got a mini-box aftermarket for the controller and it barely fits. Surely smaller than the big one they provide in the kit.

Battery already mounted - fits perfectly to the bottle cage mounting holes on the downtube.

 

[harryS]

I'm going to search for some info on the PAS sensors - don't understand why they provide two versions, nor if I need a special tool to remove crank arms to fit the sendsor. Appreciate any feedback here.

You will need a crank puller, about 10 dollars or maybe $14 at the LBS, to pull the crank pedal so you can slip on the magnet ring. as sjown in 1st image. If you have the type with a two piece clip-on ring, then you don't need to pull the crank. Either way, you still have to locate the sensor and its bracket.

Despite how it looks, I've never found a bike where I was able to place the ring under whatever holds the bearings in place. And you have to buy a tool to remove the bearing to find out the ring won't fit. Then you mess around for an hour or a half day making something to hold the sensor.

I think the best type is the one-piece unit that slides over the pedal shaft, shown in the last picture. A crank puller needed here too.

With the separate magnet ring and sensor, you have to get the north-south poles on the madnet disk facing the right way, and spinning correctly relative to the sensor, because the sensor is designed to detect rotation in one direction. It often takes some trial/error. That's why the last type is easier to install.

 

[stanmiller]

Kit finally arrived today...

Start a new build thread under DIY, Kits and Custom Builds and we can post under there. I have photos ready to post of the trigger shifter mounting and PAS.

DIY, Kits and Custom Builds

With a bit of time and elbow grease you can build a faster, stronger and often less expensive electric bike... this is your space to share, compare and discuss.

electricbikereview.com

 

[tomjasz]

Do yourself a favor and upgrade to Grin style PAS sensors. I kept busting the cheap China version requiring crank removal. Others have the spli lock ring version all I’ve seen were identical maker to Grin. Pasion an AliExpress shop has a few Grin items at lower prices. Just an extended shipping time. I buy my backup parts and save enough to shrug thaw wait. YMMV

 

[FlatSix911]

Here is another EBR review of a fully integrated hub motor kit...

Electric Bike Outfitters 48V Cruiser Kit Review - Prices, Specs, Videos, Photos

Price: $1425.00 | Model Year: 2019 A complete and fully featured hub-motor and rear rack-mounted battery electric bike conversion kit, made with versatility and application in mind, can fit a wide range of accommodations from various frames, various speeds, and various layouts. Powered by an...

electricbikereview.com

• A complete and fully featured hub-motor and rear rack-mounted battery electric bike conversion kit, made with versatility and application in mind, can fit a wide range of accommodations from various frames, various speeds, and various layouts
• Powered by an upgraded 350-816 watt hub motor than can be mounted on front or rear wheels, includes four hall sensors now for smother and more responsive ridding, 8 magnet cadence assist, throttle options, upgraded 48v 12.8ah battery, and display options like color, landscape orientation, or portrait
• The kit fits wheel sizes ranging from 16” to 29”, has varying cable lengths for different applications like a recumbent frame or folding frame, can handle different derailleur and chain ring setups, includes mechanical brake levers with motor inhibitors but can also be configured to work with hydraulic brakes
• Rack batteries position weight high and towards the back of the bike which can add to frame flex and change handling, the rack battery weighs more than the downtube option, charging is slow, display is not removable, kit can look homemade or be frustrating to put together if you are not a tinkerer, you may want to have a shop install it
  

 

[tomjasz]

Ouch, nearer $1600 delivered, torque arms an added $$ option? Not quite clear but there seems a rash of new kit sellers with quality and cost levels awful close to complete bikes. EZee and MAC kits offer more. And a rack battery? Great on longer wheel base flat foot frames but that’s a small market. No options for lights, but neither do most other kits. I find that a sad state for kit builders.

who makes the motor and controller? Maybe I’m just missing that in the text? Found it. An interesting series of budiness links seemingly using Littelfuse division CPUs. Sadly my electronics background is nonexistent and parsing the documents is “Greek to me.” But i found some interesting controllers with heat sink style cases. Nice near bundled connectors.

kit Reviews would be much more valuable if those connector details were included in text and photographs.

 

[stanmiller]

I'm going to search for some info on the PAS sensors - don't understand why they provide two versions, nor if I need a special tool to remove crank arms to fit the sensor. Appreciate any feedback here.

You will need a crank puller like this:

Amazon.com : Park Tool Compact Crank Puller : Bike Hand Tools : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Park Tool Compact Crank Puller : Bike Hand Tools : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

And if you install the PAS3 type sensor on the drive side of the crank, you'll need a bottom bracket removal tool.

Amazon.com : BIKEHAND Bike Bicycle Compatible with Shimano Bottom Bracket Removal Remover Tool : Bike Hand Tools : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : BIKEHAND Bike Bicycle Compatible with Shimano Bottom Bracket Removal Remover Tool : Bike Hand Tools : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

Greenergia offers three PAS sensor configurations. PAS1, PAS2, and PAS3.

Amazon.com

Here I have a PAS1 installed on my Townie. It installs on the left side of the crank and is the easiest to position and get directionally right.



On my Envoy, I installed a PAS3 as the crank axle diameter was too large and the PAS1 wouldn't fit on the left side. Note the plastic surface of the sensor facing out and the metal bracket facing inward.



The instructions in Greenergia's listing are backward. Just do the opposite of this diagram. You'll notice directional arrows on the magnetic disc. Those indicate the forward rotation of the pedals (when you want the assist to activate). On my bike the arrows are facing in.



The Bluenergy magnetic disk is pretty robust, but still take care installing. I used a rubber mallet, rag, and socket to apply even pressure on the disc and tap it into position.