Idontknow

Im still new to this forumn but this electric bike thing is intriguing to me, but I have a few question I was hoping you guys could help me with.
Where is a good place to look for conversion kits or an actual ebike? How much does the motor assist you? I have seen on a few websites that say you can get 12-34ish miles per charge, how real is this? How long do they last?

dumbass 

With anything we are all going to have differing opinions on each of your questions. Personally I think the first thing you need to do is decide on a budget and your personal requirements (speed, range, how much assist do you really need, are you riding hills or flats and are you capable of a DIY project or better off buying a complete bike). You also need to decide between a hub motor or a chain drive setup. A person that requires very little assist and rides slowly on flat paved roads will get very good range but likely not close to the quoted range of the manufacture. A good rule of thubm is about 50% of the rated range but normally the speed quoted is true. However, that can depend on your weight too. As a rule the higher voltage setup will be more eff. as will brushless motors. However, if you are on a tight budget I would go with a brushless motor setup and put my money in a lifepo4 battery pack. The battery is the most expensive part of the ebike. Be careful of low cost kit a lot of people have reported batteries sold with these kits were undersized and failed quickly.

I have 4 bikes for my wife and I . 2 with Cyclone motor kits mounted on Wallie world bikes and 2 Ezips complete bikes. I can flip a coin which bike I like better. There are times I prefer to ride each of them. I like the Cyclone bike because it's lighter and I prefer the location of the battery packs. But I like the looks of the Ezip better and the fact that I can get cheaper parts when I need to do repairs. Maybe someday I will melt them together and have the perfect bike. Note..all my bikes are chain drive and 3 of them drive through the bikes gearing setup. This allows for better hill climbing and better max speeds. The value of a hub motor is they are generally quieter.

I know this didn't answer all your question but maybe a few.

Bob

GTR2EBIKE

Determining you budget and what you want in terms of speed, range and amount of assist is key(just like dumbass said lol). Let us know what it is and we can help to point you in the right direction.

wcjulha0710

An electric bicycle, also known as an e-bike, is a bicycle with an electric motor used to power the vehicle.

Electric bicycles typically cost between US$500 and US$3,000, use rechargeable batteries and can travel up to 20 miles per hour (32 km/h), and in some markets they are rapidly replacing traditional bikes and motorcycles.

An electric bicycles which requires the rider to pedal in order to activate the motor is known as a pedelec .

Idontknow

thanks for the replies guys,

I'm thinking I don't want something really expensive. So probaly nothing more than 1,000. However, I don't want something that will die or fall apart fast. Right now without any assist I can maintain an average of 10mph for about 40 miles. Otherwise speed really isn't to big of a factor, my biggest worry is battery life. I'd like to be able to go quite aways with the battery. If the battery goes dead during a ride, is it that much harder to pedal?

dumbass 

Asking for 40 miles out of a battery between charges is asking a lot. The best situation for you is going to be lifepo4 batteries. Yes there are better batteries available but the lifepo4 packs require the least amount of knowledge are lighter weight then most and have very good range with min. voltage sag. Personally I recommend not running a battery lower the 80% of capasity but others may tell you 90 or even 90% is OK. When you talk to suppliers or read their BS info use a factor of 50% to 70% of what they claim (10 miles = 5 to 7 miles).

If you choose SLA batteries and I hope you don't they are very short lived and extreamly heavy. When you discharge them you should not exced 50% and they should be recharged ASAP after discharging or they will be damaged futher. Whereas, a lifepo4 pack has minimum effect from waitting to be recharged.

Because of your mileledge requirement consider the posibility to add a second battery pack when looking at your bike. For example the Currie IZip/EZip is sold with 1 SLA battery but you can mounta second pack on the other side of the rack. You can also make you own battery case to mount Thunder Sky lifepo4 battery packs. With a set of these packs you could get a 40 mile range at 15 MPH with strong motor assist for the 40 miles. I know I have this setup but with a lot more modifications.

Bottom line as I told you before it's all in the battery.

Bob

Idontknow

Well what I was thinking is having an assist on my bike but only using it for hills and such on my long rides. So, with it off is it harder to pedal? Can the system be shut on and off without and problems? If thE system is on but I don't pull the throttle At all does it use much battery? How much assist would it have going up a hill? Could it pull itself? I'm about 160lbs.

Thanks for the responses.

dumbass 

For the most part any ebike will do what you want. If you only use it for hills it would significatly increase your range. The 2 main type of motors are hub motors and non-hub motors. A hub motr is generally quieter but generally not as good for hill climbing. They also have a slight drag when not turnned on. Generally speaking the non-hub motor is better for hill climbing provided it uses the bikes gear system. In this manner it's simular to your car. When the load is high like in hill climbing the car shifts to a lower gear. You could do the same thing with the bike. A non-hub system has a zero drag when not in use.

One caution.....some bikes have the "ON" switch poorly located and it can not be reached when mounted on the bike. Some bike also automaticly turn off or go to a "sleep mode" when not activated for maybe 5 minutes. he only way to reactivate the system is to turn it off and back on again. So if the switch is not located where you can reach it while riding....well you get the idea..........Of course you could just hit the throttle once every 5 mins and it will stay active. But you will forget about it from time to time.

A system that is active but at rest does draw a small amount of power but it's very small.

Simonjazz

If you just want a bike assist for hills then most conversion kit can do that. But the battery power and brake system matter a lot.

Idontknow

Where are some trusted and quality places to look for electric conversions?

thanks again for the replies

miro13car

it depends what do you want to use bike for:
recreation or commuter.
For commuter you want the best, because reliability is an issue.
I always wonder people would spend 20,000 for car just like that and they scrunge to pay 3000 for quality ebike.
USA -MADE is quality, I own TidalForce which is now improved e+ BIKE, ONE OF THE BEST.
MC