EBikeFL 

Anyone heard of Papamotors?

They have a 48v 1000w electric bicycle conversion kit for $999 using a 48v 15Ah LiFePO4 Ping Battery. https://www.electric-bikekit.com/862-...eeks-delivery/

EBikeFL 

Well, I purchased the electric conversion kit last night. Papamotor has been very responsive in answering any emails I've sent. I emailed them my phone number and in 10 minutes I was called by one of their representatives. There is a language barrier but their English has been very good both the live online chat personnel and the phone call I received.

Now I'm waiting on the whole kit to arrive. If I chose to get it sooner it would have cost me more than $200 so I'll be patient and wait the three weeks which is how long the free shipping will take.

I also upgraded to the Ping Battery 5A charger and was refunded the difference between it and the free 2A unit. If all else fails, I've got a very good Ping battery charger and 48v 15Ah Ping battery.

I made the purchase at nearly 4 AM in the morning here and checked the time over in China which was about 3:40 PM China time.

I did not purchase the bike rack from Papamotor; Amazon.com has several very good models which I'll pick from.

I'll keep you all posted on the conversion process.

EBikeFL 

Papamotor's website has my order status as: Shipped. Not bad, within 24 hrs of my order and clearing up the confusion about the 5A charger and the 2A charger they've shipped out my conversion kit. So far so good.

bibrain

Looking forward to the installed review.

EBikeFL 

Well, the Papamotor's kit claims 34 mph so I did some searching on Youtube and found a video of an ebike with the same setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfCxL...eature=related

I'm now looking for a full body helmet.

EBikeFL 

I received a tracking number yesterday from Papamotors. They gave me two links, one of which was USPS. Nothing shows up yet on the USPS site. The the other link has a status and an item tracking option; the item tracking gives a bit more detail to the last location. Here's the link and what you can expect: https://intmail.183.com.cn/item/itemStatusQuery.do?lan=0

EBikeFL 

It's here!

I can't believe it! I was putting my shoes on at my front door and looked outside and there it was. It took a total of 10 days to get to me!

I've taken some pictures and will post them below. All the components were very well packed and so far I don't see anything broken.

I am; however, missing the Ping 48v 15Ah LiFePO4 battery and Ping 5A charger. A quick email reply from Papamotor stated that the Ping battery and Ping charger had to ship separately and that I should expect them very soon.

I was planning on putting the conversion kit on my 12+ year old Trek 820 Aluminum bike but after finding how much money it was going to cost me just to upgrade the front fork in order to have disc brakes I decide to get a new bike.

The bike store and my bike friends both suggested the 2012 Kona Lana'i due to Kona's reputation for strong frames and similar price point to my previous Trek. The online reviews of the Lana'i are good but there are several mentions of front forks needing to be upgraded. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with upgrades for a while. I was able to get some money for my Trek and put the money towards the 2012 Kona Lana'i. Now, I'm waiting for the bike store to get my Kona in which should be this weekend.

Sangesf

Ping ships separately as they don't stock it, they just buy it and have him ship it to you...
$533 for ping battery... $80 shipping, $170 for kit + $30 shipping..
$813 total and you paid $1,000, so they made $183

EBikeFL 

I weighed the hub motor, rim and tire combo...18.8 lbs total. The 48v 15Ah Ping battery weighs 16.5 lbs. The weight is starting to add up.

Allen

Ebikes will do that.

EBikeFL 

I have been weighing the decision on whether to purchase another 48v 15Ah battery. It would be nice to have the extended range and ease the current drain on the first one according to www.ebike.ca: "That said, it is always easier on the packs to have lower current discharges, so running two in parallel is often a good idea. You not only double the range, you increase the longevity of the battery by having lower currents."

I have been thinking about welding another rear rack on top of the first one with just enough clearance to clear the first battery and room to put the controller underneath the highest rack instead securing it to the bike frame. I also would try to avoid blocking clearance to the seat post should I want to attach a Burley Travoy Commuter Trailer in the future.

What is the forum's consensus with regards to using two batteries? Where have you put the additional battery? Lastly, would changing the controller to a higher voltage offer me a greater top end speed?

powell

Obviously there is no consensus on any forum.
For me luggage rack as name indicate is for luggage not battery.
Beside I would never put battery above rear wheel- center of gravity too high, mounting bicycle more difficult.
or even in panners, there are for luggage. Battery got to be incorporated into frame, that is elegant way and lowers CofG. Besides packmuch better protected when bike falls.

EBikeFL 

I recently came across this website: https://www.fastelectricbike.com/book.html. Does anyone have any experience with the electric bike building book being offered for $47?

Has anyone attempted to build the electric bike described in the book or has any part of it helped you in building your electric bike?

I've read the first few pages (you get the first 20 pages free). The battery case is of particular interest to me.

The Ping battery from the Papamotor's kit is on it's way. I should see it sometime early this week.

powell

this fast bike for sure use dangerous LiPolimer battery for 105V which will not last even 1000 cycles.
It is not ebike,
it is emotorcycle,you cannot pedal at such speeds, right?
Bicycle frame is not designed for such speeds.
But I like battery placement.

EBikeFL 

He has upgraded various parts of the bike and in his first 20 pages of his book he mentions the upgrades.

I agree, the battery selection could be better.

His attempts are very impressive nevertheless. He mentions that his average speed is 40 mph but occasionally hits over 50 mph on his commute to work.

powell

the point is that it is not ebicycle, because most of the time he would not pedal at 40mph.
Imagine chainring to pedal at such speeds.
So all benefits of exercise on ebike while pedalling is not here on his bike.
He cannot claim he exercise on ebike anymore.
It is motorcycle or scooter - no exercise.

EBikeFL 

I don't think his objective for building his ebike was for exercise.

It is an alternative to using a car; in fact, he mentions that he sold his car and no longer pays for gasoline, car insurance, parking fees, etc.

powell

Yes alternative to car , but don't call it ebike is more like electric motocycle
He is everyday out there commuting 40mph illegally for sure with no plates and insurance on public road.
Overtaking a car on illegal vehicle is an act of stupidity asking for trouble with the police
He did nice piece of engineering now he needs to register it.
Yes that's negativity but it is true.

EBikeFL 

Yes, I see your point. He could bring unwanted attention to those of us trying to follow the law. He hasn't mentioned any law enforcement run-ins. He has mentioned that everywhere he goes people want to know what kind of vehicle he's riding and how to duplicate it.

The newest versions of the cycle analyst has a feature to restrict your speed. Perhaps he could set this and use the higher speeds on bike trails.

I guess the only people who don't like him are members of OPEC.

EBikeFL 

I picked up the Ping 48v 15Ah battery from the USPS office today. The postman and I were playing tag. The battery was here on Monday. It was very well packaged and once I started it charging it only took 1.5 hrs to fully charge, no doubt it had some residual power from the test phase before it got to me. I'm sure I could fit two 48v 15Ah batteries in the bike frame triangle cavity. This will keep the weight low and centered on the bike. I'll start the assembly process this weekend and take photos for everyone.

EBikeFL 

My ebike assembly was pushed back due to my car breaking its transmission. I have the capability and knowledge to fix it and so that took up my weekend. I checked with the dealer as to what they would've charged for labor to do the job and they said almost a $1,000. Then there's the price of a rebuilt transmission. Yeah, I can't wait to get my ebike up and running.

I did purchase the Otivia cargo cache from https://www.otivia.com. Yes, it would've been cheaper to just buy a tool box that could fit the bike rack but I wanted something a bit more stylish, arrow dynamic, and lockable.

I would have to fabricate a battery holder for the triangle area of the bike and I just don't have the time so the Otivia is my next best option.

BikeForum member Patriot has already planned out the layout of the battery and other contents in the Otivia: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ut-for-Ebikes.

I will start putting the ebike components together so that by the time the Otivia cargo cache arrives I'll be ready.

I did see an interesting youtube video on bicycle thiefs in the UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhPzF-hyC7Q

This video got me searching for hidden gps units I could install on my bike:https://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack/

and additional security on other components of the bike: https://www.pitlock.com/index.php

More to come.

Beesley

my mistake... wrong post

EBikeFL 

Update: I've changed out the mountain bike tires to street tires on both the hub motor rim and front rim. I also inserted Mr. Tuffy liners between the inner tube and rim of both wheels.

The brake handles with electrical connections that came with the Papamotor's kit are a problem. The kit did not take into account an integrated shifter and brake handle like the one my 2012 Kona Lanai has. I've emailed Papamotors and am waiting on a response. I'm working on a solution of my own and will inform you all on the success of it.

I also want to switch the freewheel that came with the Papamotors kit with the one on the Kona. Unfortunately, I don't have the necessary tool so I'll be visiting the local bike shop tomorrow to get them swapped.

EBikeFL 

Update: Received a response from Papamotors and my only option is to use the thumb throttle. I'll give it a try. The thumb throttle is held in place by a small allen screw and my only concern is that it won't hold. I'm going to have to tighten it down hard. The good thing about the thumb throttle is that it takes very little handlebar real estate and the twist throttles have shiny ends that I really don't care for.

ponchera

I'm following your thread. good stuff. any new updates or photos? Did you get that GPS tracker working? I'd like to know how you get it working since it requires cellphone service.