BubbaX

Of making a E-bike without spending like 400 dollars on a kit and stuff

My question is this:


Whats a good inexpensive kit (needs to go a min distance of at least 6 miles)
I do not care how fast to make a E-bike
(I have a schwinn blue mountain bike)


Or


Whats a good inexpensive way to make a E-bike without the kits?
(same as above needs to go a min of 6 miles and i dont care speed)


Can someone give suggestions?

FMB42

Not sure what country you're in, but if you're in the U.S. you might browse the E-bikeKit site from time to time. This company will sometimes have "discount sales" that might save you a couple of hundred bucks. However, you're still probably looking at no less than about 500-600 USD for a kit along with a lead-acid battery pack.

Otherwise, you could try "YesComUSA". They have 36 volt 4-500 watt kits that are in the $275-$300 range (less batteries). You'd, of course, need to buy and hookup a lead-acid battery pack consisting of 3 separate 12 volt batteries (these kits come with a rack and nylon case for the batteries).

Another option that's a bit above your price range might be one of the Currie "ready to ride" electric bicycles that you can get from Walmart. One of these will cost you about $500 (unless you catch a sale).

Meanwhile, if you can, please tell us what your riding conditions will be (hills and wind, etc). This, along with the weight of you and your bike, can be a big aid when comes to determining what will, and what won't, work for you.

Just keep in mind that e-bikes, like most anything else, are a "you get what you pay for" kind of thing.

BubbaX

those are all expensive

i dont want to spend that much on a Ebike because im going to be riding my bike to this is just for when my legs give out and i need some help getting home

350htrr

Good and inexpensive are not to be used in the same sentence... Now, if you are willing to put in the labor/time/energy/learning... you "probably" could, find something good and inexpensive that you can build yourself, if you also have the knowledge and skills... JMO as what life taught me so far.

usnavystgc

Like the old saying goes; Good, cheap, fast, pick two.

SpecialX

1.) No matter what, you're gonna spend at least $400 for a kit with a battery.
Figure on $200-$250 for the kit and a min of $150-$200 for batteries.
There is no getting around it.
OR
2.) If you have a driver's license, you could buy a small (gas) motor kit for about $200 and add that to your bike.

Those are your ONLY 2 choices.

StreetGloDecals

This is of huge interest to me. I was stricken down by an autoimmune disorder and along with this are painful joints. My wife and I ride a tandem bike and the idea of electric assist (when I need the help) would be fantastic. We use the bike a lot when going on trips in our motorhome so it needs to be carried on a rack most of the time (concern for all the spray on a wet day on the back of the motorhome).

THe gas motor kit idea is intriguing as it might be a decent not so expensive option. Don't get me wrong, I like the workout, but it would be nice to have a backup as at times our bike is me pulling along my wife.

Bill

ronp6

Like the old saying goes; Good, cheap, fast, pick two.

Re: Attributed to Tom Ritchey

chas58

Ebike lithium batteries are expensive. A basic hub motor like mine costs $79, while batteries are $200 - $600.

If you want cheap, you can use very heavy lead acid batteries (like is used for automobiles) or get a gas motor.

powell

350htrr,
could not be said better, golden truth...
But there are some who cheat themselves and economics.

15rms

Don't get a Bionx. I have had mine 2 weeks with around 100 miles on it. Total piece of junk. I have had to get home not using the electric system several times. The dealer network is crap and I am totally annoyed at myself for waisting such a huge amount of money.

350htrr

Really? I have had mine for almost 2 years, two summers anyways 3,500+Kms and the only problem was some broken spokes... What is the problem that you needed to walk home? sometimes the re-gen used to come on, on mine and I needed to adjust the magnet on the brake lever but that was in the beginning, now that it's adjusted and the spokes tightened up no problems to speak of this last year and most of last year...

powell

I bought for my wife TIOGA ELWIN bike equipped with BIONX 350W LX system and got 258km on it so far with no slightest problem.
Wonderful exercise machine.

15rms

The back wheel started snagging on something. It was jerking and not giving any boost. I played with the brake lever because I have had the same issue as you have with it. Riding the bike without boost did not help. I discovered the only way to use the bike was to shut Bionx totally off. When I did try to use the Bionx I got the wrench symbol on the screen. So far this has been a disaster trying to use this bike.

dbg

If you get tired and need the boost to get home -- seems like it would be because you had to haul that extra weight. Might it be less of a workout to ride the whole distance on a normal bike? That' just how I tend to look at it.