I have been looking for a cheaper way to get around/to work than a moped etc (although I am restoring a Velosolex, but that’s another story)
I have a decent mountain bike and have been considering ‘ebiking’ it - these new ‘all in 1’ approaches look like the way to go, but I know nothing about whether the ones I’ve seen would suffice.
Anyone have any experience of them? I am looking at this bluetooth one - my main concern is what if it loses connection (shudder) and is it ‘man’ enough for a MAN of 14.5 stone? OK it has just been Christmas………
I also see it can be charged from the centre of the hub, so in theory you could have another pack mounted elsewhere and charge the wheel pack from that? I could be wrong lol!
This is what I was looking at- from Banggood. LINK
Brand LVBU
Model BX20L (36V 5.8Ah)
Battery Imported 18650 lithium battery Number of Battery Cells: 20
Electricity: 215Wh /5.8Ah Charge Time: 2h
Charge Standard Input: AC220V
Output: DC42V 2A
Miles About 60km
Supportable Brake Types Both Rim Brake and Disc Brake
Support Rim Size 26 inch
Weight 7.1kg
Connectivity Bluetooth Low Energy(4.0)
App OS Android / IOS
Top Speed 25km/h
I have made a few over the years.
The last couple used brushless hub motors, and I just built an appropriate LiFePO4 pack using 18650 or 26650 cells and appropriate BMS.
The last few kits I purchased from Aliexpress seller EB Motor Co, and have been happy with. https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1179114
(I buy the kits with wheel, controller, switched brake lever and thumb throttles. I do not like the twist kind, they hurt after a while of twisting)
I have never tried the AIO type you show above with built in batteries, so cannot comment on this item.
To me, it looks like batteries will be placed under some outward force as the wheel rotates or stops suddenly, and may cause issues with the solder tabs coming disconnected.
I would also worry about placing excessive wear on the components as it will try to move when you brake, as there is no cutoff as far as I can tell.
I would not recommend front wheel drive, as front forks are generally not used to handling that torque and can crack.
You would want some steel reinforcement for front forks if you had no option of a rear hub motor.
92kg @ 350W peak is going to feel sluggish as soon as you hit an incline above 5% or so.
For battery mounting, I usually just use a bag rack with milk crate or similar attached, the battery takes up 1/4 of the depth of it, and I put my bags to carry on top.
- not for much longer - once we are out of the EU we can bring our lb’s and oz’s back! Liberty at last!