What do you think of electric bikes?

[Steve Best]

I love ICE engines. I'm into this sport to experiment on 2 stroke engines, but I gotta agree that electric has its charms.
I have several electric bikes I picked up to try. All are originally Sealed Lead Acid batteries.
This is the most silly:

It is 250w center mounted motor to a rear wheel freewheel. The wooden box was the original owner's mod to mount 2 car batteries in the back. WOW, it would go for MILES! it was terribly heavy however. I am running 2 well worn SLA batteries or 2 Walmart Lithium booster packs. Single speed, small short pedals. Very light. About 10mph (a guess) and 3-10+ miles depending on what batteries you use. More of a toy, but actually kinda fun around town or trail.

This is a sweetheart of a folder. I take it traveling and the girlfriend loves it. Single speed but keeps up with city traffic and has very good range, at least 10 miles with some pedaling.

My favourite:

The Grubee is just sitting there, propped in for a test fitting. Schwinn Izip. 20mph and 20mile range, easily with pedalling. Single speed on electric, 7 pedal speeds. My favourite city bike but not great for long distance. I like the quiet and the help on the hills.

Another folder:

This is 7speeds center drive thru a pedal sprocket freewheel. It is a bit slow and underpowered with 24v, may need more voltage. I have no info on what the orignal battery was. It was $25 at a roadside yard sale. Shown are the Walmart Li Booster batteries. No controller on it yet, power on, power off.

My latest "test mule". 48cc engine in a generic frame.
Not electric, but what I am riding daily at the moment, testing castor oil, Maxima 927.

I agree with pretty much all of the posters here in this thread. I'd like to have it all. Quiet and smooth in town, speed and range out in the country. Working on an eventual hybrid.

Steve

 

[JunkyardDog]

Despite my love for internal combustion, I would love to have an electric bike to ride on local bike trails. We have a lot of them around here. One, along a canal bank, is over 30 miles long. I used to ride it from end to end, then ride back home again. That was before I got hit with a crippling medical condition. Yes, I used to be in great shape, 190 pounds, a lot of muscle. Not anymore. I would love to ride on that bike path again, at maybe 5-7 mph, and ride for close to halfway and back. That means a 30 mile no pedal range. There are bikes out there that will do that. But they cost as much as a car. Somebody said electric bikes are not there yet. I doubt they will ever be there. Usually when a new technology catches on, it improves by leaps and bounds. Like computers, smart phones, GPS, the internet, etc. But that has not happened with electric vehicles. There have been no major improvements in a long time, and they just keep getting more and more expensive. Based on the past, I don't believe that battery powered electric vehicles will ever become viable, unless someone comes up with some kind of "superbattery" that can provide sufficient range and short recharge times, and still be priced within reason. And I don't see that happening within the next 20-30 years. I believe that a number of other non ICE technologies have a much better chance at meeting that goal in a much shorter time frame.

 

[jatgm1]

if you can wire lipos then you can have a decently priced battery. just run like hell if it gets punctured.

 

[springfieldscooter]

Someday soon electric will rule the roads.
But for the immediate future, the internal combustion engine is king.

 

[JunkyardDog]

I am a total ICE enthusiast. Cars, motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, gas powered bicycles. The ICE is what got me into the vehicle hobby long before I was even a teenager. In class I would read hot rod and motorcycle magazines, and rebuilt my first car engine at around 12 years old (with a little help) I have been a drag racer and hot rodder since age 16. Electric vehicles are the antithesis of internal combustion. Nevertheless I would have one if they weren't so expensive. A cheap bike with a 5 mile range would do me no good at all. I would need one with a 30 mile no pedal range, and while they do exist, the price is absurd. Way more than I would pay for an electric anything. Electrics have two HUGE problems. Price and lack of range. And it doesn't appear those issues will be solved anytime soon. I seriously doubt there is any long term future in electric vehicles. The problems seem insurmountable. I believe there are other power sources that have a much greater potential. Electric vehicles have been around for over 100 years, and there has been no real progress made. I think it is time to look elsewhere.

 

[Hive]

Electrics are like anything else...relative: to people, use and more. The 34 KG figure for an electric is high, more like 4-8 KG or 6 to 12 lbs...direct drive hub front or rear. Cost is higher, good hub motor from Grin or affiliate can run $500 USD and battery the same. Controller has to match battery and motor needs. No skimping.

I would never consider buying a ready-made electric...convert with kit is too easy to get involved with very spendy proprietary equipment.

Motors do not go far, without recharge...commutes are fine, but cross country no. The motors can be very fast and some are geared for hard work but heat can be a problem.

You like chains and so on, you can find or simple single hub rig. Battery can be simple, spendy, bottle or frame bag. Like everything, minor picky stuff...you do homework, you will do well.

No noise, no gas etc, easy install really as kits come with all but battery. I look for no-hassle quality running rigs.

I am selling my outstanding GEBE rig and bike to go to Swift folder using electric...I would likely stay GEBE as it is the best, but the firm does not make kit for 20 inch or 406 wheels, sadly.

You want to learn more about electric bike, go on-line at electric.com.

 

[springfieldscooter]

Someday soon electric will rule the roads.
But for the immediate future, the internal combustion engine is king.
When a electric bicycle will go 40 mph for 40 miles without recharge, at a reasonable price ...count me in!
Untill then, I prefer internal combustion....

 

[lowracer]

Gotta chime in here.
I have been building gas powered bikes and wheeled contraptions for a long time and just recently cared to learn more about electrics.
I was intrigued by next years Tesla 3 automobile launch and that the batteries they are producing out of their amazing Gigafactory in NV are the same type used in some well known e-bike packs.
I bought the Bafang BBSHD kit from Luna Cycles w/52V Panasonic GA sharkpack battery & put it on my KMX Venom trike. I have another KMX Cobra trike with a Tanaka 47R & 1.5" friction kit.
The electric is dead silent and pulls hard in every gear. I've since bought another BBSHD kit and installed it on 'The Beast" (pic in my avatar). The Beast has been a bike that has undergone many variations of engines and drive builds. I'll post those pics when I take them, but not today (hurricane Matthew here now).
I'm sold on powering bikes using electrics instead of gas even though there are drawbacks (just like anything good in this life).
This trike will do 35 mph w/the 42T front chainring but can definitely pull more with a larger chainring. Now I need to find that guy who you could mail your wheels to and get them built up with heavy duty spokes. I've broken a total of seven font spokes cause it handles like a race car and accelerates like one too
The technology is growing quickly and will probably change the future of fuel/power for all industry.
-Lowracer-

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

Gotta chime in here.
I have been building gas powered bikes and wheeled contraptions for a long time and just recently cared to learn more about electrics.
I was intrigued by next years Tesla 3 automobile launch and that the batteries they are producing out of their amazing Gigafactory in NV are the same type used in some well known e-bike packs.
I bought the Bafang BBSHD kit from Luna Cycles w/52V Panasonic GA sharkpack battery & put it on my KMX Venom trike. I have another KMX Cobra trike with a Tanaka 47R & 1.5" friction kit.
The electric is dead silent and pulls hard in every gear. I've since bought another BBSHD kit and installed it on 'The Beast" (pic in my avatar). The Beast has been a bike that has undergone many variations of engines and drive builds. I'll post those pics when I take them, but not today (hurricane Matthew here now).
I'm sold on powering bikes using electrics instead of gas even though there are drawbacks (just like anything good in this life).
This trike will do 35 mph w/the 42T front chainring but can definitely pull more with a larger chainring. Now I need to find that guy who you could mail your wheels to and get them built up with heavy duty spokes. I've broken a total of seven font spokes cause it handles like a race car and accelerates like one too
The technology is growing quickly and will probably change the future of fuel/power for all industry.
-Lowracer-
View attachment 74181 View attachment 74182

Nice. Trike.
Room for a spare battery pack too, by the looks of it. What range can you get from the battery pack? And how fast can you recharge it?

 

[lowracer]

Furry,
I usually ride it between 30-40 miles without pedaling and gettin it. I can tell the battery is starting to get weaker but haven't hit the low voltage cutoff.
Recharge can be very fast on amp setting 5 or slow on the 2-4 amp settings. I usually also set the smart charger for 80% charge (54V) instead of 100% since its supposed to extend the life of the battery.
Every now and then I'll charge to 100% and really enjoy the added oomph @ 58V.
-Low-