Help! I'm looking for electric bike suggestions.

[dataplume]

I'm looking for electric bike suggestions. Here are my requirements:

I'm needing something to travel approximately 20 miles a day 5 days a week. I'd really like power assist so that I'm peddling for exercise as well as being able to travel long distances more quickly than I would with a traditional bike. I'll probably ride it in most weather conditions except for when its really cold. So it probably wouldn't hurt to have some fenders to keep rain from soaking me. Also I'm primarily interested in compact dense battery technology. Finally I'd really like to spend between $500-$1000 preferably on the low end of that total but willing to go up if the options are compelling enough.

So what would you guys recommend?

Thanks!

 

[JFleck]

Hello,

Do you have a bike to start with or is
that going to be part of the money?

Second is the 20 miles one way or total?

You can get the electric kits for about $250 with
everything you need (except batteries) and can be added to any bike.

for the 20 miles you will need batteries that have a
20 amp hour rating or higher, of course the higher
the ah rating the hevier and more exspensive the batteries get.

1ah=1.2miles (this is an estimate but is close)
that also depends on the terain, flat no problem
lots of hills, you will burn the batteries sooner.
20ah Batteries will run you anywhere from
$40 to $70 each. if you get a 36V hub you will need 3 batteries,
a 48V hub you need 4 batteries.

Fenders you can spend how ever much you want,
You can get cheap ones for $20 or so.

Hope this helps or heads you in the right direction. . .

 

[dataplume]

Thanks for the reply!

To answer your questions, I currently have two bikes. One is a very cheap mountain bike is an older schwinn bmx. I figure that neither bike is cut out for the task at hand however if there is a reliable kit out there that will retro fit most any bike please suggest as I'll certainly consider anything and weigh in on the pros and cons as I get more info.

Also yes the 20 miles is a total for each day. 10 miles one way and 10 miles back.

 

[jerryt]

Hey Data,
I may go electric. Still checking it out. You may already know that Crystalyte is a good hub kit. Here is a link to a very descriptive mountain bike conversion.

http://www.ebikeproject.com/

 

[jerryt]

Data,
Here is an excellant video for electrical bike commuters. Its an off the shelf bike * but lots of good tips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9GPxvP9VGY

*edit - I believe its a Giant Suede E w/NiMh batteries, about $1000. I've looked at these and they are state of the art and extremely well made

 

[dataplume]

Awesome stuff!

Thanks for all the leads guys. I think I've finally decided which direction I'm going. Since I'm looking to replace my vehicle and travel in excess of 20 mi. a day the bike that seemed right for the job was a StokeMonkey driven bike which you can check out here http://cleverchimp.com/

Plus I like that I can haul stuff on the extended frame. So I've gone ahead and ordered my Surly frame and my Xtracycle freeRadical then I'll be having it assembled here are a local bike shop. Once I've got it put together I'll post it up for all to see.

I'm totally excited! Thanks again for helping to get me started!

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

data, it's all do-able. i ran a CRYSTALITE front hub, 72vdc controller and 60 pounds of 12v/18ah batteries. my girlie bike was a land barge at 325 pounds, but it ran like a big-block CHEVY IMPALA. it also gave 50(fifty!)+miles range with no pedalling, before it gradually lost its power.

on my 5-mile run home in 85-degree weather,the motor drained less than 10% of its charge, with no pedalling.its temperatures were always like warm(not hot)cocoa at the end of its runs. 8)