motorbikemike45
Member
Now that Summer is slowly drawing toward Fall and I've put over 3,000 miles on the e-bike, I thought it was time for a report. The bike is a cheap Schwinn Landmark from The Big Box Store. It has a heavy steel frame, 7 speed gears, and I replaced the balloon tires with 26"X1.95 Armadillo Hemispheres, the metal fenders with polycarbonate ones, higher rise handlebars, and the seat with a Cloud 9 on a springer seat post. The motor, controller, etc is a direct drive front hub-motor from e-bikekits.com and the battery a 36V 20Amp-hour LiFeP04 from Ping Battery.
Installation of the kit was a snap. The battery went on a rear rack, but the battery box fabrication took some head scratching and figurin' to get right. Nothing an old tinkerer couldn't handle. I added an automotive keyed ignition switch as an on-off for the battery hot lead to discourage theft and placed it in a pair of plastic pipe caps glued together back to back. Running the wires in flexible, corrugated plastic slit conduit and a plastic cover over the connectors neatened things up a little.
It has a top speed on the level with no wind of 22.2mph, and I've put a bit over 36 miles on a single charge without running it dead. I cheaped-out and went with the included standard 2 amp charger, so I usually charge it overnight. Later, I added a pair of folding baskets, attaching them to the rack below the battery so I can haul a weeks worth of groceries with no sweat.
The e-bike is stone reliable with no, repeat, no maintenance beyond that required for any pedal bike and charging the battery. It has operated flawlessly with not a single problem. I have replaced the brake pucks with Cool Stop units and that's it. It is fairly heavy, that seems to be the only drawback.
My next e-bike is already in the works. Lighter, more comfortable, and a bit faster are the goals. An aluminum frame, full suspension Next Avalon from Wally World made by Kent is the base. The power will be from e-bikekits.com again, as they have a great product at a reasonable price. This one will be a direct drive hub-motor in the rear with a 7 speed gear cassette on it and I'm going to try to put the LiFeP04 48V 15 Amp-hour Ping battery on the top of the frame where the gas tank would go on a motorcycle. I might lay it on it's side as I talked to Ping and I can mount the battery in any orientation with the caveat that you should pad under it if it's mounted vertically. It should be good for 28-30mph and the range should be similar to what I have now.
In summary; The e-bike is performing perfectly with absolutely zero problems. e-bikekits.com and Ping Battery are my choices and I have no reason to regret building this e-bike. It is as dependable, reliable and requires no more maintenance than a plain pedal bike. wOOt!!
Installation of the kit was a snap. The battery went on a rear rack, but the battery box fabrication took some head scratching and figurin' to get right. Nothing an old tinkerer couldn't handle. I added an automotive keyed ignition switch as an on-off for the battery hot lead to discourage theft and placed it in a pair of plastic pipe caps glued together back to back. Running the wires in flexible, corrugated plastic slit conduit and a plastic cover over the connectors neatened things up a little.
It has a top speed on the level with no wind of 22.2mph, and I've put a bit over 36 miles on a single charge without running it dead. I cheaped-out and went with the included standard 2 amp charger, so I usually charge it overnight. Later, I added a pair of folding baskets, attaching them to the rack below the battery so I can haul a weeks worth of groceries with no sweat.
The e-bike is stone reliable with no, repeat, no maintenance beyond that required for any pedal bike and charging the battery. It has operated flawlessly with not a single problem. I have replaced the brake pucks with Cool Stop units and that's it. It is fairly heavy, that seems to be the only drawback.
My next e-bike is already in the works. Lighter, more comfortable, and a bit faster are the goals. An aluminum frame, full suspension Next Avalon from Wally World made by Kent is the base. The power will be from e-bikekits.com again, as they have a great product at a reasonable price. This one will be a direct drive hub-motor in the rear with a 7 speed gear cassette on it and I'm going to try to put the LiFeP04 48V 15 Amp-hour Ping battery on the top of the frame where the gas tank would go on a motorcycle. I might lay it on it's side as I talked to Ping and I can mount the battery in any orientation with the caveat that you should pad under it if it's mounted vertically. It should be good for 28-30mph and the range should be similar to what I have now.
In summary; The e-bike is performing perfectly with absolutely zero problems. e-bikekits.com and Ping Battery are my choices and I have no reason to regret building this e-bike. It is as dependable, reliable and requires no more maintenance than a plain pedal bike. wOOt!!
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