(Part 3) Top products from r/ebikes

Where I live no one is going to take it. I don't even need to lock my bike.

But for my own peace of mind I lock my bike and take my battery with me. For school/ work you just bring it to a locker if some room you have access to. For the supermarket I toss it in the trolley which I bring to my bike.

It's faster to remove the battery than lock the bike.

I wouldn't leave my battery outside for environmental reasons, too hot, too cold, too wet.

The battery itself isn't protected from theft or vandalism. You have to put the battery into something. You have you build your own on-bike security box.


No difference between 48 and 52 other than the 52 V will spin the motor 5-10% faster.

You can't be sure it fits. But dropout width for these hub motors are usually 135ish and 140-150 for the more powerful ebike motors.

Like I said the kit has nothing special and guarantees nothing, you can source all your own parts.

You have to do all your own wiring and everything in all cases.


Motor and battery is what costs a lot to ship (weight).

Controllers and other parts are cheap to source. You can grab a programmable controller and other accessories from EM3ev if order from there. Connectors, power wires, heat shrink, spare throttles...

200$ with free shipping is very hard to beat and we don't know anything specific about the motor like Kv or performance. When you order form QS you are pretty sure on what you get.

Cheaper:

https://www.amazon.com/Esright-Wheel-Electric-Bicycle-Conversion/dp/B06XDHLVDZ/ref=sr_1_6?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1504921519&sr=1-6&keywords=hub+motor

I'm sure you will be happy with the 160$ hub motor from Amazon, and worst case you slowly upgrade to a QS motor. We can get some Statorade (Gatorade for your motor stator) with the money saved. Automatically gives 50% more continuous power capability.

My only concern with the Amazon motor is it is slow (low Kv) and unknown stator width and copper fill. It would be nice to see inside the motor.

It's 160$, maybe we shouldn't worry too much.

I have the CCX and another brand's fat tire bike. I'd recommend you go with the CCX, because it's going to be easier to ride when the battery runs out, and sometimes fat tires can be an inconvenience otherwise. Someone mention fitting into a bus rack, for example. I also think fat bikes attract more attention, though they're both still expensive-looking ebikes of course.

Another thing the CCX has going for it is the tires. Though fat tires are generally more resistant to flats in general, the Schwalbe Marathon Plus are known for being among the most flat-resistant tires you can buy. The kendas on the RCS might be good too, but they don't have the same proven reputation.

If you're concerned about a rough ride, get a suspension seatpost.
I'm using the Satori Animaris, which works incredibly well for just $60 (there's a slightly different looking model online too, not sure if it's a newer model). It seems to not be as bouncy as other suspension seatposts, but I like how you don't really notice it when pedaling until you need it. Not sure I'd want any more suspension for city use. Works great in rough NYC streets, and is the best purchase I've made for my bikes.

Hardened security chain with hardened security lock.

Generally speaking these are industrial chains originally designed for overhead lifts (if the chain brakes and workers have high chance of injury/death) and wheel chains on mining equipment. To prevent the chain from wearing from years of daily use they feature significant surface hardening.

This surface hardening means that the chain is as strong and hard as jaws used in bolt cutters. If you try to use heavy duty bolt cutters to cut these chains it will just end up ruining the jaws in them. These chains cannot be cut by anything less then a angle grinder or cutting torch.

This is different then the big chain you can get at a hardware store, which are made of relatively soft welded links.

Then you need a lock to match the security chain. something that can't be hammered, drilled, picked, or pried apart.

Then when you chain it up you want to chain high up on the bike and you want to 'fill' the chain or u-lock as much as possible so it's not really slack. You don't want the attacker to be able to get tools in or get locks and such things on the ground where they can use their body weight for leverage.

Generally speaking the bike should be locked through the rear triangle and go around the rear tire and seat tube.

You can buy this stuff pre-made:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006QN0MI0/

Or buy chains and locks from places like Westech riggers supply

There are very heavy duty U-Locks that are more convenient and almost as tough. But there is a lot of garbage u-locks out there.

The trick then is to secure the stuff attached to your bike. Seats, front wheel, handle bars, racks, etc.

Getting rid of quick releases and using security bolts/nuts that require specially 'keyed' tools to remove is usually a good approach. But you can run cables or chains through them and stuff like that.

Accessory list:

Bike Horn/Alarm to replace the bell (can be bought via Juiced eBikes but since I had >month wait on the bike I ordered from China via AliExpress and saved $15): https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32878456118.html?pid=808\_0000\_0101&spm=a2g0n.search-amp.list.32878456118&aff\_trace\_key=&aff\_platform=msite&m\_page\_id=9422amp-3HjQAtrUduSC2OqOMyMPWQ1569695340598

Phone Mount: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07419TQ6G?psc=1&ref=ppx\_pop\_mob\_b\_asin\_title

Small Frame Bag (holds below toolkit & spare tube): https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07WPTKNNQ?psc=1&ref=ppx\_pop\_mob\_b\_asin\_title

Bike Tool Kit (including glueless patches): https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MXIV4XV?psc=1&ref=ppx\_pop\_mob\_b\_asin\_title

High Volume Pump (mounted at water bottle bracket): https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005UZOJZ2?psc=1&ref=ppx\_pop\_mob\_b\_asin\_title

Water Bottle Holder: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FC5IN1K?psc=1&ref=ppx\_pop\_mob\_b\_asin\_title

16" Rim Tape (apparently this is the BEST reflective tape on the market, costs a little more $ but I figured it'd help me be seen on the road by cars): https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XV2XLZA/ref=ppx\_yo\_mob\_b\_track\_package\_o0\_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bike U Lock (haven't attached yet): https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07JLS8144?psc=1&ref=ppx\_pop\_mob\_b\_asin\_title

Is it possible? Yes. Is it a good idea? You're an adult, you be the judge!

Flexible 100w solar panels weigh about 5 lbs and are about 2' by 4'. Their maximum power is produced at about 17v, so you'll need a CC/CV MPPT charge controller that can boost the voltage into the 50v range. You can find the Ming He mpt-7210a for $25-35. You'll need one of these for every 10 amps of electricity produced by the panels, but you can easily wire 2 panels in series to double the voltage/halve the amperage, I think you could wire four panels in a 2p/2s configuration and get 300 watts into your battery in full sun. Here are a couple of videos you'll want to check out, since the instructions are inadequate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM6JTquNSZU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVkehQ_RypI

I wouldn't bother charging while riding, I would take a 2-3 hour noon siesta and get a bit more charging in the evenings. I would get 3 or 4 panels and stack them up on a bike trailer, and then lay them out to charge. In the evenings, you can prop them up with a couple of tent poles or bamboo stakes. Tie them all together and then ram a few pegs into the ground to secure them. You could charge while riding but you probably won't want to lay out 16 square feet of solar panels (wind and all that) and you won't be able to position the panels accurately.

A 48v 10ah battery pack has about 500 watt-hours of energy. With 400 watts of panels, in peak sun, after losses from boosting the voltage, maybe you could get 300 watts into the battery per hour. In theory you could charge the battery in a couple of hours. Solar energy peaks at ~12-1pm, there will be twice as much power (or more) at solar peak as there would be about 2 hours before sunset.

It'll cost you around $200 to get one panel, one charger, and associated wires. Try it and report back!

Parts:

Panel

Controller

Controller to XT60

Panel to controller

Extra wire

Tubes that come with Slime sealant inside them, like these. https://www.amazon.com/Slime-30045-Self-Sealing-Schrader-1-75-2-125/dp/B000ENMLFK/ Never used their tubes, but I've had good results with putting Slime in other tubes. It's great against small thorns.

To tighten the lock ring you'll need a lock ring spanner, [I bought this one](Park Tool Head-Gear Lockring Wrench https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002PTVDP0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_6B.pxb31DDM07) are you sure you ordered a BBS02 that is the correct width? I'm sure more of us here could help if you can give us some pictures! If the lock ring already can thread on, you can always go to a hardware store to get some longer fasteners :)

Hey!

First of all, thank you for following us & we are glad you like our bike!

The tires & tubes we use are Mongoose 20x4:

https://www.amazon.com/Mongoose-MG78456-2-Fat-Tire-20/dp/B01CGDW2AO/ref=pd_bxgy_468_img_2/137-6884282-9607559?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01CGDW2AO&pd_rd_r=1d2d8ad9-8a3e-4cd1-a7e9-ef68251f2833&pd_rd_w=b6ioR&pd_rd_wg=KyxKZ&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=BNMAA42VW3TRFVVGGGQ6&psc=1&refRID=BNMAA42VW3TRFVVGGGQ6

https://www.amazon.com/Mongoose-MG78457-6-Fat-Tire-Tube/dp/B01CGDVXL8/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=mongoose+20x4+tires&qid=1567357413&s=gateway&sr=8-2

We also use the "Mr Tuffy" (4XL) tire liners between the tires & tubes:

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Tuffy-Bike-4-1-5-0-4X-Large/dp/B00SM1OW5S/ref=pd_cp_468_3?pd_rd_w=PdK7t&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=ZNT38DCP3NNZC58DTQ73&pd_rd_r=2130f3f9-a96c-4abc-9bdc-100d08fa34d0&pd_rd_wg=h9Tsw&pd_rd_i=B00SM1OW5S&psc=1&refRID=ZNT38DCP3NNZC58DTQ73

​

​

(We are not an official UK dealer)

There is defiantly more than enough power to use automotive lighting. Let me phrase it like this. If you think about the typical power consumption of a tail light (mine is 40W at 12V), even with the addition of my headlights which are 18W a piece (supposedly) you’re only up to a total of 76W for the entire system. If we assume an inefficient driver we can round that up to 80W of additional power from your battery or a little over 1.5 A at 48V. Compare that to a 1000W motor running at half power (500W/48V= 10.4 A) so you’re adding a super small amount of constant draw (like 1/10 the normal drain) to have all you’re lights on all the time. Here are the parts I used:

Taillight: Greenclick 40W Motorcycle Tail... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072Q5MK75?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Headlights: Nilight Led Light Bar 2PCS 18W 4"... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IY3YLCI?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Converter: Kohree DC/DC Converter Regulator... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0756T983Q?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Blinker relay: AUDEW 2-Pin Electronic Turn... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011BTMDQM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

A mirror is the best thing I've added to my ebike. Mine is clamped to the handlebar and mounted below. A quick glance is all I need to view oncoming traffic. (Hmmm is "oncoming" the correct term for a car approaching from the rear?) Nonetheless, I feel much safer now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWRMZZF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You should grab a thudbuster suspension seatpost or for 60 bucks these are pretty good. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071YLB5CN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3-1ODbMG4JGNZ

If you can bump up your budget a bit more, this bike can get up northwest style hills w/ mostly casual pedaling. It's adequate quality, so long as you learn some basic bike maintenance (adjusting brakes, keeping the bike clean). Then there's taking care of the battery (have to discharge/recharge cycle the battery once in awhile or it'll die).

Last attempt at copy pasting the original comment.

Looking to add lights to your bike that run off the existing battery pack for way less than electric bike specific lights? Especially when electric bike specific lights, are typically lame, 1-4 LED dated looking Chinese lights.

I'm going to show you how I added 2 - 7 LED Ultrafire U-L2 bike lights to my bike for less than $100. Do not use these lights on the road, they are extremely bright, and rated at 4000 Lumens each.

You can, however, buy the converter, and some lower power bike lights, or a single light even for even less money.

The first thing you are going to need is the converter. Its $21. This thing will take just about any pack voltage in, and output anywhere between 1v and 30v. Adjustable with a screw. Handles up to 3A

Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C9S5QNC/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1450034772&sr=1&keywords=adjustable+step+down+converter

The next thing you are going to need is a light, these are the ones I used, they're $46. http://www.dx.com/p/ultrafire-u-l2-7-x-cree-xm-l2-t6-3-mode-4000lm-cool-white-bike-light-black-4-x-18650-241291#.Vm3Gr_krKUk

You are also going to need some things I assume you already have like solder, and a soldering iron. Maybe some heatshrink tubing to clean things up a bit. Maybe one of these so you can disconnect the lights.

http://www.amazon.com/LHI-2PCS-WRA0053-12awg-Silicon/dp/B012IQ7AJ2/ref=sr117?ie=UTF8&qid=1450035007&sr=8-17-spons&keywords=wire+connector+14ga&psc=1

So the little blue converter, has a green clip that comes out. You are going to need to splice into your battery's output cables, and run some new smaller cable out to the inputs of the green clips. Then you want to wire one end of the disconnect to the green clip, and the other to your lights.

I ended up just wiring both lights together, then into the disconnect, and then into the clips.

At this point you should have a disconnect coming out of the green clip, and the other going straight to your battery. The converter should not be attached to your clip yet. Plug the converter in, and measure voltage at the disconnect. Turn the CV screw on the converter until you get 7V. Now plug your light(s) in and you are good to go.

NOTES

If you run 14 Cree LEDs off this thing like I am you will be at the very end of the converters capability at 3A. It's going to get super hot, hot enough to melt plastic and potentially damage anything it touches. You will need to upgrade the cooling capacity. I attached an old intel heatsink I had with some zip ties, it keeps it cool enough that you can touch it and warm up your hands. This is only needed if you plan on running 14LEDS on high, for periods longer than a couple minutes. It has no problem with both on low, or 1 on high, 1 on low. If I had some thermal paste lying around I would have used it.

A COOL FEATURE

The ultrafire lights I have, have this cool feature of changing the color of the button on the back of them based on the voltage going in to them. They go from Green to Blue to Red to Flashing Red to let you know how much charge you have left in the packs they came with. You can set them up to change color with your battery pack. For example if my pack has a full charge at 58.4V, and I want the lights to turn red when I hit 48V I set it to like 7.4V at full charge so that at 48V it will put out 5.4V. These are estimates not exact numbers, you will have to math, if you cannot math I may or may not math for you at a later date.

Another note about that feature. Light output is not effected by input voltage into the light, and the higher the voltage you put into them the hotter the blue converter is gonna get.

Here's a video I did of the lights a while ago running them off the supplied battery packs. They typically only lasted for 45 minutes before the packs died, hooked to an ebike battery they last for as long as you want to ride. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTMVEObSdxg

I bought 2 of these. I really like them and they are decently priced. The external batteries are really nice too

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JR4FGAO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm a little confused, why can't you use this? Is this the charger cord plug or power to your bike? Just cut off the cord to your bike and put one of those on. It's perfectly safe since that end isn't powered once you remove the battery, or what is it you are talking about exactly?

THE WRENCHER: buy some cheap friction shifters. Use the brakes levers in the kit. Be happy.

also, very very bright light. I suggest this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JR4FGAO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My concern was how you'd transport it because bike racks often have issues with fat tires and non standard wheelbases. It could be a problem if you take the bus or catch a ride with a friend. It bugs me because it means my hitch can only be used for my fat tire ebike, or for cargo, not both. If I had built my ebike around a conventional mtb, then I could use this thing. The two bikes you're looking at also look incompatible with most racks that attach to a hatch. If you're always riding, then it's not a problem.

From watching the lockinglawyer and bosnianbill, I'd go with a ulock like the Uguard Brute or Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit. Their advantage is a shackle thicker than bolt cutters can handle right now. Get insurance though. There's no 100% foolproof way to stop thieves, so prepare yourself so the impact of a theft can be dealt with when it happens. I keep seeing https://velosurance.com/ pop up when it comes to ebike insurance. You might have renters insurance or something like that, but chances are they are against insuring motorized vehicles, which includes ebikes.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ENT1KCU this one is good for up to 75v. I'm probably getting the smallest one to do 60v to 12v, then use a standard car converter to get 5v USB.

I wonder if this bike will take brakes like these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BLM3TZO#Ask

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWRMZZF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1This guy, I've never ran a mirror before so I can't offer an real insight, seems well reviewed and have seen a few recommendations for it.

I bought this kryptonite chain lock (kryptonite evolution series-4 1016 integrated chain bicycle lock bike lock (5.25") https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007EW31R6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hJwoDb8EECDRW) because it had a good rating, lifetime warranty, looked good, has a program to sign up for your key where they mail you a new one if lost, and I think covers your bike in the event it actually does get stolen for up to 3k.

The thing is it's pretty massive. It's much thicker and longer than it looks in the picture. I doubt anyone could cut threw this chain without a decent amount of time and heavy power tools. I believe it's intended use is for locking it up overnight. so It's sorta overkill for me because of the weight and the fact I probably won't ever lock it up overnight. it is 5 feet long so I can go threw the rear rim, the frame, and even the rear rack my battery is bolted too.

I might return it and get 2 of the locks that look like big handcuffs.

this is the headlight I Attached it using duct bracketing and the rear light with this switch all running through this DC converter

Once you have a DC converter picked, you can basically just get 12v whatever you want from ATV, car, motorcycle etc. This is just the stuff I used.

This guy knows his stuff.

I have a 2013 Volt. I used this hitch:

https://smile.amazon.com/CURT-11221-Class-Trailer-Hitch/dp/B0072UHJ8W

Then mount a motorcycle carrying rack on that. That should work just fine as long as it isn't over the weight limit for the hitch.

I'm using a Kryptonite ulock with cable at work. Bike rack at work is a joke though, its not secured to the floor or wall. In the garage at home, auto door closer so it will never be open longer than 5 minutes unless the power is out.

Had a plastic mount that snapped from vibration.

I now use this combo:
https://www.amazon.com/GUB-Mountian-Bike-Phone-Mount/dp/B07419TQ6G

BIKEIN Bike Rearview Mirror... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BVNJS5R?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
And the lock
Kryptonite New-U KryptoLok Series... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XCLTVPQ?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

I needed a chain breaking tool, a pedal wrench, a crank puller, and this lockring wrench.

If I were to get this kit https://www.amazon.com/Esright-Wheel-Electric-Bicycle-Conversion/dp/B06XDHLVDZ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511922964&sr=8-3&keywords=electric+bike+26%22 could I just buy [this battery] (https://www.genstattu.com/tattu-14-8v-5200mah-4s-15c-30c-lipo-battery-pack-with-xt60-plug.html) to get it running? Would I need more than 1? And would I need some type of battery casing?

EDIT: now realize that is only 14V. If I could 2 of these https://www.genstattu.com/tattu-22-2v-5200mah-6s-15c-30c-lipo-battery-pack-with-xt60-plug.html would that be about enough power?

Are you riding off road a lot?

Try the tubes with the goo in them:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ENMLFK

Also consider the belt style protectors:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0066DD56Q

I did both and haven't had a flat tire since. Plus, always ride with a spare tube and CO2 inflator.

I'm seeing two when I view that link - the Vee tire that /u/happyjared was probably referring to, and a Mongoose tire in the suggestions.

Maybe it's a regional difference?

Even Amazon is getting in on the action. This one is a fat tire folding bike. Probably not the highest quality, but for $700 its hard to beat...

Something like this or this.

All locks are more deterrents than anything. If someone wants your stuff badly enough, they'll try and take it. But just about anything is better than a cable lock that can be cut in no time with a cheap pair of wire cutters.

I don't dick about with mine, I have a kryptonite shackle lock that clips to the frame when not in use, and carry one of these in a small backpack.

The backpack is used to carry the battery when I'm not on the bike.

I don't want to seem like a dick, but from 30+ years as a motorcyclist it still amazes me that people will spend 4 grand on a bike, then buy a £25 lock that can be broken with a pocket sized bolt cutter to keep it secure.

Again, from motorbiking experience - you need two different locks, that require two sets of tools to defeat. 99% of thieves will walk on by.

Carrying them is a nuisance, but it sure beats the dejected walk home.

Yup I plan on using this

Plan is cut the end of my female C13 cord that comes from the controller and put the wires into that plug above. Am I missing anything?

Do you have a rack on your bike? I just lock my u-lock to the rack or throw it in a pannier if I have one on the bike. Otherwise, if I don’t need to lock the bike up i leave the u-lock at home so it’s not messing up the aesthetics. They are hard to beat if you lock them through the rear wheel and frame to the bike rack. This one is hard to beat for the money (I snagged mine for $35 a couple years back.) It’s beefy enough to resist bolt cutters and a thief would need to cut through both sides of the shackle with an angle grinder to defeat it.

ONGUARD Brute STD U-Lock, 4.37 x 7.96-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009T4F9G8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_roxQAbRJRBYC8