Electric Bikes - new to ebikes, want 35mph and decent range 10-15miles. phoenix hub motor?

i live near LA and my car is out of commission for a while, so i'm thinking about buying/building an ebike. i'm after speed a bit more then range, i'm looking for about 35mph on the flat, and around 10 mile range although 15 would be nice. what do you guys think about this Phoenix 4840 kit? (http://www.electricrider.com/crystalyte/phoenix.htm)

or is there a better option out there? i only have about $1000 us to spend on the kit and around $200 or so for the bike itself. what are your guys ideas on this as i'm pretty new to this myself.

A Crystalyte 5304/26" at 60v would be just about right for what you want. Check out www.ebikes.ca (http://www.ebikes.ca), and I would recommend a 72v/35a controller. Keep in mind that if you run lead batteries hard, it will shorten their lifespan quite a bit, but that may not be an issue if you'll have your car back in a reasonable time.

To go 15 miles at 35mph will require around 500wh of actual useable battery capacity.

thanks for the reply, ya it will be a while till i get my car back but even then it would be kinda nice to still use the ebike to get to school and back. my cars kinda my project car and has since become a bit of a gas hog, (power comes at a price, right?) and it just seems like a lot of overkill to just get me to school and back, about the batteries the only other options beside lead acid seem a bit out of my price range, so would you recommend i get a bit more capacity then i need so i'm not running them really low all the time?

Definitely get as much capacity as possible, weight permitting. Design for 80% depth of discharge on your longest trip, and consider dropping your top speed to around 30mph and run 48v x 16Ah, which is a popular motorcycle/atv/watercraft size.

35mph is simply too much speed for lead batteries to carry you very far IMO. Stay under 20mph and you'll have much easier/cheaper battery choices for your desired range. Besides battery capacity you'll need more brakes, tires, frame strength, etc. for 35mph.

Don't forget about mixed-mode commuting either - maybe a train/bus/car for part of a commute until it get's too traffic congested - then move to the eBike?

I have a Phoenix Racer kit, and at 48V, cruising at 35 mph on flat ground, it is just barely capable of going 10 miles with no pedaling. Pedaling or going slower will significantly help range. It would be wise to choose a bike with high gearing so you can pedal at least at 30 mph to help move the bike along, particularly when accelerating or going uphill. (Acceleration is slow at 48V unless you pedal -- doing so can make it very fast).

It's tons of fun. I think you'll enjoy it, and enjoy not having to face LA traffic.

35mph is really fast for a bike. If you're new to this ebike thing and don't know much and still want the speed, I suggest just getting a used gas scooter with your $1000.

Unless you're thinking of investing more in the future and will use the bike regularly when you get your car back.

Definitely get as much capacity as possible, weight permitting. Design for 80% depth of discharge on your longest trip, and consider dropping your top speed to around 30mph and run 48v x 16Ah, which is a popular motorcycle/atv/watercraft size.Good Advice for a 130+ lb ebike to AVERAGE 20 mph on a round trip if lucky..

Good Advice for a 130+ lb ebike to AVERAGE 20 mph on a round trip if lucky..

The original poster said his commute is on flats, so bike weight has nothing to do with the top speed. I realize you enjoy opening your mouth and inserting your foot... just like your pal Krushnoi.

The original poster said his commute is on flats, so bike weight has nothing to do with the top speed. .Weigt/power ratio and drag has everything to do with top speed on hills or flats Lo Well.See if you can pedal a heavy 120 lb + ebike to 20 mph on the FLATS for a full mile with the motor not running.Try being civil ******* LOL better yet make us another movie to laugh at.

Weight has almost nothing to do with top speed on flat ground; the only effect it has is to place more load on the wheel bearings and the tires, slightly increasing rolling resistance.

It does affect range more since you use more energy to reach that speed.

Weight has almost nothing to do with top speed on flat ground; the only effect it has is to place more load on the wheel bearings and the tires, slightly increasing rolling resistance.

It does affect range more since you use more energy to reach that speed.You are counterdicting yourself.Try pedaling the heavy bike with a hub motor to 20 mph for 1 hour without the motor being on..

You are counterdicting yourself.Try pedaling the heavy bike with a hub motor to 20 mph for 1 hour without the motor being on..

Personally, I would rather ride my electric now with Innovaders, than back when it was still an XC setup using WTB Velociraptors. As long as you've got the right tires, the weight counts for little on the flats.

What'll get you is if your electric setup is a cow, are the hills.

Poet, I read that you're taking your bike to school? One thing to consider would be, what are you going to do with your batteries? Unless you have a bike locker, its going to be hard to design a pack that evenly distributes that weight around your bike and is difficult to steal. Bringing the batteries inside means packing around all that weight, at least to your locker and such. SLA batteries will also develop sulfur buildup if you're not charging them at school, so your lifespan on them might be low.

I personally ride my bike to campus every day, and don't have a locker. My battery weighs around 7lbs though, so just pack it in the backpack and its not at all unbearable.

My personal suggestion would be that if you're riding on the flats, and could live with shedding a few miles per hour, a Crystalyte 406 might be a good option. You can get those with disk brakes, it'll save you money which you could use to get a battery upgrade, and you'll have a much lighter vehicle with a much more manageable battery pack. A 406 with disk brakes can be purchased for about $300, controller and throttle add about $120. Thats $420 for your entry, leaving you a lot of money to look at battery/bike upgrades.

Overall, not as much speed, no. But there would be a lot of benefits.
I'm not sure about exactly how fast the 406 at 48v goes, but I know that it reaches over 52kph, which isn't that far off from the Phoenix. My setup weighs 47lbs total - bike, battery, componentry all.

You are counterdicting yourself.Try pedaling the heavy bike with a hub motor to 20 mph for 1 hour without the motor being on..

http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm#

At 35mph, adding 50lbs to a typical bike lowers top speed by 0.2mph.