Electric Bikes - New Cyclone 500W Finished!

Hello all,
I just finished my build of a 500W Cyclone conversion and wanted to get your opinion. I have documented the build completely at http://cyclone-ebikedocumentary.blogspot.com/
Thanks in advance :)

Hello all,
I just finished my build of a 500W Cyclone conversion and wanted to get your opinion. I have documented the build completely at http://cyclone-ebikedocumentary.blogspot.com/
Thanks in advance :)


Very nice build. Non-hub motors tend to have great torque (there are some large hub motors that have decent torque but they're expensive), you should be happy with your e-bike's performance. What are you doing for a battery and are you placing it in a back pack or a removable frame mounted bag? (I don't see a rear rack on your bike.) I will be building a LIFEPO4 from TS prismatic cells next month.

I still have to modify my current rear rack as I don't have upper mounting points for it so right now I am using a backpack. My battery is a 24V 20Ah Ping LiFePo4 pack.

I still have to modify my current rear rack as I don't have upper mounting points for it so right now I am using a backpack. My battery is a 24V 20Ah Ping LiFePo4 pack.

Before warm weather sets in and you want that back pack off your back, you might get some P-clamps at the local hardware store and use them to mount your rack. Here's a link showing them used to mount a rack. (They're great, they can be used to mount fenders, too.)

http://www.bikecommuters.com/2008/07/19/p-clamps-are-your-friends/

So how much better is this type of setup over a hub setup? Im not too familiar with E bikes and am wanting to convert my Crosstown to one.

I like the low COG but exposure is an issue with motors in the bb area it seems for those that live in less than the perfect climate of socal. Running the motor through the drive train is a good idea but not legal in the states that require a direct or automatic power drive system which requires no clutch or gear shift operation. Don't get me wrong as I think this is a pretty stupid law that is in effect more for the moped/scooter market that drifts in to ebike regs for little reason. Being able to use a range of gears allows for a much smaller motor to have get up AND go power to the 20 mph speed limit restriction.

teamontherun,

Non-hub motors have better torque, critical if you live in a hilly area. To get decent torque from a hub motor, you have to go with a fairly powerful, expensive one. You need to be careful about putting a hub motor on a front wheel. You absolutely cannot put a hub motor on an aluminum suspension fork--they have cast drop outs that can fail without any signs of stress. Even steel dropouts can fail, that's why it's critical to use torque arms with any hub motor (front or back). If you live in an area where summertime temps get high and you want a hub motor, you might consider a sensorless one like Aotema. Hall sensors are a major cause of hub motor overheating/failures. Before you buy, you might want to join Endless Sphere's forums. The only bikes they focus on are e-bikes. The site has a massive amount of valuable EV info, including information on battery technologies. Here's a link. Good luck. endless-sphere.com/forums

So how much better is this type of setup over a hub setup? Im not too familiar with E bikes and am wanting to convert my Crosstown to one.

It really depends on your area. Hub motors are great in places that are mostly flat as you can get a cheap one that doesn't have a lot of torque. Non-Hub motors are great in places that have a lot of hills so you can use your existing gearing to downshift for more power. I also like this setup since I can still ride it like a normal bike without having to fight the motor. Only certain hub motors freewheel and the ones that don't you have to fight the motor when it's not on.

I like the low COG but exposure is an issue with motors in the bb area it seems for those that live in less than the perfect climate of socal. Running the motor through the drive train is a good idea but not legal in the states that require a direct or automatic power drive system which requires no clutch or gear shift operation. Don't get me wrong as I think this is a pretty stupid law that is in effect more for the moped/scooter market that drifts in to ebike regs for little reason. Being able to use a range of gears allows for a much smaller motor to have get up AND go power to the 20 mph speed limit restriction.

Yeah, the reason I went with this setup is because I'm only using it for commuting and having it on the bottom bracket is more stealth. If I wanted to take it offroad I would have gotten their 3 chainring setup where the motor mounts on the downtube.

I'm not familiar with that law, what states do that? I think that's ridiculous, an ebike is an ebike.

Before warm weather sets in and you want that back pack off your back, you might get some P-clamps at the local hardware store and use them to mount your rack. Here's a link showing them used to mount a rack. (They're great, they can be used to mount fenders, too.)

http://www.bikecommuters.com/2008/07/19/p-clamps-are-your-friends/

Yeah, P-clamps are great. I totally forgot about those. I just finished drilling the hole mounts on my rack to accommodate the screws in hose clamps. Yeah it'll look a little wierd but will lend to the "uglification" of my bike :)