Electric Bikes - My neighbor is selling an electric bike

My neighbor has an electric bike similar to this one, but older.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-ELECTRIC-GREEN-BIKE-BICYCLE-MOPAD-SCOOTER-HOT_W0QQitemZ110519172336QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19bb74bcf0

I'm thinking for $100 I'll buy it if nothing serious is wrong with it.

Typical Chinese ebike , fancy plastic moldings, metallic paint but at close examination misaligned parts, falling apart screwa, bolts and crappy battery.
You simply cannot have it for under 1000dol and quality.
If you are one technical guy who don't mind constantly maintainiong it and don't get frustrated with crap product, go ahead.
MC

I don't see anything wrong with a Chinese bike. Lets face it 90%+ are made in China now. As for cheap parts, what's a few bearings and tires cost. The battery on any bike that has been sitting or is old is not going to be worth anything anyway. The only problem I have with this bike is it's looks and the fact that it looks like it has a custom battery pack built into the frame somehow. So I would check into the cost of one of the special batteries or can you mount the battery on the rear rack? So if you can deal with the looks, the battery replacement and location plus a full grease job and maybe a few bearing being replaced I don't see an issue.

Do you know what the voltage and wattage of the motor is?

I don't know any details yet. The guy said to come back saturday to talk. He did say it holds a charge, goes 20 mph, and needs something fixed.

I was thinking for the wife. It would be a lot cheaper than converting her bike.

It looks like a Cataline Cruiser from Earth Cycles. Can anyone confirm that or have any info on them? Very little info online, no specs of any kind.

146410

http://www.electricvehiclefactory.com/Catalina-Cruiser-Electric-Bicycle-p/catcru.htm

Bought it. It actually fits the wife pretty well.

146789

Glad to hear this. :D
You got a bargain in my opinion.

And I'm also pleased that you didn't heed this "advice" from miro13car...

Typical Chinese ebike , fancy plastic moldings, metallic paint but at close examination misaligned parts, falling apart screws, bolts and crappy battery.
You simply cannot have it for under 1000dol and quality.

This guy is like a broken record! He repeats this same story about what poor quality Chinese bikes are at every opportunity on these forums. It seems to be self-contradictory, because presumably he's never owned one himself due to this viewpoint. How can he judge 'em accurately then?

And to claim that you can't get a decent electric bike for less than a grand is ludicrous (unless you're an ebike "brand snob" of course).

I've been riding a "crappy" Chinese-made bike for more than a year -- with an SLA battery -- and it hasn't missed a beat. With 30+ km/h top speed and ~45km range. All for AUD$795-00.

— Cheers. :)

I'm happy. The tires hold air, the battery holds a nice charge. I still don't have a feel for it's range, but 35km top speed on a 5 year old battery (from what the old owner said).

As for things made in China, find me something that isn't these days. There is crap made in the China and there can be quality made in China. Just depends on who's doing it. All your Oakley sunglasses are made in China.

I'm happy. The tires hold air, the battery holds a nice charge. I still don't have a feel for it's range, but 35km top speed on a 5 year old battery (from what the old owner said).

As for things made in China, find me something that isn't these days. There is crap made in the China and there can be quality made in China. Just depends on who's doing it. All your Oakley sunglasses are made in China.

Have you determind what type of battery it has and can you get a new battery when needed?

Not yet, it's in a removable pack in area between the pedals and the handle bars. I was told they were already replace once, so I'm assuming it's possible. The pack says 36v on the back, the other info is not readable. I'm quite curious as to what is in there since it still had a charge after 6 months of sitting.

Not yet, it's in a removable pack in area between the pedals and the handle bars. I was told they were already replace once, so I'm assuming it's possible. The pack says 36v on the back, the other info is not readable. I'm quite curious as to what is in there since it still had a charge after 6 months of sitting.

Holding a no-load charge for 6 months is not un-common with most batteries ever lead if their in fair condition. If you can weigh the battery it might help you determin what they are. Of course it would help you if you could also find the AH rating on them too. But if they are holding a charge maybe you don't need to worry about it for a while.

Have you determind what type of battery it has and can you get a new battery when needed?

It has 3 12v 12ah cells, sla. Look to be standard cells. My father in law has been riding it and hasn't been able to run it out yet. I might see what it's range is this weekend.

It has 3 12v 12ah cells, sla. Look to be standard cells. My father in law has been riding it and hasn't been able to run it out yet. I might see what it's range is this weekend.

It's always nice to know how far you can push your pack but with SLA batteries you shouldn't run them more then 50% to 60% of their AH rating. And be sure to recharge them ASAP everytime you use the bike even if only for a mile or 2 ride.

but with SLA batteries you shouldn't run them more then 50% to 60%


Really? Why? I didn't think sla's would be affected by that.

Really? Why? I didn't think sla's would be affected by that.

They are. As a former RV owner, I can tell you that the same applies to lead "deep-cycle" batteries, too. (It was frustrating paying more for deep-cycle batteries and seeing limited improvement in performance and life-span.) Here's the simple guidelines on SLA care from Battery University as well as a link to more detailed information.


Always store lead-acid in a charged condition. Never allow the open cell voltage to drop much below 2.10V. Apply a topping charge every six months or when recommended.
Avoid repeated deep discharges. Charge more often. Use a larger battery to reduce the depth of discharge.
Prevent sulfation and grid corrosion by choosing the correct charge and float voltages. If possible, allow a fully saturated charge of 14h.
To reverse sulfation, raise the charge voltage above 2.40V/cell for a few hours.
Avoid operating lead-acid at elevated ambient temperatures.



http://batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-35.htm

Wow, that's the opposite of what I've always heard.

Wow, that's the opposite of what I've always heard.

SLA (LEAD) batteries are the worse type of batteries that can be used for an Ebike. However, they have been used for many..many years with fair success. But they have many problems. But you can limit these problems by limiting your discharge to as I said 50% to 60%, charge ASAP after use, always recharge no matter how short the ride, recharge monthly when not in use, do not over draw current at any time..........and when they die replace them with lifepo4 cells.

Remember a lead battery is intended to be discharged over a long period (hence the AH ratingbeing for 20 hours). But on an ebike we discharge the total capasity of a battery in an hour or two.

ausGoef,
let's me rephrase my point.
There are Chinese and non-Chinese brands.
One thing is bike made in Chinese assembly-only factory of known European or NAmericam manufacturer and complelely different thing is Chinese brand.
2 different things.
Like with other things ,
you also put those money toward bicycle wich will last or you buy POS and keep adding batteries, parts
or if you are technical person keep dirtying your hands with constant adjustments.
Chinese don't know much about metalurgy, there are Soviet-era still in many cases - to start with.
Bolts strip, metal twists, etc.
Maybe unpleasant comments but true comments.
MC

well on positive note.
I own MERIDA pedal first bicycle and tried several SLA brands.
B&B is the best hand down, do your research and common opinion is they last longer and voltage don't sag as much as oter brands.
I tried LONG and HAZE brands.
Haze has too much sag.Long is not bad but not as good as B&B.
Definitely don't discharge more than say 60-70% , never discharge to LV cut off and it will last, never leave it after ride without charging, eveen 1 hour after ride.

MC

I've already done that. I just put together an Amped rear gear motor with 20ah LiFePo4's. Been riding to work every day it's not raining.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?631390-Looking-for-battery-recommendations

This one is just for when the wife wants to ride along on the weekends. When these batteries go I'll check into better batteries, although the sla's seem to be doing pretty good.