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My amped bikes rear DD hub bike build (in progress).

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My amped bikes rear DD hub bike build (in progress).

Old 08-17-11, 08:01 AM
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My amped bikes rear DD hub bike build (in progress).

Hey everyone,
Wanted to share my experiences on my bike build. So far, I've only attached the rear wheel to the bike. And, I transferred over the disc brake from the donor bike to the amped bikes hub. Amped bikes advertises their hubs as disc brake compatible and so far so good.

Only snag: The hub was rubbing against the inner part of the disc brake. There is a circular non removable screw that jutted out and was causing the rubbing. This screw helps move one of the brake pads in to clasp the caliper. I filed that screw down about 1mm (maybe less) and have fixed the problem.

This is my 2nd bike build. A long time ago, I bought a cheap golden motors rear hub that was low quality. I was not really satisfied with that hub so eventually I sold it. It was also powered by some heavy SLAs so that may have been part of my disatisfaction.

The donor bike is a Diamondback Topanga. I chose this because 1) it has disc brakes=better stopping power and 2) it has a large triangle, where I eventually want to put the battery in. Also, front suspension is a necessity IMHO when carrying such a heavy load.

I chose the amped bike direct drive (DD) rear hub rather than the geared hub, which is a smaller diameter hub. I understand that DD hubs can carry you better up hills and the geared hubs seem to top out at certain speeds (power in being equal). I agonized over this since the gear hub looks so stealthy and small. People won't realize you're on an ebike with a gear hub, I'm sure. However, I have couple of large hills in my commute so I went with the larger DD.

I have a 36v 15ah pingbattery coming to me from china. It's supposed to be sub 15lbs (12.5lbs?). Will post when I get it.

Expenses thus far:
$315 bike
$376 hub
$514 battery ($429+85 ship)

Will continue to post updates as my bike develops. Stay tuned...
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Old 08-17-11, 08:04 AM
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Forgot to add, I swapped out the knobbies that came with the Topanga and added some Kenda 26x1.95 slicks ($25 for both). The kendas are rated up to 65psi. I've heard some good things about Maxxis hookworms. I may get those later if there is a sale on them.

Also, I put in a suspension seatpost that I had lying around (30.9mm size). Again, you need all the cushioning you can get when carrying this heavy a load.

BTW, I weigh 175 lbs.

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Old 08-18-11, 07:55 AM
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Nice and clean build.
I have been using two front direct drives from Ampedbikes myself since 2008 and a 2010 for the second one. Love 'em! I was under the impression that the geared motors had better overall torque for hill climbing. Seems like most of the people on the Ampedbikes forum with FS bikes and rear motors went with geared for this reason.

How do you like the Diamondback? I'm a fan of Raleigh bikes and they own the Diamondback brand. I still ride my old 83 Raleigh Pro and I just rebuilt a M20 for my son's friend. His old huffy got run over, frame bent, and later dropped all of the crank bearings in the middle of the street while they were out riding.

P.S. Have you joined the Ampedbikes forum?
There was another guy on Ampedbikes forum that had the same issue with his brake caliper... or is that you? :>
[URL="https://ampedbikes.com/forum/"]
-DS
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Old 08-18-11, 01:28 PM
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Originally Posted by DarthSensate
Nice and clean build.
I have been using two front direct drives from Ampedbikes myself since 2008 and a 2010 for the second one. Love 'em! I was under the impression that the geared motors had better overall torque for hill climbing. Seems like most of the people on the Ampedbikes forum with FS bikes and rear motors went with geared for this reason.

How do you like the Diamondback? I'm a fan of Raleigh bikes and they own the Diamondback brand. I still ride my old 83 Raleigh Pro and I just rebuilt a M20 for my son's friend. His old huffy got run over, frame bent, and later dropped all of the crank bearings in the middle of the street while they were out riding.

P.S. Have you joined the Ampedbikes forum?
There was another guy on Ampedbikes forum that had the same issue with his brake caliper... or is that you? :>
[URL="https://ampedbikes.com/forum/"]
-DS
Darth,
Yes, I have joined the amped bikes forum. I'll probably do a "final" pix and post it to the amped forum.

I think I got that thing about geared hubs from the endless sphere forum. I think the quote was something like: You can't expect a small diameter motor to pull you better than the larger pie sized ones. I could be wrong, though. Another benefit that I remember is that the geared motors make a slight noise while the DD ones are whisper quiet. Important for me since I ride some MUPs. Also, they tend to wear out quicker than DD since there are moving parts in there. DDs are pretty much indestructible.

I like this Dback. I only did a short ride on it w/o the motor installed. MTB geometry really makes you want to drop curbs and ride some bumpy terrain. We'll see how it holds up.
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Old 08-22-11, 01:56 PM
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Got the ping battery today (monday). I am charging it. Total turnaround time was 13 days since I paid for it to getting it in hand. It was probably 11 days since the USPS tried to deliver it on Saturday, but I wasn't home. Ping uses usps express so they can deliver on saturday.

The BMS area of the battery is covered with plastic clear shipping tape. Wonder if I should remove it? This is the area that has a series of mini leds.

Can't wait to try it out and hook it up.
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Old 09-01-11, 08:53 PM
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Ok, I have been too busy that I haven't been able to devote time to this project. Anyway, I picked up the attached box for $2 at a thrift shop. I was excited about the box because it is pretty sturdy and fits the battery with about 1/2 cm of clearance all around so I can pad it and protect the battery from banging around.

However, I have decided against it because 1) it won't allow me to keep the battery dry and 2) the box won't allow me to add some sort of door so I can access the battery if I have to. I want to have as much of a watertight enclosure as possible since I may end up riding in the rain sometimes.

I'm thinking now that I will add some sort of wood brace on the triangle to support the battery. then put the battery in some sort of pouch. I don't want to battery to just hang from the top bar since this can stress any kind of nylon even strong nylon.
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Old 09-02-11, 07:33 AM
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You bike frame has a full open triangle that would be well suited to a frame bag.
There are a few vendors of frame bags that have been peer reviewed on Endless-Sphere.
Check them out if interested and would like to not have a rear rack.

I use pannier bags on a rear rack. And lots of riders use pretty standard bike trunks on rear racks.

-DS
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Old 09-06-11, 02:12 PM
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Ok, ran into a problem with the battery not being able to engage (turn) the hub. Checked and re checked all my connections and nothing. Have emailed ampedbike and will await their response.
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Old 09-14-11, 08:22 PM
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After not getting a response for about a week, I called. I talked to a person named bud via phone a couple of days ago. He asks me to check my connections, which I did. He says that I may have fried my controller. He asked me to ship it back (at my cost) so they can test it. If that's not it, I'll have to ship the entire hub back so they can test that.

Not happy that I was following the instructions and I may have fried my controller. I'm not using some great voltage (36v). And, if it's a fried controller, I'll have to pay for a replacement. If I have to ship the hub back I'm sure it'll cost me $40 b/c it is so heavy. That will suck.

At least they're being responsive. Will keep you updated...
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Old 09-19-11, 07:22 PM
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Nice bike and build so far! Sorry to hear you are having troubles. Keep us posted!
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Old 09-20-11, 08:39 AM
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Originally Posted by sgarena
How Are you doing, any update? you haven't post anything fro a while.
Yes. What's up?
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Old 09-20-11, 11:13 AM
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I shipped the controller back via USPS. They tried to deliver Saturday, but the offices were closed. I guess the controller will be at the post office till they pick it up. My project is on hold till I hear from them.
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Old 09-21-11, 05:20 PM
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I might have a similar hub motor as yours, well, as least they look alike on the picture. The wire was broken at the axle when I open the box. So I have to open the hub to re-connect the wires. Basically, there is no moving part in the hub. It is gearless...... Check the wire first, move the expension spring a little bit. See if there is any cut on the wire. Mine has 3 thicker wires for the motor and 5 thin wires for the controller.


Originally Posted by coolio
After not getting a response for about a week, I called. I talked to a person named bud via phone a couple of days ago. He asks me to check my connections, which I did. He says that I may have fried my controller. He asked me to ship it back (at my cost) so they can test it. If that's not it, I'll have to ship the entire hub back so they can test that.

Not happy that I was following the instructions and I may have fried my controller. I'm not using some great voltage (36v). And, if it's a fried controller, I'll have to pay for a replacement. If I have to ship the hub back I'm sure it'll cost me $40 b/c it is so heavy. That will suck.

At least they're being responsive. Will keep you updated...
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Old 09-22-11, 08:24 AM
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Thanks, macrocircle. I did double and triple checked my connections and I couldn't get it to run (3 wires to motor and 5 to controller). However, I didn't really didn't mess with the black wire coming directly from the hub. It looked fine when I unpacked it and it has a coiled spring thing around the base so I didn't think it came loose.

I can't test the hub anymore since I shipped the controller for them to test. I don't have a problem opening up the hub, but they tell me they will honor the warranty on the hub, so I don't want to take it apart. I'd rather let them do it. If it was a few years old and out of warranty, I would have already opened it.
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Old 09-27-11, 08:12 AM
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Well, they checked the controller and told me it tested fine. I asked them what they thought if I would connect all the wires directly using electrical tape instead of using those anderson connectors and those plug-in type of connectors that the hub has. Amped recommended against that since it would void the warranty. (I think that maybe there is some defect with those connectors).

So, it looks like I will ship the entire hub back . This is a pain because 1) I will have to remove the tire, and tube from the hub. 2) will have to remove the disc brake caliper and 3) I'm paying to ship the hub back, probably around $50 since it's so heavy.

Will keep you updated...
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Old 11-13-11, 07:13 PM
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An update on my amped bikes saga. As I reported last time, I shipped the hub back and they said that there were some "exposed wires" so they fixed those and it should be good to go. I tested it out the other night and it still would not engage. However, there may be a faulty connection in the main thick black wire that comes out of the hub. There is a tape job in the middle of it that seems to hold some connector.

When I grip this taped area like a fist, the hub engages fine. However, it lasts a few minutes then it dies again. I guess the connections there loosen up and fail to make contact. I emailed customer service again to see what he suggests. I think that if I ride it, all the jarring of riding will cause it to loosen up and the hub will die.

Do you guys that have this type of hub have a tape job like mine? I don't recall if it had that when I first got the hub. Isn't this a little faulty putting a taped connector in the middle of the black wire? I mean water could get in there, right?

The saga continues...
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Old 11-14-11, 07:07 AM
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I can feel for you... I am starting to get the impression that they are a second rate organization that does not value customer service. I had a problem with the Front wheel direct drive unit that I brought from them. After putting it tougher and going around the block a few times... I could tell that the unit was not well balanced for the bike I had. In any event I emailed them about the weight distribution problem and they said to send it back. Now that I have sent it back... they do not want to refund my monies. Talk about @#%#$@# people. They are fine when you are buying, but when it cones to customer service... they stink and do not care. So I have to go through Paypal to get my monies back. I opened up a claim, and before I could reply to any of their accusations the escalated it in less than 10 hours so I could not reply.

I hope that you get it worked out.... for me this has been a very bad experience.
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Old 11-29-11, 02:45 PM
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Ok, sending the hub back again. Another $50 shipping charge. Apparently, the “exposed wires” is now “the motor/hall sensor was sheered from something on my end”. This sounds to me like CYA (cover you’re a**). Now, they’re saying that they didn’t send the hub to me that way.

I haven’t even gotten to ride it. I don’t see how the hall sensor would be in the middle of that black wire taped up. Isn’t that something that goes inside the hub? Sounds pretty important.

One more chance. If this hub isn’t working after I get it back, I’ll have to initiate some kind of chargeback/legal proceedings. This is pretty ridiculous.
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Old 11-29-11, 05:48 PM
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phillybill,
they are not" second rate organization" , customer service is not a problem, shoddy , low quality product is a problem.
How much coolo paid for hub motor , just $ 376, that's VERY cheap hub motor ,including controller?
Too cheap , doesn't quality cost money?
cioolo,
there are no connector in thus junction on the picture, simply spliced 2 wires, covered with heatshrink tubing. Maybe nobody bothered to solder 2 wires before covering with tubing? Of course hall sensors are inside motor, they inform controller about position of rotor.
Don't forget to add $150 to your ebike cost and you must live close to them just $50 for shipping heavy motor?
You batter be technical if not electrical person when you buy China brand ebike kit. Misleading instructions that don't make technical sense-that's normal for them
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Old 11-29-11, 07:13 PM
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Powell,
the problem was at that spliced wires. As I mentioned, I would squeeze that area and the motor would engage. I felt something solid inside that tape job. Like an anderson connector in there. I asked whether I should remove the tape and look at those wires and see if they were making contact. They recommended against it. It would void the warranty, danger, etc. They also said that I would be dealing with 8 wires that I would have to connect. Not two. Seeing as its a new hub, I figured I'd let them do it.

I don't know what they're talking about when they say hall sensor.

I'm actually on the east coast and they are in California so it's $50 per 1 way trip via UPS.
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Old 11-30-11, 12:01 AM
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So it looks like you show on picture carry 5 wires to controller spliced to extend, because they were to short. Really easy job to open it up an redo splicing.
But for this you must have soldering iron, isolation stripper and heat gun of course.
With China brand ebike stuff is almost a must to have a electrical tools and electr knowledge before buying.
Of course don;t even try to ride in rain!! Everything exposed to elements.
E+ USA-made kits for example I own is a pleasure to assemble , watertight connectors, motor with thick wires sealed from rain, assembled with precision.
Day and night in terms of quality.
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Old 12-02-11, 01:17 AM
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Originally Posted by powell
So it looks like you show on picture carry 5 wires to controller spliced to extend, because they were to short. Really easy job to open it up an redo splicing.
But for this you must have soldering iron, isolation stripper and heat gun of course.
With China brand ebike stuff is almost a must to have a electrical tools and electr knowledge before buying.
Of course don;t even try to ride in rain!! Everything exposed to elements.
E+ USA-made kits for example I own is a pleasure to assemble , watertight connectors, motor with thick wires sealed from rain, assembled with precision.
Day and night in terms of quality.
Where did you get your kit from?
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Old 12-02-11, 08:18 AM
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I presume you ask me about E+ kit.
From manufacturer Electric Motion Systems, Virginia.
Search for E+ on this ebike subforum and you will find a lot, I posted 2 revievs , I dopn't want to repeat myself and take valueable space on this subforum.
E+ is for those who want to have one of the best but cost $$$ but it is designed in USA and build in USA to last. No China brand motor here.
I am approaching 1500km/1000miles/ on mine E+.
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Old 12-02-11, 02:25 PM
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Originally Posted by powell
ReptilesBlade
I presume you ask me about E+ kit.
From manufacturer Electric Motion Systems, Virginia.
Search for E+ on this ebike subforum and you will find a lot, I posted 2 revievs , I dopn't want to repeat myself and take valueable space on this subforum.
E+ is for those who want to have one of the best but cost $$$ but it is designed in USA and build in USA to last. No China brand motor here.
I am approaching 1500km/1000miles/ on mine E+.
Thank you, I just needed the company name and I can do my own homework usually. I will be looking them up.
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Old 12-02-11, 06:10 PM
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ReptaleBlade,
unfortunetely I caqnnot answer your PM, beacuse system refuses for strange reason that I have less than 50 posts on forum
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