EBikeFL 

Nice!!!

SiXiam

Thanks!

I'll be the first to admit its not perfect.
It has a 6061-t6 frame. I had a lot of difficulty finding many reasonably priced 7005's.
Ultimately I decided that 6061 doesn't have much of a tensile strength difference vs 7005 to justify paying the premium. 6061 is also lighter.

This sums it up pretty good:
https://tuulparg.eu/KB/alumiinium/AL6061vs7005frames.pdf

kd5ete

OK guys. I finally got some pictures of my bike in its current configuration. Here we go. The 1st picture is of course MIKIE & his speed demon BIKIE.LOL The next pic. is my streamlight flashlite in the center & the blinker led light on the left.Then the speedometer & the current mileage as of tonite when i got in from work 07/27/2012.The next pic.is my 48v 1000 watt papamotor controller which is underneath the battery box.Next is a general shot of the handlebar configuration & my new Mirrycle rearview mirror.Damn good mirror.Once you get in place,it won't shake rattle or roll.It stay put!!! next is a rear view shot or the rear of the battery box.I have 2 reflector/ red blinker lites on the box as well as 2 red reflectors.you can't be too careful. On the upper right hand corner is where i placed my plug in for my charger.Just plug her up & after a good charge,LET ER RIP TATER CHIP.LOL well that's the end of my tour for now.Stay tuned for another exciting episode of MIKIE THE SPEED DEMON & THE SPEED DEMON BIKE.

kd5ete

Hey SiXiam, nice looking bike.Good luck & happy riding to ya.

EBikeFL 

Kd5ete, those handlebars are much better. Great pictures, thanks for sharing them.

SiXiam

I know that's 20 amps, but that thing looks gigantic! Like you have some special order 100 amp Ping battery!

Thanks! It will be my first time doing the whole bicycle commuting thing.

spirit733t

excellent guys, this thread is getting really busy.. keep up all the good work..

please keep posting pics and a continuous stream of feedback

kd5ete

Holy cow.If that battery looks that big in the picture ,I must look like the jolly green giant.. It is a 48v 20ah battery SiXiam although it is not from ping battery.Well let me rephrase that,.The person that i bought it from off of Ebay gets them from a place i believe is golden oasis new energy group. I'm not saying it doesn't come from the ping factory,hell i don't know where it comes from other than the fact that it works.lolSo far it has given me a top end of 45 miles b 4 sputtering out so i try not to ride anymore than 40 miles b 4 i recharge it although every once in a while i'll run it all the way down to help keep it fresh when i recharge it.

kd5ete

Thanks EBikeFL. I like them a lot better myself.It makes me lean forward very slightly & i believe it helps my lower back out as well by leaning forward .My Butt doesn't get near as tired riding to work or back home.Course maybe the fact that i'm 57 & not 15 years old much have something to do with it as well? Man,time flies when your having funnnnnnnn..Keep riding O GREAT ONE>

SiXiam

kd5ete: Your no Jolly green giant, but that battery sure ain't no pea!

Some questions for whoever wants to answer:

1) My bike comes with a 9 speed chain, I'm assuming I need a 6 speed chain (for the PapaMotor). From what I've read the difference refers to the thickness of the chain and not having the proper one can cause problems.
Is that right?

2) When ordering the PapaMotor (considering my bike has hydraulic brakes) do I need the $10 bracket or do I need the $35 "disc brake with female screw and bracket"?

3) The PapaMotor instructions say to mount the controller under the rear rack. That seems odd! Any thoughts here? Wouldn't the rain kill it?

4) The instructions also say to tape all the connections. I plan on using heat shrink tubing on mine.

spirit733t

@ sixiam

1. you can buy better freewheels from ebike.ca, as long as you have enough space between the fork dropouts and also as long as they compatible with the wheel hub.


2. Im planning on buying the the $35 brake and bracket, just in case there are problems with my existing brake disc or bracket

3. you should buy a rear box case like ebikefl, that houses both the controller and battery in a secure waterproof case.


sixiam t6-aluminium should be good enough as its the stronger type of alluminim alloy.

EBikeFL 

SiXiam, you bring up a good point. I never even bothered to check about the chain length on my bike. Of course, my original setup was an 8-speed and I've seen chain sizes that covered 6-8 speeds so I hope that's what my original chain is. I haven't seen any negative consequences due to using the stock chain. However, if you have a 9-speed and plan on using the 6-speed then I would look into getting another chain.

I would get both. The bracket relocates the caliper. I think I took some pictures and posted them earlier in this thread. The disc brake from Papamotor comes with a nice big spacer/disk mounting component which allows the caliper to get some room away from the hub motor. I also ordered two spacers from ebike.ca and ended up using one to give me a bit more space on top of the Papamotor component to use my stock caliper. The holes on the Papamotor disk spacer didn't exactly match up with the holes on my stock rear disk and I ended up using the Papamotor 160 mm disk. I believe ebike.ca sells a similar spacer but it wasn't as thick as the Papamotor part. I may have to get the ebike.ca spacer for my 180 mm disk if I have the same problems I had trying to match up the six holes on the stock 160 mm disk.

The controller is built to be waterproof but I didn't want to take any chances so I bought the cargo cache. It's a bit expensive for what it does but it looks aerodynamic and has a lock. You could do the same thing kd5ete did and use a tool box which would also work. Either way, remember it will be temporary because once I build the ultimate e-bike battery carrier you'll want to get one. Let me know if you like my setup and I can build one for you provided you pay for all the components.

Here again, if you use the cargo cache you don't need to worry about all the connections; they're all in the cargo cache. This is what makes my e-bike so stealthy because all the components that would otherwise give it away as being electric are tucked inside the cargo cache. Of course, if you go with a setup similar to mine expect to get strange looks from pedestrians who think you have super human strength to pedal over 30 mph. I would hold off on the heat shrinking until you worked out any last minute bugs with the setup; otherwise, you will end up cutting all your hard work you did to heat shrink everything. I can't tell you how many times I've needed to remove/adjust my controller and had to remove all the connections.

dhoward

kd5ete has me beat. I am at 374 miles. I do a lot of out of state traveling for my job, so that limits the days I can use the bike.

Whenever anyone has anything critical to say about my riding an electric bike, I respond by asking them how they like their daily commute. Their response is usually filled with negative experiences. I tell them that it is the highlight of my day. Something I look forward to.

kd5ete

Welll good morning gang,
I went out last night & rode another 10 miles just to get out of the house.I don't know what happened to the air conditioner on the bike as it felt like the heater was on. Oh heck,this is July & it's ashake & bake contest. Ever since i got this bike built I have become addicted to it & hardly use my truck other than to go to the store for groceries.My truck has become P.O.'d at me & refused to start up this morning.I believe it has become highly jealous at the bike since i have been riding it back & forth to work. I had to pamper it this morning & went out to get breakfast so i took the truck for a ride & came back after a good breakfast.Got home for about an hour & decided to go to Wally World & look at bikes.I must have made the truck happy again because it started up right off the bat.I made sure i didn't say a word to the truck about another bike as i was afraid it would leave me stranded & make me walk home. Well we made it home safe & sound.SHHHHHHH.DOn't speak too loud,the truck might hear me....

EBikeFL 

I feel the same way. The whole day I just think about how much fun the ride home will be.

EBikeFL 

Kd5ete, I have the same problem with my car. I keep a battery charger on it now and once or twice a month I take it for a short spin. I can't believe how much fun my e-bike is and how I use it for everything now. For those of you who may run into traffic lights not changing for you when your the first at the light and there's no cars behind you; I found this little gadget, the green light trigger HP, which is supposed to trigger the light and is legal: https://www.greenlightstuff.com/

I'm looking forward to the day...very soon, where I'll be able to sell my car (whispering). The garage will then have electric trikes and electric bikes.

kd5ete

Morning DHoward,I love riding mine & i don't really care what other people think. At my age they can allkiss my a**.(gotta be nice as i don't want to get thrown off here for foul language) but anyway they can still kiss off. I get my biggest laugh when i go by the gas station & watch someone pumping gas in a vehicle while i am steadily rolling down the road listening to the cash register at that store going CHA CHINGGGGGG & taking their money. Like i said in my previous post,sure i still use my truck but it's been 3 weeks now since i put any gas in my truck.Dang no wonder my truck is peeved at me LOL So just keep ridin & having fun.Have a great week.

kd5ete

Good morning EBike FL,I won't tell your car what you just said.LOL I can only hope that my truck doesn't get a Christine symptom & try to Run me down.or i'm gonna look like this but i'm gonna be doing this as well .LOLOL

spirit733t

@kd6ete

can you post videos of your travelling at speed, travelling up a hill and so on?

EBikeFL 

Spirit733t, I'd hate to be the Papamotor shipping box when you finally receive it. You're going to rip it into shreds trying to get into it and get it installed.

Are you sure you want to put your current gas powered vehicle through what kd5ete and my vehicle go through? Have you thought about the oil exporting countries you will upset?

spirit733t

dude here in england, the tax on fuel is 80%, im so so so looking forward to not paying any more towards rip off england fuels price..

unfortunately I have to wait a little longer..damn

oh yeah it seems i get alot of wind resistance when i cycle to and from work.. thats probably the hardest part of cycling..

defo need to get a fairing like you have..

with your controller problem that got me a little worried, but the quick support from papamotor is encouraging.

please continue all posting issues/ benifits with the kit..

lets do this guys... lets make this number 1 for ease of use and best support from the users..

I will be posting lots of pics and feedback once I have mine!!!!

all the best

EBikeFL 

I've heard reports that English and European gas prices are much higher than here in the States. I feel your pain. The sad thing is it's only going to get worse. Here's a few videos to get you thinking:

Petroleum Geologist Jeffrey J. Brown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7h4V...ure=plpp_video start at 26:30
Jeremy Leggett from the uk peak oil task force interview 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gkh3q...ure=plpp_video

EBikeFL 

I've finally made the adjustments to use the Jandd Grocery Bag Pannier with the cargo cache. There's two vertical aluminum bars holding the pannier further down where it's able to open up when being used. There's also a horizontal bar holding the pannier to the bike rack and preventing it from moving outwards perpendicular to the wheel. I'll know for sure it works when I make it back with all my groceries.

It stays permanently attached to the bike rack and folds up when not in use. The other side has my backpack pannier.

I've attached the following pictures from two different angles with the pannier opened and closed:


Stay tuned...more to come.

SiXiam

I'm awaiting delivery of my bike and FedEx is having some issues.

The bike left some FedEx center south of Harrisburg, PA, then was gone for about 12 hours.
Now it has just arrived back to that same place south of Harrisburg.
(A 4 hour drive away from my house)

Estimated delivery was July 31st, then August 1st, and now August 2nd!
I mean come on! Its a 40 lb package, not so easily misplaced.

EBikeFL 

I think they (FedEx) put it together and are riding it around. It'll be nicely broken in when it gets to you.

So....are you gonna let me, Spirit733t, kd5ete, and dhoward ride it?