| Owner | Michael Evans |
|---|---|
| Owner's Other EVs | 1992 Honda Civic 2009 EEV 002 2005 Suzuki Swift-E |
| Location | Rolleston, Canterbury New Zealand map |
| Vehicle | 2009 Mongoose Mountain Bike Built from 100% brand new parts |
| Motor | Chinese Brushless DC 750 watt hub motor |
| Controller | 750watt 36V for brushless hub motor Regen |
| Batteries | 1, 36.00 Volt, Lithium-Ion Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) |
| System Voltage | 36 Volts |
| Charger | 36V, 5 amp |
| Top Speed | 47 MPH (75 KPH) |
| Acceleration | Hang On! |
| Range | 50 Miles (80 Kilometers) |
| Seating Capacity | 1 adult |
| Curb Weight | 67 Pounds (30 Kilograms) |
| Conversion Time | 2 hours |
| Conversion Cost | $700 |
| Additional Features | Bike weighed in at 17kg (37.5 lbs) right out of the box. After conversion bike weighs 30.5kg (67 lbs), complete with battery. Top speed is 47kmph, and available range is about 50. Bike pedals smoothly under pedal power and accelerates faster than most cars on electric power. Pedalling does not help to take off as the motor is strong enough to pull away from cars. Before conversion, I had no problem pedalling this bike to about 25 kmph on medium gearing with no wind, but would get tired within a few km's. After installing motor, the bike effortlessly climbs hills, and can get up to 47kmph top speed on flat surfaces, which may be considered a bit too fast for a bicycle. |
| The bike was my first experiment with LiFePO4 batteries, and I must say that I have changed my mind about the kind of batteries that I'm going to put in my car. LiFePO4 are far superior to SLA's or just lead/acid batteries in so many different ways. Firstly, they weigh just over 1/3 of what comparable lead acids weigh. Next, they over double your usable range even if you didn't lose all that weight by switching, and thirdly, they last for 10 years with proper car and management and can withstand over 3000 cycles. Some minor points, but definitely for argument's sake are that you don't have to check the electrolyte levels, you don't have to worry about extra corrosion, and you can place them in existing voids in the car, in any orientation you see fit. Sorry about my epiphany on batteries~! My bike is what you asked about. I bought a kit from ebay user daoji888. The kit contained a 750watt brushless hub motor mounted in a wheel & tire, the tire is laced like a motorcycle tire rather than a bicycle tire to handle the torque. The controller has a regen circuit, and it came with a hall effect throttle, a digital BDI, and a pair of aluminium brake levers with micro switches in them for the regen circuit to the controller. Amazingly, they feel like brakes, but any regenerated electricity is rather pathetic, so no surprises here. The kit also had a "battery bag" and a flat bungee cord, which I'd rather not have paid for. I purchased a new 18speed mountain bike from my local department store and an aluminium bike rack from the local bicycle store, and a coil of black flexible conduit from the local auto parts store, along with a few black zip ties and a roll of black electrical tape. Two hours later and viola'. The battery pack was entirely a different kettle of fish. It was supposed to arrive with the kit, however the seller shipped it separately by air, and lied on the customs documents. The battery arrived in the Auckland International Mail Centre, and they thought it was a bomb due to the duct tape and wiring, so they called the bomb squad, who basically closed down the entire Mail Centre for most of the day, and they blew up my battery. Afterwards, they phoned me to tell me about it. I asked the Neanderthals in charge if they ever had the presence of mind to ring me before they blew up the battery, but they just couldn't wrap their heads around that one. I the meantime, I scored some SLA's to get the thing going and adjusted the final fit using 3 huge 12v 80ah Lead/acid batteries I inherited from a person removing a ups from a security system. Batteries have never been drained at all, so they are in like-new shape after two years on duty. The second LiFePO4 battery was shipped by surface mail to satisfy the hazardous materials laws for shipping batteries by air. Gee, Lithium batteries are in every laptop and cellphone on the planet, and they still don't allow air shipment of batteries by themselves. Do you think we should tell them about all those thousands of people who are breaking the law every day? Sorry again, I digress. Nevertheless, the second battery worked great, and I put the whole kit together, as shown, in about 2 hours. There were a couple of things that needed some additional "engineering". First, the bike rack mounting point on the front end was shy about 2 inches of bracket, so I had to fabricate one. Second, the wheel with the hub motor sat off-centre, and I had to shim out my caliper brake to fit, which took a few minutes to make a 1/2" offset bracket for the left side, and a 1/2" worth of 1/4" flat washers on the right. The result is that I moved the caliper brake over 1/2" to match the offset on the wheel in relation to the frame. Third, the gear side of the rear wheel needed a spacer to keep the hub from rubbing the derailleur and fortunately there were several included in the kit. The derailleur has a narrower axle slot, so I applied a bit of "engineering" to it and expanded it to the same size as the frame slot, to fit the bigger axle of the hub motor. I installed a speedometer and a set of LED front and rear lights, and went for a spin...Scary fast as I'm not accustomed to moving at that speed on a bicycle. Takes most cars off the lights, and up to about 35mph. A serious problem came up. The most notable is that I learned that you should never build a robust, powerful road machine that has inadequate braking. Certainly, the regen controller provides a braking effect that would be very good, if you were going the speeds that bicycles normally go. Part of the problem is other people driving cars and trucks who think a bicycle should be going a certain speed and are surprised by one going over twice that speed. So, lesson learned: Buy a bicycle with disc brakes and keep your eyes on the cars! The next bicycle is going to be a monoshock frame with disc brakes and front forks with springs. I'm also going to put a nice, wide, soft seat with springs on it. My spine and my butt are in absolute agony from riding this bone crusher. | |
2009 Mongoose Mountain Bike
“LiFePO4 Suction”
Last Updated 04-13-2009
Copyright © 1997-2024 by Mike Chancey