Build an eBike on the Cheap
The bicycle is becoming more and more popular these days with
many people using it as a mode of commutor transport and others just
for fun. However the trend is changing as people are realising that
there is a smarter way to pedal to work or play using the power of
electricity.
It now looks like the eBike is here to stay. With many of the big
manufactuers jumping on the band wagon and specs of batteries and
motors getting better and more efficient even the home enthusiast can
build an ebike at home for as little as £500.
EBike Conversion Kits
Places like eBay are selling ebike front or rear motor wheel conversion
kits for around the £130 mark. These kits normally consist of the
motorised wheel, control box, a set of brake levers and a twist or
thumb throttle.
All you need then is to grab a cheap 26 inch wheel mountain bike,
replace the wheel with the motorised one, Plug the wires normally
supplied to the wires on the control box and change a couple of brake
levers and you'renearly done. Then all you then need is to find
yourself a suitable battery.
EBike Hub Motor Size
The trend a few years back was the 24volt 250watt motor that seemed to
be generally the only size hub motor you could get.Now the minumum that
seems to be around is the 36volt 250 watt motors.
500watt
and 1000watt motors are now popping up.Voltages are also increasing
48volts and higher. However for the cheaper eBike build the lower
voltage/ wattage are most cost effective and give the avarage commuter
all the power they need.
Mid Motors
Mid motors for eBikes are coming more popular.These are mainly
pedal assist only and have the advantage of keeping the weight of the
motor more central to the bike which is more ideal if you need abike to
go off road on the trails and downhill tracks. However at the minute
with prices still over the £300 mark this motor doesn't fit our budget
build at present.
The eBike Battery
The main thing needed to power your eBike is a battery. If your
intention was to build your own electric powered bike then a few years
back your only option was to mount a battery on a rack on the back of
the bike.
Nowadays your options are much better. There are the bottle style and
dolphin style batteries that will attach to the bike via the water
bottle bolts on the downtube.
36volt batteries seem to be the base standard and are definatley the
cheaper of the batteries. There are different ampage models 8AH, 10AH
and 15AH The higher the ampage the better the range of your bike
as well as certain higher ampages needed to power higher motors.
48V batteries are needed to power the 48 volt motors,and again a
1000watt motor would ideally need a 20AH battery to get the best out of
it.
In conclusion the most cost effective way to build and ebike is to go
for the 36volt version. However if you are a power freak and want lots
of speed then looking at the larger wattage motors and batteries is
definatly the way to go.
However that depends on how fat or deep your pockets are.
Building a Fast E-Bike
Some people want the ultimate fast e-Bike. The main three components
that make up an electric bike are the battery , the controller and the
motor. for super fast bikes all three of these components need to be
the best quality. For detailed info Click Here
