Bicycle engines?

[New2ATC]

I've seen a bunch of these on ebay for decent prices, and I was thinking about getting one of the engines that mount into the middle of the frame, and putting it into my old 1957 western Flyer 26", but I wanted to know if anyone has dealt with one of these before, and if they are somewhat reliable and such? anyone have any information?
Thanks in advance
-Patrick

[nouseforaname90]

You should talk to bigredhead about this.. PM him or something. He is really into bike engines, mostly electric.

[New2ATC]

Yeah I have seen some of his posts with bikes in it. I am mainly looking for maybe a way to work on the nice days.

[dickieg89]

I bought one of those engines for a bike kit for a future project, but have many atc projects right now and no 26" bike to put it on. I think kingsmotorsports or something like that is an ebay powerseller in those engines and have full hardware support if something breaks.

[bigredhead]

Yep.. i've read a few reports on them.. some of the electric bike guys have them and they pretty much are what they cost.. cheap..

If you take the time to set it up and customize a few things they work.. but there are better gas kits out there.. some are made to bolt on the rear rack above the rear wheel...

Look at the way it's installed and compare the bike frame you have to see how it will mount.. clearance between thains and frames etc.. can be difficult.

How far do you have to travel and what's the budget.. how much do you weigh.... your weight and the hills you have to climb are big factors i this.

[New2ATC]

Well the farthest I wouold travel would be to my work, which is about 15 minutes away by car, I weigh about 120-130, and theres only one large hill that would have to be climbed, and i can push it up that if need be. I am looking for something that would be somewhat fast and Im more for chain driven vs. Spindle driven, the spindles like to slip off the tire if he trie gets a little wet.. any ideas?
Oh and the bike I would be most likely putting it in would be a 57 western flyer 26 inch cruiser with the 3 speed sturmey acher hub.

[bigredhead]

http://www.poweridestore.com/

E-mail this guy and ask questions.. Earl is a great guy !

A front hub motor at 36v would do the job well.. 48v is better. ( faster ) . Unless it's a BIG hill.. you probably would not have to step off and push.. and by big .. i mean REALLY BIG !

[New2ATC]

i was looking into those aswell, but i wouldnt want to like lose batt. power mid way and be screwed and have to PEDAL.. lol.. that and the equpiment can get up there in price..

[bigredhead]

yeah.. i know what your sayin.. but going on 2 years now or 5 days a week back and forth to work i have not gotten stranded once !

Get a brushless motor ( vs a brushed ) and it will live longer than you, no friction at all.. magnetic and runs on bearings.. if a set of bearings lasts as long as it does on the front tire of a trike imagine on a bicycle.

If you go cheap.. and get SLA batteries (* Sealed lead acid ) they are tough, as long as you remember to CHARGE them right away after every ride... really no big deal once you get used to it.. but you have to re-charge them and keep them at a full charge to get the cycle life out of them.

I spent the $ for the NIMH batteries and i love it.. get to work. park the bike against the wall.. get to work.. after i'm done work.. get on and ride.. no noise.. no polution, NO WARMUP... turn the key and GO.

I still have enough juice in the battery pack to get to work and back 8 times. i can charge once a week if i want to.

No chains.. no gears. hub motors rule.

[New2ATC]

yeah I would go with a brushless if i were to go the hub motor route. I would get sick of having o keep replacing brushes (was in the RC hobby for a few years) that and the brushless are a little more powerfull if i remember correctly.

[bigredhead]

Brushed has more torque at low RPM than brushless... but makes more noise.

Brushless allows you to overvolt the motor without melting the brushes. ( there are none !!! )

Think of a cordless drill ( brushed ) makes sound when it runs.. as the brushes rub..

Then consider a ceiling fan.. takes off slow.. low torque until it spins up.. but totally silent.. and goes forever.

Brushless is more efficient and makes better use of the battery pack, less heat.. less wasted watts.

In these hub motors.. the brushes last about 6000 km's or so i beleive.. so it's not a big hastle, and they do climb hills better at slow speed.

[New2ATC]

Hmm Ill have to look into the brushless motors .. do they make li-po's in larger sizes??

[bigredhead]

Yes they do.. but i HIGHLY don't recommend them yet.

The DeWalt 36v lithium cells and Milwaukee lithium power tools are on the way and these new " nano-technology " lithiums promise high rate charge and discharge.. but you can't buy the batteries just now......... unless you buy the power tool and use the battery.. but you need a wack of them for a useful range..

Standard Lithium-Ion or Polymers are being used by the enthusiasts and the rich.. but either stick with SLA until you decide to upgrade.. or go with NIMH..

Key word = Safe.

Lithiums can get very volatile if charged incorrectly.. potential for alot of fire and flame.

Ask the RC guys.. Lithium is light and packs alot of energy.. but in BIG cells they need a BMS ( Battery Management System ) basically a circuit board that will monitor each cell for ballance in voltage.. max charge.. max discharge etc.......

Don't bother until you really get into it and are willing to spend big money.

[New2ATC]

i dont think i will bother with it at all after reading that description.. haha.. whats the top speed of a average hub motor and battery setup? also what would a kit cost??

[bigredhead]

That GREATLY depends on the forces at play.

- Your weight ( duh.. .. )
- Whell size ( smaller wheels have more torque but go slower.. larger wheels have more speed but less torque.. )
- Voltage you run at.

Volts give you RPM..

Amps give your torque

Most controllers are 20 amps.. and the typical kit comes with 36v.. don't bother with the 7 amp/hour batteries.. go 12 a/h.

http://www.evsolutions.net/kits.html

Reat that link ^^ it will answer alot of your questions..

[New2ATC]

good site but I cant figure out how to go about getting prices??

[bigredhead]

You can either buy the kits from

www.wildernessenergy.com

or

www.poweridestore.com

The wilderness energy kits are considered " entry level " cheaper.. or less expensive if you prefer...

poweride sells crystalyte kits.. same idea.. a bit better quality.. much better service.

I suggest you send them an e-mail with your weight, bike details, and area as for what kind of terrain you have to travel.. distance.. and expected speeds..

don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions about these hub motors.. i have done ALOT of research on them !.. as you can see.

[bigredhead]

http://www.wildernessenergy.com/bargain_corner.html

They have really good deals on the refurbished motors...

Get the " Instant start " instead of the " Pedal First "

With the pedal first kits you have to pedal it up to 5 mph before the motor will kick in.. then you can stop pedaling and let the motor go.. but the instant start can go from a dead stop.