Bike #10I convinced Megan to go to Lawrence today to look at bikes. I've sent people to the Re-cyclery before, but I've never actually been there myself. It was fantastic. The guys there are mechanics, not salespeople, so it's very low pressure, but the main attraction are lots of very cheap very decent bikes. The bike I ended up with at the recyclery (maybe it's a specialized stumpjumper - but it's hard to tell under the rattlecan paintjob) was fantastically cheap and most importantly, it's a very good frame that's built like a tank.
Batteries
I went with Ping's batteries. They have a very good rep. They'll be shipped from China. It'll take 2ish weeks. They're LiFePO4 tech. This is the chemistry used in A123 type battery dewalt cordless tools. No 'memory'. Tons of power for the weight/size. PO (phosphate) cathode is stabler than earlier Li Ion tech batteries and doesn't have the same propensity for thermal runaway. The price was nice due to Microsoft. In case you're not an internet deals connoisseur (and I'm not really either, but I have friends.. ) Microsoft Live has been doing a promotion with certain % off at certain stores. Ebay is one. Purchasing through their system (and I have no idea how this benefits them) gives you 20% back on the day I ordered the batteries. $500 shipped - 20% = $400 batteries.
ebikes.ca
I bought the rest of the big stuff here. Nice guys. I went with the Crystalyte motor (also by way of China). It's a Brushless DC hub motor just in case you didn't already look that up. I also used them for the controller, a twist throttle, and a torque arm. So far I passed on their battery/bike computer, which (today) is the best there is "cycle analyst". I'm hoping in the future someone will mass-produce something like this.
Nashbar
I use Nashbar for just about all my commodity bike needs. In this case tires and tubes.
2 comments:
So, Steve...this may be a dumb question, but where do your feet go when you turn on the juice to your e-bike? Do you keep your feet on the pedals or will the motor be running your pedals so fast that you can't keep your feet on them so you have to hold them out like a crazy person who isn't pedaling his own bike?
Ha, good question! In short, I'll be able to coast or pedal. In long:
Over there in Columbia you have more than your fair share of "fixed" gear bikes. On a fixed gear, the pedals are totally connected to the rear wheel so when it's turning, the pedals are turning.
Freewheels are more common though. A freewheel has the rear cassette of gears on it and you can pedal or coast (without the pedals needing to turn). The hub motor and wheel I'm getting comes with a freewheel and rear 11-30 cassette (it'll be 7 speeds, the fastest of which is an 11 tooth gear). So I'll be able to just sit and coast or if I want I can pedal to help the motor out.
You probably didn't notice, but the front gear on the bike is enormous (53teeth). That's not uncommon for a road bike (although most are 52t), but mountain bikes usually only have about a 42t on their big ring. I had them swap it out at the shop for me.
The 53-11 combo will allow me to pedal when I'm going 30mph no problem if I want to.
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