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Post by desertbikes on Jun 23, 2019 19:14:10 GMT -7
It's truly a shame US shops can't manage to put a kit like this together. And, although Ebay continues to be the guy selling TVs off a truck in the alley, at $165 it seems worth the risk. I'm going to continue to read up about these kits, and the Li batteries available but, I'm seriously considering this for the Dolomite.
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Post by lurker on Jun 23, 2019 19:58:50 GMT -7
i find this technology very appealing. sort of undoes the exercise aspect of cycling, but we are still getting out and around in the fresh air. lady of the house (LOTH) with her bad knees might actually ride her bike if it had one of these.
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Post by desertbikes on Jun 23, 2019 20:13:20 GMT -7
i find this technology very appealing. sort of undoes the exercise aspect of cycling, but we are still getting out and around in the fresh air. lady of the house (LOTH) with her bad knees might actually ride her bike if it had one of these. It depends on what you get & how you use them. For instance, the Hyper ebikes at Walmart are pedal assist only. There is no throttle. I assume this has something to do with liabilities & selling a motorized vehicle that's not street legal in most places. The throttle seems to be a big deal. So, you still have to pedal to engage the motor but do control the amount of assist. I look at it as simply increasing my range or at the end of a tough ride letting the bike do most of the work on the way home. Most hub kits do have a throttle with assist sensor inputs as well.
Then there's the batteries which I'll discuss in a separate post. Battery kits with a housing are well over $200 by themselves but there's alternative to that as well.
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 14, 2019 19:24:09 GMT -7
Seriously looking at this setup again. Weight is a real concern. The front hub, controller & battery (Li) plus the orginal bike - a Hitch in this case - bring the bike's weight to a hefty 95 lbs. 110 lbs or so if AGM batteries are used (1/2 the cost of Li). Now put my butt on the bike & GVW is around 330 lbs.
The bike would still be setup to pedal, however, at that weight I'm not sure how much pleasure I'd get out of it. Np pleasure, no ride. And forget running the fat tires at under 10 psi. You'd have to keep them at 15-20psi so the battery or body energy reserves aren't drained too quickly. Then there's durability over river rocks or small jumps or drops - if that would even be practical anymore. Just outlining I guess. It can be done for around $350, including 13Ahrs worth of battery. Very tempting.
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 14, 2019 21:19:43 GMT -7
Something else worth noting here - If you're considering a rear 7 speed hub drive fat conversion for your Wally Hitch, Malus or Dolomite, you might have troubles. All the conversions I've seen on ebay are for 170mm rear dropouts. The Wally bikes are 190mm. Even if you squeeze the rear frame together, I'm pretty sure there are drive-line issues. Like the chain rubbing on the motor case for one.
So if I do this conversion it would be with the 135mm front motor hub drive. That's kind of a drag as the front spends time in the air, is not well positioned for a climb out of a wash, and gets more abuse that the rear wheel.
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Post by lurker on Sept 15, 2019 5:56:49 GMT -7
between the price and the weight, you've convinced me that this tech is not ready for prime time.
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Post by genericmember on Sept 15, 2019 7:46:13 GMT -7
It looks to me like most of desert's issues are because of off road use and the "fat" bike as a platform. They obviously work well enough for street riding. I see them quite often.
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 15, 2019 10:31:02 GMT -7
Yeah that seems a fair assessment, GM. Although I still question how these do on wet roads. I suppose there are reports on some dedicated ebike forums out there.
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Post by fatdaddy61 on Sept 16, 2019 19:40:46 GMT -7
all bs off, how much can you do for $350 if u already have a bike? fat or probably not
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Post by gatorbite on Sept 20, 2019 20:49:34 GMT -7
the wheel motor & 1/2 a battery  |
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Post by fatdaddy61 on Sept 29, 2019 16:48:34 GMT -7
I saw an ad for a $200 mobil power staton with different outlets that was 18.5 Amp hr lithium battery. Thats cheaper than anything made for bikes.
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Post by genericmember on Oct 1, 2019 8:19:40 GMT -7
Was it 48 volts? From what I've read here, I'm pretty sure it has to be 48.
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Post by desertbikes on Oct 4, 2019 20:00:38 GMT -7
I saw an ad for a $200 mobil power staton with different outlets that was 18.5 Amp hr lithium battery. Thats cheaper than anything made for bikes. Yeah like GM said, you'd need 4 of those in series if they're the 12VDC supplies I've seen around. Advertised as solar packs or camping power supplies. I'd also be surprised if any of them are really 18+ Amps. Most lie by 20% or more on lithium ratings. |
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Post by fatdaddy61 on Oct 12, 2019 13:03:33 GMT -7
Ok I see. It's always something ain't it
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Post by lurker on Sept 11, 2021 19:43:54 GMT -7
lately i've been looking at the hilltopper conversion kits. naturally, being she- er, frugal, i'm looking at the $549 "sprinter" but then, i'm also looking at motorcycles.
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A bit warm. yes. Had to do another 2100 mile round trip on short notice. My back was/is in a real bad way & came home to a dead AC unit. Other than that its been just peachy!
Jun 22, 2024 8:50:53 GMT -7
May 23, 2024 0:09:35 GMT -7
Apr 21, 2024 13:21:52 GMT -7
Jan 24, 2024 21:50:20 GMT -7
It's interfering with my bike & shooting time
Jan 22, 2024 17:53:40 GMT -7
Great for some things. Vans are such a bitch to work on. But what car isn't anymore...
Jan 11, 2024 17:18:36 GMT -7
