less and less

[Hukah]

As for motorizing, think about going electric. IC motors need to go away (no offense to grease monkeying as a hobby). There're are some cool electric bikes out there...and fast. See https://www.ruff-cycles.com/

I really couldn't agree with you more, but until we get infrastructure in place ICEs are necessary for small, independent commerce.
I am actually working my way to building vending bikes in the near future.
A $400.00 (48v/20AH) battery will take me 16 miles at best (I know, I have one and I am disabled and do little pedaling, but the assist is helping to build that up, thankfully. Also that number is just me, not my vending trike).
I need to get my vending trike 22 Miles each way to go to town and sell my product, so I need an ICE.
It gets me there, then my electric takes me around town once I'm there.
Until battery technology can replace that, some are stuck using such.
FWIW I abhor 2 stroke, and 100+MPG isn't too shabby in the scheme of things, I wholly assume.
I'll def change as soon as it's feasible and I support transitioning ASAP.

 

[Hukah]

I'm using these specifically. Also using them to electrify a kayak. Real easy to package.
https://batteryhookup.com/products/3-7v-4-4ah-16-28wh-w-bms-no-wires

I've been seeing those around lately.
I'll have to check deeper into that.
Thx

 

[Hukah]

@Duchess That is an awesome looking site.
I don't know much about electrics yet since I'm on my first one (Golden Motors 48v rear hub) and the batt pack was murder but I didn't know if they would be proprietary or not.
Turns out they're not.
Now I have a new field of study to learn.

 

[Wildcat]

If I wanted to do an electric conversion, as a beginner what kit would you all recommend?
I've been waiting for years for a magic battery, but I think we won't get much better than we have right now. The kits with the motor as the hub looks good so far, with the mid drive good, but too expensive.

 

[Hukah]

If I wanted to do an electric conversion, as a beginner what kit would you all recommend?

While I am somewhat new to the subject I did do a lot of research before i bought mine.
Finding what i did, I was afraid to buy anything less than a Bafang from China, as the "bugs" of the "others" were still being complained about in the forums.
Then I found out about Golden Motors out of Canada.
A Canadian enthusiast contacted a Chinese manufacturer and collaborated on a "build".
A relationship was developed (according to what I have read) and the quality control of the parts was developed and improved upon, making a reliable motor and system.
I bought mine in June '20 and couldn't be happier.
The only thing I would change is I would now build my own battery pack since GM is not proprietary.

Good luck on your project

 

[Rat Rod]

Not to break up the E-Bike conversation in the site traffic thread, but...

Another contributing factor is the weather.

This site always slows down during the winter months because many of the members live in locations with snow and freezing temps.

Things usually pick back up again in the Spring and Summer when the main build off is running.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Not to break up the E-Bike conversation in the site traffic thread, but...

Another contributing factor is the weather.

This site always slows down during the winter months because many of the members live in locations with snow and freezing temps.

Things usually pick back up again in the Spring and Summer when the main build off is running.

I agree 100%. This is what the weather's like where I live.

It's so cold, my Dad's working on stuff here at home instead of working on getting his shop up and running. So if he's here, then it's too cold to even sandblast and powder coat any bike parts right now. Plus, I can't use Evaporust on anything, nor do much else to make any progress on my bikes.

 

[Couch tater]

I've been doing my building at the end of my shift in the heated garage at work, otherwise it would be a spectator sport until the spring thaw.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I refuse to do any social media. This is as about as close as I come (RatRodBikes).
Don't want it, Don't need it.

I hear ya there. I got a Facebook account a little over a year ago just so I could join a group to figure out what kind of MacBook laptop I needed, then as soon as I got what I wanted out of that group, I deactivated my account. I have never felt my anger and blood pressure boil like it did when I read Facebook's terms of service and signed up despite what I read. If I could have at least used Marketplace, I might've kept that account, but since I needed to share so much info just to maybe get access to Marketplace, I didn't stay on Facebook for anymore than a week.

Plus, I'm trying to break free from other social media, namely DeviantArt and Reddit, as they both feel like dumpster diving for gold... in a loaded sewer. I'm almost done saving all of my favorites on dA. I know that once that's done, I can easily forget that site, as I keep forgetting to even log into dA just to download the last few hundred pictures I want to save before I deactivate my account.

Reddit, on the other hand, is going to be A LOT HARDER to break free from. It's like the internet: categorized. The are a ton of subreddits that I always visit, especially r/lego and r/justrolledintotheshop, and it is addictive! Sure, there's a lot of cool, funny and even informative stuff to find there, but there is even more stuff on that site that makes me depressed, angry, or just plain sick. Despite all the garbage on that site, I still keep visiting it on a daily basis, and I need to stop.

I'm hoping that by spending more time on here and The CABE, I'll be able to get away from social media and still have a place I can go online, relax and even socialize.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I think there's one other factor that could explain why there doesn't seem to be a lot of activity on this site, at least for me. I want to check out all there is to see on this site, and I want to leave comments and likes on what I find, but there's just soooooo many threads and comments, that I can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed with social anxiety. It kind of feels like I'm that random guy that butts into a group conversation I wasn't even part of in the first place. It's not that I don't want to get involved, but sometimes it feels like I don't know where to start.

It's easier for me to make on own threads and have other people comment on them, and it's pretty easy to comment on other folks' threads when we're all in the same Build Off, but outside of that, it's.... daunting.

 

[Duchess]

@Duchess That is an awesome looking site.
I don't know much about electrics yet since I'm on my first one (Golden Motors 48v rear hub) and the batt pack was murder but I didn't know if they would be proprietary or not.
Turns out they're not.
Now I have a new field of study to learn.

That's what I'm doing. All the years of ICE knowledge feels like it might as well be steam train expertise now and I can't believe how rather suddenly I lost interest in it. Bicycles and a light displacement kayak hull are great for electric, but I wish batteries were at the point where I could build my planing boat as electric. To have something roughly equivalent to the 60 hp 4-stroke outboard I have planned, it would cost me over $35k for batteries alone from the surplus place and the hull couldn't handle the weight.

 

[horsefarmer]

I think FB is the issue. FB doesn't make it easy to go back and search threads for specific info. But it's "alive" with thoughts and photos getting fed to you.

Yes that's just what I dislike most!
It's like TV - Sites keep popping up lots of stuff and annoying ads and videos! Can't stand all the distractions!

Plus, I'm trying to break free from other social media, namely DeviantArt and Reddit, as they both feel like dumpster diving for gold... in a loaded sewer. I'm almost done saving all of my favorites on dA. I know that once that's done, I can easily forget that site, as I keep forgetting to even log into dA just to download the last few hundred pictures I want to save before I deactivate my account.

Reddit, on the other hand, is going to be A LOT HARDER to break free from. It's like the internet: categorized. The are a ton of subreddits that I always visit, especially r/lego and r/justrolledintotheshop, and it is addictive! Sure, there's a lot of cool, funny and even informative stuff to find there, but there is even more stuff on that site that makes me depressed, angry, or just plain sick. Despite all the garbage on that site, I still keep visiting it on a daily basis, and I need to stop.

DeviantArt is a site I stumble upon once in a while, but Reddit, is crazy cool and I'm just been a lurker there...

 

[us56456712]

I think FB is the issue. I recently joined some web forums specific to my other vehicles (VW Syncro, Merc SLK, Old Honda CB350), And ...... if I dont follow all the same in FB, in real time. FB doesn't make it easy to go back and search threads for specific info. But it's "alive" with thoughts and photos getting fed to you.
As for motorizing, think about going electric. IC motors need to go away (no offense to grease monkeying as a hobby). There're are some cool electric bikes out there...and fast. See https://www.ruff-cycles.com/

I wish I could eliminate my Facebook account but I don’t know any of the passwords I used. I set it up by accident. I was trying to follow Jeramy Bishop’s rides on Strava and didn’t realize that was on Facebook. When I did this I was high on fentany, oxtcodone and Valium, all legally supplied for a double spinal fusion. I hardly remember doing this but I was amazed that I now had a Facebook account. I didn’t remember what I used to set it up as I was nodding off more than I was awake. I’m now a member of the most evil social media criminal organization and can’t eliminate it.

 

[handyandy1100]

I wish I could eliminate my Facebook account but I don’t know any of the passwords I used. I set it up by accident. I was trying to follow Jeramy Bishop’s rides on Strava and didn’t realize that was on Facebook. When I did this I was high on fentany, oxtcodone and Valium, all legally supplied for a double spinal fusion. I hardly remember doing this but I was amazed that I now had a Facebook account. I didn’t remember what I used to set it up as I was nodding off more than I was awake. I’m now a member of the most evil social media criminal organization and can’t eliminate it.

Tell them you love Trump and the elections were rigged. That ought to get you deleted! LOL

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[order99]

I can only speak for myself of course:

I have never been a huge builder of bikes-I don't have the funds for even this relatively inexpensive hobby. The only Build-off I have ever participated in was due to the charity of a local Bike shop who let me raid his dumpster. I do fix up the ones my neighbors (Yard Sale addicts all!) find on the cheap and get a few bucks over costs, but that's it.

It's Winter. I have a daily rider and do at least a few miles any clear day that it's over 45F, and routine maintenance on same. My 'workshop' is a picnic table and so curtails any serious mods/repair in February.

I only have the Rat Rod Forums and the Bentrider Online Forums, and don't have time to invest in others-I have avoided all social media sites with the exception of Facebook (my friends talked me into that one) so if it isn't here I don't care much...

Gas-powered bikes of any kind fall under NC DOT guidelines as a 'scooter/moped' because NC has a giant stick up its buttocks concerning DIY anything. The only way i'd get a gasser is to find an antique Moped to fix and modify from scratch, and 'Grandfather' it in. Electrics look better, but as soon as a local bike shop began to rent out and sell Electrics a bunch of local beach towns began screaming about passing NIMBY ordinances... So if you want a 'powered bike' around here you better shell out $2000 for a Chinese scooter...

Despite these disadvantages, i'm not going anywhere. Sometimes the neighbors pick up a 'total loss' bike for free and gift it to me as a 'tip' and I strip it down and salvage parts and cut the frames and store what I can. I still have my hand tools, the weather will improve, cashflow will eventually improve and all of us (myself included) will build, repair and ride again!

 

[yoothgeye]

I can only speak for myself of course:

I have never been a huge builder of bikes-I don't have the funds for even this relatively inexpensive hobby. The only Build-off I have ever participated in was due to the charity of a local Bike shop who let me raid his dumpster. I do fix up the ones my neighbors (Yard Sale addicts all!) find on the cheap and get a few bucks over costs, but that's it.

It's Winter. I have a daily rider and do at least a few miles any clear day that it's over 45F, and routine maintenance on same. My 'workshop' is a picnic table and so curtails any serious mods/repair in February.

I only have the Rat Rod Forums and the Bentrider Online Forums, and don't have time to invest in others-I have avoided all social media sites with the exception of Facebook (my friends talked me into that one) so if it isn't here I don't care much...

Gas-powered bikes of any kind fall under NC DOT guidelines as a 'scooter/moped' because NC has a giant stick up its buttocks concerning DIY anything. The only way i'd get a gasser is to find an antique Moped to fix and modify from scratch, and 'Grandfather' it in. Electrics look better, but as soon as a local bike shop began to rent out and sell Electrics a bunch of local beach towns began screaming about passing NIMBY ordinances... So if you want a 'powered bike' around here you better shell out $2000 for a Chinese scooter...

Despite these disadvantages, i'm not going anywhere. Sometimes the neighbors pick up a 'total loss' bike for free and gift it to me as a 'tip' and I strip it down and salvage parts and cut the frames and store what I can. I still have my hand tools, the weather will improve, cashflow will eventually improve and all of us (myself included) will build, repair and ride again!

Order, where are you at in NC?

I’m on the VA border I-95 in Roanoke Rapids, if you ever need anything bike related I got lots of junk.

I built a gas bike years ago before NC did the license and insurance on mopeds, just rode it with a helmet.

Every now and then I see someone here who has built a gas bike and rides it around, the law doesn’t bother them.

After building my gas bike and realizing how horrible those Chinese eBay engine kits are, I bought an old Puch moped and started playing with that. Later I got a Honda Ruckus and still ride that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hukah]

I can only speak for myself of course:

I have never been a huge builder of bikes-I don't have the funds for even this relatively inexpensive hobby. The only Build-off I have ever participated in was due to the charity of a local Bike shop who let me raid his dumpster. I do fix up the ones my neighbors (Yard Sale addicts all!) find on the cheap and get a few bucks over costs, but that's it.

I've been trying to pull up NC ebike laws for a couple of days now but the state site is not cooperating.
I found an attorney's link that said that ebikes were treated the same as a regular bikes as long as it was 500 watts or less and stayed under 25MPH
I wonder, since you live there (I am planning to visit my friend in Charlotte for a couple of weeks and want to bring my ebike and he is computer impaired), if it isn't too much trouble if you could check the state site and verify that information for me?
It would really help me out but I get it if it's not something you're up to.

Thanks

 

[Duchess]

I wouldn't worry about the rated wattage of the hub. You could make a sticker to call it whatever you want and almost nobody would know the difference. It's not the rating that will get you in trouble, it's getting caught going faster than the speed limits for e-bikes without pedaling (usually 20 mph for a type 1or 2 and 28 mph for a type 3 e-bike) by a really bored cop. The motor rating is largely meaningless in this regard, anyway. Often times, the difference between two hubs of different rating is how much power the controller allows it to have. It's not like HP in an ICE unless the size of the fuel tank and pump largely determined how much power the engine could make. I'm a terrible teacher, so I hope the following is helpful (and correct!):

I'm installing a Bafang "1500W" motor, which is a rounded nominal rating for either a 48 or 52V battery. It's the same motor as the "750W" unit except that the built in controller allows 30A before cutting off instead of 15A. The reason they have the different cutoff is that 750W is the usual legal limit for a road e-bike in the US (and maybe it helps someone with poor impulse control not full throttle it). The nominal rating is at the average continuous battery discharge (ignoring losses, the "1500W" motor is actually capable of 1440W at 48V and 1560W at 52V). The battery I'm building is 52V 35aH. At full charge, the 52V battery is actually 58.8V, which at the 30A controller limit, allows the motor to put out 1764W. I can't remember the BMS low voltage cutoff (battery management which controls the charge and discharge rate of the cells for safety and longevity), but toward the end of its charge, the motor probably will put out something like 1100W. I'm not sure what the motor can ultimately handle and I don't need more power, but my battery pack is plenty large enough to safely discharge at higher than 30A without causing harm to the cells at a 1C discharge (and the batteries are reported to be able to handle higher than 1C, but I always lean on the side of longevity, like I probably also won't charge the pack over 80% full to extend the cell life, but now I'm going off track). Let's say I get bored with "1500W" and I find out the motor can handle 50A before putting me in a hot seat, so I change to a controller that allows it and I decide to exceed my 1C discharge rate or make a larger battery to hit that mark—now that "1500W" motor is really a "2600W" motor (2940W at full charge or almost 4 hp). So, assuming it can handle 50A, what is sold as a legal "750W" motor is potentially almost 3000W with the change of a controller and a big enough, fully charged, battery. Or, to keep everything completely above board, the legal "750W" motor with its stock 15A controller on a 52V battery at full charge (58.8V) would actually be 882W.

Maybe interesting: if I split my battery pack (14S 8P) in half, it would only put out a little over 17A at a 1C discharge, which is so close to the 15A cutoff of the "750W" controller that I would have just ordered that one to keep the battery healthier for longer. The BMSs should prevent the cells from discharging too much for safety, but I would rather have it stay around 1C than potentially run at the 1.7C that the 30A controller of the "1500W" unit would allow (assuming the BMS wouldn't cut it off before then).

 

[order99]

Re: NC bike laws-

As far as I can determine, NC DOT regs on electric bikes are the same as the federal ones (20 MPH un-pedaled max speed, 750 watt maximum), but if the small towns on the island pass local ordinances it won't matter.

NC DOT regs on gas-powered(50cc and under) bikes are covered under the scooter/moped laws-and all of those include DOT-rated rims, tires and frames-modified bicycles don't meet those standards. The fact that enforcement is spotty and lax doesn't make it legal unfortunately-I can't rely on the goodwill of an LEO if he has the legal right to ban. More importantly, 2015 laws indicate that insurance and tags are needed-and no local companies will do so, so no tags can be issued.

I have actually seen several motorized bikes in my previous county (Johnson) but I believe that they were grandfathered in.

At any rate, I cycle for fun and exercise-but a modest 350-500watt drive on my builds would be nice for distance and hills. Finances being what they are I won't be exploring that for awhile...

 

[repedaler]

I refuse to do any social media. This is as about as close as I come (RatRodBikes).
Don't want it, Don't need it.

I hear that, I belong to 2 bike forums 1 model forum and have an Etsy store. That’s all for me. And this is the best bike forum of all I think ( good people).