The RalE-Izip. My first EV

[puddleglum]

I finally completed my first E-bike build so I thought I would share it. I wanted this to be a 24 volt bike because I wanted to make use of a 24v Ping battery pack that I bought two years ago for a mobility scooter project and then couldn't use it. I hated seeing it going to waste. I also wanted this to be a low budget build and operate at maximum allowable speeds for an e-bike. Last fall I had a lady give me a Schwinn Izip for free. 24v. and and two stone dead batteries for free, perfect.


Well, I am never satisfied with things as they are, so this is how it has ended up. I will post more on the transformation and performance later for anyone that may be interested.

[Frank Lee]

Love it. That's similar to what I have in mind for upgrading my Songi.

[MetroMPG]

Cool - I remember seeing those bikes on sale at Canadian Tire when my folks bought their folding one. I think they shared they same lead battery pack/module.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...urrie-148.html

Yours is that weird one with the external motor/chain drive.

Post details!

[vskid3]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Post details!

I second the motion.

Nice ebike! I love mine, I have two that I've put together (currently sharing a 48v Ping in a backpack, so only one at a time). What do you use yours for, commuting, leisurely rides, offroad?

Here's the thread about mine: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ike-28487.html

[puddleglum]

Thanks for the positive comments. Yes I will post up some more details as soon as I get the chance.

[puddleglum]

When I got the Izip, my intent was to fix it up, add the lithium battery and ride it. Since I didn't know how well it would work, I thought I would try to revive at least one battery pack, give the bike a full service and test it. I was able to get one of the packs to charge by taking it apart and charging each battery separately. I also added a charge port that would work with one of the chargers I have.
The bike itself seemed to have had very little use even though it was a early 2008 model. It had been neglected though, and knocked over once or twice. The Izip is definitely a cheap department store bike and all the parts are cheap and low quality. When I started going through it, I had to align the frame dropouts and true the wheels along with a good clean, lube and touch up the rusty spots. I tried a lighter wheel off a different bike for the front as well. Here is how the Izip turned out when it was ready to ride.

I rode it on a few short test rides like this before trying to mount the good battery just to see how it would do. As I suspected, battery sag was terrible, but on the flat it would cruise around 22-24kph with some light assist. That is about what the bike was designed for, but far short of the 32kph legal limit. In this configuration, it also weighed in at a portly 73 lbs. I wanted more, so back to the drawing board.

[puddleglum]

I think that most e-bikers write off the Izip and Ezip bikes as low budget wannabes that are of very little practical use. To a point I would agree. In stock form they are designed to be a low speed bike for the out of shape, or possibly older rider that needs some assistance getting up the hills. I think, with a good battery pack, it would work just fine for that. It is a bike with electric assist and is never going to be an electric motorcycle with pedal assist. That said, I found some others that have proven that it can be easily modified to become a decent bike for those that are looking for some assistance and some exercise as well. The bike is not bad for comfort with its long wheelbase, but the seatpost angle a little to upright for my taste. I fully intended to modify it though, until my son offered to give me his Raleigh MTB that he wasn't riding. I liked the idea of a full suspension bike and a soft plush ride. I also liked the idea of more gearing as the Izip only has a single 44 tooth chainring. I used to ride a lot when I was young, but not for many years, so now my out of shape backside prefers a little more cushion so I quickly took him up on the offer. The Raleigh is a low budget bike as well, but for those of us who don't ride 1000's of miles and don't need the latest, greatest, lightest bike, so what. It is a low budget build. I still have some ideas for the Izip, but for now, on to the Raleigh.

[puddleglum]

I know I ramble a bit, but hopefully it will be of benefit to someone. After some research on the Izip/ezip I found a fellow on Endless Sphere who has had great success modifying them and has also proven them to be competent and reliable bikes. I took most of my design cues from him (DrkAngel). I wanted the modified bike to meet max. speed limits, be able to exceed them with some pedal assist and have a reasonable range. Like the Izip, the Raleigh got a complete disassemble clean and lube. It also had some frame alignment issues that had to be dealt with. I know they are department store bikes, but I was surprised at how poorly they were put together.

[puddleglum]

Now to the mods. As with most mountain bikes, the gearing was too low for the speeds I wanted. I switched out the crankset for an old one with 28-38-48 rings from a scraped bike. It is steel so I may upgrade it later. I had bought a DNP 11-32 freewheel a couple of years ago to upgrade a mtb for commuting but never used it. I fitted that to the Izip wheels and switched them over to the Raleigh. I now have pedal ability to about 54kph for some fast down hills or further upgrades. I rebuilt the brakes, swapped over the ebike levers from the izip and moved both shifters to the left side of the bar to leave the right hand free for the throttle. The taller gearing required a new chain and that pretty much finished up the bike mods.
I ordered a new 13 tooth drive gear for the motor from "gng ebike" to replace the stock 9 tooth gear. If I had been using the Izip I would have used a longer chain, but since I had to remount the motor anyway, I tried something different. I elongated the hole in the mount and cut another slot in the mount to line up with one of the unused disk brake mounting holes in the frame. Here is the modified bracket and new drive gear.

I added a reinforcing bracket to ensure it would no pull out from the torque. I also had to lengthen the adjustment rod for the chain tension.

It added a little more work but brought the motor closer to the wheel and saved a few dollars. Here is the finished drive assembly.

[Grant-53]

My mtb is a Next full suspension junker with upgraded wheels. The chain rings are 28-38-48T and the 6 spd cluster is 13-28T. I am designing an aero package that hopefully will reduce drag by 25% and give waterproof storage.