Quote:
Originally Posted by vskid3
Hm, rain is pretty rare here and snow is almost out of the question, so those advantages don't really apply for me. Using the bike as is is definitely the cheapest way to go. Then I can consider converting to discs when the rim wears out since I'll need to buy a new wheel anyway. I guess we'll just see how long that takes.
I'm for sure going to go with a quality battery like a Ping. 48v 15Ah like yours should be plenty. I could probably get away with even less Ah because I could charge at least for an hour between most of the ~5 mile trips, but I want to keep the battery at a discharge rate its happy with. Even if the battery needs replaced every couple years, I'll still be cheaper than just the gas for the Insight.
I'm going to keep doing some research on the motor, but I'm really leaning towards the ebay ones. I just can't quite justify the higher price for the others. If the total for the MP3 was a little lower I would probably go with it, but there isn't enough to make it worth spending almost twice as much (again, in my opinion).
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Please don't get spooked by my above post regarding brakes & rims, I'm hard on bikes & average at a minimum five thousand miles a year, in all environments & conditions, usually at least three times the speed of your average bicyclist... so consequences present themselves to me a bit sooner and in a little more exciting fashion then is the norm, I s'pose I could be called the "worst case scenario" lol
Generally, SLA (sealed lead acid) is only good for about 300 cycles, whereas lithium is around 1000 & LiFePO4 roughly 2000, without memory effect or thermal instability of other lithium variants - so you'll not need replace such a pack for a
very long time given your expected usage.
I agree many hub motors shouldn't cost what they do, the MP kits a "middle ground" they're not nearly as costly as some, not as inexpensive as others they're still a touch more costly then I personally think they should be given they're basically just brushless electric motors w/fancy controllers... Some of the MPs features are quite nice for prolonged ebike use & commuting, there's a plethora of fail-safe functions that may still allow you to limp home if there's a fault in controls, pack or motor, the cruise control very handy for maximizing efficiency via throttle control, the integrated lighting nice for those that don't wish to bother creating their own.
On the other hand these fancy features aren't needful for all riders, in fact that's another reason I also chose a "generic" for my hybrid build as those "extras" weren't helpful at all, what good is a cruse control on a secondary system, lighting when it's already had.
The only troublesome bit is the questionable nature of many ebay vendors, bought sight unseen there's no real way to tell what you're getting until you've gotten it & their return policies, warranties & reputation as random as the internet itself - one botched order & failed return would pay the difference between that and a more reputable product, then again if successful you get a massive savings...
Your call - I've done it myself & doubtlessly will again, I've gotten burnt and I've gotten great deals too... I jus' can't in good faith recommend such save to say, be sure to read the comments
