My folding e-shopper

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A few months ago my father in law gave me his old shopper bike ,"I know you will be able to do something with it that's why l wanted you to have it " he grinned .

with 3 speed , rusty wheels and some rust on the handlebars and stem it was not going to be an easy task .


Mountain bike Saddle ,handlebars and stem put the riding position in a half decent position and a pair of kids mountain bike wheels and 5 speed derailleur helps to send the man power to the rear wheel, the old cable brakes would have to stay for the moment whilst I source a pair of BMX ones .During this time Dave's thread on the overclockers dream came up and l grabbed one of the motors . Fitted with a 500 watt controller a"pedal less " sensor ( the hardest thing to fit on this type of bottom bracket assembly ) and twist grip throttle with the 36v SLA batteries in the shopping bag the bike doesn't look much different to any other folder.
eshopper.jpg



This weekend all the bits were here so we finished off the bike .
Performance wise its a cracker with a top speed over 20mph and with a smile and a wave you really upset some of the hardened types on their MTB's as you pass them on an old shopper bike

Out on the road the motor that was originally designed for 700c wheels and 25v really goes well , the extra torque gained as the wheels are only 20" can get the front wheel spinning in the wet , This is a little wolf in sheep's clothing and needs to be treated with a little respect .


I can see we will have lots of fun with this one and when my charger arrives l will fit a Lifepo4 battery to extend the range .

regards emma
 
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Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Sorry, can't access the pic. Shame, it sounds interesting. Well done on the conversion. Is 20mph legal?
 
OP
OP
voyager

voyager

E- tadpole Triker
Hi Folks
we spent the rest of the weekend between the raindrops doing short local runs up to the top of the road and back just to get accustom to the new beast .
With all that power on the front wheel , manhole covers and drains are worthy of being avoided at all costs putting the power on on a wet drain cover and the bike does try to slip away , Pulling power is good and acceleration is very quick the pedelec system comes in after 3 complete revolutions and the surge of power is good , riding without pedalling on the flat and slight inclines is smooth and quiet being FWD the bike does try and straighten up on you doing a U turn , not sinister but gives the feeling of under steer .
All in alI I think this is going to be a winner ! only problem is the weight with 3 12v 7.2 ah batteries in the saddlebag the all up weight is 58 lbs , not excessive but a lump to carry if you live in a flat and have to carry it upstairs

regards emma
 
OP
OP
voyager

voyager

E- tadpole Triker
Hi Folks

Finally fitted the 37v 10ah LifePO4 battery and ( resprayed black ) mudguards to the shopper , Testing at the weekend revealed that the range should be in excess of 15 miles , Over a run of hilly terrain of 10 miles the motor preformed faultlessly with a top speed of 19 mph and hill climbing performance better than the q100 motor on my trike , ken is going to use the bike as a commute to work bike in January and I hope to report on the bike as a mamil eating commuter bike . The only down side to the bike is the top gear of only 68" The bottom gears from 35 " up to 54" were not used at all during the testing
After the 10 mile run it took less than 2 hours to recharge the battery at its rated charge of 2.5 amps so I estimate the range "IN Excess of " 15 miles .

regards emma
 

shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
Nice work
 

welsh dragon

Thanks but no thanks. I think I'll pass.
A few months ago my father in law gave me his old shopper bike ,"I know you will be able to do something with it that's why l wanted you to have it " he grinned .

with 3 speed , rusty wheels and some rust on the handlebars and stem it was not going to be an easy task .


Mountain bike Saddle ,handlebars and stem put the riding position in a half decent position and a pair of kids mountain bike wheels and 5 speed derailleur helps to send the man power to the rear wheel, the old cable brakes would have to stay for the moment whilst I source a pair of BMX ones .During this time Dave's thread on the overclockers dream came up and l grabbed one of the motors . Fitted with a 500 watt controller a"pedal less " sensor ( the hardest thing to fit on this type of bottom bracket assembly ) and twist grip throttle with the 36v SLA batteries in the shopping bag the bike doesn't look much different to any other folder.
View attachment 58822


This weekend all the bits were here so we finished off the bike .
Performance wise its a cracker with a top speed over 20mph and with a smile and a wave you really upset some of the hardened types on their MTB's as you pass them on an old shopper bike

Out on the road the motor that was originally designed for 700c wheels and 25v really goes well , the extra torque gained as the wheels are only 20" can get the front wheel spinning in the wet , This is a little wolf in sheep's clothing and needs to be treated with a little respect .


I can see we will have lots of fun with this one and when my charger arrives l will fit a Lifepo4 battery to extend the range .

regards emma


Nice bike. Well done.
 

T4tomo

Guru
I don't know anything about electric bikes and their speeds etc, but why is it a good thing that you've produced and use something illegal?
Oh dear what a saddo.

Presumably the new batteries make it all a bit lighter, which can only be a good things if the batteries run out before you're home.
 
OP
OP
voyager

voyager

E- tadpole Triker
I don't know anything about electric bikes and their speeds etc, but why is it a good thing that you've produced and use something illegal?

If rephrased That makes a worth while question to an outsider looking into the electric bike world for the first time .:rolleyes:
how ever the way it reads on "paper" does not !!!!!!
I will try and answer your question as simply as possible to enlighten you .
Not all Electric motors are created equal and some are more equal than others , the same applies to batteries but and here is the real nitty gritty part !:ohmy:
The electric motor/battery combination of MOST mass produced e-bikes will give a top speed in excess of the 15mph +/_ 10 % that is just part of the EAPC regulation , virtually ALL these bikes are limited either by software or by a discrete component regulator in the controller whether a brushed or brushless motor . Most mass produced e-bikes de-restricted are geared for 18mph +
The way I have built the bike means that the top speed can be left de restricted for off road use where 15mph limit imposed by the EAPC does not apply also this shows that my chosen motor / controller/ battery combination is a sensible combination that "works " as there is not a huge variation between limited and unlimited speeds .
The EAPC regulations has change slightly from maximum power of 250 watt to 250 continuously rated , this has produced some more powerful ebikes that are LEGAL in the UK and are restricted by software in the UK and in the EU . Other countries have different laws and different speed limits and the e-bike with a change in controller software can be made legal without the need to design or fit different parts for different countries .

The lighter batteries help as you say, the bike is lighter to pedal up hill . The battery is about 1/4 of the height of the SLA batteries and the same saving in weight ( lots more room in the bag ! )
An advantage with this particular motor is it has a built in freewheel which means that when under pedal power the motor is not being driven and all the pedal power is laid down on the road rather than to turn a " Generator "
And carrying a 60lb bike to a 1st floor flat every day will either help the exercise or put someone off riding it :sad:

A 15 to nearer 20mile range on the e-bike which is going to be used as a commuter bike in cold and windy weather should help get him home quicker and more comfortably than forcing a bike along into the prevailing wind along a cycle path a few hundred feet away from the beach that fronts part of the English channel !!!

now I need a cup of tea :cheers:

regards emma
 
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