Well, What the heck are they?

The electric hub kit came about in China to utilize existing aging bicycles as people needed to commute farther and farther for work.

Range?? I often get asked what kind of range I get. The large compaines and some ebayers will tell you that you will get 20 miles from 12AH batteries without pedaling at all. This is just a flat out lie, unless you weigh 60 lbs and happen to live in a vacuum. I weigh 240lbs and I get between 14-15 miles on a 12ah pack on every hub kit out there if with wide open throttle and no pedaling.

But ,if you use the kits as they are supposed to be used "pedal assist" is the key word here there is really no limit on the milage you can get out of a pack (within reason). The other weekend my wife and I headed out to the Santa Ana river trail and did a round trip of 35 miles and had juice to spare. But this is going to vary with all conditions.

Brushed VS Brushless??????????

Whats the big difference? The main differences are that a brushless motor is close to 30% more efficient than a brushed motor. This means 30% more range/distance. The main reasons that brushless motors are more efficient is that they are microprocessor controlled in the same way that the magnetic levitated trains are, the microprocessor reads where the motor is and tells the next electro magnet to push it along. Also brushed motors lose much of their power due to heat loss at the brushes that rub on the shaft.

Now with us in a gas crunch and to be honest I'm not a tree hugger or anything but I see pollution in many many forms all day long and I am really tired of it. The hub kits added on to your bike will drive you about 1,000 miles for the same price as a gallon of gas and not produce the gasses your car or truck puts off.

I am 38 a little out of shape and about two years ago I went to the bike shop and bought a good mountain bike to ride around on and get more exercise, I got it home and ride it for a week or two, then rode it again a month later then 6 months later it was in the garage, tires flat and dusty.

I realised that the ups and downs of hills, wind and stuff that didnt bother me as a kid DO now. But I dearly missed riding down the street on my bike , going on long rides, smelling the different trees, seeing different type of terrain that you cant see from your car. So I set out to find a solution.

I tried many different types of electric bike kits and to be honest they were all very similar but the price from one to the next was insane!

All of the designer brand name brushless hub motors are all basically the same with the exception of the windings and bearings. The windings inside the motor simply determine torque or speed, much in the same way gears do and the only other thing was the bearings, but the kits vary in price from $400 all the way up to $1300.

I tried them all and settled on the kits I am selling now. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Batteries!!!

Batteries... There are many different options for batteries these days. So I will make a list from high end to standard.

1. Lifepo4, (lithium iron phosphate) this is the lightest weight and smallest package and best battery you can get for your e-bike kit. You can find deals on ebay for these from time to time. Search ebay for "lifepo4 36V" you want a pack with charger and BMS (battery management system) at 36V 10AH-20AH. These will run you anywhere from $350-$500
2. NiMH, (nickel metal hydride) These are good lightweight batteries but also costly the technology is a bit old bit they are still 3x as good as Lead Acid if you can get a deal on them. Again you want a pack with charger at 36V 10AH-20AH. The cost on these will run from $250-$350 and again search Ebay for the best deals.
3. SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) These are heavy and old technology but cheap. It is tried and true and will get you through your first year or two of your E-bike. The standard for e-bikes is using 3, 12V 10AH batteries in series. These can be found again on Ebay or at local Electronics stores for $20-$30 each.

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