[carl]

WELCOME TO CARL'S CUSTOM e-BIKES!
I am a EV/auto engineer. I may be overqualified for making ebikes but I say I am carrying the tradition of Lee Iacocca: After Rocking & Rolling all these years I have settled for some Easy Riding on my ebikes! I will do my best to As the same day & if you are near Los Angeles CA I will be happy to meet & show you my bike designs.

NOTES: My As are my own & are not associated with nor in any way representative of Clean Republic Inc.
My As are aimed at folks who possess good mechanical aptitude & good common sense to follow instructions.
My forum is aimed at folks new to ebikes who just want to know the basics with no engineering knowledge.
If you have a specific e-b/EV Q not mentioned here feel free to ask at the end of my CCeB forum; hit REPLY.
Periodically I will update my forum as new info becomes available - so keep revisiting here to keep updated.
I DO NOT ANSWER RANDOM Qs THAT ARE POSTED IN THE CLEAN REPUBLIC FORUM OUTSIDE OF MY OWN
Abbreviations: LAB(lead acid batt); LIB(Li-Ion batt); W(watts); V(volts); A(amps); 1HP = 750W 1000W = 1.3HP

FOR NEWBIE E-BIKE RIDERS
E-Bike Rider Tips Rules & Batt Maintenance. Following are basic tips & rules to make the most of your e-bike.
E-Bikes are true hybrids that are perfect for all your local trips & you can ride with or without pedaling. Always activate both mtr+pedals when starting off & riding uphill. Always release the throttle downhill. Note: Range is inversely related to speed: High Speed = Low Range. Short trips can be at high speed but using only half the power can double the range. Keep tires inflated to their MAX PSI. For your own safety never ride in the vehicle lane with traffic-always ride in the bike lane & always wear a bright color helmet reflective vest & strobe lights.
!!NEVER REPAIR A FLAT FRONT TIRE+MTR WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL HELP!!

Throttle: 250W - Type 1 - No Indicators. Thumb/push button & it activates & de-activates when pushed/
released. After a long ride the mtr will slow down & soon afterwards the power will be cut off by the 24V SLAB or LION batts controller or LION BMS at low Vs to prevent batt damage. At that point pedal home & charge the batt.

Throttle: 500W/1000W - Type 2 - Indicator LEDs. Throttle has 3 LEDs: All LEDs On = Full Charge. LEDs will go out consecutively as batt is used up. After a long ride the mtr will slow down & soon afterwards the power will be cut off by 36V/48V controller/BMS at low Vs to prevent batt damage. At that point pedal home & charge the batt.

Battery Pack.The heart of an e-bike is the batt & it must be looked after properly to maximize its life. Be absolutely certain batt straps are very tight & remember to ALWAYS charge the batt!! The batt must NEVER be left discharged after a ride! Charger LED must be RED to charge. Expect >300+SLAB & >500+LION charge cycles before it needs replacing.1cycle is fully discharged batt to fully charged batt; ie.RED LED on then a full charge to GREEN LED. NOTE: Full discharge is at controller/BMS cut-off-not dead batts!! Its very important that you plug in the charger IMMEDIATELY or ASAP after a ride. If you are storing your e-bike disconnect the batt pack & take the batt indoors to keep at room temps. Batts can be stored for months & in that case periodically charge them to keep them topped up ready for immediate use. Rule No.1: CHARGE THE BATTS AFTER EVERY RIDE!!!
*Leaving the charger on overnight will not harm it or the batts in any way.
*The above applies to daily use of e-bikes-not to casual use or stored e-bikes.
*If you are not using the e-bike daily then unplug the charger to store e-bike.
* * * Enjoy The Ride Electrified On Your New E-Bike!! * * *

[carl]

GENERAL e-BIKE USE & WHEEL DIA EFFECTS ON BATT RANGE
All e-bikes with pedals are hybrids & can be ridden many different ways. E-bikes are all about common sense.
Some battery range Qs while valid are unnecesarily complicated for no reason so I will try to enlighten some folks.
The first Q should always be about how you intend to use your e-bike. If it is just for infrequent recreational use then your range is irrelevant. If it is for every day transportation & long trips then the range is very crucial. Regardless batt range is rather limited in 24V form & you will never get the range of a 36V or 48V e-bike. One Q was about the high speed pedaling mode of riding. If you have the stamina of Lance Armstrong to do this all day long and you can do 30mph then you will not benefit much by riding e-bikes.
All e-bike mtrs are governed by their controllers as to what rpm therefore road speed they are designed to be doing. The HillTopper is designed for 200rpm max so the HT mtr in a 26"(most common) wheel is designed for 15mph 24" will do 14mph & 20" will do just 12mph & 700c (least common) wheel will do 16mph. Most battery power is used up from standing starts & riding uphills so pedaling is always a prerequisite then. If you pedal faster than what the mtr can do at max speed then you are defeating the controller & the mtr will go into free-wheel mode when it will act like your regular bike front wheel. For this reason it is always a good idea to disengage the button when going downhill & let gravity power your e-bike - saving batts - & you will go faster!
Saving as much batt power as you can is always a good thing - up to a point. Because if your ride is a long one on
a daily basis conserving batt power can get tiring pretty quick after a while. That's why I always work with my
customers very precisely to ensure the e-bike for their needs & they will ride happy for a very long time.

[carl]

BATTERY RANGE
Both LAB & LIB batts have low voltage cut-off to prevent their complete drain. This is done by the controller on the LAB & by the BMS on LIB batt. You can ride the e-bike until you have power cut-off at which point you turn off the switch & pedal the rest of the way home & plug in the charger. The 20 mile LIB range is at optimal conditions meaning your weight is 150lb or less riding a lighweight alloy bike on a smooth level road on a calm day without any stopping & starting - the mileage as they say - may vary. You can also ride & use the button just 50% of the time when you really need to for a longer range & batt life. The LIB 4 charge indicator lights are there as a guide only for the charge remaining & because its exponential its not accurate. Treat it like a gas gauge in a car. Some cars when filled up show full for a long time with no movement then drop rapidly to empty. My other 500/1000W mtrs have thumb/twist throttles w/3 LEDs & the first LED goes out quickly the middle LED stays on for while then the last LED takes forever to blink off. EVs & e-bikes do not suddenly run out of electrons like a car running out of gas - there is ample notice given by the mtr in slowing down gradually over the last few miles of use. If you are that worried about range I suggest a 48V e-bike that I make to go 60+ miles on a charge w/LABs. Anyway it is not that important - you still have pedals to get you out of any batt drain or controller or any other electrical malfunction & you will never be stranded. After a while you will figure out the batt range for yourself according to your weight riding style & habits so it will all become 'elementary' as Holmes would say.

[carl]

FWD Vs RWD & WHEEL DIA EFFECTS ON SPEED
FWD is the best location for e-bike mtrs due to the simple fact that you are using up dead wasted space. Some folks out there are still adamant about RWD due to their misperceived notions about better handling etc. which is total nonsense as the benefits of RWD come into play at much higher speeds with scooters & motorcycles & totally irrelevant at the 15mph HT e-bike speeds we are dealing with. Secondly the wheel dia plays a role in how the bike will react to the fitting of an e-mtr. A large dia 26" wheel will be most beneficial for max speed(15mph) & batt range (10/20mi-LAB/LIB) & your personal weight & riding habits. A 24" wheel will give an 8% 14mph lower top speed & range due to the same mtr rpm but with a smaller wheel circumference. A 20" wheel is lowest in speed & range but will out-accelerate the 24" & 26" wheels up to its max 12+mph & 700c wheel will have a 1% increase at 16mph.

[carl]

POWER ASSIST (PAS) Vs POWER ON DEMAND (POD)
There are many e-bike configurations on the market & you have many choices. The first thing you have to decide is whether you want to be pedaling all the time - just part of the time - or not pedal at all. PAS is for those that want to pedal all the time & the bikes are typically made by OEMs & are quite expensive due to their intricate designs & high-end LIB batts. They start at $1500+ & go to $4000+ They are usually low power 180W mtrs but they have a very good batt range: up to 75miles & this is due to the fact that you are doing all the work - with mtr assistance. POD e-bikes on the other hand offer more choices in riding style and are therefore more useful & are in fact true hybrids. You can pedal any time you want or not pedal at all & they also start at $1500+ but go to $12000+!! Power starts at 180W up to 2000W+ & batt range is up to 50miles. With high power comes the luxury of riding in any manner you want & its mostly beneficial for oversized & heavy 200lb+ riders who are not in great shape for pedaling but still like to ride. There are great e-bike kits like Clean Republic that do much the same things for a fraction of the cost & I strongly recommend that as the least expensive way to get into e-bikes & enjoying a simple & very efficient way of doing local trips without getting tired or breaking a sweat. No one e-bike can be everyone's answer-that's why I build my customers e-bikes for their own specific needs.

[carl]

RADIAL SPOKES Vs CROSS-PLY SPOKES & OTHER PATTERNS & RIMS
Many folks have reservations about radial spokes Vs 2/3 cross tangental spoking when doing their pro pack kit due to their belief that radial spoking is not as strong as tangental spoking. This is utter nonsense because if it was true then nobody would ever be doing any radial spoking - would they? My first e-bike kit was to a cruiser/ chopper & I fitted a 2000W mtr that came radial spoked from the factory. Some high-end wheels like Mavic use a combined spoke pattern - tangental on one side & radial on the other. Folks doing PP kits can consider radial spokes for their disc brake side to gain more space between caliper & spokes when their caliper is hitting the spokes due to some wide caliper widths. Insert the spokes so heads face out. There are also some folks that for whatever reason want to use their original front wheel & that is OK provided it has the required 36 holes for spokes. If your wheel is less than 36 holes DO NOT LACE it!! This will result in empty spoke holes in the mtr & the resultant UNEVEN forces exerted on the wheel. This will cause the wheel to collapse in the event that you hit a pot hole for example. Do not experiment with this idea by putting yourself in unnecessary danger - ALWAYS use the correct 36 hole rim. You can if you want also use your single wall rim. There are all kinds of theories out there on all kinds of subjects but very few of those theories pan out in the real world - a world where the product in Q makes it or breaks down - not something that is just merely dancing around inside folks heads. The mere fact that after years of riding my 2000W chopper I have yet to experience any radial spoke problems so it speaks volumes for radial spoked mtr wheels. Another e-bike I built to a customer's specs was a 1000W mtr in his own original mountain bike wheel that I recommended to a professional wheel lacer & after 5yrs that customer is still happily riding his radial spoked e-bike with no problems. I always strongly recommend a PROFESSIONAL wheel builder who will have a much better 'feel for wheels' as opposed to doing it yourself - for obvious reasons if you plan to keep your teeth! Ultimately its all really a matter of personal choice in spoke patterns & preferences.

[carl]

DRIVE WHEEL AXLE NUT TORQUE
This is the single most important part of the HT kit installation & it must be done right to later avoid having big & expensive problems with the mtr drive unit not to mention a safety hazard issue by its incorrect installation. After aligning both lock tab spacers properly as per the C-R instructions the wheel must be properly tightened. Under no circumstances use a cheap pot-metal type of box wrench or spanner to tighten the mtr drive wheel. These kind of tools are barely adequate for normal bicycle use where little torque is needed to secure a bicycle wheel since it is not propelled by any force of its own. The mtr drive wheel is a whole different animal & it is self propelled by relatively powerful EMF. This mtr power is available from zero rpm which means its MAX torque is already produced from a dead stop at the moment the throttle or button is activated. This requires that the wheel axle nuts be very tight to prevent the mtr axle from rotating within the fork dropouts & then damaging itself the wiring & dropouts. It is obvious that a 4" bicycle box wrench will NOT be adequate to tighten the mtr nuts so a good quality 15mm deep socket with ratchet drive or open box-end 15mm wrench about 9" long is required for this job. NOTE: Under NO circumstances use a crescent type adjustable wrench for this - you WILL round off the wheel nuts with this plumber tool as the wrench comes loose with each partial turn. DO NOT EVER USE PLUMBERS/HANDYMAN TYPE TOOLS that you may have in the garden shed - invest a few bucks in a good quality tool kit from an automotive store. When tightening the mtr nuts the force on this wrench must be applied straight down towards the floor when the bike is upside down on its handlebars. Different sized folks will have different ideas as to what amount of force is considered adequate - the stronger you are the more force you can apply. For those that have trouble with this force value a torque wrench will be useful & the reading should be 30ftlb English or 41nm metric. Finally check your e-bike again carefully to ensure everything is properly tightened with no loose mtr cable speedo wires or loose brake cable near the wheel.

[carl]

REPAIRING A FLAT TIRE ON HT MTR FWD WHEEL
Sooner or later all e-bike riders (bicycle riders too) will experience a flat tire on the front wheel. While a bicycle is straight forward to fix an e-bike wheel requires some precautions. If you dutifully followed the above procedure in installing your HT mtr wheel you have used the right tools for the job. These tools are heavy to carry around with you so most likely you will not have them. The procedure then for e-bike flat tire repair is as follows: First NEVER remove the mtr wheel!! While holding the e-bike slightly off the ground spin the front wheel slowly to locate the nail or other protrusion to pin-point the area to be repaired. With your tire levers pry the tire from the rim on ONE SIDE ONLY. Pull the tube out to repair it normally then re-insert the tube/tire & pump it to the MAX.
The reason for not romoving the wheel on the spot is to save yourself the inevitable problems of not being able to properly install the HT mtr/wheel when you don't have the required proper tools with you. If you get a flat close to home then push it home (easy with the light HT/freewheel design) & do the flat repair. Folks who removed the wheel & then re-installed it on the spot to repair their flats were not able to properly torque their mtr axle nuts with disastrous results; the mtrs spun out with the axles & caused the mtr cables to rip out from the mtr housing inards-a very expensive lesson to learn if you are not paying attention to this from an engineering standpoint.

[carl]

WATT'S UP WITH...250W - 500W - 1000W? Due to the many Qs about hot-rodding the HT mtr for more power I should do a para on this topic. When you decided to buy the 250W HT you must already know of its limited 1/3HP with design parameters set for the mostly pedaling mode of riding at 15mph with 26" wheels. Over time you begin to appreciate the usefulness of e-bikes so you will inevitably start to stretch its original design point. This then will prompt you to improve & modify the HT set up. The first thing that comes to mind is some big power increase & thats something that requires careful thought. Its easy to bump it up to 36V or 48V but that will cause the controller to fail & mtr windings to get hot & melt not to mention a nice little bonfire! Do NOT attempt this if you are not knowledgeable with EV technology! Or you will definetely be building a new house! If you feel that your needs have changed for more power its far better to get a 500W or 1000W mtr that will put out this power more reliably & for a long time. Hot-rodding a 250W mtr = Hot-rodding low power 4-banger = Hi power will make it run hotter & be less reliable than a stock engine or e-mtr. Think of the last digit of 24V 36V 48V as a 4-6-8 cyl car. A simple math equation will help here: >Power = >Watts = >Batts = >Weight = >Money. Power & speed are addictive but more (>) expensive just like when buying a car - just as a V8 performance car will cost more than a 4-banger econobox. If you like power & speed & have the $$$ then go for more power - its by far the best way to get what you want & in the long run its more cost effective too. Or you can just keep your current HT & pedal more.

[carl]

FORK CLEARANCE - Making Sure HT Mtr Will Fit Your Solid Forks - All Brakes - Part I
The BIG 4in Q Is FIRST in ALL e-bike fork spacing & is done using my biz card method; Insert the card sideways(wide side) between the forks close to the dropouts & if it fits the HT mtr will fit. The card is 3.5in (90mm) & the HT is 80mm so you have 10mm clearance - or 5mm per side. This is very simple & saves a lot of headaches & aggro BEFORE you buy the HT kit. NOTE: 4in(100mm) is the industry standard. If you are buying a new bike then this is something you have to check at the bike dealer to save yourself bike return problems. The next Q is whether your bike has alloy or steel forks & whether it has suspension or rigid forks. This is all irrelevant as the only thing that matters is the HT mtr will fit the forks. Due to the low 250W (1/3HP) mtr there will never be any fork strength & breakage issues. The HT mtr is wide so it WILL NOT fit small bikes like Dahon & Brompton with their 3in forks so in that case simply get a similar bike with 4in forks like a Citizen Gotham. (BTW Bromptons come with 16in wheels so fitting the HT into one will result in a very S-L-O-W bike - like maybe 8mph tops & IMO its not worth it). Also DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES COLD-BEND YOUR FORKS!! Solid forks are PRE-FORMED to shape & are either brazed or soldered onto the head stem. If you bend them or spread them apart the braze or solder WILL COME APART & you will have a serious accident when hitting a pothole for example. Replacing your 3in forks with 4in forks is the only CORRECT way to overcome this problem but you have to be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that the forks drop-outs rake/trail/incline angles are EXACTLY THE SAME otherwise you will have a whole set of NEW PROBLEMS... So...the No.1 rule in ALL e-bike conversions is to ALWAYS check the fork spacing BEFORE buying ANY e-kit. Make the bike fit the e-mtr - NOT the other way round!! If in doubt ask your local bike shop to help you. BE SAFE!! NOTE: More info on susp forks/disc brake/lacing wheels in Part II

FORK CLEARANCE - Making Sure HT Mtr Will Fit Your Suspension Forks - All Brakes - Part II
The HillTopper is a wide mtr due to its internal gears & it measures 80mm compared with 55mm for the 500W & 1000W mtrs I use. It follows then that caution has to be taken BEFORE buying the HT kit - whether complete kit or Pro-Pack. If you already have a bike & it has solid forks with the standard 4in dropouts then it will fit OK due to the dropouts off-set INSIDE of the fork legs thereby making the forks 4in wide - plenty for the HT+disc brake. These solid forks are mostly found on the majority of beach bikes standards & most folders & its a safe bet that the HT will fit them all - with disc brakes. If you have a bike with suspension forks & disc brakes then it will require more scrutiny & to be very careful here. The main reason is that suspension forks use much fatter dia. fork legs which uses up the available space between them; ie.THERE MAY NOT BE ANY ROOM FOR THE HT IN THE FIRST PLACE!! Again the best way to determine that is to use my biz card method; ie. Insert the card sideways between the forks close to the dropouts & if it fits then the HT is OK. The 3.5in card is 90mm so if the card is barely touching the legs its OK as this will give 5mm clearance both sides. Propriety suspension forks used by most OEMs are usually the Suntour type so they will have a recess INSIDE the fork legs for e-mtrs as these forks are also used on OEM e-bikes. High-end mtn bikes with FOX FORX are very fat so check this VERY CAREFULLY. NOTE: FOX FORX that have axle spindles like motorcycles CANNOT BE USED - AS THE DROPOUTS HAVE NO CUTOUTS!!The next Q is with disc brakes & this gets to be real tricky due in no small part as to your mechanical aptitude skills & ability to closely follow specific instructions here. Before doing anything with wheel lacing (Pro-Pack kit) insert the mtr w/disc installed into the drop outs & check out the clearance for the disc brake. You may have to file a very small 1mm from the dropouts to get the 10mm HT mtr shaft to fit into some 9mm dropouts. Pay close attention here & note that you should file the INSIDE OF THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE DROPOUTS - NEVER THE LEADING EDGE!! NEVER EVER FILE THE STEEL MTR SHAFT!! The shaft is very hard drop-forged case hardened steel & filing it will severely weaken its structural strength leading to its possible fracture & breakage - with disastrous results!! You may find that the HT mtr fits into the recess between the fork legs OK but the fork legs become fatter from that point upwards therefore there is NO ROOM for the disc brake so STOP - IT WILL NOT WORK!! Some suspension forks have uniform dia. fork legs all the way up so if the HT mtr fits then the disc brake will also fit. Disc brake spacing is very critical at this point & you have to be absolutely certain to do this using professional tools & washers to line up the disc spacing with the caliper spacing to both line up so when the wheel spins the disc is not hitting the INSIDE fork leg & that the INSIDE caliper half is not dragging on the disc. Also the dropouts on suspension forks are dead center because they have to spread the load symetrically up the fork legs both sides for smooth operation - unlike solid forks that have no movement & use off-set dropouts. When lacing your wheel insert all your spokes from the inside with all heads facing outside - this will create extra space between the brake caliper & mtr & for this reason RADIAL spoking is perfect. When lacing your PP wheel be sure to calculate the correct wheel off-set to be EXACTLY the same as the original off-set for the disc brake wheel otherwise there will be handling & braking problems if this is incorrect. NOTE: When lacing your own PP wheel for Caliper/V brakes you must still lace them off-set because the HT mtr is designed for disc brake use so its spoke flanges are off-center. There are specific dimensions known to the OEMs for this but since you are building your own PP wheel you are essentially ON YOUR OWN so be advised that this is NOT for the mechanically & mathematically inept who lack the skills & dexterity that the PP demands. NOTE: If you don't get this critical measurement right you will end up with a TWO TRACK vehicle like a car with very strange & serious handling problems!! When fitting the HT mtr into the suspension forks be certain NOT to tighten the HT mtr axle nuts if you see a gap between the dropouts & the INSIDE of the mtr shaft (not applicable to solid forks). Use two washers (one each side) to take up this slack. The reason behind this is that suspension fork legs HAVE to be PERFECTLY PARALLEL to work smooth so if you tighten the HT mtr nuts without checking this FIRST you will find that the forks will NOT work smoothly but will bind & lock up with each movement. This can be very dangerous if you hit a pot-hole & could result in you losing control of your bike & knocknig out your teeth!! Finally when tightening the mtr shaft nuts be absolutely certain of the torque needed so read my DRIVE WHEEL AXLE NUT TORQUE topic in my forum. If for some reason the wheel does not spin freely in the forward direction its most likely that the lock washers were installed incorrectly (upside down) & are binding on the hub mtr. DO NOT RIDE THE BIKE!! This will damage & ruin the mtr case!! Its very imortant that you correct this BEFORE riding the bike. While its possible to fit the HT mtr into any bike with any forks given enough time & resources not to mention a lot of money - even to the point of replacing the too-fat forks with more compatible ones-which may not be EXACTLY THE SAME as to rake/trail/incline angles etc... & you can start a chain-reaction with a whole set of new problems. You really have to decide whether the mods are worth the expenditure time & whether you reach the point of diminishing returns. At times its cheaper to buy another bike or use a narrower mtr from another OEM. As you can see the Pro-Pack requires serious thought before you get into it so if you have any doubts about ANY of the above & you are NOT MECHANICALLY INCLINED - DO NOT ATTEMPT IT!! NOTE: !!! PRO-PACK IS FOR BIKE SHOPS & SKILLED MECHANICS ONLY !!! If you are neither have your bike shop do it.

[carl]

DEFINITION OF BATTERY CHARGE 'CYCLE'
As clearly stated in my forum for newbie e-bike riders one cycle is from fully depleted batt (at controller/BMS cut-off) with red led on to fully charged batt at green led. An auto analogy may help here. When putting gas into your car its only called a fill-up (cycle) if you are filling it from near empty. Putting gas in your tank from say 3/4 full to full is NOT a fill-up but a top-up. Its the same with batt charging. If your batts are not fully depleted at low V cutt-off & you are charging them at that point its NOT considered one cycle (fill-up) but part of a cycle just like in partly filling up your car. Regardles of how you want to read this its NOT rocket science so there's no need to overthink this. The 300/500 cycles rate for the batts is just an approx lifespan & its NOT a finite number. Mine & my customers batts have gone over 3000+ cycles - that's over 7 years of e-bike riding! Most folks are not having any problems because they are doing everything right by following my forum batt maintenance & charging tips. If everyone would do this & not deviate nor 'experiment' in any way nobody would have any e-bike batt problems.

[carl]

HOW TO CALCULATE THE BATTERY CHARGING COST & OTHER EV RUNNING COSTS
The cost of charging an e-bike batt is peanuts (or pennies) so it really is as negligible as to be a non issue. But if you must really know its as simple as looking up your home utility bill from your local power co. Look at the line that shows 'Energy Used' - it will read something like 40KWH X $0.04268. The $0.04268 rounded off to nearest whole penny is 4cents. Now your e-bike batts are way below 1KW ie: W = V X A or 24V X 8A = 0.192KW. So 0.192 X 4cents = 0.768cents - not even 1cent - multiply that by how many hours the charger is on until the green light comes on. So if it charged for 4hrs the charging cost is 4x0.768 or 3.072 cents. The Q about the 230mpg Chevy Volt may be a head scratcher but its actually a lot easier to sort out. The Volt is a 'Series Hybrid' as opposed to a 'Parallel Hybrid' like the Prius. This is because the Volt EMF mtr is on ALL the time the car is moving whereas the Prius EMF mtr only comes on when its needed. This means that the Volt can go up to 50 miles on pure electric mode whereas the Prius can only go 1 mile or so. Here is how GM calculated its 230mpg for the Volt. Driving at a steady 30mph with NO load they actually managed to reach 50 miles without using ANY gas at all - zero. The distance travelled-50 miles-divided by zero is infinite - as in infinity. They then drove an extra 7.5 miles to 57.5 miles using 1/4 gallon in the Volt 4-cyl generator mtr. Now you have a total of 57.5 miles on a 1/4 gallon of gas - or 57.5 X 4 in real mpg numbers & voila - it comes to 230mpg!! Remember now that this calculation is only good for the FIRST gallon of gas used assuming you start driving with a fully charged batt in exactly the same lab conditions as GM did. Its amazing what can be truthfully claimed under lab conditions but in reality its impossible to get anywhere near it so the Volt is more closer to about 30mpg as tested by the R/T mag & given the 9.3 gal tank its range is about 330miles - far removed from the would be total of 2139miles by GMs 230mpg. If it was up to me I would mandate the EPA to stop using MPG on their rating system & adopt a more realistic miles per dollar cost of energy used. This way whatever dollar's worth of energy you use - regardless of origin - it will be more representative of the cost of operating a vehicle. BTW the real game changer here is the Nissan Leaf & it marks the beginning of the end of the ICE as we know it & for all of us e-bike riders its great news - cheaper LION batts for one thing & that is the whole point of EV transportation - its to NOT use any fossil fuel of any kind - period.

[carl]

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD BRAKES ON E-BIKES
Pedal bicycles come in all types & configurations & a popular type is the beach cruiser due to their very low price. This low price is achieved with low specs such as not having any gears nor any hand brakes. Brakes such as the coaster type requires you to pedal backwards to activate are fine for the pedal riding at mostly jogging speeds. Riding e-bikes on the other hand you will most definetely be riding at much higher speeds because it is so easy to do. That brings the very serious Q of braking into focus here. If you live in a rural area with zero traffic you can questionably get by with coaster brakes. Maybe. City traffic presents far more problems with vehicles in close proximity driven as they are these days by inattentive & dangerous drivers. It is absolutely imperative that you ride fully prepared for any danger that may come your way - by having good strong hand brakes. There are beach cruisers that have good V-brakes F/R so buy that type. From my engineering standpoint it is far better to have good strong brakes & not use them than it is to have no brakes & crash your bike. Crashing a bike may not be a biggie depending on what you hit - but you can easily knock your teeth out or even break an arm or a leg. So why put yourself into such a precarious situation? Use common sense & be fully prepared with strong powerful brakes. While the Hilltopper may not overpower the coaster brake at rest overpowering the brake is not the issue here. Riding on the road & stopping in an emergency can only be done properly & safely with good powerful brakes.

[carl]

TORQUE ARMS FOR THE HILLTOPPER MTR
There apparently are still Qs posed as to whether one needs to fit a torque arm for the Hilltopper mtr. When I started with e-bikes over a decade ago I was fully aware of the maximum torque that an electric mtr puts out from zero rpm having studied & learned that fact at engineering college. The facts are as follows: Extremely powerful EMF mtrs inside of ships locomotives trucks cars etc. put out hundreds & thousands of ft.lb. of torque that could easily twist themselves out of their mtr mounts if not secured by very strong beams or 'torque arms' as we call them. The HP & torque we are dealing with on bicycles is way way below that of the powerful mtrs above. The most powerful mtr for bicycle use is the Crystalyte 2000W system & I fitted one to my first e-bike-a cruiser. At first I fitted the torque arm supplied with the kit. The mtr produced so much power on take off that it easily spun the front wheel-even with fat tires. I came to the conclusion that there was not enough grip from the tire to prevent this & that was due to the extremely low weight of a bicycle compared to say a motorcycle. I then deleted the torque arm & rode around without it for months then years & I am still riding it without ANY ill effects what soever. I concluded that no bicycles will ever need one - even with a powerful 2000W mtr because the wheel will always spin due to NO WEIGHT on the front tire to lock it onto the road in order to bend the drop outs or forks. This fact therefore proves the mtr cannot & will not damage the forks in any way. Since we are dealing with an extremely low 1/3HP in the 250W HT mtr its totally irrelevant & a big waste of time even thinking about it.

[carl]

WHAT TYPE OF E-BIKE KIT SHOULD I BUY & HOW MUCH POWER DO I NEED?
Spring is officially here & weather is getting warmer - it actually stopped raining in California! Most folks will start riding their bikes now & some of you will think about e-bike conversions. For a short synopsis look up my 'WATTS UP WITH 250-500-1000W' above for quick tips. When you google 'e-bikes' you will find thousands of e-bike/e-kit Co's that peddle their wares so you have to be careful here & pay attention. There is a lot of info on the web ranging from 'truth' - 'half truth' - 'myth' - 'lies' & BS. It is YOUR responsibility to shift through all that info to differentiate the former from the latter. When you see an ebay kit for $199 with LIB batts you just have to know its JUNK! Don't believe everything you read - & only half of what you see - OK? Bottom line is - you always get what you pay for. The HillTopper at 250W is the lowest power e-kit because it was designed that way for folks that WANT to pedal their bikes ALL the time & just need a little help up that hill. That is why its called a Hill Topper-get it? It never ceases to amaze me how some folks always get the wrong kit just because it was cheaper then write in the forum that they were (somehow) mislead & duped into buying the HT kit because now they can't keep up with their neighbors faster 500/1000W e-bikes. CAVEAT EMPTOR! Before you buy ANYTHING you HAVE to be AWARE of what you are doing. It makes absolutely no sense in buying for example a Corolla (250W) & then complaining like 'bb' that you can't keep up with the Corvettes (500W&1000W) that your neighbors have! Seriously folks - you have to make the correct decision BEFORE you buy a kit because they are NOT all the same. The correct decision is determined by HOW you plan to use your e-bike. If you enjoy pedaling your bike & just need a little extra push in certain situations then the 250W HT is perfect for you. It will do the same 15mph speed you are currently realistically accustomed to but it will be that much easier up hills & long grades. You will also be able to stop pedaling & relax on stretches of level road. But ultimately the HT is for riding in pedaling mode most of the time. Having said all that the 250W HT will in NO WAY - NO HOW keep up with a 500W kit let alone a 1000W. The only way that it will go over 15mph is for you to pedal like crazy to overcome the controller set 200rpm & therefore bring into play the freewheel effect to act as your normal bicycle wheel. Or you can ride down a very steep hill in which case you don't need any e-bike since gravity will do it for free. Nor will it have the longer batt range capability of a 500/1000W because-again-this is already determined by the low power 24V system design of the Hilltopper-whereas the 500W is 36V & the 1000W is 48V so both of them have far superior batt capacity. If you are a lightweight person pedaling ALL the time the HT kit will get the 10 - 20ml range no problem - but if you are around 200lb & you are not into pedaling ALL the time just on VERY steep hills & starts then the 500W kit is a better bet. Finally if you are over 200lb & do not want to pedal at all the 1000W will be your kind of kit - it will do a standing start like a dragster & fly up hills WITHOUT any pedaling at all! Both the 500/1000W kits will cost a little more - not unexpectedly - but you will definetely get the full benefit of B-I-G power - much faster speeds of 25-35mph & the range of bigger batts that will be at least DOUBLE the range of the HT kit. Then there is the high-end 2000W Crystalyte for those that want the Ferrari of ebikes. This kit will do around 50pmh & 50ml batt range & it will easily outrun a 250cc scooter to its max! Since weight is no longer a factor with this much power it is far from being an 'inefficient motorcycle' as one inexperienced post put it. In fact all my customers can try out the different power ratings before they buy anything from me & they come back for more power when they start small & end up wanting more. BTW the purpose of the 2000W Crystalyte is NOT to ride at motorbike speeds but to use that power at 20mph max. & thereby get the great batt range which will allow you to use it as a 'car' on a daily basis & to park your real car for freeways & long weekend trips. Think of all the money you will save in NOT buying ANY gas on a regular basis - just once every other month or so!! Power - as they say - corrupts & absolute power corrupts absolutely! So there it is folks - there is a different kit for every one of us out there & it pays to thoroughly research your wants Vs your needs & how much you want to spend.

[carl]

FORK DROP-OUT PROBLEMS
There have lately been quite a few forks breaking off at the dropouts as a result of folks trying to fit their e-kit
mtrs themselves into their too-small drop-out openings. To prevent this from happening in the first place get a drill bit size 10mm (25/64) & slide the shank (for measuring purposes only -NO DRILLING) into the drop outs to see the fit. This will give you an idea if the kit will be a drop-in situation or if its going to be a whole lot of work. The general consensus is that the 10mm dia mtr shaft or axle will not fit into a 9.5mm dropout so its a simple matter of hand filing away at the innards of the dropouts until the mtr axle fits - right? NOT!! First off just because you know which end of the file to hold does not automatically mean that you know HOW to file & more importantly WHERE to file. So once again I have to repeat the often said but true to form idiom: For safety's sake take the forks to a professional to do this seemingly simple but VERY CRITICAL job. The reason for this is that just as the tires & brakes are the most important parts in a motor vehicle (bikes too) as they are the first & last contacts & safety components between you & the road the forks holding the wheel are the next most important. What the professional will have over you is experience & he will know where & where NOT to file. Secondly the professional will have power tools & he will use a rotary air-power grinder to EVENLY open up the gap on the REAR dropout NEVER the front. The reason for the high speed power tool is that it will not leave an invisible ridge as when hand filing with a flat file. This invisible to the eye ridge is what causes metal cracks to develop & metal fatigue to set in & your forks drop-outs to snap off!! This is very problematic with alloy forks which are easily prone to cracks & fracture by overtightening the wheel for example. Steel forks may be heavier but they are also stronger & suffer less metal fatigue. Compounding this metal fatigue problem is the fact that electric mtrs develop MAXIMUM torque from ZERO rpm which means they have the power to twist themselves out of their mounts - in this case the drop-outs. Because the wheel turns FORWARDS (as you sit on the bike) the torque reaction of the mtr causes the axle to force itself BACKWARDS putting great stress on the drop-outs. This backwards force is prevented & eliminated by the lock tab washers & proper axle nuts tightening (read up my DRIVE WHEEL AXLE NUT TORQUE) when you install the HT kit. So what it all means is that when you decide NOT to go to a professional & do it yourself (foolish) you most likely will have to live with the fact that you possibly have a hairline crack as its called in automotive terms & this crack will only get worse with time & for this reason therefore I would advise you to periodically remove the mtr & visually check the inards of your dropouts with a magnifying glass very closely. If you see even a tiny hairline STOP RIDING YOUR BIKE & have the forks repaired & if you can't find a good welder you may have to buy new forks. Do this BEFORE knocking out your teeth!! There are also mathematical calculations that can explain the RESULTANT force of the axle because its a dynamic component of TWO other forces acting vertically & horizontally as opposed to just the vertical when the motor is stationary. In layman's terms this means that when viewed from the side with the fork slightly inclined from the vertical the stationary force is acting VERTICALLY through the LEADING edge dropout. It follows then that in dynamic situations when the mtr is turning there is MAXIMUM RESULTANT FORCE generated at the LEADING edge of the front dropouts. Now you see WHY you should NEVER EVER remove metal from the front or leading edge dropout. I have re-welded too many front fork dropouts to know this first hand & I will say it again: If you are not a mechanic pay a professional a few bucks to have peace of mind knowing that the job was done right. Those who refuse to heed my advice just remember this: The great Titanic's sinking started with just a small crack.

[carl]

Type Of Assist
Hi Carl
I don't quite understand what is meant by motor wheel "assists you up to 15mph when you engage the Grip Switch". If you are pedaling at 16mph and engage the switch do you get no assist? If you are climbing a hill at about 8mph exclusively by pedal power and then engage the switch while pedaling the same what happens? Also please put me on the list of those who wish to be informed as soon as the lighter weight battery becomes available. Thank you. Joe OConnell.

[carl]

Hi Joe---The first rule of engineering is that there are always two possibilities: Theory & Reality. The max speed of the HT mtr set by the controller is 200rpm & in a 26in wheel this computes to 15mph so when you reach 16mph the wheel disengages & becomes a freewheel. In theory. In reality this is not quite so & here is what happens: When you push the button-on from a dead stop the controller sends a max 15A of power to the mtr & when the ebike reaches 15mph the amp draw levels off to 7A continuous. If you also pedal at that point you will find that its possible to increase the 15mph top speed by a couple of mph even though the 200rpm set by the controller is exceeded. This is because the controller engages this 200rpm limit at high load amp draw but continues on under lighter load such as when you pedal so you gain that extra few mph in speed. Regardless of how you understand it (or not) any time you activate the button-on your pedaling effort is reduced considerably & you can pedal easier & faster than normal. Think of it like riding a tandem bike with Lance Armstrong sitting behind you & pedaling like crazy every time you push the button-on!! The bigger deal here is in a much greater acceleration up to 15mph than in the actual top speed. Or you can visualise it in automotive terms like a Prius Hybrid where its EMF mtr is used more for acceleration as opposed to its top speed which is accomplished with a four banger eng-or in this case pedals on the ebike. Your hill Q is quite simple really-pedaling uphill with the mtr on is that much easier-the speed is the same but its a lot easier-that is why its called a HillTopper-getit? In future click on to REPLY for Q

[robert1389]

Carl,

Are you familiar with Prodeco e-bikes? If so, any opinion good or bad, would be appreciated.

Bob

[carl]

Bob---I do recall a few months ago someone came to me with a Prodeco ebike & wanted to get more power out of it. After weighing all the pros/cons of expensive mods he ended up selling it & buying one of my own design 1000W folding ebike. I could see its shortcomings (it had very low power) & cost a whole lot of moollahs for that low power. The folks that buy ready made pricey ebikes are not too much into bicycles per se nor bicycle riding itself & do not get into the converting of their own bikes either. There are literally hundreds of makes of ready made ebikes mainly from China & they are slow for the most part due to their cheap low quality parts (read - junk) quite heavy & they are restricted in power greatly because they have to meet the factory design criteria or parameters. Converting your own bike is the best way to go for way less money & if you do not already have a bike its all very simple to get a bike that you will really like to ride then convert it using the HT ebike kit. This way if for some reason you want to upgrade to more power in the future you can keep the bike that you really like & put a bigger ebike kit in it. I do these type of power upgrades all the time for folks that have simply outgrown their little 250s & want more performance & range. The ready made ebikes are very limited with their intricate designs so if you want to upgrade it later you will have to spend a lot more & reach the point of diminishing returns. You will then have to sell it at a loss & get a new ebike & start all over again. I hope this ans your Q

[robert1389]

Carl,

Great answer. Thanks much.

Bob

[dkw12002]

Hi Carl,
The 250 watt Hill Topper is fine, but I am thinking of getting a faster/more powerful set-up for climbing hills. What kind of set up would you recommend for hill-climbing? You mentioned a 500W and a 1000W motor. I get confused reading other forums cause the motors all look the same size...like a 500W. Then someone said a 1000W motor would be huge and that when someone says they have a 1000W motor what they really have is a 500W motor amped up to run as if it were a 1000W motor. If I wanted to build a powerful hill climber...what bike motor controller and battery would you suggest? Currently I have a Hill Topper an IZip and Amped bike 36V/500/750W Lib kit and none of them can climb my hill...even with pedaling I have to get off and walk it up. I want more speed and a lot more climbing ability even if it is over ebike legal standards. Someone suggested a geared hub motor. What do you suggest. Thanks, dkw

[carl]

Hi dkw---Congratulations for being such an avid ebike enthusiast - three ebikes makes you the Jay Leno of Texas!! All the points you raised are valid & quite intelligent if I may say so. You are right in that reading other forums gets confusing. First off you cannot believe everything you read because the internet can be accessed & posted by anybody even by a fifth grader & others with about the same minimal knowledge. In other words don't believe everything you read. Since I am foremost an EV & auto engineer I will simplify electric motor terminology by interjecting it with auto analogy. An electric motor OEM is no different from an engine OEM. A group of lettered engineers get together & they establish certain parameters to determine the horsepower or watts of an engine or motor. This is acomplished many different ways. For instance an auto OEM can make a 300HP 4-cyl & a 300HP V8. The 4-cyl will make 300HP at high revs with little low down torque whereas the 300HP V8 will make the same power at lower revs but with huge torque - for easy hill climbing for example. The 4-cyl will have to be revved more with a whole lot of gear shifting (read pedaling) whereas the V8 will fly up the same steep hill with low revs in high gear - with no effort (read no pedaling). Electric motor OEMs do the same thing. Small dia motors like the Hill Topper have very little torque to begin with - after all its only a 250 - it measures at 5in dia 500W mtrs are about 7in dia & 1000W are about 10in dia. This is not huge but by comparison to the 250W it looks that way. This dia determines the power/torque of a mtr so the largest dia mtr will have the most power here. This is due to the spacing of the EMF armature & magnets inside the mtr - the further out the armature & magnets are the more power/torque effect of the mtr. The auto analogy here is the further the crank throw is from the center of the crank the longer the stroke is compared to the bore hence the more torque the engine produces compared with a big bore but short stroke engine of the same capacity. This long stroke is what gives superior acceleration & hill climbing. What this all means is that a big dia 1000W mtr will accelerate from a standing start like a rocket & climb up ANY hill or mountain as if it were flat whereas a 500W 'amped up to 1000W' mtr will give a very marginal improvement - if any. Don't waste money on 'hot rodding' your small mtrs with 48V - not only will you not accomplish anything by doing this but overloading your small mtrs will make them run very hot inside which can melt armature windings & controller inards. Be very careful. Look at it from an automotive standpoint: When buying a car you must first have a good idea already what you are using it for. For instance if its just a basic car to go back & forth to work & some local errands you can easily get by with a low power 4-banger econobox. If its for hauling big loads long distance & towing boat-loads of stuff then a V8 truck is needed. No point in buying an econobox 4-banger then complaining that it bogs down under load.You have to be truthfully realistic & honest with yourself by not expecting something for nothing. My recommendation is to get a big dia 1000W ebike kit. If you can afford it buy the best high power ebike mtr there is - the Crystalyte 2000W which I do for the exact same reasons you mentioned in your Q. BTW the Crystalyte 2000W mtr has such an abundance of power that your weight the weight of the bike & wheel size is irrelevant & may even beat your eZero up to its max speed!! Make no mistake - this is NOT a little HillTopper - this is a big Mountain Masher!! There is NO hill or mountain this mtr will not fly up!! Power/weight ratio is the key here & a light alloy bike with no suspension is best. And of course the bike choice depends on your style & how deep your pocket is.

[carl]

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