The Electric Klunker Finally Lives

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I love it when a project comes together!

Nope, I can't quite say it's finished, but I can say that it's ride-able. And that's a big pedal in the right direction.

Hub motors - aren't they sexy?

The most recent progress came in determining that the geared motor I had planned for the bike has a problem. So I swapped it out with the direct-drive motor from another project and now it runs!
The (Harbor-Freight/Dollar-Tree sourced) DIY PAS sensor
(none too pretty, none too functional)
What's left? My home-made PAS magnet sensor is not doing the trick - pedal assist is really important to me - so I have to fix that. I need to find a better home for the battery (that blue thing on the back in the first pic. I am leaning toward the $16 frame bag that Micah recommends. I had been thinking of a box on the rear rack, but the frame bag would offer a lower center of gravity and free the rack up for panniers and cargo and looking less dorky.

Part 2 of the $500 e-Bike

Based on what I've learned from this project, I need to do a little update on the DIY $500 e-Bike posts. (These big, steel, US-style bikes with one-piece cranks make pedal assist installation quite a hurdle. From now on, I will recommend a bike with three-piece cranks (if you want to install pedal assist.) It's also not smart to start with a single-speed if you want a multi-speed bike. I knew that, but did not follow my own advice.

The second-draft of the DIY battery pack - the Vruzend kit is awesome!
The first BMS (bought on Ebay) was considerably less awesome.

And the non-working first motor and my misadventures in battery building - Oy vey, the used BMS! - have made me rethink some of my ideas on frugality. There are times when saving money just doesn't pay.

I'll tally it up to see how much money I have tied up in it and give you an update on the PAS drama, range, dependability, and usefulness in reducing my car dependence.

For now, I can tell you that she cruises easily at 16 mph with no pedal assistance. Power draw looks good. I definitely got the butt-to-wrist ratio right for an old guy like me -  the ride is very comfy. The jury is still out on the thumb throttle, but getting the PAS working should make it a non-issue.

Overall, riding the e-Klunker definitely makes me smile and makes the West Texas winds a lot less daunting!

That's all for now. Thank you for reading - now get out there and ride something green!

PS. In case you're still reading and want to know how this project started, here is the first post about it: The Latest e-Bike Project -  the Electron-Klunker
Location: Lubbock, TX, USA

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