Last updated on August 20th, 2021
What Are Electric Bicycles?
Electric bicycles are among one of the newer eco-friendly transportation alternatives. Also called e-bikes, these motorized bicycles look nothing like the motor scooters you may be used to seeing. True to their name, they are described exactly as they are called. A basic supportive frame, some electrical components, and a few modifications are all that make up these fun new products. Still as simple as they seem, they come with a pretty steep price tag. Some were a couple of thousands of dollars. If you might be interested in owning an E-bike but don’t have that amount of cash to put out for one, then you are in luck. In this article, we will discuss how to make your very own electric bicycle without breaking your wallet and still looking stylish.
What Should I Know Before Building My Bicycle?
There is a little common knowledge that must be obtained before attempting this project. Home videos can be seen of some people using power drills to run the bike. While creative, it is not exactly what we are referring to in this article. Electric bicycle pedals and maneuvers just as a normal bicycle does. By combining three other components such as a motor, drive train, and battery, the bike can now help assist the rider with obstacles such as hills or long distances. The rider will still have control of the bicycle but the installation of this conversion kit gives the rider a chance to let the bicycle take over when they need a rest.
How do I get started?
One of the main things to keep in mind on your ensuing project is that this bike will now be taking on new stress and higher speeds. Because of this, a great first task would be to find a bicycle you wish to convert. It needs to be sturdy and price efficient. Something such as a downhill bike. Believe it or not, this bicycle is already almost done. The only thing left to find or purchase is an E-bike conversion kit.
This needs to be decided on the basis of how you would like the bicycle to operate. Using a front hub so the bike is given a pulling effect, is one option. You may also choose a mid hub or rear hub. The mid offers a more natural riding sensation, while the rear hub works by giving a pushing feeling. You will also need to check specifications to match a kit with your frame. Depending on your choice, your kit will include your hub, a battery, lots of cables and torque arms and everything else needed to complete assembly.
Let’s Build an Electric Bicycle!
Now that you have your area prepared and all your needed tools available, it’s time to put this puzzle together. For professional ease, let’s begin by flipping the bicycle over. You will want it resting with the handlebars on the ground and stationed securely. The selection on your hub motor decides the next step. We will opt with a rear Hub motor.
Installing the Wheel
Now, we remove the existing rear wheel from the bike. At this point, we can remove the tire and the tube from the old wheel and place them on the new wheel that came in the kit. We should take this time as well to install the new freewheel that came in the kit. Finally, we will remove the disc brake from the old bike and install it on to the new wheel. The new motorized wheel is ready for installation and can now be completed from this step by simply reinstalling the new wheel into place and tightening down the torque arms. After this, the soon to be electric bike can be flipped back to normal position.
Electronic work
With the wheel assembly complete it’s time to focus on the electrical. To start, the battery will be installed. Normally where a water bottle is located, you can opt to use existing holes or drill your own for mounting the battery to the frame. Once mounted the battery simply locks into place. A controller will be installed just under the down tube. Next, a cycle analyst is placed on top of the handlebars. The throttle can be installed by removing the old bar grip and configured to the bar per kit instructions.
Having all this hardware may look impressive, but to make it functional we must hook it all up. Most hookups occur in the battery terminal. Here we will connect the following: motor sensor wires and phase wires to the controller, battery connector, cycle analyst connector, throttle on and off switch, three-speed selector switch, and the extension wire for the throttle. Only three simple steps remain; connecting the battery to the cycle analyst connector, zip tie cables neatly to frame, and completely charge the battery. Upon full charge, we become the proud owners of a self-made, cost-efficient, electric bicycle.
How Cost Efficient Is This Method?
When shopping online or in local retail shops, someone can quickly realize these new pastimes are not cheap. Some can be owned for the comparable price of a full months rent. Creating your own electric bike allows you to control the costs a little more productively and set a custom budget. A decent brand new conversion bike can be obtained for a little more but for the product of a self-made experiment, a used version would be quite a bit cheaper and just as effective. The conversion kits total in the vicinity of $100 and $400.
With a good choice of frame, you can still opt with the more expensive and powerful conversion kits, still coming out relatively $500 cheaper than most E-bikes. In proving its cost-effectiveness, this project is also fairly easy and would be a perfect experiment for the avid biker, family fun project, or to just see how far your imagination can take it. The best quality of building your own electric bicycle is that it is completely yours and can be customized to fit your personality.
After reading this article, if you are thinking its a bit more for you. Then you can read this article and pick a Electric Bike Under $1000.
