Fossil Free Friday: $500 Simple DIY Electric Bike Formula (The non-sequitur apocrypha)

You're probably wondering why this post? This is the mop up of all the loose ends, or maybe just the proof that the Mesquite Hugger mind is indeed a messy desk.

Answering a few questions:

Why 36 volt/500 watt when we could've easily gone for 48V/1000 watt?

• Well, first, we were shooting for low money, and 48 volt batteries are not cheap.
• Second is the efficiency versus speed issue. 500 watts should let us travel around 20 mph for a much longer distance than 1000 watts at 25 mph (and I've met very few e-bikers who have tremendous restraint when it comes to a throttle or pedal assist.)
• Also, the intended audience is beginning e-bikers who are focused on inexpensive transportation. Fast e-bikes create a lot of new problems - one of the biggest is the problem of speed perception. Car drivers do not expect to see a bike traveling at 30 mph, so they misjudge and cut you off. If you ride a bike at 30 on the street you will have close calls on a regular basis. (You better have great brakes and even better judgment.)

Why choose a cruiser?

Mostly because they are cheap, readily available, and often have just the layout needed for an entry-level e-bike. Also, you want a fat, heavy, laid-back bike for an old guy who is fat and laid back.

Why not a fat bike like the Sondors Original?

Quite simply, the the components are much more expensive and flats tend to be a bigger issue on them than on the more readily available sizes. (And they ride like a tractor.)

Just a bunch of random stuff I did not include in the other posts:

The motor found in the Sondors Thin e-bikes

How to build a pretty killer mid-drive bike for less than $1000

Order this kit (while it's still on sale) and add it to a used mountain bike with really good brakes:

Luna Cycle website

The Schwinn Blackwell dropped in price on Ebay

Can you build a decent-ish $350 e-bike?

Sure, but be prepared to sacrifice the LCD screen, pedal assist, and the advantages of a geared hub motor.

If I'm a glutton for punishment, which bike should I choose for my build?

Drool!

It's all about the jacksons! (Need fixing = run away!)

If I'm a Parrothead, what bike would you recommend?

It has a squawking parrot in place of a horn or bell!

What is the Mesquite Dream Build (this week)?

The cargo bike equivalent of the Karmic Koben S

Benny Carry-On

plus the Bafang BBS

plus the Nuvinci N380

What's your most fervent Mesquite Hugger wish?

That we'd stop fighting each other and fight climate change together.

May your messy desk inspire something better for others!

Fossil Free Friday: $500 Simple DIY Electric Bike Formula (The Electric Stuff and $ Total)

Welcome! If you're just now joining us, this is the third in a four-post series. Post 1 introduced the overall plan. Post 2 was all about the right bike to convert. Post 4 will be all about the stuff that I could not stuff into the first three posts.

Our goal has been to build a bike with similar or better capabilities than the Sondors Thin (base model) and to keep it under $500 (with shipping).

I had originally hoped to buy a Bafang-based full conversion kit that would be close to the Sondors' performance and quality, but I didn't find it in the price range, so here's the new plan - buy a comparable controller combo and a separate hub motor with no rim. The plan came in under budget, but ended up adding another step to the build. We will have to pay a local bike shop to lace up the hub motor and rim.

 

The Controller and Electronic Components (AliExpress)

Component Pack $115.89 shipped (to US)

Lots of goodness to be found in this set. The LCD screen is the same as the one on the Thin. It makes it possible to have five different levels of assist and to keep up with lots of stats like speed, distance, battery level, cruise control, and where to find the best pie in town. The controller is a sine wave model (more power and very quiet) that will let you move up to a 48 volt battery pack if you find yourself needing more power or less money. It will also let you add power regeneration/reverse functionality (but you'll need a direct-drive motor, not the geared model we have chosen here). Brake cutouts are crucial on a bike with pedal assist (unless you enjoy rushing uncontrollably into traffic).

The Hub Motor (AliExpress)

Rear, Geared, Hub Motor $85.92 with Free Shipping!

(add $60-$80 to have your local bike shop lace this motor into your wheel)

Before you jump into this part of the project, talk to your local bike shop to see if they are willing to lace up the rim to the hub motor and how much they will charge. Some bike shops will be interested, but others have no interest in working on e-bikes. It's better to find that out ahead of time. While this added step may seem a pain, in most cases you will end up with a much better built/balanced wheel than one mass produced in a factory. (And it's good to be on a first-name basis with a local bike mechanic.)

While you are having your wheel laced up, be sure to ask your mechanic to remove the rear sprocket from your old wheel. This will keep you from having to purchase a $10 sprocket removal tool. The sprocket should screw directly onto your new motor without needing any tools.

While this is not the Bafang I'd hoped for, it is a reproduction of that motor and costs 1/2 of the original. I probably should have mentioned this a little earlier, but I went with the geared motor for a few reasons:

• they are very light weight and efficient
• they are much smaller (and stealthier) than a direct-drive motor
• they freewheel when you try to pedal the bike without electric power
• most e-bike manufacturers favor geared motors for light duty e-bikes

The Battery Pack (All Purchased on Ebay)

One place we'll rock it in our conversion - coming up with a lithium phosphate battery pack (and charger) for less than a $100. Check it out:

 

 

All the pieces and where to find them:

 

The $35 Battery pack - you will need two! ($70)

The XT-60 connector needed to parallel two battery packs ($6 shipped)

Charger ($8 shipped)

 

The hardest part of the battery pack setup is splicing the pigtail onto the charger. You may need to borrow a digital multimeter from a friend (or borrow a friend who knows how to use a multimeter to test DC voltage).

XT-60 Male pigtail for charger ($6) shipped

 

So, did we make it? Well, not really, but we stayed pretty close, kind of. If we'd budgeted a little lower on the bike or maybe had a buddy around who laces wheels up for kicks, then maybe. But we haven't factored in wiring, zip ties, connectors, electrical tape, and a place to stash the battery pack and controller. There's still a little money to be spent, but we're still looking pretty good.

 

 

Even so, with a little luck or ingenuity, you can see it can be done, especially if you already have a bike hanging around just waiting for the electric treatment. Also, if you don't mind sacrificing things like the LCD or the geared motor (instead of a direct drive), you could get there for a lot less. So, yes, it can be done.

 

And hey, if it breaks down, you'll have a pretty good idea of what it takes to fix it! (Ah, the satisfaction of DIY!)

 

So, how about it? Feeling inspired? If so, let me know how it goes, or if you have any questions.

 

May you end up with a low-cost, high quality, eco-friendly machine one way or another!

 

PS. Stay tuned for Part 4 where we explore a lot of random stuff that did not make it into this post, including the formula for an even cheaper e-bike and for a powerful mid-drive bike for less than $1000. (Woohoo!)

Fossil Free Friday: $500 Simple DIY Electric Bike Formula (The bike)

[If you missed Part 1, you can find it here]

We'll start with a simple and inexpensive bike. It will need to have:

• a steel frame - easier to adapt and less prone to break under the stress of added weight and torque (if a magnet will stick to it, it is steel)
• 26" wheels/tires - the most common size for hub motors - other sizes tend to cost more 
• multi-gear capability - preferably 7-speed (with a hub motor there is no need for 21 gears)
• hand brakes - hub motors don't have coaster brakes
• it needs to fit you comfortably

Cruisers, comfort bikes, and mountain bikes all make great candidates and can often be found at low prices. I'll focus on cruisers for this project, but you should pick the type you like most (or already have in your garage.)

$108 shipped brand new, hmmm

Don't expect a whole lot of bike in this price range, but a bike like this cruiser will still work fine. Let's look at it with our checklist in mind:

and here are some extras that might be nice:

• front suspension (heavier but easier on the wrists)
• a built-in cargo rack (to carry your homemade panniers)
• disc brakes (sometimes better stopping and more adaptability - see Post 4)
• fenders (to help you avoid the dreaded butt-stripe)
• a comfy seat and/or a suspension seatpost (for a happier bum and spine)
• lights (the better to see you)
• a horn/bell (e-bikes are often fast and silent - you can skip this if you like yelling, "Get the !@##$% out of my way!" But the bell is a little more polite.

Here's another cruiser to check out in case you want something a little nicer with a few more virtues:

Sure it's $50 more, but this Schwinn from Ebay has larger tires, better brakes, and a longer wheelbase. It has great potential for this project and reminds me of the $1300 Juiced Ocean Current of my dreams.

Two important things to add to any bike you choose:

• thorn resistant tubes or tire liners (it's not much fun to have/fix a flat on your e-bike)
• better brake shoes - with greater power comes a greater need to stop

If those don't appeal to you or just cost too much, definitely check out the used bikes. I find lots of great deals on Craigslist and at garage sales. Look for ads that say things like "barely ridden" or "just needs new tubes." Feel fee to offer a little less for used bikes, but don't be a jerk about it. Life is too short for that, no matter what reality TV tells us.

A few tips on buying a used bike:

• Buy a nice bike, if it it's worn out, weathered, or broken, you will spend a lot of time and money in the wrong places.
• Buy a bike that has all the stuff you need - parts are more expensive than bikes. For example, it's not hard to find a $50 bike with good tires and tubes but a new set of tires and tubes will easily cost $50 or more. It's also expensive (and a pain in the tuckus) to upgrade a single-speed bike into a multi-speed bike.
• Look for higher quality brands while shopping used. It's not rare to find a $350 Giant or Trek being sold for $75 lightly used.

Not a bad start and it would leave a little more room in the budget

(especially if you could get it for a little less money.)

This Raleigh could be a great (and very old-school cool) e-bike!

One other great source of inexpensive bikes - ask your friends, neighbors, relatives or co-workers. Throw a request out on social media. You never know who has a really great bike gathering dust and taking up garage space. You know the old saying - One man's trash is another man's dream e-bike conversion! [Love ya, Matt! Thanks for the bike!]

Okay, so that's it for the bike portion of our search. So, let's budget $150 for our bike. That leaves us $350 for the electric running gear, battery, charger, assorted hardware, and a way to contain the controller and battery. Is it possible?

Tune in next time for our exciting third post!

May you find the right bike and enjoy the ride.

Fossil Free Friday: Fun Electric Conversions on Ebay and Craigslist

Yep, it's me being lazy again, but there is some fun stuff to check out this week. Enjoy:

Fiero!!!! Ebay

Check it out - a Fiero that runs! (And it's electric!)

All the deets

 BMW Ebay

The 2002 BMW is my favorite BMW

(and this one is electric)

BMW deets

VW Beetles

 

Slug Bug Red (Ebay)

Slug Bug Orange (Dallas Craigslist)

Isuzu Pickup

 

Electric Pickup! (Austin Craigslist)

These are not conversions, but I thought you might want to see them:

Zero Motorcycle (Dallas Craigslist)

 

Green Citicars on Ebay: Tennessee and Alabama

 

May you find something out there that helps you get off the gas, clean up the air, and grin everywhere you go!

 

In case my Russian friends swing back by...Citicar/Comuta Car on EBay!

A few days back, a hailstorm of Russian websurfers swept through the Mesquite Hugger posts and paid special attention to a post about the origins of the Citicar (and Comuta Car). So I wrote a blog post about my hopes for this non-event. On the same day, I mentioned in another post (I know - I may have a problem) that I had not run across any of my tiny little dream cars for sale lately.

Well, I feel better now. There's a Comuta Car for sale on Ebay as I type this.

Ain't she purty!

There's already a bid and no reserve!

Baby got enough back to carry 2, maybe 3 bicycles!

Don't be checking out her undercarriage!

Tell me more!

Love the black stripe and the white top!

 

High tech controls, a 50mph speedo, and a shifter!

  

The heart of the beast!

She has provenance and woodgrain!

In case you were curious

 

May my Russian comrades sweep back through and drive that red-car auction price through the ceiling! (I wonder how much shipping will be from Pennsylvania to Moscow.)

Good News: VERY Affordable Electric Cars

Okay, so you're wanting to make the move to electric, but you're not quite there on the money. I hear you! But there's more hope than most people know. With government and state EV incentives for new EVs, a public that's still pretty hesitant on going electric, and a lot of electric cars coming off of two and three year leases, there are lots of really good deals on used electric cars!

This Leaf is from Ebay too!

Before we go there, though, let's talk about the state of electric cars here in the states. Americans know very little about electric cars, their availability, and how far they've come in the last seven years or so. But don't take my word for it, check out this article from Car and Driver. The good news about these articles (for you) is that the lack of electric car awareness contributes to a lack of demand for electric cars, which also keeps the price down. So, there are bargains to be had.

I know, Talk is cheap, Mesquite Hugger. Put up or shut up!

Well, here they are - a sampling of inexpensive, late-model, and (mostly) low-mileage fully-electric cars on Ebay this week. Since this is a Lubbock-based blog, I did a few of the searches based on location. You may find some better deals closer to your locale.

All four are less than 400 miles from Lubbock!

The consistently best deals to be found are the Fiat 500e's and the Nissan Leafs. Me, I'd prefer the Leaf based on the longer history, the larger number of dealers with EV experience, and the vastly greater cargo and passenger space. But I have to admit, the little Fiats are pretty tempting if you're in the market for cuter than a bug on a rug.

Less than 350 miles from Lubbock

Keep in mind when you're looking at electric car ownership that maintenance costs and fuel costs on EV's are a great deal lower than on fossil-fuel cars. A low-priced car that is extremely inexpensive to operate - now that is truly a bargain and can do very nice things for your personal budget.

Still close to Lubbock - and cheap!

Most of the cars in this post have at least 80 miles of range, which is a lot more than most of us drive per day. For multi-car families they make a great deal of sense. And they're really great if you are interested in doing less damage to the planet. (But not as great as a bike or an electric bike.)

The least expensive electric BMW on Ebay

The BMW i3 is a very impressive car - BMW put a great deal of thought and engineering into building a car extremely well-suited to electric power.

The least expensive Ford Focus Electric on Ebay

It's not rare to find the electric Focus considerably cheaper on the Austin and Dallas Cragslist ads. They generally stay in line with Leaf prices.

The only Mitsubishi MiEV on Ebay

By most accounts, the MiEV is not the greatest of electric cars, but there's something about the funky little machine that keeps me curious. (But not at $8,600)

Smart Leaf Smart

The least expensive Tesla on Ebay.

So, there you have it. a random sampling of electric cars on Ebay this week. All of these are fully electric. If you've been leaning more toward Plug-in hybrids, they are out there too, but they tend to be a little more expensive. Search for the Ford C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi, the Chevy Volt, and Toyota Prius if you are curious.

May you find planet-friendly solutions much more accessible than you ever dreamed, and may you drive (or pedal) cleanly.

PS. If you want to know a little more about all-electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrids, be sure to check out this Mesquite Hugger post from 2015.