ElectricBike.com

May 1, 2013, written by Ron/Spinningmagnets I haven’t written about the GNG Gen2 drive yet (It’s been out for about a year), because I was waiting to hear about which parts needed upgrading, what the actual performance was, and also because…very few people had bought this kit (so the available info was scarce). Quite a few buyers who have heard about the GNG kits opted for the 1,000W-2,100W  big-brother kit (article about the GNG 1,000W here), that has proven itself

The BionX is  the best selling hub motor kit in the United States, and probably  the world. The Bionx is not only sold as a kit, but many manufacturers use it as a turn-key solution to very quickly bring a quality ebike to market. These manufacturers have included, Trek, Ohm,  Smart and Grace.  Unlike most kits, the BionX is designed and manufactured not in China, but in Ontario Canada. At least some of (if not most of) the components of the BionX kit

Written by Ron/Spinningmagnets, January 2013 We have waited to write about the GNG kit because it proved to be immediately popular (electricbike.com’s leader Eric stumbled across the new GNG site in Aug 2012, about six months ago), and the inevitable upgrades that endless-sphere builders added were rapidly defining the strengths, weaknesses, and limits of this handy kit. Bottom-Bracket (BB) drives have really taken off this last year, and for good reason. The prices for the basic parts have come down, and the

A torque sensor is a type of throttle that determines how much juice to feed the motor based on how hard the rider is pedaling. This is different from a cadence sensor which measures simply how fast you are pedaling. Cheap cadence sensors are what can be found on most pedal assist system (PAS) bikes on the market today. When done right, a torque sensor can make you feel bionic when you ride your ebike. It allows for a more

The electric bike builder marketplace is full of cottage industries.  This is a list of vendors for people who are considering building an electric bike themselves.  The shops below are owner operated with at most   a few employees.  Every vendor on this list is known to be reputable and knowledgeable. This list is current as of Summer  2012.  We will add and take away names off this list as the industry develops.  As of this writing these are the big

250 watt hub motor are so cool and nifty looking, they made it on our  top 10 list of electric bike porn. Here we will look at  three of the better known types of mini 250 watt hub motors, although most electric bike builders and kit providers do not specify which motors they are using.   Most hub motors are made in China, including the 3 main types listed below. For more information regarding 250 watt hub motor, read our

250 watt motors are the most used motor on commercially available electric bikes. They are popular in Europe (and Asia) where in many countries there is a 250 watt power limit on E-bikes. Because millions of these 250 watt motors have been made for the European and Asian market, the cost to buy them from the factories in China is low, but at the same time it is a motor that is proven to be reliable and efficient. The wholesale

Watt hours is a way to measure the energy capacity of a battery pack, so you know what to expect from your new E-bike in terms of range performance. To calculate the watt hours (WH) of a battery pack, simply multiply the voltage by the amp hours (Ah) of the pack. A 36-volt 10-Ah battery pack has 360 watt hours. If you are nitty with your energy usage, each mile you travel will cost you about 20 watt hours. Therefore

At this point Hub Motor kits are cheap and abundant and therefore common. Hub powered bikes make excellent commuters. However hub motor can really fall short when traversing difficult off road terrain or carrying heavy loads up a hill on a cargo bike. Mid drive kits are the holy grail of electric bike kits.  They appeal to the gear head in us all because most of them run through the gear system of the bike, and have gear reduction systems

Although hub motor bikes are cheap and abundant, when it comes to electric bikes, its hard to beat the performance, torque and efficiency of a mid drive motor system. (read our complete article on mid drives here) Their best application is in mountain climbers and off road mountain bikes, although they have been used in some highly efficient commuters (like the Focus Jarifa) and on road speedsters (like the Dogati).  To give you an idea, on many mid drive electric