There are much more than 10 reasons to ride a bike. The only problem is those distances that are too long in which “they don’t give us the legs”. For these cases, electric bicycles are an alternative: they combine the agility, comfort and dynamism of a bicycle, with the advantage of being able to travel much longer distances, by not having to make as much physical effort.
You can find some of these bikes on the market, with different prices and also different features (battery life, weight and size). But what you may not have known is that it is also possible to modify your own bicycle by adding an electric motor.
One of the advantages, perhaps the most important, of conventional bicycles is that they are sustainable, since they do not use fuel like cars or motorcycles. In this sense, the electric bicycle consumes energy, however, an electric motor is much more friendly to the environment than the fuel engine of a car or motorcycle.
Assembling your own electric bicycle is not as complicated as it seems: what you have to do is attach a motor and some other parts to your bicycle, and the most complicated thing is to get parts that work correctly together.
Next, you will be able to learn what pieces you need, how to choose them, and how to join them together.
Materials
– A bicycle
– A motor
– A link from the motor to the wheels or pedals
– Batteries
– an accelerator
– One motor controller
– 6mm thick aluminum plate (or a 3mm steel one)
– Three large hose clamps with screws
– One 3mm speed bike chain and its master link
– Washers and screws
1. Choose the bike
The first step is to choose a suitable bicycle to motorize it. It must be in good condition and be a resistant model, because it must carry, in addition to your own weight, between 15 and 20 kilograms more.
In addition, it has to have full suspension, and you will probably need to change the tires for urban, high pressure ones. The most efficient ones will be ones that go from 35 to 65 psi, which will allow to increase the battery life.
It’s also important that the bike has plenty of room between the rider’s legs, plus you need to have a rear bike rack (where you’ll put the batteries), and that the model has multiple chainwheels on the crankshaft, or add them yourself in that case. that you have only one.
You can choose it among the 10 most beautiful bicycles on the planet.
2. Get batteries
The battery should be the first thing you get, because you have to know its voltage before you get the other parts. The common thing is to use one between 24 and 36 volts. If it is larger, the other parts will be more expensive and difficult to find. Car batteries will not work, because if they are turned over, the acid can spill.
The battery must also have a capacity of at least one amp hour for every 1.6 km (1 mile) on a 36-volt system, and be equipped with cables to connect everything.
Also get a suitable charger for your battery. You can possibly buy them in the same place.
3. Choose the engine
You will need a motor with a bicycle gear on the output shaft, which is compatible with the bicycle chain. Obtaining it is the most complicated part, but it can be obtained, for example, in stores that sell motorcycle parts. One with 250 to 350 watts of power will be fine.
4. Get a driver for the motor
The motor controller is a device that has a “brain” that regulates the amount of power that passes from the batteries to the motor at any one time.
You will also need to get battery connectors that work with the controller.
5. Buy the accelerator
Get a “hall effect” accelerator. If you get it from the same place as the controller and ask for advice on compatibility, there will be a better chance that they will work properly together.
a) Connect the throttle to the controller, then the controller to the motor, then the batteries, and finally connect them to the controller. If you have several batteries instead of one, you must connect them to each other, in parallel or in series. Never complete a circuit with just batteries (there should always be two wires hanging freely).
b) Mount the motor on the triangle that forms the frame of the bicycle and connect a chain from the motor to one of the crankshaft sprockets.
c) Test that everything is going well. Then, with a pen or marker, trace the lines where you will need to cut the plate so that both the plate and the motor fit on the bike.
The motor will be bolted to the plate, which must be attached to the bike’s frame at three points to hold it steady. Assemble with the plate a box that holds the motor, with the help of a jigsaw, nuts and bolts. Another option is to buy an aluminum box with the necessary dimensions. You will need to drill some holes to run the wires through.
d) Once you have assembled everything place the chain around the motor and the gear wheel.
e) Connect the controller to the grill or to some point of the tubes, with the help of plastic ties.
f) Assemble the accelerator. This simple method may help: Take a thin, stiff item, like an old bicycle spoke, insert it between the grip and the handlebars, and pour a mixture of water and dishwashing detergent through the rack. The liquid will run down to the handle and you can turn it to release it.
g) Slide the accelerator towards the handlebar and adjust with a screw that will probably be incorporated. Maybe your throttle comes with instructions too.
h) Connect the throttle cables to the controller, and the motor cables as well. After this point, you’ll want to turn the bike upside down and test that the engine runs.
i) Connect the battery to the motor semi-permanently (may need to adjust after driving a few times)
j) If you have problems with the alignment of the chain, adjust it with washers.
Try your bike and go out and enjoy your city on it!