Justin Lemire-Elmore

There is a shelving unit in our hallway with an increasing amount of ebike stuff accumulating on it as a result of our activities. This includes sample parts from companies that we decided not to follow through with, battery packs that didn't meet our QC needs or which were used by our demo bikes, various used ebike components that have been returned to us but are still functional, and a number of connectors and cable assemblies that we don't really have use for. These could be perfect for the DIY project person and they are all listed at take 'em away prices for customers coming by to visit our shop.

Although we've been pretty sold on hub motors for the vast majority of conversions, there is a case to be made for mid-drive systems especially in the application of load and cargo hauling applications. That is where the Stokemonkey system from Clevercycles has been a natural match. It is designed to install around the Xtracycle attachment which adds a whole new realm of utility to your bicycle. And unlike most other mid-drives which have a loud and whining gear noise to put up with, the Stokemonkey using the familiar low-rpm Crystalyte motors is completely silent. We have a limited number of Stokemonkey setups that will be listed on our kits page, and will be offering the Xtracycle and accessories in the near future too.

Our latest shipment from Crystalyte included a few goodies to make note of. First is that we received a number of 72V pedal first controllers with a 30 amp current limit using the IRFB4110 mosfets. For the first time this means that we have a sensorless controller option for people wanting to run the large 5300 series hub motors, and for those who want to drive the Nine Continent and 400 series motors to higher power levels than is possible with 20 amps.


Secondly is that Crystalyte has sorted out both disk brake compatibility and waterproofing issues in the latest samples of motors. The rear disk motors are now available with an side cover that has an integrated 44mm bolt pattern for attaching disc rotors, the days of screw-on non standard discs are over. As well, there is a rubber sealing ring surrounding the axle entry to the side cover, and the wire entry slot is filled with a sealant. We have a small number of front and rear disk 5304 Crystalyte hub motors available, as well as spare 5300 series side cover plates for those who want to adapt a regular rear to the disc version.



Finally, the Project Motors which we had Crystalyte make a couple years ago ended up getting used in several interesting vehicles that required single sided axle support. Rather than ordering separate project motors for each winding type, this time we had a custom set of project motor axles manufactured, and with our press we can swap the axle out of any 400 series hub motor we have stock and replace it with one of these.

Our online store site has evolved quite a bit from when it was just an html table of a dozen items and prices a few years ago. We have been hard at work on the latest revision, which includes a more browse-able layout for all our parts, a search field, a full featured cart system with no pop-ups, and best of all an automatic shipping calculator that gives instant freight quotes to most destinations in the world. We are trying to make purchasing conversion parts as straightforward as possible, so check it out and give us your feedback.

The summer season seems to be just around the corner here in Vancouver. The decent turn-out at the last Kilowatt Hour ebike ride organized by Steven Luscher is sure sign that people are packing in their winter projects and are ready to head outdoors on their bicycles. So come out to the next ride on Friday, March 13th, we'll make it a big one to bring on 2009. As well, the Wednesday following the ride, March 18th, Justin will be giving a full length video/slide show presentation of his cross-Canada trip at the VEVA meeting. More details on both these events will be posted as the dates approach.

But don't get too excited, a job is just a job right? We are looking for someone with excellent customer skills, some sales experience, and an understanding of administrative duties. See our posting on posting on Craigslist.

We hope that everyone has a fine holiday season. It may be cold outside, but with a heated garage and good supply of parts, there is no better time than the winter holidays to start working on your next ebike project. Thanks to everyone for a great year.

Fresh and shiny and right off the boat, we now have a rear version of the eZee conversion kit in stock and ready to ship. This has all the great features of the front eZee: light weight, high torque, internal gears, and disk brake, but comes in a rear wheel with a standard 135mm dropout spacing and room for a 7 or 8 speed freewheel. Other improvements include a thick 14mm axle that is more resistant to spinout, a polished metal finish, and stainless steel axle nuts for extra resilience. 

The Canadian dollar has lost nearly 1/4 of its value since the start of the year. We've held off adjusting the CAD prices for quite some time in hopes that this would normalize again, but it hasn't and we can't hold off any longer, so be forewarned that when we re-open in 2009 the Canadian prices on some of our inventory will go up by approximately 12-15%. In the spirit of good times though, we'll let the low Canadian dollar prices continue to apply for this last week so anyone who has been considering a purchase before the prices rise can do so. whether you are running a 24V, 36V, or even 72V system. 

In development for over a year and thoroughly field tested on the cross-canada ebike ride, the waterproof LED bicycle lights with wide ranging input voltage are now in early production and are available from our shop. These rugged and bright LED lights were designed from the ground up for the requirements of electric bicycles. The efficient DC-DC input will work directly with any ebike battery voltage, whether you are running a 24V, 36V, or even 72V system.