Canadian
Ye Olde EbikeE CT
Burnaby, BC, Canada, Turtle Island
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113
Published: 2023-07-17
The core of this project is a bikeE CT, in faded red. It was a gift from my mom around the year 2000, and was basically stock except for a replacement stem and handlebar to widen it so it's not the original bikeE Squirrel bars, with your hands very very close together.
Then a friend introduced me to the wonderland that is Grin and electric bicycles. I had been previously tempted, in my uninitiated ignorance, with a gas-powered assist motor. What a fool I had been! Unicycles on the wall, with motors? What? So many cool electric and even non-electric vehicles, I was in awe!
I don't remember the specifics of the parts, other than they more than likely came off the cheap shelf. It's a v2.23 CycleAnalyst with a NineContinents Pre-RH212 motor and a Grinfineon controller, finished with a pair of ebrake levers and a full-length throttle with built-in ebrake button. The Grinfineon cheap-shelf controller was eventually diagnosed as the source of my teething problems, and so it was dumped for a Phaserunner MT in Silver, with ebrake connector added to compensate for the v2 CA.
The batteries are pair of eZee Flat 36V, stored in the pannier bags, which unfortunately eat most of my carrying space. I think they were 14Ah each, and have lost a lot of juice over the years. They still do get me where I want to go, but only barely. I've tried to install them in the eZee racks, but they are an older version of the battery case and won't quite fit without force, so I'm stuck with panniers until I figure something else out. Given the weight distribution of the bikeE in general, the best place for the batteries would be strapped under the frame between the pedals as far to the front as I can fit it, so maybe that's the next upgrade!
I admit I don't commute with it as much as I could, but that's because of terrible and unavoidable construction near work on King George highway, and the frankly terrifying Alex Fraser bridge. Other than the motor showing it's age and the CA lacking features, it's a very smooth and comfortable ride! I could use a bit more acceleration at points, and a fairing, but there are always things to add and make better! #HackThePlanet
Thanks Grin Team!
Additional Info
https://makercave.ca/2020/11/02/ebikee-version-1/
How it started...
Ye Olde EbikeE started around 2008ish, inspired by a friend's various electric vehicles and Grin on 4th.
Where it's going...
As I mentioned above, there are almost always upgrades to make.
I think the non-Grin upgrades I have planned are:
1) full lights and turn signals: I already have the parts and most of the wiring done, it's just a question of a buck converter, finding the right mounting hardware and wiring up the handlebar UI controller. I almost got a train horn, but I thought better of it and just got a normal motorcycle one.
2) a fairing: Keeping the wind off (mostly) and the rain (more than otherwise), I think both are worth trying out, I've heard mixed reviews but they tend towards the positive and only a few people have taken theirs off.
3) rear container/trunk mounted to the frame behind the seat: A trunk area behind the seat, maybe also taking up the pannier area depending on how fancy I want to get.
In terms of Grin upgrades, well as you can see the core of the hardware is showing it's age in many, many ways. So ideally I'd like to upgrade basically everything but the phaserunner:
1) the CA to a CA3wp with button: Other than new features, the CycleAnalyst upgrade would clean up the wires SO MUCH! It's incredible how much different it makes to be able to plug everything from the handlebars into the CA directly! Just one wire going from the handlebars to the phaserunner, now tucked down hear the motor and battery(ies).
2) the motor: Obviously the motor needs an upgrade, with some statorade to boot! With the release of Grin's new All-Axle Rear kit, I'm not sure which to pick, it or an RH212, also keeping in mind that I'm thinking about upgrading battery voltage to at least 48V if not more. I think my main goal is power really, I sometimes hook up a trailer to haul stuff and certainly would more if it turns out to be fairly easy to do.
3) the batteries and charger: I'm thinking about dumping the eZee batteries as a "standard" and going with the bullet shaped one, as well as upgrading to at least 48V. They seem much easier to install with a triple-bob mount strapped to the frame. Not sure how they'd work upside down, but I think probably OK, so I'd put the first one between the pedals and as close to the front as possible, as recommended by one of the bikeE designers.
And the satiator. Such a beautiful thing. Would use it to charge everything I have probably, not even joking. I'd make up some adapters for other battery plug types and use it for my remote control vehicle batteries too!
4) For sure that new phone charger, it looks awesome!