Don’t get caught by the fuzz!

That wheel looks like it’s going way faster than 15mph, the main legalities of electric bikes in the UK are that they’re not to power the bike above 15mph (if you want to go faster than 15mph you gotta pedal faster) and the wattage of the motor must not exceed 200watts, in Europe it’s generally 25kph and 250watts but I think one or two countries have different laws.

Nobody to my knowledge has been stopped on an electric bike because they were going too fast, I discovered a few months ago I could derestrict the throttle on my Urban Mover UM36, allowing me to get up to 20mph along the flat without pedalling (easily going over 20mph with throttle+pedalling and no extra pannier weight), normally the thottle was limited to 10mph, whilst pedalling alone the motor gives you power up to 15mph.

I can understand why people want to have faster, more powerful electric bikes, it’s really a lot of fun being able to go 20mph+ without feeling like you’re doing a stage of the Tour De France, I just don’t want anyone on one to get caught by the fuzz for being stupid and then ruining it for everyone else who have unrestriced ebikes – so cycle safely!

haku:

The speed of the wheel when it’s spinning freely really has very little to do with the speed when under load.

For general interest, here in Ontario the limit is 32 km/h and 500 watts.

Everyone asks about pedaling to recharge the batteries on hybrid bikes. Yes, it can be done on models with regenerative braking (though, not the cyclone), but Yuck! It is no fun to ride with extra drag. If you feel the need to generate electricity with your legs, set up a pedal powered generator in your living room, but don’t expect it to alter your carbon footprint one iota. The environmental cost of any extra food you eat will more than offset the benefits.

Regarding the Cyclone conversion: The motor is mounted too low, making it very vulnerable. The lack of a bomb proof chain guard is a serious hazard. I’m not impressed.

The easiest way to convert a bike yourself is with a hub motor, which replaces a regular wheel. Bionx makes a complete kit that is highly regarded. Crystalyte motors have a similar reputation, but require you to supply your own battery system. There are a lot of bargain motors from China, but it seems you get what you pay for.

As for batteries, there are several adequate options, but no clear winner. I expect to see some substantial improvements in the next 5 years.

hmmm, looks fast! would like to know more.

@Ken

Follow the links, they have a hub motor as well :P

http://www.cyclone-tw.com/order.htm

A tiny bit of creative engineering could probably put the motor higher or move it back.

I am glad to see the hack, don’t knock it without following the links please.

Most places in the states the cops tend to leave you be on an electric bike so long as you don’t do anything stupid.
The kind of stuff you have to do likely also will get you in trouble on even the non electric kind.
The police where I live even tolerate those mini bikes and gas engines on bicycles so long as they don’t cause problems with traffic.

I went to the 2nd day of a 2 day electric bike event in Wales earlier this year: http://www.tourdepresteigne.co.uk (I’m no.21 in the photo gallery, only one main pic of me at the bottom of the last page)
the big event of that day was the 1 hour rally through the small town – which was very hairy at times because we were going through a churchyard whilst people were still using the church!
I decided to ride with the 15mph speed restriction on because last year the road-legal winner was also on a UM36, but afterwards I wished I’d derestricted it (simply by unplugging a wire sticking out the controller) because most of the time I was going faster than 15mph to try and keep up with everyone else and that meant the motor wasn’t giving any extra boost, in fact it was having the opposite effect because I was pedalling against the motor (effectively in dynamo mode).

Some of the riders on non-road legal bikes had special gearing setups and were easily achieving 30mph, lapping me several times by the end of the race.

@brian, my derestricted UM36 tops out at 20mph on the flat with the throttle only because the motor won’t spin any faster, the bike shown in the above video has the motor powering the wheel through the gearing system which means it can go faster than a fixed geared motor (ie a hub motor like the one on my bike)

Terrific Service!

seems like the motor wheel can not run free on this system. Which means the pedals will have to turn when the engine is running. (no free run, you’ll have to move your legs all the time)
Plus, in the other way, it seems difficult to pedal without the motor running as you’d need to go against the motor resistance. This means it would be exhausting to go back home once the battery has run out out of power…

nubie: ah, I see my mistake. I hadn’t taken into consideration the fact that the controller is supposed to cut out at 15 mph, and so if the wheel is spinning faster then it obviously didn’t (whether the wheel is pushing a person or not). OTOH, the speed sensor on the bike in the video could be on the front heel (which is not spinning).

orv: I’m not sure what you consider suitable for riding in traffic, but most cyclists consider 12-20 mph plenty fast enough.

Just a little info for those interested, the motor and the pedals have freewheels fitted so do not turn with the motor and you can pedal without turning the motor. The video of the wheel spinning was with no load so is faster than when under load. Also the 15.5mph UK limit is derived from the European law (or the other way around!) but generally either a 250watt or 200watt (350 watt for a tricycle) average rated motor is ok, top assisted speed is 20kph (15.5mph) the bike motor and batteries must not weigh more than 40kg and only 14 year old and above are allowed to ride them, but UK law allows for an average user speed , so if you weigh 9 stone and are 14 years old you will travel a bit faster than someone who weighs 25 stone, providing it is designed for an average user the law allows for a degree of variance. And has speed restrictions do not apply to cyclists in this country you can pedal has fast as you are able….The cyclone was my choice (over the Wisper) as it drives through the gears, in a lower gear it allows me more torque and climbs quite steep hills at a very reasonable 15mph but in top gear it will travel at 22mph depending on wind etc. this allows me to add to the motor assistance with pedalling so I can keep up with normal traffic flow (very much like the newer Panasonic bikes out now but a lot cheaper). The gearing dictates the speed more or less. With hub motors it’s the controller but again the rider’s weight and conditions vary the speed somewhat, though I would add that Hubs seemed to assist you to 15mph and added drag when you want to pedal faster, the cyclone just freewheels when I pedal faster than its maximum speed. As for the motor position this is a compromise, low down and central to the bike, makes for a better balanced bike but also is in a position to be splashed, though I have not managed to knock it yet, as it seems to be high enough to be out of harm’s way. A hub motor is a heavy piece of kit and fitted to a front wheel can feed back through the steering (not very nice), in the rear wheel it can make the bike back heavy and not very nice in the wet. Ok not that little a reply – but anyone interested in an alternative commute to work I would highly recommend you get an electric bike, but with a very bright yellow coat and a load of flashing lights and a book on cyclecraft, and just keep on believing those motorists really just did not see you!!

What about Hackaday made a guide about getting parts for a diy kit?
The reason for asking is that i dont know where to get motors and controllers from.

Nice contributions from everyone, this forum is a blast!
Some people miss the whoe point of an electric bike though. These thinge are primarily fo ‘assist’ and not sport racing, so I wonder why the avarice towards more amd more power.
The essence I think is to weave in and out of trafic and get to your destination without breaking much sweat.
Any motor that runs faster than you can peddal is simply running too fast for your own safety let alone the law.
Im working on my own bike but I’m missing the drive sprocket on the motor. Any idea where I can find a 9T 10mm D-bore sprocket for bicycle chain?
I’d be glad to know.

Engaging article,, will come back soon:D