Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

hi i'm an 72 years old aged pensioner
need advice on the following parts for e-trike build
is this battery the right one i can uses


Wheel kit
Wheel Size: 26'' Front wheel (Suitable for  tyre width size 1.50 to 2.25 )    
* Motor: 48V 500W Brushless gear hub motor in black colour 
* Wiring method : Waterpoof wire connection system
* Full Speed: Up to 45 km/h
* Display: KT LCD5 
* Controller : 48V 22A KT Brand Controller 
* Riding mode: Thumb throttle electric assist mode /Pedal Assist mode
* Front fork width requirement:98-102mm
* Suitable for Disk Brake and V brake to use 

Battery
Battery Type: Lithium-ion Battery
Model: Rear Rack Type 
Battery Material : Lithium 
Rated Voltage / capacity: 48V / 15Ah
Weight App. 5kg
Case Material: ABS+Aluminium alloy
Maximum Continuous Discharge Current: 40A
Fit for power: 48V 500W - 1500W
Battery Size : 38cm x14.5cm x 6cm 

your hopfully
one grumpy joey scout leader

Is this for an Gomier style upright trike? If so, I'd strongly advise against that power/speed potential.

But re your question, that battery suits the kit - electrical specification wise anyway. Being rack mounted, it will depend on your trike as to whether it will physically fit.

I have converted a recumbent trike with a rear hub drive motor, and a couple of likely issues spring to mind. Firstly, the motor you describe does not meet Australian regulations of 250 watts and maximum speed of 25kph. You are also not permitted to run the trike on throttle only (unless it is limited to 200watts). Search this forum for info/discussions on this.
Trikes tend to be longer than bikes, and you may have issues with the supplied cabling length. If the controller is mounted separately to the battery, you will have more choices, but the length of cabling between the rear battery, controller, front motor, cadence sensor and controls may not be sufficient. Yours sounds like an upright trike (single front wheel), but I would ask the seller about cable lengths before purchase. I had to buy extra cable and learn to solder in order to wire up the recumbent.
Make sure the battery meets Australian standards, and the charger is set up with an Australian plug. You don't want to burn your house down with a lithium battery fire from a dodgy charger. You will also want to find out if the rear rack to mount the battery is included (they need a special rack & mount so you can lock them in place). You will need to check that your trike has rack mounts, and that the rack will fit your trike.

would this be a better option
i not very fit and 120kg

Trike 24" 20/24/26" Adult Tricycle 1/7 Speed 3-Wheel W/ Installation Tools & Free Lockhttps://www.ebay.com.au/itm/353350901971?

Hub 36v 250w 36V 250W electric bike kit ebike conversion 20-29 front rear hub motor wheelhttps://www.ebay.com.au/itm/153611996995?

Battery 36v 36V 13Ah Rear Rack Lithium E bike BATTERY Kit for 500W
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/363434944015?

The trike you linked to looks very cheap. One piece cranks and what look like steel wheel rims are definitely to be avoided. If you are converting a bike/trike to electric, you need to start off with something sturdy, that stops well because you will have more weight and higher speeds. The rack you linked to wouldn't fit your trike (standard racks are designed to sit over a single wheel at the rear). The battery you linked suits 500w and above, whereas the wheel is 250w, so they are not compatible. Note that the battery has a box for the controller, but the controller comes with the wheel unit; you would need to check dimensions to see if it would fit. The controller can be put anywhere, but you may need more wiring if it is not right there with the battery.
If you live in Brisbane, I would recommend Lancaster ebikes at Capalaba; they do lots of trike conversions, are reasonably priced, and full of good advice. They have second-hand trikes sometimes, too and a lot better quality than the eBay one.
Perhaps if you tell us your location and budget, we can be a bit more specific.

hi thank for all the info
i can not aford 2k up front so will be buying parts as i can afford to
this is the trike i will start with 4 payments of $150 with Afterpay
https://www.trike-bike.com.au/product/2 ... ke-yellow/

Looks like a much better trike, and with Australian warranty & backup. You could also enjoy riding it on flat paths until you save for the motor kit.

skyblot wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 16, 2021 7:32 pm

Is this for an Gomier style upright trike? If so, I'd strongly advise against that power/speed potential.

But re your question, that battery suits the kit - electrical specification wise anyway. Being rack mounted, it will depend on your trike as to whether it will physically fit.

Can confirm. I had an e-trike for a while, it 20” wheeled version. It certainly wasn’t built for much more than 25km/h. Not awesome at cornering. Also with a lot of power to the front wheel you end up doing burnouts that fry the front tyre.

Having said that, at lower speeds it wasn’t unpleasant and having a throttle assist (yes, I know it wasn’t legal) was handy.

redsonic wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:45 am

The battery you linked suits 500w and above, whereas the wheel is 250w, so they are not compatible.

The battery is fine - you can generally use a "500w" battery for a 250w motor but will run into issues using a "250w" battery with a 500w motor, albeit you might be paying a little more for the extra current capacity. Any battery will only deliver the current required by the controller. The 2 critical features for a compatible battery are (1) voltage is the same & (2) it can delivery enough current for the required power. In this case they are both 36v. Watts = voltage x current, so supplying 500w (AT) 36v = 13.9A. Funnily enough 250w is 1/2 that at 6.95A. In the unlikely event that the capacity of 13Ah is correct the battery will deliver 500w for 56 minutes or 250w for 1 hours & 52 minutes.

I would be surprised if it delivered the 20.8A necessary for the claimed maximum 750w & in any event that power would only be delivered for 28 minutes

find_bruce wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 17, 2021 2:21 pm

redsonic wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:45 am

The battery you linked suits 500w and above, whereas the wheel is 250w, so they are not compatible.

The battery is fine - you can generally use a "500w" battery for a 250w motor but will run into issues using a "250w" battery with a 500w motor, albeit you might be paying a little more for the extra current capacity. Any battery will only deliver the current required by the controller. The 2 critical features for a compatible battery are (1) voltage is the same & (2) it can delivery enough current for the required power. In this case they are both 36v. Watts = voltage x current, so supplying 500w (AT) 36v = 13.9A. Funnily enough 250w is 1/2 that at 6.95A. In the unlikely event that the capacity of 13Ah is correct the battery will deliver 500w for 56 minutes or 250w for 1 hours & 52 minutes.

I would be surprised if it delivered the 20.8A necessary for the claimed maximum 750w & in any event that power would only be delivered for 28 minutes

Thanks for clarifying that FB

what do you think of this hub kit 24" front hub
i can extend wire if needed and could 3d print box for controller
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/153611996995?

baloo wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 17, 2021 3:24 pm

what do you think of this hub kit 24" front hub
i can extend wire if needed and could 3d print box for controller
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/153611996995?

The hub looks like it would suit, but the seller's feedback indicates they might not be very helpful if things go wrong. You also pay $143 shipping from China. It might be better to buy from an Australian seller - you have backup if things go wrong (this does happen with cheap Chinese electrics).
Dillinger bikes were good when I was converting a two wheeler to hub drive:
https://dillengerelectricbikes.com.au/c ... 8898553915
More expensive, but the battery is included, and the company was good to us when we needed follow up service.

Another Australian based company I used is Cap Rouge:
https://caprouge.com.au/collections/hub ... rsion-kits

Like Dillinger, they won't have stock until October.

I second the buy locally sentiment.
I've done a couple of hub motor kits and each gave trouble with bits that didn't work, and magic silver boxes that stopped working. Someone local can sort it straight away, overseas...well could be a while.

Compatibility between pedal assist sensors and the control box is hit and miss, some would not work at all, others worked pedaling both forwards and backwards...