| Bob's Bike Has Had Quite A Few Upgrades |
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| Bobs Ebike in half mullet mode - 29" front wheel and 27.5" rear wheel |
Wheel Updates
We still have the original 29 inch front wheel as before, but we have changed the rear wheel to a 27.5 inch to make the bike into a half mullet, which alters the geometry of the bike. It also gives the bike more torque and hence more acceleration, we do loose some top end speed but the bike is fast enough anyway.
Mudguard updates
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| 29" Front wheel with mudguard added |
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| Polisport Expander 26"-29" 65mm |
VELO 65 Mountain Rear 29 Zoll |
We started with fitting the rear VELO 65 adjustable rear mudguard, a simple fit, adjustable to our 27.5" wheel.
We had to modified Polisport Expander 26"-29" set, front and rear. We used the front mudguard of the set, and cut it to near the attachment fitting. Then we got the rear mudguard of this set and cut it to the attachment fitting. We then drilled a hole in the middle of the fork stay (picture below) then joined it all together in place on the frame with a couple of bolts to anchor it into place.
Rear Cassette updates
We removed the old 9 speed rear cassette, and replaced with a 10 speed cassette with a massive 46-11 gear system. With the new 27.5 inch rear wheel, gives the bike an amazing acceleration. When the bike is in this bottom gear we nicknamed it "stupid mode", the bike is almost uncontrollable in this gear, except a master rider such as Bob.
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| Old 9 Speed Cassette | Old Cassette and New Cassette | New 10 Speed Cassette |
Chain updates
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| Shimano CN-E6090-10 138 links |
We went through quite a few chains in the upgrading process, the standard Shimano chain snapped due to the massive amount of torque. When riding the bike it is normally set to 3rd gear to reduce the amount of stress and the chain.
We had to upgrade to the Shimano electric bike chain (CN-E6090-10) with 138 links, since we have added the 42-11 rear cassette.
We also have a KMC E10 Echain as a backup !
Coming soon "Getting to know Bob's Toolbox" post, where we will be going through what we carry in our toolkit when we are out riding.
Battery updates
We have upgraded from the original 48.1v 34.3Ah (14S7P) battery to a by adding extra cells.
A 14S7P is a battery made from connecting 14 groups of 7 batteries 51.8v (52v) system.
Our Bafang is designed to run at 52V
Its kind of a special battery, our new battery is a 56V (55.5V) 15S7P, but we have set the high voltage to each cell group (7P) to 3.92V, making it equivalent to a 51.8V(52V) 14S7P nominal battery, (58.8V maximum voltage).
but what we have done is reduce the maximum cell voltage to 3.92v which gives us a top end battery voltage of 58.8v which is the same as a normal 51.8v battery. *** improve
Handlebar Updates
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The pictures above rider view of handlebars (cockpit). The first picture shows on a mobile phone (blue tooth to battery) the individual cell pack voltages of the battery, and show us how it is balancing the voltages of the cell packs.
In the second picture, the mobile phone on the left is showing us the temperature of the battery, the estimated time left to ride and the total voltage of the battery. It also shows us an estimated amount of Amp hours (Ah) remaining, the voltage range of the cell packs and the voltage difference between the lowest and highest cell pack voltages.
On both pictures the we have another mobile phone mounted horizontally to video our rides. We also use this phone for live streaming to facebook.
The Bafang DP C18 display model display is under the second mobile phone (video phone).
Horn updates
In addition to the electrical horn which is loud enough to make you jump we added a air horn for extra safety. The AirZound horn can emit a deafening 115 decibel blast, which is loud enough to make even the worst of drivers or most inattentive of pedestrians stop in their tracks!
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| AirZound Airhorn Kit | Close up of horn and
handlebar attatchment |
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| Air Horned Fitted | Horn Air Tank fitted | Switch For Horn Fitted |
Lights updates
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| Rehkittz Front Light Fitted | Both Light Illuminated | Rear Lights |
We still have the original lights that are wired to the battery, but we have added another brighter light set.
The first picture on the left is the new Rehkittz USB Rechargeable Cycle Light kit with aluminium alloy case - 3300 Lumens (2 x 2500mAh batteries)
The light can also be used as a 5000 mAh power bank which can charge mobile phones, and has digital power display to show how much remaining power is left.
The second picture in the center is of both the old light from the hub drive kit and the new Rehkittz front light. The new light is much much brigher.
The third picture on the right is the old rear light out of the old hub motor kit, it works quite well.
The REHKITTZ front light a the brightness of 3300 lumens, with a lighting distance of 300m. It has two built-in 18650 rechargeable batteries, the total capacity of 5000 mAh, and is USB rechargeable. It can last for up to 6.5 hours in the high brightness mode and 18 hours in the low-brightness mode. The kit comes with a rechargeable taillight with a capacity of 240 mAh.
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