Electric Bikes -N- Scooters Blog

Archive for the ‘Electric Bike Batteries’ Category

ElectricRider's site is easy to navigate

When you are looking for different types of electric bike parts it is always a good idea to bookmark on your web browser different types of electric bike and scooter parts stores. If you are located in the United States then you will probably want to bookmark this particular site because it has a lot of different electric bike parts that you can order to have sent you pretty quick. One of the great things about the Internet is the fact that you can find all sorts of information very quickly on just about any subject that you care to look up. For example, yesterday I wanted to learn how to fix a dishwasher in my home, and within minutes I found an excellent video that showed me how to do that.

You can do the same thing with electric bicycles. If you have an electric bicycle you really should learn how to do your own maintenance on it because parts and maintenance can be very expensive if you don’t know what you are doing, so it would be a good idea to learn how to do many of these maintenance and repairs on your own. Not only do you need to know how to fix different things on your electric bike or scooter but you will also need to know where you can get the parts from should the need arise.

The website ElectricRider.com ( http://www.electricrider.com/parts) is just loaded with all types of different electric bicycle parts from different companies that deal with electric bikes. When I was on their site earlier today, I noticed that they had every type of part imaginable ranging from batteries, battery chargers to sprockets, gears, headlights, and even drive belts for the different types of electric bike motors. Of course, they were dealing with companies like Crystalyte, Currie, Schwinn,Vega and a host of other outstanding electric bike companies. So, this is a really good reference for anybody that would like to buy or need to take your electric bicycle part.

One of the things I like about the website is the fact that it is so easy to navigate and to find exactly what you are looking for rather quickly. The company didn’t waste a lot of money hiring a website programmer to put flash pictures and other items on there that would take a while for the website to open up. So, if you are operating on a DSL or regular cable Internet connection, this website will open up immediately and you will be treated to a menu of things that you can click on automatically. One of the things I just hate about going to certain websites is the fact that they are designed in such a way that they want to look real advanced, while sacrificing functionality. This is one of the reasons why Amazon.com beat the tar out of everybody in sales. It is so easy to navigate and find exactly what you’re looking for.  The same thing can be said about  ElectricRider.com is a great site, the load is quick and gives you fast navigation so you know exactly what you are looking for.  Not only that, but they are dealing with high-quality parts and things that you would need if you get in a pinch for a particular part on your electric bicycle or scooter.

So, take a look at their website, I do not think you will be disappointed in what you see and you will definitely want to reference this in your bookmarks.

ElectricRider.com – http://www.electricrider.com

Today, many people are either trying to move toward greener technology in their lives or find a way that they can use alternative types of energy besides just fossil fuels.  There are a small number of people that have decided to try to make a difference at least in their own lives by purchasing electric scooters or electric bicycles.   There are a wide range of electric bicycles that are on the market today ranging from the rather cheap to the very expensive.  The problem is that when you spend too little on an innovation like an electric bike, you will definitely get what you pay for.  If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to riding an electric bicycle, then you may want to consider one that has worked well for years and thousands of people have bought.  I am referring to, of course, an electric bike engine or an electric bike conversion kit.

Just like electric bike models, there are a wide range of electric bike conversion kits to consider.  Like everything else the U.S. federal law limits electric bikes to 750 watts or 20 miles per hour.  One thing you need to keep in mind when looking at information put out by manufacturers and that is the fact that many times the wattage and miles per hour are exaggerated on their electric bike engines and conversion kits.  If you see an advertisement that states that the power of the motor is at around 1000 watts, you need to beware of false claims.

Think about the batteries that an electric bike engines use…

Another factor that you need to consider in your purchase of an electric bicycle conversion kit is the battery.  The best performance battery that you can get for an electric bike engine is a LiFePO4 lithium battery.  These types of batteries are pretty light in weight while maintaining the longest life.  Typical sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries do not last nearly as long as the lithium batteries do, as a matter of fact, lithium batteries left almost three times longer than they sealed lead acid batteries do.  In other good thing about the lithium batteries is that they are 50 to 60% lighter than the S. L. A. counterparts.  This will help your electric bike to go much farther and the much quicker speed in with a heavier set of batteries.  Another great thing about lithium battery is that you can easily be kept them from your electric bike and take them in your house to plug them in.  This is usually a very convenient thing to have and one aspect of an electric bike engine that I consider when buying a kit.

You always want to buy your electric bike conversion kit from a very good reputable dealer either online or locally.  You really do not want to spend your money on electric bike motor kits from overseas.  For one thing, companies in other countries do not have the high standards that companies and the United States have.  If you consider the fact that most of the electric bike conversion kits that are on the market today will run you somewhere in the vicinity of $300-$500, then you are taking a pretty big risk in either getting parts for repairs if need be, or getting good service when you buy the electric bike motor.  Once again, you should always consider buying from a good, reputable dealership that can help you if you have any problems mounting the conversion kit on your bike.

Another thing to look out for in an electric bicycle conversion kit…

One other good tip that I think need to be discussed in the actual installation and time it takes to install an electric bike motor or conversion kit.  If you just happen to see a company that says that you can install the conversion kit within an hour, then you should consider not purchasing the conversion kit from that company because they are probably not telling you the truth about the installation, and if they are not telling the truth about the installation chances are they are not telling you the truth about the electric bike motor in the first place.

Once again, I just want to reiterate the fact that if you pay a cheap price for electric bike engines or conversion kit, you will definitely get what you pay for as far as performance, reliability and quality.  If you can afford a good electric bike conversion kit then I suggest that you get a good one that will last you for quite some time.

One of the most important facets of electric scooters and ebikes is battery capacity.  Over the last 10 years there has been some brilliant advancement in the technology behind the batteries and their capacity.  The one thing that you must keep in mind with electric bikes is battery capacity, because it may take some time before technology can improve batteries to the point where they can compete with gas.  As I just said, battery capacity is the key.  The more efficient the entire system is the greater the distance and longer the charge will last you.

Now for some tips on how you can save energy and reduce the battery output of your electric bicycles charging system.

Here are several basic ways you can add power and recapture energy with your electric bicycle

1. Pedaling – There are some models of electric bicycles on the market that allow you to charge the batteries while pedaling.  The concept is pretty basic, as you pedal the e-bike the power is generated and sent back into the batteries.  Of course, this means that you will be pedaling and that while you are charging the pedaling may become harder because of the drag due to a heavier bike and the generator creates more drag as well.  However don’t despair, because if you get to a hill you can use the second method of generating electricity for your electric bicycle which is ….
2. Coasting – Some ebikes have systems that can recharge while you coast on an ebike. The downside to this method, however is that you can’t generate very much electricity using this method because you obviously need to climb a hill to be able to ride down it and generate the electricity and the amount of energy you will spend as well as the slope down will determine how much electricity is generated and stored into the batteries.
3. Regenerative Breaking – Now, believe it or not, one of the best methods of charging your batteries outside of plugging the darned thing into the wall is by regenerated breaking. Quite simply, this method stores electricity into your batteries by using the breaks.  Some of the electric powered cars of the 1990’s had this option, but since the electric car pretty much got squelched, some of the advancements in the technology got shelved and was not improved upon.  Once again, there is a downside to this system and that is you don’t normally ride on your breaks.  So, once again, there is a limited amount of energy that you will be able to create using this method.
4. Motor Generating-Last, but certainly not least, is the system of recapturing energy by doing so while the motor is running.  However, this method of generating electricity is in the experimental/ development phase right now.  Hopefully, by the end of the next decade we will have something like this to look forward to.  If it becomes a reality, then the electric bikes and scooters will be greatly enhanced and electric biking and electric scooter use will be something that will be very desirable in most households.

We have only to wait and look forward to the future!