Electric assisted Quest (250W european legal)

[manstir99]

Hello John,

do you have experiences with el.hub motors in the back wheel of the Quest? I live in Germany and I think about a Cruzbike with motor assistance, regarding the european legislation: El. power is only possible if I use the pedals, max power 250 W, max speed is 25 km/h, in Europe such a bike is called PEDELEC.

I live in a very mountainous region.

Is the width of the rear fork 100 mm? (I am not sure, if this is the right wording)


Kind regards from Germany
manstir99

 

[John Tolhurst]

Yes, the rear fork is 100mm.

To be honest, our experience with Quest is only beginning, in Australia, in US and in Europe. This forum is vital for people to see the possibilities and to contribute to other Quest owners their own smart ideas.

 

[JeffParker]

I actually have a prototype Cruzbike Freerider with the rear wheel EZ hub motor built by Bob Mcree. I have not seen the Quest yet but a Cruzbike with a rear-hub motor becomes an awesome all-wheel drive vehicle suitable for all terrains. You may want to consider a Freerider or Sofrider frame because there are better options for mounting a battery bracket below the seat, you don't need all the speeds-leaving the left grip free for a throttle . Best to keep the heavy batteries below the seat, and you'll want to upgrade the kickstand and front brake to disc. Jeff

 

[highrider]

I have recently put my Heinzmann 250W motor into a rear wheel of my cruzbike conversion. A cheap frame and I was able to use the existing axle with same spacers into the 135mm forks by standing on them with the bike laid on the ground. I have bolted the control unit to the rear of the seat and the battery in a rear pannier supported on the seat back. It goes very well. The difficulty is that with front and rear derailleurs I have the rear control mech in a difficult location as I the throttle takes up rather too much space on the handlebars. IN the few outings with this set up I have only used 2 gears by using front chainrings only. Now the problem is that the bike is very heavy and the brakes are no really adequate. I go down hills very carefully and slowly. I'm still testing out various arrangements with bits off different bikes.

I too am wondering whether to splash out on a quest and would be interested in an answer to this.

 

[currystomper]

There are some low cost single speed 'rear wheel' electric wheels on EBAY at the moment that even have regenerative braking if the rear drop out on the Quest is standard....

There cheap because that are only single speed - but you wouldn't need this on a Cruz anyway

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130367444185

 

[Gromit]

currystomper wrote: There are some low cost single speed 'rear wheel' electric wheels on EBAY at the moment that even have regenerative braking if the rear drop out on the Quest is standard....

There cheap because that are only single speed - but you wouldn't need this on a Cruz anyway

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130367444185

Wouldn't these be 135mm wide?

 

[manstir99]

Hello,

my idea is to use a front hub engine, the width of front hub engines are mostly 100 mm. The width of the rear drop out is 100 mm. A front motor should fit in a Quest.

I have very good experience with brushless, geared motor from: http://www.elfkw.at
Last year I have built a upright pedelec (e-bike), based on my Simplon Kagu trekking bike. The motor is a typical chinese motor. My dealer, Martin Koeck from elfkW, has an optimal support. There are no qualitiy problems with this system over the first 900 km, which I have done last season.

Link to the discription of my pedelec on the German pedelecforum
Sorry, it is written in german
http://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/showthread.php?t=1819

Forum:
http://www.pedelecforum.de

 

[Peder Torgersen]

I have thought several times about getting an electric assist for my Sofrider V1.
That has been in the winter when those thoughts have been there with slippery conditions.
This winter has been very cold it’s over 20 years ago since it‘s been so cold.
There have also been very slippery conditions we have often got snow which makes it very slippery.
There have been times when I haven’t been able to climb some hills but that hasn’t been too often.
One of the down sides of an assist is the extra weight.
The wheel you can get cheap the battery is the expensive part of such an investment.

I have looked at several companies that supply electric assists and have found one that we are thinking about using so we can offer an assist to our customers.
http://www.goldenmotor.com/

They have a MagicPie Hub Motor that has a disc brake and it delivers 250 W with the 24V battery.
With a more powerful battery you can get 500 W, 750 W or 1000 W.
They also have a mini motor which is 250 W with 36 V.

You could also mount a motor in front and rear but it probably would only be legal in the USA if the motors are within the limit which is possibly 750 W I’m not sure of the limit?

Peder

 

[Lullyisa]

Hello,Folks! Could this be the answer for our Quest for an e-Cruzbike?Please, say "Yes!" Cheers!

Shimano unveil new STEPS electric bike components
By BikeRadar
Shimano are bringing out a range of electric bike components called STEPS

* Shimano are bringing out a range of electric bike components called STEPS
* Shimano STEPS: The battery can be removed easily for charging
* Shimano STEPS: The right-hand brake lever includes a button that controls the front and rear lights
* Shimano STEPS: The left-hand brake lever lets you change modes
* Shimano STEPS: Chainset with trouser guard
* Shimano STEPS: Crank and chainring
* Shimano STEPS: Front hub motor
* Shimano STEPS: Rack-mounted battery and rear light
* Shimano STEPS: Front light
* Shimano STEPS: Computer
* Shimano STEPS: Hub gear
* Shimano STEPS: Bottom bracket

Shimano have unveiled a new component group for electric bikes called STEPS – Shimano Total Electric Power System.

It's designed to give e-bikes the feel and handling of a 'normal' bike, combining user-friendliness with a clean design.

The group includes a 250W electric motor that will help get you up to speed but cuts out at 15.5mph (25km/h), with a regenerative braking function that charges the battery as you ride downhill.

As well as prolonging battery life, this E-Gain system, which kicks in as soon as you touch the brake lever, also improves braking power – think of engine-braking with a car.

STEPS equipment can be used with an eight-speed hub gear operated via electronic shift buttons (Shimano SG-E500), a Nexus hub gear or standard rear derailleur. V-brake and roller brake options will be available.

The 24V/4.0Ah lithium-ion battery is designed to be mounted on a rear rack, and includes an integrated rear light. A full charge is said to take just one hour, and it can be recharged over 3.000 times – so even if you use it every day it should last over eight years.

Shimano steps: rack-mounted battery and rear light: shimano steps: rack-mounted battery and rear light

Buttons on top of the brake levers allow you to switch riding modes and operate the lights (as well as the integrated rear light, the system includes a 6V/2.4W LED front lamp, which looks like it has a fork crown mounting).

A bar-mounted STEPS computer gives you an overview of e-bike functions such as riding mode and battery power, along with a gear indicator, speedometer and odometer. All the cables are designed to be internally routed.

At this stage, that's all we know, but STEPS is due to be launched at the Eurobike trade show in September and hit the market in December.

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/shimano-unveil-new-steps-electric-bike-components-26649