Currie electric bike for $320, 450w motor, claims 15 mile range, what-do-ya-think?

[tomas]

I saw this Currie electric bike for $320 at Amazon. Interesting price, 450 watt motor with a claimed range of 15-20 miles with the included battery.

Reviews are overall good, but some quality clunkers. Might be good to tear down for an electric Street fox??

Good do ya think? Anyone has one of these?

-Tomas

Amazon link for the bike: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017K2ZNM


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xi9jk26oL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

[TheKid]

The men's version is even cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/Trailz-Electric-Mountain-26-Inch-Wheels/dp/B0017K2ZL4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1239454954&sr=1-1

[Locutus]

I think that if you're building a Street Fox you'd be much better off springing for a quality rear hub motor and a decent battery pack. The Currie is a low-end motor that won't last. The battery pack is SLA (sealed Lead Acid).

Ebikes of Vancouver Canada is a good place to start looking for info and components. Justin built an electric bike and rode it all the way across Canada last year, and visited Brad when he was in the area. Very knowledgable chap. Their website is: http://www.ebikes.ca/

I'm also planning to build an electric Street Fox for my commute. I started a thread some time ago documenting my preparations. Over time it has become quite lengthy but there's a ton of information there. In it you can read about the process I went through selecting all my components, including the electric motor and batteries. Here's the link:

http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showthread.php?t=1556

I only have one issue to resolve and I can begin building: Finding a suitable 20mm axle and mount.

[Radical Brad]

The Currie drive is not as efficient as a hubmotor, and it sounds like a small blender when in use due to the gear drive. For a little extra, you would get a much better hubmotor kit that will last 100x longer and produce more usable energy to the wheel.

Brad

[TheKid]

They don't make too many of their bikes with this type of motor anymore, and if you go on their site, the I-ZIP bikes are discounted by about $200. Most of the new bikes are using hub motors.
Other sites that carried this motor as a kit, stopped selling them, in most cases saying they were no longer available. Arizona3bikes was one of those sites, and they now carry a different motor for those who don't want a hub motor. But Currie still has this motor on their site for $98. (Motor and gears only, controllers and batteries are extra. The complete bike for $300 is cheaper.) These are 24v motors.

[likebikes]

I know this is an old thread but I have a couple of their bikes and many of the comments here are correct, although the only problems I've had were bad batteries from them because they sat at Wally World too long. Currie has first class customer service and backed their product 100%. I'm playing around with one of them for an E scooter project. The other I ride around town as my low sitting LWB is a little scary on some of the narrow streets here with the peek-em-up trucks that sit so high and go way too fast.
They were a good buy at W-M for me at $200 each, so I'm not complaining. I cut the manager a deal for two! They were really gathering dust, no one in rural Mn wants an electric bike, imagine that...

[Radical Brad]

Thanks, it's always nice to have multiple reports and feedback.

Brad

[TheKid]

Since this thread came out, I bought two of those motors for the DR. The first one was 36v 450w, which didn't power it so good. Then I bought a 24v 450 and ran it on the 36v battery, and controller. Much more torque, 7mph faster. I tried it with 48v, and it really goes. But at that voltage, it overheats, and there are too many mods needed to keep it cool. Even then, the 24v motors don't last long at 48v. I tried the 36v motor at 48v, and it's actually better with the 24v motor at 36v.
I paid less than 200 bucks for the 24v motor, 36v controller, 36v 15ah battery pack and charger, throttle, key switch, fuse, and charging port, all brand new. I already had a brake lever to cut power to the motor while braking, freewheel and adapter for the axle.
With the 36v motor @ 36v, I could get 20 miles or more with pedaling on a charge. About half that with the 24v motor @ 36v. Probably a little more with lighter batteries.
The motor is a geared motor, 550 rpm.

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/DCM-2445/24VDC-450W-MOTOR-W/-PLANETARY-GEAR/1.html

[TheKid]

I have well over 100 miles on the Currie 24v 250w motor now, and it still runs great. overvolting to 36v seems to have no effect, even without modding for cooling. It has gotten a bit warmer than usual on a few ocasions, but not hot. Same with the controller. The whine is a bit of a nuisance, since I don't want cops to notice there's a motor on the trike. I took it on 16mi. round trip to my cousin's house in 88° weather, using motor only when going there. Still had some battery power left, there was no overheating or cutouts. It's really not a bad little motor, but could use a bit more torque on steep hills.

[likebikes]

That's cool, I'd never have had the nerve to put 36 volts to mine. I have a 36V hubmotor on my LWB. I'm getting ready to pull it off and I might just try to put the controller and an extra battery and see how it goes!

[graucho]

The Currie drive is not as efficient as a hubmotor, and it sounds like a small blender when in use due to the gear drive. Brad

No doubt sounds like a blender with something lodged in it. To each his own I guess. It may be perfect for some but the sound would be too much for me personally.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs7wt50pnmE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9s9pvsXOH0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrjJ9cysPW0&feature=related

[likebikes]

No doubt sounds like a blender with something lodged in it. To each his own I guess. It may be perfect for some but the sound would be too much for me personally.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs7wt50pnmE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9s9pvsXOH0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrjJ9cysPW0&feature=related

I agree about the sound, but hey! that's what MP3s and earbuds are for. :rockon:
Hey Graucho, you in Minneapolis? HPVA meeting at Lake Nakomis community center tonight at 7pm. You should check it out if you haven't already!

[Radical Brad]

What I would like to see is real dynamo results from these motors. When you add a gear drive to a system, efficiency drops, making the watt rating useless. I remember comparing one of these bolt on 500 watt drives to my hubmotor when I was only running it at 36v (450 watts), and the hubmotor had much more pickup and top speed. The 500 watt bolt on system sounded like a like a wind up toy and almost stopped up a decent hill.

I would lay down my money that a hubmotor is probably 2x more efficient that a rear wheel bolt on gear drive unit.

Brad

[TheKid]

There's no doubt that hub motors are way more efficient in my mind. The Currie motor on the DR can get up to 18mph on the flats, but on the steepest hills around here, which are about 8-10% grades, it struggles to get to 10mph without assist, and even with assist, I can get it only to 12mph. If I gear it lower, like I did the 36v motor @ 36v, it will climb those hills quite easily at about the same speed.
Both of the hub motors I have, a 500w 9C and a 750w Golden Motor, will get to over 20mph on the flats, and about 18mph on the same 8-10% grades. In addition, acceleration is at least double that of the Currie motors. Still, if you could stand the noise, are on a really tight budget, and merely looking for assist, and don't need the speed and efficiency of a hub motor, Currie motors have their place. I'm happy with the motor on the DR, but I'd hate it on the tadpole.

[Patrike]

The Currie drive is not as efficient as a hubmotor, and it sounds like a small blender when in use due to the gear drive. For a little extra, you would get a much better hubmotor kit that will last 100x longer and produce more usable energy to the wheel.

Brad


LOL - there are some 600W blenders out that can make soup - Ya might want to ckeck them out!!!:jester:

[Patrike]

I think that if you're building a Street Fox you'd be much better off springing for a quality rear hub motor and a decent battery pack. The Currie is a low-end motor that won't last. The battery pack is SLA (sealed Lead Acid).

http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showthread.php?t=1556

I only have one issue to resolve and I can begin building: Finding a suitable 20mm axle and mount.

I concur with Kid -- save up your pennies and buy quality - which is just about anything that is not that!! IMHO