MOPED ARMY

Fantastic thread and awesome build! I’m sure your son is really enjoying it.

I used to sell ebikes. I recommend checking the electrical connections..many are hot glued instead of soldered.

^ I wonder stuff like that too, but have seen guys out on the fat tire ones in the winter here, did not bother to put the window down to ask them about range, but it must be at least "ok" in the colder temps, the other good thing is you should have an easier time bringing the bike inside at work than a gas bike, hell you could charge it at work.

I can speak a bit about the rain and winter piece based on research and my experience with batteries in the cold north.

The Sondors fold XS has a very clever design where basically all major components are water resistant and cables run through the frames body. With some fenders (which they sell or could be found aftermarket) and maybe clever use of vaseline or silicon you can almost guarantee a waterproof bike. I obviously wouldn't recommend submerging the hub motor but the displays, battery, and a hub and those other major components are water resistant.

Also Sondors has been using heatshrink to wrap all their cables so that helps. The Fold XS uses hydraulic brakes which also helps avoid damage due to environment.

As for cold, 40 degrees is nothing for the ebike battery. You mayyyyyybe would see a bit of a drop in capacity but you don't see any real diminished results until you go below freezing. At worst, so up north we can see 0 to subzero temps often, you may halve your range.

So with the Fold XS I have 40-60 mile range so that would still be plenty at 20-30 miles. As Steven said you can charge at work too which is my plan (Not everyone can do this). Also the fold....folds so that makes it way easier to move around. Additionally you could always quickly remove the battery and bring it inside leaving the bike outside.

My plan is to ride this ebike year round and through the snow (sans torrential downpour or blizzard), I do have a car but I'm hopefully to replace it most of the year.

I'll link the bike I'm referring to, definitely not cheap but based on what I would spend building my own, it was well worth it.

https://shop.sondors.com/pages/foldxs

There is definitely a pay to play aspect to this and I would recommend going with a company that has been around for a few years. Sondors has grown a ton in terms of part quality and customer service over the last 5 years. Rad is also a great brand to go with.

I have a student at my elementary school and their family LOVES Rad. They have a Rad wagon which they tow two kids around on, supplies, groceries, thing looks awesome and has great components. I have absolutely seen them dropped off at school in sub-zero temps on the radwagon, it's very cool.

My choice for the fold XS was both to save space so I could throw it in my car, looks based and component based, I want to off-road and beat it up a bit. The Fold XS has some very nice features that I couldn't pass up. Our roads are also crap so I needed the XS's shocks versus the Fold X which is cheaper. Fold X can be had for 999 with the code SONDORS2020 until the end of this month. Not a bad price at all.

e-bikes are great

If you want to go super in depth you should go to http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums

its like moped army but the future

I have a much harder time finding relevant info on endless sphere.

Like I've got a DC motor that's got no mounting plate (face mount only) and it's got a 15mm drive axle with 4mm keyway, and I think people have used these motors, and just wanna figure out how to mount it and where to find a sprocket (seems it's NOT a standard motor or axle size as I'd hoped...) it's I think a "Denzel d4500"

I can find some random posts but no real relevant info.

Motor plus pedals= moped. Electric or otherwise.

for tomos, there are 16" rear hub motors available. think they're for "scooter" conversions.

That is pretty cool, an electric Rokon! But the price is insane, I'd get an ONYX first. Really tempted, I qualify for a loan for one, but only ride about 4.5 months a year so hard to justify....but so cool and fast, not sure how or if I would register it, but at it's cost would fear having it impounded.

I think I could register an ONYX as a moped in MN, prob would, just have to be careful to keep it out of fast mode, I hear they will see close to 60 mph....awesome...lol, with a plate and insurance the cops would prob let you be, as they are not up on moped law here, but if you kept it in 20 mph mode, it is a electric bicycle, no plate dl or insurance needed, but who is going to do that? Certainly not I! :)

yea that's totally what I was picturing, but they don't seem to exist for the 15mm size axle. I've found some threaded adapters for bicycle sprockets, since it seems theres' some tricycles which use the 15mm keyed drive axles but nothing matching quite what I need.

Yea, it's been a learning experience for sure. Kinda came into it like aww you just get all the parts and put em together and realize there's like legos and duplos and they don't all fit together. and also everything from china is a lie.

like I got some rando 18650 that claims to be 4800mAh, which is pretty much entirely impossible given the size and power density, but outta curiousity I tested it. wanna guess actual capacity?

61.

SIXTY ONE. no typo.

and the tester I made works too, it shows the good Samsung cells I got listed at 3000 measuring all from 2800-3300. china "4800 mAh" cell? 61. it weighs nothing too which is a pretty good giveaway that the "30 gallon" capacity in a 20gallon tank doesn't have many gallons actually filled.

Start:

Current:

YES ... it will have pedals!

So my Sondors Fold XS finally arrived. A good bit late but I have to say this thing is a hoot to ride. Get some exercise, cruise along and look good while doing it.

I have to say I'm wanting to go faster but that's a product of constantly riding 2-wheeled vehicles that go 2-3x the top speed of this bike. When I got to work one of my coworkers says I was cookin' so for a bike, it's fast.

Can't wait to take it off-road.

Worth mentioning Sondors is putting out a line called Mad Mods based on vintage mopeds. The bikes look very cool and are a direct rival of Super73, however, they are much less expensive for the high quality components and features they offer.

Yea one of my roles at work is developing process tech for calcining the raw materials for batteries, like the actual cathode active material and like the best case best specs in terms of capacity per gram or per cc, if it was purely packed with active material 18650's couldn't possibly hit 4800. it's just wild. And you know this but man I really didn't expect it to be under 100.

But if we or other raw material suppliers make off spec or under performing material, like you make it wrong or batch it or cook it wrong whatever, you lose structure basically you lose capacity. the material wont survive as many charges, it'll hold less charge etc it gets sold super cheap cuz it's shit material. It's like if you had watered down swamp gas and couldn't salvage it so it gets sold for 20 cents a gallon. And that's what goes into those cheap cells, they also cut cost by just putting a lot less in, I mean the cheapiest weigh half of a decent battery cuz it's mostly empty... you really get what you pay for.

Also the 1st hub motot I got was advertised as 1kW and had a 15A fuse on a 32v battery... I also recently opened that hub and theres a 750w sticker in there lol. Just say 1kW and nobody will know and you can charge more money!

Anyway, I saw a dude on one of those folding sondors yesterday, it moved great. I had my 2wd hybrid moped with the above mentioned 750 front hub, and his was much quicker. (Well till I put on the gas! HYBRID woo)