Planning on making purchase of 48V Magic Pie Edge

[Wilson_wu]

Hi I am considering purchasing the following:
-Magic Pie Edge 48V 26" Conversion Kit
-48V30AH LiFePO4 Battery

I just have a few questions.

1) Lower operating speeds.
From what I understand, I can manually adjust the 48V kit to operate slower maximum speeds (same speed as a 24V, 36V battery). I was just wondering. How easy is this process? Is it as simple as opening my phone, connecting the Bluetooth and simply clicking a button that lowers the max speed to 24 km/h or 32 km/h?

2) Legality of operation on Ontario roads.
How legal would my 48V battery & kit be on roads? I plan on never operating my bike at 48V speeds on Ontario roads (where the max speed is 32km/h). Although I plan on never operating at 48V, the very fact that my bike is capable of operating over 40km/h worries me. Would this make my bike unfit for Ontario roads or am I fine legally as long as I operate 32 km/h.

3) Where to mount my friggin battery?
This is my Crappy Tire bike I am mounting my battery on. There's literally no room anywhere for a battery as large as the 48V 30AH.
https://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb2408609/p4pb2408609.jpg

I am planning to uninstall my handle bar and install a handlebar with a basket built into the frame. To hold the battery down, I will use seatbelt-like contraption with a belt tightener and a clasp.
http://cdn.blessthisstuff.com/imagens/stuff/img_bicycle_handlebar_basket_2.jpg

In your opinion, is this a suitable battery holder design? Thought it up by myself lol.

4. Torque Arm Protection
Will the torque arms be compatible with my bike? I can't tell if the torque arms will fit my bike's axle areas. My bike specifically seems very clunky looking.

https://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb2408609/p4pb2408609.jpg

5. When is the best time to buy?
As someone who makes minimum wage, blowing $2000 on an ebike is financially difficult. BUT it won't deter me. Does anyone know when the best time to buy this will be? What's the largest discount that Golden Motors has offered in recent memory? I'm fairly patient and I'd like to find a comparable deal as I don't need the bike anytime soon but would like to buy this for next summer. Thanks!

6. Miscellaneous
Can you guys identify any potential problems between my bike, my battery and e-kit that I might not notice? Thanks!

[Lollandster]

The Magic Pie motor is a fantastic piece of equipment, as a direct drive motor it is one of the best and it can be pushed well above its intended operating range. With the new sinus controller it will be much quieter than comparable geared motors (I have not personally tried the new controller though).
But for your application it might not be the best. If you want to keep the bike below the legal speed limit at all times, you may be better off with a geared motor. I recommend you post the same question on a non vendor specific forum (or PM me for more specific recommendations).

The LiFePO4 batteries from Golden Motor are fantastic and the price is good, but the 30AH battery is big and heavy. Are you sure the basket can take the weight? A rack mounted 10AH battery with a spare in a backpack is my recommendation, but that has a higher price per AH.

[Wilson_wu]

Hi there,

I'm completely new to ebikes. I don't understand what direct drive or geared motors are. 

Although the 48V kit and battery are not ideal for lower speed operations. Would it still be capable of what I need the bike for?

I'm mainly buying the 48V kit for the extremely long range it will provide me. I plan on doing long trips such as Toronto to Hamilton. Newmarket to Mississauga. etc and riding at 32km/h while in the suburbs, and 24km/h while in Downtown Toronto.

The rack holds up to 60kg so the battery's weight is more than fine weight wise. I prefer to not put a battery in my backpack as I have back problems and sitting down in a hunched position and carrying weight would exacerbate the discomfort.

[Pwd]

Hello there; it sounds like you've been bit with the ebike bug and are excited to get rolling. 

this should help you understand what direct drive and geared hub motors are:
http://www.ebikes.ca/learn/hub-motors.html

1) There is nothing wrong with using a 48V kit if you are doing lower speeds. You can program the motor and limit its speed anyway. I found this video on Golden Motor Canada's site about programming with the app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_hnwBeIra0

2) As long as you are under 500W and 32 km/h in Ontario you will be fine. You can program the controller to limit power as well; but I would just focus on the speed limit. GM Canada has many videos that mention Ontario ebike law and how to conform with a Magic Pie/Edge/Smart Pie. If you limit the power; you'll also get more range out of your battery.

3) Make sure the battery is secure and doesn't shift. If you balance the weight on your bike; it will handle better. If you plan on mounting a battery up front; I'd go with a rear motor. The lower you can get the weight; the easier it will be to handle as well. You may have to look into fabricating a custom rear rack. Just search around; there are countless custom builds on here and other sites. You might actually have more success with a rear rack on that bike.

4) Depends if you go for a front or rear motor. You'd have to get a better picture of your front and rear dropouts. Just make sure its secure and doesn't have any play.

5) I really don't think there is a best time to buy; but you can watch out for sales and jump on them. Most of the items you need will be on sale at some point; but don't wait too long into the season; then you won't get to ride as much!

6) The motor choice sound great - go for it.

The battery is going to be heavy; you may want to look into some lithium ion alternatives with similar capacity. Read up on the difference between Lifep04 and lithium ion type batteries.

The long distance in not going to be easy. Make your bike as comfortable and ergonomic as possible. You may want to look into a better seat and a high quality suspension seat post something like this:

https://www.amazon.ca/Cane-Creek-Thudbuster-Travel-Seatpost/dp/B002CVBJDM/ref=pd_cp_468_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=EVZY0BSCFK71D3KH6N0H

You will need a good repair kit to bring with you. Spare tube and tools to change a flat etc... Be sure to post lots of pictures of your build and of your bike.



   

[Papagino]

Hi Wilson, I am also into ebike and personally own a Magic Pie 5 Vector running with a huge 36v 10S12P battery (25lbs) on a seat rack made from recycled laptop batteries.  This make my bike top heavy and all the weight is in the rear. I have a background in mechanical engineering and have a 3D printer, so I am now building a new battery that is going to be mount under the down tube, so to have the lowest center of gravity possible. This will balance my bike perfectly as the rear hub motor is around 20lbs and my new battery will be around 14lbs. The new battery is a 10S9P made of the Panasonic/Sanyo NCR18650GA 3500mAh 10A 18650 cells. This pack will be 31Ah with a whooping 1134 Watts hour capacity. I expect my range to be around 150km - 200km + with some pedaling.

I can tell you that putting a 40lbs battery on the handle bar is going to be very top heavy for you.

Looking at your bike picture, you have plenty of room to mount your battery under the down tube.

I have attached picture of my current bike and also a sketch of my new battery design mounted on the down tube.

More info on my current battery design on this post:
http://goldenmotor.com/SMF/index.php?topic=6079.msg34081#msg34081


Good luck with your project

Cheers
Dan

[Wilson_wu]

Hey guys, after further consideration. I have decided to downgrade to a 48V 15AH battery due to weight.
https://www.goldenmotor.ca/products/48V15AH-LiFePO4-Battery-in-FREE-Eco-pack-Bag.html

However, is there a holder I can put this battery while I ride? Or is it supposed to be in the bag while I ride? Won't it overheat in there?

Can I use this 48V battery on a 36V kit? Or should I just buy a 48V kit to go with the 48V battery and then adjust the settings in the controller? I don't plan on going faster than 32km/h (if ever)

I watched the video trying to see how to regulate a 48V kit to max travel at 32km/h. However I cant find how you'd do that. It just says in the video that "if you have a 48V kit/battery, you should set it to 48V in the Nominal Battery Voltage" So where would I adjust a 48V kit/battery to travel the speed of a 36V/32 kmh?

Thanks. Im sooooo confused lol.

[Bikemad]

The battery is supposed to be used inside the bag, so overheating should not be a problem as Lithium batteries don't normally produce large amounts of heat during use:



To set the maximum speed, you will need to reduce the Maximum Forward Speed (rpm) setting using Bluetooth (or the USB programming lead) until the desired maximum speed is achieved:





The wheel rpm at 32km/h will obviously vary according to the wheel/tyre diameter, but this table should give you a rough starting point:



All Magic Pie Edge controllers and motors will run on 24V, 36V or 48V batteries. The only difference in the kits is the throttle control, as the LED Battery Gauge is different for each of these battery voltages.

The 36V LEDs will get very warm when used with a 48V battery, and all three LEDs will simply remain fully lit right up until the battery is completely exhausted and eventually cuts out.
This is completely useless as a battery gauge, but it does function as an obvious visual reminder that the power is turned on. 

It should be possible to fit a suitable resistor in series with the battery feed wire from the lighting switch that powers the LED gauge to allow the 36V gauge to work with a 48V battery. Check out this post for more details. 

Alan
 

[Wilson_wu]

I'm worried about having a 48V bike and whether it would make it classified as a real motor vehicle under Ontario laws. I can't risk demerits as I have a commercial driving job. I've decided to get a 36V kit and battery. Sort of disappointed GM doesnt offer a 36V Lifepo4 battery with higher AH...

Would the specifications of this battery work on a Golden Motor 36V kit? If yes, anything I  should watch out for?

https://www.bioennopower.com/collections/24v-series-lifepo4-lithium-iron-phosphate-batteries/products/36v-30ah-lfp-battery-pvc-blf-3630v

[Bikemad]

Higher battery capacity can easily be achieved by using multiple batteries wired in parallel:





This would also allow the bike to carry one, two or three batteries for short, medium and longer trips.

Three 36V 12Ah batteries in parallel would provide 36V 36Ah in total, which equates to a 20% increase in range over the single 36V 30Ah battery. 

The 36V 30Ah battery mentioned in your previous post should be fine with the Magic Pie Edge as it can continuously supply more current than the Edge will draw under maximum load.

I suspect you may need to purchase a suitable Anderson Powerpole connector for the Edge's battery cable to allow it to plug straight into the battery's connector (which is probably a SB50A).

Alan
 

[Wilson_wu]

I want to use my ebike on a Dual Suspension bike.

It's been a nightmare trying to find a place on the bike to mount the batteries. I can't do the layout seen in your photo because the tire literally bops up and down. So I have to settle for one battery and one with a good range.

I have no idea what that is but Im hoping my battery from that manufacturer will work! Ill look into the Adapter/Plug/Whatever it is lol Hope it's cheap

[Wilson_wu]

Anybody have any experience with these boxes?

Im planning to put my battery in here but am wondering, how the hell am I going to get wires to come out of the box? Are these boxes easy to drill a hole into?

[GM Canada]

Hi Wilson,

First off that bike has many challenges to overcome. Are you sure this is the bike you want to move forward with? Since you are in Canada I would suggest visiting www.canadiantire.ca and see what is on sale. The best feature of this site is you can sign up and be notified when items go on sale. I regularly scan the site and mark certain bikes I am interested in and then I will be notified when they are are discounted. Normally I get all my Canadian tire bikes at half price. If you want a simple conversion look for front suspension hard tail mountain bikes in 26 inch, 700c and 29 inch. Do not get at 27.5 as you will not be able to find a conversion kit in that size. Disk brakes are nice too. The reason I say hard tail is the battery mounting for a lifepo4 battery is very simple on a standard rear rack.

If your going forward with the bike you have the battery and the torque arms are going to be difficult. We can discuss that further if you like.

As for the motor if you want to go street legal get the Magic Pie Edge. The motor is rated at 500 watts and that is the legal limit in Canada. The law for speed is its not supposed to assist you above 32 km/h. At 48 volts the speed will exceed the legal limit so you use the USB cable and cut it back to 32km/h with the value Alan displayed above.  Then voila, you have the exact legal definition of an Ebike in Canada. I would not get a 36 volt battery for the edge as you will not get the true power of the motor and will regret it.

If your looking for instructions on the actual programming check out these two videos

Windows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtudSAudyrM&t=219s
Android
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2EM2DLkr-o&t=258s

Gary