springtime Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 I have a Phillips Boardwalk folding bike that despite being over 20 years old is in immaculate condition. Not wishing to part with the bike I have decided to convert it to electric. After a careful study I decided to go for the front wheel drive kit but it does require the front forks to have a minimum width of 100mm. Unfortunately as the original forks are only 75mm so I’ve ordered replacement forks of 100mm. Starting the project today so will keep you informed of my progress. Willerby Avonmore previous kit VW Splitty Camper,Ford Transit Camper, Commer Highwayman, Sprite Alpine Caravan, Rapids Export Folding Caravan, Fiat Autosleeper Harmony, Ci Granduca Motorhome, McLouis Glen 432 Motorhome, American RV Trail-Lite twin slide outs 8.2ltr petrol/lpg, Lunar Solaris Limited Edition Caravan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 11 minutes ago, springtime said: I have a Phillips Boardwalk folding bike that despite being over 20 years old is in immaculate condition. Not wishing to part with the bike I have decided to convert it to electric. After a careful study I decided to go for the front wheel drive kit but it does require the front forks to have a minimum width of 100mm. Unfortunately as the original forks are only 75mm so I’ve ordered replacement forks of 100mm. Starting the project today so will keep you informed of my progress. Any particular reason why you went for front wheel conversion? I converted my Claud Butler folding bike using parts from Aliexpress, massive success, 60+ miles range on electric only (no pedalling) if I use it to assist me the range would be increased even further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Be interested in the pic's Springtime when you have it finished. 49 minutes ago, AJGalaxy2012 said: . ......60+ miles range on electric only (no pedalling) if I use it to assist me the range would be increased even further. That's a great range on throttle only AJG, what spec battery(s) is that? Living the dream, well more of a nightmare if the truth be known ~ Griff Wheels at the front ~ Discovery 4 Towing Machine Wheels at the back ~ 4 of ‘em Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 2 minutes ago, Griff said: Be interested in the pic's Springtime when you have it finished. That's a great range on throttle only AJG, what spec battery(s) is that? 60v 30a/h from memory LifePo4, 1500w wheel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springtime Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 Bit of a Hells Angel are you Willerby Avonmore previous kit VW Splitty Camper,Ford Transit Camper, Commer Highwayman, Sprite Alpine Caravan, Rapids Export Folding Caravan, Fiat Autosleeper Harmony, Ci Granduca Motorhome, McLouis Glen 432 Motorhome, American RV Trail-Lite twin slide outs 8.2ltr petrol/lpg, Lunar Solaris Limited Edition Caravan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 44 minutes ago, springtime said: Bit of a Hells Angel are you LOL No not really, I got the extra power because shall we say Im not the lightest of people and we do have a couple of steep hills around here. This guy has certainly done aa good Hell's Angels concept though. AJG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 1 hour ago, AJGalaxy2012 said: 60v 30a/h from memory LifePo4, 1500w wheel! Very interesting AKG, any chance of a snap? Living the dream, well more of a nightmare if the truth be known ~ Griff Wheels at the front ~ Discovery 4 Towing Machine Wheels at the back ~ 4 of ‘em Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 4 minutes ago, Griff said: Very interesting AKG, any chance of a snap? I'm going to use it later, I'll take a photo. For a fantastic selection of conversion gear, I have no hesitation in recommending:- https://www. aliexpress. com/category/100003247/electric-bicycle-part. html?spm=2114. 10010108. 100004. 5. 12eebe48c9De2E I know the motor is somewhat above the max rating for the UK but the speed controller is switchable from the handlebars to be UK compliant and then does allow for more fun offroad. The motor being more powerful also has stronger metal gears. The whole conversion was done in a couple of hours and the results amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Thanks, look forward to seeing it. Living the dream, well more of a nightmare if the truth be known ~ Griff Wheels at the front ~ Discovery 4 Towing Machine Wheels at the back ~ 4 of ‘em Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowedb Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 On 05/07/2018 at 09:21, AJGalaxy2012 said: LOL No not really, I got the extra power because shall we say Im not the lightest of people and we do have a couple of steep hills around here. This guy has certainly done aa good Hell's Angels concept though. AJG If you can't guess by the blokes accent, this was filmed near Wolverhampton. I have seen it in another context, and recognised the road. You can even see my mates house / cars as he passes by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevan Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Calling the A34 between Cannock and Walsall (or more precisely between Gt Wyrley and Bloxwich) "near Wolverhampton" is stretching a point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashgordon Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Another one very interested in a "big" conversion, a dicky ticker makes pedaling dangerous but I do miss being out on a bike, please let us know how you get on and any tips you can pass on would be gratefully received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 4 minutes ago, flashgordon said: Another one very interested in a "big" conversion, a dicky ticker makes pedaling dangerous but I do miss being out on a bike, please let us know how you get on and any tips you can pass on would be gratefully received. Find yourself a nice bike frame folding or mountain bike etc. Then go to the aliexpress link in my earlier post, put your wheel size in and the number of gears if any and finally what capacity battery, the bigger the capacity the more miles, the more powerful the motor the steeper the hill you can climb. You can get complications with front wheel conversions, they dont get enough grip on steep hills. Once the kit arrives from aliexpress it literally is plug and play (see photos). In my case I chose a high quality Claud Butler folding bike rather than some of the not so nice ready done ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 On 05/07/2018 at 09:37, AJGalaxy2012 said: I'm going to use it later, I'll take a photo. .... Still waiting for a squint at this beast AJG. Living the dream, well more of a nightmare if the truth be known ~ Griff Wheels at the front ~ Discovery 4 Towing Machine Wheels at the back ~ 4 of ‘em Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 22 minutes ago, Griff said: Still waiting for a squint at this beast AJG. Sorry Griff, its been manic, I'll go and take some photos of it now in the shed. Standby. ........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Ignore the state of my shed, we had a huge flood last year at home and everything is upside-down. The motor wheel, it came with the gearset attached (you specify what gears and how many when you order. The battery! I still have the wiring to tidy up, I just spend too much time riding it. The handlebar control, S- and S+ adjust the power and max speed, S1 is the legal limit for UK in terms of power and max speed beyond that the fun begins! It comes with the twist throttle and a pair of brake levers with the switches built in. And there it is amongst the rubbish in the shed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springtime Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 Strewth thats one huge battery and drive on the back - how does that effect the weight balance of the bike? Willerby Avonmore previous kit VW Splitty Camper,Ford Transit Camper, Commer Highwayman, Sprite Alpine Caravan, Rapids Export Folding Caravan, Fiat Autosleeper Harmony, Ci Granduca Motorhome, McLouis Glen 432 Motorhome, American RV Trail-Lite twin slide outs 8.2ltr petrol/lpg, Lunar Solaris Limited Edition Caravan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 4 minutes ago, springtime said: Strewth thats one huge battery and drive on the back - how does that effect the weight balance of the bike? It can wheelie well! Its OK actually it works fine. Front wheel conversions have the opposite problem, traction going up hills. It really is a great bike and I really enjoy it. It is fast, stability is a problem with the little wheels, on S5 I chickened out at 45mph and its really twitchy. I normally use S3 and keep the speed down. It does have cruise control built in too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springtime Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 Pros and cons of available drives Willerby Avonmore previous kit VW Splitty Camper,Ford Transit Camper, Commer Highwayman, Sprite Alpine Caravan, Rapids Export Folding Caravan, Fiat Autosleeper Harmony, Ci Granduca Motorhome, McLouis Glen 432 Motorhome, American RV Trail-Lite twin slide outs 8.2ltr petrol/lpg, Lunar Solaris Limited Edition Caravan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 11 hours ago, AJGalaxy2012 said: It can wheelie well! Its OK actually it works fine. Front wheel conversions have the opposite problem, traction going up hills. It really is a great bike and I really enjoy it. It is fast, stability is a problem with the little wheels, on S5 I chickened out at 45mph and its really twitchy. I normally use S3 and keep the speed down. It does have cruise control built in too. Wow that's some hub AJG, what size is the wheel? Living the dream, well more of a nightmare if the truth be known ~ Griff Wheels at the front ~ Discovery 4 Towing Machine Wheels at the back ~ 4 of ‘em Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 1 hour ago, Griff said: Wow that's some hub AJG, what size is the wheel? I can’t remember, I’ll check later, I need to order a fatter tyre for the back, my 19 stone and the battery etc means I need to inflate it to 65 psi. The hub motor is really good, metal geared, very quiet and extremely powerful. Even the steep hill in Gainsborough doesn’t cause any drama, S3, 30 mph no problem. a couple of months ago I was going to the supermarket, a Lycra clad cycling club were giving it their best puffing and panting going up the hill. I couldn’t resist overtaking, sat bolt upright freewheeling I did say morning as I went past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 3 hours ago, Griff said: Wow that's some hub AJG, what size is the wheel? 20" Wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springtime Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 Right, I've finally completed the conversion. Pictures show the following before conversion, after conversion, battery & carrier. Probably the wrong choice to go for front drive as it has meant that I have had to replace the front forks to accept 100mm axle. As they were non threaded it also meant that I had to replace the folding handlebar stem and handlebars. Luckily these were reletively cheap as they came from a bankrupt stock supplier. Battery is 36 volt 11amp Hrs which should give a range of 35 to 40 miles on a charge - hub is 250 watt (legal). Just been out on a 9 mile test run with no pedalling and it seemed to use up a quarter of the battery capacity so quoted range seems possible Willerby Avonmore previous kit VW Splitty Camper,Ford Transit Camper, Commer Highwayman, Sprite Alpine Caravan, Rapids Export Folding Caravan, Fiat Autosleeper Harmony, Ci Granduca Motorhome, McLouis Glen 432 Motorhome, American RV Trail-Lite twin slide outs 8.2ltr petrol/lpg, Lunar Solaris Limited Edition Caravan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Nicely done, looks like a good conversion. What did you think to electric cycling ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springtime Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 Really cool but it seems the faster you go the faster you want to go Willerby Avonmore previous kit VW Splitty Camper,Ford Transit Camper, Commer Highwayman, Sprite Alpine Caravan, Rapids Export Folding Caravan, Fiat Autosleeper Harmony, Ci Granduca Motorhome, McLouis Glen 432 Motorhome, American RV Trail-Lite twin slide outs 8.2ltr petrol/lpg, Lunar Solaris Limited Edition Caravan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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