Mark's 1996 Gary Fisher Joshua X

Battery Box Containing LiFePO4 battery a

Owner

Mark Warner

Location

Tucson, Arizona United States ^map

Vehicle

1996 Gary Fisher Joshua X
Full-suspension mountain bike converted to electric commuter vehicle.

Motor

Amped Bikes 36V Brushless DC
Rear hub brushless DC motor

Drivetrain

Ampedbikes motor & controller with lithium iron phosphate battery

Controller

Amped Bikes 36V Controller
Intelligent Brushless Controller for eBike

Batteries

1 Ping LiFePO4, 48.00 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate
48 Volt 15AH LiFePO4 Battery with integrated BMS.

System Voltage

48 Volts

Charger

off-brand charger
The nominal voltage of the battery is 48V, but the charger (which came with the battery) routinely takes it up to 60V. No ill effects from this overvolting have been experienced.

Heater

Arizona Sun ;-)

DC/DC Converter

None.

Instrumentation

Instrumentation: Cycle Analyst CA-SA

Top Speed

35 MPH (56 KPH)
The bike is currently gearing limited to 25mph, but with a larger chainring on the front I have exceeded 35mph on flat-level ground; this is a direct result of running a higher than normal voltage.

Acceleration

Relatively strong.

Range

25 Miles (40 Kilometers)
I routinely ride round trip to/from work, which is a total distance of 20 miles, including about 1700 feet of total elevation gain on the return ride home. There's plenty left in the pack after that full commute.

EV Miles

Current:	1,250 Miles (2,011 Kilometers)
	As of 5/5/2011

Seating Capacity

1 adult

Curb Weight

60 Pounds (27 Kilograms)

Tires

Specialized Armadillos with liners and heavy duty tubes.

Conversion Time

long weekend to convert. Hardest part, by far, was figuring out how and where to mount the battery on the bike. In the end, I used an old fishing tackle box that was bolted to an aluminum bracket that I constructed. The bracket cantilevers off the front of the bike. This gives good weight distribution, but does feel a little funny for first-time riders on the bike.

Conversion Cost

$700 plus the cost of the bike (which I already owned)

Additional Features

Wuxing brake levers, which are wired to kill power whenever they are applied.

I highly recommend an electric bike for a first time conversion project. You can purchase nearly everything to do the conversion off the shelf. It's also really fun to ride and gets tons of attention from pedestrians and other bicyclists.

code by jerry