My First Ebike Ride

I took my first ride on the electric K2 today, Memorial Day. I was able to ride to my work and back at top speed without charging (about 20 miles), and had significant life left in the battery. Overall I am pleased with how the bike turned out. My main gripe is that there is too much weight on the rear, and so the bike does not handle as well as is could if the weight was more evenly distributed.

The above photo of the bike charging in my garage was taken a few days later. The charger is on top of the battery. Note the Kill-a-Watt energy meter the charger is plugged into. I was interested to know how much (or little rather) it was costing me to commute to work now.

Installation: Making it all Fit

While waiting for the new charger I've installed the rest of the electric components on the K2. Most of this work was fairly straightforward and quick. I found velcro ties to be the best wire securing device, as they are easily moved and will not pinch the wire like a zip tie might. As expected, the axle of the motor was slightly too wide for the dropouts on my bike. I mostly just needed to sand down a little beyond the thickness of the paint inside the dropouts to arrive at a smooth but snug fit. The only issue I've found is that when shifted to the tallest gear, the derailleur hits the motor case side. I don't really plan to use this gear much, if at all, so for the time being I will leave it as-is. If I wish to fix it ebikes.ca said they will send me an additional spacer.
I had originally thought that I would place the controller inside a waterproof pannier as I plan to use the bike in all weather conditions, and the controller is not waterproof. On further thought this did not seem like a good idea as the controller needs to dissipate a significant amount of heat. I ended up mounting it to the side of the rear rack with the cables exiting downward (with a drip loop). I also dismantled and applied silicone to the joints of the controller, as recommended by ebikes.ca.

Charger error

Eager to get my ebike charged to be able to try out the next day, I ended up soldering the connections to the charger last night in the wee hours of the morning. I managed to wire the connector on my battery box with the polarity backwards. When I connected the charger to the box, I heard an unpleasant pop sound and immediately knew I had screwed something up. I sent an email to Ping, and he responded later with a reassuring "Don't worry, we will help you solve the problem". Ping helped diagnose the problem as being the charger and said he would send me a new one, no charge, even though I explicitly said I had caused the fault. My experience with Ping as an eBay seller so far has been outstanding.

A Home for a Battery: The Case

Since my LiFePo4 battery is made up of what are known as prismatic cells, essentially foil packets which are bound together with duct tape, sturdy protection is essential. I chose to go with a pre-made plastic case designed to protect sensitive instruments rather than make my own, as this seemed the easiest route to ensure waterproofness. The case is by Pelican and is the 1300 size. This model of case seems to fit the battery perfectly, but note that Ping can make your battery into any shape or size you want if you ask. I used a waterproof cable gland to make the transition through the wall for the power cable. I used the connector provided with the charger to charge separately. A highly recommend getting a crimper designed specifically to crimp the Anderson Powerpole connector, as this provides a perfect, professional crimp every time. Though it cost nearly $50, I think this is worth it for the ease of use alone, not to mention reliable connections.