Starting to budget after years of wishful thinking

moving_forward

We love our citroen C1 1.2 flair which is nippy and also feels sporty when driving. We aren't as handy with the repairs as you through! You will save loads.
Did you convert your own bike to an ebike? I love my bike it's a Dutch style ladies one and have wondered about converting it. The swytch Kit is expensive compared to an entry level ebike but Mr M_F could do the work if it's worth the cost. 
P s. Citroen is called Bridget and Bike is Olive I'm a female so name them 🤣

LegoHead

moving_forward said:

We love our citroen C1 1.2 flair which is nippy and also feels sporty when driving. We aren't as handy with the repairs as you through! You will save loads.
Did you convert your own bike to an ebike? I love my bike it's a Dutch style ladies one and have wondered about converting it. The swytch Kit is expensive compared to an entry level ebike but Mr M_F could do the work if it's worth the cost. 
P s. Citroen is called Bridget and Bike is Olive I'm a female so name them 🤣

Yes I had my old hybrid I got through cycle to work scheme a few years ago. Found a 750W Bafang motor on ebay for £55 iirc. Usually they are £350+. So got it home, stripped it and found a couple of the lock nuts were too tight so undone them and job done. Just need to buy some sensors, a display and a battery. The battery was a bargain as i found a company selling customer return items of new batteries. 

Done over 20km on the bike so far and the battery is still reporting 75-100%. 

As a guide batteries are about 150-200 and the motor kits can be had for about £370. I would budget around £600 all in for a new kit.

moving_forward

Thanks 👍 so the swytch offer is good then when it's half price. 
Are you an engineer by any chance?

LegoHead

moving_forward said:

Thanks 👍 so the swytch offer is good then when it's half price. 
Are you an engineer by any chance?

Yes I have worked in engineering all my life, did some time working with fuel cells, engines and now electric vehicle test systems.

If the price of the kit is £500 with the discount then I do not think it is a good deal. Basing this on the fact the motor seems very small and I cant find the power output stated on their website. 40Nm torque is not that much and probably only useful on very flat terrain.

The weight of the battery seems to suggest it will also be quite a small capacity. Comparing to other batteries I think possibly the same type of kit or better could be built for £300. Of course that does require a small learning curve, but it is not at all complicated to figure out.

moving_forward

Thanks LG that is very useful. I'm trying to learn about the batteries. So far I've figured out that the one figure Ah I think tell me how long they last and the voltage is the power. This relates to combi drills. I need to learn about motors as well then with bikes.
Is the power output the 250w? They mention in more detail if you click on electrical specs

savingholmes

Well done on being so close to debt neutral

LegoHead

moving_forward said:

Thanks LG that is very useful. I'm trying to learn about the batteries. So far I've figured out that the one figure Ah I think tell me how long they last and the voltage is the power. This relates to combi drills. I need to learn about motors as well then with bikes.
Is the power output the 250w? They mention in more detail if you click on electrical specs

Power output is mostly quoted as nominal output. In reality a 250W motor could draw a lot more power and therefore current. So a motor of 250W will not just draw 250W from the battery. Sometimes it could peak alot higher. It is for this reason it is very important to get a battery that will support the maximum current drawn by the motor, not just the stated nominal value.

moving_forward

Thanks LH, thats good to know so the 250W means how hard it will work but not how much juice it will take to make it work?

LegoHead

Just done my 1st of the month review. It is getting simpler now. I have set all my payments to go out of my account so there are no surprises each month.

I have added another debit card to another account which I now use just for fuel. I leave this card in my car so cant accidentally use it for anything else. Most weeks I am using between £23 up to £30 diesel so on the 1st of the month I am now transferring £130 into this account. £30 *52/12 = £130. I should build up a small excess in this account as time goes on.

I calculated my debt neutral balance and assuming I don't spend any of my spare money on anything that is not budgeted then my debt neutral balance is -£26.13!!! I am due rent money Saturday so this will mean on Saturday I am debt neutral!

I have decided for now I wont be paying off the loan and will review again next month. There is too much uncertainty in the world right now and I have 6 months worth of bills covered if I need it for any reason. I prefer the security of this over being debt free at the moment.

Humdinger1

Wow @LegoHead what a journey you are on! Doing brilliantly.  Have subscribed and looking forward to cheering you on.  Love Humdinger x