Adrian Parkinson

A mistake on my part, it would be in parallel, not series.

Okay, what I'm currently leaning towards is getting three of these and connecting them in series. Does this sound like a good idea? https://www.takealot.com/universal-hoverboard-battery/PLID71780271

I've never heard of them. What's their website?

Unfortunately, it looks like they don't have any 18650 cells in stock.

Their website doesn't seem to work.

Not myself. If there's someone else who can build a good one at a decent price I'd happily take that, but I think if I tried to build one it would be more effective as a bomb than a battery.

Thanks. Building a pack sounds interesting but requires equipment and skills I don't have. If there's someone else who can do it I'm interested.

The battery it had been using was actually 3 12v lead acid batteries wired together. That was completely dead and even if it wasn't, it would be ridiculously heavy to ride with. I would much rather avoid Aliexpress, but sadly we are in an electrically primitive country where batteries are scarce and expensive so I'm not sure what alternatives there are. If anyone knows of any local suppliers (preferably in KZN) I'd love to hear about it.

Actually, this one seems more likely to be reliable. Thoughts?

Like would this be worth getting?

I got a somewhat shabby e-bike that still has a great motor, all for only R500. The problem is it needs a battery. My budget isn't high, otherwise I would have just bought a brand new bike. What sub-R3k options are there? Is it a good idea to order something from Aliexpress and if so, who's a reputable seller?

Is there any place in SA where I can get cruiser-style handlebars on their own?

There are actually lots of speed bumps along this street. I've had angry drivers overtake me on the solid line because I slowed down for them.

By the way, does anyone have any suggestions on how a street like this could be improved? I don't see any room to add a bike lane unless everyone is willing to give up their verges. This is the only street that connects Ballito and Salt Rock unless you want to take the N2, which isn't cyclable in the slightest.

I've shifted the bus lane to the left and also added the bus and cycle lanes to the oncoming side. I also added CCTV, some warning signs, and small speed bumps.

I tried a version with a bus shelter. Thoughts?

I'd have to clean up my 3D scene a bit since I have everything laid out for this specific angle and don't include anything outside the camera's field of view. Not Just Bikes had a great video about Dutch business parks that showcases their traffic light system. Basically, it intelligently detects what kind of traffic is pulling up and adjusts automatically to give the shortest wait times, and sometimes none at all. I have seen cycling groups on the roads here, but I can't find any contact info for them.

I've been working on this concept for a bike and pedestrian-friendly intersection in Ballito. Attached is the latest version of the render as well as the original photo for those unfamiliar with the area. Let me know what you think as well as any ideas on how to improve it further.

LOL, I do try to avoid shopping at all of them whenever possible. I got my basic single-speed from a small locally owned bike shop since I also prefer to support places like that over big chains like Game.

Not off-roading or mountaineering, that's not my idea of fun.

Has anyone here bought or used one of these? I can't seem to find a single review anywhere online, and the only place that seems to sell them is Game. Are they any good? The price seems very low compared to other e-bikes.

Probably not because no one ever follows my ideas. But I don't care, I do them for me, not for anyone else. Has anyone here had any recent experience with ordering stuff from China? How good are the chances of things actually being delivered? I had a book on the way from the US that according to the tracking has just been sitting in the Durban sorting office for weeks and I don't want the same thing to happen with a more expensive component.

I've thought about that but I'd rather like the mechanical challenge of DIYing it. It also means that if I went the internal route, I could use the hub on other bikes in the future. A mountain bike with suspension is also seriously overkill for me as the closest I get to off-roading is taking a shortcut through the dirt to avoid being seriously killed to death at the intersection at the end of my street.

I've been thinking of adding 3-speed gears to my bike to make going up the hill towards the nearby shops easier. I had been thinking of using a derailleur, but then I started looking into internal hub systems and like the idea a lot. The problem right now is I don't know where I could find any of those components locally. Especially at my budget which is around R1000. I have seen this one on eBay, would it be a good choice? Is it even likely to be successfully delivered? Alternatively, does anyone know of a cheap supplier of either the hub gear or the derailleur locally?