strange looking ebike

deacon · Dec 12, 2013

For those of us with balance issues.

Specks
front hub 800 watt36v 24" 3rd controller
frame 20" sissy frame.
Front wheel 24"
rear whee; 20"
side wheels made from a 12" kiddie bike.
Chain drive from the 12" bike.
Trailer is a like the 10" wheels mounted on a single piece of angle iron

As it is now it's a motor first bike pedal only for brakes and steep hills. I have no idea how fast it goes I haven't been able to relax and let it out yet only rode it once and i got home in one piece.

deacon · Dec 17, 2013

It you were smarter than me and not so curious you probably knew the drag on this monster was huge. I went at it again last night and now there are wheels all over my shop. I tried a side car trailer design which would have worked fine but my terrible balance almost threw me into a telephone pole at fifteen miles and hour.

So now I am back to a super light weight trike I made myself. I'll post a picture when I have time to make one. It is still going to need some help on some of the hills here but I really don't know how. I have a kind of neat 800 watt 36volt chain drive motor attached to an eight inch wheel. I'll bet I could hang it off the rear and use it as an assist motor. I'm going to have to look at that later.

wheelbender6 · Dec 17, 2013

Reminds me of those guys on endless-sphere that put a bicycle fork and wheel on the front of an electric goped. They put foot pegs on the front axle, a comfy seat on the deck and ride away low.

Intrepid Wheelwoman · Dec 17, 2013

It's always interesting to see the bikes you build deacon.

The bike in your original post reminds me a lot of this one........

deacon · Dec 18, 2013

It does and the drive looks alot like the drive motor rig sitting on my shelf. I'm going to try to ride my new home made trike today if I get the courage to fight the cold air.

deacon · Dec 21, 2013

I took the three wheel scooter I made from a bicycle out today twice. I am getting more comfortable with it. I found that I can get decent range with it if I do a few things while I ride it. It has no pedals so it is all in he way it converts battery power to motion.

One of the tricks I found was that when it slows down on a hill try to match the throttle to the speed it wants to go. I don't know if that helps but full throttle while it is in a slow down mode does no good anyway. Also I need to be satisfied with a constant speed more than a runner can do. I had to forget the cars and scooter going by and just concentrate on my own movements.

I went up a very steep hill and the bake slowed to a speed less than a grown man could walk, but I didn't have to get off and push so I considered it a success. We will see as time goes on.

paul · Dec 28, 2013

having fun with a motorized bicycle is what its all about, I love your builds deacon and I know you have fun making them

deacon · Dec 28, 2013

Truth is Paul if it wasn't for motorized bikes and this forum I would most likely be dead. I would have a lot less aches and pains since I had to adapt to some stuff but I would be gone more than likely.

If not dead at least as good as dead. So thanks to you and Norm for keeping this old man alive and moving around.

deacon · Dec 31, 2013

I have decided to rebuild this concept bike into a real one again. I turned the last one into a three wheel scooter and it is quite acceptable, but I'm thinking I want something I can padal as well as scoot around on.

I need something with a longer frame because the pedals are too close to the seat on a 20" which make is very shakey when I pedal because the seat has to be sooo high.

The bike will have the same size rear wheel I think 20" and of course it has to have the same size front wheel. It might even have the same front forks, the outriggers are going to be a little different next time I think,.'

I think I will make them each perfectly straight, non adjustable, and a half inch shorter than the center wheel. That should make it roll easier since I might be able to ride it now and then with no side wheel on the ground or just one. It should have less wheel drag either way,

I'm going to work on it the week I think. It should be another strange one.

deacon · Jan 3, 2014

This is the latest incarnation of the worlds strangest bike but it isn't strange enough so I'm going to rebuild it a little stranger. I am thinking two 12" wheels on the back set really close together.

Its too cold to do anything right now.

paul · Jan 4, 2014

something to consider on your motorized bicycles being electric is that motors do not run in mph they run in rpms.. small wheels lots of torque and lows speeds.... big wheels more speed however you loose torgue, experiment and you will find the perfect combo i am sure

deacon · Jan 4, 2014

The 24" wheel has the hub motor. I found it to have sufficient torque for almost all the hills here. Some I could walk up faster but the scooter does get me up eventually. The rear wheel is immaterial and thats what I'm playing with here.

I would live to find something that give me the balance of a tree wheeler and the maneuverability of a two wheeler. Like they put these post at the entrance to the bike bath which keeps trike off them.

When the weather warms up I'm going for a rear with enclosed 12 inch wheels for strength and a spacing of about ten inches between the inside supports. It should be interesting to ride, if I don't wind up in the hospital again.

deacon · Jan 5, 2014

I'm so bored since the weather is cold. I went out and heated the shop so I could work a little. I replace the 20" rear deck on the scooter with a 12" wheeled. five inch wide deck. I can't try it but I did sit on it and I can sit upright without falling over. It should be pretty maneuverable. and it will fit between the poles on the bike trail. So in your face greenway.

deacon · Jan 7, 2014

today I fooled around with this bike. It now looks like a big while for kids on steroids sortof. However somehow I managed to get a flat tire. Both tires on the rear wheels are pretty worn out. So I am going to the local thrift store to see what I can get. If I can get a thrift store bike with two good tires. I will buy if for less than the price of one new tire. I like to have the spare parts in the shop as well.

I have one good front 16" wheel and one good front wheel 12" so either one will work on the scooter I'm building now. I really don't think I have a preference. So the scooter may change again.

deacon · Jan 9, 2014

Latest evolution of the strange ebike/scooter is like this: The front wheel is a 24" 800watts 36v of course. The rear has been converted to a duelie. I mounted one 16" wheel to either side if the frame with an angle iron as an out rigger attached. The outriggers are then attached to the frame in front of the rear wheels to support the them from the outside.

One thing I noticed while working on it was that though it was more stable than a two wheel bike, it is much less stable than my trike. The separation between the wheels is only 7 inches, Which is why I'm calling it a duelie not a three wheeler.

There was a short break in the weather today, so I tested it. Just like my trike it leans to the right on the old roads around town. They have a crown in the middle. I haven't gotten used to that yet. The bike being less stable has me stopping when it gets to be iffy

With the crown and the fact that it isn't as stable as the trike, I am going to have to learn to ride it. That should take a while I'm afraid. I do want to be careful since I have had two rather serious falls. I think the third my be a problem.. lol.

deacon · Jan 12, 2014

The last edition of the strange ebike threw me in the middle of the road. This time it didn't go over backwards and jump on me so I'm fine. I got up dusted myself off and rolled the bike home. I removed the wheels and then widened the rear to two feet and I have done it so many time and had so many parts laying around it took less than and hour to be upo and running again.

It ran just fine this time. and I make my test track run with no problems.

deacon · Jan 18, 2014

I reinvented the wheel and it broke about two blocks from home. I got to carry a heavy three wheel scooter home. So I rebuilt it with better wheels and axles. I rode it a mile and it survived it. It even appears to be in good shape. I refuse to call it a scooter until I ride it five miles at least.

this is the bike that turned over on me.

deacon · Jan 20, 2014

I found out again today what a big different three inches can make. I had opened the spread of the rear wheels to 16inches and the scooter was still unstable not as bad but somewhat. then I opened the spread to 20 inches and it is much better. The axle is also a half inch instead of the 3/8 which bent. I will have to see how this one does.

Easy Rider · Jan 21, 2014

paul said:
having fun with a motorized bicycle is what its all about, I love your builds deacon and I know you have fun making them

I second that! Deacon always build bikes with personality and a unique flare.

deacon · Jan 21, 2014

Well they are at least weird lol.

What I am really thinking is to build the scooter with two motorized hubs. I have two exactly alike. (You should hear how I justified that second one) it really wouldn't be hard just very very heavy. It would require two batteries, controlers and two throttles each independent of the other. At least I think so.

That would tend to get hairy when I opened them both up.

strange looking ebike

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