the e-bike life....

[deacon]

Well the zen and pp&e bike thread has come to an end. After I sold my car yesterday I became dependent on my ebike for transportation. I knew from the first bike I built, that it would someday come to this. It's a medical issue so I am going to have to be rather inventive.

Since this might be of interest to some people as they to age, I thought I would discuss the challenges and solutions I come up with.

Right off the bat there were a few things that needed to be addressed. More power or no more power. Would the 250watt bike I ride now and then be up to actually taking me places I needed to go. The answer is a qualified yes, but it is a soft yes. I might change my mind if I have to really go somewhere difficult.

Batteries are another issue. Should I buy the Lith batteries right away? I asked myself. Again I decided to wait and see. Since I am already using a battery trailer I decided to wait and see how that goes before I spring for the light weight and expensive lithium batteries.

What I did do was to make some small changes to the bike system. Yes I'm calling it a system since there is also a trailer that is part of it for now at least.

I built a cube with both sets of batteries in it. I have to test it today to see how it pulls. If it pulls alright then I will no bother to switch out the batteries. I will just use both sets which will give me a 24v 24ah battery pack. When they need replacing I hope the lith batteries are cheaper and that I know how much battery I actually need.

I also reinstalled the homemade luggage rack over the rear tire. I will be picking up things at home depot as well as other places, so I need a place to haul them. That to needs testing.

I also bought a replacement for my blown up battery charger.

So wish me luck as a man without a car lol.... carless in Carolina

[fasteddy]

Deacon--The only gold I've seen is my health card here in Canada.Golden years my stainless steel knee.
Do you or anyone out there know if a 24V 1/4 HP motor motor will push a 250lb lump down the road?
I found a surplus site that has a rear axle/motor combo.Need a trike due to balance problems.
I can post more facts since I'm sure you will need them [gear ratio ect.].I just need to get them off the sight.
Steve.

[deacon]

Steve I can tell you about mine and grouchy has the kind you are talking about. I expect he will chime in.

I have the hub motor it is 24volts 250watts no gears at all. At this time I weight 220lbs naked but I seldom ride that way. I tested my 250 hub motor today pulling 30 lbs of trailer. I'm sure that all of us together went 250 easy.

It pulls great on the flat. Does beautifully going down hill. Gets me up the slight inclines with no pedaling needed but good to get the speed up.

On moderate inclines I pedal even though the bike would crawl up them. On steep inclines I pedal seriously. I haven't found one yet I couldn't get up, but it is with some effort.

I also have balance problems and big time ones at that. I found that riding a bike actually improved my balance. The small trailer that I pull these days also helps to stabilize the bike.

I would say wait for grouchy but if your topography isn't all hilly like mine is the 24volt system should work for you but alas bigger is better for sure up to a point anyway.

Good luck steve. These bikes are good therapy both physical and mental.

The ebike challenge of the day. Charging four batteries with one 12 volt charger. I have a 24volt on the way, I just don't have it yet so I wanted to recharge the batteries after the tests.

I think I learned one thing. I can charge two at a time without rearranging the wiring. That is a very good thing. If I hook to one battery wired parallel the charger does both of them. I have two sets of two batteries parallel then each set is wired to the other series. Four batteries to give 24volts.

[grouchyolfart]

Hoi Deacon, sorry to hear of your health problems, but it warms my heart to see you're working on alternatives for your transportation needs. Not just sitting around doing a whole lotta nothing. Your exploits have been helping a lot of other ebikers as well.

Fasteddy, my system is a 24v 450watt geared motor running on 2 12v 12ah sla batteries. I don't know the horsepower rating. I bought the system used so the batteries are probably not up to par. One set will just get me home on a 4 mile round trip with 2 big hills and a slight incline on one leg. I'm also pushing the 220 mark so I try to pedal as much as possible. I've since lost 5 lbs.

On the flats, I can get up to 20 mph, but needs a bit of runway to get there. If I pedal, I can get up to speed in good order with little effort. I can do those "big" hills at 12 to 15 mph with pedal assist. When I threw my chain, I used only the motor and it got me up that same hill at 7 mph. Not fast, but it got the job done. I think that's the day the battery went kaput as I rode in my driveway. That's no lights on the throttle and no response from the motor.

Don't know if this is what you're looking for, but hope it helps.

[fasteddy]

Deacon/Grouchy-- Thank you.I am looking forward to learning all I can about e-bikes. Not into going fast as I've lots of scars to prove where ends up. I was hit by a kid in his Dads brand new VW in 1965.I moved the drivers side windshield post back 6in with my head and buckled the roof down.Tore the front fender off as well as crushing the hood in.
Went 20ft through the air and my brother hit me with a car as I came down.Walked out of the hospital 6 days later.
I was just standing on the side of the road.
Now I need a trike set up as my balance is less than great.
E-bikes get a real nod from the government in this Province as they want everything to be green/renewable.
Looking at scooter/golfcart motors as well.
My brother just told me the guy next door is an electrical engineer as well as an M.D.
I'll have to corner him this week.Plotting and planning so I'll let you know what turns up.
Steve.

[deacon]

Steve balance was my number one concern about bikes. I knew i would have pedal issues as well but balance was number one. I actually fell off the first bike I bought within the first ten feet. I gave that bike away in disgust. A week later I bought a used hubby cruiser. That big beast was my reintroduction to biking and my first into building motor bikes as well.

After that I began mixing and matching bikes. I now have a pretty good idea what works best for me. I build all my bikes with a small rear wheel. Standing on one leg is not an option for me. If I swing over a bike it has to be quick with me leaning on the bike a little for stability. The twenty inch wheel is small enough for me to get over in a single bound.

One of the big benefits of the small trailer was the wider stance it brings to the bike. My hitch is tight so the trailer is almost part of the bike. Adult trikes are expensive and very heavy. My bike is very light and easy to store and the trailer comes into the house for charging. It is a very easy inexpensive and best of all stable system.

I will be happy to explain how to build the senior citizen bike if you like. I'm sure you have seen pictures of my bubba bike.

[deacon]

I don't think anyone realizes the condition of our roads unless they ride a power bike. Automobiles can step right over the cracks and small rough spots. The most I ever remember knowing about some of these rough spots was the sound of the tires humming as they went over them. That was in a car, not on the bike.

Those same hummer spots toss me all over the place. Every crack in the road has to be planned for unlike in a car. In a car it is the rail road crossing you might notice. On a bike something a lot smaller can toss you to the ground. I am very very careful around broken pavement. In a car I looked a block down the road planning for what might happen, on my bike I look ten yards down the road to plan.

I haven't even mentioned manhole covers yet. I expect every bike rider knows about those. They are much easier to avoid if you are not pulling a trailer.

This is brought on by the five and a half mile ride downtown and back on my bubba bike. It is the dress rehearsal for my wife's retirement party. The topography isn't too bad, so it is very doable.

Since I doubled the battery pack I had more than enough power. As a matter of fact I came in with 25.5 volts. The power saver feature of the bike shuts it down probably about 24.5 so I had a good amount of reserve. It started at 26.5 volts.

I ran the bike in full comfort conditions so it seems it will go over ten miles at comfort riding mind set and probably twelve or more miles at conservation mind set riding. All in all a successful test..

Oh just a piece of advice, if you build a battery trailer, build a frame on the bed so that the batteries can't shift onto the tires. It makes it hard as **** to pedal with the battery case rubbing a trailer tire. It's a lot like a hand brake dragging. See I am still learning. I learned that during yesterday's test.

[deacon]

grouchy you got to get a multi meter so you can test those batteries. I live by mine.

I would love to find a chain drive kit that wasn't too expensive. I could find a twenty inch bike with gears to stick it on. I just don't want a 26" rear wheel. It's makes me too far off balance when I throw my fat butt over it. I fell in the park like that once last year testing a three speed bike.

[grouchyolfart]

I got one, but too lazy to read the instructions. I'll probably goof with it today as it's starting too look a bit damp. A good puttering around day.

I've been doing some searching as well, but it seems most sell only hub kits. Can't see why a chain drive can't be put together though.
Buying your own components and motor and handcrafting a few things can potentially be less expensive.

I say potentially because, my setup, a 450 watt geared motor at $60, mount at $10, electrics $25 is inexpensive for the main components. I still need a rear wheel with a lefthand freewheel. From what I've seen, read and heard, this could cost anywhere between $75 to $100 more. So far, I've not found anyone selling such a wheel, which is puzzling. I have one... and there's got to be more out there. Someone is selling them or at least the components. The search continues. It's the only thing holding up my projects.

[deacon]

Yes I am going to try to beat that with either a push trailer or a front wheel drive.

I just haven't really made my mind up yet. If i go push trailer I might just get a scooter rear wheel assembly and a motor with the scooter sprocket. If I go with a child's bike I can use all the wheels and stuff from that with a motor which has a bike sprocket on it.

If I use the child;s bike wheels, I can simply put the rear wheel on the left side. If it do that I will have the sprocket on the inside of the trailer and can mount the motor onto the bed of the trailer. If I decide to go scooter I will probably use a single drive wheel no trailers at all. The different sized rear sprocket is the gearing I think.

Of course an electric motor no gears and a bike sprocket on it attached to a mountain bike wheel would give you lots of choices of gear ratios. Just find the one that works best. I suppose if one had the money a good bike shop could put a mountain bike sprocket cassette system on any size rim.