Deacon's DIY Electric Bike Forum!
- Thread starter Bikeguy Joe
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I have no idea what the final product (if ever finished) will look like but this is my concept of the day.
I hate when it takes weeks to figure out something so simple that you want to just throw in the towel when you have one of those "oh crap of course" moments.
I have two the midget bikes I built. One is on a razor 20" bike frame and one is on a Malibu Barbie frame. I know its a hoot to have a kiddie bike with an e motor but anyway.
The razor bike performs so much better with the hub motor that I don't give the Malibu much thought. The hub motor is really very good and I do have to work just enough for it to be therapeutic as well as fun.
The Malibu is less so. Mainly I came to realize because I can't pedal it ill it almost stops. Last night in bed I realized what the difference is. The Razor was designed for a teenager who wanted to ride one of those little bikes for what reason I do not know.
The razor has the 20" short crank, but the full size 8" chain ring. The Malibu has the 6" chain ring. I have changed those before but this time I didn't even think about it. Some time today or tomorrow I will switch out the chain rings and give the bike another try.
Should you want to build one of these midgies you will want to get a longer seat post or make an extension which is what I did. The pedals are killers.
I have two the midget bikes I built. One is on a razor 20" bike frame and one is on a Malibu Barbie frame. I know its a hoot to have a kiddie bike with an e motor but anyway.
The razor bike performs so much better with the hub motor that I don't give the Malibu much thought. The hub motor is really very good and I do have to work just enough for it to be therapeutic as well as fun.
The Malibu is less so. Mainly I came to realize because I can't pedal it ill it almost stops. Last night in bed I realized what the difference is. The Razor was designed for a teenager who wanted to ride one of those little bikes for what reason I do not know.
The razor has the 20" short crank, but the full size 8" chain ring. The Malibu has the 6" chain ring. I have changed those before but this time I didn't even think about it. Some time today or tomorrow I will switch out the chain rings and give the bike another try.
Should you want to build one of these midgies you will want to get a longer seat post or make an extension which is what I did. The pedals are killers.
I have a bid in on a rear wheel assembly for an electric scooter. It is my plan to make a push trailer from it... This wheel has the sprocket and the mounting for a curry motor. I can get a curry motor that will fit I think for about thirty bucks. I have a chain that I can use and a couple of brush type controllers.
Here is what I am thinking:
I run two L shaped channels from the axles of the rear wheel. Put the scooter wheel between them at the rear of the bike. bolt and weld a couple of cross braces to the trailer assembly so that it stays rigid. Mount the battery between the bike wheel and the scooter wheel for ballast. Hook up the throttle and the controller and it should be ready to run.
Any thoughts.
Here is what I am thinking:
I run two L shaped channels from the axles of the rear wheel. Put the scooter wheel between them at the rear of the bike. bolt and weld a couple of cross braces to the trailer assembly so that it stays rigid. Mount the battery between the bike wheel and the scooter wheel for ballast. Hook up the throttle and the controller and it should be ready to run.
Any thoughts.
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For any of you thinking of building an Ebike from scratch, I would highly suggest a pusher. You can buy on ebay now and then a complete rear wheel assmebly. You can almost always find a motor and chain for it there.
I used a 350 watt motor on the last build. See good project in the ebike section. It was a simple build with most of the time spent on adjustment after the build. the assembly was easy. I just underestimated the need for strength and rigidity in the trailer frame.
The wiring is simple, no controller needed at all. A simple on off switch works just fine. I ended up on this version with the batteries on the sides of the rear wheel like saddle bags but without the bag, It is a simple build to do....
I used a 350 watt motor on the last build. See good project in the ebike section. It was a simple build with most of the time spent on adjustment after the build. the assembly was easy. I just underestimated the need for strength and rigidity in the trailer frame.
The wiring is simple, no controller needed at all. A simple on off switch works just fine. I ended up on this version with the batteries on the sides of the rear wheel like saddle bags but without the bag, It is a simple build to do....
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I have no idea how this will last but on the first test drive it did really well. I have simplified the frame for the pusher. Nothing could be easier to build now. This one I used box channel from home depot for the rails. an L bracket I cut in half and I used half on each side rail. I used it to attach to the bike through the finder strut holder hole.
To attach the wheel assemble I used two L brackets. I just bolted and welding them in place. Somehow it seems to be rigid enough. Just have to fabricate two rails using six pieces of metal could not be easier.
Good luck
To attach the wheel assemble I used two L brackets. I just bolted and welding them in place. Somehow it seems to be rigid enough. Just have to fabricate two rails using six pieces of metal could not be easier.
Good luck
I did have to put the batteries back onto the pusher for the weight. I put them back on the sides so I wouldn't have to add any length to the trailer. It is better with the wheel close to the bike wheel.
Since I have the one wheel bike pusher built and it works pretty well, and i have a second wheel and motor ready I need to ask pusher builders a question.
My pusher trailer that I have now is very narrow with only the one wheel. It connects to both sides of the bike at the rear wheel. How will a pusher Two wheel trailer work if only attached on one side of the bike??? On a pull trailer it works fine but then it isn't pushing the bike either...
My pusher trailer that I have now is very narrow with only the one wheel. It connects to both sides of the bike at the rear wheel. How will a pusher Two wheel trailer work if only attached on one side of the bike??? On a pull trailer it works fine but then it isn't pushing the bike either...
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I had a problem and needed a simple reusable solution so I racked my poor mushy brain and came up with this.
The problem:
I need to be able to move the pusher bike in and out of my shop. I managed to make it flexible enough to bend it back up onto the bike simply by lifting it about 90 degrees. It moves in and out of the shop and it stores well. without the batteries it is not so heavy that it can't be hossed around. So the batteries have to be removable. With one on each side for ballast it was going to be a difficult problem to solve.
The solution was to mount each battery separately and remove them one at a time. Yes a true pain in the behind but necessary for now. The original pusher had baskets left over from another build. But for the second I need to weld two L brackets on each rail of the pusher frame. I can sit the batteries on them and hold them in place with a big hose clamp.
The next problem was how to route the wires between the two rails. What I came up with I think will work. It is to put large alligator clips on the wires to connect the batteries. If i do that I can put a wiring harness on each bike and just clip the battery leads to to the harness.
To safely run the wires between the two rails and still have there still not be a solid connection between them, I need to weld a bolt on one side. It needs to be close but not be touching the second rail. Then I will simply add a piece of split heater hose with the wires run inside it. I think that will do it. I need to loosen and move one rail to work on the chain drive or I would just weld it solid.
The problem:
I need to be able to move the pusher bike in and out of my shop. I managed to make it flexible enough to bend it back up onto the bike simply by lifting it about 90 degrees. It moves in and out of the shop and it stores well. without the batteries it is not so heavy that it can't be hossed around. So the batteries have to be removable. With one on each side for ballast it was going to be a difficult problem to solve.
The solution was to mount each battery separately and remove them one at a time. Yes a true pain in the behind but necessary for now. The original pusher had baskets left over from another build. But for the second I need to weld two L brackets on each rail of the pusher frame. I can sit the batteries on them and hold them in place with a big hose clamp.
The next problem was how to route the wires between the two rails. What I came up with I think will work. It is to put large alligator clips on the wires to connect the batteries. If i do that I can put a wiring harness on each bike and just clip the battery leads to to the harness.
To safely run the wires between the two rails and still have there still not be a solid connection between them, I need to weld a bolt on one side. It needs to be close but not be touching the second rail. Then I will simply add a piece of split heater hose with the wires run inside it. I think that will do it. I need to loosen and move one rail to work on the chain drive or I would just weld it solid.
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So last weekend I went out to buy a bike at a yard sale. I planned to build one more pusher so off I went in search of a cheap bike. I bought a twenty inch bike with six gears. I thought I would give one a try.
The bike is just plain evil. You know how some builds just seem to fall into place. And how some take a little sweat and figuring out things. Well this bike would have a new problem every time I almost solved the current on.
Lesson one from evil bike...
I found that the gears are great on a bike as a pedal bike, but worthless on a bike with a motor of any kind. Okay maybe if you run the bike motor through them somehow. Or maybe if you really just want a 100% pedal assist, but for me they are pretty much useless.
Lesson 2 don't hit the seat with a hammer. The plastic tears real easy.
lesson 3 It's good to have front wheel brakes if you convert to coaster rear wheel.
lesson 4 if you use the mountain bike chain on a coaster rear sprocket, make sure the chain is nice and tight the first few miles. If not you are likely to learn about lesson 3 real quick.
This is not the half of evil bike's attempts to kill me. The seat fell off. I mean completely off and left the post sticking up way to close to some of my favorite body parts.
If I still drove and if the bike didn't have a suspension front end, I would take it to the crusher and watch it become an ingot. Instead I'm still strugling with it. This kind of thing keeps me humble.
The bike is just plain evil. You know how some builds just seem to fall into place. And how some take a little sweat and figuring out things. Well this bike would have a new problem every time I almost solved the current on.
Lesson one from evil bike...
I found that the gears are great on a bike as a pedal bike, but worthless on a bike with a motor of any kind. Okay maybe if you run the bike motor through them somehow. Or maybe if you really just want a 100% pedal assist, but for me they are pretty much useless.
Lesson 2 don't hit the seat with a hammer. The plastic tears real easy.
lesson 3 It's good to have front wheel brakes if you convert to coaster rear wheel.
lesson 4 if you use the mountain bike chain on a coaster rear sprocket, make sure the chain is nice and tight the first few miles. If not you are likely to learn about lesson 3 real quick.
This is not the half of evil bike's attempts to kill me. The seat fell off. I mean completely off and left the post sticking up way to close to some of my favorite body parts.
If I still drove and if the bike didn't have a suspension front end, I would take it to the crusher and watch it become an ingot. Instead I'm still strugling with it. This kind of thing keeps me humble.
"evil" spelled backward is "live", too funny
Some things just happen. I swapped in a new clutch lever on "Blue Chaos" last night. Did I check to see if worked, yes I did. In the morning I get on the bike and it didn't. Then I went to check out garage sales, pretty much a bust for any bikes. So with no cargo, I took the bike on the parkway, wound it out to get an idea of how fast it is since I switched to a 12 tooth sprocket, just as the speedo is getting ready to say 40 I hear a clunk and the pedals will spin freely, drive chain fell of. Good thing was I had screwdriver and vise grips still in my pocket to get the chain back on.
Popped the chain back on, ended up finding spray paint for $1 a can, some neat metal boxes for $.15 a spool for a 100ft electric cord $.30 a nice Marine Corp cap for $2, and the coupe de grac (sic) a bike stroller for $15 at Goodwill (brake lever is the kind that can be used as a clutch lever, an added bonus, though getting it home was a chore.
Lesson learned, sometimes things get better even if it starts out bad. You just need to fix it and get on with life.
"Life" spelled backward is "Efil"
Some things just happen. I swapped in a new clutch lever on "Blue Chaos" last night. Did I check to see if worked, yes I did. In the morning I get on the bike and it didn't. Then I went to check out garage sales, pretty much a bust for any bikes. So with no cargo, I took the bike on the parkway, wound it out to get an idea of how fast it is since I switched to a 12 tooth sprocket, just as the speedo is getting ready to say 40 I hear a clunk and the pedals will spin freely, drive chain fell of. Good thing was I had screwdriver and vise grips still in my pocket to get the chain back on.
Popped the chain back on, ended up finding spray paint for $1 a can, some neat metal boxes for $.15 a spool for a 100ft electric cord $.30 a nice Marine Corp cap for $2, and the coupe de grac (sic) a bike stroller for $15 at Goodwill (brake lever is the kind that can be used as a clutch lever, an added bonus, though getting it home was a chore.
Lesson learned, sometimes things get better even if it starts out bad. You just need to fix it and get on with life.
"Life" spelled backward is "Efil"
True enough. Today I took the motor off the bike and just rebuilt the motor frame with all new parts. It seems to be just fine today. I have to learn the lesson that sometimes it is better to draw it then go buy the parts rather than see if I can patch them together. Still you never know what the minimum specs are unless you try the minimum.
The seat however is a total loss I think. I might just try welding it in position since I am going to junk it anyway if I can't make it work I will buy a new one at wallymart . It is rebuilt from a couple of other old seat parts anyway so no real loss.
I came back to add that I used a brake lever as a clutch from day one on my china bike. That piece of tin that came with the kit never would work at all. The other things I should have mentioned is that when you buy junk bikes to experiment with, you have lots of spare parts. Yes they are used but plenty to choose from.
I took that seat apart and found that it wasn't quite together correctly. I'll have to see if what I did helps or not. If not I think I'm going to weld it in place. Heck nobody but me rides the bike and I dont adjust the seat at all. Once I get it setup.
The seat however is a total loss I think. I might just try welding it in position since I am going to junk it anyway if I can't make it work I will buy a new one at wallymart . It is rebuilt from a couple of other old seat parts anyway so no real loss.
I came back to add that I used a brake lever as a clutch from day one on my china bike. That piece of tin that came with the kit never would work at all. The other things I should have mentioned is that when you buy junk bikes to experiment with, you have lots of spare parts. Yes they are used but plenty to choose from.
I took that seat apart and found that it wasn't quite together correctly. I'll have to see if what I did helps or not. If not I think I'm going to weld it in place. Heck nobody but me rides the bike and I dont adjust the seat at all. Once I get it setup.
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I spoke too soon. Chain is toast. New chain with master link, got ate too. Derailleur does not like master links. Running SBP shift kit and a Bell "Speedy Chain". Think I will visit the bike shop tomorrow and see what alternatives there are. I am worried about going through the door though the smell of gas makes them sick Not what I planned for today.
Had some nice Shandies to cool down though so the day was not a total loss.
Had some nice Shandies to cool down though so the day was not a total loss.
I NEVER use master links. In my opinion (not worth much) they are the renowned weakest link. I always use a chain tool and replace the original pin. It's a pain but I don't really have many serious chain problems since I left the gasoline side of motor biking.
My last (I hope) chain problem was evil bike. I rubbed it down with axle grease and a day later all the still links were moving fine. It is still noisy but that's what happens with scooter chain.
My last (I hope) chain problem was evil bike. I rubbed it down with axle grease and a day later all the still links were moving fine. It is still noisy but that's what happens with scooter chain.
Since I have two pusher bikes configured exactly the same... I have decided that it is time to do something about that. I have decided to redo one of them with a smaller rear sprocket. Since nothing else will be different the bike should have a little more max speed but a little less torque. I do love the way these things climb hills but I would also like a touch more speed. So I am going with a smaller rear sprocket. I'll let you know how it goes.
I have decided to sell the hub motor... I put it in the swap shop here but expect to put it on ebay this weekend. I need to remove it from the bike and make pictures for ebay. I just don't like it. I prefer something that I build myself to be honest.
So in addition to the two pusher motors I have now, I am going to build one more to replace the hub motor.
I have a 55 tooth sprocket on the way from tnc. It will give me at least 25% more speed than the 80 tooth I have on it now. It should boost the pusher up to more than the speed of the hub motor.
I have a 450 watt motor on the way. It should give me a little more power on the climb since it will maintain the rps better on a climb. I will have less torque with the 55 tooth sprocket, but I hope the extra watts will fill the gap for me.
I have a front suspension fork on the way for the bike. It is a twenty six inch fork, but I think I will run a 20" wheel in it. It's a twenty inch bike frame so it will still have a little up tilt from the fork.
I am interested in seeing how all this will work out. All L brackets except 4 inch are cut in half to make flat bars. They are stronger than the mending plates the hardware stores sell for some reason. the four inch ones make the battery holders.
So in addition to the two pusher motors I have now, I am going to build one more to replace the hub motor.
I have a 55 tooth sprocket on the way from tnc. It will give me at least 25% more speed than the 80 tooth I have on it now. It should boost the pusher up to more than the speed of the hub motor.
I have a 450 watt motor on the way. It should give me a little more power on the climb since it will maintain the rps better on a climb. I will have less torque with the 55 tooth sprocket, but I hope the extra watts will fill the gap for me.
I have a front suspension fork on the way for the bike. It is a twenty six inch fork, but I think I will run a 20" wheel in it. It's a twenty inch bike frame so it will still have a little up tilt from the fork.
I am interested in seeing how all this will work out. All L brackets except 4 inch are cut in half to make flat bars. They are stronger than the mending plates the hardware stores sell for some reason. the four inch ones make the battery holders.
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Now that's weird lol... about the above post.
The second weird thing is I won't be building this pusher motor after all. The guy who sold me the motor on ebay had second thoughts I guess. Anyway I'm just going to put that small sprocket on my second pusher motor that I already have. I'll just save the wheel and sprocket that is on it now in case I come up with a cheap powerful motor.
The second weird thing is I won't be building this pusher motor after all. The guy who sold me the motor on ebay had second thoughts I guess. Anyway I'm just going to put that small sprocket on my second pusher motor that I already have. I'll just save the wheel and sprocket that is on it now in case I come up with a cheap powerful motor.
I think that was how to make bean soup in a crock pot in 15min
The things those guys post
Unbelievable.
I got the 55 tooth sprocket on one of the pushers, It is much faster and lost very little torque from the changes, I didn't get to use the stronger motor since the jerk sold it to someone else and refunded my money.
I also swapped out the front end of the hubber bike. I put a suspension front on it. I didn't get a change to test it. I am a bit under the weather. As I said on another post it is TSS,,, Toxic Snot Syndrome,... More miserable than really sick.
I got the 55 tooth sprocket on one of the pushers, It is much faster and lost very little torque from the changes, I didn't get to use the stronger motor since the jerk sold it to someone else and refunded my money.
I also swapped out the front end of the hubber bike. I put a suspension front on it. I didn't get a change to test it. I am a bit under the weather. As I said on another post it is TSS,,, Toxic Snot Syndrome,... More miserable than really sick.
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