e-bike ideas request

[DifferentPointofView]

couldn't you get an electric scooter and swap parts from it? doesn't seem to be that complicated on those things, although I don't know exactly the quality on them, but they're fairly cheap for the "lower end" ones.

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by DifferentPointofView

couldn't you get an electric scooter and swap parts from it? doesn't seem to be that complicated on those things, although I don't know exactly the quality on them, but they're fairly cheap for the "lower end" ones.

most of the scooters that I have looked at are pretty low quality, with small motors, small batteries and limited speed control and they get around that buy having a low top speed, and with a small motor you just run wide open all the time and push it up hills.
Check Ebay for motors, and maybe post an ad on craigslist looking for stuff to play around with, but I wouldn't bother putting less then a 1hp motor on a bicycle any more, that comes out to 750-1,000 watts.
I've talked to the owner of http://www.neodymics.com/ before, and he has some interesting ideas, I agree that the price is more then most people are willing to spend, but it's made with quality parts, and hopefully he'll find a market.

[danceswithweb]

tasdrouille,
i'm looking for a similar set-up for my bike. i was also thinking about getting the zap. it looks like the best option at the end of the day. inexpensive with a simple design. did you get have any luck with anything?

ryland,
if the max speed of the zap is 15mph then does that mean that any additional peddling will simply add to that speed? Say I pedal as hard as I normally do and I normally travel at about 10mphs and then I add the zap will I be going at 25mph?

thanks!

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by danceswithweb

if the max speed of the zap is 15mph then does that mean that any additional peddling will simply add to that speed? Say I pedal as hard as I normally do and I normally travel at about 10mphs and then I add the zap will I be going at 25mph?

thanks!

ZAP motor, not pedaling I would go 12-15mph, I could hit 20mph if I tried hard, but about 17-18mph was normal flat road speed pedaling with normal effort.
With the crystalite motor from electricrider.com I've seen 37mph with the high speed motor at 48 volts, and 27mph with the mid speed motor at 36 volts, no pedaling for either motor.

[Christopher Jordan]

My throttle control broke. I had a new one put on last week, and it got much slower. I thought I could pedal harder and that would bring it up to previous speed. WRONG. My E-Pod seems to have some sort of restrictors in the controller or hub.

E-Pod to E-Slug in one week.... not even pedaling harder helped.

[bryn]

for ease of removal,
just convert a cheap scooter into something like a bob trailer
change the final drive for top speed,
extend controls with a quick disconnect

that way you have room for groceries, a briefcase, tool box, whatever you need at work

you can still go ride on the weekend without the extra weight

[bryn]

i got a 400 watt scooter for $50 at a pawn shop because it needed a charger

[skyl4rk]

You might be able to build a friction drive e-bike for $300.

Friction drive meaning you put a tube on the driveshaft of the motor and push it against the tire to move the bike. With gas motors, people typically use bmx bike pegs (the ones that you see attached to the wheel shaft of small bikes) and mount the pegs to the motor shaft. You can also use epoxy mixed with sand on any shaft to provide friction. Friction drives don't work as well in rain.

You would have to figure out the gear ratio on an electric motor. The motor would have to be held in a frame that pivots and can be held down against the tire, or can be lifted up for free pedaling with no motor drag.

You might find a 1 kW motor for $50. Hopefully you have a lot of junk in your workshop that can be transformed into parts for a frame and driveshaft. 48V and 12 amp hours of lead acid will run you about $150. A 48V charger another $150, but you can also disconnect things and run multiple cheap 12V chargers if you have them available (this is a pain). Wiring needs to be 12 gauge (minimum) or 10 gauge (preferred), hopefully you have this in your junk drawer.