ebike dilemma

[M_a_t_t]

I was looking for an ezip actually, but I cant find any. I passed up on one that was on the local craigslist for 250 about 6 months ago. Practically brand new. I do think I will pedal the whole time, relying on PAS. I'll probably keep my eye out for one.

[Ecky]

Direct drive motors are the only ones that won't freewheel (e.g. won't drag when you're not pedaling). Geared hub motors can freewheel because it's inherent in the design, and mid drive motors usually come with a freewheeling adapter. I'm a huge fan of being able to continue riding the bike once the battery is flat, and probably would not build a direct drive bike unless it was for a very specific purpose.

Ebikeling seems to have 26" 500w front wheel geared kits in stock:

ELECTRIC BICYCLE 36V 500W GEARED FRONT 26” KIT (OPT2) | e Bike

Pair that with 2-3 of the $30 eBay 4.4ah 36v battery packs and you're good to go. Might not be a bad idea to get a torque arm, but if it's a steel frame you'll probably be fine.

[M_a_t_t]

The bike I am planning on using has 27" wheels. So if its not 700c or 27" I'll have to get a different bike. Not a big deal, but another expense.

Vskid made a good point. Solar charging wouldn't make sense financially. I have no plans for anything electric powered so I should probably sell them and use it to fund the ebike. That also solves the 36v charging problem.

I'll probably post the panels and controller up for sale, and then try pedaling the trip in the meantime. Once they sell I'll relook at e-bike building. My motorcycle just recently broke down as well so I need to wait before buying it anyway to see how much its going to be to fix it.

Thanks for the help,
Matt

[Grant-53]

I currently run on 700C tires with a triple gear at the crank. Come winter when there is snow on the ground you will need cyclo cross type tires and fenders. A nose cone and tail section attached to the frame keeps the hands warm and the drag lower. Rubber barn boots keep my feet warm and the shape streamlines my lower legs. In cold weather I use a Bell full face motorcycle helmet; the flip up visor doesn't fog easily.

[M_a_t_t]

I've rode the bicycle to school for a week now, and it really isn't that bad. I will probably stick with no ebike. I average 5-6 mph so I don't think aero mods will really help. Maybe after riding for awhile I will get going fast enough for them.

Thanks for the help and advice guys.
Matt

[Grant-53]

You will be cruising at 10-12 mph before long and the aero mods show up then. The other thing is that a fairing will help keep you warm come November.

[Stubby79]

Originally Posted by M_a_t_t

I've rode the bicycle to school for a week now, and it really isn't that bad. I will probably stick with no ebike. I average 5-6 mph so I don't think aero mods will really help. Maybe after riding for awhile I will get going fast enough for them.

Thanks for the help and advice guys.
Matt

Road bike or mountain bike? (Rolling resistance on a mountain bike is a heck of a lot more)

Reminds me of when I started cycling again not a year ago. I used to be able to keep up with traffic...10 years ago. Now I couldn't even get up to a decent speed, and was wiped out after a mile or two.

[M_a_t_t]

Road bike. It rolls pretty well with the tires at 90 psi. There is a slight incline (decline?) on my route that I can just about coast the whole thing. its probably a quarter mile long.

I'm not sure what I am going to do for colder months. I imagine what is gonna happen is that I'm going to slowly bundle up and then eventually stop riding. I'm not sure.

Grant-53:
I looked at your fairings you posted on the "Critique this velomobile" thread. Did you do the math to make the front cone? Or was it more of a guess and check?

Matt

[Grant-53]

I went back to see which post you are referring to. The 2015 Hildago is a long nose recumbent someone else designed. The silver cone fairing I did is for an aerobar set up. It is a guess work piece made from hex mesh and tarp . The white coroplast touring fairing is for flat handle bars. If you are on a road bike with drop handle bars your back angle should be about 45 degrees. Have someone take a picture of you on the bike with a plain background. The shell will extend from your neck to just below your knees. The width at the shoulders will be the max width, 18-20 inches. The length would be 3.92 times that (70-78 in.) according to aerohead. The nose is more parabolic than a cone and the overall shape tapers to the rear. A squared off tail 7-8 inches wide would work for mounting lights.

[M_a_t_t]

How much of a difference can you tell fairing vs no fairing? I don't think I am completely understanding what you are saying about the faring size.

It's a little blurry, but hopefully it will do. Its pretty close to my usual posture when I am actually riding, I find if I am in the dropouts while pedalling my lower back starts to get uncomfortable.


I find myself thinking like this when I go down a hill I scrunch down just about as far as possible "such a low power requirement, I need every little bit possible". Probably deserves a post in the YKYAEM Thread.

I will probably try a few fairings, but I don't want to go all out fairings on it. Probably end up with something similar to your aerobar set up, Nose and back piece. I usually ride on the tops of my bars and only go into the dropouts when I'm going down a hill.