New Electrification Program

[canonloader]

Went to the park this morning to shoot my new bike. It won't look this way for long, which is why I documented it in brand new condition. Friday, the brushless front hub motor gets here and soon after that, it will be an electrified bike. One minute after that, I will be sticking it to the pump. :mrgreen:

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/transport/bike/schwinn-link-12-01-09img_3254-120109.jpg

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/transport/bike/schwinn-link-12-01-09img_3267-120109.jpg

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/transport/bike/schwinn-link-12-01-09img_3274-120109.jpg

[neumanns]

Follow up photos REQUIRED!

Sounds like an awesome project.

[cbouchez]

+1^ before and after pics.

[canonloader]

You can count on full documentation with pictures. I am quite surprised I have not stumbled onto this technology before. It is already a cottage industry that is in full bloom. The next time you are in a super Wally-World, visit the bike department. Krikey, they already have 3 electric bike versions out.

From what I understand, if they can only do 20 miles per hour, they are classified as bicycles, with all the rights of bicycles, meaning ride on the sidewalk, ride trails, etc.

Or, you can go the other way, "Electric Drag Bike - 0 to 60 in Under 1 second (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2JkMCzjTVE)". ;)

By the way, if you already have an electric bike, feel free to post yours here. :)

[va_rider]

any idea what kind of range you'll have? and where will the battery go?

[canonloader]

I have spent the last 4 days really researching this thing. I first found this guy and bought the complete kit for the front hub motor, second down on this page (http://ampedbikes.com/complete.html).

It shipped last night and will be here Friday on the brown truck. From all I can find out, this guy is the real deal. He goes to China and finds people who will build the hub motor his way, wind it for torque, make the castings beefier, everything first class. He test each one before he sends it out and has great support.

So, from my new found knowledge, I should be able to go easily 15 miles on one charge, using the cheap sealed lead acid batteries, gel cells in the kit. His full kit comes with a special SLA battery pack and charger in the bag. It mounts to a rear luggage rack, that he supplies. All the controls and wiring are included, including the brake handles with built in electric cutoffs for the motor. You don't want to be dragging your feet trying to stop at a light. :lol:

Anyway, 3 more days and I will have images and video and do an unpacking party to show what's in the box. I am sure this will generate some serious interest. Man, at $2.65 a gallon, I am fed up with the gas hogs and pumps. Check out YouTube when you have some time too, there are tons of electric bike vids that will grab your imagination. ;)

[mlav]

I spent 10 years as a mechanic at a couple of bikeshops in high school and college...Schwinn is not the Schwinn it used to be. Be careful with Asian made bike parts, especially if you intend to get this bike up to higher speeds - like >15mph on rough surfaces. The fork is one part I'd be concerned about. Next, the adjustable stem.

Wait, you're from Wisconsin and not riding a Trek? ;)

[canonloader]

This is the first bike. I want to put it together, then put it in CraigsList. I wanted to test the pulling power of the front hub, which seems to be very strong, but I wanted to see for myself. I really wanted a ladies fat tired old style Schwinn, you know, step through, single speed. But, I have a couple hills here and I want to know that the motor can handle them without me pedaling.

This bike is made for Walmart, it's a steel frame and a steel front fork, so it should hold up. I was a welder for 15 years and have checked every weld on this frame and it looks good. It's not the best bike around, but then, it's not the worst I've rode either. We'll see.

I am not a bike person, so I am learning. If you know of a good crank forward type comfort bike that costs less than say an L lens, let me know. ;)

[PhotosGuy]

Nice shots of it. Maybe you could add speakers so it would sound like a HEMI?

[mlav]

I am not a bike person, so I am learning. If you know of a good crank forward type comfort bike that costs less than say an L lens, let me know. ;)


Cannondale USED to be American made...sure hope my C-dale frames never break and need a warranty replacement.
I never recommended comfort bikes. Get a mountain bike and add the goofy stem/handlebar. ;)
If you plan to cruise 20+mph, disc brakes are highly recommended.

[joeseph]

Nice shots of it. Maybe you could add speakers so it would sound like a HEMI?
or perhaps a Merlin... ;)

[canonloader]

Maybe you could add speakers so it would sound like a HEMI?
Frank, Dude, I'm a Ford man. :lol:

Since it's going to have plenty of electrical power, I have already planned to get some kind of stereo.

My main use for this though, is going to be getting around our wetlands trails and bike paths. I live in a town on the banks of the Mississippi and it's predominately flat. And predominately wetlands. Which means tons of wetlands birds and other wild life. The town fathers have seen fit over the years to spend gobs of taxpayers money to retrofit the wetlands with mile upon mile of nice gravel paths, bridges and access roads. They are well maintained and a couple years ago, I use to ride a bike on many of them closer to downtown. I'm getting to old and out of shape to reach most of it though, and this bike will change all that.

What I really want to do though is to see the faces on the guys riding those racers with the little funky helmet mirrors on them that always use to pass me, when I go blowing by them. :mrgreen:

[rklepper]

I just bought a Cannondale that is made in the USA. In fact the frame is hand made in the USA. :)


Cannondale USED to be American made...sure hope my C-dale frames never break and need a warranty replacement.
I never recommended comfort bikes. Get a mountain bike and add the goofy stem/handlebar. ;)
If you plan to cruise 20+mph, disc brakes are highly recommended.

[PhotosGuy]

Frank, Dude, I'm a Ford man. OK, so a 418 stroker would work, too. or perhaps a Merlin... A Merlin might be overkill, but I like the way you think! ;) What I really want to do though is to see the faces on the guys riding those racers with the little funky helmet mirrors on them that always use to pass me, when I go blowing by them. That's the spirit!

[canonloader]

The main box will be out for delivery tomorrow morning, so I have started the preperation today, since it started snowing this morning. The first thing to do was remove the rubber grips, the twist shifters and the brake handles.

The rubber grips are brand new, soft and sticky. They didn't want to come off easily at all...
http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/transport/bike/remove-rubber-grips-12-03-09img_3276-120309.jpg

The trick here, is to peel back the bar end a little bit and pour in some rubbing alcohol. I used about half a cap on each side. Then twist the gips a little at a time and within a few seconds, they slide right off. The alcohol just evaporates...
http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/transport/bike/remove-rubber-grips-12-03-09img_3280-120309.jpg

Next was to remove the new style twist grip shifters, one on each side, for the front and rear spockets. This is the first bike I have had with these shifters and these actually work pretty good...
http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/transport/bike/remove-shifters-12-03-09img_3283-120309.jpg

And the reason to do all this, is to get the brake handles off so I can replace them with the ones the company supplies. Those will have electrical switches in them, and as soon as you touch them, they shut off the power to the motor. Imagine yourself frantically dragging your feet, shoes smoking, as the motor pulls you through the red light. ;)
http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/transport/bike/remove-brake-handles-12-03-09img_3289-120309.jpg

Once the handlebars were down to just the bar, I spread the front brake pads and removed the ball end of the cable, so when the hub motor get's here, I can free the quick release and drop the wheel out quickly...
http://www.picturelacrosse.com/other/transport/bike/split-front-brake-pads-12-03-09img_3293-120309.jpg

I have a specialized wide ass seat coming, and a volt/amp/volts remaining meter. All this should be here tomorrow and Saturday. So far, I have maybe an hour into this project. Less probably. Pretty painless so far.

More tomorrow. :)