your electric experiences, project ideas?

[matt5]

Hi, whoever reads this. I am interested in converting my 26" bike into an electric assist bicycle. If you have seen any electric bike stuff on the web you probably know that there are a few people that make electric bikes. I am wondering if I could put electric assist on my brand new bike for under $200. I would like it if it would do at least 15 and go for at least 15 or 16 miles before a recharge. I would be primarily using the electric power for hills and for when I need a break. The bike is great. Do you know of any way I could have the motor go on at intervals and have it coast for a while, like train electric motors in the trucks. I currently have a big sprocket on the rear wheel and nothing else. Tell me what you think and if you can show me a list of components, a diagram, something to explain things a little better to me. I don't want to mess this project up. Thank you.

 

[mikeandike]

first of all you're going to have to build a motor mount battery pack etc... the good thing about having the motor on intervals is that when you are pedaling the batteries will recharge ( motor acts as a generator ) the bad thing would be it mighht be a little harder to pedal. u want a slow motor on it though. variable speed would be nice (easier to make on electric) umm... about cost the motor and batteries will be quite alot. last thing you should run chain, belt or whatever it is directly to back wheel so your pedals dont spin...

 

[matt5]

thanks, an idea?

thank you for responding. It was helpful. I will check out different sources and see if I can get some stuff together. What about car starter motors? I would imagine you could use solenoids to control it. I think someone put an article in the forum a while back on that. They are cheap and easy to get. Plus, you could put a big car battery or something like that on and charge it up at home. I have a couple of big wheeled chargers at my house. I know, its kind of a ridiculous idea, but it seems kind of cool. I just remember someone saying that there were a lot of blue sparks and then his machine, whatever it was, took off like a rocket. If I need to, I can go the whole nine yards and buy all the stuff you would find in a scooter. I know, I could just buy a friction drive assist kit and have instant electric power. A goal of this project is for it to be put together by me. After all, it wouldn't be DIY go karts if people didn't do stuff themselves. I'll keep lookin around on the web, and see what I can find on electric stuff.

 

[mikeandike]

i saw that website to with the wooden gokart. I dont recommend starter motors as you read, a flash of sparks then it took off like a rocket - too fast i think.

http://buggies.builtforfun.co.uk/Links/index.html#Electric_Motors

- look under the motor section

 

[robin]

dont use starter motors thay get hot as hell and are to powerfull if i wer u i would use about a 200 ~350 wat motor technobots have some nice ones are but they ar in the uk and i dont think thay will **** to the us i would also use chain drive or friction drive because u waste energey spingin the belt on the pullys befor u start i think 200 ABOUT 100GBP U CULD MAKE A NICE SETUP

 

[matt5]

thanks

Thank you for reminding me of how hot it would get. Bare leg+ furiously sparking hot motor= extreme amounts of pain. A starter motor is probably too much for what I am doing. I will figure it out. Exactly what components would I need to have it on a chain drive, electric-motor driven?I know I need the motor, a chain, batteries, a speed controller, what else is neccesary to get up and running. A gas job would be easier to do in my opinion, but for my purposes I gotta go electric. The bike needs the motor, it is a heavy beast that won't go up hills for crap.
WHOA, dudes! How bout a golf cart motor. I know they are big and heavy, but they have those big batteries so they last a while. I know as little as robertdjung knows about them based on his latest email, but I know the parts are ABUNDANT. And I mean ABUNDANT! There are even turbos for them. I did not ignore your link, I have seen the page, but everything seems too expensive for me. 300+ dollars down the drain. I'm goin on a tight buget, and some of that stuff is in the U.K, so it has to be shipped and seems expensive. I am just a guy who likes to know what hes gettin, you know what I mean, some of those places seem kind of vague. based on my ebay experience, golf cart stuff seems a lot easier to get together. I am gonna check it out. If someone tells robertdjung a little bit more about golf carts, I will be tuning in.

 

[robin]

yer dont get stuf from the uk thay wanted 30 4 that clutch i got of ebay thats 30gbp about 60 dolars wher it is 14 dolars from ther england sucks when it comes to money ther is 17.5%tax on every thing
tip go around to the local alarm or wheelchair place if ther is ones ther and loke around or ask if thay have any old battrys i recentleay got about 30slead battreys from 12amp to 55 amp all free the reason thay thro them out is cus thay hold like 60%charge and pepole dont want them sory about the typo errors

 

[mikeandike]

well i didnt really think about shipping and stuff... anyway how much room do you have on that bike? from what you say it sounds like alot... at first i tthought you only had room for a really small motor... if you can do it with a golf cart motor go for it!

 

[matt5]

here i go

yeah there's a lot of room on it, its 26" and a tank, no problem with space. Thank you to everyone for the helpful advice.

 

[the thnikkaman]

I had the idea that instead of rear brakes, you could charge your battery using the motor as a generator (like how hybrid cars do regenerative braking). As you go down a hill, you generate electricity, controlling your speed and generating electricity in the process. You can use the stored energy from the last hill to power you (at least partially) up the next hill. You should leave the front brakes installed so that in the case of a motor failure, you can still stop.

 

[matt5]

thanks

I have looked up articles on regenerative braking, and it seems like a really good idea, and just how you described it. The bike does have front brakes, but they aren't the best. I am planning on putting some Shimano brakes on it. Something I just thought of: Is it just hooking stuff up, or do you have to program anything? I would get a motor, controller, on off key switch, and throttle wired. I don't want to screw this project up for the sake of keeping the bicycle in good condition and so it is just easier to install.

 

[mikeandike]

i dont believe there is any programming to be done. Just make sure you read about what you want to buy.

 

[mikeandike]

i was surching on google and i found this : http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/powerAssist/

take a look at it

 

[2or3wheels]

That Looks Awoesome And Complicated!!!!!!!