[geeks] Electric bike?

[Francois Dion]

On 7/18/06, Sridhar Ayengar <ploopster at gmail.com> wrote:
> Francois Dion wrote:
> > Anybody built their own electric bike or has one?
> >
> > I'm working on my 3rd bike. I'm trying to make a lightweight unit this
> > time, and easily removable. The previous one was built on a mountain
> > bike but when you run out of battery... it is really heavy. Each SLA
> > AGM battery is 10lbs and I use 2. Then a few more pounds for the
> > motors and another lbs for the controlling circuit and wires. Mountain
> > bike itself, altough aluminium, is a 90s vintage XT gruppo
> > w/suspension fork so it's not light. Probably 60lbs total!
> >
> > Beside the weight, another reason i'm wanting to go with a road bike
> > is the reduced friction, better aerodynamic position etc (i know it's
> > not anywhere near a recumbent but still).
>
> Why not build a recumbent powered tadpole trike?  Put a fairing on it
> and I'll bet you'll get crazy amounts of speed.

I'd love to get a Greenspeed, but they are priced too high for me. In
fact, since I ride a bit with my wife, that really means I'd have to
get 2, or a tandem trike and at $7950 list price, it aint gonna
happen. The cheapest greenspeed tadpole is $2500. ($5000 a pair...)

http://www.greenspeed.com.au/

I've heard some positive comments on the actionbent tadpole. They have
one for as low as $1250. It is made in taiwan and fairly good quality,
but the rubber/vinyl seat would have to go.

Now a delta instead of a tadpole would be much cheaper. Apparently the
Trailmate banana peel or fun cycle can both be modified into decent
trikes:

http://www.recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com/mark-garvey-recumbent-trike.html

http://www.ihpva.org/pipermail/trikes/2003-December/028869.html

Cheap fairings can be built from coroplast.

http://www.biketcba.org/TRICORR/projects/coroplast.html

http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/pauljones/

In the end however, i think i'd be a bit scared to drive a low trike
around here.

Francois