![]() If you find something that's almost what you want, it may make sense to purchase that complete bike and swap out any components you want to upgrade (that's what I did). For new bikes, sites like BikesDirect have some really good deals because they cut out the middle-man retailer. Craigslist is also a great source for cheap used bikes of decent quality. So, I personally think the safer bet is a mountain bike, and you still have tons of options for getting exactly what you want out of the bike.įor those on a tight budget, pulling the dusty old mountain bike out of your garage might be the best bet. This goes from being slightly uncomfortable to painful and/or dangerous as you get up to faster speeds. ![]() ![]() Road bikes also generally don't have a suspension system, which means you'll feel every little bump. In general, mountain bikes are more stable due to wider wheels and heavier frames. Consider where you will be riding, the size of motor you're interested in, and how much pedaling you want to do. ![]() The two main choices are mountain bike or road bike. Then the next steps will go into detail about choosing parts and putting it all together.īefore you can convert a bike to an electric bike, you need the bike. Where to start? This step will outline the design process and some options I considered before finalizing a design. Electricity is not necessarily 100% "free" or "clean", but riding around a light electric bike instead of driving a large truck is obviously an improvement in terms of energy use and emissions.As a mechanical engineer, this is a big topic for me.Like, drop you off the seat if you're not holding on tight. Nothing like zipping past other people while slowly pedaling backwards.With this bike, I can now drive my house way out into the moutains, desert, etc, then hop on the bike and explore to those really remote places!.I've been living in my tiny house (see instructable here) for 8 months now, and it has a bike rack on the back.I love exploring, but there are some places you just can't get with a car, even a 4WD truck.So, sure I could just ride a normal bike around, but most of the time I'm just really tired out.Oh, you're a distance runner, don't you have plenty of energy? Contrary to popular belief, us runners actually have less energy because we spend it all running!.I'm currently training for some elite 5 and 10k's (running races), so I'm running anywhere from 90 to 120 miles per week (13 - 17 miles per day).I carry large panniers (bags) on a rear rack so I can go grocery shopping, carry around big boxes, etc on my bike.For the nerds out there, I get the energy equivalent of ~80mpg on the bike.An electric bike is suitable for 95% of my transportation and is essentially free - I can charge it anywhere there's an outlet.My only car is a big truck that gets 17mpg on a good day (and 13mpg on not-so-good days).I can park at bike racks (which are absolutely everywhere and in less demand than parking spots).I can commute anywhere within a fairly large radius around town, usually faster than a car.An E-bike presents "the best of both worlds".Roads can get pretty crowded, and parking is always tough to find.Almost every single street has a bike lane, and tons of people bike for pleasure as well as to commute.I have the pleasure of living in the beautiful town of Fort Collins, CO.Feel free to skip it and move on! If you're here for the long haul, here are the main reasons that I decided to pursue this project. So, why build an E-bike? Brace yourself, this is the boring section. ~$2,200 material cost, broken down into:.Super light weight, around 55 lb (with motor, battery, etc).Battery fully charges in ~4 hours with a standard 120v wall outlet.I haven't found any local cars or motorcycles yet that can beat me in a 0-30mph drag race.I don't have any numbers on this yet, but full throttle in a low gear will easily pick up the front wheel (i.e.Here are some quick stats on this project before we get into the details. This will be discussed in more detail in the following steps. The motor can either supplement pedaling or drive the bike by itself (like an electric motorcycle that happens to have pedals). What is an E-bike, you ask? It's a regular pedal bicycle that has been converted to be driven by an electric motor. I'll do my best to make this Instructable readable for everyone that's interested. Hi! My name is Luke and I built a really fast electric bicycle that I also use as a replacement for my car! Don't worry if you don't know much about bikes or electronics.I don't either.
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