just one of those days.

"puddler" (Levithelandseal) 03/14/2014 at 19:26 • Filed to: None

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built a bicycle for my dad, hooned it, and broke the front derailleur...

davedave1111 > puddler 03/14/2014 at 19:51

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On the plus side, you didn't call it a front mech to save on typing.

puddler > davedave1111 03/14/2014 at 19:59

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also got to learn to spell it. i'm not lazy, just too powerful for mortal bikes.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > puddler 03/14/2014 at 20:09

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Single speed crank time!

davedave1111 > puddler 03/14/2014 at 20:12

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I was looking on Ebay at bike wheels with electric hub-motors. You can get 3000w front and rear wheels, so 6000w in total. That's 8 bhp (or to put it another way, 12 Bradley Wiggins es pedalling for you), completely silently, and road-legal in most places. With an ordinary bike frame. Talk about too powerful for mortal bikes...

Aside from that, I can't imagine how terrifying a front-wheel drive 4hp bicycle would be, which is what you'd have with just the front-wheel version.

puddler > vdub_nut: scooter snob 03/14/2014 at 20:26

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thats what it's looking like. who needs more than 6 gears anyway?

vdub_nut: scooter snob > puddler 03/14/2014 at 20:28

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My bike is a 2x8, and right now the front derailleur cable is shredded (I keep it locked in 2nd), and the back is so far out of adjustment that I don't bother shifting. It's hell on drivetrain components with the biking I do, but it gives me a workout (and it's cheaper). I plan on fixing everything later this spring (tax refund baby!)

puddler > davedave1111 03/14/2014 at 20:33

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i've looked at doing the electric motors, there are some ultrabadass examples people have built, but those won't do as much good at getting the old man in shape.

puddler > vdub_nut: scooter snob 03/14/2014 at 20:36

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i'll pull the front derailleur off, and leave it on the middle cog, if he needs to change it one way or the other, he'll have to do it with his hands.

davedave1111 > puddler 03/14/2014 at 20:42

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Quite right. Wasn't a suggestion, just an observation. If I was building one, I'd make it look as little like your example as possible.

Or maybe build it into one of these, and go troll roadies:

Can't decide whether it'd be more fun to put it in a ridiculously expensive bike, or a cheap-ass one, but either way it'd wind them right up.

puddler > davedave1111 03/14/2014 at 21:09

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i like the idea of trolling roadies, quite a few up here in the hill country.

the first bike i motorized was a huffy panama jack, flipped the bars over to give it boardtrack flavor, then realized the front wheel would flex inches under loaded corners. still have the grubee engine, just haven't found anything worth putting it on. the last bike i motorized was my haro bmx bike. built a friction drive and articulating mount for a 25cc leaf blower engine, and it would fire about 6 times for every wheel revolution. not powerful enough to run itself (except for downhill) but it was like always having the wind at your back. got over 40mpg with that.

davedave1111 > puddler 03/14/2014 at 21:17

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I'd love to have a small petrol engine, but unfortunately powered bikes over 200 watts aren't road-legal here. You can get away with murder with an electric bike - just have a switch that says 'off-road only' - but anything petrol powered will get you pulled over the whole time.

Otherwise, I'd have one of these already:

vdub_nut: scooter snob > puddler 03/15/2014 at 02:57

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I usually keep the derailleur on, even if it's not hooked up to anything. It acts as a sort of chain guide. Do as you desire, however.