Hybrid, 2wd, motorized bicycle?

"Rainbow" (rainbeaux) 03/29/2019 at 13:32 • Filed to: None

0

20

I think I may have asked about this before, but I’m finally at a point where I think I can afford to do it. There are kits to build a gas-powered moped, obviously, but there are also kits for a FWD electric bicycle. I wanna do both. It should come up to about $600 for everything. Properly shifting will take some getting used to, but overall I think this could be a ridiculously fun project. What do you think?

nerd_racing > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 13:43

1

I say do it! Post lots of pictures, and have some fun! 

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 13:46

1

That’s pretty damn awesome idea! What sort of bicycle or moped will you install the kit on? From what I’m reading it sounds like you are using a bicycle and putting a gas engine kit on the back and an electric setup on the front?

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 13:48

1

AWD bicycles already exsist, but they are mechanical with clutch to engage the front wheel.  https://christinibicycles.com

Rainbow > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 03/29/2019 at 13:49

0

Precisely! I’ll probably get a beach cruiser to do it on. I would use my current bike, but I think it’s time to admit defeat with that one. The brakes are all kinds of destroyed.

random001 > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 13:52

1

That is simply an amazing idea.

Thomas Donohue > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 13:53

2

That’s going to be a heavy bike!

I’d probably just go for two batteries with the electric setup to extend range.  But, the hybrid project sounds fun!

Spanfeller is a twat > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 13:53

1

So, So heavy. Honestly I’d do one or the other....

But could be interesting. An issue would be where to place the engine, the fuel tank, the battery, etc.

If you could somehow link the speed of the front motor to the speed of the chain, you could make an interesting 2wd pairing... But I don't know how much that could affect wet riding grip... Specially if you're turning or accelerating.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 13:54

2

*braaps in rokon*

Mercedes Streeter > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 03/29/2019 at 13:54

0

That looks expensive...and my legs are hurting just looking at that beast. lol

Mercedes Streeter > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 13:55

1

Dooooo it! :D What kind of engine are you looking for? If you want to make a deathtrap, I highly recommend the highest displacement you can get away with. 

Rainbow > Spanfeller is a twat 03/29/2019 at 13:58

0

Heavy, but cool. Best part is I can stop myself after the first motor goes on if I need to. 

Rainbow > Mercedes Streeter 03/29/2019 at 14:00

1

Oh yeah, I’m going to try to find * at least* an 80cc kit. I know they exist, but if there are any out there in the triple digits.... oh yeah.

If the cops ask, it’s 50cc.

Rainbow > Thomas Donohue 03/29/2019 at 14:01

0

Heavy, sure, but I won’t be taking it off any jumps or anything.

Spanfeller is a twat > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 14:02

1

I think that you should try the electric set up first, many systems have 40-50km of range, and if you use your bike for commuting, the electric motor could help you out at higher speeds, where it won’t cause crazy amounts of understeer.

The only issue I can forsee is that re- gen in the front wheel should be lighter than usual, given it could make you lose your balance rather quickly.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Spanfeller is a twat 03/29/2019 at 14:03

1

So I recently rode an electric bike, but it was pedal assist, so whatever system was on that would actually be really cool on this, the gas motor would do the “pedaling” and the electric motor would assist it.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 14:05

0

Awesome! Which kit are you thinking for the electric motor? I’m just curious what it looks like.

I recently tested an electric bike and it would only provide electric power if you pedaled, which was cool because that made it adaptive in a way, which in your case if the gas motor takes the place of pedaling, this same electric system would kick in to assist it.

With your system I’m just wondering, will the electric motor be adaptive enough to not fight the gas motor?

Spanfeller is a twat > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 03/29/2019 at 14:07

1

Yeah, but assisting in the front wheel brings a lot of issues in bicycles, I’m specially worried about loss of grip going up hill in the wet, or understeer when taking a corner.

I think that the simplicity of the fwd assist is worth it, so is the fact that if you have a somewhat long commute, you can use the assist when cruising, and lay off it when you take corners, or when you're going up a particularly bad hill. Your Mileage may vary.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 14:16

1

I did a fair amount of research on this and there isn’t much after 80cc (which, fun fact, is actually something like 66cc but they call it 80cc because... China?). That said, apparently the Predator motors are somewhat popular to strap to a bike, but they are bigly.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 14:21

1

I’ll start with my Oppo hat on : This sounds like a fun build and you should do it.

That out of the way, this build will be heavy, expensive, and complicated.  If you want to do an unusual build, I’d be super interested in seeing someone manage to make a 2 or 3 speed motorized bike transmission.  As is, they operate a fixed gear on the hub.  People have talked about making them multi-gear, but to my knowledge no one has managed it.  That’d be neato.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rainbow 03/29/2019 at 14:21

1

You asked for opinions, so here we go! I think this is a phenomenally bad idea, especially if you intend to run both power sources at the same time. As others have pointed out, it’s going to be heavy. But that isn’t the biggest concern. Differential acceleration between the front and rear wheels will probably put you into the ditch.

The biggest problem you face is coordinating the throttle input between the motor which will be high-torque and low rpm, and the engine which will be low torque and high rpm.

If you pinky-swear that you’ll never try to run both at the same time, I’ll back off my position a little. But I’ll still point out that the extra weight will reduce the range and efficiency of both the motor and the engine. I just don’t think the novelty value is worth it.