ERE and Electrification

[sky]

I just built it and have only ridden it twice, but it does not seem to affect braking, and when riding I put it in flat top mode, so wind has not been an issue. The frame does create additional weight but so far it does not affect performance very much, as far as I can tell from just a few miles of riding. I have the bike speed limited to 20 mph.

The main issue is vibration and shaking from rough roads, but I think I can deal with that by reinforcing the joints with through bolts.

With the battery alone, my range is 25 miles. The solar charger will produce about 20 miles worth of power on a sunny day. (my estimate)

[jacob]

One suggestion would be to add a cross-brace (terminology?) side to side, perhaps in the front. You do have a triangle-configuration of the bracing on the side, but it's a square side-to-side and so susceptible to shear.

[7Wannabe5]

I like it! I grok the ergonomics of a recumbent design, but I would be afraid drivers wouldn't see me as well without something higher up like a flag or your solar addition. Since I am now car-free, I am shopping for an electric trike. I want one that will work on road, forest trail, and beach.

[Jean]

https://velo-solaire.com/

Very good ressource on building solar powered bike. It's in french, but translation tool are easy to find, and you should learn french anyway incase our ai overlord decides he should only be addressed in french.

[7Wannabe5]

@Jean:

Thanks. The site was automagically translated to English for me, but I can read in French at approximately the level of a slow-witted 2nd grader from a vocabulary-deprived household. I already own a set of folding solar panels which could likely be attached to just about any bike by some means, although they would be unlikely to maximize solar yield in most secure position. If I could travel the 180 miles to my up north summer spot in two days with one night camping on a solar powered E-trike or bike, that would be my ideal. Or, actually, now that I think about it, although there is no direct public transportation between here and there, if the e-trike was folding and I could lift it by myself, I could likely cut out 60 miles in the middle with a bus ride and maybe do it in just 1 day. There is a very good off-road paved bike trail for a good chunk of the last 60 miles of the trip.

[sky]

@Jean

Thanks for the link, I will study it! Most of what I know about solar ebikes came from the event The Sun Trip, which is a French organized race. https://www.thesuntrip.com/en/

@7

I enjoyed the challenge of designing and building a solar etrike, but I will say that a two wheel pedal bike with panniers is far superior to any ebike. An ebike is regressive technology, because in most cases a simpler technology could do the job just as well.

[7Wannabe5]

@sky:

I largely agree, because my two wheel pedal bike with an attached trailer allowed me to haul around all the stuff I needed for my permaculture project. However, now that I am once again car-free, I think over the medium-run, the option to just throttle an e-trike on occasion would likely save me $ I might spend on Ubers. For example, I could ride a step-thru e-trike to an evening concert way across town while wearing a dress without getting sweaty. I could pedal the e-trike to get to river clean up event, and then just choose to throttle it home if I am tired. IOW, a $1500 e-trike could realistically save me around $60/month and also several hours wasted to public transport inefficiency. The semi-fat tires would also allow me to handle variety of terrains/weather conditions without fretting about the loss to friction. I could even haul my mother around if I purchased the more expensive rickshaw model, as you can see at 37:00 in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfmrM-HX6OA

[Jean]

@7w5
If it's always the same route, you could do with a normal ebike, and reload halfway where you spend the night, and leave the solar panel at your non electrified dwelling to reload the e bike again.
Do you have a place you could crash at around half way?

[jesmine]

I struck up a convo with a train stationmaster while traveling last year with Amtrak. I asked him about the coal train that went by loaded with 75 cars of coal. He said it goes once a week, couple hundred miles round trip to supply the local region with fuel for electric.

Electrification will never be the panacea people hope it will be, but electrification offers solutions that are REALLY elegant for those who can apply them consciously.

[7Wannabe5]

If it's always the same route, you could do with a normal ebike, and reload halfway where you spend the night, and leave the solar panel at your non electrified dwelling to reload the e bike again.
Do you have a place you could crash at around half way?

Unfortunately, I had to unload my last permaculture project which was almost exactly at halfway point between my current residence and my up north permaculture project. That was one of the reasons why I chose that location, but it didn't work out. The rural bus line that would take me there would require two out-of-the-way transfers, so 6.5 hours and $83 one way vs. 3 hr. drive. Short term car rental is obviously the most sensible solution, but it would be more amusing, less expensive, if I could figure out a way to do Bike/Rural Bus/Bike and thereby get the bus ticket down to around $30 one way. If I get a folding bike that weighs less than 50 lbs., I can stow it as luggage for free. The bus has electrical outlets which I can use to charge-up my battery. Using my solar panel with the bike would be neat, but not necessary. Since I currently have zero actual living expenses, my summer travel spending will be my top line item likely through mid-October, so worth tweaking around with a bit.

[Jean]

Otherwise, i can imagine that being a woman your age, you get the double benefit of not being scary, while not being an easy abuse target, which makes hitch hiking a good way of going around. Altough my experience hitch hiking in the us have been quite difficult.

[sky]

If you want a relatively low cost kit to convert an existing bike:

Find either a mountain bike that you can ride comfortably, or a cruiser bike and add a front wheel kit:

https://www.amazon.com/PEXMOR-Electric- ... B0BVM3J5KD

Install a battery, I would recommend a 48V 15aH as a minimum size, but you could also go with 48V 20aH:

https://www.amazon.com/Ebike-Battery-15 ... B0CQ7KXL1S?

This will take basic bicycle mechanic skills and should be plug and play from the electronics side. You will have to remove handlebar grips and replace brake levers, that is about the most challenging part of the installation.

$169 + $208 = $377 plus the cost of the bike.

[7Wannabe5]

@Jean:

I did some hitch-hiking when I was a teenager is the early 80s (which was in some ways more like the late 70s), and even then it was becoming a thing not done. If I attempted to hitch-hike at my current age in the current era, unless I dressed myself in a manner to strongly signal otherwise, everybody would assume I was an opioid addict. OTOH, I could "hitch" a number of rides this summer with family and friends, but I am looking for an alternate independent solution.

@sky:

Thanks for the links/info. I am now thinking that I may perform a minimalist experiment in how little bike might serve my purposes. The last time I was riding a bike for transportation on a regular basis (around 7 years ago-ish), my maximum radius on the kind of semi-crappy, purchased at police auction or found-in-friend's garage bike I generally own until it ends up stolen 1.5 years later was around 15 miles. But, I think I have gotten to an age where my tolerance for semi-crappy automobiles or bicycles might be reaching its end. I kind of want the bicycle equivalent of the smoky-pink Cadillac driven by the very blonde mother of my best friend in high school on her way to the salon to pay somebody else to wash her hair, but let's see what I can find on Craigslist for <$50 first.

[sky]

I think there are a lot of people who have an old bike in the basement/garage that they don't ride anymore, but they don't want to sell it out of laziness or emotional attachment to the bike. If you ask around your local social groups, you might find someone who might help you out.

[7Wannabe5]

@sky:

Funny note would be that I've already been offered a free used car and an unused motorcycle, but nobody has offered me a bicycle.