On Tue, 09 Jan 2007 08:29, you wrote: > On Mon, Jan 08, 2007 at 09:48:04PM +1300, Andrew Errington wrote: > > Most excellent. If it's not raining I might bring the electric bicycle > > I have just built. > > Really? What have you built? > I've been looking at electric assist for my cycle, as I have a very > daunting hill at the end of my homeward commute (in theory; currently I > use the bus!), and I'm looking for something that could get me up there > without causing a coronary ...
Basically I have added an electric motor and batteries to an ordinary mountain bike-style commuter bike. I bought a 250W geared motor, speed controller and throttle grip from Oatley Electronics in Sydney, then I added a freewheeling hub to the left side of the rear wheel and made a mounting plate to attach the motor to the bike. A short length of chain drives the hub, and the batteries are mounted into a pair of frames I made that hang off the rear rack like panniers. It took a while to put it all together, but I am very pleased with it. It goes at about 22km/h, and has a range of about 30km on a full charge. In Wellington there is a company called NZ Eco Bikes http://www.nzecobikes.co.nz/ who sell electric bikes and kits, but the kit they sell is absurdly expensive, which is why I bought parts and fitted them myself (not to mention the immense amount of fun you can get from cutting and filing 3.5mm steel plate in your garage). In my opinion, hub motors are the way to go for retrofitting existing bicycles. I bought two sets of motors etc., so I could do the same mod to my wife's bike, but she wants to use it in less than a year. I found this on TradeMe, and I have bought one (it's about the same price as the collection of parts): <http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Cycling/Parts-accessories/Other/auction-83770204.htm> It has a similar specification to mine, but of course a different design. Since I won't have to fabricate anything it will be quicker to fit... Maybe it will suit you Jim. I'll let you know how it turns out. AFAIK in New Zealand the power limit not to be classed as a moped is 300W. Check out the LTSA website for the rules: there is another class from 300W to 600W. Just something to bear in mind if building or buying. Oh, and "Linux". A
