W
WorkingOnWise
Guest
I posted this in the wrong forum, so I am reposting it here, where it belongs.
Hi All,
I am building a motorized bike (actually 2-one for me and one for my wife) that will allow me to do long trips on the bike.
I will be starting with a yet-to-be-chosen quality mountain bike. The bike will have an aluminium frame, shimano deore ls or xt components, and disk brakes, likely Avid.
The bike will also have a freeradical, from www.xtracycle.com, installed, to allow for some serious cargo. The engine will be installed as low as I can get it, behind and below the seat.
I will build the drivetrain for the engine myself.
I intend on carrying myself, the bike, a trailer, my 60lb dog, plus 200lbs of cargo. I figure the total weight will be 500lbs.
My goal is to travel with this load at 30mph (no faster), with a little power on reserve to maintain speed up a hill.
My questions are:
1) What horsepower would I need?
2) Will a standard bike chain work as the drive chain for this engine?
3) Is there a freewheel sproket I can use that will handle the engine needed, and be compact enough to fit on a bike?
I know 500lbs is a lot for a bike. about 100 of it will be the dog, who will be in the trailer, towed behind me.
I know this is a strange project, but it is what we want to do. With that much weight, I don't know how much I'll be able to peddle, but as long the the engine runs, it won't matter. =)
Oh, the trips we want to take will be as long as 350 miles one way
For the drivetrain, I am thinking about a second derailer system on the left, with maybe 6 cogs on it, to give me a selection of gears.
My reasons for this are:
1) Proven shifting system
2) Readilly available parts
3) Light weight
4) Low part replacement cost
I "think" I'll need 4hp to suit my goals. Lance Armstrong can feed about 1/2hp to his bike. With proper lubrication and maintenance, can a bicycle drivetrain be expected to live 3 or 4k miles before needing replacement when having to handle 8 times the max hp it would normally see?
I do plan on using steel cogs for durability. Might have 1 aluminum one in just to see how it lives compared to the steel.
I have some ideas on how to get the needed 4hp and stay under 50cc for legal reasons, but that's another thread!
So, what do you guys think? Let me know what your experience has been with high hp nd high load motorized bikes.
Thanks
Keith
Hi All,
I am building a motorized bike (actually 2-one for me and one for my wife) that will allow me to do long trips on the bike.
I will be starting with a yet-to-be-chosen quality mountain bike. The bike will have an aluminium frame, shimano deore ls or xt components, and disk brakes, likely Avid.
The bike will also have a freeradical, from www.xtracycle.com, installed, to allow for some serious cargo. The engine will be installed as low as I can get it, behind and below the seat.
I will build the drivetrain for the engine myself.
I intend on carrying myself, the bike, a trailer, my 60lb dog, plus 200lbs of cargo. I figure the total weight will be 500lbs.
My goal is to travel with this load at 30mph (no faster), with a little power on reserve to maintain speed up a hill.
My questions are:
1) What horsepower would I need?
2) Will a standard bike chain work as the drive chain for this engine?
3) Is there a freewheel sproket I can use that will handle the engine needed, and be compact enough to fit on a bike?
I know 500lbs is a lot for a bike. about 100 of it will be the dog, who will be in the trailer, towed behind me.
I know this is a strange project, but it is what we want to do. With that much weight, I don't know how much I'll be able to peddle, but as long the the engine runs, it won't matter. =)
Oh, the trips we want to take will be as long as 350 miles one way
For the drivetrain, I am thinking about a second derailer system on the left, with maybe 6 cogs on it, to give me a selection of gears.
My reasons for this are:
1) Proven shifting system
2) Readilly available parts
3) Light weight
4) Low part replacement cost
I "think" I'll need 4hp to suit my goals. Lance Armstrong can feed about 1/2hp to his bike. With proper lubrication and maintenance, can a bicycle drivetrain be expected to live 3 or 4k miles before needing replacement when having to handle 8 times the max hp it would normally see?
I do plan on using steel cogs for durability. Might have 1 aluminum one in just to see how it lives compared to the steel.
I have some ideas on how to get the needed 4hp and stay under 50cc for legal reasons, but that's another thread!
So, what do you guys think? Let me know what your experience has been with high hp nd high load motorized bikes.
Thanks
Keith