Homemade ebike Show and Contest, June 27th, Sign up now

[justin_le]

Hey, so our friends at eatART http://www.eatart.org/ have an annual event at the Vancouver Art Gallery where they display lots of neat engineering and energy themed art installations. This year it was suggested to throw in an electric bicycle contest in the mix as well, to give people exposure to one of the neatest practical means of reducing energy consumption.

We want to feature all the different elements of the homemade ebike scene, and so have decided on 6 different contest categories: Style, Utility, Resourcefulness, Innovation, Discreteness, and Lighting. There will be a prizes worth ~$100-$200 each for the winner in each category, so if you have something or anything to show as far as a homebrew ebike goes, then please sign up now! Here is the link to the sign-up sheet:

http://www.ebikes.ca/contest.shtml

Unfortunately, this only works for people who will be able to come over to Vancouver, with their ebikes, on June 27th. If there ARE people from out of town who would consider this part of a good excuse for a road trip here, and who might need some help with accommodation etc., then feel free to PM me.

Justin

[amberwolf]

I don't think I can get off work long enough to ride there and back. Otherwise I'd consider it. (well, I'd have to find someone to watch the dogs, too).

[mwkeefer]

AW - you take Amtrak into Canada

Bike goes on as checked luggage (carry on only if it's a true folder) - a good thing considering how long the train takes!

-Mike

[liveforphysics]

I'm putting in for that Sunday off at work. If I can get it off, the exhibit will have a fine example of a high powered e-bike there.

Also, anyone in the Tacoma/Seattle area who would like to ride up with me is welcome. I know my E-bike alone fits in the un-latched hatch of my Honda Insight with about 1/3rd of it hanging out the back, and it seems to work fine. It would likely be able to tuck a folding bike in there with it, or maybe it would be possible to fit 2 full sized bikes, but you would have to share my lack of caring about scratches etc... Otherwise, we could take my racecar up, which should be able to hold 3-4 bikes or so in the gutted out hatch area, but only has 1 passenger seat. So, if somebody needs a bike transported, or a bike and themselves transported, assuming I'm not scheduled for anything critical that day, a seat/space is open to anyone who needs it.

[jonescg]

F*^k! I'll be in Banff that weekend for a conference!! What are the odds eh? Travelling to the other side of the world and I miss it because I'm out of town that very weekend

[Jay64]

Well if you take the race car then you can swing down to florida and pick me up and there will still be time to make it back up there.

[amberwolf]

AW - you take Amtrak into Canada

With what $$? Also, where is your sense of adventure?

Then again, all I ever remember about Amtrak was the spate of derailings a couple of decades or more ago. Maybe it would be more adventure than biking up!

Bike goes on as checked luggage (carry on only if it's a true folder) - a good thing considering how long the train takes!

I don't think CrazyBike2 would fit in their luggage areas...it'd have to be boxed up as freight!


Hmmm...maybe I could build a little railcar trolley to stick under CB2, and throw a chain to the back of the Amtrak, hitching a ride. Think they'd notice?

[justin_le]

I'm putting in for that Sunday off at work. If I can get it off, the exhibit will have a fine example of a high powered e-bike there.

Woohoot! That would be so great if you could make it up Luke. We'll make a special "insane power" prize category just for you if you do.

Also, anyone in the Tacoma/Seattle area who would like to ride up with me is welcome.

By super strange coincidence, I'll actually be in the Bellevue area of Washington for a family gathering of sorts on Friday and Saturday, and was trying to figure out how the heck to get myself back to Vancouver in time for hosting this show on Sunday, so fancy this!

Let me know if you can get the day off work and if that could pan out, you got a place to stay in Vancouver as long as you need here too.

Justin

[liveforphysics]

Perfect Justin!

Omg... this totally means taking super-civic... I will put in a helical cut 6th in the tranny so we won't be driven insane by gear whine.

Pray we encounter loads of vettes and vipers or maybe get lucky and run across some exotics to slaughter on the way up.

I'm putting in for that Sunday off at work. If I can get it off, the exhibit will have a fine example of a high powered e-bike there.

Woohoot! That would be so great if you could make it up Luke. We'll make a special "insane power" prize category just for you if you do.

Also, anyone in the Tacoma/Seattle area who would like to ride up with me is welcome.

By super strange coincidence, I'll actually be in the Bellevue area of Washington for a family gathering of sorts on Friday and Saturday, and was trying to figure out how the heck to get myself back to Vancouver in time for hosting this show on Sunday, so fancy this!

Let me know if you can get the day off work and if that could pan out, you got a place to stay in Vancouver as long as you need here too.

Justin

[jonescg]

Hey Luke, you're going to have to find an excuse to come up to Vancouver again in the next 3 months; I'd love to meet you (and anyone else nearby). I'll have to see if Aussie Jester has anything 'unique' to send your way

See youse soon!

CHRIS

[justin_le]

Hey Luke, you're going to have to find an excuse to come up to Vancouver again in the next 3 months; I'd love to meet you (and anyone else nearby). I'll have to see if Aussie Jester has anything 'unique' to send your way
See youse soon!
CHRIS

Hey Chris, nice to catch you briefly today, hopefully next time I won't be in such a rush!

For those who weren't at the ebike last weekend, it was a good amount of fun. All told there were just over a dozen homemade electric bikes present:

Groups Shot.jpg (92.91 KiB) Viewed 3519 times

Melissa showed up and we roped her into being a judge for the event as well as official photographer. Her posts with comments hare on flicker here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melly-mewd ... 4741407794

Some of my favorites:

Ishikawa from Nanaimo with his 4-wheel quad bike, that can be ridden by single rider in the middle or as a sociable tandem.

Ishikawa.jpg (84.21 KiB) Viewed 3562 times

Great home-made fibreglass utility bins for storage on Richard's ebike

Cargo Utility.jpg (59.89 KiB) Viewed 3518 times

Anne-Sophie with her recently converted "Goldie"

Goldie.jpg (98.66 KiB) Viewed 3517 times

Zenon also just finished this recumbent trike just before the show. Real Italian Leather seats.

Recliner.jpg (95.4 KiB) Viewed 3563 times

And we were very fortunate to get a visit from an owner of one of Sam Whittingham's hand-built ebikes from Naked Cycles
http://timetogetnaked.com/
Custom built from the ground up to be a longtail with a stokemonkey drive system. Gorgeous indeed.

Naked Bike.jpg (111.91 KiB) Viewed 3519 times

-Justin

[jonescg]

Looked like a hoot!

Hey Justin I'm now living on Main and 42nd, so I might try to pop in when you're less busy. These long sunny days are killing me without a motorbike

See you soon!

CHRIS

[Zoot Katz]

Thank you Justin for putting this together. I had a good time that day.
There are seven ES posters visible in the group shot of 13 bikes!