haulincolin
100 W
I've been riding my existing cargo bike/tandem for years now, upgrading it piece by piece, and I'm ready for the next iteration, starting from the ground up.
Here's my current feature/part list
Here's my long-winded explanation of how I came to these design features.
My current cargo bike is a tandem where the stoker sits recumbent in front and the captain in back (see https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=64928). It's great, but I want to switch to rear wheel drive, and a slightly shorter wheelbase for greater maneuverability. It's neat to have the stoker position pedaling a generator, but it feels crappy to pedal, and contributes very little to charging the battery, so I'm ready to ditch it and the dedicated front seat for a flatbed cargo area. I can still carry someone there, or sitting on the rear rack.
I'm always chasing higher power setups just for fun and excitement so it's time to upgrade from QS 205 to 273, switching to a cast wheel while I'm at it, so no more chance of spoke issues. I still want to be able to pedal over a wide range of speeds, and such a big motor will only take a single speed freewheel (in fact the cast 273 doesn't take a freewheel at all--I will have to modify the side plate), so it's time to upgrade to the Pinion 18 speed internally geared bottom bracket, which has an even greater range than the Rohloff on my current bike.
I've learned that potholes and speedbumps become a much greater hazard with a 200+ lb vehicle than goes 50+ mph, so it's time to upgrade to full suspension. A motorcycle-style swingarm will support the QS 273, and aftermarket Ruckus fork legs will support a front wheel. The Ruckus comes with a 130/90-10 front tire, but I think I can stuff a 90/90-14 in there with a little tighter fender clearance, and possibly a custom arched crown. I'm pretty sure I don't want to even think about using a bicycle fork to support a 200+ lb vehicle that can easily carry three people.
Same with the disc brakes--my Tektro Dorados are nice brakes for sure, but they already feel underpowered for my existing bike. It's time to switch to scooter/motorcycle brakes.
Fabricating the frame out of aluminum is a bit risky since it means having to get the whole thing re-heat treated if it breaks and requires rewelding, but it means all of the machining leading up to welding is easier, plus I love welding aluminum. I think a large cargo bike is the perfect application to utilize aluminum's advantages because I have ample space to use very large diameter tubes.
I currently have a BAC 8000 controller on my cargo bike, and it's the best high power controller I know of, so I'll probably stick with that. I'm also using 18s of Chevy Volt cells from a 2015 vehicle. It has served me well, but I'm considering other options. Leaf cells are tempting because their modular nature would make it easier to arrange them on the frame, I could max out the voltage on my controller by upping my series to 20s or 22s, and I could get a greater range with the 64 ah cells. However, I've heard that they tend to have saggy voltage under heavy load. My Chevy Volt pack at 50ah and supposedly rated for something like 8c sags quite a bit now that I've put it through several years of heavy use and I actually have a controller that can draw 400+ amps. I wouldn't want to downgrade to a battery with worse performance. Would love some advice from people with experience with Leaf cells, or other options here.
Here's my current feature/part list
- Custom 6061 aluminum frame machined and welded by me, heat treated at another local shop.
- Mid-tail length rear end with integrated racks and bags--longer than a standard rear end, but shorter than an Xtracycle/Big Dummy.
- Front flatbed cargo area in the style of a Bilenky or Omnium with linkage steering to a smaller front wheel under the cargo area.
- Motorcycle style swing arm.
- Aftermarket Honda Ruckus fork legs and disc brakes.
- QS 273 17" x 3.5" 50H V4 cast rear wheel.
- QS 14" x 2.5" cast front wheel.
- ASI BAC 8000 controller.
- Surplus electric car battery pack.
- Pinion 18 speed gearbox.
Here's my long-winded explanation of how I came to these design features.
My current cargo bike is a tandem where the stoker sits recumbent in front and the captain in back (see https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=64928). It's great, but I want to switch to rear wheel drive, and a slightly shorter wheelbase for greater maneuverability. It's neat to have the stoker position pedaling a generator, but it feels crappy to pedal, and contributes very little to charging the battery, so I'm ready to ditch it and the dedicated front seat for a flatbed cargo area. I can still carry someone there, or sitting on the rear rack.
I'm always chasing higher power setups just for fun and excitement so it's time to upgrade from QS 205 to 273, switching to a cast wheel while I'm at it, so no more chance of spoke issues. I still want to be able to pedal over a wide range of speeds, and such a big motor will only take a single speed freewheel (in fact the cast 273 doesn't take a freewheel at all--I will have to modify the side plate), so it's time to upgrade to the Pinion 18 speed internally geared bottom bracket, which has an even greater range than the Rohloff on my current bike.
I've learned that potholes and speedbumps become a much greater hazard with a 200+ lb vehicle than goes 50+ mph, so it's time to upgrade to full suspension. A motorcycle-style swingarm will support the QS 273, and aftermarket Ruckus fork legs will support a front wheel. The Ruckus comes with a 130/90-10 front tire, but I think I can stuff a 90/90-14 in there with a little tighter fender clearance, and possibly a custom arched crown. I'm pretty sure I don't want to even think about using a bicycle fork to support a 200+ lb vehicle that can easily carry three people.
Same with the disc brakes--my Tektro Dorados are nice brakes for sure, but they already feel underpowered for my existing bike. It's time to switch to scooter/motorcycle brakes.
Fabricating the frame out of aluminum is a bit risky since it means having to get the whole thing re-heat treated if it breaks and requires rewelding, but it means all of the machining leading up to welding is easier, plus I love welding aluminum. I think a large cargo bike is the perfect application to utilize aluminum's advantages because I have ample space to use very large diameter tubes.
I currently have a BAC 8000 controller on my cargo bike, and it's the best high power controller I know of, so I'll probably stick with that. I'm also using 18s of Chevy Volt cells from a 2015 vehicle. It has served me well, but I'm considering other options. Leaf cells are tempting because their modular nature would make it easier to arrange them on the frame, I could max out the voltage on my controller by upping my series to 20s or 22s, and I could get a greater range with the 64 ah cells. However, I've heard that they tend to have saggy voltage under heavy load. My Chevy Volt pack at 50ah and supposedly rated for something like 8c sags quite a bit now that I've put it through several years of heavy use and I actually have a controller that can draw 400+ amps. I wouldn't want to downgrade to a battery with worse performance. Would love some advice from people with experience with Leaf cells, or other options here.