Who has built their own vehicle "from scratch"?

amberwolf

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
40,463
Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA, Earth, Sol, Local Bubble, Orion
If you've built your own vehicle, be it a trike, a bike, a car, a motorcycle, a scooter, etc., by actually building the frame/etc of it as well as adding on the electric bits (either from a kit or designing your own, etc), post up a pic or several, and a link to your build thread(s).

Details about it's capabilities and purpose are welcome, especially stuff about specific design choices and results of those.


No PHPBB poll, as no options come to mind to put in it.


CrazyBike2:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12500
early version
file.php

more recent, nearly how it is now (ignore the dog food cargo strapped on it in various places)
file.php

file.php

file.php

file.php

with a trailer full of stuff
file.php



SB Cruiser:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=67833
newer pics
file.php

file.php

file.php

file.php

file.php


Old pics
file.php

file.php

file.php

file.php

file.php



Delta Tripper:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22720
file.php

file.php

file.php



Unfinished cargo bike:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=31255
file.php


file.php
 
Dude, that first pic of your bike- you gotta be the master. There's a few I've seen that make their own frames from sheet/tubing, but noone I've seen has repurposed material like you've done. Awe-some, and I guarantee repurposing is far more challenging than using raw materials, just like remodeling old houses vs building with new material.
 
Thanks--you should go look at Naeem's:

http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3983
He even rewound his motors and built his own controllers from scratch.
file.php

rebuilt to be semirecumbent:
 
I haven't seen Naeem post since just after his wreck. I wonder how he's doing?
Amberwolf and Naeem take Ebikes to a new level. building a bike from scratch is one thing, but it's a whole order of magnitude more impressive to build a bike they way they do. Solving engineering problems with existing materials takes more skill than starting with a blank slate.


Here's my scratch build
2ilcxs7.jpg
 
Drunkskunk said:
Solving engineering problems with existing materials takes more skill than starting with a blank slate.
I agree, I tried to go AW's route, for the same reasons I assume (no $, and to reduce mining of new stuff), and gave up. I used a free bike, and scrap plywood, my favourite material:
wood swb.jpg
Couldawouldashoulda finished that one, but the devil's in the details, and I gave up fighting him.

Good stuff grows on trees, it's too bad we cut them down faster than they can grow. So what I'd really like to do is a monocoque velomobile out of molded cardboard. Using the most renewable molding material in existence; mud. A neighbour of mine filtered some mud really well (you don't want pebbles, roots or worms, just mostly sand & silt) and made pretty smooth surfaces from cardboard. People like bread&puppets use this technique for political demos. You can get the same level of finish as sandcastles (albeit on the wrong side).

You separate the cardboard (just get it wet and it peels apart.) Too keep with the enviro/cheapo material plan I hope to use used paint (from used building supply centers) or varnish as the "matrix". And maybe vacuum to suck it down hard like vacuum bagged fiberglass. But not sure I'll get to that project in this life.

To stay somewhat on-thread, here's a scratch build I sort of completed: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25315&hilit=fauchet
Design considerations were to look cool and transport small family members not legally allowed to be confined in kennels. Made from salvaged drive & 2nd hand batteries, and, uh, non-FSC plywood :( That design I generally consider a failure, due to too much space required for parking, my lack of success in designing pedals for the sociable tandem config, and the non-FSC plywood. It's still huddling under a tarp, waiting for me to give it workable pedals and better steering.
 
1JohnFoster said:
Drunkskunk said:
Solving engineering problems with existing materials takes more skill than starting with a blank slate.
I agree, I tried to go AW's route, for the same reasons I assume (no $, and to reduce mining of new stuff), and gave up.
Pretty much.

The first custom-built one I tried to make was ReCycle, an LWB USS 'bent, but there were quite a few "little issues" to solve, and at the time I hadn't had nearly enough experience with bicycle mechanical stuff--I'd barely begun learning what parts were what and what coudl and couldnt' be used together, despite having ridden bikes most of my life I hadn't *fixed* them except for very basic "redneck repairs", and changing tires and tubes (even that I dind't always do right).

So ReCycle was abandoned about 90% done. I probably could finish it now, but I don't have it anymore--one more thing gone after the fire cleanup. I dont' really have a reason to build one like it anymore, so it's unlikely I'll ever try that style again.

But I always have lots of ideas, and find all sorts of interesting things to build from/around. :)



There are a few other "scratch" builders I've seen here on ES, like yours, and Tahustvedt's velo, that really impress me, cuz while I can make things out of stuff you might never think of that way, I can rarely make it look anywhere near as good as y'all's stuff. :oops:

I'm also impressed by Drunkskunk's build, and others, like J3tch1u's Dogati; it's part of why I started this thread to help gather those up, so others can also more easily find them (and all the others I've never even seen here or elsewhere).
 
Here is a link to a norwegian forum, a guy have built his own velomobil with BBS02 250W. Pretty cool!
Pictures from scratch to the end.

https://www.terrengsykkel.no/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1832653#Post1832653
 
Didn't build the frame but build the motor and controller myself, from , well, deep-scratch :D

bike build: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50646
motor build: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=46476&p=679460#p679460
controller build: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=57877&p=863162#p863162
power stage build: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=55641&p=828490#p828490

Controller was build for 120V, 30A (6 FET 4115's). 4 gears with half-twist grip on left handlebar, half-twist grip on right bar is throttle.
You can pedal, motor power or both. Speed, well, the long frame makes for a speed wobble around 40 to 50 kmh so it is controller
limited to 30. 120V 5Ah zippy lipo's. Motor (controller) limited to 1500 rpm.

DSC01498.jpg
DSC01499.jpg
DSC01501.jpg
 
The latest e-vehicle project I've done is this one:
24ypa2b.jpg


My buddy and I are now in our first production run of these trikes we designed from a clean sheet. We've electrified four examples so far, out of seven prototypes and more than twenty production units.

We use a 3000W rated gearmotor driving the rear differential through a further chain reduction with freewheel. 36V 20Ah LiMn battery, 25A controller, gear limited to less than 20 mph. The motor attaches to the rear axle bearing mounts; the battery occupies one end of the under-seat storage bin. The assist is fairly quiet-- basically inaudible in the trike's intended festival setting-- and completely invisible apart from the twist cuff throttle.

The frame is conducted from thin-walled chromoly tubing, the wheels are 29" units built with custom 48 spoke rims, and the body is fiberglass (we're designing a new seat unit now). The 30 to 50 pound weight advantage of our trike allows us to add e-assist and still come in at a lower weight than the competition's unassisted trikes.
 
Interesting; I kinda like it. I guess there's not a lot of stress on the fork, making the lefty single-stanchion design possible for lighter weight?

One thing that I wonder about from a passenger perspective: would it be possible to lower the whole rider section of the frame a few inches to put their back end a little lower? It's not at passenger face level, but is it possible it might bother some of them? (or am I just too picky?)


Is the new seat module going to be carbon fiber rather than fiberglass for extra weight savings, or is it already light enough to not be worth the extra expense/etc?
 
What it is: Modified Chinese electric scooter.
Goal: Cost of ownership to equal / better a 50cc 4 stroke scooter. Performance to match.
Status: 1.8kWh lithium conversion in progress.


Lead sled:
file.php
 
amberwolf said:
Interesting; I kinda like it. I guess there's not a lot of stress on the fork, making the lefty single-stanchion design possible for lighter weight?

A pedicab's fork is under a lot more stress than any bike's. So is an airplane's landing gear. What makes you think the single side arrangement would be inherently weaker? It's what most vehicles use. In our case, it means we can have a 1.75" diameter fork leg, plus a front axle that is 22mm in diameter at the thinnest, with less weight than a comparable triple clamp fork. The wheel is a lot stiffer than a normal front wheel, too, so the system is stiffer overall.

One thing that I wonder about from a passenger perspective: would it be possible to lower the whole rider section of the frame a few inches to put their back end a little lower? It's not at passenger face level, but is it possible it might bother some of them? (or am I just too picky?)

The rider is as low as possible within the constraints of a normal riding position. We've taken pains to keep the passengers' weight as low as possible for safety and handling. It's not necessarily a bad thing, you know.
4855090145_e0b3488c69_z.jpg


Is the new seat module going to be carbon fiber rather than fiberglass for extra weight savings, or is it already light enough to not be worth the extra expense/etc?

It's not going to be carbon anything for reasons of cost and durability. It will have wider, more comfortable fiberglass seating, a tubular steel frame, and an easier system for mounting display ads or pedicab company information.
 
Best thread on the internet! :D

I've always modified factory vehicles in the past. Using someone else's frame and upgrading drivetrain/suspension. The new build is something no one's ever done before but not pic/thread worthy yet.

Recycling/repurposing can be tricky for sure but might just be the stepping stone into the sustainable future. Specifically engineering organic materials is probably the next step after that.
 
1JohnFoster said:
What I'd like to know is, why are single sided forks always left? Given that most people are right, and the well known added load of supporting dual crowns.

It's because disc and drum brakes are designed to mount on the left.
 
Chalo said:
A pedicab's fork is under a lot more stress than any bike's.
Is it the sideloading in turns, since it doesn't lean to keep forces in line with the wheel vertically? Or the braking forces due to mass? Or something else?

I ask because I'd assume those are the same kind of stresses my own trike's fork undergoes, so similar solutions to yours might help mine.

I suppose the stress I meant was the vertical weight, since I presume most of the weight would be over the rear axle(s), especially when loaded with passenger(s).


What makes you think the single side arrangement would be inherently weaker?
Lack of experience with them, mostly, as well as what little experience I do have with (presumably low-quality?) single-ended bicycle-type wheels being...less than optimal on streets around here. ;)

I'm sure those on your trike are way better than what I have experience with, in addition to having much thicker axles, and I am also sure your fork is much higher quality than anything I have experience with as well.

But I supposed that lever forces against the axle and the steerer and the crowns and legs would be significant, vs a dual-leg fork that wouldn't have that type of loading, exactly, so that given the same materials, thicknesses, hardnesses, axle sizes, spokes, rims, etc., a single-leg fork would not be as strong as the dual-leg. However, I guess that's why you're using a stiffer wheel build, thicker axle, etc?
 
amberwolf said:
Chalo said:
A pedicab's fork is under a lot more stress than any bike's.
Is it the sideloading in turns, since it doesn't lean to keep forces in line with the wheel vertically? Or the braking forces due to mass? Or something else?

Correct on both counts. These vehicles see 1000 pound gross weights fairly routinely, so fundamental problems become practical problems very quickly.

I suppose the stress I meant was the vertical weight, since I presume most of the weight would be over the rear axle(s), especially when loaded with passenger(s).

True, passenger weight is placed over the rear axle as much as possible. But that leaves most of the driver's weight on the front wheel. It must be built to take that load, plus any dynamic loads that result from not being able to lift the front wheel over obstacles.


But I supposed that lever forces against the axle and the steerer and the crowns and legs would be significant, vs a dual-leg fork that wouldn't have that type of loading, exactly, so that given the same materials, thicknesses, hardnesses, axle sizes, spokes, rims, etc., a single-leg fork would not be as strong as the dual-leg. However, I guess that's why you're using a stiffer wheel build, thicker axle, etc?

A thicker axle is a must; that's the main thing. Cannondale's Lefty fork axle is substantially hollowed out for light weight, but measures 20mm at the inboard bearing and 12mm at the outboard bearing. That is demonstrated to be at least equal to a conventional front axle, and probably stronger. Ours is 22mm at both bearings and 1" at the hub, very thick-walled.

Why fatter at the hub?. Because we use normal 1 inch rear axle wheels on the front. That means one type of wheel for the entire fleet, superior strength because of their added hub width, and the ability to service tires and tubes without removing wheels.
 
This is my commuter bike. It's built from 2" chromoly tubing and the back end of a cheap BMX e-bike. I'm in the middle of repainting it black as the silver paint is a bit worse for wear after many years of commuting duty. Also I am working on a new battery pack using 18650 cells to replace the current Hobby-King LiPo pack.

cuda_e_2015.jpg


-Warren.
 
My daughter has two children 3 and 4 and has trouble taking them out in the hilly area where they live.
So I built her this electric tricycle with friction drive rollers on the back axle wheels and a 180w 24v motor.
When pushed forward for a couple of meters the friction rollers completely disengage and loose touch with the tyres so that it can be pushed without any resistance at all. No need for a diff either. When turning, the far end friction roller temporarily disengages.
 

Attachments

  • karotsi.png
    karotsi.png
    86.6 KB · Views: 6,630
Since I've started another from-scratch build, I'm adding a link to it here:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=80951

Just tacked together so far

file.php


file.php
 
Back
Top