Your Creation's Before & After Pics

DayGlo Avenger's latest look:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=314600#p314600
file.php
 
whats with the awful spray paint and huge unnecessary contraptions hanging off your bikes. I have to say they are the ugliest builds out of the entire Endless Sphere population. Props to using junk... but it doesnt have to look like junk.
 
skeetab5780 said:
whats with the awful spray paint and huge unnecessary contraptions hanging off your bikes. I have to say they are the ugliest builds out of the entire Endless Sphere population. Props to using junk... but it doesnt have to look like junk.
If you were to read the thread about it, you'd see that it is a constant work-in-progress, and that the years-old spray paint job is all faded and being replaced, slowly, as I have time and materials. ;)

As for the "huge unnecessary contraptions", again, if you take a look at the thread for it you'd see that they are actually necessary for what this bike is used for, and you'd see their purposes.

Personally, I'm all for ugly if it keeps people from stealing them, which so far has worked out pretty well, compared to bikes I've tried to make look nice. I'm actually afraid that once I get finished with DGA's makeover that it'll get trashed or stolen, because it should look pretty nice when it's done (although it will still have huge unnecessary contraptions on it ;)).

I used to try hard to make things look nice on my bikes, many years back before I ever thought of (or needed) motors and stuff. But I lost a lot of bits off bikes to that, and nearly a bike or two, based on damage to the locks and bikes when I came out of the places I had them locked up at a few times.

But when I started leaving them ratty and junky, nobody really messed with them. :) Someone stole some bungee cords off DGA's baskets back before I put that large lockable metal cargo pod on there, but that's all I can remember.


Anyway, a bike doesn't have to look good to work well and serve it's purpose. :p
 
almost ready with my 3rd one. only some minor things to sort out like chain tensioner, pas sensorand mybe spraying the whole bike black...

before:
26560229612_large.jpg




now:
25280624021_large.jpg




and just ordered the next motor kit for another MTB - a Cute 128SX kit - amazingly cheap at bmsbattery.com :shock:
 
You know.... :p

'contraptions'... AW's got a keener sense of what he's built, hand-built, and fixed, than most people I know who qualified PHD's in electronics!
He's got a crazy knowledge of ebikes, motors, brushed / unbrushed, the guy is a fricking genius!
I must have asked him over A HUNDRED questions on ebikes and his patience was saint-like, he knew even little tidbits about my controller that curtis had no clue about!
*ugly bike?*
Then you pop up your shaven comments about a bike that he has spent so much time and effort on, blogging it here on ES and on his electricle blog, and call it 'ugly'? you should read up what he's done to it and how he's transformed it into an awesome ride, it deserves a technology review on makezine! it makes a shocking appearance at first, but the more you read about Amberwolf's bike the more you appreciate it and appreciate the technology drivin it, it's all pure Diy enthusiasm he's put into it and I for one really find that kind of bike appealing and your comment out of taste!

If you've got a couple of grand burning a hole in your pocket then that's cool, but if you've spent $20 and built an ebike that saves you $2-4k on petrol every year then you deserve an ingenuity prize and a cheering pat on the back, and not a nasty comment

It's got a theft-deterrent system that sends your security chains down the garbage chute and that's clever, ingenious, and not 'ugly'...

sorry dude, you just don't call someone's work ugly, that's just not right

I can't leave my bike for 5 minutes without thinking somebody's going to take it. I'm having to use really thick chain, and worst of all, I'm having to give it a lot of attention when i'm in the shop 'because i made it look good'. if someone were to steal it they'd make a tidy sum, 2000dollars in parts alone, maybe more.


skeetab5780 said:
whats with the awful spray paint and huge unnecessary contraptions hanging off your bikes. I have to say they are the ugliest builds out of the entire Endless Sphere population. Props to using junk... but it doesnt have to look like junk.

amberwolf said:
skeetab5780 said:
whats with the awful spray paint and huge unnecessary contraptions hanging off your bikes. I have to say they are the ugliest builds out of the entire Endless Sphere population. Props to using junk... but it doesnt have to look like junk.
If you were to read the thread about it, you'd see that it is a constant work-in-progress
 
+1 novembersierra28 couldn't have said it better myself ... Amberwolf does an outstanding job with
what he has available to him, skeetab5780 your comments were just plain rude and out of line ...

Keep up the great work Amberwolf the silent majority are behind you and respect your work mate ;)

KiM
 
skeetab5780 said:
whats with the awful spray paint and huge unnecessary contraptions hanging off your bikes. I have to say they are the ugliest builds out of the entire Endless Sphere population. Props to using junk... but it doesnt have to look like junk.

Sorry dude...but this is just not right to say...i hope you will appologize on it...

AW rules ! he is to me a real McGyver and can make almost everything with almost nothing !
 
I don't think AW is offended... the appearance of his machines has a purpose. Clearly, he has the skills to make them look any way he wants.

amberwolf said:
Personally, I'm all for ugly if it keeps people from stealing them, which so far has worked out pretty well, compared to bikes I've tried to make look nice.
+1

An "ugly" bike you can still ride, is better than a beautiful bike that is gone... http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9486
 
TylerDurden said:
I don't think AW is offended... the appearance of his machines has a purpose.
I'm fairly difficult to offend--it's not impossible, but that's not going to do it. ;)

Everyone has their own tastes, and lots of people are shallow enough to be more about appearances than about functionality, or are themselves actively offended by "ugly" things (or people). I think that's a shame, because they miss out on a lot of good things that way.

There definitely isn't anything wrong with wanting things to look nice, but there isn't any requirement for doing so unless you're trying to appeal to the great mass of people, who are used to marketing glitz and glimmer. :)

Going the other way, into shabbiness and junkiness, is a way to make many people ignore things (watch how they avoid even looking at the homeless or poor!) and in most cases not want them, and not wanting them generally then not stealing them, because the main reason to steal things is to resell them, and if others wouldn't want it because it's "ugly" then why steal it if you can't resell it? ;)

Of course, anyone just wanting to have something off of it, or knowing what some of the parts it's made of are worth, would still have motivation to steal it, and it's appearance would be little deterrent to those. There's just not that many of that kind of thief, compared to the others.

Oh, and as TylerDurden posted elsewhere:
file.php
 
Having a beautiful new ebike (3rd one) is very hard to avoid TP ( traffic police eyes )/ police SPOT checks. they really Love to ask me to stop. My old 1st ebike of 10years, some says very ugly. however i don't feel it, - reasons i was never ask to stop by police for a spot checks. Since this new ebike i have build, black one. Now the police cars looks to me Like a Ghost. To be embarrass to say, i avoid them by going another way. all these beautiful and ugly can be adjust more or less.

cheers !!
kentlim
 
This took me 11 months to build, lots of expense, lots of difficulty, no knowledge about anything remotely e-bikey and finally it's well balanced, running on a123's, and gives the neighbours a shock each time I pass by :D
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The canvas covering the triangle is great idea! Nobody would know an etek lurks within haha...Excellent job putting it all together, the only negative side to the build IMHO is you SERIOUSLY need some hydraulic disk brakes or at least mechanical disks...the bike is capable of up near 100km/hr those brakes you have just dont cut it...

KiM
 
AussieJester said:
Excellent job putting it all together, the only negative side to the build IMHO is you SERIOUSLY need some hydraulic disk brakes or at least mechanical disks...the bike is capable of up near 100km/hr those brakes you have just dont cut it...

KiM

I'm actually surprised it still has pads on there. :lol:

FWIW, even on CrazyBike2, just because of the weight, the typical rim brakes are insufficient at even 20MPH. I can stop, but not instantly. :)

Speaking of CB2, it's kinda had a makeover of sorts the past couple of days, since I have broken my other motors on the other bikes and needed *something* to get around that I can have some assist on.
View attachment 3

View attachment 2

At the moment it is a significant downgrade of power, but it also is so much lighter that that makes less difference than I expected. It used to have 3x 12V 17Ah SLA and a huge Curtis golf cart controller, plus a big heavy powerchair motor and gearbox:
SLA and Curtis.jpg
Now it has the tiny Fusin (in the front wheel in the first pic) hubmotor, and the tiny fusin controller and a small 36V 9Ah NiMH battery, which probably doesn't weigh much more than just one of those SLA.
View attachment 1

I still hope to go back to the big brushed controller and powerchair motor, running off a different power source than SLA, but until i can fix the frame flex and chain derailing issues, I can't rely on it, so for now it stays with the Fusin as my commuter.

If I can at least stick a 9C or GM in that front wheel with a bigger controller and battery pack, I might stand a chance of at least not being lapped by every single bike at the Halloween Death Race practice (I probably wouldn't qualify the heats to run in the race itself, at less than 20MPH sustained). :)
 
lester12483 said:
Hey Pedalex,

What kind of battery bag is that on the silver bike of yours? Ive been looking for one like that.


that´s not a battery bag - i have my battery packs in Axio hardcase backpacks - the bags on the bikes are for the controllers only and i´m glad i didn´t have problems with heat yet. the small one on the silver bike came with my motor kit from conhismotor and it´s just big enough for the controller - not much more

25280624027_large.jpg
 
about that triangle...

The bike runs at 14mph at 36volts because the controller's LVC is 36volts, upon current sag, the motor 'judders' and does not accelerate beyond the 20km/h speed limit.
I am reworking 2 boat switches that will be fused to 400amps draw, that are soldered onto where the pack reaches 36volts and 48v... so that's around the 10series mark and 16 series on the pack.

If ever in trouble, I turn the 48v switch off, and turn the 36volt switch on (using the same boat switch key), maximum speed will change dramatically, so any further investigation will result in a null result.

Some time ago I passed 2 boys in blue not 2 feet away, and began pedalling, one of them gave it a quick suspicious glance but left it at that, I had immediately begun pedalling and killed the engine when I had seen them..but I suspect the reason one of them cocked an ear was the etek's turbine sound despite being muffled still is quite audible.

I have tried numerous oils / lubricants / 2 stroke oil, including classic car thick honey viscous oil... it all sounds the same... the 2-stroke quietened it down a little..but i'm still experimenting

about the brakes, I just can't afford any other brakes at the moment, couldn't even spare 30 quid ($50) on them right now, not even for the front, as a broke law student I'm all out on this University fee paying it's doing my head in :oops:

AussieJester said:
The canvas covering the triangle is great idea! Nobody would know an etek lurks within haha...Excellent job putting it all together, the only negative side to the build IMHO is you SERIOUSLY need some hydraulic disk brakes or at least mechanical disks...the bike is capable of up near 100km/hr those brakes you have just dont cut it...

KiM
 
If I were you I'd be all over those two bikes making triangle packs to fit inside, I'm sure 11.5ah can fit in 2 x 2 :) why don't you give it a try with some makeshift cardboard? those bikes look fab! bravo!

Pedalex said:
lester12483 said:
Hey Pedalex,
 
before i repainted the bike i already had the smaller pack in the frame:

25280624003_large.jpg


but since i had to take the pack off every day to take it up to the office to charge i found it better to keep it in a backpack - makes it a lot easier to use both packs on 3 bikes and if a bike gets stolen there´s not so much money lost
 
yeah i see what you mean about the theft issue, it's a great bike. you painted it yourself? how'd you do it if you don't mind my askin :)
Pedalex said:
before i repainted the bike i already had the smaller pack in the frame:

but since i had to take the pack off every day to take it up to the office to charge i found it better to keep it in a backpack - makes it a lot easier to use both packs on 3 bikes and if a bike gets stolen there´s not so much money lost
 
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