JuicedRiders ODK Utility/Cargo Bike

So I apologise in advance for not being able to post pics. I surf using the phone and can't figure out pics. I just felt feedback was needed here. Bike can be seen here http://www.juicedriders.com/shop

So I was cruising ebay and stumbled upon this beauty that had a price I couldn't say no to. Didn't even ask the wife just pulled the trigger in fear the deal would pass.

A giant 6x4x1' box arrived at the door in a few days as its only a few hundred mile journey from its home. Let me tell you they know how to pack a box at JuicedRiders. The box is double thick and everything is wrapped in slightly adhesive bubble wrap. The loose bars and pedals were firmly secured with tapes and zipties. Nothings shaking loose here. Considering all bike have free shipping I was surprised to see no expense spared.

Initial plans are looking at a HS3540 at 57v nominal with infineon 12fet and a CADP. Goals are to get 25 mph and haul the 160# 6'1" tall wife to picnics and the river as well as haul the 6yr old boy to school and parks. I want torque for hills and loads. Thoughts and opinions? What would you run?

So pedals and handlebars took a whopping 5 mins to install. Hmmmm what the hell am I typing to you meatheads for I'm hitting the road!!!!!!

Adamh

FIRST RIDE.

Took it around the court and was impressed to find the assembly quality to be good. Far better then any walbike and to be honest prolly better then I could do

So I only have ridden a Yuba Mundo so that's the only comparison I have and it was months ago so we will give my piss poor memory a shot here.

What impressed me bout the Yuba was the instant comfort I felt as I pedalled around. I felt that exact feeling on the ODK Utility. Super comfortable stance, non aggressive, relaxed, almost to comfy ya know.

Stiffness.... this thing is stout and the small wheels helps helps the bumps to hurt your ass. Granted I have been riding FS for years and forget what hardtails feel like. The Big dummy is said to flex and absorb some shock. As with the Yuba the stiff aluminum does not give. Again very stout design.

WTF is that sound! I pinpoint it to the chain idler mounted midway down the chainstay. I have yet to investigate sound but a surly idler may be purchased soon. It seems the plastic gear resonates the sound of the chain rolling over it. Perhaps a few hundred miles will break it in?

What can I say it pedals great. It came dialed in. All gears run clean. Its outstanding to look at! Not to exotic looking but grabs the eye.

This bike is well worth the advertised $799.00 shipped. But if you can snag one off ebay you may save a bill or two.....

Oh yeah it looks like you can fit a 3" wide tire in the back! It has a 4" clearance at the chainstay. Fender would need to move.

Oh the dual kickstands..... one normal and and one double motorcycle style. Simply practical as can be works great as a kickstand. Very stable. However it rubs on the ground when turning

Items that could use addressing before hitting the commute.

In 7th gear the chain cruises about a half inch from the chainstay. Small bumps will rub the frame hurting the paint. Lizard Skins makes a fantastic chainstay protector that's a leather strip with adhesive back. Its made to look like CF. Would be ideal here.

So yes its the idler and the sound will vary depending on the gear its in. As the idler is stationary the chain will come in at an angle causing a resonance through the frame.

The idler is only needed to clear the dually kickstand.

So like most men would do I'm staring at it pondering thoughts. Thinking bout removing the chain gaurd cause its so uncool lol but the adult in me says its very practical....

So much can be done with this frame. Ideal for hubs, midmounts, stokemonkeys, and whatever else you could imagine.

While I'm tempted to try stokemonkey style the simplicity of the DD hub is what I'm after.

If you can swing the $120, you would probably love a Thudbuster seat-post...expensive, yes, but nothing else comes close.

I've been hawking the website for a few weeks to see when the availability was going to open. I like the bike, and the videos detailing the journey to get the bike made. For folks like myself who'd rather just buy a complete "no worries" eBike vs. a "risk/reward" DIY eBike, I think this is a great option out there. Although, I'd prefer the "Made in the USA" stuff, I'm willing to make a leap here only because of the detail to attention that went into it.

Wow! cool!!



Look at that. 20 inch wheels. Room for a chain drive or custom mid drive. Straight rear chainstays. Rider is positioned in the middle, so if you have a high power setup, you should have less wheelie problems than with most bikes. I think the wheelbase might be a little longer in back than most bikes as well.

Well that's it! this is a natural e-bike. Hub motors in 20" wheels perform very well, and a reduction system for a chain drive motor is easier on a smaller wheel, too.

Battery room in the front "triangle" might be limited. That's the main negative i can think of. Otherwise this bike solves a lot of problems that crop up when wanting to use a 20" wheeled bike.

atom, been admiring your new bike for a while. Just adding a previous post about this bike in case anyone may have missed and wants to see it. Lianjuin's avatar looks like JuicedRiders Tora Harris.

lianjuin Re: Your Creation's Before & After Pics
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=235&p=468564#p468564

That is cool. I was going to suggest the HT motor, but with 20" rims the HS is the one, unless you want slower.

A Mini-Mundo - right down to the paint color!
Beefy looking little bugger!

One more thing I forgot to mention which can be very important to many cyclist. It does not, I repeat, does not balance riding with no hands. Just tips over.

Edit to add: allright so maybe an exaggeration. I found with your arms out to the side and concentration you can balance when you exceed 10 mph. I'm hoping as the speed increases the balance will.

So I pedalled with the wife on the back. Not easy to balance when the legs are working. Once the motor is on that should smooth things out.

Beefy looking little bugger!

Click to expand...

Miles has convinced me that the smaller diameter wheels are inherently stronger than the larger diameter wheels. Of course, if the smoothness of your roads allow that (Where I last worked, the potholes were horrible). Some of the builds here have gotten me thinking about a 20-inch wheel on the back (with moped tire) to allow a lower cargo rack...only about two inches lower, but...the moped tire should eliminate the possibility of a flat on the rear.

So I was dissapointed to find that 3" tires do not fit the frame or fork. Its not the width so much as the diameter increases hugely. I tried the kenda flames and wasted $80....

Let me know if you find bigger wheels that fit.

I installed the Gyes springy saddle (http://www.crowcycleco.com/featured-products/all-leather-saddle-560-008.html) similar Brooks B67 on odk. It felt so comfortable with the springy soak the bumps except the leather itself is solid as stone as sore my butt. I emailed Gyes customer service and they said give it about 6 months to break in and the leather will begin to be softer.

Anyways, I probably will install the Hookworms 1.95x20 tires on odk later on. The kenda flames tire will not fit on odk due too tall and the fender will rubbing. :lol: