Big Woody !!

Greeting,

Could this be the first 'electric stretched wooden beach cruiser' ...?? Time will tell ...

I'm considering electrifying my 'Big Woody' and I'm after any recommendation for a reliable supplier for a rear hub motor, controller etc. Any help 'wood' be appreciated.

Just briefly the frame is all wood, hollow, laminated with glass in the glue lines and has 5mm stainless dropouts. Theres over 100something pieces of exotic timber in the frame. Its strong and light as far as Beach Cruisers go and I have no doubt that it can handle powering up. The ride is just superb...and that wheelbase is just something else. It just loves being laid over and thrown into big sweeping corners on long descents. I just love playing with my Big Woody and electrifying it can only make it better !!

I'm thinking 350w ~ 500w with good batteries and long range cause every time i get on this bike i just don't want to get off !
The batteries should hide in some 'taylor made' leather saddle bags to fit above the seat stays and rear guard. That should keep things tidy and cover up the E Hub a bit ... but I'm not liking the idea of running the throttle cable all over the bike...Have I got this right, that Falcone Hub Motors have a remote throttle. Could anyone comment on it. Rear brake cable is also an issue, Might just have to 'bight the bullet' and run them under the frame.

The rims are 29er Velocity's 36H ... I went for these larger wheels and spd's cause I like riding longish distances and they roll better than 26" rims... (Done a few 100km plus runs which is quite far on a cruiser...)

I will have to change the front forks and hub to run a Avid BB7 disk and 'flick' the Sturmey Archer Kick Shifter rear hub ... so I'm open to just swapping out the current 29ers wheels for a complete hub and rim package in 26". Going this way also means a lot more choice in larger rubber which is where the look is heading with low riders and cruisers ...

Ok.. probably a bit much info but I hope I can get some help form the great amount of knowledge on Endless-Sphere.
Hope you like the bike ...Heres a link to other pics if you want to see more... https://plus.google.com/photos/103835411107818496467/albums/5683151754749439553?banner=pwa

Absolutely beautiful bike!!!!

I'd go for the MAC geared and a big battery pack:

http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=36&product_id=55

and

http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=35&product_id=106

Beautiful bike!

the MAC motor is certainly one great option for that, but for such classic beauty I'd recommend a Crystalyte 408. They were the quietest motor available. Unfortunately, they're out of production, but I think Ypedal on this forum had a few still for sale.

For the battery, why not get a leather worker to make a custom leather bag that fits the shape of the "gas tank" area of the frame? Not cheap, but considering what that bike cost, it would be a shame to mar the beauty of it with something that didn't match.

For the fork, you could weld on the bracket for a front disk brake to the left tube, then have that tube re-chromed.

As for brakes, have you considered bullhorn brake levers? They fit reverse of normal, and run the cable through the inside of the handlebar.

Beautiful bike!

"Wooden bicycles, lots of pics"
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10697

beautiful!

Did you build it?

WOW!

Dan

Way too expensive a bike to experiment on.

Are you going to take that off the museum wall and ride it on the beach? Barbarian!

Did you hear about the wooden bicycle

with the wooden frame

the wooden pedals

the wooden wheels

the wooden crank

the wooden seat

the wooden motor

the wooden controller


















It wooden go

Snare drum and cymbal crash!

Yeah I love all the sexual innuendo in the first post lol.

Now that's true carbon fiber!

I wish I could do work like that...

nice design,excellent craftsmanship , areal beauty...WELL DONE... if you want some motor ideas, take a lokk at my woody...ebike general info, topic wood bike with motor

The OP's bike is like a Renovo for a different kind of bike dork. I identify with both kinds of dork, but I'm not into the idea of spending a lot of money on a wooden bike and then having to pamper it around bike racks, other people's pedals, etc. If it were confined to your living room, then living room furniture standards of construction would make more sense.

Then there's the matter of a thief being able to make off with all your nice components by quickly sawing through your frame with nothing more than an ordinary multi-tool, or bashing it with a 2x4 (for a touch of irony). To be fair, none of this is so different from more common carbon-plastic bikes. (Which are also fetish objects more than they are practical vehicles.)

Great response...
Thanks for the compliments about the bike.
With a name like Big Woody it ‘hard’ not to have a ‘poke’ : )
Anything for a laugh... and a Wooden bike just lends itself to jokes...
Hopefully that will change as building skill levels and engineering evolve and folk get to throw a leg over a ‘lite’ well made frame.

Woodies are not the answer for everything, which is sometimes portrayed by making everything in wood... you know ...wood chain, wood motor, wood controler (is that a stick ? : )
They are a niche, that in time can develop into a class of their own, its early days yet.

‘More of a good thing is not necessarily better’ I always use this quote to moderate most design decisions. I’m thinking Composites of wood… containing wood with metal, glass, carbon and others. The properties of wood need to be used where they work best.

And yes I do ride the bike and anyone that is captivated by it … I like the fact that it stops all kind of people, not just ‘bikies’... old ladies, little kiddies, people that ‘used to ride’… so I get them to throw a leg and have a go. Its all good.
I took it to Japan and rode right across Tokyo to Odawara several times and also in the Izu mountains to the south …great roads over there with very little traffic once out of town and serious down hills.

As for the Powering of the Big Woody, one of the main reasons is that although i like the juxtaposed feeling of rolling up to the lights and just pedaling off to the amazement of folk cocooned in their ‘smoog boxes’ …. There is this feeling...of having the front wheel on the line.....both feet planted on the ground... and leaning forward to counter the pull of accelerating while slowly dragging you legs back onto the pegs, that I’m only going to get with serious torque !!

Pls keep the recommendations and ideas coming … I appreciate the links and comments.

The ... 'Kalgoolie Gold Miner'