Townie style crank forward bikes show your conversion.

My first longish ride today and a seat/seatpost mod is at the top of the list. The only annoyance is the spaghetti factory of untidy wires.

Damn pretty, even with a few wires dangling. How are you planning to carry stuff? I have found that a front bag is nice on a utility bike. Holds your phone, your lock, your eye protection. Once installed, it nicely hides a coil of extra wires near the handlebars.

If you aren't going to use a rack, I found a messenger bag much more comfy than any knapsack.

I have my racks from my Treks and two nice Trek saddle bags with carrying straps and handles. They're perfect. As to the phone and such, it'll be in the drawer where it belongs. :wink:

tomjasz said:

The frames on every trike I've looked at wold preclude a mid drive like the Bafang. The fellow I want o hook up has no interest in speed. He's elderly but very active. He will soon lose his drivers license to a loss in vision skills. Like myself the bike will become a lifeline to continue self sufficiency. We've looked at photos of a few kits. The works an seems to have cheaper components and an old style 1 piece crank, old style bearing and races too? The cozy looks good to us but no one to really chat with and make real comparisons. No independent reviews either. We're it me I'd find a trek trike nd convert but his talents are those of a drummer not a mechanic, and I'm 1600 miles away unable to travel yet.

BTW he was Pearl Baily's drummer at Bugsy Segals place in Las Vegas. I own the photo!

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I have a Worksman Mover Industrial Tricycle and it's built like a tank. There's no comparison to the other tricycles on the market. Trek's is pretty good, and the Schwinn is cheap, but those tear up a bit if you're not careful. The Schwinn is (as you mentioned) old school (all the parts). I wouldn't say the components are cheap so much as durable and simple. Nothing modern on that trike. It's no different than a beefy steel beach cruiser of the 70s. Get out the wrench and have at it.

I crashed it at about 20mph into a tree. I was riding with IceCube57 (he's here on Endless Sphere). He's a madman of power (his bike) and I was trying to keep up on our winding, paved paths. I had to make an S-turn. I went left, and then had to go right (but the path was leaning left). Long-story-short I was either going to tip or straighten off. My instincts told me to straighten. Glad I did. I hit a tree dead on and the forks bent back. That was the only damage to the entire system (and it had a front hub motor). Forty bucks later I was back in action.

My suggestion is that if you build a trike that you actually go with SLA batteries and place them as low and far back as possible. It will help with stability.

Trikes are great, but they require constant attention while driving. They have three lines of travel instead of one (like a bike), so you feel the bumps and such and they are hard to avoid. If you live in a very flat area they are easy to deal with, and at slow speeds are extremely stable. You can stop and relax and they turn in their own footprint. Trikes are great. It really depends on your terrain and need.

But the OP talks about the crank-forward designs. These are really great, especially for people who are older or afraid of bikes. You really can come to a stop and have both feet comfortably on the ground flat, making it a much more stable alternative. I bought my wife a Trek Pure a few years ago and it's the only bike she's ever liked. Her legs are short and she used to fall over at low speeds. Now she rides with comfort and confidence.

MikeFairbanks said:

I have a Worksman Mover Industrial Tricycle and it's built like a tank. There's no comparison to the other tricycles on the market.

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Thanks Mike!

That's excellent advise! I'll get back at you after I chase the Worksman down. The SLA advise seems particularly enlightening.Especially for oldsters.

First KHS bike is running with the EM3ev kit BBS01 350W 13.8 Ah battery. Runs 20.2MPH top end. about and hour of mostly full throttle and it is warm but certainly not hot. Using level 9, 7th gear, assist to get it to 10MPH and then throttle. I find little to no need to shift. Although I did climb a steep dike along the river in 2nd and was totally amazed. I wouldn't have even come close without the Bafang. I'm thrilled. My bell has been added for the bike path and a new air horn for the mean streets. The second motor arrived from Lectric Cycle. Battery is due Tuesday. LaGrand has been responsive but I'm was unable to reach him Friday when I realized the two setups have different battery connections. I'm hoping to hear back and get a set of plugs to update the EM3ev to Lectric cycle plugs. I actually prefer the thumb throttle from Lectric. I've also asked to purchase another from him. I was slightly disappointed by the 73MM kit. I think it would have been nicer with a spacer. SO...I'll get off to Fastenal headquarters store next week to find the parts, should I go back to the Trek Pure someday. I still like the Trek Pure best of all FF bikes I've ridden. Now I've ridden 5. I'm thinking the pure may end up a 250W mini front hub. A very mild assist perfect for the bike/walking path around our local lake. Just looking for a source of the bare motors since the LBS is very reasonably priced for a wheel build. The Sturmey Archer drum brake hub is a loser only because I really didn't like the 73MM set up. I'll also see what Fastenal has to say about the lock nuts and their availability.

All in all the BBS01 is exactly what I expected, fast enough for me, plenty of power but a dog off the line. Deathly silent, even with hearing aids cranked to max. :wink: The wiring is a mess and I also expected that. We'll see how that goes over time. For now I'm an investor in zip ties.

Congratulations on the build tomjasz! How's it coming with all the zip ties? (hilarious comment about being an "investor" :lol: )

Both up and running. Already a thumb throttle and display failure. We'll see how support goes...

Looks good! However...no matter how wonderful something proves to be, there is always something you might improve if you could.

Imagine I am a rep from Bafang, and I am polling customers for changes we will incorporate in the second version to help us remain competitive...what suggestions do you have (other than adding a suspension seat-post, radio, and a cup-holder to the bike)

Better brake levers. Although I don't know if they come from Bafang or the reseller LaGrand and Cell_Ma shipped different levers. Better attachment of the chain guard. I suspect the tiny screws will eventually need to be replaced. More robust LED panel. One down after 22 miles. Better line of communication. Hire an English speaking person to develop a web site with updated info and manuals. Parts breakdown in a PDF file. Face it the system will be hacked supply the software and decent cables for proper programing. Since we need to largely be self sufficient, let us have the tools.

Been adding and changing this Manhattan Smoothie since last June..... I think I’m done with the mods. It has 2000 Watts, an Allcell 48v 23ah battery and a Cycle Analyst. The conversion was done by H.e.H out of Ann Arbor, MI - did a great job. Added suspension front fork, back rest, Hobson seat, Thudbuster seat post, custom handlebars and moved the battery into the triangle. Thanks to all for the answers to the dumb questions I posted. Got what I wanted in the end, a “ geezer Cruiser” with all the comforts an old guy could want. My only slight apprehension is the battery mount. It’s nice and tight but didn’t have room for much padding?

Fjp said:

Been adding and changing this Manhattan Smoothie since last June..... I think I’m done with the mods. It has 2000 Watts, an Allcell 48v 23ah battery and a Cycle Analyst. The conversion was done by H.e.H out of Ann Arbor, MI - did a great job. Added suspension front fork, back rest, Hobson seat, Thudbuster seat post, custom handlebars and moved the battery into the triangle. Thanks to all for the answers to the dumb questions I posted. Got what I wanted in the end, a “ geezer Cruiser” with all the comforts an old guy could want. My only slight apprehension is the battery mount. It’s nice and tight but didn’t have room for much padding?

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Nice! I have three Smoothies, one of each size. The kinda dumbed them down and lowered the price but you scaled i5 up nicely. Well done. A really comfortable bike. I just c9nverted two fromm bbshd to mac motors. Great rides!