Recent content by rowan

The frame is a hollow rectangle, so technically one could fill it with something, but there are several hurdles to that that put it squarely in the “why bother” category for me. It’s only accessible from the rear, and really only if you take the rear wheel off. All the brake, gearing, and now...

Just returned from the weekly full grocery run, and this thing did fine. You can see that pretty much all the weight is behind me over the rear wheel, and that did make things a touch wobbly up front - I’m glad the battery is not behind me as well. That said, it made the trip fine, handled...

Nice looking item! This front motor is perfectly sufficient for my needs, though I can see that some would prefer a rear. I'm in Oakland, CA.

5.4 miles through Oakland hills and potholes to get my CSA delivery, and no eggs were broken. I think I pulled over 500 watts for about half a block going up a hella steep grade, but other than that we worked together quite well. Uphills doing 200-350 watts depending on grade and how much I used...

Also, after some internet digging, I believe I have the 1998 CT AA ("All Around") version of the bike, with an XL wheelbase. This probably makes a difference in whether the battery fits in front of the seat, and definitely makes a difference in my ability to put that pickup-truck-like crate on...

Yes, although the CA3-WP that comes with the RTR kit has a remote power switch that works if the battery doesn't have its own power switch. But just having the Baserunner hidden inside the bottom of the battery mount is pretty cool - one less thing I have to figure out where to lash onto the frame.

I think the shark style 48v that Grin sells is about the same dimensions as the 36v that I got from them. I thought about putting a brick style battery behind my seat or between the rear rack and frame, but decided I wanted the front weight a little more (and the integration with the Baserunner...

I am at 36v. The kit only came with that option, and I certainly don’t need much more speed. I got the flag from the local shop and it’s a great visibility aid.

A bit more of a ride today at 4.3 miles up towards where I get my CSA delivery. Max speed of about 23mph, but typically around 10, and I’m going to have to cushion the eggs some on some of these streets. There are a few short but steep climbs in there, but I don’t think I was ever pulling more...

Turns out that Grin accidentally left out the plug adapter and will be posting that out to me Monday. In the meantime I’ve got the battery charging and was able to go for a 1 mile ride around the neighborhood before dinner. It’s not going to climb hills all by itself, by any means, but I didn’t...

A little more fiddling with the XLR connector and I seem to have my patch wires working. The charger lights red, and the battery charge indicator has gained a level. It’s still a bit of a jury rig, but at least I’ll be able to ride this weekend, I believe. So, I need to find an appropriate...

Well, the battery, charger, and Baserunner came today after a minor UPS delay. I mounted the battery just in front of the seat for the time being, and it seems to work well there. There was just enough charge in the battery to power things up and let me know everything was working properly, but...

I took a Dremel mini grinder to the fork just now and got that out of the way, and opened the drain hole at the front bottom of the frame enough to thread the DC cable through. Miraculously, one cable is just barely long enough to reach from the CA cable splitter to the rear light, so I didn’t...

I’ve had this one hanging around for about 21 years, and for a decent amount of that I wasn’t in a place where I either needed to or (later) could easily use it regularly. But I figured the time has come to put a motor on it and use it for some local grocery hauling. Basic BikeE CT, no...

Thanks! 15-20mph is perfectly fine for my area, uses, and pavement quality. A number of the streets I go on are fairly low speed, hilly, pothole-filled residential areas, and if I want to use this to commute to work, the bigger streets are nice, flat and easy to get up to speed on my own. I...