Recumbent moped.
- Thread starter Pilip
- Start date
I want to hear more about how the steering fix worked out on the road ?
I also am very happy that you found another sofa lover I kind of think of it as you finally found another animal like you of course you had to go halfway around the world to find him in Canada.
I've seen others in Southern California but not homemade to the extent that you did.
I also am very happy that you found another sofa lover I kind of think of it as you finally found another animal like you of course you had to go halfway around the world to find him in Canada.
I've seen others in Southern California but not homemade to the extent that you did.
The serviceability of the steering cup, that is, the easy sliding of the bearings, played a decisive role in my understanding of how to control a recumbent moped, because before I thought that it was hard to turn the steering wheel, this is a feature of recumbent mopeds, because a lot of the body weight falls on the front wheel.
But now I can responsibly declare that it is much easier to control a recumbent moped than a seated one, I think that the fact that the frame is still from a Suzuki motorcycle, and not made by me in the garage, and its engineers very correctly calculated the angle of the steering cup, plays a role here.
But the fact remains - now in the city traffic flow I do not need to put my legs out for support at minimum speeds (conditionally 5 km / h.).
Well, at decent speeds (70-90 km / h) my body and the moped seem to merge into one whole and ... stick to the road, this is really so.
But now I can responsibly declare that it is much easier to control a recumbent moped than a seated one, I think that the fact that the frame is still from a Suzuki motorcycle, and not made by me in the garage, and its engineers very correctly calculated the angle of the steering cup, plays a role here.
But the fact remains - now in the city traffic flow I do not need to put my legs out for support at minimum speeds (conditionally 5 km / h.).
Well, at decent speeds (70-90 km / h) my body and the moped seem to merge into one whole and ... stick to the road, this is really so.
Now that I stared at the photo profile of your bike I could see that the front forks have a good geometry to my brain as I looked at it earlier photos I didn't think it had enough break but it looks like it works. But you never know what kind of horse you got do you get yourself into saddle. At 66 I'm not sure I'd like to try it. I'm tired breaking my collarbone or waking Up in a hospital after a bike accident. And I don't jump off roofs anymore hell I'm getting old.
Pilip thanks for the journey this is an interesting read.
Pilip thanks for the journey this is an interesting read.
A-DamW
1 kW
I love the inner tube seat! I'm going to try an inner tube for a head rest in my recumbent.
Tubes ? This is the old company now you pissed me off I thought using 26 inch lime tubes extra thick was the ticket. ? And you had to use it here or you come by so I got the thin tubes I guess Sun tube slime or something then tube. Both of the slime tubes plug up on the presta Valve and on the Schrader valve they have ripped right under the valves down don't feel more secure the tailwind of this still being over again slime tubes.
Sorry for jumping in and thank you but nobody wants a flat especially on a rear motor
Sorry for jumping in and thank you but nobody wants a flat especially on a rear motor
The ICE of a serial hybrid runs at a constant rpm.
Besides making tuning simple, constant rpm makes Quarter Wave and Helmholtz Resonators very effective:
They produce an anti wave to the sound frequency/ies of your choosing, cancelling it out.
They can be used in ICE exhausts, intakes and in an ICE enclosure.
Also NB that for high constant speed cruising a direct (no gearbox) chain drive wins out over a Serial Hybrid's; rotational - electricity -chemical - electricity - rotational, energy conversion.
ie: You actually want a serial hybrid, with a direct drive 'top gear'.
BYD cars now do this using an ICE with a 47% thermal efficiency and every eco-modder trick in the book and do 200km/l.
Good plan but NB the numbers of that aerofoil at the bottom of your last picture.
You want that plastic to form half an ellipse, where the whole ellipse would have a 3 to 1 ratio.
Then you want that sharp trailing edge at the back, or as close as you can get to it, while chopping the end off square.
But at the end of the day; read my previous post and go (silent) Serial Hybrid with a direct coupling top gear.
Hello friend. You touched upon a very important topic of tires and tubes, at first glance it seems like a trifle, but in fact it is very important.
I use only branded tires in this Unicorn, I have to be sure that when turning on the track it will not let me down, the rubber is really high quality, it has a good connection with the asphalt surface.
I had a case when the tube deflated and I had to drive 40 km only on the resistance of the tire and you know - I appreciated it.My front wheel is 17 inches and the rear one is 18.
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No spring can replace a chamber filled with air, this is ideal!
I am very far from aerodynamic air resistance, so I am doubly grateful for the proposals coming from those who are knowledgeable in this.
But! so far I do not accept the hybrid drive option purely for "religious" reasons, since all the batteries and the electronics that control them are already available.
In general, if we talk about the use of this moped, then it is mostly needed for long trips, this is its meaning, I already wrote earlier - with this aerodynamic design, it retains 30-40% of the battery capacity compared to the vertical position of the rider.
That is, if on a vertical moped I spent 43-46 Wh/km at a speed of 60-80 km/h, then on the Unicorn 30-33 Wh/km, and this is very important for long trips!
tigcross
100 W
Hi Philip, sorry about the delay, I don't get onto the forum as often as I would like. Yes,it is great to encounter a fellow couch lover.
I'm glad to hear that you will have the option of reducing the battery weight for short trips. The Eletrom also has two batteries with independent BMS's, but they are quite a bit smaller so there is less reason to remove them.
I do agree that for absolute efficiency, the more reclined the rider the better. However, I have found that the more extreme recumbent positions are not ideal for urban settings with heavy vehicle traffic, as the more recumbent rider has less visibility and maneuverability. I do like that your design places the rider higher up.
I opted to make my design as easy to get in and off of as possible because I intended it to be useful for short trips and grocery-getting errands. Of course, we must all choose where we wish to compromise, and I opted for convenience over maximum aerodynamics.
My bike is not as fast as yours, my top speed is 70 km/h. At that speed, the Electrom does about 34 watt.h / km. However, it is designed to operate at an average speed of 45-50 km/h, and at that speed, it consumes 24 watt.h / km. Naturally, there are going to be some differences between a vehicle designed as a bicycle and one designed as a motorcycle.
I presume that your bike is great for longer trips. What is your maximum range at the moment?
I found the short wheelbase to be too unstable at high speeds, however, I was using a lightweight bicycle BMX wheel, whereas you are using in much heavier moto wheel so I presume the extra gyroscopic stability helps a lot.
Below are a few photos of the current versions of the Electrom.
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tigcross
100 W
Thanks Pilip. Don't worry, if you spend the next 20 years refining your bike, it too will look more finished.
Yes, the protective arches on the new tailbox do work quite well. One has to remember to keep the legs and arms tucked into the bike. I had a low-speed crash the other night during a parade; I forgot how heavy the Christmas tree was and dumped the bike on a tight turn. The curved metal bump guards saved my bodywork and elbows.
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tigcross
100 W
Hi Anthony, Thanks. I don't want to take over Pilip's post so I've put my reply over in my Build thread
Everything related to recumpent is very exclusive, so write here everything you have, it will be very interesting.
tigcross
100 W
ok, thanks Pilip, here we go..
Thanks Anthony.
Sadly, I'm not really spending anything on photography as the majority of our budget has to go into developing the bike. I bought a GoPro a couple of years ago, and this year invested in an Insta 360 action camera. These devices allow me to self-photograph and make videos. And if one shoots hours and hours of footage, eventually you'll come up with a couple of decent shots.
I am also trained as a graphic designer, so I have done all of the graphic design and the website (but the website is in desperate need of an upgrade). My artistic background has been helpful in the design and creation of the plugs and molds for the carbon fiber work as well.
The EarthGlider is quite an interesting bike, and obviously shares a lot of similarities with the Electrom. I thinking it is really cool, but in my opinion, it does have one serious drawback, which is the short wheelbase layout. I abandoned short wheelbase a number of years ago because I found it had too many compromises. I think that Pilip's moped is awesome, and because it does not require pedaling, many of my quibbles with a short-wheelbase are less relevant. My issues with short-wheelbase recumbent BICYCLES are:
- Pedal/heel overlap. One has to stop pedaling in order to turn tight corners. This is also an issue at the handlebars as they interfere with the rider's knees on tight turns.
- Less stable at high speed.
- Awkward to get on and off, and you have a steering column between your legs.
- I also found that the stretched-forward position of the rider's arms became uncomfortable on longer trips. It looks like a small thing, but the lower position of the rider's arms on the Electrom is much more comfortable.
With aerodynamics, everything is very cool, because you made fairings.
Regarding the long base with pedaling, I agree with you 200%, nothing should interfere or cause inconvenience when pedaling or turning.
The only thing that raises a question for me specifically about your design is how rigid is this long base, does such a length cause twisting of the long rail?
I also wonder what the mass of your beauty turned out to be?
My engine frame is very rigid and is designed for a driver with a passenger and a speed of 200 km / h, so at a speed of 100 km / h it behaves amazingly.
Regarding the steering wheel, I also designed it so that the elbows of the hands were pressed to the body, forming a rigid quadrangle.
But if you place your own body lower, then you can't do without lengthening the base, you are right here.
Regarding the long base with pedaling, I agree with you 200%, nothing should interfere or cause inconvenience when pedaling or turning.
The only thing that raises a question for me specifically about your design is how rigid is this long base, does such a length cause twisting of the long rail?
I also wonder what the mass of your beauty turned out to be?
My engine frame is very rigid and is designed for a driver with a passenger and a speed of 200 km / h, so at a speed of 100 km / h it behaves amazingly.
Regarding the steering wheel, I also designed it so that the elbows of the hands were pressed to the body, forming a rigid quadrangle.
But if you place your own body lower, then you can't do without lengthening the base, you are right here.
