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  1. MikeFairbanks

    About to build Mr and Mrs e-bikes; advice needed (and thanks)

    We'll never have a need to exceed 20mph. I've built many 48 volt systems that hit about 29mph, but that isn't necessary. I was wondering what suppliers are currently recommended these days for both kits and motors. I'll sort through their options and pick something that will work for both my...
  2. MikeFairbanks

    About to build Mr and Mrs e-bikes; advice needed (and thanks)

    I've built a few e-bikes and understand how they work, how to install, etc., but it's been about three to four years since I built any. My wife and I have a couple nice Trek Cruisers and we want to install a couple front-hub motor kits. We want them relatively light, pedal assist, a bit...
  3. MikeFairbanks

    Worksman utility trike build

    I have that same trike and put a front hub motor on it. I rode it for several years off and on and had a lot of fun. I even crashed it into a tree and the motor survived just fine (the fork died). I replaced the fork with one that can handle a front caliper brake. Currently the motor kit...
  4. MikeFairbanks

    I love France (and a return to e-bikes)

    I’m 50 and I’ve never left North America. Until last week. My wife got a great deal for a four-day stay last weekend in Paris, and away we went. We stayed near the Louvre, and luckily it was off-season in the city. I guess all the Americans were back home. Lucky us, because I had zero...
  5. MikeFairbanks

    Galileo/Newton agree-- 9/11 was an inside job!

    Something else to consider is the idea of self-preservation. People will dismiss a conspiracy theory in order to maintain stability. Let's say, for example, that 9/11 was definitely an inside job. Even with damning evidence, a lot of people would refuse to accept it for fear of economic or...
  6. MikeFairbanks

    Need advice on Dremel tools/kits, please. Thanks

    Thanks for the tips. I think I'll do some rearranging of benches so that I can get corded Dremels. They seem to offer more for the money (power, durability, etc.), and by them being corded there is less chance kids will drop them on the floor. Some of them are not responsible at all. I just...
  7. MikeFairbanks

    Need advice on Dremel tools/kits, please. Thanks

    I have a technology/engineering class, and in order to maximize resources and give all my students (close to 150) the opportunity to design and fabricate their ideas, we have to work with miniature models, so-to-speak. This is a middle school class, so much of what I teach is theory, computer...
  8. MikeFairbanks

    Galileo/Newton agree-- 9/11 was an inside job!

    I've always been skeptical of the official 9/11 report, and am very curious about WTC building #7. It did go straight down into its own footprint, which should give anyone pause. What made that thing fail and in that manner? Something that bothers me as well is those who have a knee-jerk...
  9. MikeFairbanks

    World Domination, I just got my self a 3d Printer!!!

    I just started a new job this week teaching middle school. We have a Makerbot and several kits from another manufacturer, but I'm also looking to get another plug-and-play for the younger students (the Makerbot is in a different lab and I want one for my room as well). The Mini Replicator...
  10. MikeFairbanks

    Electric skateboarding on any skateboard, but not exactly...

    Yeah, but much lighter.
  11. MikeFairbanks

    gas price thread

    The U.S. is so diversified, so the cheap oil isn't killing the economy at all (probably having the opposite effect). I personally think oil prices are being manipulated to break the Russians and Venezuelans. It worked on the latter, and hopefully will work on the former. It's not easy on all...
  12. MikeFairbanks

    Lawnmowing: manual and electric powered

    I've been using an electric mower for twelve years. The first one made it ten years until I got tired of fixing shorts in the cord and switches. The motor never wavered and I stored it outdoors unprotected for a decade. The rain had little to no effect. I replaced it with another of the same...
  13. MikeFairbanks

    Did Donald Trump Rape a 13 year old Girl?

    One thing that is proven and documented is that his buddy (Epstein) is a registered sex offender and as recently as 2014 was still being praised by Trump as a great guy. I have a feeling that there is a lot of really dark history there. On a different note, the only First Lady born outside...
  14. MikeFairbanks

    Electric skateboarding on any skateboard, but not exactly...

    I'm going to build this. I thought it up a while back (maybe a couple years) and I have some ideas on how to make it work. The first one will be too heavy (I'm going to use the 9c hub motor I have), but it seems like something like this could be built to be small and efficient. Not sure how...
  15. MikeFairbanks

    Time for a new project with students. Creative ideas?

    I've been chatting with Jason Kraft at EbikeKit.com, and it looks like we're getting it put together. I'll order 2-3 kits: 20-inch rear DD, 36 volt SLA. On a separate note, we're also getting a mini-CNC machine (the X-Carve) for carving 3D shapes out of solid materials (foam, plastic, wood...
  16. MikeFairbanks

    Time for a new project with students. Creative ideas?

    You guys have awesome suggestions. Dogman, I sent an email to Jason to chat about kits. Mad Rhino: You have a valid point about SLA, so maybe I'll do one SLA kit and two lithiums, or two SLA and one lithium. (S)LA is still very relevant as it's used in every single gasoline-fueled car...
  17. MikeFairbanks

    Time for a new project with students. Creative ideas?

    And it's more economical. The bikes will not be used for long distances or heavy loads, hills, etc. They will be used on the school campus (which is flat). I don't want a lot of speed, obviously, but I do want torque. I want them relatively quick off the line. We will use thumb throttles...
  18. MikeFairbanks

    Time for a new project with students. Creative ideas?

    Thanks for the replies. Perhaps you guys can help me refine as I think I have an idea. The age group will most likely be seventh grade (about 12-13 years old). I don't think I'm going to have my sixth grade kids do it, but eighth grade might. I'm not sure. I have a lot of other technology...
  19. MikeFairbanks

    Time for a new project with students. Creative ideas?

    I haven't been on this site for a long time (probably a year...not sure), but some of you might remember that I built an electric tricycle with my fourth grade science students several years ago. It's a Worksman Trike with a front hub motor, 36-volt SLA. We had a great time building and riding...
  20. MikeFairbanks

    Coaster brake on a low speed setup

    A coaster brake alone is bad, even at slower speeds. As it heats up it becomes less effective. I had an industrial trike that could only go to about 20mph and with any kind of downhill it was a serious issue (3-speed coaster brake). A front handbrake is critical to a safe riding experience.
  21. MikeFairbanks

    Schwinn Foot Bike for 80 bucks (steel), 26-inch

    I haven't been around in a while (to Endless Sphere), but the other day I bumped into this little guy at a Target in Florida, and found a unit in stock here in the Atlanta area. For $80 it seems like a no-brainer I'm going to get one and slap in a hub motor. Complaints from the foot...
  22. MikeFairbanks

    Schwinn Trike is garbage

    Oops, I posted in the wrong thread.
  23. MikeFairbanks

    Replaceable fork for Worksman Mover Trike?

    Hi. Can anyone who knows much about Worksman trikes guide me to a front fork that will fit AND has the capability of mounting brakes (no disk) to the front? It's been so long that I've replaced forks on a bike that I know nothing about sizing, especially with old school bikes like Worksman...
  24. MikeFairbanks

    Hey, friends: Time to look at golfboards. Yep, golfboards

    They look fun, but the price tag is pretty high. I'm not in marketing, and I am frequently dead wrong when I predict the success or failure of a product. When Batteries Plus first opened in Athens, Georgia, I said it would fail miserably in no time. Well, that was a bad call. I also said rap...
  25. MikeFairbanks

    Hey, friends: Time to look at golfboards. Yep, golfboards

    This may have been posted, and if so. Sorry. But I stumbled upon it while looking up golf cart reviews. I live in a community with dedicated paved paths for golf carts, bikes, runners, etc., and skateboards are allowed (along with e-bikes and e-skates). No cars allowed, and golf carts are...
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