This thread will be for the re-evolution of what used to be CrazyBike2:
https://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12500
which looked approximately like this (but all red) last time it was working:
and now looks like this:
Since the stuff I'll need to begin building the new version of the SB Cruiser trike appears to have very little chance of becoming available anytime soon (probably because of the freeze disaster in the central USA some weeks back), and I have a week and a half off coming up at the end of April, intended to be used to make that new trike so I will have backup transportation and/or new primary transportation, I'm instead going to go ahead and rebuild CB2 to make it functional again as a backup bike, partly so I can use it while rebuilding SB Cruiser to do the things I would've liked to build a new trike for instead.
SInce the under-seat cargo box has been very useful on SBC, I'll probably be doing something like this:
https://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12500&start=1125#p1341783
to the CB2 frame, making that big box under the seat like SBC has for cargo, battery, etc. I have pulled the frame out of the storage area to look at it, take pics, and work out what exactly I'll need to change to do this, to see if it's practical for it's structure. It's not very aerodynamic...but I need practicality for cargo much more than aero, as I don't need to go fast (20MPH or less) and usually not more than a few miles at a time. One thing the pic doesnt' show is the probably-necessary bevelling of the bottom outer edges of the whole cargo system (rear boxes and under-seat box), to allow leaning in turns).
Since all electrical stuff (motor and lights) was stripped off for other things a while ago, it'll need a new motor/controller system, as well as new lighting, etc. It doesn't have any wheels or front fork either.
For a motor, TorgueRPM is parting out an E-Grom, so once we work out cost and shipping on some parts from that, I'll be using it's rear 2kw QSMotor wheel, which uses a rim bolted to the motor itself, and a fairly wide MC tire, which may also require modification of the frame the rear cargo boxes are bolted to (so the bike may get a few inches wider than it is now by the time I'm done, and I may have to bevel the outer bottom edge of each cargo pod to ensure clearance during leaning in turns). If it's possible, I'll also add suspension to the rear end since the shock will also come with this, but I don't know if I can fit that in between the cargo pods without making it too wide.
One issue to be dealt with is that the MC motor wheel doesn't have any way to connect a pedal drivetrain to it. So I'll need to add a mount for at least a single-speed freewheel to it. While it's unlikely I myself could actually pedal it without power (I can barely pedal a regular bike anymore and stay balanced), I still want this to be a bicycle in concept, and it will still be limited to 20MPH like the SB Cruiser trike, etc.
I just need higher power than a typical ebike to get moving quickly when heavily loaded with cargo or pulling a trailer that's loaded up (like with one or more of the dogs). It took about 4kw to do this with the previous version of CB2; it'll probably take about the same here, though it's only needed for a few seconds under most conditions, since almost everywhere I ride around here is pretty flat. Pulling a trailer loaded with a few hundred pounds of stuff (dog, dog food, groceries, or whatever) will need that kind of power for longer, and still higher power than typical for the rest of the time.
(I actually wanted to go with a middrive for this, but the one I'd planned on using was one being sold in the used section here, and the seller stopped responding last year, though their ad is still up; I might eventually be able to make one myself but for reliability and simplicity, I'm going to stick with the hubmotor concept for now).
As I don't have a usable fork, I'll probably be using the whole headtube and fork from the E-Grom, modifying the axle mount on it's dropouts to hold a bicycle wheel axle, and making an adapter from a bicycle 6-bolt ISO disc brake hub to the MC rotor that goes with the hydraulic MC brakes the fork has. (the rear wheel will also have the MC brakes, so the frame has to be modified to bolt those to it).
For lighting, the fork comes with the E-grom front plastics/lights/etc, so I'll start with that and see what has to be changed, if anything, for headlight. Then I'll put these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-Car-72Leds-Daytime-Running-Light-White-DRL-Driving-Turn-Signal-Fog-Lamp-Amber/393160286734?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
on the fork legs for front side-markers and turn signals and DRLs. These:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-40-LED-Turn-Signal-Brake-Reverse-Tail-Running-Lights-Truck-Trailer-RV-Camper/143789792061?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
will be the main taillights and turn signals and brake lights, installed on the upper back of the cargo boxes. If it turns out there is not enough surface area I'll get another pair and mount them side-by-side. This might be another tail/brake light at the back of the seat along the crossbar:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/FOR-FORD-SUPER-DUTY-SMOKED-THIRD-3RD-BRAKE-LIGHT-CARGO-LAMP-3D-LED-BAR-99-16/283992321110
and it also has lights to shine down into the cargo pod area and behind the bike when I'm stopped and loading/unloading cargo, etc. These strips:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-White-Amber-60cm-Flexible-LED-Car-Headlight-Slim-Strip-Turn-Signal-DRL-Light/393178503261?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
may go along the crossbar itself, as upper turn signals. The white part of the lights will remain unused for now. If I can find a way to cover the white LEDs with red transparencies without interfering with the amber turn signal LEDs, I'll do that. If they wont' fit on the crossbar, I'll use them along the rear and outer edges of the cargo box lids.
I also still have a bunch of 12V LED strips like are used all over SB Cruiser, so those will also be used on various tubes and frame parts of the Cloudwalker Cargo Bike (CCB) for marker lights and downlighting, to make it "bigger" visibility-wise; this strategy has worked well over the years for helping other traffic on the road see me and go around me rather than thru me.
I'll use the same metal ATV thumb throttle that runs a cable-operated throttle body as I do on SB Cruiser, and if I can make it work on the bars I'll also use the brake lever on that throttle unit to run another cable-operated throttle that will control variable regen braking.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GF9V6X7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Electric-Motorcycle-Scooter-Accelerator-Unit-With-Cable-Line-One-Set-For-Akcnd-Ncy-Gp-Throttle-Grips/32954909008.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.14e94c4d1uQh12
I don't know which controller I will use yet. I have the questionable-functionality Kelly KLS7250D from Mistercrash that I need to test (and possibly repair if it is broken *and* repairable) that would run the motor ok. I also have the unfinished Lebowski-Honda-IMA controllers that would definitely do it. Most likely one of the Lebowskis will have to be used, and if I ever get back to the SB Cruiser being powered by them have to get the stuff to make a third one. I dont' have anything else (working) that will give me 4kw from a single motor even for a few seconds. (maybe half that, mostly a quarter that).
For redundancy I would prefer to use 2WD, motor on each end, but there are several complications to doing that for the front if using the E-Grom fork, and also the single big motor in the back ought to be able to reliably handle everything as long as the controller doesn't fail. (I will probably end up keeping a small 2kw-capable generic controller mounted and ready to connect the battery and motor and controls to "just in case".) I've thought about using one of the little Bafang SWX02 ex-Jumpbike motors I got last year as the front wheel, as a "just in case" motor since it freewheels; it would never be used unless there were problems with the rear. It couldn't handle more than basic operation of the bike, and would probably need my help getting it started up to prevent overheating it pretty quickly in stop-and-go traffic.
More later, dozed off a dozen times writing this already. :/
https://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12500
which looked approximately like this (but all red) last time it was working:
and now looks like this:
Since the stuff I'll need to begin building the new version of the SB Cruiser trike appears to have very little chance of becoming available anytime soon (probably because of the freeze disaster in the central USA some weeks back), and I have a week and a half off coming up at the end of April, intended to be used to make that new trike so I will have backup transportation and/or new primary transportation, I'm instead going to go ahead and rebuild CB2 to make it functional again as a backup bike, partly so I can use it while rebuilding SB Cruiser to do the things I would've liked to build a new trike for instead.
SInce the under-seat cargo box has been very useful on SBC, I'll probably be doing something like this:
https://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12500&start=1125#p1341783
to the CB2 frame, making that big box under the seat like SBC has for cargo, battery, etc. I have pulled the frame out of the storage area to look at it, take pics, and work out what exactly I'll need to change to do this, to see if it's practical for it's structure. It's not very aerodynamic...but I need practicality for cargo much more than aero, as I don't need to go fast (20MPH or less) and usually not more than a few miles at a time. One thing the pic doesnt' show is the probably-necessary bevelling of the bottom outer edges of the whole cargo system (rear boxes and under-seat box), to allow leaning in turns).
Since all electrical stuff (motor and lights) was stripped off for other things a while ago, it'll need a new motor/controller system, as well as new lighting, etc. It doesn't have any wheels or front fork either.
For a motor, TorgueRPM is parting out an E-Grom, so once we work out cost and shipping on some parts from that, I'll be using it's rear 2kw QSMotor wheel, which uses a rim bolted to the motor itself, and a fairly wide MC tire, which may also require modification of the frame the rear cargo boxes are bolted to (so the bike may get a few inches wider than it is now by the time I'm done, and I may have to bevel the outer bottom edge of each cargo pod to ensure clearance during leaning in turns). If it's possible, I'll also add suspension to the rear end since the shock will also come with this, but I don't know if I can fit that in between the cargo pods without making it too wide.
One issue to be dealt with is that the MC motor wheel doesn't have any way to connect a pedal drivetrain to it. So I'll need to add a mount for at least a single-speed freewheel to it. While it's unlikely I myself could actually pedal it without power (I can barely pedal a regular bike anymore and stay balanced), I still want this to be a bicycle in concept, and it will still be limited to 20MPH like the SB Cruiser trike, etc.
I just need higher power than a typical ebike to get moving quickly when heavily loaded with cargo or pulling a trailer that's loaded up (like with one or more of the dogs). It took about 4kw to do this with the previous version of CB2; it'll probably take about the same here, though it's only needed for a few seconds under most conditions, since almost everywhere I ride around here is pretty flat. Pulling a trailer loaded with a few hundred pounds of stuff (dog, dog food, groceries, or whatever) will need that kind of power for longer, and still higher power than typical for the rest of the time.
(I actually wanted to go with a middrive for this, but the one I'd planned on using was one being sold in the used section here, and the seller stopped responding last year, though their ad is still up; I might eventually be able to make one myself but for reliability and simplicity, I'm going to stick with the hubmotor concept for now).
As I don't have a usable fork, I'll probably be using the whole headtube and fork from the E-Grom, modifying the axle mount on it's dropouts to hold a bicycle wheel axle, and making an adapter from a bicycle 6-bolt ISO disc brake hub to the MC rotor that goes with the hydraulic MC brakes the fork has. (the rear wheel will also have the MC brakes, so the frame has to be modified to bolt those to it).
For lighting, the fork comes with the E-grom front plastics/lights/etc, so I'll start with that and see what has to be changed, if anything, for headlight. Then I'll put these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-Car-72Leds-Daytime-Running-Light-White-DRL-Driving-Turn-Signal-Fog-Lamp-Amber/393160286734?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
on the fork legs for front side-markers and turn signals and DRLs. These:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-40-LED-Turn-Signal-Brake-Reverse-Tail-Running-Lights-Truck-Trailer-RV-Camper/143789792061?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
will be the main taillights and turn signals and brake lights, installed on the upper back of the cargo boxes. If it turns out there is not enough surface area I'll get another pair and mount them side-by-side. This might be another tail/brake light at the back of the seat along the crossbar:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/FOR-FORD-SUPER-DUTY-SMOKED-THIRD-3RD-BRAKE-LIGHT-CARGO-LAMP-3D-LED-BAR-99-16/283992321110
and it also has lights to shine down into the cargo pod area and behind the bike when I'm stopped and loading/unloading cargo, etc. These strips:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-White-Amber-60cm-Flexible-LED-Car-Headlight-Slim-Strip-Turn-Signal-DRL-Light/393178503261?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
may go along the crossbar itself, as upper turn signals. The white part of the lights will remain unused for now. If I can find a way to cover the white LEDs with red transparencies without interfering with the amber turn signal LEDs, I'll do that. If they wont' fit on the crossbar, I'll use them along the rear and outer edges of the cargo box lids.
I also still have a bunch of 12V LED strips like are used all over SB Cruiser, so those will also be used on various tubes and frame parts of the Cloudwalker Cargo Bike (CCB) for marker lights and downlighting, to make it "bigger" visibility-wise; this strategy has worked well over the years for helping other traffic on the road see me and go around me rather than thru me.
I'll use the same metal ATV thumb throttle that runs a cable-operated throttle body as I do on SB Cruiser, and if I can make it work on the bars I'll also use the brake lever on that throttle unit to run another cable-operated throttle that will control variable regen braking.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GF9V6X7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Electric-Motorcycle-Scooter-Accelerator-Unit-With-Cable-Line-One-Set-For-Akcnd-Ncy-Gp-Throttle-Grips/32954909008.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.14e94c4d1uQh12
I don't know which controller I will use yet. I have the questionable-functionality Kelly KLS7250D from Mistercrash that I need to test (and possibly repair if it is broken *and* repairable) that would run the motor ok. I also have the unfinished Lebowski-Honda-IMA controllers that would definitely do it.
Most likely one of the Lebowskis will have to be used, and if I ever get back to the SB Cruiser being powered by them have to get the stuff to make a third one. I dont' have anything else (working) that will give me 4kw from a single motor even for a few seconds. (maybe half that, mostly a quarter that). For redundancy I would prefer to use 2WD, motor on each end, but there are several complications to doing that for the front if using the E-Grom fork, and also the single big motor in the back ought to be able to reliably handle everything as long as the controller doesn't fail. (I will probably end up keeping a small 2kw-capable generic controller mounted and ready to connect the battery and motor and controls to "just in case".) I've thought about using one of the little Bafang SWX02 ex-Jumpbike motors I got last year as the front wheel, as a "just in case" motor since it freewheels; it would never be used unless there were problems with the rear. It couldn't handle more than basic operation of the bike, and would probably need my help getting it started up to prevent overheating it pretty quickly in stop-and-go traffic.
More later, dozed off a dozen times writing this already. :/
and her problems are different (and more immediately life-threatening, especially when she is under any stress).