an ebike for able disadled

[yuhr]

Now I ride a regular 26" Schwinn 18-speed bike, not infrequently with a trailer (a shopping cart or a kids' 4-wheel wagon) almost without problems. "Almost" is this: at slow speeds and on bad roads (either NYC streets or non-paved paths with all kind of natural (tree roots, potholes, etc.) and man-made junk I might loose my balance.Another problem is the distance and uphills. I use middle front sprocket once or twice per season, usually when carrying a heavy load and going steep uphill. By distance I mean uninterrupted rides over 30 mi (I never tried myself to exhaustion; I think I can cover ~50 mi/day.
My balance problem is with me to stay; to circumvent it I decided to get a 20-22" (wheel size) bike and use V-shaped "preloaded" training wheels (I realize that my turns will become wider). To cover greater distances and hills, I'll use an electric conversion kit. Yet up to now I was unable to find anything suitable (e. g. moped type made-in-Asia bikes are usually mono-speed; some bikes appear suitable - derailleur can be seen - yet prohibitively expensive. So, I decided to get an inexpensive 20"-24" bike (ideally with double suspension and derailleur or at least 6 speeds) and convert it into e-bike.
What should I look for? In hub front wheel conversion kit? [I have a balance problem but no weight problem: I am under 150 lbs, most time under 145 lbs, so my real limitation is money; I can carry many sets of modern light-weight batteries].
I do not believe that I am unique; there must be other not completely disabled riders like me with various types of limitations using some modified bikes. Buying a trike once crossed my mind; yet almost all trikes are unnecessary wide (way over 25"-29"), very heavy, have maximum 3 speeds, etc. A e-converted bike E equipped with training wheels (or even without, as with very low center of gravity I think I could manage) but they are nor manufactured anymore and are hard to find.
Any suggestions?

 

[Knuckles]

Contact TeamHybrid ...
http://www.teamhybrid.co.uk/

Mark Higgon is A+ #1 Guy.

 

[yuhr]

Thank you, Knuckles.
That website is for invalids; I am able-bodied man with a minor balance problem, so much so that I ride my 26" Schwinn in NYC, sometimes even in Manhattan (though not in rush hours) and probably will be able to ride a low center-of-gravity bicycle. I mean, without training wheels. Actually, if I get bike E (or one of it sister models), I'd rather had ridden it and not a teenager bike with training wheels.

 

[Drunkskunk]

Welcome to the forum.

Ebikes are illegal in New York. That law may change, and if your disability is documented, you may be able to get a Doctor to sign off on your Ebike as a needed mobility device.
But for many reasons, it may be best to pick a setup that is as stealth as possable. A gearless hubmotor will run quiet enough to pass by a cop on a sidewalk without being noticed. Running the motor in the rear makes it less noticable than in the front.

My first choice to recomend would be a 9 Continents.
As for bikes, if balance is an issue, have you considered a trike? There are some rather inexpensive Schwinn trikes, as well as adaptor kits to convert your exsisting bike to a trike.

 

[yuhr]

Tanks, Drunkskunk.
I never knew about 2>3 conversion kits, yet a priori it does not make sense: for ~12 I can put flexible arm Bell training wheels (putting them on a 26" wheel sounds challenging! a nice week-end project, isn't it?), so I'll have pretty stable contraption. Learning to make turns ... hard to tell in advance. Does not seem to be insurmountable, yet it' got to be tried.
As far as illegality in New York - the law or whatever (traffic ordinance?) - is not enforced. In both Manhattan and Queens Chinatowns and elsewhere one can see dozens of e-bikes of all sorts, under delivery boys and parked by food establishments. Probably, all available cops concentrate in NY subway, fighting terrorism (I see many of them at many stations), so they don't have time to chase e-bikers :lol:

 

[AussieJester]

Welcome to the forum.

Ebikes are illegal in New York.

No they are not

As of Jan-26-2010 NY has made it legal to ride an e-bike (Up to 1000w to the motor,20 mph on level ground, must have working pedals, must wear a helmet, and must be 16 or older) on the street or anywhere a bike can be ridden legally, without need of licence or permit.
The bill # was S4014 and added S102-C,s125-E, and S1238-A.
The law can be viewed at:
http://open.nysenate.gov/openleg/api/html/bill/S4014

Best of luck

KiM

 

[monster]

Thank you, Knuckles.
That website is for invalids; I am able-bodied man with a minor balance problem, so much so that I ride my 26" Schwinn in NYC, sometimes even in Manhattan (though not in rush hours) and probably will be able to ride a low center-of-gravity bicycle. I mean, without training wheels. Actually, if I get bike E (or one of it sister models), I'd rather had ridden it and not a teenager bike with training wheels.

no team hybrid are ebike experts. ignor their shitty website. phone them direct. thats where i got my X5.

 

[dogman dan]

I'd say look at longer than normal bikes like some of the beach cruisers. They have low seats and pedals that are further forward than normal. The result is a bike that you can easily touch the ground with your feet without getting out of the saddle. I have a version of this that was once a schwinn trike, that I converted back to a 2 weel with 7 gears. It was really nice at the stops, or riding super slow through a crowd at the flea market since you could so easily put a foot down when needed. Wtih a good gearmotor, you won't need so many gears on the bike. You should be able to find a cruiser with 5 to 7 speeds gearing.

Combine that kind of low seat bike with gearmotor, and you get a bike that handles slow speeds and hills as good as fast cruising, and you can put a foot down if going slow. Faster, the bike will help you balance.

 

[jerryt]

I'd say look at longer than normal bikes like some of the beach cruisers. They have low seats and pedals that are further forward than normal. The result is a bike that you can easily touch the ground with your feet without getting out of the saddle. I have a version of this that was once a schwinn trike, that I converted back to a 2 weel with 7 gears. It was really nice at the stops, or riding super slow through a crowd at the flea market since you could so easily put a foot down when needed. Wtih a good gearmotor, you won't need so many gears on the bike. You should be able to find a cruiser with 5 to 7 speeds gearing.

Combine that kind of low seat bike with gearmotor, and you get a bike that handles slow speeds and hills as good as fast cruising, and you can put a foot down if going slow. Faster, the bike will help you balance.

Look at these videos for Day 6 bikes and check out the ebikes on the same website
http://www.day6bicycles.com/video.html
http://www.day6bicycles.com/index.html