[Update 6/6/2018]
Hello fellow tinkerers, the trike is now for sale - $900 to members of this fine community.
details as follows:
CL link:
https://reno.craigslist.org/bik/d/catrike-recumbent-electric/6560915770.html
Flickr link with pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28769982@N02/
Located in Truckee, California.
1) Still running original cyclone motor and gearbox - its been trouble free for me.
2) Pack is a 3 yr old Pingbattery 24v 25Ah. Ran a test 2 weeks ago, hooked to an ME1004, pulled 22Ah out before dropping to 24v.
Its a bit out of the way, so if someone is interested in the motor and pack only, let me know.
Questions? PM or email/text through the CL ad.
cheers
Mick
I've being working on this over the last few months. I've learned tons of information from folks on the board, so thank you to all who work hard to maintain this.
Background.
I wanted to build a commuter bike that was comfortable, lightweight, had reasonable range, and could get me to work in less than an hour without arriving in a mess.
My commute is 18 miles one way, with an absolute elevation difference of around 500ft. Some day I will borrow a GPS to get the true elevation change on the route.
I looked at modifying my mountain bike, but ongoing back problems led me towards recumbents. I had previously bought a used synergy bike earlier in the spring, and I found it very heavy and unwieldy. (75lbs!). Range was also a problem, and it was impossible to use on hills if the batteries gave out.
I also did not like idea of a hub motor, as I wanted the ability to have the motor use the drive train, which I expected to be a bit more efficient.
The Project
The project started in earnest in April with the acquisition of a lightly used 2004 Catrike Road. This a more expensive platform than I intended. It also was a lot more difficult to ride than I expected, but I became more comfortable on it after around 200 miles.
I chose the Cyclone motor kit from Cyclone Taiwan. This is a 24V 500W motor kits that fits into an existing drive train, and is has a built in controller. It also includes mounting hardware and a twist throttle. The kit is really intended for upright bikes, but there is enough flexibility in the mounting hardware to fit different types. I initially purchased the single freewheel version, and later upgraded to the dual freewheel. I think this is a much better solution, because you can preserve both the front and rear gears without messing with the cranks.
I looked at several battery sources, and chose Ping because of his great reputation, and he was willing to answer several questions before I purchased the pack. Its a 24V 20Ah LiPO flat cell.
Hiding the Motor
It took me two months to get the bike to the state it is today. This involved several experiments in motor location, battery location, and drive train mods.
I initially positioned the motor in front of the front axle. Although easy to access, the motor was very exposed - it hung down below the axle in order to work with the chain return. It also affected braking, perhaps because of the weight – I've learned that tadpoles are sensitive to weight in front.
The second location was behind the seat, in front of the rear wheel. I saw this on an Australian green speed trike, and it looked like a reasonable position. However, I could never get the chain to run correctly, and was faced with multiple idler wheels to get the chain path working again. I think this solution might work better with a single speed or internal hub.
The current (hopefully final) location came about when staring at the idle wheel location one day. The unadulterated Catrike has a large idle wheel mounted right under the rear seat. The frame geometry requires an idle wheel there to get the chain under the seat then back up to the rear cassette. Although obvious to me now, it was a bit of a eureka moment when I finally caught on. Its not a perfect location, but I'm pretty happy with it so far.
What I learned
The Cyclone motor has worked really well for me. I'm glad I purchased the 500w instead of the 360w version. It has a few drawbacks, however, mainly in that it it noisy - in part due to the integrated reduction gearbox and freewheels. It also gets quite warm with the integrated controller, but I can still put my hand on it after climbing one of the longer hills near my house. Its main feature is it weight (around 6lbs) and simplicity (no external controllers to mess with). It can be switched from CC to CCW location, but you need steady hands and a small iron, as it involves 3 surface mount resistors. I would like to play around with a Crystallite or other hub motor some day, but that can wait.
The pack has caused no trouble at all, despite my attempts to butcher it several times. After my experience with the Synergy SLA boat anchors, I wanted a lightweight pack. My only concern with LiPO was the cost and possible charging and maintenance. Not satisfied with the pack taking up room on my rack, I took it apart and rebuilt it as a flat pack which now rests behind my backrest. The Catrike has a mesh seat the wraps completely around the seat frame. The battery rests between the mesh sandwich. I build the pack with flexible wire and lots of foam between cells, so it adopts to the curve of my back. Although worried about heat, it seems to run fine in the Nevada afternoon (95-100 degrees).
I added a watts up meter to try and get a sense of how much energy I was using. After a few trips to work, I've discovered I use around 70Wh on the way and twice that on the way back. Thats with a fair amount of pedaling. I could probably get to work and back without a recharge, but I don't want to flatten the battery. I've discovered its more efficient to keep pedaling and use the motor to get across intersections quickly or flatten out hills. On the flat, I can achieve a top speed of 30MPH, but that involves pedaling also. On an upright, the kit could probably go faster with different gearing/wheel size.
The current setup weighs 55lbs. Thats with the trike loaded and ready to go to work. (Water, charger, cell phone, tool kit, MP3 Player). I could probably remove some stuff and get the weight down, but I need to shave some of my own weight first.
The Trike gets a fair amount of attention – mainly from kids. There is something about being that low to the ground, I guess. Unless I have the motor running under load, its not that obvious its a hybrid, and I've had quite a few double takes when passing cyclists on hills pulling my daughter in the trailer. My wife is still concerned about being visible to cars, but I've had no problems so far. It makes a huge difference in coming to work not covered in sweat and looking like you need an oxygen bottle.
If Interested, you can find more photos on Flickr at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28769982@N02/
Some other links:
Catrike: http://www.catrike.com/
Cyclone Taiwan: http://www.cyclone-tw.com/
Email: sales@cyclone-tw.com (Paco)
Ping Battery:
Email: <pingping227@hotmail.com> (Li Ping)
Watts Up:
http://www.powerwerx.com/product.asp?ProdID=3809
Hello fellow tinkerers, the trike is now for sale - $900 to members of this fine community.
details as follows:
CL link:
https://reno.craigslist.org/bik/d/catrike-recumbent-electric/6560915770.html
Flickr link with pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28769982@N02/
Located in Truckee, California.
1) Still running original cyclone motor and gearbox - its been trouble free for me.
2) Pack is a 3 yr old Pingbattery 24v 25Ah. Ran a test 2 weeks ago, hooked to an ME1004, pulled 22Ah out before dropping to 24v.
Its a bit out of the way, so if someone is interested in the motor and pack only, let me know.
Questions? PM or email/text through the CL ad.
cheers
Mick
I've being working on this over the last few months. I've learned tons of information from folks on the board, so thank you to all who work hard to maintain this.
Background.
I wanted to build a commuter bike that was comfortable, lightweight, had reasonable range, and could get me to work in less than an hour without arriving in a mess.
My commute is 18 miles one way, with an absolute elevation difference of around 500ft. Some day I will borrow a GPS to get the true elevation change on the route.
I looked at modifying my mountain bike, but ongoing back problems led me towards recumbents. I had previously bought a used synergy bike earlier in the spring, and I found it very heavy and unwieldy. (75lbs!). Range was also a problem, and it was impossible to use on hills if the batteries gave out.
I also did not like idea of a hub motor, as I wanted the ability to have the motor use the drive train, which I expected to be a bit more efficient.
The Project
The project started in earnest in April with the acquisition of a lightly used 2004 Catrike Road. This a more expensive platform than I intended. It also was a lot more difficult to ride than I expected, but I became more comfortable on it after around 200 miles.
I chose the Cyclone motor kit from Cyclone Taiwan. This is a 24V 500W motor kits that fits into an existing drive train, and is has a built in controller. It also includes mounting hardware and a twist throttle. The kit is really intended for upright bikes, but there is enough flexibility in the mounting hardware to fit different types. I initially purchased the single freewheel version, and later upgraded to the dual freewheel. I think this is a much better solution, because you can preserve both the front and rear gears without messing with the cranks.
I looked at several battery sources, and chose Ping because of his great reputation, and he was willing to answer several questions before I purchased the pack. Its a 24V 20Ah LiPO flat cell.
Hiding the Motor
It took me two months to get the bike to the state it is today. This involved several experiments in motor location, battery location, and drive train mods.
I initially positioned the motor in front of the front axle. Although easy to access, the motor was very exposed - it hung down below the axle in order to work with the chain return. It also affected braking, perhaps because of the weight – I've learned that tadpoles are sensitive to weight in front.
The second location was behind the seat, in front of the rear wheel. I saw this on an Australian green speed trike, and it looked like a reasonable position. However, I could never get the chain to run correctly, and was faced with multiple idler wheels to get the chain path working again. I think this solution might work better with a single speed or internal hub.
The current (hopefully final) location came about when staring at the idle wheel location one day. The unadulterated Catrike has a large idle wheel mounted right under the rear seat. The frame geometry requires an idle wheel there to get the chain under the seat then back up to the rear cassette. Although obvious to me now, it was a bit of a eureka moment when I finally caught on. Its not a perfect location, but I'm pretty happy with it so far.
What I learned
The Cyclone motor has worked really well for me. I'm glad I purchased the 500w instead of the 360w version. It has a few drawbacks, however, mainly in that it it noisy - in part due to the integrated reduction gearbox and freewheels. It also gets quite warm with the integrated controller, but I can still put my hand on it after climbing one of the longer hills near my house. Its main feature is it weight (around 6lbs) and simplicity (no external controllers to mess with). It can be switched from CC to CCW location, but you need steady hands and a small iron, as it involves 3 surface mount resistors. I would like to play around with a Crystallite or other hub motor some day, but that can wait.
The pack has caused no trouble at all, despite my attempts to butcher it several times. After my experience with the Synergy SLA boat anchors, I wanted a lightweight pack. My only concern with LiPO was the cost and possible charging and maintenance. Not satisfied with the pack taking up room on my rack, I took it apart and rebuilt it as a flat pack which now rests behind my backrest. The Catrike has a mesh seat the wraps completely around the seat frame. The battery rests between the mesh sandwich. I build the pack with flexible wire and lots of foam between cells, so it adopts to the curve of my back. Although worried about heat, it seems to run fine in the Nevada afternoon (95-100 degrees).
I added a watts up meter to try and get a sense of how much energy I was using. After a few trips to work, I've discovered I use around 70Wh on the way and twice that on the way back. Thats with a fair amount of pedaling. I could probably get to work and back without a recharge, but I don't want to flatten the battery. I've discovered its more efficient to keep pedaling and use the motor to get across intersections quickly or flatten out hills. On the flat, I can achieve a top speed of 30MPH, but that involves pedaling also. On an upright, the kit could probably go faster with different gearing/wheel size.
The current setup weighs 55lbs. Thats with the trike loaded and ready to go to work. (Water, charger, cell phone, tool kit, MP3 Player). I could probably remove some stuff and get the weight down, but I need to shave some of my own weight first.
The Trike gets a fair amount of attention – mainly from kids. There is something about being that low to the ground, I guess. Unless I have the motor running under load, its not that obvious its a hybrid, and I've had quite a few double takes when passing cyclists on hills pulling my daughter in the trailer. My wife is still concerned about being visible to cars, but I've had no problems so far. It makes a huge difference in coming to work not covered in sweat and looking like you need an oxygen bottle.
If Interested, you can find more photos on Flickr at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28769982@N02/
Some other links:
Catrike: http://www.catrike.com/
Cyclone Taiwan: http://www.cyclone-tw.com/
Email: sales@cyclone-tw.com (Paco)
Ping Battery:
Email: <pingping227@hotmail.com> (Li Ping)
Watts Up:
http://www.powerwerx.com/product.asp?ProdID=3809
