Townie style crank forward bikes show your conversion.

[tomjasz]

I found another bike to consider. It looks like the frame may fit a BBS01 better or I may just go hub drive on the new ride. Anyone seen this brand around? The local Trek shop is owned by a dick. And has almost no stock. The Pure is a less than ideal motor position. Also no local option for a Townie. The shop that carries KHS has had them for 17 years and is happy. A really good shop, with 20 kinds of beer, a coffee, and ice-cream shop attached. All with a Mississippi river view. Very cool place to hang out!

 

[spinningmagnets]

For fans of the "Feet Forward" (FF) posture, (low seat for feet flat on the ground at stops, comfortable semi-recumbent posture, high speed stability from a long wheelbase, fat tires to soak up bad road irregularities, big cruiser frame triangle for battery options), you might also consider the Electra Townie the Trek Pure, and the Fuji Barnebey.

 

[tomjasz]

Done.

 

[cal3thousand]

If looking for an older bike frame as a donor, Giant Suede-e had a slightly crank forward design, step thru frame and long wheelbase. Here's my wife's that I converted to a rear hub MAC with Yuba breadbasket up front:

 

[tomjasz]

Nice, but not forward enough for me to be flat foot on that style frame. Had that style worked I had lots of options. Never found crank forward used bike after reaching out 200 miles in radius.

 

[jkbrigman]

BTW: I've tried to buy a Townie used - it's not easy, at least in my neck of the woods. They are expensive when new so people price them high when used, and when you try to contact the seller, they've either sold the bike already (and don't realize they need to remove the ad - PEOPLE!) or they've talked to potential buyers and get told they want too much for the bike and have gotten sensitive about it.

Either way, screw that. Better to buy a new bike and not deal with all the 'effin drama.

 

[mark5]

Nice, but not forward enough for me to be flat foot on that style frame. Had that style worked I had lots of options. Never found crank forward used bike after reaching out 200 miles in radius.

Have you looked at the RANS CF and Day 6 bikes. I have a similar situation and it seems such bikes might be helpful.

 

[cal3thousand]

Giant Revives are nice if you can find them too. But as a semi recumbent, it's a bit more laid back than a Townie.

 

[The fingers]

If the bike in the first photo had the saddle low and on a rearward-adjustable seatpost, one could slap some ape-hanger handlebars on it for a poor man's chopper. Maybe even a sting ray seat with a sissy bar. 8)

 

[tomjasz]

Nice, but not forward enough for me to be flat foot on that style frame. Had that style worked I had lots of options. Never found crank forward used bike after reaching out 200 miles in radius.

Have you looked at the RANS CF and Day 6 bikes. I have a similar situation and it seems such bikes might be helpful.

It's called a budget. But thanks for rubbing it in. Very cool rides, just not priced right.

 

[tomjasz]

If the bike in the first photo had the saddle low and on a rearward-adjustable seatpost, one could slap some ape-hanger handlebars on it for a poor man's chopper. Maybe even a sting ray seat with a sissy bar. 8)

That's the medium frame. The large has a quite a bit larger headset and would be even wilder. But I'm old, decrepit, and polish my shoes before I go out. Am I dork enough?

 

[dogman dan]

Here's an oddball one from the oddball dude.

It's the Schwinn meridian trike with the trike rear end removed, and a cheap dropout bolted derailleur attached.

Very low on the crank, so don't pedal through a corner. But it rode and cornered real sweet, very low CG, and longer than normal wheelbase. My back could only tolerate about 5 miles rides on it, so the frame is still sitting out there in the bike graveyard. I can't do the pedal forward thing, I have to take more weight on my feet.

 

[tomjasz]

What happened to the rear end? Was it a decent trike?




( BTW I'm trying to find a trike for an old geezer buddy. So far the Cozy seems the best of the prebuilt. Please watch for the thread I start asking those questions again.)

 

[MikeFairbanks]

Trek Pure. Rides great, even as a front wheel drive. The weight of the rider, combined with the geometry of the bike, puts most of the weight in the back. A rear motor would be better. However, a front motor isn't a problem most of the time (steep hills that are wet or covered in sand causes spin).

It rides great.

 

[tomjasz]

I have one and you're correct, a hub drive is the only way to fly on a Trek Pure. Eventually mine will have a front drive. I recently rode a front hub bike and was really surprised at how much I like it. Some studded tires would make it a great winter ride. Just waiting for the stash to build up again and buy a Mac motor from cell_man. A rear hub is a pain since I have a 3 speed and add on brakes look cobbled to me. But HEY! Nice ride! Looks very sharp!

 

[dogman dan]

I tend to like a front hub on a cruiser bike. Nice to be pulled through the corner.

The trike became a bike because the back wheels collapsed. So I made it into a bike for awhile.

I eventually laced up some new strong wheels, and used the thing till I bent an axle on the trike rear end section. We beat those trikes hard at work. Always loaded to 100 pounds or more, Often towing 500 pounds. But alas, the workplace has speed bumps.

 

[MikeFairbanks]

Nice ride! Looks very sharp!

Thanks. It's a very comfortable ride. Doesn't really have any negatives other than a little bit of spin on the front wheel here and there (only uphill and only on rare occasions).

The thing about front hub motors is that you can install them so quickly. Once you get used to it you can have a bike and a boxed kit and go to riding in under an hour easily.

Best friends are zip ties, black electrical tape and velcro straps. Makes for a smooth and easy ride.

 

[The fingers]

But alas, the workplace has speed bumps.

Speed bumps are the pits and a PITA, like an inverted pothole. :x

 

[tomjasz]

Nice ride! Looks very sharp!

Thanks. It's a very comfortable ride. Doesn't really have any negatives other than a little bit of spin on the front wheel here and there (only uphill and only on rare occasions).

The thing about front hub motors is that you can install them so quickly. Once you get used to it you can have a bike and a boxed kit and go to riding in under an hour easily.

Best friends are zip ties, black electrical tape and velcro straps. Makes for a smooth and easy ride.

The second install of the mid drive was equally as easy as you describe. Once all the right tools were in place. Shazaam, easy peasy.

 

[tomjasz]

I tend to like a front hub on a cruiser bike. Nice to be pulled through the corner.

The trike became a bike because the back wheels collapsed. So I made it into a bike for awhile.

I eventually laced up some new strong wheels, and used the thing till I bent an axle on the trike rear end section. We beat those trikes hard at work. Always loaded to 100 pounds or more, Often towing 500 pounds. But alas, the workplace has speed bumps.

I'm actively looking for a trike. So far the Trek is the most comfortable but my experience is limited.

 

[dogman dan]

Mike has trike experience too. I had motors too fast for them, meaning the adult trike, delta kind trike. Worksman type.

So what I found was that a Schwinn trike gets hard to steer at more than 15 mph, very hard to jink around the glass in the bike lanes. They also pull like hell if you ride on a tilted shoulder, at 30 mph, it will throw you into the ditch. Apparently the tadpole trikes don't do that.

But at lower speeds, the trikes can rock. I used two of the schwinns at work for years. I was head of maintenance at a very narrow street condo complex. A truck for tools on the street sucked, what I needed was a tiny pickup 3' wide. The trikes were perfect. I would tow garden wagons, sometimes even two of them at once like a train. 5mph stuff. But over time, even at 5 mph, the speed bumps in the complex would trash the back wheels, and even bend the axles. We were never loaded less than 100 pounds in the basket.

The ideal motor for a trike is E-Bikekit's trike front motor kit. It's max speed is about 12 mph. Perfect for the fixed gear of the trikes too, if you don't have the three speed.

But if you are a bit braver, it can also be fun to ride them faster. Mastering the two wheel turn at 20 mph is fun. A nice setup could be a mac 12t, and three speed switch. I'm not sure how the three speed hubs on trikes would stand up to a bb motor.

 

[tomjasz]

The frames on every trike I've looked at wold preclude a mid drive like the Bafang. The fellow I want o hook up has no interest in speed. He's elderly but very active. He will soon lose his drivers license to a loss in vision skills. Like myself the bike will become a lifeline to continue self sufficiency. We've looked at photos of a few kits. The works an seems to have cheaper components and an old style 1 piece crank, old style bearing and races too? The cozy looks good to us but no one to really chat with and make real comparisons. No independent reviews either. We're it me I'd find a trek trike nd convert but his talents are those of a drummer not a mechanic, and I'm 1600 miles away unable to travel yet.

BTW he was Pearl Baily's drummer at Bugsy Segals place in Las Vegas. I own the photo!

 

[dogman dan]

Hook him up the E-bike kit trike kit then. It will go with any adult trike you can scare up.

http://www.ebikekit.com/electric-tricycle-conversion-kits/e-trike-conversion-kits-without-battery/

I have the kit but with a rear wheel. Definitely adequate on 36v, and the right speed for the trikes. If you don't haul ass like I did, the cheap meridian Schwinn will work.

 

[tomjasz]

Done, now to sort out the spaghetti factory of wires.

 

[spinningmagnets]

Add a suspension seat-post and a cup-holder and that looks like an awesome street commuter...