jerryt
100 W
Nothing fancy here but a long post. It’s a Wilderness Energy 36v-12a SLA, 600 watt motor on a Worksman Industrial heavy duty bike that should haul my 250 lbs and have fun while running errands.
After reading the posts and dawdling for months while watching the price of sophisticated batteries go thru the roof, I re-read the life expectancy charts for men and finally realized that SLA’s would do just fine for me.
So I bought a hub motor kit and spent a couple of days putting it together. I can honestly say that during my working career it was a good thing that I looked so handsome, suave and debonair (almost George Cloonyish) in suit and tie because if I had to make a living working with my hands, my family would have starved to death.
The Worksman came from my former employer. I rode one for several years on night shift and scratched my initials on the frame (just like this one) because these highly prized bikes were stolen between departments and between work shifts. When they closed down the division, they donated them all to an organization that helps keep kids out of gangs and learn a trade, so I bought it for nostalgia sake with a donation.
The Worksman has been called the “Hum Veeâ€￾ of bikes. Its heavy duty specs include
1. RIMS - Steel 26" clincher rims (50% thicker than any other brand)
2. SPOKES - 11 gauge spokes (120mm)
3. TIRES - WTC SUP-R-TIRE 26 x 2.125 Nylon w/Kevlar (50 psi)
4. FRAME - 17.5" frame with dual top bars - Cantilever style, fully lugged, hand brazed using 16 gauge 1" frame tubing and 5/8" rear frame stays
5. CHAIN – 1/2 x 3/16â€￾ chain (50% thicker than regular)
6. CHAIN RING - 3/16" front sprocket
7. I’ve added a 2 leg (moped style) kickstand
So after I pulled out every tool in the box and changed out the tube and tire and test fit everything on and off the bike for 7 or 12 times and fashioned a battery rack extension from an old joist hanger, and charged up the battery, I finally turned on the juice (wasn’t expecting the little spark).
All of you know what happens when the wheel is put on backwards. I didn’t.
The generic W/E brochure I received states that brushless motors have wiring on the left side of the bike and brushed motors have wiring on the right side. The instructions were emphatically and absolutely wrong of course and I only discovered that after assembling everything and testing (read “almost wreckedâ€￾) the bike. An arrow on the hub would have simplified but alas, no arrow.
A call to the dealer verified that indeed, the written instructions and on-line instructions are incorrect because Wilderness Energy changed everything except the instructions in 2007. He finally calmed me down and said I should reverse the wheel and convinced me that I did not have the brushed motor which has less connector pins and for which I should have paid a helluvalot less money but which would have made the instructions correct.
So finally I got the ride I’ve been missing for too many years. It was just this side of great; the EV grin: a gentle breeze on my face and gnats in my teeth. It would have been all the way great if I wasn’t so concerned about the axels not seating all the way and not having a torque arm on the hub. But I went slow and kept my eye on things and it was fine; I slept well that night knowing that even old men can feel young again.
So the torque arm from ElectricRider.com came and things are looking a little better. I jacked the forks to 4 ¼ (+/-) with my Honda automobile jack to make room for the arm and filed a little more on the axel for a good solid fit.
This torque arm has a hole just below the axel slot for the wiring to pass thru and a separate metal cover for the wiring. The cover is solid metal and (for my bike at least) the assembly is made for the left side of the bike. I would have to rework the cover to make it work properly on the right side.
Visited my LBS and purchased a Mirracycle mirror and a front caliper brake. This mirror is great and I highly recommend it (Right on, Beagle). The brake is better than nothing but thank goodness I won’t be going that fast.
After reading posts on water-proofing, I decided to put on my fenders. It presents an all-American bicycle look to my eyes. I remember as a kid I couldn’t wait to take off my fenders. Strange.
After taking some pics, I realized the rear rack won’t take much abuse. I need to replace it with a heavy duty rack to hold porteur baskets and allow me to relocate the controller so I can install my Worksman big butt seat.
Here are a couple of pics:
After reading the posts and dawdling for months while watching the price of sophisticated batteries go thru the roof, I re-read the life expectancy charts for men and finally realized that SLA’s would do just fine for me.
So I bought a hub motor kit and spent a couple of days putting it together. I can honestly say that during my working career it was a good thing that I looked so handsome, suave and debonair (almost George Cloonyish) in suit and tie because if I had to make a living working with my hands, my family would have starved to death.
The Worksman came from my former employer. I rode one for several years on night shift and scratched my initials on the frame (just like this one) because these highly prized bikes were stolen between departments and between work shifts. When they closed down the division, they donated them all to an organization that helps keep kids out of gangs and learn a trade, so I bought it for nostalgia sake with a donation.
The Worksman has been called the “Hum Veeâ€￾ of bikes. Its heavy duty specs include
1. RIMS - Steel 26" clincher rims (50% thicker than any other brand)
2. SPOKES - 11 gauge spokes (120mm)
3. TIRES - WTC SUP-R-TIRE 26 x 2.125 Nylon w/Kevlar (50 psi)
4. FRAME - 17.5" frame with dual top bars - Cantilever style, fully lugged, hand brazed using 16 gauge 1" frame tubing and 5/8" rear frame stays
5. CHAIN – 1/2 x 3/16â€￾ chain (50% thicker than regular)
6. CHAIN RING - 3/16" front sprocket
7. I’ve added a 2 leg (moped style) kickstand
So after I pulled out every tool in the box and changed out the tube and tire and test fit everything on and off the bike for 7 or 12 times and fashioned a battery rack extension from an old joist hanger, and charged up the battery, I finally turned on the juice (wasn’t expecting the little spark).
All of you know what happens when the wheel is put on backwards. I didn’t.
The generic W/E brochure I received states that brushless motors have wiring on the left side of the bike and brushed motors have wiring on the right side. The instructions were emphatically and absolutely wrong of course and I only discovered that after assembling everything and testing (read “almost wreckedâ€￾) the bike. An arrow on the hub would have simplified but alas, no arrow.
A call to the dealer verified that indeed, the written instructions and on-line instructions are incorrect because Wilderness Energy changed everything except the instructions in 2007. He finally calmed me down and said I should reverse the wheel and convinced me that I did not have the brushed motor which has less connector pins and for which I should have paid a helluvalot less money but which would have made the instructions correct.
So finally I got the ride I’ve been missing for too many years. It was just this side of great; the EV grin: a gentle breeze on my face and gnats in my teeth. It would have been all the way great if I wasn’t so concerned about the axels not seating all the way and not having a torque arm on the hub. But I went slow and kept my eye on things and it was fine; I slept well that night knowing that even old men can feel young again.
So the torque arm from ElectricRider.com came and things are looking a little better. I jacked the forks to 4 ¼ (+/-) with my Honda automobile jack to make room for the arm and filed a little more on the axel for a good solid fit.
This torque arm has a hole just below the axel slot for the wiring to pass thru and a separate metal cover for the wiring. The cover is solid metal and (for my bike at least) the assembly is made for the left side of the bike. I would have to rework the cover to make it work properly on the right side.
Visited my LBS and purchased a Mirracycle mirror and a front caliper brake. This mirror is great and I highly recommend it (Right on, Beagle). The brake is better than nothing but thank goodness I won’t be going that fast.
After reading posts on water-proofing, I decided to put on my fenders. It presents an all-American bicycle look to my eyes. I remember as a kid I couldn’t wait to take off my fenders. Strange.
After taking some pics, I realized the rear rack won’t take much abuse. I need to replace it with a heavy duty rack to hold porteur baskets and allow me to relocate the controller so I can install my Worksman big butt seat.
Here are a couple of pics:
