Electric Bikes - The Xtracycle went out for it's first ride

Today took Build 1.5 out on the road for the first time. The longtail eliminated the light front end issues I had. 20 mph cross winds were easily handled. Something that was frankly scary before. Not a speed demon running a 2807 clone @12s but this will carry a heavy load.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m596/hessejef/EBikeLongtail.jpg

i'm considering the long tail setup myself as well, it's either that or a Trike recumbent setup.

i had ... still have exactly that very same problem with too heavy rear, and too light front with my MTB

on rainy day or snow days, it's super scary to do sudden stop, as you don't know which side it will fish tail


with the long tail setup as you have it allows for the center of gravity to really be in the center, and not at the rear

however i want to carry 2 pack of 48v batteries, that's i believe too much weight for a a 2 wheeler, reason why i'm considering the Trike recumbent setup, then i have an extra wheel to spread the weight over, and as a Trike it automatically adds more balance and stability.

as a Trike the tires & tubes can stay properly inflated thus reducing lost of power to the road when pedalling, as a Bike all that weight causes the tires to deflate too much even when fully pumped to the max

When you say you want to carry 2 48v packs what kind of packs are you talking about? I used to carry 2 24v lead packs on my top bar. They weighed 52 pounds plus maybe 4 pounds for the mount. a set of lifepo4 packs (48v 20ah) would be around 60 pounds. Not light but not that much more then I was carrying with the lead.

Bob

Ping has 48v 20Ah batteries at 21.90 lbs http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-48V-LiFePO4-Battery-Packs/Categories

I debated the trike/longtail for months. I even went a long way to ride one. (Catrike) For long range with big batteries it's hard to beat. I went this way as most of the roads I ride on are oil and chip, crowned and on the rough side. I need to use my legs to cushion the jolts. People on another forum suggested I'd need a full suspension trike. We're getting into serious money with one of those. So this is a compromise. The vast majority of my riding is on a roadbike.

Batteries are 8 Hobby King 5000 mAh 6s. For a 44V 20 amp hour capacity. Weight = 18 lbs. Range is 30 + miles with light pedaling.

Ping has 48v 20Ah batteries at 21.90 lbs http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-48V-LiFePO4-Battery-Packs/Categories


Batteries are 8 Hobby King 5000 mAh 6s. For a 44V 20 amp hour capacity. Weight = 18 lbs. Range is 30 + miles with light pedaling.

Thank you both for these bits and pieces of information :)

I'm still doing some math and deciding on a good battery pack + charger setup for my "work in progress" trike setup, the challenge being i want the trike (or long tail bike) to be able to handle looooooog rides say in the range of 60 miles (100 km to replace my car for my daily work commute) with medium pedalling & hit the throtle on those 45 degree up hills

I've done that in the past; for 2 years straight, the actual route is 90 Km round trip, then changed job to a bike unfriendly environment and i started driving again, now with the ridiculous gas prices, i want to get back on my ebike again but don't want to arrive all sweaty and stinky to work, with no amenities for shower or a good washroom to change an clean up using a tower. (corporate environment, they expect you on suit and shirts with shinning shoes)

If you have very crowned roads, a trike will be exhausting after a while because you can't lean to compensate for the slope. You could get the weight off your bike with a BOB trailer for the batteries. You can pick up one on Craigslist.