Originally Posted by crabbiker

Not to beat this to death, but Matt Shumaker (not an aquaintence, friend or business partner) has solved most of the above problems very well. (except for cost, and I think that is not too bad when you look at what is out there.)

Weight; his single stage reduction unit is less than two pounds and you can mount motors weighing from around 10 ounces to over two pounds for a range over of just over 2 1/2 pounds to a bit over 4 pounds - very light by comparison.

cost; 1 stage reduction unit something over $200 if I remember right ($225?) Motors on the net $70- $800. Many of his customers are running the Astro 3120 which can put out 3-4Kw and costs $400. Batteries - the sky is the limit.

One guy had results from a DF bike with what he called a "cheap" motor and I think LiPo batteries from Ping Battery. He was clocked on radar at 43mph IIRC.

When I can, I intend to make something similar, maybe more DIY to save money. Matt posted that he would sell components of his drive kit for folks who wanted to build their own.

I would recommend that anyone who wants a light weight but powerful drive at least skim the blog. this gut has done a lot of development work that you might benefit from. http://www.recumbents.com/WISIL/shumaker/edrive.htm this is his site about his kit, but does not have the latest info. you can e-mail him or follow the link to the LOOOOOONG blog. (74 pages as of today.)

Respectfully submitted.

CB