Could i get a push start please!
 

Much as I would like to cycle totally under my own power,
I recently have had to abandon denial for the realization that
I am no longer 20. Don't get me wrong; even now in winter I
spend 30 min. a day on a stationary cranked down to hi load
seven days a week. 1/2 an hour aint enuff to go on a long
tour, and where I live sure aint Kansas, Dorothy. (lotsa topo-
graphy here)
Loathe as I am to admit it, i need a motor. Some years
back I runover shattering my left leg, (4 pieces above knee,
13 below the knee). My right leg was ripped open to the bone
from my shattered kneecap to mid thigh.
Now in my 60's, i seem to have lost a wee mite of my endur-
ance, but not my desire to travel ..... affordably. Electric
just won't cut it. Not too many outlets on the Cascade trail
or the desert of eastern Oregon. I've built up a good tourer,
upgrading an old technium MB and manufactured a surpris-
ingly good single wheel trailer after a myriad design changes.
Anyone have any suggestions for a viable engine setup
that's cheaper than a used car?

It sounds as though you've put a lot of work into your touring rig and perhaps there are viable options out there for you to use. I don't know much about those options. I do know that once you start putting motors on bicycles you get into a myriad of laws which vary from one municipality to the next as to where they are legal to ride and where they aren't. Some laws deal with engine size and some deal with the speed of the bike. It can get confusing.

If you're going to pop a gasoline engine onto a bike frame I expect buying a Vespa Scooter might be much easier. If that really doesn't do it for you and you still want the option to pedal occasionally, maybe an old Moped would be a good way to go.

Let us know what you end up doing as it sounds like you have an interesting project in the works. We also love reading ride reports.

power assist
 

http://www.bikeengines.com/

This link is to what my research tells me is the best alternative bike engine. You can get a 4 stroke option so no oil/gas BS. At first I was skeptical about applying load to spokes, as this system does, but after looking at it with my engineering rational, I see it's the best way to distribute the load over 32 or 36 points.

There are a huge number of examples of sucessful installations with related stories. They even ran a test at Bonneville Salt Flats; there's a You-Tube video on this. Just Google "Golden Eagle Bike Engine" without the quotation marks of course.

They claim to get up to 200 MPG with this setup, no wear on the bike's tire (since there is no friction roller on the tire), and no mechanical drag if you want to disengage the motor drive. It looks to me to be the only power assisted option for touring that makes sense except I have considered installing one of these engines on a trailer so I could just park the trailer and have a completely stock bike while at camp.

Watched a TV special on PBS last night about alternative and new sources of clean power, including a souped up bicycle using hish performance lithium batteries

http://video.pbs.org/video/1768954299

Check out Chapter 2 on the video, as I recall.

With an Artifical left hip, and a deformed left knee, and Arthritis in just about every other joint I've got; I've been thinking about an Electic Assist Bicycle of some kind so that I can take longer trips myself.

You state that you beleive... "Not too many outlets on the Cascade trail or the desert of eastern Oregon". But, my question would be, do you know of many Gas Stations, in those areas as well? Just my opinion, but I would rather pack a couple of extra Nicad, or Lithium Batteries any day over packing gasoline with me on a long distance tour. I would think the likelihood of finding an electric outlet at a Ranger/Comfort Station would be higher than a gas station. Plus, most electric bikes can be set to where it will assist with pedaling to different strengths, and the more you can pedal, the greater the range out of a battery charge... Just a couple thoughts. :)

P.S. Just another quick thought... The Gas Powered system says it gets 225 miles per gallon, but doesn't say how big the tank is on the unit. A gallon of gas to lug around would be a bit of a problem I would think...

you're so right!
 

Cranky, you're right about the myriad laws on motor bikes, but as written
the federal statute for power assisted bikes supercedes them all as long as said
bike is in compliance with federal guidelines. Look, I'm happy to pedal; I just
want a bit of a boost. Hell, if i wanted a machine to do all the work, I wouldn't
waste my time with a scooter; I'd get a serious motorcycle. Mopeds are a
joke. I'd sooner have a log rolling flintstone mobile.
Some of us still remember when this was a free country, and I try to live
appropriately. (God Bless John Wayne!) However that failing, there remains
animal cunning. This country would never come into existance if people had
mindlessly obeyed stupid laws. 150 mpg on a motorized bike makes a helluva
lot more sense than 12 mpg in some big hemi dodge.
I don't want to use the main highways anyway, and after a life at 60 mph,
I'm perfectly content to go 20. My plan simply is stealth. I'll only use the motor
on back roads. After much trial an errror, I've devised a friction drive mount
with a folding throttle & kill switch rod that can be mounted and detached via
a single bolt. Where I must travel by highway, I simply pop it off and stash it
in my trailer. If I get caught fine! I welcome a day in court and trial by a jury
of my peers. THis country could use a bit of civil disobedience.
Ben Franklin said, " Those who are willing to sacrifice a bit of freedom for
a bit of security deserve neither and will lose both."

bionicycle:
I'd love to go electric. Let me know when they come up with a kit with
a 100 mile range for $500 or less.

thanks crank 57,
I've studied the G.E.B.E configuration and like some things about it. the price isn't one.
I' built my own version with parts from Monster bike parts for 40% of the GEBE price. This
did not include the drive ring or the cogged belt. I bought the belt from Ried Supply for
$6. I made the drive ring from the aluminum rim of a 24" bike notching it with a skil saw.
this is stronger and more durable than the plastic GEBE version.
My only beefs with this setup are the lack of low end power or power period and the
hassle changing tires plus , while not engaged to the engine, the belt is constantly engaged
to the wheel. Still it's a great setup for a lighter rider or one on fairly level terrain, but
I'm a big guy in some pretty steep country. If I lived in the Netherlands,( the world's
healthiest, happiest, and most cycling nation), I could go anywhere on a one spd. bike
because it's a tiny flat country. (They do averaging 600 mi. a year for every man, woman,
and child.)
Unfortnately our great big country poses bigger challenges. Still, we could go a long way
toward resolving a lot of costly health and environmental issues if our government were to
take a lesson from the Dutch and impliment a more bicycle friendly infrastructure.
I digress, I'm going with the friction for lower ratio and, because with a slight modification,
I can disconnect completely while pedaling.

At the university one of the computer guys commutes to work on an iZip cycle. He says he wouldn't commute by bike at all if he didn't have it. On days, when he's "just plain ole tired", he's gald he has the assist.

I'm afraid this isn't a viable suggestion, because the motor is pretty apparent and so there would be all kinds ol legal compliance requirements in USA

So, just sharing a fond memory

I spent a year in Toulouse, south west France, as a student 38 years ago, and had one of those VeloSolex things. What a daft and irresistible hoot. Tiny little petrol engine working friction drive onto the front tyre.

I took it all over the Pyrenees passes. It took a bit of pedal assistance, but despite the added weight it worked. I think it took about a half pint of petrol a month!

I met one guy touring down the coast on a mountain bike with a power assist mounted on the front rack. I don't know if it was electric or gas. He also had about 30 extra pounds on his body. But he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Ha ha... yeah, if you find it first be sure to let me know as well.