Selfsufficientish.com

i have been building my own recumbent bikes for personal use since i was 13 years of age,
when i was about 26 years old my work scenario and location no longer gave me the space to build them (stuck in a third floor flat)
lol.
Anyway i am now in the possition to start building again shortly after xmas or when my new workshop is finished whichever comes first ....i have decided to concentrate on building an electric recumbent bike of tadpole desighn( for those who do not know the tadpole configuration is put bassically the drive wheel is at the back and two wheels are at the front making a sort of tadpole shape hence the name.....there are all different types of recumbent and semi recumbent bikes out there...workbikes/delta configuration/front wheel drive lean drive and so on......anyway im getting away from what i was saying....where was i ?
ahhh yes, right im going to build an electric bike my plan is to create a bike that charges its own batteries as it travels without using the regenerative braking technique which i find to be stupidly over complicated ..aka .... i cant get it to work lol
anyway long story short i would like any and all advise/suggestion from any fellow inventors out there in the selfsufficientish world
i just need to find people to talk to on this subject that share my enthuisiam and love for all things self made with regard to non polutant engineering.
this would help me in several ways im stuck with only my own ideas and thoughts with no one else i know that has the mildest interest in what i do ...is it really that boring lol
and any person who collaberates with me in sharing ideas would be most welcome to visit me on completion of the project or before if the need arose to try this bike im building for themselves if it works and all is well i would very much consider making a few recumbents for fellow fans of this idea (of course the cost of materials would have to be met im generous not rich lol)
any way please please please get in touch .
live long laugh loud and sleep well from the happy hippy TIM

Hi Tim

I am very interested in your new venture

I am an avid cyclist and a fan of bents but I do not have one. I do get to ride them on occasion as I do a lot of work for Trice the recumbent manufacturers down here in Falmouth.

I am a graphic designer and sign maker so if I can be of any assistance on logo design, frame stickers or general chat about bikes trikes etc give me a shout.

I will PM my details if that is OK with the mods

Good luck and if you need a bit of a brainstorming sesh give me a shout

mamos

Good luck with your venture. I can't really offer any help but would love to hear how you get on.

Zoe

mamos wrote:
I will PM my details if that is OK with the mods

What you send in the PMs is your business, as long as you aren't spamming (ie. sending everyone a message) or breaking any laws (including harassment)

Thank you Annpan

I like your signature, My wife has a similar saying but with Pigeons and Statues

mamos

Having had a recumbent bike (shop-bought) for the past 8 years or so, I can say I'm a bit of a fan of them, too. Never tried one of the tadpole-style trikes. Do you wnat to make one that 'swings' the seat when you ride a corner? Those are cool.

Now about charging while you cycle... I can't see how that would work. If you want to move, you need to paddle/pedal (is that a verb?); if you want to move and also want to charge a battery, you need to pedal harder.

The only thing I can see happening is if you live in hilly country, is that you 'engage' the charger when going downhill so that you have some power to help you up the next hill.

All in all I think you'd be best of by building a light and fast design, so that you simply don't need much power to move. Or charge the battery on a renewable source, like solar panels. Sorry about not having anything more constructive to offer...

Anyhow, good luck and happy tinkering!

Best regards,
Jandra

i am sorry for not answering my replies sooner it went sometime without any replies i just thought that there wasnt any interest lol!!! thank you for replying keep the suggestions coming i welcome all suggestions and critisism lol hey as long as its constructive!!
my new workshop is nearly complete not long now before the building begins once again i cant wait......

as for the comment on charging to be honest im not sure how im gonna do it lol or even if i can but lifes all about experiment ..failure and success wish me luck...
oh and once i get started you guys on here will be the first to see pics and a walk through commentary on what ive acheived bear with me though lol i still need to finish building my workshop lol

Ok news to anyone interested!!!!!
ive found out a few thing with regards to fellow people wishing to build a electric bike for themselves...by the way this only aplies to uk law as far as im aware lol so please dont take it litterally if you live elsewhere you may get arrested!!!
apparently an electric cycle can firstly wieg no more than 40 kg ....ok i think i can manage under that lol
secondly under electric power alone it can travel no more than 15 mph .ok that sucks a little but just imagine 15mph uphill with shopping on the back not too shabby beats walking!!!
if i want it to go faster under uk law i need to register it as a ev or electric vehicle ...hang on a minute im getting carried away lol i havent built it yet lol .....heres to dreaming and making dreams come true!!
stand up to the man ...MAN get cycling lol from the happy hippy TIM

I'm very interested!

How does the three-wheel system work? I assume the two front wheels are steered and therefore mounted individually and not on a single axle....

I've got a couple of old bicycle frames I've been saving for a building project - either a trailer or a 'bent. I had thought of converting the mixte frame into a SWB 'bent...

Let's now how you get on...

Sounds really cool. I don't have any expertise to lend, really, but I hope you'll keep us posted on the growth of the project.