Friday, April 25, 2014

Nice Recumbent E-bike Conversion.

This is a DIY Recumbent E-bike Conversion. Below Bill talks about doing the conversion and it sounds like this is not the first bike he has done, so there are alot of lessons learned in this clip most of the parts from http://ebike.ca/ in Canada go to there blog http://ebike.ca/fblog there is a lot of great info on setting up an E-bike for commuting. One of the great features about this setup is the motor is on the front wheel and the peddle power is on the rear wheel giving the bike all wheel drive.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

This Hase Bike is the commuting King

Hase had always delivered great bikes. However, this time they have taken it to an new level. This bike can easily handle the rain in Portland OR. and the Snow in Salt Lake City, UT. That is because this e-assist bike is all wheel drive. Yes that is correct the back two wheels are powered by the driver and the front is electric and powered by the  500 watt motor on the front wheel.
electric recumbent AWD

There are a lot of electric recumbent trikes out there on the market, the problem is they only have one wheel that powers the bike that is the back wheel.  In the rain and snow that is not the best solution. this is the solution that a lot of  Velomobile use and that solution will not work very well in places like Salt Lake City.

This is the first all wheel recumbent trike, and it is the top of the line.  The cockpit on this bike is awesome, there’s only one dial and on the dial is easy to read out of the way. And the minimized rain cover that goes on the front of the bike to protect the rider and cuts through the wind.

On the Video and site this bike is an true car replacement. Oh yes there is room for baggage right behind the back seat.

Now we need to get in in the US because this is an big deal.



Monday, March 24, 2014

SpyBike GPS Tracker for bikes

I have had my Recumbent stolen and it is not fun. In the US about $200 worth of bikes are stolen, some of them locked and some not. A thief is looking for the bike he can get the most money for, that is why your your recumbent may be the one he will steal. That is why the in a Urban setting you will need more than a bike lock.

The SpyBike GPS tracker from Integrated Trackers gives you a second line of defense. You should still lock your bike, but if a thief happens to break it free, you have a means to get it back. The device mounts inside the headset, where it is hidden and unassuming. You use a special wrench to secure the device, so it's not easily removed.


Activate the unit when you leave your bike using the accompanying electronic key ring. If the bike is taken before being deactivated with your key (i.e. stolen), the vibration sensor initiates the tracking system, which sends you an alert SMS message and begins uploading coordinates to the cloud every 20 seconds until the vibration stops. The unit will activate again when the vibration starts up (i.e. the thief is riding or transporting the bicycle), so you can continue keeping up on its whereabouts.
You can keep track of the bike's location via Integrated Trackers' website, and then relay its location to the police. If you forgot to arm the unit before your bike was stolen, you can remotely activate it by sending an SMS message. It checks its messages automatically every six hours, so it will begin tracking when it gets your message.
The tracking service is free, but users do have to equip the unit with a pay-as-you-go SIM card and will be charged for the data used in uploading coordinates. This may seem like an extra cost and work, but combined with the quad-band GSM modem, it allows the unit to work with nearly any mobile network in the world. You can configure it to the carrier that offers the best coverage in your area to ensure that it works when you need it. The unit uses GPRS to upload data, not SMS, and Integrated Trackers says it costs a fraction of a penny to send each update (in the U.K.). The SpyBike starts at US$153.58

Friday, March 14, 2014

C.R.A.B.S. Cruisin' the Cross Seminole 3-11-14

Florida has some awesome bike trails in the below video is some of them. Alot of them connect many of the Parks, and they are flat and fast.


C.R.A.B.S. Cruisin' the Cross Seminole 3-11-14 from Bob Emmerich on Vimeo.

Electric Trike Rocking it at 50 mph

This is an project that  Milwaukee-based inventors Dustin Herte and Ryan Bass have been working on for five years.  the Odyssey Mk. 5. Fitted with an 80-volt 1.6-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery, one charge will be good for a range of 50 miles (80 km) on power only, which if you are prepared to pedal, can be stretched out to 80 miles (129 km) charge time is 3 hours. For more info check it out at gizmag
check it out

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Shaft Drive Recumbents

After riding recumbent bike in Portland Oregon for over 8 years in the rain and mud. I see a real need for a shaft drive on the bike. There are a number of European manufacturer that support this, one of them is a Finnish designer.  Below is a picture of his high racer recumbent. On the  web site he reviews some of the advantages and disadvantages http://www.recumbent-gallery.eu/finnish-recumbent-with-shaft-drive/


There is an new Manufacturer of the start producing shaft drive recumbent.  As you can see from the video this bike is more of a commuter bike and set up so that it is close to ground for easy seating. .  The bike and the above photo is more of a high racer because of laid back sitting position and the larger wheels


Another manufacturer is FlevoBike out of the Netherlands they have been producing the green machine for Number of years.  This bike is also lower the ground because the lower wheels and the seating position is adjustable 
The problem is system of these bikes are available to U.S.  Which is a real shame.  Because I think there is real value in these type of recumbent bikes.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

All Wheel Suspension for non Suspension Recumbent.

Because you don’t have your legs to absorb the shock from writing, a recumbent bike can be a rough ride, and during the commute that can bone jarring. These new loop wheel can be retrofitted to your Recumbent and turn your bike into a smooth ride. Here are some great follow up links
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1205277475/loopwheels-for-a-smoother-more-comfortable-bicycle
http://www.velovision.com/showStory.php?storynum=1264