The earliest electric bikes???

[Rod Tibbs]

Around the late fifties, early sixties I bought a thing called a Cyclemaster. This was a 25cc two stroke unit built into a self contained wheel. You simply removed the rear wheel of a bike and put this in. The fuel tank, proper clutch and drive were contained in the centre of the wheel.

It was a sod to start and I recall you needed to pedal miles dropping the decompressor before it would fire. Fuel consumption was something daft like 250mpg and it cruised around the same speed as my present Mistral.

There were also a lot of French built units around that sat on the front wheel and drove through a friction wheel. Velo Solex I seem to recall was a maker of these. To this day you can sometimes see similar units in use around France. I recently came across the Cyclemaster wheel in a transport museum but at the moment I cannot recall which one.

Rod

 

[flecc]

The Dutch Cyclemaster was an original design by DKW of Germany. The 25 cc was completely gutless on hills, so they upgraded it to 32 cc, distinguished by a grey painted hub drum instead of the previous black. That wasn't much better, and the least useful of all the add-on motors.

The VeloSolex was only a complete bike, not an add-on, and again it was always a poor performer, especially on hills in part due to it's very heavy frame. It mystified me why it stayed on the market for so long, well into the 1980s where the add-ons mostly disappeared from the end of the 1950s on as scooters like the Vespa and Lambretta arrived. Possibly it was because the strong cycle parts stayed in one piece, unlike ordinary bikes once the had a petrol engine added, that often shaking the bikes to bits.

Other add-on cyclemotors were the 49cc Power-Pak referred to above and the BSA Winged Wheel, a late entry that was like the Cyclemaster except that it's 50cc engine hung outboard of the hub below the frame where a propstand normally fits with transmission and fuel tank inside the hub drum.

Jeremy, I think you are right about the Anzani, but again it was as I recall a very late entry and I never came into contact with it.
.

 

[Broadbeans]

I think you're right about it being called a Mosquito, Jeremy. Good to hear you had one! Decompressors, valvelifters, ticklers, advance and retard levers, mixture levers...they're all disappearing into obscurity!

Rod, I'll be taking to the road soon on a Cyclemaster! Will let you know how it goes!

Flecc - I've had a go on a Velosolex, and I believe they still make them. About £700-800. But I think I'd much prefer a nice Ezee! Don't know if you've seen it, but there's a Velosolex in one of the Mr Bean films. He jumps on it and rides away, but the owner catches up with him at walking speed!

Johnny

 

[Broadbeans]

Crumpets! They make an electric VelSoleX now!

occasion Electric 50 année 2008

Johnny

 

[flecc]

They did pack in making the petrol Velosolex quite a few years ago now, and the announcement found it's way onto TV news here in the UK, end of an era stuff. I've no doubt some companies will be reconditioning them though.

That electric version looks bonkers, almost making the petrol one look good!
.

 

[Rod Tibbs]

Crumpets! They make an electric VelSoleX now!

occasion Electric 50 année 2008

Johnny

They might call it electric but I notice they are quoting 50cc!

Rod

 

[Orraman]

Phillips made a 50cc pedal assist with telescopic forks and the motor mounted inside the 28mm tubes of the main triangle by a fine two part bracket with three rubber isolation bushes.
The clutch had cork inserts and drive was by chain.
The motor went into the bairn's cart, the bike went to a friend, I still have the bracket.

Dave