sdrio

It's hardly revolutionary though. I can see it's a US based project, but I assume it'd be illegal in the UK anyway. Not for me, but I can see it would be fun.

A normal glue gun, like the ones they sell in Homebase, doesn't get particularly hot. I have a fairly crappy Stanley one, which I use all the time. I can get the melted glue on my fingers from the nozzle, and while it isn't exactly comfortable, it doesn't actually burn me. It's maybe a little hotter than melted candlewax. It's definitely WAY cooler than melted solder. I'm not recommending you do this . . . it does hurt . . .! I can't see it doing much damage to anything but the most sensitive components though.

Heaven forbid a bike thief lands on his nose. *whistles innocently*

Yup, that's pretty much what I was thinking. Can all motors do this? It seems like a useful free way to have some extra security.

Just one of those stray thoughts that pop into my head occasionally. Has anyone ever thought of using the motor on an ebike as an antitheft device? I was thinking - if you had a simple way to engage the motor (or disengage the freewheel?) when you left the bike, any casual 'nick it to ride home' thief would get about 2 feet before abandoning the bike. Would make it difficult to sell as well. Can't be that difficult to add some kind of pin/key combination to the motor. I'm thinking of something like a window lock. Carry on . . . [edit] needless to say, you've taken away or disabled the battery when you left the bike.

Thanks, makes complete sense. That sounds like a useful thing to know.

I'd say if anything, the 100+battery, as the battery is fixed to the bike, whereas the rider isn't. To a small extent, the battery is unsprung, so would cause greater stress on the frame.

I use a motorbike in London. The most badly behaved riders there seem to be the ones on those wierd scooters with 3 wheels, My theory is that they take the attitude that "I might look like a bit of a tool, but look how fast I can go".

Um, for a n00b, what are dropouts, and torque arms?

I did think about adding cable ties. That sugru stuff - you can make your own from silicon sealant and cornflour. Works out a fraction of the price.

I'm sorry but modifying tow trucks so that they can fly is just irresponsible.

I'll see your hammer and raise you a; [ATTACH]4140.vB[/ATTACH]

Cheers. Just spoke to them. Haven't got exactly what I'm looking for, but we're making progress. Thanks.

I'd imagine it could do that towing a caravan.

Yeah, but unless I misunderstood, the Ebay auction and much of this thread is about the speed. I'm not getting sanctimonious about it, or boy scout/knifey. If that's what floats your boat, so be it. I just agree with others that think 40+ mph on a machine with 1" forks, 1" wide tyres, and a 150mm disk to stop it and 15kg of batteries sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. But if you're only planning to go uphill at 15.5mph, we're all good.

Lost you there. I'm entirely in favour of elderly or disabled riders going up hills at 15.5mph. Sounds splendid.

OK, so the conclusion we have come to is that the thing is entirely pointless. It can do over 40mph, but not a single one of us would ever do that. Might as well save some weight, and remove one of the motors, no?

Bumping an old thread here, but anyone know if these guys are still in business? The number on their website never answers. Am trying to find out if they have any stock, but the only dealer I can find on the web doesn't seem to have any.

But this isn't a 25mph Ebike. It's a 40mph Ebike. You can ride as responsibly as you like, but the pedestrian who steps out in front of you, or the other cyclist who swerves in front of you aren't guaranteed to do so. Hit one of those at 40mph and you'll kill them, possibly yourself as well.

Does sort of go against the spirit of a driving ban, bearing in mind it'll make toast of most mopeds.

Hi, OK, perhaps there are different schemes, I only looked at the cycle to work one. There's not much getting around the fact that these machines are quite expensive! Regarding front and rear wheel, I asked the question last week and it seems that there isn't much difference between them. If anything, front wheel might be slightly better as bikes tend to have more weight at the rear anyway, and also if you're pedalling, you get 2 wheel drive, possibly improving traction. Having said that, if you're looking to get it on a scheme/pay monthly, I'm not sure a kit would qualify anyway. Best of luck!

I'm sure you'll get the rest answered by others, but being in the middle of my 'research' stage I can tell you a couple of things; - The ride to work scheme seems to have been somewhat spoiled by clarification of the legislation. The killer is now that you are expected to pay far more at the end of the contract to keep the bike, and unless you pay 40% tax, you're saving pretty much nothing. - £1,000 should be more than enough. Just a thought, in the meantime. If you have a decent bike already, have you looked at the conversion kits? It's basically a replacement front wheel with a motor, a battery and the wiring/controls for it. It doesn't require any irreversible changes to your bike, just a reasonably competent person to fit it all.

For me, the most informative and helpful place to look for a bike is by miles this forum.

Same here, and the following wind wouldn't necessarily be caused by atmospheric conditions . . .

Maybe I didn't put that properly. It seems to me that crank drive is not as common as either front or back wheel motors. I may be wrong, that's just my impression. Maybe they tend to be on more expensive bikes (and I could be wrong again). I don't mean they're not liked, or that they're inferior. So far I haven't seen a crank drive model that I can afford, or like the style of. But on the bright side, there are lots of alternatives!