So, yeah... Haven't even finished my first ebike build, and really ought to be concentrating on that, but late nights on the web and YouTube can result in all kinds of madness. So as I'm looking at the 'basketball that transforms into an e-unicycle' and various hideously ugly enclosed-cabin trikes what pops up but a weird-looking megascooter with a 26" front wheel and a 20" rear, and a hub motor up front(?).
'Okay, WTH is that?', I wondered, and dug in for some research.
So it turns out that's a kickbike.
Apparently the Amish use(d) them because a drivetrain makes the Babyjesus cry or something. Don't know how they feel about disc brakes. But that got me wondering, 'what's it for'?
I'll tell you what it's for.
Back in the late 1970s my dad came home one day with a German Shorthaired Pointer, who we named Waylon Jennings of Radiant Aroda (he was a purebred dog, but they'd cropped his tail too short so he couldn't show, and was sent to a pet store!). Well once Waylon and I got to know each other a bit, and he grew to his full 70 lbs, he and I used to go out for 'walks'. I'd tie his leash to my handlebar, or hold it while I skated or rode a skateboard, and we'd haul butt down the promenade by the Boating Chanel in SW DC. Turns out we'd invented something called 'Bikejoring' or 'Scooter Mushing'.
Given Americans' love for dogs and bikes, I'm amazed that the scene here is so tiny, but over in Yurp you can't enter the supermarket without tripping over a kickbike, it seems. Just go to Amazon.de and search for them. Dozens of models from multiple manufacturers, all looking well-built and up to the task. In Scandinavia it seems they forego the dog and just race them around a track.
Apparently they work for Downhill, too.
So, okay. A vehicle suited to being externally powered, with nice anchors and a lightweight, minimal frame. Stands to reason someone would electrify one. And they have.
But weirdly, IMVHO. Why a front hub motor rather than the rear? And 'ugh' to yet another ugly plastic lozenge battery case.
But it did get me thinking about other things that are dog-powered, like the green 'urban mushing' cart I posted in another thread.
saccodogcart.com
Born for a series of hub motors if anything ever was, eh? Shame about the $5k pricetag...
So I started looking around and the two best/only candidates for a build both come from kickbikesus.com, which is the US distributor for Kickbike Worldwide. There's a fat-tire version that screams, 'overpower me!' at about a grand, and two 'cross' models with nice brakes. They've got 26" wheels up front, and 20" at the rear that run just under $600. Not bad!
Got to talking with The Boy, who politely tolerates my endless babbling about batteries and such, and has stated that he has no interest in an e-bike, and the instant he saw the scooter he was all in. Damned Gen Z kids... Practically Amish! He's 12, and just over 5', though, and I think a full-sized model would likely be cumbersome for him, and be tough to store.
So then I came across this: https://8-elephants.com/collections/off-road/products/yedoo-runrun-mezeq-disc
Mechanical disc brakes, and a 20" up front with a 16" out back on a 100mm axle: perfect for a little 500w geared hub kit, no? I was thinking I'd forego the PAS (obviously), and even the display if possible, and just run the ebrake cutoffs and a throttle, and let him carry the battery and motor controller in a backpack for stealth and security (all the expensive bits aside from the rear wheel go where he goes, and sit in a locker during school, leaving an apparently nice but acoustic scooter behind).
So any holes in my marvelous plan?
Any other ideas for stuff to electric-motorize? Some of the Fat Tad recumbent trikes look like fun, but not as much fun as a half-suspension Norwegian dog cart. Bring it!
'Okay, WTH is that?', I wondered, and dug in for some research.
So it turns out that's a kickbike.
Apparently the Amish use(d) them because a drivetrain makes the Babyjesus cry or something. Don't know how they feel about disc brakes. But that got me wondering, 'what's it for'?
I'll tell you what it's for.
Back in the late 1970s my dad came home one day with a German Shorthaired Pointer, who we named Waylon Jennings of Radiant Aroda (he was a purebred dog, but they'd cropped his tail too short so he couldn't show, and was sent to a pet store!). Well once Waylon and I got to know each other a bit, and he grew to his full 70 lbs, he and I used to go out for 'walks'. I'd tie his leash to my handlebar, or hold it while I skated or rode a skateboard, and we'd haul butt down the promenade by the Boating Chanel in SW DC. Turns out we'd invented something called 'Bikejoring' or 'Scooter Mushing'.
Given Americans' love for dogs and bikes, I'm amazed that the scene here is so tiny, but over in Yurp you can't enter the supermarket without tripping over a kickbike, it seems. Just go to Amazon.de and search for them. Dozens of models from multiple manufacturers, all looking well-built and up to the task. In Scandinavia it seems they forego the dog and just race them around a track.
Apparently they work for Downhill, too.
So, okay. A vehicle suited to being externally powered, with nice anchors and a lightweight, minimal frame. Stands to reason someone would electrify one. And they have.
But weirdly, IMVHO. Why a front hub motor rather than the rear? And 'ugh' to yet another ugly plastic lozenge battery case.
But it did get me thinking about other things that are dog-powered, like the green 'urban mushing' cart I posted in another thread.
Sacco | Premium Dogcarts for Urban Mushing
Explore Sacco Dogcarts, the leading brand for urban mushing enthusiasts. Our premium carts are designed for those who value quality and performance. Made in Norway, our dog carts offer durability and precision engineering.
saccodogcart.com
Born for a series of hub motors if anything ever was, eh? Shame about the $5k pricetag...
So I started looking around and the two best/only candidates for a build both come from kickbikesus.com, which is the US distributor for Kickbike Worldwide. There's a fat-tire version that screams, 'overpower me!' at about a grand, and two 'cross' models with nice brakes. They've got 26" wheels up front, and 20" at the rear that run just under $600. Not bad!
Got to talking with The Boy, who politely tolerates my endless babbling about batteries and such, and has stated that he has no interest in an e-bike, and the instant he saw the scooter he was all in. Damned Gen Z kids... Practically Amish! He's 12, and just over 5', though, and I think a full-sized model would likely be cumbersome for him, and be tough to store.
So then I came across this: https://8-elephants.com/collections/off-road/products/yedoo-runrun-mezeq-disc
Mechanical disc brakes, and a 20" up front with a 16" out back on a 100mm axle: perfect for a little 500w geared hub kit, no? I was thinking I'd forego the PAS (obviously), and even the display if possible, and just run the ebrake cutoffs and a throttle, and let him carry the battery and motor controller in a backpack for stealth and security (all the expensive bits aside from the rear wheel go where he goes, and sit in a locker during school, leaving an apparently nice but acoustic scooter behind).
So any holes in my marvelous plan?
Any other ideas for stuff to electric-motorize? Some of the Fat Tad recumbent trikes look like fun, but not as much fun as a half-suspension Norwegian dog cart. Bring it!
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