armstrongracer
New Member
Hi, I'm a neewbie here, this is my first post, hopefully it is in the right section.
I am looking to design and build an electric assist cargo bike for general chores and to bring my kids to school.
I have no e-bike experience at all, but am an automotive engineer with many years experience of developing and manufacturing high performance welded structures. I've also been involved with 2 wheeled motorsport so have a good understanding of steering geometry, braking systems and vehicle dynamics. I've looked at commercial Dutch and Danish cargo bikes and am of the opinion that they are in the main, hugely over priced and some that I have tested are dangerously under braked. Now it should be said that those countries have segregated cycle lanes so stopping distance isn't really an issue, where I'm from we have hills and have to compete with heavy stop start traffic, so it is for me.
The plan is to design a 2 wheeled cargo bike based around an existing hybrid bike that I have. This donor bike has a sturdy frame, hydraulic disk brakes and good quality transmission. As such, I want to leave the existing bike pretty much as is and graft on the cargo section from the steering stem forwards. This constraint pretty much dictates that I use a hub motor on the front wheel, pulling rather than pushing. Also to keep the COG down the front wheel needs to be smallish, 16 or 20". Bmx sized. Because of the weight, especially from a standstill, I would be looking for a motor in the region of 350-500w, torque is more important than pure speed. Can you recommend a good quality motor, control and battery system that will fit my purpose. Thanks in advance.
I am looking to design and build an electric assist cargo bike for general chores and to bring my kids to school.
I have no e-bike experience at all, but am an automotive engineer with many years experience of developing and manufacturing high performance welded structures. I've also been involved with 2 wheeled motorsport so have a good understanding of steering geometry, braking systems and vehicle dynamics. I've looked at commercial Dutch and Danish cargo bikes and am of the opinion that they are in the main, hugely over priced and some that I have tested are dangerously under braked. Now it should be said that those countries have segregated cycle lanes so stopping distance isn't really an issue, where I'm from we have hills and have to compete with heavy stop start traffic, so it is for me.
The plan is to design a 2 wheeled cargo bike based around an existing hybrid bike that I have. This donor bike has a sturdy frame, hydraulic disk brakes and good quality transmission. As such, I want to leave the existing bike pretty much as is and graft on the cargo section from the steering stem forwards. This constraint pretty much dictates that I use a hub motor on the front wheel, pulling rather than pushing. Also to keep the COG down the front wheel needs to be smallish, 16 or 20". Bmx sized. Because of the weight, especially from a standstill, I would be looking for a motor in the region of 350-500w, torque is more important than pure speed. Can you recommend a good quality motor, control and battery system that will fit my purpose. Thanks in advance.
