GT i-drive 2.0 Build

[GCinDC]

Thanks for the encouragement! I love it!! And I'll keep 'em coming... Picassa delayed me this morning - can you believe you can edit vids and upload to youtube in one click?!

What is your braking distance when cruising at top speed?

Good question. I'll try to measure that. Maybe I'll start wearing a parachute in case I need to eject...

So late night last night... My first EVER welding project. It's hideous, I know! Guts still hanging out...

But it's two pieces, easily detachable w/ a loop for locking up front. I was 2AM and I didn't have the right dremel bit, so I got lazy drilling holes for the db25 cutout. Disgusting.

As luck would have it, it does fit in the triangle, but I think it'll need a good grinding before I consider riding w/ it. Don't need some pointy drip popping a lipo!

So this morning I put the old pack together, and went out to show off my snow & ice tires. I decided to try to take the Glover Park Trail, which is normally off limits to bikes...

I set my Android phone to record 'My Track' and took off. Here's the map it created for me afterwards. 8)


And here are some BUMPY snippets - I shoulda used the helmet-mount! Oh well, still experimenting...
[youtube]Eu6rtl35Ebo[/youtube]

 

[dbaker]

Great videos!! How do you find the GT compared to the hardtail in snow? This snow was not that deep and seemed to be pretty hard; see how you do after the storm they expect this weekend! Deep snow was a problem for me with a front hub and hardtail. Maybe with my rear hub, more power, and full suspension I can manage the Crescent trail with deep snow.

Was your welding done with a wire feed machine with gas? It looked ok in places considering it was your first attempt. The rough stuff on the top in that first picture looked a little weak. Ar 2am where did you do the welding? I don't think you can get away with the living room like Methods because of your wood floor!!

Dave

 

[GCinDC]

Haha. Welding was done in the garage! Sheet metal is not easy, and no gas, and wrong wire at that... amazing how strong it is once the corners are bonded though. its a 'rough draft'. Now to do it in a lighter material...

Can't say that I love the snow. Traction is iffy, and roots and ice troublesome. Oh, and it was deep enough to gunk up my rear derailer.

Bigger tires would be better.

 

[TMaster]

Your videos make me wanna use nobby tires on my ebike instead of street tires. heh.. but then i think 2 ebikes would be better for both worlds.

 

[GCinDC]

Your videos make me wanna use nobby tires on my ebike instead of street tires. heh.. but then i think 2 ebikes would be better for both worlds.

I just decided to put the Snow & Ice tires on this winter, and keep them on. It's too much of a pain to switch tires w/ all the torque arms... :lol:

But my snow & ice tires aren't that big. 1.95" tops. I wish they were bigger. The nobbies on the original (shown in first page of thread) are MUCH bigger than my snow & ice tires.

Anyway, they're definitely better for the slippery stuff, but in dry conditions, I prefer my street tires on turns.

How many miles you got on the A123's? Got any pics of your ride? Sounds sweet from your sig!

 

[GCinDC]

Oh yeah, and stay tuned (tonight) for my next video: "Early AM Speed Trial"

I had to get into work early, and since traffic is thin at that time, i wanted to see (and show) if I could beat my best time ever.

5.1 mile commute.
Best time ever: ~about 12 minutes
2/4/10 6:45AM: 10' 21" (might have to trim it to 10' for youtube)

30mph avg for urban area not bad...

And I know I'll be able to beat that once the snow melts in my alley.

 

[etard]

Irresponsible, careless, dangerous and downright dirty!! And I'm lovin every minute of it!!

I really enjoyed your mall tour by the way, downtown DC is prolly my favorite metropolis. It seemed really empty though, when was that? Where are all the asain tourists? :wink:

 

[johnrobholmes]

:lol: :lol:

Be careful dodging around like that. If you get a cop on your ass they will likely take the bike for running stop signs and lights.

Do you fake pedal?

This isn't criticism, I ride the same way too sometimes

 

[Hyena]

I agree, depending on how the cops are in your area I think the key to not getting hassled for riding a blatently over powered ebike is to ride vaguely within the limits of the law (ie not fly through reds) and to fake pedal when you see them (I do it when on main roads because you dont know when they'll come up behind you)

GC Your vids are cool but if you ride like that every day for your commute I'd be worried sooner or later someones going to clip you.

etard, we have all the asian tourists down here for summer

 

[GCinDC]

Yes, I mind my manners when I pass the police. I hate it when I come up behind a cop in traffic and have to slow down, not to pass them... :lol:

I used to fake pedal, but w/ methods 7 spd freewheel w/ 11T cog, I can pedal 'meaningfully' at 33+mph. If you don't have one, get one. The bike shop guys were impressed w/ it. Barely fit though! I was going to try to get bigger front chainrings, cranks, etc. No need to now.

So here it is. Beginning is very dark. Again, nothing terribly exciting here, but whatever... Makes me cold just watching it!
[youtube]4K_DN1WCZcw[/youtube]

 

[GCinDC]

Did some higher quality vids w/ the helmet-mount. They take forever to upload!

Here's another go at part of the trail:
[youtube]aTeJI2S9AyE[/youtube]

And here's a partial commute after a beautiful snowfall. Skip to the last frames if you just want to see the White House.
[youtube]TzJLz7poViQ[/youtube]

 

[GCinDC]

silly blizzard outing....
[youtube]e7viC9_YOOg[/youtube]

 

[dbaker]

How does your neck feel at the end of your ride with that camera mounted 3 inches above your helmet? I bet there is so much adrenaline going that you don't even notice it! How hot do your motor phase wires get during the ride? You should check them right after you park it. We might want to invest in some 12 gauge teflon insulated wire!

Good luck with the trail now! Snow shovel got more use today than ever.

Dave

 

[dbaker]

Amazing blizzard video! Will the bike thaw out in the garage? Cold temps and more snow coming............

Dave

 

[GCinDC]

How does your neck feel at the end of your ride with that camera mounted 3 inches above your helmet?... How hot do your motor phase wires get during the ride?

Hey Dave! How's the mean machine coming??

I found the top helmet mount too.... embarrassing... to use regularly. And I couldn't see if I was pointed properly - Nor be sure when it was on/off, etc. First couple vids were fascinating, of my FEET...

So new mount location is strapped to full face helmet at jaw line, basically right in front of my cheek. I can see the LCD, but it's not in my field of vision. (I'd see it better if I wore reading glasses... Ah to be over 40). And no safety comments, please.

...I noticed that you turned off yours bike beside the throttle and was wondering if you can tell me where you got it from. Like seen on 6:46 in this vid.

Very observant. I searched and searched for such a switch, but alas, like everything, went 'ghetto'. It's one of these (w/o a GND wire for the light) strapped on with gorilla tape! (what else):

It's a nice position for ON/OFF, but I really wanted it there as a KILL switch as well. Very natural reach for thumb. Weather resistance provided by gorilla tape...

 

[Scorefield]

Thumbs up for the rides and guess some of the people in those cars was surpriced over your speed.
Thanks for the info and save travels in the snow.

 

[Kepler]

I know what you mean about sparking! With my 24s pack and the 18fet infineon I get major sparking and even on just the ignition wire (S). The technical area has this thread on the subject:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=7994


Summarizing, you need to use a series resistor to reduce the capacitor charging current. These is a link to a tool in the thread for sizing that resistor. I plan to use a SPDT switch for my (S) wire that will place a series resistor on one of the switch positions. To operate I will switch from center off to resistor pole for a minute or so and then switch to the straight through position.

Dave

I just would like to add that you need a resistor of at least a 2W rating especially with a high voltage setup. My 100V setup would distroy a 1W 50 ohm resister in just a few connection cycles. I am now using a 2W 50 ohm and this is standing up quite well. You can feel the resistor quickly warm up though but a second or two is all it needs. The spark calculator link from a few posts back suggests a massive 10 and 20W resistors for this high voltage setups. The 2W resistor is still nice and small and so far, adequate for the job.

 

[GCinDC]

I just would like to add that you need a resistor of at least a 2W rating especially with a high voltage setup.

Thanks! I'm using one 470 ohm 5W Flame Proof Power Resistors, on Mike's suggestion. Has been working like a charm. No more sparks and only takes a second. I may graduate to a relay someday, but it's good to have things on the wish list. (dc dc converter, powerful lights, polarized non-fogging goggles, strong stealth water resistant lockable battery case, 100V setup, etc, etc)

In case you hadn't heard, DC got about 2' of snow on Friday and Saturday. I took a ride to Georgetown on Sunday and strapped on my HD vidcam. It's a lot of short clips. No silly stunts or close calls, and not particularly fast. Just trying to stay vertical:
[youtube]H4epReRW1ds[/youtube]

 

[Mark_A_W]

Private video...

 

[GCinDC]

Private video...

Now Public! Thanks...

PS. I edited this with iMovie on my mother in law's MacBook. Having spent a couple days trying to be able to edit AVCHD on PC, downloading & installing drivers & even trying to upgrade to Windows 7, I think I've had it w/ Microsoft. This has been a long time coming...

I'll still use an XP box to program controllers tho...

 

[dbaker]

Gotta get a pic of you with that camera strapped to your helmet! Background music is nice! I just looked at weather report:
heavy snow and then blowing snow with 27mph winds! We will be lucky if we don't lose power with all of the overhead distribution. Kids are now out of school for 10 days! How is Charlie and Mom?

Dave

 

[GCinDC]

kids are funny. when I brought the machine in to thaw they put 'Pengy' on it:

Works with Polar concept we've got going in DC tho!

By the way, I thought this video mount was going to be great, but it doesn't work: Hard disk handycam + bumps = recording stops. If I want to use that, it's gotta go back up on the helmet (where it can be less bumpy). If it had worked (didn't stop recording), I could have posted a vid of me dropping the bike! :? Second time ever: Turning left into road, off Brazil Embassy driveway (sidewalk was better plowed than road up to that point) it wasn't the foot of slush i was going through but a patch of ice, and I missed it by looking up at oncoming traffic. BAM. Down on the left side, 10mph tops. Sore left wrist, twisted seat & side mirror. Video must have turned itself off some bumps earlier... Happy to forget incident tho. Lipo pack didn't budge, even though only secured by old gorilla tape!

So it's back to this if I want to do High Def, shown w/ LCD closed:

It's still aimed a bit low.

In other news, I ordered a couple yards of black vinyl. I'm going to cut it to shape, attach velcro to it and the bike for wet weather.

 

[GCinDC]

In case you didn't know, Pengy had fought the dark side as long as he could:
[youtube]cZ39o_ppDnI[/youtube]

But lost and joined...
[youtube]12gZI30cLvI[/youtube]

 

[dbaker]

Great to see the sun again! My street was plowed by 8am!

Sorry to hear about dropping the bike. Did your studs get worn down from all the miles you have been doing?

Dave

 

[GCinDC]

Did your studs get worn down from all the miles you have been doing?

No, they seem the same as usual, but they're small to be sure. It's not an ice bike or anything. The ice I hit was wet and slushy. All bets off with that, plus, from not studying it first, I hit it at the worst angle, less than 30 degrees or something.

Wrist is fine today.