pickworthi
100 W
A while back I replaced my friction type trainer with a direct drive type trainer. Recently it occurred to me that I could still use the friction trainer as a resistance for the front motor hub on my e-bike. Being in the UK, its a street legal 250W continuous power motor - 520 ish watts peak, so within the power that the friction trainer was built for. (Note: NOT the power I could ever produce for any length of time!)
I've attached some pictures of the finished result. The front trainer did not require much modification - but some metal work was involved in creating a large enough opening for the cable to emerge without any stress. A little stack of M12 washers were needed to bring the contact point far enough out to avoid squashing the wires.
The result is strangely satisfying. Using a hobby watt analyser, I can see the minimum voltage, peak amps and watts, and Ah - Wh consumed. The higher the assist level, the more power is used, since the friction trainer works by increasing resistance the faster the wheel rotates.
The normal back wheel trainer provides an analysis of the power the human motor can put in. Some competition results when trying to keep your speed at the motors speed - I have to report that the motor always wins in my case.
A bit of fun should anyone feel the urge to try.
I've attached some pictures of the finished result. The front trainer did not require much modification - but some metal work was involved in creating a large enough opening for the cable to emerge without any stress. A little stack of M12 washers were needed to bring the contact point far enough out to avoid squashing the wires.
The result is strangely satisfying. Using a hobby watt analyser, I can see the minimum voltage, peak amps and watts, and Ah - Wh consumed. The higher the assist level, the more power is used, since the friction trainer works by increasing resistance the faster the wheel rotates.
The normal back wheel trainer provides an analysis of the power the human motor can put in. Some competition results when trying to keep your speed at the motors speed - I have to report that the motor always wins in my case.
A bit of fun should anyone feel the urge to try.
