Dogman is now a recumbent kook

[dogman dan]

It was inevitable, only waiting for the right kind of bent bike to find itself my way. In other words, cheap.

I also had some ideas about what type of bent, preferring the somewhat normal bars, wheel comes before the feet type.

This springs annual bike swap in Las Cruces delivered it up, A "Re Bike" brand bent under a hundred bucks. I rode it awhile pedaling it, getting used to the steering and such. Like it a lot, but perhaps not quite as much as my more upright bikes.

Now sporting the 9x7 winding E-bikekit, the 2013-2014 model, in 20" wheel. Goes about 24 mph, very perky in the 20". Rim brakes, just too lazy to remove the disc from the motor.



The only modification so far, adding a bit of metal to attach bolts for the trailer hitch. I'm now also a bobtail trailer kook. So I couldn't look much weirder than going for groceries with this.

 

[ohzee]

I don't think that looks weird at all. I really do like the look.

Nice find. Id pick one up if I found one close to me.

 

[gogo]

Odd looking maybe, but only because both are unusual. I see a watt miser utility configuration and am looking forward to your reports on energy usage.

 

[cal3thousand]

That thing looks like a super comfy cruiser. I don't think it looks weird either. If I saw someone riding this on the road, I might have to stop him though

 

[beast775]

Ive never rode one,but im interested.i think it looks good with the trailer.

 

[Ykick]

Wow, that looks like a sweet mile burner! Looking forward to more about comfort and Wh efficiency?

 

[The fingers]

I think it has a cool chopper look. 8)

 

[amberwolf]

Now you need to grow out your "aero beard".


I think you made a good choice to keep that bike as it is instead of turning it into the front of the SB Cruiser.


You could add rear disc brakes easy enough just by clamping a caliper onto the disc, seeing where it lines up on the frame, bolting a piece of sheet steel or the mounts off an old bike frame or steel fork to the caliper, then shaping and welding those onto the frame with the caliper still clamped onto the disc (to ensure alignment).


BTW, between Whatever any myself, and an old thread from Pavlik, we've figured out some more stuff about that controller you sent, over in this thread
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=68501
so if you need to get yourself one you'll have somewhere to start with on what's what in it.

 

[StudEbiker]

Welcome to the club!

Looks similar to my setup. The mid-drive has been replaced with an 8T MAC, but I still use the trailer. Used it twice this week.

 

[spinningmagnets]

Now you need to grow out your "aero beard"

In the same way that a tail-sock reduces turbulence behind a recumbent to lower drag (in addition to a modest front fairing), you will also need a ponytail to even out the flow that comes off the aero-beard, and then flows around your face to the rear of your head. Extensive wind-tunnel studies have been done by NACA and verified the surprising amount of drag reduction that can be achieved by this method.

Next up: enclosed fenders over the top halves of both the wheels...

 

[amberwolf]

Then there is the self-steering handlebar mustache.

 

[chvidgov.bc.ca]

I just knew I wasn't insane when I picked up my Rebike a few years ago, black seven speed, and put in a rear 9C on it. Welcome to the club! These little sweeties have all the goodness of sweet China Hiten, a tractor seat and the lovely retro-
Ashtabula bottom bracket. I love rocking my Rebike at just under 30mph waving at the tourist buses in Victoria, and dodging the scowls of disconsolate roadies up a hill or two. I call my Rebike my "rat bike", and it is indeed super comfortable and pretty nimble in town. The best spot for the battery is just about even with the forward side of the rear tire rim, at about the level of the frame, well below and forward of where you have it now. I'm using a 10Ahr Headway pack, which is a bit tail heavy if you leave it on the rack. I don't mind being a recumbent kook, if Dan is with me! The square tubing is interesting as well. I tried a front Crystalyte 404 on it as well, and later stole that motor for a SunEZSport, but I liked the 404 on the front of the Rebike very well too, and the front fork worked well for that configuration.

 

[cwah]

Nice, i always fear to look dumb with recumbent

 

[amberwolf]

Why care how you look, if you're comfortable?

I'm sure I look pretty stupid/crazy/etc on my creations, but they're comfy and I can do things with them that the majority of bicycle riders probably never even imagined. :lol:

 

[icerider]

The only modification so far, adding a bit of metal to attach bolts for the trailer hitch. I'm now also a bobtail trailer kook. So I couldn't look much weirder than going for groceries with this.

Now I'm thinking how nice that trailer would look with 200W of solar for a "roof".

 

[dogman dan]

Yep, One thought I've had is a trailer with 100w solar or thereabouts on it. But the reality is I have plenty of battery at the moment. 1500wh. All of it can carry nice in the trailer. Right behind the seat would be better place to put some, I just slapped a bag on the rack it came with.

I am short one controller and display to keep running it right now though, always seem to have more motors than controllers. Not sure about the wh, since I didn't put a CA on it while I had it running. At the moment, I just wanted it up and running, to take to the earth day thingy at the campus last sunday. A few people took interest, but none enough to want to get an ebike. Today, the controller is back on my off road bike.

But I did notice it seemed to gain 2-3 mph over the same motor on an upright bike. So there you go, gotta be saving at least 5 wh/mi.

The seat seems to me like I'd like it better tilted back just a hair more than it goes, so one modification I'm thinking of is a 20" front wheel. The lace a disc wheel for that.

But it would be easier to do the disc brake on the back, just need to re position the trailer hitches. I welded before thinking about that. Easy to change.

Nice as the bike is, it could be awhile before I ride it a lot. I really do like the other bike I built this spring, the longtail beach cruiser.

For those looking for one of this brand bike, It was surprisingly easy to make one from scratch, as we did for Amber Wolfs St Bernard Cruiser.

 

[chvidgov.bc.ca]

Here is a video of a guy riding a Rebike...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Vs_VQH5ZU#t=56

 

[docnjoj]

"Resistance to the recumbent is futile". You will find as others have said that if you get those batteries down low, perhaps right behind the bottom bracket, the handling will improve dramatically. Of course, if you put them in the trailer, it will improve also. Welcome to the club,DD. Now in another 10 years you will metamorphose one more time and ride a recumbent trike, like all the cool folks do. 8)
otherDoc

 

[dogman dan]

Likely take 10 years, before a used terra trike or something like that shows up in my medium small city.

I do though, want to stay on a ride that can see over the hood of a typical small suv when you are at a light. So a not quite so low tadpole trike would rock for me, much like the RE bike. I can still look around a bit on it. Not relying only on a flag to be seen.

I moved the seat forward an inch, that really improved the ride stability. It also allows a healthy size space now, for an under the seat battery tray.

But at the moment, still very much in love with my new long cruiser.
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=67049

 

[cwah]

anyway you can take a passenger on the bike?

 

[dogman dan]

No, even with the trailer, the trailer is only good to 85 pounds. And handles for shit much above 40 pounds.

Or do you mean the cruiser? I haven't done it, certainly not with my wife, she's a large. But yes, I think If I was young again and weighed less, you could carry a second person on the longtail cruiser. Hard on the rack, but it could be reinforced if needed.

 

[SloNEZ]

I bought a green ReBike back in like '94!
Loved that thing - fun to ride, great conversation starter, and comfortable.
It accidentally kinda got left outside over a winter into the spring ... part of the summer.
Got so rusted I ended up not wanting to fix it.
I should've!
I think it would make a great conversion with a clever battery placement.
Mine was green.

 

[dogman dan]

Got a welder? It really was pretty easy to build one like it, for Amberwolfs SB cruiser. Definitely a good first project, for somebody who never built a bike frame before. Some square tube, and one old bike supplies nearly all the parts.

The only hard part to find, would be the rear wheel with 5-7 gears. But a bmx bike for parts would work for a single speed version. Make the front wheel 20" too.

 

[lowbudget]

I think your bike looks great. A traiiler for groceries etc, is my next project. I, m telling ya, we're goood lookin?

 

[waynebergman]

Looks good Dogman. Those Bob trailers are real nice but I also discovered they flop a two wheeler around a bit if you load it up with too much weight. I use my Bob trailer now just on my tadpole for grocerys and you hardly notice it when in tow compared to when its on a two wheeler. I originally got the Bob trailer for single track behind my mountain bike but it does throw you around abit if loaded up on a two wheeler for sure. One bug I have not worked out on my recumbent is the road vibration giving me kind of a blurred vision when riding on the roads around my place. I need to get a better seat I think, maybe a lawn chair style rather than the hard foam I have now. I would think your set up is better for vibrations not reaching your head as you are not so layed out as on my bike and my seat is pretty hard as well. Anyways welcome to the club!