Fossil Free Friday Minipost - Crazy EV Trike in Dallas

Just wow! Batmobile looks, long EV range, solar-paneled rear wing, wheelie bars, can be used as a dragster or a daily rider! (And the thing is surrounded by lots of glorious mesquite trees!)

 

 

I ran across it on Dallas Craigslist. There's no price. There's obviously a lot of time, money, and (possibly) love in this wild machine.

 

 

 

 

May your ride be swift, quiet, low-carbon, and far from boring!

No-Weld, DIY Longtail Cargo Bike Frames

You know the Mesquite Hugger approach - always looking for a better way to haul stuff without burning any gas or much money. This one started like oh so many bad ideas around here at MH, with a very cheap Craigslist ad:

Novara is an REI house-brand.

First, the photo went to Photoshop.

Then, the frame pieces went into Powerpoint.

Various revisions came into play.

Then I went back to look at some of my favorite cargo bike designs - the EdgeRunner, the Mundo, and the RadWagon.

Yuba Mundo and Xtracycle EdgeRunner

A slightly revised design rose up.

And here is where it ended up: (with RadWagon for comparison)

But the practical brain kicked in - I remembered all of the unfinished projects I still have lying about, and decided not to go buy the $10 frame.

For those of you who are intrigued:

If you have more time than money and see the beauty in a cargo bike, the No-Weld, DIY Cargo Bike Frame is a pretty legitimate way to go. It's an idea that's been floating around for a while, mostly inspired by the XtraCycle FreeRadical/Leap.

The Original - the Xtracycle FreeRadical

(Ignore the price - it's a VERY old ad.)

There're basically two schools of thought:

1. Split-up a full suspension mountain bike frame and find a way to add some length to the middle (like my little almost-project above).
2. Add the back swingarm portion of a full-suspension mountain bike to another complete bike frame. (See below.)

One of my favorite examples!

(Find it and many others in this MTBR Forum)

Lots more can be found in this Endless-Sphere thread

The Homemade Xtracycle (blog post with lots of good detail)

Feeling inspired? If so, start looking around for a bike that looks like this (and costs very little):

(That rear section is the main ingredient you need for the three bikes above.)

 May we be successful in finding super-low-carbon transport to fit our budgets in both time and money.

Two Years Later Update:

I finally got started!!! (Click here)

Fossil Free Friday: $500 Simple DIY Electric Bike Formula (The bike)

[If you missed Part 1, you can find it here]

We'll start with a simple and inexpensive bike. It will need to have:

• a steel frame - easier to adapt and less prone to break under the stress of added weight and torque (if a magnet will stick to it, it is steel)
• 26" wheels/tires - the most common size for hub motors - other sizes tend to cost more 
• multi-gear capability - preferably 7-speed (with a hub motor there is no need for 21 gears)
• hand brakes - hub motors don't have coaster brakes
• it needs to fit you comfortably

Cruisers, comfort bikes, and mountain bikes all make great candidates and can often be found at low prices. I'll focus on cruisers for this project, but you should pick the type you like most (or already have in your garage.)

$108 shipped brand new, hmmm

Don't expect a whole lot of bike in this price range, but a bike like this cruiser will still work fine. Let's look at it with our checklist in mind:

and here are some extras that might be nice:

• front suspension (heavier but easier on the wrists)
• a built-in cargo rack (to carry your homemade panniers)
• disc brakes (sometimes better stopping and more adaptability - see Post 4)
• fenders (to help you avoid the dreaded butt-stripe)
• a comfy seat and/or a suspension seatpost (for a happier bum and spine)
• lights (the better to see you)
• a horn/bell (e-bikes are often fast and silent - you can skip this if you like yelling, "Get the !@##$% out of my way!" But the bell is a little more polite.

Here's another cruiser to check out in case you want something a little nicer with a few more virtues:

Sure it's $50 more, but this Schwinn from Ebay has larger tires, better brakes, and a longer wheelbase. It has great potential for this project and reminds me of the $1300 Juiced Ocean Current of my dreams.

Two important things to add to any bike you choose:

• thorn resistant tubes or tire liners (it's not much fun to have/fix a flat on your e-bike)
• better brake shoes - with greater power comes a greater need to stop

If those don't appeal to you or just cost too much, definitely check out the used bikes. I find lots of great deals on Craigslist and at garage sales. Look for ads that say things like "barely ridden" or "just needs new tubes." Feel fee to offer a little less for used bikes, but don't be a jerk about it. Life is too short for that, no matter what reality TV tells us.

A few tips on buying a used bike:

• Buy a nice bike, if it it's worn out, weathered, or broken, you will spend a lot of time and money in the wrong places.
• Buy a bike that has all the stuff you need - parts are more expensive than bikes. For example, it's not hard to find a $50 bike with good tires and tubes but a new set of tires and tubes will easily cost $50 or more. It's also expensive (and a pain in the tuckus) to upgrade a single-speed bike into a multi-speed bike.
• Look for higher quality brands while shopping used. It's not rare to find a $350 Giant or Trek being sold for $75 lightly used.

Not a bad start and it would leave a little more room in the budget

(especially if you could get it for a little less money.)

This Raleigh could be a great (and very old-school cool) e-bike!

One other great source of inexpensive bikes - ask your friends, neighbors, relatives or co-workers. Throw a request out on social media. You never know who has a really great bike gathering dust and taking up garage space. You know the old saying - One man's trash is another man's dream e-bike conversion! [Love ya, Matt! Thanks for the bike!]

Okay, so that's it for the bike portion of our search. So, let's budget $150 for our bike. That leaves us $350 for the electric running gear, battery, charger, assorted hardware, and a way to contain the controller and battery. Is it possible?

Tune in next time for our exciting third post!

May you find the right bike and enjoy the ride.

Fossil Free Friday - Cheap(er) Electric Vehicles on Lubbock Craigslist today

So you find yourself sitting in Lubbock (or your town) dreaming of carbon-free transport, but you're not quite ready to drop big money for a new electric car. What are you gonna do? One possibility is to head to Craigslist to do a keyword search - in this case, we'll try ELECTRIC.

 

You never know what'll pop up!

 

First on the list - a 250-watt/$500 e-bike

Next up, a 1000-watt/$760 Roadmaster e-bike with GPS. Hmmm.

Then we have a Gem - more than a golf cart, less than a car...

The most tempting thing (for this Mesquite Hugger) is a real-deal GeoOrbital Wheel.

 

Midland is about two hours south of here and that is some pretty immediate gratification at $800. If you have any interest in owning an electric bike, this one is worth some investigation. If it were the 26" version, I'd be extremely tempted. Lots more detail below:

The GeoOrbital Website - check it out!

This is super-tempting for a DIY-wannabe like me. It's like popping open a Lego box and dreaming of the possibilities - I'd want to build an electric scooter, an electric motorcycle, and a solar carport/charging station.

And here's the wildcard in the bunch - great specifications and price, but who's heard of Yadea?

There's no mention of battery type, so I figure it's got heavy and short-lived lead-acid batteries rather than one of the lithium-based battery packs. More info below:

 

So, there's your Fossil-Free Friday search for today. If your dream EV is not listed here, try next week or try other nearby towns - whatever it takes to stop burning those nasty carbon-based fuels. May your search be fruitful, inspirational, and occasionally laughable!

 

PS. teaser: I did get to ride a GenZe 2.0, see several Chevy Bolts, and sit on a Zero DS this week. More info to come.

Mesquite Hugger Mini-Post - Craigslist E-Bike Ad

Okay, it's not much, but it (somewhat morbidly) tickled me.

 

May none of you break your arm while enjoying your high-speed green machine!

Batteries and Butt-Wiggles! (Two Eco Friendly Trikes)

It all started with Big D's 9th birthday. He's been wanting one of those little folding Razor scooters, so I hopped on the craigslist and did not quite find one, but I did find this:

The Razor DeltaWing Scooter

It was new, still in the box, and not expensive at all. So I took a gamble.

I assembled it in the living room and was very curious about how hard it would be to ride. So I put my feet on it, wiggled my butt a little, and I was off and wiggling.

Video of the DeltaWing in action!

It's probably a good thing that I was the only one there. I spent the next half hour drift-triking through the house and grinning huge. The dogs kept barking that I had lost my mind. Those people at Razor are genius! A vehicle that runs on butt-wiggle! I am quite smitten and I keep thinking that I need a slightly bigger one for my work commute. I wonder if I'm in shape for 10 miles of round-trip butt wiggling?

This morning I hopped over to TreeHugger to see what e-bikes Derek Markham has been writing about, and there it was, the electrified adult version of the DeltaWing, or at least pretty darned close to it:

The DC-Tri

You want details?

• 250 watt
• 15 mph
• up to 30 miles
• $1500ish Kickstarter intro price

If you want more info, check in with Derek over at Treehugger.

 

 

Drifting, 'Roos, and Solar Panels - this video has it all!

I really like the DC-Tri, but I have one small problem with it - no butt-wiggle is required to get it going. Maybe the next-gen version could have something like pedelec built in - the buttelec! (Should I copyright that?)

May you get your butt moving, give up the gas, and save the planet!

A shout out to Derek and Razor! Thanks, y'all!

Some previous Razor fanboy posts:

I found my new dream electric vehicle - move over Tesla

Razor Ecosmart Scooter vs. the Storm Ebike

Razor Does It Again! My new favorite EV - the Street Fighter!

Texas Vintage EV Dork Alert: an ElCar in Keller!

I know it goes without saying, but my EV-geek heart leapt a little when I ran across this little beast hunkering silently on Dallas Craigslist. The armature in my brain started turning.

 



That's all, folks!

 

Okay, so there's not a lot of info to share, but there's a 1975 Zagato ElCar for sale in Keller,Texas for $1200. (And it needs some restoration work.)

Keller, in case you are not familiar with it, is in the DFW Metroplex just a little north of Fort Worth.

One thousand-two hundred dollars. Hmm. That's $399 less than a Radwagon or $105 less than a CrossCurrent AIR. (But both of those have free shipping.) Then again, I'll be headed to DFW soon with a small trailer, and the ElCar would fit on a small trailer. It would probably fit in the back of the pickup.

 

But it's gonna need batteries - they all need batteries. (Wait a minute, I have batteries that would get it going.) The brakes will need to be re-done - the brakes always need to be re-done. It's gonna need tires. The little guy is gonna need at least a gallon of Turtle Wax and at least three gallons of Elbow Grease.

 

And then there're all the unknowns - motor, controller, charger, wiring, contactor, potentiometer (throttle), etc.

 

And insurance and registration and inspection and...

 

Okay, I'll pass. The next electric vehicle I purchase (if there is such a thing) needs to be plug and play so that I can actually use it as low-carbon transport. Yep, the ElCar would be a restoration hobby, but not immediate (if ever) transportation.

 

So, okay, which one of you is up for the challenge?

 

Three ElCars on EVAlbum

 

May your green projects lead to greener living.

 

(But, snagit, that thing is dorkycool!)

Fossil Free Friday: Fun Electric Conversions on Ebay and Craigslist

Yep, it's me being lazy again, but there is some fun stuff to check out this week. Enjoy:

Fiero!!!! Ebay

Check it out - a Fiero that runs! (And it's electric!)

All the deets

 BMW Ebay

The 2002 BMW is my favorite BMW

(and this one is electric)

BMW deets

VW Beetles

 

Slug Bug Red (Ebay)

Slug Bug Orange (Dallas Craigslist)

Isuzu Pickup

 

Electric Pickup! (Austin Craigslist)

These are not conversions, but I thought you might want to see them:

Zero Motorcycle (Dallas Craigslist)

 

Green Citicars on Ebay: Tennessee and Alabama

 

May you find something out there that helps you get off the gas, clean up the air, and grin everywhere you go!