Well the bike I built with the chain drive burned up. I guess it was hauling just a little too much blubber to over volt. I pushed it up the hills and coasted down for about four miles. I decided to put a coaster brake wheel and a rhino drive on the frame but then I bent the frame. From experience I know that when I bend a frame, I can never get it straight again. So I went and bought a 12 dollar trick bike a the thrift store. I had to change the wheels since they were plastic mags. The front wheel had been bent and the rear wasn't a coaster it was a one speed. I wanted a very simple low powered bike this time.

I don't even have a front brake. The rhino drive has drag on the rear wheel. If I turn the motor odd it will stop on its own eventually. Brake one is to just turn off the switch. Brake two is the coaster brake. Since the bike runs slowly it is more than enough.

I began with the bike at thirty six volts but I felt that it was just too fast for a pleasure bike. That's what I wanted to build since the fast bikes seem to die on me. I also wanted to get a little exercise, so I cut back the voltage to 24volts. It didn't have much pull that way, so I removed the controller and throttle to boost the motors output. The bike is almost full throttle all the time anyway. If I want to tool around a parking lot at dead slow, I can just pedal it.

My big experience so far with the bike was with the laid back seat. I bought that bike because it had a laid back seat post. I thought I would need it to make the pedals work. Most of the time the pedals on a kids bike are too close.

I tested it with the 36v and at the first stop sign the bike did a wheelie and ran out from under me, I barely managed to keep it under control. So I changed the seat post immediately. I found that with a standard seat post I can reach the pedals just fine. I think since it was designed as a trick bike it was built for older teens.

I will be doing more test on it today but I think I can manage with 24 volts. If not I will just add 6 more volts to it somehow. Thirty volts is ideal. I am running the bike with a 20amp house type on off lever switch. I have burned up the 15amp switches but never a 20amp. I also have a forty amp circuit breaker and a pull wire kill switch. This bike goes so slowly I can probably just lay it down in case of emergency.

I am coming to grips with the fact that is a bicycle not a motorcycle or even a moped. It has its own place in the world of transportation. At least this winter it will be a ten mile an hour wind in my face not forty on a motorcycle.