I am a terrible welder... I put the skateboard wheel on the bike and it lasted about one block before it twisted the weld I made right off the motor. That was okay because I learned what I wanted to know by then. The skateboard wheel attached directly to the motor is a winner. In my case the weld was so bad and the attachment so out of balance that it just shook itself apart, but it will drive the bike just fine. Only if I get the thing put on correctly.

It if rains two inches in a week nothing much happens around my house. But when it rains one day enough to saturate the ground, and the it rains two inches the next day, my basement is going to flood. The basement has good natural drainage except that there were no natural gas water heaters when the house was built in 1028. When they installed the water heater in the fifties or so, the installed it too close to the ground. when I replaced it three or four years ago I had it done the same to save a few bucks. So now when it rains as I stated above, I have to stay awake to pump the water out.

There are two things i can do to eliminate the problem. I can dig a sump and put in an automatic pump. Or i can raise the water heater, The water heater is about three or four years old and won't need replacing for a few more years. The sump I can install anytime. I'm going to have to give it some thought.

it is raining again today. I have no idea what I will do today. Probably something with batteries.

I am waiting for the wheels so I began some power use tests on the drive I have. It seems that going with the lower voltage actually helps with consumption. It causes me to pedal a lot more since the speed is lower. That helps add a lot of human power to the mix.

I think i can get four of five miles on a 12ah battery pack. Two of those would give me about 8 to 10 miles. That should be enough for someone to get to work if they have any interest in these bikes. I can't see anyone going more than 10 miles on a bike.

It would also be enough to take someone to the store or the doctor's office. Again only if they are even considering a bike. The person who is not an urban dweller wouldn't even consider a bike. This is really for urban transportation.

In spite of promising my wife I would not do any more bike building, I have ordered some skateboard wheels. Small two inch ones actually. I plan to make a super inexpensive drive to see if building this design for sale is feasible. The problem is that the people the bike was intended for can't really afford much. It will be a challenge for sure to build something that they can afford.

The energy is returning slowly. I did get the drive completed yesterday. It appears to work satisfactorily. With the small 6" wheel, it will fit one most any bike I think. By keeping it down to 24v the need for complicated electronics is pretty much eliminated. Even so it is still pretty darn effective.

I have lots of tests to run on the bike for a while but this one is much simpler than my big bike. I have high hopes for it, which is usually the kiss of death for a device I build. We shall see.

I'm still sapped from the two days of non stop work on the bike. I rode it around the park to be sure it would get me home after a ride through the park. I worked just fine with the exception that it is much slower with the smaller wheel and lower voltage. I did expect that, so I'm fine with it.

The good side is that it is very safe this way. The smoother plastic wheel spins when I apply voltage at a stop. The bike only starts to move after I pedal it a couple of times. If the power should stick on, the bike would do nothing but spin. I could get it stopped. The only problem would be if the brake failed at the same time my switch melted shut. Then I could pull the wiring I left accessible. All in all its a pretty safe bike.

I plan to ride it more than the big bike, but it will never replace it for a trip to the lake or the store. This bike is purely for exercise. The big bike is more like a tiny lil motorcycle than a bicycle. The one I just finished is more like a bicycle on steroids. It still performs like a bicycle but has a little more power.