Friday, May 26, 2017
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Install of a Mid-drive electric motor on a Madsen Family Cargo Bucket Bike
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| VTBikesolutions.com test bike we tried with a Bafang 1000W mid drive. |
I'll be documenting my DIY install of the below order from Lunacycle.com
- Bafang BBSHD Mid Drive Ebike Kit. Programming Level: 750w Street Legal
- Bottom Bracket Size: 68-73mm (Standard)
- Chain Ring: Stock 46T Steel Chain Ring
- Display Options: Luna Bafang Display DPC-10
- Throttle Choices: Bafang BBSxx Universal Thumb Throttle
- Ebrake Cut Off Sensors: Bafang Handles with Built-in Ebrake cut off,
- Luna Wrench $19.00,
- Side Shark 48v GA 10ah $399.00, 14.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 "
- 48v 3amp Lithium Charger $30.00 (110-220v input)
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Thursday, May 11, 2017
We Decided! Madsen Bucket Bike with 1000w Mid-Drive. Family Electric Assist Cargo Bike Spec. here.
We've finally decided on a family cargo bike with electric assist
Lot's of research and actual test rides of a Radwagon, Yuba Mundo, and Bike Friday Haul-a-Day later, we pick Madsen Cycle's Bucket Bike! Here's our developing spec sheet with help from Dave at vbikesolutions.org
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| Testing VT Bike Solutions test Madsen with Befang 1000w mid-drive. We'll get Red I think. |
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| The bucket, with my son and his "fancy dress" from the thrift store that he loves |
- Bafang 1000 watt BBSHD kit.
- 14 amp hour battery with the Panasonic cells (or something with 14AH or higer). At least that's what we have and I think it will give you way more range. Maybe lower for only our lower ranged needed, Dave is a riding madman.
- Battery bracket: Karl Kemnizter custom makes it locally in Brattleboro. Or maybe brackets from this mid-drive kit: https://www.bikeswift.com/products/swift-mad
- Gear sensor, a gear sensor extension wire, and a speed sensor extension wire.
- Stock chain ring for now.
DIY Caleb and Laura can do
- Flat-proof the tires with tire liners and flat sealant and some some slime in the inner tubes.
- Front and back blinking for daylight visibility (not night time driving). Dave's kit was <$100 and everything is connected to the main battery.
Later upgrades
- ($90) Lekkie Bling ring. It's smaller and stronger, stock chainring worked ok on the test bike.
- Better night lights.
- Front rack/basket from Madsen Cycles
- DIY rain cover?
More Photos from our first test
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| VT Bike Solutions test Madsen with Befang 1000w mid-drive |
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| The bucket next to a Radwagon Monkey Bar Caboose. The bucket is actually lower, but looks even. See below photo. |
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| Right: See how much lower the bucket is than the Radwagons Caboose? Mid-drive motor and battery on custom bracket in center. |
Friday, May 5, 2017
Wife test rides Madsen Cycle's Bucket bike and Bike Friday Haul-a-Day Mid-Drive Electric Assist Family Cargo Bikes
Today, Dave, chief evangelist at Vermont Bike Solutions brought over a Bike Friday Haul-a-Day with a 750watt Bafang BBS02, 750W mid drive electric assist and the next day, a Madsen Bucket bike, with a Bafang BBSHD 1000 Mid Drive electric assist motors. I bought out my used Radwagon for size comparison. My wife is doggedly testing bikes out for taking our 2 kids to school. One kid is still too young for monkey bars so would need a strap in seat, which he don't like so far. She's tried the Yuba Mundo (great bike but a bit too heavy and big) and the Radwagon with a Yepp seat (too high seat, too heavy, fell over and fractured our daughters arm!) I love my used Radwagon with monkey bars only though, no strap in baby seat.
And the winner is...Madsen Cycles Bucket Bike.
More photos below.
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| Madsen is her pick after testing for months. She wants our 2 kids and no strap in high baby seat. |
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| Runner up. Dave from Vermont Bike Solutions with my wife on a Bike Friday Haul-a-Day |
Bike Friday Haul-a-Day Test Ride and Comparison with Radwagon
Great American made bike. Light, small, sturdy. Unlike the Madsen, this can be used more easily as a one person bike when needed.
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| Bike Friday Haul-a-Day. Our son loves to dress up. |
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| Bike Friday Haul-a-Day is shorter lighter and lower then the Radwagon. |
Madsen Cycles Bucket Bike
To my surprise she felt the Madsen rode the best with the most stability. It's a big bike and the bucket makes it really a hauler. The nice part is that it's like a pickup truck, always ready to simply use to carry things. And it keeps the kids inside something and low to the ground like all bucket type bikes
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| With Radwagon in background, even on back |
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| It's a big long bike, like the Yuba and XtraCycles. The Radwagon is shot and stocky. |
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| Optical illusion here, the Madsen is a bit lower then the Radwagon due to a 20" rear wheel. |
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| It's a big bucket |
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| "Oh my god, momma picked the Madsen as her favorite!" |
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| Our son loves to dress up "fancy" with his clip on tie...not sure where this boy came from! |
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Parent Fail! Our 2yr old fractures her arm during test of family cargo bike.
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| fracture x-ray |
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| Intuitive frown? She was happy while riding though. This is the setup during accidental tip over. |
The bike wasn't moving when it fell over.
My wife was testing the bike on a quiet street with our 2-year old in a Yepp Maxi seat and our 5 year old holding a t-bar handle. It started to tip and my wife couldn't stop it. Ourdaugther's arm happened to get between the seat side and pavement.
She's fine. She has since jumped back on the bike, but we're taking her for a ride until she's three. We live in a bumpy hilly town with few bike paths.
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| Our Radwagon setup. |
Bike Setup
Here's the setup we were using. The bike is a used Radwagon. I love it - still. The seat is a Yepp. Great seat and setup. Very easy to use. Solid. But, you can sense from this photo that it's top heavy, and back heavy for a small rider like my wife.Test Rides
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| My wife's first test was great. |
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With one kid on back, low, near our back. This felt very stable.
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| Still a good test here with seat and one kid |
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Moments before the fall, which happeneed at a stop sign in our quiet neighborhood.
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In the hospital
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| Quickly back to fun and mud with a plastic bag over wrapped cast |
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| Re-wrap at two weeks. |
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| Sticker. Total heal time about three weeks, not the six they said originally. Good expectation management though. |
Mistake and Successes
- Mistakes as we see it: Here's where the parent fail comes in: not following our little whisper inside voices (instincts). The setup was heavy, rear-heavy and top-heavy for my wife's stature and weight. I'll take most of the heat here. My first full-time summer job was as a bike mechanic. I felt uneasy about high strap-in seats on bikes with full-height back wheels. I was attracted to bucket-type family cargo bikes, and cargo bikes with small rear wheels from the start (See some here on EBR.com). My wife was, too, but I also had the lots of bike experience to back up my instincts. We had a sense the weight was a bit high-feeling and in the rear, and it was heavy for my wife. And we had "monkey bars" or a "caboose" coming in the mail (they act as rails around kids midsections and break side falls). But we didn't wait...they might have kept our daughter's arm from fracturing because the seat edge might not have hit the road at all. No wonder bucket bikes are so popular. They are low, slow, and safer. And no wonder more cargo bikes are using smaller wheels that keep kids low to the ground if kids are in actual strap-in seats. Also, we should have waited for monkey bars on the back. The main take away: low center of gravity is needed and heavy bikes need strong riders.
- Success as we see it: We tested on quiet flat streets, starting with one person, a parent and child and only then two children. This means our fail happened while the bike wasn't moving and no cars were around.
- I love the Radwagon for myself. It's short and stocky. Big tires. Good breaks. Great price new and used. It isn't as slick as the twice as expensive Xtracycles or Yubas, but how could it be? It is shorter which I like. I love taking my son on the Radwagon. He thinks it's the funnest thing ever. I feel solid on the Radwagon with him on side streets, side walks, and our new monkey bars.
- My wife and I are loving electric assist bikes family cargo bikes. We'll keep riding them alone and with our kids in certain situations. We have two now. A used Radwagon, and a used Raleigh Detour. My wife and love going on rides together around town because the electric assist "flattens" our hilly bumpy town and makes the rides more relaxing and fun.
- I didn't research downsides when shopping for family cargo bikes. The electric-assist family cargo bike movement is so exciting, cool, sustainable, green, logical, and freeing that I found I didn't also look into the down sides. I didn't want to. The fantasy of the family cargo bike is real I think, but there's an element that I sense is similar to RV campers and boats. Only the zealous few really use them as much as they thought they would, for as many years as they thought they would. The reality of weather, terrain, traffic, growing kids, maintenance and laziness conspire to reduce the use a bit.
- I see the evolution of family electric assist bikes seems to be to bring down the center of gravity and stabilize the bikes more using 20" wheels where the kids site, buckets, tricycle setups, etc. I think we're really heading to more and more bike lanes and basically small electric cars, some of which could be peddle-able.
- In a small way, I think electric bikes (and cars in a big way) are changing the world. More people will become active for longer in their lives. Sone distances are literally smaller. A hilly mile to a school on bike path now feels like 1/4 mile used to. I belive this will increase real estate values for houses close to schools and services that are also along good safe bike routes.
- With two kids, we're going to get a new bike set-up that has them low and in monkey bars or a bucket. We'll make sure to ride on side streets, slowly and on sidewalks when near busy streets. As always, we'll wear reflective gear and have flags, etc.
Our Next Bike?
Brattleboro presents a challenge due to hills and bumpy side walks. So, sadly, the tricycle bucket bikes used in places that have bike lanes and flat terrain might not work so well here.
But maybe a Babboe City Cargo Bike if we can get a loan.
We've just heard that a Madsen bucket cargo bike has arrived in town. We're testing it out and seeing how we can get a mid-drive electric assist on it without breaking the bank. Here's some info in mid-drive electric assist for the Madsen. Forum post on Electric Bike.com. and Forum post on Endless Sphere.com
There's the Virtual Gondolier Plus (EBR review).
Thursday, April 13, 2017
RC ADVENTURES - UNiMOG on PATROL (Tamiya CC-01 4x4 Radio Controlled Truck)
Why!? Why did my son make me find this crazy subgroup on YouTube that makes AMAZING videos of Radio Controlled cars and trucks? https://youtu.be/sHTb2T0AD6A?t=1m
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Used Radwagon Cold Ride to School in Hilly Vermont
Canoe strapped him in for a temporary kid seat on a cold ride home from school during a rare day off. Got this bike handle coming: Bicycle Armrest Handrail, YIFAN Bike Child Safety Cycling Rear Saddle Handlebar - Black: Link: http://a.co/dVXeY3D
Might go for the monkey bars and mount if my wife likes this bike enough to use it. It's heavy for her. But she tried it today.
Might go for the monkey bars and mount if my wife likes this bike enough to use it. It's heavy for her. But she tried it today.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
Testing: Family Cargo Bike. Used Radwagon. Electric assist, regen breaking, 1000+ miles
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| Me on the Radwagon at night, before monkey bars. |
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| Monkey bar caboose with extra t-grip handle |
I see the e-assist cargo/family movement as strong, but also the reality is a bit like RVs and Boats. They will probably be used less then one thinks by most people due to weather, maintenance, and laziness. But so far, my e-bike rides to town and with my kids are amazing!
Test though! On quiet streets. These bikes can be heavy. On a recent test of a Radwagon/Yepp Seat config, my daughter actually fractured her arm (not a bad fracture). Total parent fail, and the bike wasn't even moving! So testing is crucial. More on that soon in another post.
Here's a great summary of cargo bike reviews here from Electric Bike Review here.
I think this frame will last a long time and eventually I'd add a mid-drive system to have better hill climbing using the 21 speeds. Something like the Befrag 8-Fun BBS02 Mid-Drive, which should be cheap by the time I need it!
We tried a Yepp Maxi Easy Fit seat, it was very well made and easy to use. But setup didn't work of my wife. Too back-heavy.
I think this frame will last a long time and eventually I'd add a mid-drive system to have better hill climbing using the 21 speeds. Something like the Befrag 8-Fun BBS02 Mid-Drive, which should be cheap by the time I need it!
We tried a Yepp Maxi Easy Fit seat, it was very well made and easy to use. But setup didn't work of my wife. Too back-heavy.
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| Yepp seat on back was found to be well made, and very easy to use, but the Radwagon was too back and top heavy with two kids for my wife. |
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| This setup worked well for me, but needed monkey bars for safety. |
Radwagon rear child handlebars, monkey bars, handles.
This one works
for my 5 year old to hold on to so far. $12.00. Bicycle Armrest
Handrail, YIFAN Bike Child Safety Cycling Rear Saddle Handlebar - Black
by Yifan. http://a.co/1xPq6dj
I'm wondering bout other seats like Bell Incs. Bell Classic Cocoon Bicycle Child Carrier Link: http://a.co/4As7reA
I wonder if the base is wide enough to fit over the rear rack?
I think Thule bought Yepp. But they did have this too: Thule RideAlong Child Bike Seat by Thule Link: http://a.co/cTsbMc1
Riding the Radwagon 3-20-17
After huge work weekend for our first graduate school residency on the main Marlboro College campus I got some time to ride the Radwagon to town. It was a dream to ride on the flat surfaces and small hills to down. On the way back I went up a big hill, over 15% incline at times and that's when the motor and weight of the bike could be felt. Keeping the motor at under 500W draw as advised, on pedal assist #2, still required a little hard pedaling on the worst of the hill. With two kids, would have been hard on this hill. But at Pedal Assist #5, it would be easier and since the hill was short, that would be ok.
Got a Used Radwagon tonight
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| Used Radwagon in my 2009 Subaru Forester. Hatch closed, with child seat too. |
So excited. I found someone in town
who is upgrading to a RadCity and had a Radwagon with just over 1000
miles on it. The battery is going go probably soon. The seller gave us a
wonderful deal and it fit in my Subaru Forester tonight!.
I'll be going over the Radwagon Best Practices. And the owners manual.
The seller emailed me the below, they were really nice. We wont' be driving at night.
The seller emailed me the below, they were really nice. We wont' be driving at night.
"Enjoy the bike and be safe. Seriously think about high power lights, streets are dangerous d/t distracted drivers. Good quality lights are not cheaper but more less expensive than an ER visit. Protect yourself. Enclosed are some links you might find helpful.
https://endless-sphere.com/
Another good link. I bought the Radwagon purposely for the regenerative braking. I like the regen feel and appreciate saving on brake pads.
Endless-Sphere.com and EBR.com are great ebike resources. Enjoy the ride!"
Someday...Radwagon can take a MidDrive motor.
1000W mid drive on the Radwagon...nice: Endless Sphere Forums conversion post.This is definitely a movement
See how much money they are raising!
Electric cargo bike reviews: https://electricbikereview.com/category/cargo/
Buckets! http://dutchcargobike.com.au/
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