ELECTRIC BICYCLE CONVERSIONS

Hold the presses! After three years of building/riding ebikes I have just completed the definitive ebike book. The Poor man's Electric Bike. It will be installed in the Kindle library very soon.

In this Brave New World of too many people, diminishing resources and rising energy costs, it is time for each and every one of us to step up and make a real contribution to mankind's sustainable future.

Let's think Green and quit becoming dependent on fossil fuel vehicles. For the majority of our transportation purposes, driving a 4000 pound vehicle around is grossly unnecessary and can be replaced by a much lighter and less expensive alternative.

Electric vehicles are a viable alternative for those of us who want to quit paying high prices for gasoline. The urban sprawl in the urban cities are designed for vehicles that are capable of long distance commuting.

In the Megalopolis you need wheels.

And the 'EV' is the future.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Ebike Essentials
3. Series v Parallel
4. 12 Volt Batteries x 2
5. Placement of Batteries
6. The Ebike Conversion
7. the 24v 500 Watt Kit
8. The Outlaw 48v/1000 Kit
9. Ebike Races & Clubs
10. Putting it all Together
11. Solar Charging Your Ebike

This experiment grew out of my need to become more responsible to the environment. The carbon footprint, global warming, greenhouse gases, etc. It's overwhelming to know that mankind is literally a cancer on the planet.

My other motivation was economics. The economy is dying. I realized that as I was cutting back on my budget that gasoline took more and more of what little money I am able to hustle. Gasoline took the largest chunk!

Even with an efficient thirty-five miles per gallon vehicle I was spending $4 to drive to town and back for a 40 mile trip. Multiplying this by 300 days, I spend $1200+ on gasoline for basic transportation every year.

The increasing cost of gasoline prices makes a fast/efficient ebike an inexpensive alternative. No pollution, no gasoline, no noise, a sense of freedom and knowing that we are not contributing to global warming, fossil-fuel consumption or traffic congestion.

The conversion of a bicycle to electrical makes sense. You only have the weight of an ebike and your body. The hills and wind are your primary energy consumers.

The primary problem buying a quality ebike is the cost.

The leader in the field, the BionX, a hybrid and will charge the battery when braking or rolling down a hill, will cost from $2100 to $2800, depending on the model. These kits include governors that limit you to 20mph.

A Chinese kits costs from $200 to $300. The batteries are purchased separately ($250-500) making the total cost from $450 to $800 for an ebike conversion. With a little ingenuity you can build an ebike that will speed up to 40 mph with a 40+ mile range.

The secondary problem is the lack of written information by end-users. This is the author's primary motivation to write about the subject of ebike conversions. How does one choose a kit when voltages range from 24, 36 to 48 volts and the wattage ratings range from 250-1000 watts?

This ebook explains how to build, troubleshoot and upgrade these inexpensive Chinese kits for under $500. This ebike will provide dependable transportation for many years.

Become part of the Green process and accept this as a valuable learning experience. When you convert your bicycle to electric you have taken a step in the direction of energy independence. You don't need the oil companies anymore.

An added bonus are simple instructions on how to put together an inexpensive solar charging station (under $500) for your ebike.