R
Ray In San Jose
Guest
Hello from San Jose, California! I am a Mechanical/Electrical Engineer who drives a gas guzzling SUV and decided I wanted to do something good for the environment when commuting from my home in the hills to where I work in the flatlands (16 miles each way). I studied electrical bicycle motors for a month before reluctantly discarding this idea due to battery weight and cost for my required distance (SLA, NiMH, LiPoly chemistry).
I then turned my attention to small gas engines, studying the features of chain and belt drive. I settled on the Golden Eagle Bike Engine GEBE EH035A 4cyl engine with belt drive, hoping it could climb the hill back to my house!
Besides wanting to be green, I am also a cheapskate. So, I searched Craigslist for over 1 month to find a $90 bike that met my criteria -
* Front suspension to absorb the big potholes and railroad tracks around here.
* Higher quality than Walmart because I wanted the bike to last for years
* Required frame/wheel clearance to fit the GEBE drive ring.
I found the GEBE assembly to my bike generally easy (since I have a good set of tools). I had to -
* Make a U-bracket to attach the engine to the bike
* Cut the center support and drill its holes to 1/4" (to remove existing plating)
* Gain additional 1/8" clearance for the drive ring by squeezing a steel frame chainstay with a pipe wrench.
* Install a solid axle in place of the quick release axle (REQUIRED!!)
After the first few rides, I changed the wide 26x1.95 mountain tires to 26x1.5 city tires to gain additional clearance between drive belt and tires in coasting mode, and added tire liners and slime to withstand the occasional nail on my commute.
Besides looking forward to spending less money on gas, I think I have reduced my Carbon footprint by at least 150x.
and the U-bracket I made -
So far, I have found the bike performs well on level and hilly areas, averaging 20-30mph. But, when the grade is very steep (Ex. 20 degree grade), it is pedal all the way (or walk up)...either the belt or the clutch is slipping by design, I think...have not figured this out yet. Oh, and the 0.65 liter gas tank that comes with the engine is REALLY SMALL. I haven't figured out whether to continue carrying an MSR bottle around or getting an ugly gas tank (geez, the MSR bottle is LARGER than the gas tank that came with the engine!)
I am taking the bike to work for the first time this coming Monday!
I didn't find this forum until after I bought the engine. It seems like a nice place to trade information!
7/9/07 Updates:
After riding to work for the first time (32 miles round trip), I have a few observations -
1) With the GEBE drive ring, the bike rear wheel does not fit in a standard bike rack because of the wide drive ring dimension extending beyond the spokes. I have to put the front wheel in the bike rack and balance the bike (I don't have a kickstand).
2) The bike was having trouble with hills that were less than 20 degree continuous grade. I think the main factors are centrifugal clutch design choice and my (total body + bike + payload) weight of about 220lbs. As the clutch wears, this could become more of a problem. At that time, maybe I will ride the roundabout route which is a mile longer but flatter!
3) I have less than 100 miles on the engine and have been riding at varying speeds to break it in. However, most of my first to-work ride today was WOT. On the flats, the bike successfully held at 28mph which favorably compares with the advertised top speed of 27-28mph. The top speed was not significantly affected by head winds estimated at <10mph (I am tall but not a wide person).
Ray in San Jose, Ca
I then turned my attention to small gas engines, studying the features of chain and belt drive. I settled on the Golden Eagle Bike Engine GEBE EH035A 4cyl engine with belt drive, hoping it could climb the hill back to my house!
Besides wanting to be green, I am also a cheapskate. So, I searched Craigslist for over 1 month to find a $90 bike that met my criteria -
* Front suspension to absorb the big potholes and railroad tracks around here.
* Higher quality than Walmart because I wanted the bike to last for years
* Required frame/wheel clearance to fit the GEBE drive ring.
I found the GEBE assembly to my bike generally easy (since I have a good set of tools). I had to -
* Make a U-bracket to attach the engine to the bike
* Cut the center support and drill its holes to 1/4" (to remove existing plating)
* Gain additional 1/8" clearance for the drive ring by squeezing a steel frame chainstay with a pipe wrench.
* Install a solid axle in place of the quick release axle (REQUIRED!!)
After the first few rides, I changed the wide 26x1.95 mountain tires to 26x1.5 city tires to gain additional clearance between drive belt and tires in coasting mode, and added tire liners and slime to withstand the occasional nail on my commute.
Besides looking forward to spending less money on gas, I think I have reduced my Carbon footprint by at least 150x.
and the U-bracket I made -
So far, I have found the bike performs well on level and hilly areas, averaging 20-30mph. But, when the grade is very steep (Ex. 20 degree grade), it is pedal all the way (or walk up)...either the belt or the clutch is slipping by design, I think...have not figured this out yet. Oh, and the 0.65 liter gas tank that comes with the engine is REALLY SMALL. I haven't figured out whether to continue carrying an MSR bottle around or getting an ugly gas tank (geez, the MSR bottle is LARGER than the gas tank that came with the engine!)
I am taking the bike to work for the first time this coming Monday!
I didn't find this forum until after I bought the engine. It seems like a nice place to trade information!
7/9/07 Updates:
After riding to work for the first time (32 miles round trip), I have a few observations -
1) With the GEBE drive ring, the bike rear wheel does not fit in a standard bike rack because of the wide drive ring dimension extending beyond the spokes. I have to put the front wheel in the bike rack and balance the bike (I don't have a kickstand).
2) The bike was having trouble with hills that were less than 20 degree continuous grade. I think the main factors are centrifugal clutch design choice and my (total body + bike + payload) weight of about 220lbs. As the clutch wears, this could become more of a problem. At that time, maybe I will ride the roundabout route which is a mile longer but flatter!
3) I have less than 100 miles on the engine and have been riding at varying speeds to break it in. However, most of my first to-work ride today was WOT. On the flats, the bike successfully held at 28mph which favorably compares with the advertised top speed of 27-28mph. The top speed was not significantly affected by head winds estimated at <10mph (I am tall but not a wide person).
Ray in San Jose, Ca