Ever since I first had the idea to put a motor on my bicycle, I've been trying to decide how to put it together. I didn't know where to mount the motor (front, back, top, side) or how it was going to drive the wheel (chain, direct, etc.). I didn't even know if I was going to drive the front wheel or the back wheel.
If you read the thread I started for this project, you would see that I had a dozen different ideas floating around, and I had not idea which one to pick. Originally I had planned to mount the motor on a rack out behind the rear wheel, and have a chain go between the motor and the rear sprockets. But then I decided that the torque would be much too low, and that I needed a larger sprocket connected to the wheel. This drew my attention to the "pedal sprockets," which were much larger than the ones at the back.
I had also hoped that I could either pedal the bike or drive it (keep both options open). The idea of using the pedal sprockets, however, brought about a few more problems. I wouldn't be able to drive the bike with the motor without spinning the pedals as well. I decided it would be a bit too uncomfortable, having the pedals spin like that right near my legs.
At that point, I decided I should probably just give up the idea of keeping the pedals, and have it fully motorized. It was not my preference, but it seemed the only way to do it at the time. Unfortunately, I came across another snag: the Law.
If you read the thread I started for this project, you would see that I had a dozen different ideas floating around, and I had not idea which one to pick. Originally I had planned to mount the motor on a rack out behind the rear wheel, and have a chain go between the motor and the rear sprockets. But then I decided that the torque would be much too low, and that I needed a larger sprocket connected to the wheel. This drew my attention to the "pedal sprockets," which were much larger than the ones at the back.
I had also hoped that I could either pedal the bike or drive it (keep both options open). The idea of using the pedal sprockets, however, brought about a few more problems. I wouldn't be able to drive the bike with the motor without spinning the pedals as well. I decided it would be a bit too uncomfortable, having the pedals spin like that right near my legs.
At that point, I decided I should probably just give up the idea of keeping the pedals, and have it fully motorized. It was not my preference, but it seemed the only way to do it at the time. Unfortunately, I came across another snag: the Law.
