DIY Electric Bike

There are many ways to modify a typical road or mountain bike to drive itself with the aid of electric battery power. You can go green and save green at the same time since it costs a lot less to recharge a battery than it does to fill a gas tank these days.

  1. Get a Kit or Create Your Own

    • Most factory conversion kits to transform your regular bicycle into a self-powered machine will cost you upwards of $300. Google "electric bike conversion kits" to find a host of information about the companies providing these kits. If you're more of a Mr. Gadget with a ton of ingenuity, you can make your own kit from scratch. The price of doing it yourself depends on what you already have around to put to use on the project, but it will certainly be much less than buying a complete electric bike or conversion kit. You may have to go to Radio Shack to get a few components like the wiring and some kind of control switch and/or console to monitor speed and remaining power. Otherwise, you could probably find most of the proper ingredients in your garage or at the local dump if you're lucky.

    Choose Your Power Source

    • Most kits utilize a brushless motor and heavy-duty lithium Ion batteries. You can also use an old treadmill motor or mimic an electric wheelchair's mode of operation. Some systems even maximize efficiency by allowing you to recharge your batteries by pedaling the bike on your own.

      Just remember that U.S. federal law dictates a maximum 20 mph speed limit for electric bikes with a maximum power limit of 750 watts. Your rig must also have working pedals if you don't want to go to the DMV and get it registered as a motorcycle.

    Build Your Dream Bike

    • If you really want to make your own unique creation, you should keep in mind that the best method is to power the front or back wheel rather than the pedaling system. You will have to create a motor system with simple controls to allow for speeding up and slowing down, and your bike's brakes should be high grade and powerful enough to stop the bike at even the top speed.

      The most basic ingredients you will need are a suitable motor; an on/off/speed control switch; adequate wiring; and rechargeable battery power. Power tool batteries wired in series are perfect, but any type of working batteries will do the trick. A power monitor might also be a good idea so you can tell when your bike is running out of steam.

      To make sure your modification plan will ultimately work smoothly, you should obtain some literature. Unless you are a sophisticated engineer or an expert in such gadgetry, you will probably need some basic guidelines and successful examples to look at. Search for books on the subject or scour the Internet for step-by-step building plans. You will be surprised at how many different methods can be utilized to replace human propulsion with an efficient electrical engine.