Home made pedelec

[saneagle]

I've been thinking about this and have realised that the reason tadpole trikes have the pedals stuck out in front is to bring the centre of gravity just aft of the front wheels. As you move the rider further aft then the effective wheelbase decreases and the machine becomes unstable. A four wheeler doesn't have this problem. This is probably obvious to everyone else but it wasn't to me! A four wheeler has the problem of needing a differential which isn't easy or cheap. So I was wondering .....why not make a 5 wheeler with the motive power provided by a 5 th wheel between the two rear wheels? The outer wheels would just be on stub axles fixed to the chassis. There was an extra powered wheel made at one time for push bikes, it was hung on one side and the engine was in the hub.

You might get some ideas from this one. He made a limited slip differential out of bike freewheels in another video; however, I think he made a mistake with the brake because the wheels can still freewheel when the brake is on, and you can see that he didn't have a back brake when testing. You'd need wheels with individual disc brakes fitted to the hubs, then mounts for the calipers.

 

[thelarkbox]

I've been thinking about this and have realised that the reason tadpole trikes have the pedals stuck out in front is to bring the centre of gravity just aft of the front wheels. As you move the rider further aft then the effective wheelbase decreases and the machine becomes unstable. A four wheeler doesn't have this problem. This is probably obvious to everyone else but it wasn't to me! A four wheeler has the problem of needing a differential which isn't easy or cheap. So I was wondering .....why not make a 5 wheeler with the motive power provided by a 5 th wheel between the two rear wheels? The outer wheels would just be on stub axles fixed to the chassis. There was an extra powered wheel made at one time for push bikes, it was hung on one side and the engine was in the hub.

Sounds like a set of my first bike stabilisers? , lift them out of the way at speed and benefit from 2 wheel at speed stability even to improve cornering etc.. ? is it gyroscopic stability that keeps a moving bike stable??
Brain fart excuse me..

Would only require the single 5th rear wheel to have brakes too.

 

[matthewslack]

Why not a three wheeler tadpole with wide rear stabilisers? They only touch down to prevent rollover.

 

[flecc]

The first reg to laminate or have linked on your phone, im old skool and have a laminator
Is the definition of EN15194,,

The second is the amendment or ruling that says 4 wheels is still a pedelec and covered by epac regs.
As to what that is specifically?? I dunno?? but if no one here can cite or signpost you ?? a locally relevant legal forum might be worth a visit?

This is page 2 from the 6th April 2015 amendment to the EAPC regulations:

The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (Amendment) Regulations 2015

These Regulations amend the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983 which prescribe the class of electrically assisted pedal cycles treated as not being a motor vehicle within the meaning of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Road Traffic Act 1988.

www.legislation.gov.uk

See item 3 (b)

(3) In regulation 3—

(b)for “bicycles and tricycles”, substitute “pedal cycles with two or more wheels”.

So you can have as many wheels as you want.
.