Trike for Mike
Donation protected
Hi Folks,
I am a cold war veteran (engineer)of the U.S. Navy. A few years ago I was injured at work causing damage to the discs in the lower part of my neck and the upper part of my back. I was working as a cabinet / furniture maker for a mega yacht company when I was hit by a forklift while exiting our shop. My injury has left me with some odd limits on what I can do physically. When walking even across the room, I tend to walk on the ball of my foot and toes in order to limit the impact of my foot falls. Imagine balancing a bowling ball on three fingers and in doing so, one or more fingers receive a electric shock at random times. In addition to that, rotating the bowling ball is very limited. This is what it is like everyday. The limits of movement in my neck are now not allowing me to drive a car at all. I can not turn my head reliably left or right to check blind spots. Examiners at the DMV have determined that I would be dangerous on the road, driving a car. The sad part is that I agree. I had a few close calls and decided to let go my license. As I am one to make lemonade from lemons, I have researched for months, and have come up with what can be done to maintain some freedom to travel. I have adult children and their families somewhat spread out here in the northwest and, I really would like to be able to visit them while they raise their families. I have found a way to do just that. Electric assist pedal bikes. To be more specific, a electric assist trike. There is no license requirement, no insurance requirement and best of all, it would be green energy. In my search, I found many companies that make them. The price tag is invariably prohibitive. A simple “sit up straight” bike is less expensive but, there is a lot of stress on my neck and very little help from the suspension. All in all, I need to build one that can accommodate my circumstances. I need a recumbent (laid back) electric assist trike with long travel progressive suspension. Not one company I have found, anywhere in the world makes them. The plan is to make a trike with this type suspension, that has an extended range. The motor I have chosen has enough horse power and is able to use regenerative breaking. I would also like to add solar cells to boost the range. To top it off I would like to make the plans and subsequent tweaks, videos and notes open source. That way anyone can copy what I have done. Electric assist trikes like this cost as much as $8,000 and still do not meet the specs for what I really need. I truly believe that I can complete this build for as little as half of that. The motor, speed controller and batteries are the most expensive coming in at just under $3,000. The rest (proper wheels, an aluminum frame, wiring and monitoring equipment etc) come in at $2,278. I am not on any government disability so these costs are impossible for me. I need help. I am asking for $5,500 to regain my independence.
I am a cold war veteran (engineer)of the U.S. Navy. A few years ago I was injured at work causing damage to the discs in the lower part of my neck and the upper part of my back. I was working as a cabinet / furniture maker for a mega yacht company when I was hit by a forklift while exiting our shop. My injury has left me with some odd limits on what I can do physically. When walking even across the room, I tend to walk on the ball of my foot and toes in order to limit the impact of my foot falls. Imagine balancing a bowling ball on three fingers and in doing so, one or more fingers receive a electric shock at random times. In addition to that, rotating the bowling ball is very limited. This is what it is like everyday. The limits of movement in my neck are now not allowing me to drive a car at all. I can not turn my head reliably left or right to check blind spots. Examiners at the DMV have determined that I would be dangerous on the road, driving a car. The sad part is that I agree. I had a few close calls and decided to let go my license. As I am one to make lemonade from lemons, I have researched for months, and have come up with what can be done to maintain some freedom to travel. I have adult children and their families somewhat spread out here in the northwest and, I really would like to be able to visit them while they raise their families. I have found a way to do just that. Electric assist pedal bikes. To be more specific, a electric assist trike. There is no license requirement, no insurance requirement and best of all, it would be green energy. In my search, I found many companies that make them. The price tag is invariably prohibitive. A simple “sit up straight” bike is less expensive but, there is a lot of stress on my neck and very little help from the suspension. All in all, I need to build one that can accommodate my circumstances. I need a recumbent (laid back) electric assist trike with long travel progressive suspension. Not one company I have found, anywhere in the world makes them. The plan is to make a trike with this type suspension, that has an extended range. The motor I have chosen has enough horse power and is able to use regenerative breaking. I would also like to add solar cells to boost the range. To top it off I would like to make the plans and subsequent tweaks, videos and notes open source. That way anyone can copy what I have done. Electric assist trikes like this cost as much as $8,000 and still do not meet the specs for what I really need. I truly believe that I can complete this build for as little as half of that. The motor, speed controller and batteries are the most expensive coming in at just under $3,000. The rest (proper wheels, an aluminum frame, wiring and monitoring equipment etc) come in at $2,278. I am not on any government disability so these costs are impossible for me. I need help. I am asking for $5,500 to regain my independence.
Organizer
Michael Sietz
Organizer
Lincoln City, OR
