{"id":16513,"date":"2014-05-28T16:50:39","date_gmt":"2014-05-28T22:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=16513"},"modified":"2014-07-06T10:52:13","modified_gmt":"2014-07-06T16:52:13","slug":"diy-electric-bike-1-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/diy-electric-bike-1-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"The DIY Electric Bike: 1 Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"micah<\/a>
Micah Toll surrounded by DIY electric bike parts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps I’m just getting old, but I’m really intrigued by the notion of an electric bike<\/a>: we’re just hilly enough here in St. Louis that you have to pump hard at certain points in a ride. At this point, though, I definitely can’t afford an “off-the-rack” e-bike – they’re pretty pricey. So, as I’ve done with rocket stoves<\/a>, soil blockers<\/a>, and other available products, I checked into options for a diy electric bike.<\/p>\n

Unlike some of the other lists of plans I’ve made, I couldn’t find much to recommend on this front (and, yes, this is a sponsored post, but I mean that regardless). You’d think there might be all sorts of interesting, useful information out there on converting a pedal-powered bike into one with electrical assist, but pretty much all I found was the shaky video<\/a>, the way-too-vague directions<\/a>, \u00a0the instructions for a kit product<\/a> (for which I’d use the kit’s instructions), and the instructions that aren’t really instructions<\/a>. If I were going to take the diy route for an e-bike, I’d almost have to go with Micah Toll’s Ultimate Do It Yourself Ebike Guide<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why Micah’s the Man When It Comes to the DIY Electric Bike<\/h3>\n

Truthfully, I haven’t read Micah’s book, so you could fairly ask “Why should I trust you on this, Jeff?” In short, Micah brings a ton of credibility to the building of an electric bike:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • He’s a trained engineer;<\/li>\n
  • He’s built hundreds of ebikes for others;<\/li>\n
  • He’s founded a startup company that builds electric bikes, and<\/li>\n
  • He’s received lots and lots of praise for his book, and his work overall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Up until now, you’d need to purchase an ebook or paperback version of Micah’s book, but he’s crowdfunding a hardcover version through Kickstarter<\/a>. Take a look at his pitch video to learn a bit more about him, and how you can save money by buying his book through this campaign:<\/p>\n