So, if you are new to the slam-bang, live on the razors edge, laugh in the face of death world of electric bicycling, then  building your own electric bicycle may be for you.  Now, if you have never built an electric bicycle before, don’t worry, we have that covered. Er…Well, we know someone that has it covered.  Say hello to Mr. Greg Davey.  Greg has written a rather extensive e-book on how to build an electric bicycle that is better than your average e-bike that you would purchase, minus the usual high cost associated with a good, high quality unit.

It appears that Mr. Davey has done extensive research as to a cogent method of building an electric bike step by step and it has taken him the better part of two years to put the manual together.  It would also seem that Mr. Davey has perused the “For Dummies” books because he has written and detailed how to build an ebike in the simplest of terms so that people that don’t know much about mechanical objects, like electric bicycles, will be able to build their own relatively easy.

Not only has he written a highly detailed and efficient document that explains everything in a step-by-step manner, but he also takes the time to show you how to save money and purchase the right components so that you don’t waste precious dollars on the entire project.

People that have already used the e-book on building an electric bicycle, seem to have very positive and up-beat reviews on the work and Mr. Davey is so positive that that you will like and use his book, he is giving a part of it away for free.  If you are interested in taking a gander at this electric bicycle building book entitled, “How to build a 50 mph Electric Bike,” go to this website: http://www.fastelectricbike.com/

Besides swimming, what I like to do is ride an electric bicycle.   Now, if you don’t know much about how electric bicycles can benefit your health, then I will try to fill you in a little bit.

First of all, electric bicycles are different than electric scooters in that you can have the type of electric bike that you will still have to pedal.  On an electric scooter, you will have just a throttle on the handlebars, and all you will need to do is twist the throttle to go.

Electric bikes can also have that option, however most electric bicycles are what you would call “assist” electric bikes.  In other words, there is a sensor built into the electric bike that can tell when the torque is becoming more resistant ( just like when you are going up a hill or riding faster) and when that happens, the electric  motor starts up and “assists” you in your ride.   What does this mean for you?   It means that you will not have a tiring, strenuous ride that may hurt you, or at the very most, put you into the hospital.

Electric bicycles will enable you to still  get some exercise, but at a lower level of impact that will help you to stay in the game.  You will still have some resistance which can be somewhat adjusted to your needs while being able to get outside and get some exercise. You can get these assist electric bicycles almost anywhere on the internet, but you can find my list of recommendations at my electric bikes page by clicking on this link: Electric Bikes.

KTM the Austrian sports motor company, is planning on unveiling and  producing an electric motor cross bike this year.  The company which has grown steadily since 1934, is planning on utilizing lithium ion battery technology which will give the motor bike a duration of about 40 minutes of high energy work.   KTM has been involved in off road vehicles considerably in the past and now it plans tom expand itself into the rapidly growing electric scooter and electric bike markets where it will have a definite distribution advantage over other companies that are in a similar niche market.

Not only has the company expoanded into the electric bicycle market but it is also getting involved in the production of light weight cars that they began in 2006 called the X-bow.

In my opinion, I have never seen more beautiful bikes.  The craftsmanship that goes into a KTM bike is outstanding.  You can easily check out everything on their website here: www.KTM.com

Many electric bike and scooter enthusiasts are thrilled by the prospect of a company of this magnitude and excellence getting involved  in these types of electric motor cross bikes.  We can only hold our breath once again and expect ebikes to take another giant leap in technology when this caliber of company gets involved in the industry.

ELMO

One of the newer bikes that i would like to highlight today in my Blog is a light electric bike that is made in Germany and is considered to be a LEV or light electric vehicle and released on the market in Europe this year.  The name of this company is the ELMOTO company.

Apparently the ELMOTO H2  made a big splash at the European International Bike Trade Show (IFMA) last year in Cologne, Germany where it’s design, features and abilities were on display for all of the lucky individuals in attendance.

Built on an aluminum frame, the ELMOTO H2 can use 33 pounds of torque while being powered by a brushless motor (1.7kW).  This means that the ELMOTO H2 can get you speeds of up to about 33 miles per hour and utilizing a state of the art lithium battery pack system you can get a range of about 35 to 40 miles depending on the terrain.  The recharge on this units batteries can usually take up to 2 hours.

The bike has a beautiful look to it while supplying the rider with tough durability.  The tires are Schwalbe “Crazy Bob Tires” which means that ELMOTO is using a state of the art “flatless” tire system.  These types of high end items and accessories are what drives the price but giving the company the ability to justify it with the quality that the features carry.  With a Marzocchi front suspension system as well the ebike’s price taps in at about $5000.00 which, quite honestly will put off most any ebike hobbyist, but if you are an enthusiast withj deep pockets and a need for incredible performance, the ELMOTO H2 is the electric bicycle for you.

The ELMOTO H2 should be making its debut in the North American market in 2010.