ALex suggested I post this request originally submitted to him:
I have three bicycles that are serviceable but not in great shape. Although I could repair them, I am (more) interested in working with a knowledgeable machinist to convert one or more of them into either an electric bicycle or a three wheel vehicle that is electric and recharges its batteries using solar energy or through regenerative means. I have access to most of the critical components (batteries, solar panels, charge controller, pedal assist electric drive train, etc.), just missing the designer/welder/machinist and the location in which to do the work [which is where BikeRoWave comes in].
As a potential partner, I would need to know what you would want in the way of compensation, what equipment is available to you vs. what we (I) would need to purchase, and what limitations, if any, there are to using the space for the techniques (such as welding) we would need to employ.
I could one day foresee an "American Chopper"-like TV show which only creates sustainable transportation, focusing on bicycle technology. (But I am getting way ahead of myself).
If interested, or even if just curious to get involved, please respond to this post. If I have crossed a line among the bicycle purist population, I apologize. I was an early supporter of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association, and I have personally met David Gordon Wilson of MIT fame and author of Bicycling Science (who set me straight once on the idea of bicycle hybrids), so I "get it." But I am an owner of a Crave Sports electric bicycle and at my age feel there's a place for a electric/mechanical assist on bicycles.
If you have the skill set I am looking for, or can recommend someone who does, please contact me through this post or at
stuartcooley555@hotmail.com.
