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Badass Cargo Bike

Ithaca NY USA

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The original purpose of this build a few years ago was to create an ebike capable of carrying an adult passenger up a steep hill, specifically Hook Place in Ithaca NY which is two blocks long and has about a 15% grade, and is where my future wife Judy lived. A side effect of using a big motor to carry a lot of weight up a hill is that the bike can also go incredibly fast, and hence the name "badass".

I started with a Surly Instigator that was on sale. Surly designed this unusual steel-frame bike to have a downhill geometry, so it is especially stable at high speeds and has really great long reach front shocks. To this I added an Xtracycle Leap cargo bike extension and the largest Grin hub motor then available, a Crystalyte Crown. To help the hub motor at slow speeds and on extreme uphill climbs I added a BBSHD mid-drive motor. This dual-rear-drive setup works very well and I encourage other ebike hobbyists to try it.

I use the two motors like two different gears: the mid-drive in low gear is for going from zero to 20 mph, and I kick in the large hub motor for going from 20 to 40 mph. I've gone through several controllers for the hub motor. Currently I have an 80 amp controller paired with a 72v battery capable of 50 amps continuous. Unfortunately unlike the Grin Phaserunner this off-brand controller is not easily configurable so the motor growls at low speeds, but I've grown to like the badass sound it makes.

I've configured this bike for winter use by adding Schwalbe Ice Spiker studded tires and Bar Mitts. The heaviness of the rear hub motor is actually an asset for winter riding as it provides more traction. I use this bike for all-weather hauling of my weekly vegetable share from a barn about five miles away.