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Main
Date: 19 Feb 2007 19:57:13
From: BothellBob
Subject: Old bent RANS rider
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I have acquired an old RANS Stratus...reallllly old; probably brought
out west in a covered wagon type old. The original owner said that
years ago, just after he bought it, the frame developed a minor crack,
so he shipped it back to RANS for repair. But first, to facilitate
shipping, he stripped off everything: crankset, fork, tiller, wheels,
the works. RANS fixed it and sent it back (with replaced EVERYTHING:
crankset, fork, wheels, seat, chain, a whole new bike). So I got two
RANS Strati (less one frame). It is a very early production version;
27 inch rear, shifters and brake on that stick just in front of the
seat, square "o-ring" tiller, 18 speed, and (I presume) before they
developed that seat that everyone raves about.
Does this thing have a serial number? I've looked all over and
haven't found one. I am making a few modifications: moving both brake
levers to the tiller, adding fenders, and the biggie - power assist in
the form of an electric hub motor on the front; so I need to mount a
thumb throttle on the tiller bar. (Any purists out there, please save
your outrage for someone who cares, I have a gray beard, pot belly,
high blood pressure, children who are older than the bike, all the
prerequisites that entitle me to both a recumbent and power assist;
thank you.) There is an obvious seam in the top middle of the bar, but
it appears to be permanently riveted in. Sure, I can drill out the
rivet and figure out how to resecure things later, but does someone
know how the take it apart and reassemble with elegance?
Anyone here powered one of these? Where did you put the batteries?
I'm thinking of building a bracket to fit under the frame (putting
that weight on top of the rearwheel bracket seems like a bad place for
balance).
Also, the cloth "fairing/pouch" that fits the tiller ring has seen
better days. Would you recommend: doing without, buy a new one (is
this possible?), make a new one, get a much better "real" fairing (I'm
open to suggestions)?
Thanks for the help,
-BothellBob
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Date: 23 Feb 2007 23:52:36
From: Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman
Subject: Re: Old bent RANS rider
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On Feb 24, 12:24 am, John Kimmel wrote:
> ...
> Having the battery above the rear wheel makes my bike pretty awkward and
> top heavy when I try to lift and move it, but once I'm riding, it
> doesn't make any difference. What will make a difference is the amount
> of time it takes you to get the bike on the road if you try to
> make a custom battery rack for it. As in: Never....
For a LWB bike, I would start with a commercially available unseat
rack and battery box. The battery box can be attached to the rack
using the standby methods of a combination of Jubilee Clips (hose
clamps), "U" bolts, "P" clamps, cable ("zip") ties, sections of old
inner tube and electrical tape [1]. It may not be pretty, but it
addresses the weight distribution problem and is much faster than
never.
[1] All of the items are relatively inexpensive and readily available.
--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful
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Date: 23 Feb 2007 22:24:33
From: John Kimmel
Subject: Re: Old bent RANS rider
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BothellBob wrote:
> I have acquired an old RANS Stratus...reallllly old; probably brought
> open to suggestions)?
> Thanks for the help,
> -BothellBob
>
I have a Wilderness Systems hub motor on one of my Visions. If you're
going to use handlebar shifters, I recommend you mount the thumb
throttle on the shifter post and then run a pushbutton switch to your
handle bar to control the motor on/off. The only reason to keep the
throttle is for the charge indicator. Believe me, on/off is all the
throttle control you will need.
Having the battery above the rear wheel makes my bike pretty awkward and
top heavy when I try to lift and move it, but once I'm riding, it
doesn't make any difference. What will make a difference is the amount
of time it takes you to get the bike on the road if you try to
make a custom battery rack for it. As in: Never.
My bike is a lot more fun and nimble without the weight of the motor and
battery, but I gain at least 5mph for my 17 mile ride to work over some
pretty significant hills in Oregon City. This is the equivalent to a
reduction in age of about 12 years and a reduction in weight of about 50
lbs.
--
John Kimmel
gNuOy_SnPoAiMr@sNpOiSrPeAtMech.com
GET YER STINKING PAWS OFF ME YOU DAMN DIRTY APE!
--
John Kimmel
guy_noir@spiretech.com
"He's dead, Jim."
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Date: 22 Feb 2007 22:29:36
From: Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman
Subject: Re: Old bent RANS rider
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On Feb 23, 12:00 am, "nget" aka "k the Biker" wrote:
> BothellBob Wrote:
>
> > I have acquired an old RANS Stratus...reallllly old; probably brought
> > out west in a covered wagon type old. I am making a few
> > modifications: moving both brake
> > levers to the tiller, adding fenders, and the biggie - power assist in
> > the form of an electric hub motor on the front; so I need to mount a
> > thumb throttle on the tiller bar.
> > Anyone here powered one of these? Where did you put the batteries?
> > I'm thinking of building a bracket to fit under the frame (putting
> > that weight on top of the rearwheel bracket seems like a bad place for
> > balance).
>
> > Thanks for the help,
> > -BothellBob
>
> I have a v-rex with a hub motor on the front. It is a gearless,
> brushed motor laced to a 20" rim. It will cruise at about 20mph with
> 36volts applied. The three 12v 12 amp/hr sla batteries are right behind
> the seat on top of the rear rack. I think your idea of lowering the pack
> to add stability is a good one but in my case it is not a show stopper
> to have it were it is. A good electric bike can make a good bike even
> better if you use it more.
> k the biker
However, the RANS V-Rex has a front heavy weight distribution, even
with a rider tall enough that the seat is mounted towards the rear of
the available range of travel. A RANS Stratus will have about 60 to
65% of the weight on the rear wheel without any load on the rear rack.
For the Stratus, using one of the under-seat racks as the basis of a
battery carries would be the best option, as it would minimize
detrimental effects on handling (and in particular, low speed
handling).
--
Tom Sherman - Clueless Newbie
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful
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Date: 23 Feb 2007 17:00:17
From: nget
Subject: Re: Old bent RANS rider
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BothellBob Wrote:
> I have acquired an old RANS Stratus...reallllly old; probably brought
> out west in a covered wagon type old. I am making a fe
> modifications: moving both brake
> levers to the tiller, adding fenders, and the biggie - power assist in
> the form of an electric hub motor on the front; so I need to mount a
> thumb throttle on the tiller bar.
> Anyone here powered one of these? Where did you put the batteries?
> I'm thinking of building a bracket to fit under the frame (putting
> that weight on top of the rearwheel bracket seems like a bad place for
> balance).
>
> Thanks for the help,
> -BothellBob
I have a v-rex with a hub motor on the front. It is a gearless
brushed motor laced to a 20" rim. It will cruise at about 20mph wit
36volts applied. The three 12v 12 amp/hr sla batteries are right behin
the seat on top of the rear rack. I think your idea of lowering the pac
to add stability is a good one but in my case it is not a show stoppe
to have it were it is. A good electric bike can make a good bike eve
better if you use it more.
k the bike
--
nget
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Date: 20 Feb 2007 11:58:01
From: Roger Zoul
Subject: Re: Old bent RANS rider
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BothellBob wrote:
:: Also, the cloth "fairing/pouch" that fits the tiller ring has seen
:: better days. Would you recommend: doing without, buy a new one (is
:: this possible?), make a new one, get a much better "real" fairing
I don't think that does much.....perhaps it's good for storage, though.
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