Intro
My bike took the start of the Sun Trip Europe 2021 but unfortunately it never saw the finish line… We’ll see that in more detail. I am still a novice in the learning phase and the Sun Trip France 2020 and Europe 2021 were very formative. My next bike will be the right one… :o)
Technical description
The bike
It’s a Hasebike bought second-hand in Germany, from a lovely person, who couldn’t ride an upright bike anymore because of his back. This recumbent bike can be folded for easier transport. I chose this model because I liked having the front wheel after the crankset, I found it safer for the novice recumbent that I am.
It is very stable even when going downhill at high speed and very pleasant to ride, the handlebars with the controls “under the buttocks” offer an excellent position to put in the miles. We are very comfortable.
And it already had the original equipment that I wanted to have integrated on my bike for the Sun Trip 2021:
- 20-inch wheels, with dynamo in the front wheel
- front and rear disc brakes
- rear gas suspension
- very comfortable seat
Motorization
For the motorization I have chosen a Bafang BBS02 48V 750W mid-drive motor. I replaced the original internal controller with an external Baserunner controller with a Cycle Analyst to handle it all. I limited the power to 500 watts so as not to hurt my rear hubs too much, with a very gradual increase in power to spare the mechanics.
Battery
The 48 Volt – 21 Ah battery has found its place in the center of the bike, in a waterproof bag attached to the frame of the bike. I added a 48V-5v DC-DC converter with dual USB to charge my electrical devices.
Solar equipment
I built an aluminum and carbon frame that supports 2 x 170 Watt panels. Each panel feeds an individual MPTT controller.
Luggage, life on board and on the road
To optimize space, I placed a frame bag in the structure of the solar panels to accommodate tools, spare parts and repairs.
The headrest is my sleeping bag, the tent ultra light slips behind the seat. Two waterproof soft bags on each side of the bike containing spare gear, the inflatable mattress and most importantly, stewardship… Not to mention the small speaker for playing music.
Review after use on the Sun Trip Europe 2021
1. Don’t neglect the quality of wheels and spokes
I would no longer go on a long trip, which can be very taxing on the equipment, without equipping myself with rims with eyelets and double walls and a dozen spare spokes
Here is a photo of my rear wheel (which cracked in several places), I was immobilized for 6 days while I received a new rim because I couldn’t find it on site. A lot of wasted time and energy for something that could have been avoided.
2. Seriously test the constraints of adding solar panels
Bikes are subject to significant stress due to the additional weight, the fixings of the solar panels. They were not specially made for this, so you have to look for weak points if there are any. My bike was equipped under the frame with pre-drilled holes for attaching cables and the like. It’s an excellent idea to adjust the size of the bike to the person while retaining the possibility of fixing everything properly…
But it was also the weak point of my bike because I had not imagined all the constraints that he was going to endure.
And unfortunately, at the level of these pre-drillings, I had successively 3 ruptures of the frame. I was able to repair twice with the help of the people I met but I had to throw in the towel the 3rd time…
The causes of these breaks are the extra weight, the poor quality of the roads and the fast pace on such an event as the Sun Trip. Besides, the bike being second-hand, I didn’t know exactly what it had already suffered.
My next bike
I’m thinking of turning to a direct drive in-wheel motor again, especially to plan a Sun Trip in the Alps with a lot of elevation. I really loved the wheel motor which has a lot of qualities. With the weight of our machines, braking can be problematic. Thanks to the direct drive motor, you can regenerate and therefore brake the bike downhill with less stress on the brakes. This is a huge asset even without taking into account the energy that can be recovered.