Homemade scooter from old bicycles with your own hands. How to make a cheap electric scooter Required tools and drawings
There is quite a presence on the Internet now. But their cost is often not affordable for everyone. As you know, the cheapest way to get something is to create it with my own hands, using only raw materials, improvised tools and used parts of other devices.
Here's a small one step-by-step instruction about how to assemble your own electric scooter with your own hands with minimal investment.
The scooter is designed for a maximum speed of about 30 km per hour, will have about 3 horsepower and can travel about 18-20 km on a single charge.
Step 1: Parts and Tools
Below is a basic set of the most important components used (parts) and the necessary tools. As much as possible, stock up on used parts from various electrical appliances, which often gather dust in your attic or garage.
How to make a good one, and what you need for this:
Details:
Tools:
Step 2: Selecting a scooter base
Making a new homemade electric scooter must start from the base - the frame of a former regular scooter. The base from any classic Razor scooter will do, especially the front and rear wheel suspension, which uses springs and shock absorbers rather than rubber, but has a more elegant feel. Converting a regular scooter into an electric scooter is the easiest way, but there will be a problem with space for hanging equipment.
It is unlikely that you will be able to use old wheels. As a rule, they are always worn out, and the bearings are loose or broken. So you will have to buy new base wheels (preferably with replacement tires). When selecting a frame and wheels, keep in mind that the future structure should rise 10-15 cm from the surface of the ground with the wheels mounted.
Step 3: Rear Suspension
To accommodate good wheels, you will need to build a completely new aluminum rear suspension. A few cheap mountain bike shock absorbers with a spring force of approximately 250-300 kg/cm will come in handy here. Similar parts are sold in large quantities at specialized markets/shops, and there are also many of them at online auctions. The shock absorber mounts are made from 1/4″, two 2″ and 1″ U-channel aluminum.
Step 4: Fork
Like the rear suspension, the fork and front suspension will also receive significant upgrades due to the new wheels. Here you can also use springs and shock absorbers from a mountain bike fork to create a new pair of shock absorbers with a pivot at each end.
This design is much simpler and more reliable than a telescopic fork. With this design, the front wheel can be easily centered in front of the steering column axis. It is very important to install the wheel slightly forward - this will significantly increase the steering characteristics. Don't be afraid to raise the front of the scooter a couple more inches if necessary.
Step 5: Wheels
To fix the wheels to the rest of the scooter, you need to make own axes from 1/2" threaded rods (studs) and corresponding nuts. The inner diameter of the wheel bearings will fit at 5/8″, so to get a 1/2″ axle that will fit snugly around the bearings you will need appropriate shims. Manufacturers of electric scooters make their parts unique and unsuitable for other models. Therefore, you will have quite a large choice of wheels.
The nuts are screwed together until their flanges press against the outside of the wheel bearings. To secure the spacers in place, a second nut is additionally screwed on. Four more nuts are used to secure each wheel to the frame.
Step 6: Gearbox
Since the CIM motors we plan to use are relatively high speed, low torque motors, a gearbox is needed to reduce the output speed of the motors to an acceptable level. A homemade electric scooter, made with your own hands, will not be able to work without a gearbox: this is not a toy car, here you need to ensure a smooth start.
In principle, any two-speed gearbox will do. Again, we select used ones for the lowest price. We cut out the gearboxes to get rid of as much as possible more wasted space and completely remove the housing to get a 3-motor transmission with a single output shaft.
We install the gearbox on the scooter using the original bolt holes built into the gearbox and some aluminum angle pieces bolted to the scooter frame. Finally, 21 sprockets are attached to the output shaft for a #35 chain.
Step 7: Chain Tensioner
Most the hard part The future electric scooter in terms of installation and subsequent adjustment is the chain tensioner. Due to its location, when the scooter's suspension is compressed, the effective length of the chain between the sprocket on the gearbox and the sprocket on the rear wheel increases. It must maintain (compensate for) additional chain tension. In addition to the chain tensioner, the scooter also needed an idler sprocket.
When driving on uneven surfaces, jumping or minor body impacts, the chain may fly off the rear sprocket. To prevent this from happening, you will have to machine a special limiter. You won’t be able to build an electric scooter with your own hands using a regular screwdriver: the torque is too small.
Step 8: Brake
Motors and drive chains are great, but being able to stop your scooter in time is even more important. Since disc brake rotors are simply large spinning metal discs attached to a wheel, you can simply use the wheel's drive sprocket as a disc brake.
It will be necessary to build a caliper to grip the sprocket from an aluminum block. To do this we use an aluminum U-channel, two brake pads, springs and several bolts. You can use absolutely any pads - this is a racing car.
We fix the right brake pad on a rod that passes through the caliper, springs and aluminum frame pendants. As the spring expands in the middle, the brake is inactive and, if necessary, the brake cable pulls the two halves of the caliper towards each other so that they both move towards the sprocket and compress it on both sides, providing braking.
Step 9: Steering Wheel
For greater and more confident control, we will need a wider steering wheel, because our wheels will be quite wide. Almost any handlebar from both the Soviet model and modern mountain bikes will easily fit.
We fix it on the steering column, having previously adjusted the clamp with an aluminum bracket with bolt tightening. If the steering wheel is quite thick, then you can easily place a throttle and a hall sensor in it.
Step 10: Frame (base)
How to make an electric scooter from an ordinary scooter? The original frame from a standard Riser scooter will be quite small. It can be used as the main platform for attaching an additional surface made of lightweight materials. This will provide more space for hanging components such as batteries. The new surface can be made of carbon fiber or high-strength plastic - this will significantly increase its wear resistance. We screw the new base on top of the old one, using screws from of stainless steel with a hidden head.
Step 11: Mounting and Connecting Electronics
We install the electric motor controller on the front side of the gearbox as close as possible to the aluminum corner of the frame to leave as much space as possible for the batteries. The main power switch is bolted directly to the scooter's deck, while the fuse holder and fuse itself are bolted to the bottom of the frame (you can use an aluminum angle or channel). Better to use fuse at 200A, since this current is the peak motor current.
All electrical connections must be connected using durable, conductive connectors. DIY electric scooter diagrams and connection drawings can be easily found on the Internet for various types of engines, gearboxes and batteries of any power.
Step 12: Battery
To minimize the weight of the entire structure and energy reserves the best option will use 5 Ah lithium polymer batteries (eg LiPo from HobbyKing).
With this volume, 8 batteries will be enough; we take one more as a spare. Large batches often contain defective items. Of course, they can later be replaced in the store with new battery, but it’s better to take it with a reserve right away. As a result, we will get a battery with characteristics of approximately 60V and approximately 600W of output power.
Step 13: Battery Holder
A DIY electric scooter build is not complete without a battery attached to it. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the possibility quick replacement power supplies. To install the batteries on the scooter frame, we build a small aluminum or plastic box.
It is better, of course, to use polycarbonate and cover it with carbon fiber for greater strength. The box must be fixed with bolts with a countersunk head so that when moving its head does not cling to the legs and does not protrude on the surface of the frame.
Step 14: Final Assembly Stage
The final stage will be assembling and soldering the entire structure together. To do this, we use a screwdriver with bits, open-end wrenches and a screwdriver. Tighten all bolted connections tightly and double check them.
That's about it - assembling the electric scooter with your own hands is complete, you can go for the first field tests, after which you can modify or improve the resulting model.
Video
Every boy's dream is to ride a scooter. However, modern girls are not averse to taking a ride either. But now a more desirable replacement has appeared for the regular scooter - a scooter with a motor. And not only a child, but also an adult can ride it like a breeze.
For the youngest children (4-7 years old) you can purchase inexpensive scooter "Hummingbird", which comes in blue and red colors.
Its maximum speed is small - 10 km/h, but for a child riding such a scooter is a real rally. You can drive on one charge 4 km. The foldable design will withstand a child weighing up to 40 kg. The scooter itself weighs only 8.2 kg, i.e. The child can easily lift it up to the floor on his own. Wide footrest - 580x130 mm, wheel size with tires in diameter - 137 mm, which indicates the reliability and safety of the vehicle. The wheels are on bearings and are made of durable plastic. Throttle stick for speed control, solid tires, rear drum brake, lead-acid maintenance-free battery that requires up to 8 hours to fully charge, motor 120 W– these are the main characteristics of the model. A dream, not a scooter!
Where to buy a Kolibri scooter and its cost?
The cost of this miracle toy and at the same time a personal vehicle only 69 dollars . You can buy a scooter at e-bike.com.ua .
A little expense and imagination will help you make a scooter from a regular cordless drill.
In the retail chain today there is a huge selection of electric scooters, but you can easily make an electric scooter from a battery drill, and you’ll also have to disassemble the grinder. Craftsmen who already ride scooters with a motor, who made them with their own hands, say that a motor that develops up to 550 rpm, quite enough for driving on city streets.
The battery is also suitable for a drill - 14.4 V
The frame can be made from ordinary profile steel pipe(wall thickness 2.5mm) - it will withstand weight 100 kg. Or use a frame from a regular scooter. At a bicycle store you need to purchase rubber grips, a handlebar mount, and a thrust bearing designed for a load of 300 kg. There are several options for transmitting rotation to the wheel: using a chain, two gears, a friction attachment, using a rigid transmission and a motor - wheels. But the last option is practically impossible to implement, because this important part must be ordered in China.
You immediately need to decide which wheel will rotate? To connect the generator, you will also need an overrunning clutch (also easy to buy), bearings, and wheels. The battery will fit lithium polymer(11.1V 2.2Ah). With a little magic on all this, you can get a good means of transportation.
How much does it cost to make an electric scooter from a drill?
The cost of making an electric scooter with your own hands is approximately five thousand rubles, against the cost of the structure in the retail chain costing 14-140 thousand rubles.
Useful link, do-it-yourself electric scooter: http://www.samartsev.ru/nikboris/gallery/2011/samokat/samokat.htm
Today there are quite a large number of factory-made electric scooters on the market and you can choose one to suit every taste and budget.
But any product, as you know, is designed for the average buyer.
One is foldable and lightweight, but it travels slowly and does not start from a standstill.
The second one starts and accelerates perfectly, but is too heavy.
What to do if you want a scooter specifically tailored to your needs?
There are two options - either take the factory one and modify it, or assemble the device yourself from scratch.
Both options have the right to life and which way to go is everyone’s personal choice.
I will try to outline how a set of elements for self-assembly is completed.
The main element of the assembled scooter is the “base”.
Scooter databases are conventionally divided into subtypes:
Micro - with wheels up to 8 inches,
Mini wheels 8-10 inches,
Midi - 12-16 inches,
Maxi - from 20 inches and more.
Scooters with wide, non-bicycle tires stand a little apart. Rhino, Evo, Scruiser and their clones are also considered scooters, although in terms of engine power and appearance they are clearly closer to motor scooters and scooters.
So the base is where you should start dancing.
The final driving performance of the electric scooter depends on the choice of base.
What should you pay attention to first?
The size of the wheels, cast or inflatable, the presence of suspension, a place for a convenient location of the battery and the width of the dropouts for installing the motor-wheel.
If your city has mirror asphalt that is washed with shampoo every evening, then 5.5 inches is quite suitable for you.
If there are tiles and cracks in the asphalt - 8 inches is the minimum and pneumatics are very desirable.
If your asphalt recent years 10 has not seen repairs - don’t even look below 12 inches.
Do you want to drive at a speed of 40-plus and not be afraid to fly head over heels on an unexpected hole? From 16 inches and above.
The suspension partially reduces impacts from bumps on small wheels, but the rule “a wheel can move over an obstacle no more than half its diameter” will not go away.
Battery location Options - in the deck, in the steering column, on the steering wheel in a bag or case, on the trunk, in a backpack.
Some scooters have a cavity in the deck that allows it to be used for packing battery assemblies.
Pros: low center of gravity, appearance. Disadvantages – additional protection of the battery from impacts on road surface protrusions may be necessary.
You can place a battery in the steering column if it consists of several pipes and there is free space between them. Pros - the battery does not significantly affect the weight distribution of the scooter; when making the facing, the scooter is not afraid of falls. Disadvantages: labor-intensive work.
Also, some scooters have mounts for a bottle on the steering column, where you can screw a case or battery in a “bottle”. Pros: ease of installation, ease of removal. Disadvantages – it interferes with driving; if you fall, the fasteners can break off.
You can place the battery on the steering wheel in the case. Pros: ease of installation, ease of removal. Cons: worse weight distribution, more noticeable impacts on the front wheel. If you fall, there is a chance that the case will break.
The batteries for small and folding scooters are usually located on the handlebars in the bag. The bag for photographic equipment is sufficient for a small battery and does not attract attention. Pros - ease of installation, Cons - risk of damage to the battery if dropped.
The battery on the rear rack was a popular solution for early electric bicycles. It is of little relevance for scooters, due to the lack of a trunk on most of them. Pros: ease of installation, ease of removal. Cons: change in weight distribution, noticeable impacts on the rear wheel.
It is also possible to ride with a battery in a backpack and a cable with a connector to the scooter itself. Pros: the ability to insulate the battery for use in winter. Lightening the scooter, which significantly increases maneuverability and the ability to actively ride with jumps. Disadvantages – diseases of the spine from constant load (depending on the weight of the battery), change in weight distribution to the motor-wheel side.
Dropout width.
This is the distance between seats in the front or rear fork of the scooter.
For micro and mini models, the standard motor wheels are 45 or 65 mm. For anything larger - 100 mm.
Bicycle MKs for the front wheel also have a standard of 100mm.
There are MK 110s with brake discs, but less frequently.
135mm is already the bicycle size of the rear wheel, for gears on one side.
The electrical part of the electric scooter is quite simple, 4 points - battery, controller, motor and controls.
Previously, batteries were heavy lead, with a low resource of 300-400 cycles and low charge-discharge currents.
Modern electric scooters run on different types of lithium batteries – lithium-ion, lithium-polymer, lithium-iron phosphate.
Let's look at the difference between them.
Lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries have a favorable cost, high charge and discharge currents, and a service life of 500-800 cycles.
Lithium ion (LiIon) – 500-1000 cycles, light weight, temperature dependent.
In general, there are three subtypes of ions, depending on the type of chemistry. Some have higher capacity, but higher internal resistance, others have high current, but do not shine with capacity.
They require protection from mechanical damage when used on scooters. There have been cases of ions catching fire from impacts when dropped.
Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) – About twice as heavy as ions, more expensive. They give out and receive high currents, the service life is 2000 cycles.
Not fire hazardous, quite resistant to mechanical deformation. Can be discharged at sub-zero temperatures.
Drive of a scooter wheel from an external motor by a belt or chain is still common, but it is clearly losing ground to motor wheels.
Motor-wheel the best choice motor for a self-assembled electric scooter.
They come in two types - geared and direct drive. Let's look at the differences, pros and cons of each type.
Gear micros.
Lighter than direct drive MK of the same power, better efficiency at low speeds. Excellent roll-up due to the presence of a freewheel, which is very useful when using a foot-powered scooter. There are wear parts - gears, someday they will require replacement. Noise - the gearbox howls during operation. Impossibility of regenerative braking. Slightly better boost potential due to higher rotation speeds.
Direct drive (DD).
Heavier than gearboxes, rolling is worse due to the cog effect. There are no wearing parts other than bearings in such MKs. Low noise, and when using a sinusoidal controller they can be completely silent. They have the ability to use recuperation braking. They justify themselves when using a scooter in areas with large differences in elevation and as a means of saving brake pads. When installing MK on mini and micro scooters, it happens that recuperation is the only adequate brake on board.
Controller.
The controller is the brains of our scooter; the traction uphill, the start method and the dynamics of acceleration will depend on its choice. The choice of controller must be made according to the motor parameters. For example, a wheel motor has the following parameters: 48V 350W, what does this mean?
The rated voltage of the wheel motor is 48 volts. No one forbids feeding it less, but at the same time its power will be lower. No one forbids supplying more to it, but it is important not to overheat the microscope with the pumped power.
This is the rated power of this mk. As practice shows, the rated power can be increased by 1.5-2 times for DD and 2-2.5 times for gearboxes. To select a controller, let's convert watts to amperes - 350/48 = 7.3 amperes. Of course, it will run at 7.3 amps, but it’s pretty sad, so we boost it to 12-15 amps for direct drive and 15-18 for gearboxes. For these currents we will need to look for a controller for such a microcontroller.
Controls.
1 – power switch.
The power supply is usually connected directly to the controller and is not interrupted when idle. The power switch turns off the low-current part of the controller that supplies voltage to the control circuit. Since the currents there are small, you can use almost any suitable latching button.
2 - Gazulka.
It is a motorcycle-type throttle grip, or a half throttle or throttle trigger. I strongly recommend choosing the trigger, since it is easy to release in an emergency, and a person instinctively grasps the handle more tightly to hold on. Has at least three wires - plus 5 volts, ground and output signal.
3 – Brake levers.
Electric scooters are equipped with brake handles with built-in limit switches to turn off the motor when the brake is pressed. If the controller has an activated regeneration braking mode, it will also turn on when any brake lever is pressed. They come with built-in buttons, with reed switches and with hall sensors. Connection - ground, output signal. For hall sensors, + 5 volts are additionally connected. Sometimes, in order not to change the standard handles, separate modules with reed switches or hall sensors are installed. They are attached to a cable or to the body of the handles.
So we dealt with common device electricians.
Let's look at assembly examples.
This project uses the Yedoo Ox base,
battery cells lithium iron phosphate
and micro direct drive, 12 inches in diameter.
The battery is divided into two packs and placed in the deck and steering column.
The controller is mounted under the steering column, where it does not interfere and is always blown by the air flow.
The drive is rear-wheel drive, which is a convenient solution for climbing hills. The battery is protected from below by a 4mm alucobond plate.
Final characteristics of the scooter:
Weight 18.5 kg.
Battery 16S3P, 52 volts 9 ampere-hour.
Instead of a preface
Folding mini-scooters rolled into our lives like lightning. Outwardly, they are not much different from each other. The main difference is in the names. For example, the foreigner “Scooter”, the Russian “Zzhik” and “Moonshine” and so on.
The modern scooter is a product of interspecific hybridization of the classic running machine by K. F. Drez - a scooter (the design diagram is taken from it), a skateboard (support platform) and roller skates (polyurethane rollers).
The development of the scooter continues, so it is quite possible that completely unusual examples will appear. Moreover, when riding a scooter, when pushing, muscular energy is realized most effectively; more muscles are used than when riding a bicycle.
If a folding mini-scooter is a thing for sports and entertainment purposes, then the “Dachnik” scooter, which I want to talk about here, is a thing for household purposes.
Development of the idea
Pushing with my hands a handcart on wheels - the main means of small-scale transport mechanization of the era of transition from developed socialism to a market economy, I once realized that there was clearly a lack of a support platform with a wheel. After all, by placing one foot on such a platform and pushing off the road with the other, you could ride on a cart, like on a scooter.
However, an attempt to adapt a platform with rollers from a skateboard to a cargo trolley was not entirely successful due to the poor quality of the sliding bearings of the wheels of the cargo trolley, and besides, the maneuverability of the crew left much to be desired. But my family didn’t allow me to completely ruin my son’s skateboard.
In this regard, it was necessary to develop a cargo-passenger scooter. I don't pretend to be a new idea. At one time, engineer S.S. Lundovsky built a cargo-passenger scooter, but in his design the luggage rack platform, taken from a road bike, was raised too high, and the structure itself, assembled on the base children's bike did not have sufficient strength.
The main material for the manufacture of the proposed below homemade scooter(Fig. 1) a used car rack made of steel tubes and inflatable wheels from a children's bicycle measuring 12.5"x2.25" (205x56 mm) were used.
The main elements of a homemade scooter
Front fork
For the front fork - steering column I selected steel pipes with a diameter of 20 mm, although pipes with a diameter of 22 mm would be better. At the ends of the flattened fork pipes, slots are made for installing and securing the front wheel axle (Fig. 2).
The part (bridge) that combines the feathers into the fork is made of a channel with a flange width of 75 mm and a length of 120 mm, bent from a steel sheet 3 mm thick. Two holes with a diameter of 20 mm are drilled in the channel at a distance of 90 mm from each other to install fork-column pipes in them (Fig. 3). These pipes are welded to the bridge using circumferential seams. Between the holes for the column fork pipes in the bridge flanges, a hole with a diameter of 22 mm is drilled for the rotary axis - a piece of pipe 1/2". To increase the “torsional rigidity” of the front fork, a jumper and a ring with a diameter of 300 mm are welded to the steering pipes, which is bent from steel thin-walled pipe with a diameter of 10 mm.
The bearing assembly of the steering column is made of a plumbing tee with 3/4" threads (see Fig. 3). As already mentioned, the rotary axis is a piece of 1/2" pipe with threads at the ends. Axial clearances in the bearing assembly are eliminated using brass washers, which, by the way, reduce friction in the hinge.
The scooter frame consists of three parts (Fig. 4). Before assembling it, it is advisable to draw on a sheet of plywood general form scooter in life size. If you make a scooter for yourself, then its dimensions are naturally adjusted to fit your own dimensions. The experience of S.S. Lundovsky shows that a ground clearance of 30 mm is quite sufficient for a scooter.
The S-shaped part of the frame is bent from a 3/4" pipe using a pipe bender, which is always available in the workshop at the housing office. At one end of the pipe a 3/4" thread is cut to connect to the tee. To prevent self-unscrewing, the threaded connection of the tee with the frame pipe is secured by installing a cotter pin into the hole drilled in it (the connection) (see Fig. 3).
The rear of the frame is a front fork from a road bike. The fork is inserted into the pipe of the front S-shaped part, and the joint is welded using a circular seam. A 15x15 mm corner bridge welded between the stays strengthens the fork. Subsequently, a support platform (step) and a rear mudguard are attached to it.
The footrest is cut out of plywood 10...12 mm thick and secured with two M6 screws (with a conical head) to the jumper and one screw in the fork (see Fig. 1). Corrugated rubber, for example, from an old rug, is glued or nailed to the footboard with small nails.
When transporting the scooter on public transport, the steering column axle is removed and the frame is disconnected from the front fork. I note that the front fork with a wheel can be used autonomously, like a regular unicycle cargo cart.
Additional scooter equipment
For better stability of the scooter, its trunk should ensure a low center of gravity of the load. The heaviest parts of the cargo are placed on the sides of the trunk “saddle-style”.
The scooter's equipment must include good splash guards and reflective reflectors. The front is white, the sides (on the wheels) are yellow, and the back is red. The more reflectors installed, the better. Plastic handles from ski poles or bicycle handlebars are placed on the ends of the steering tubes. It is useful to equip the scooter with a “Matchish” type sound signal and a brake with a drive on the rear wheel.
By providing the possibility of installing a seat on the trunk for a small passenger, for example, from a stroller, where the seat is equipped with footrests, we turn the scooter into a self-rickshaw. If the seat does not have side rails in the front part, it is necessary, like on a motorcycle, to install a ring or handle, which the passenger will hold with his hands while driving. The basis of the backrest for the passenger will be a ring welded to the steering wheel pipes.
An easily removable fairing-awning made of transparent film or Bologna fabric with a transparent window, mounted on a flexible frame made of thin-walled pipes, will protect the passenger from the effects of adverse climatic factors, providing the traveler with more comfortable conditions. When driving with a passenger, the load is placed behind the steering tubes, lashed to the ring, like a pack (Fig. 5).
Taming of the Shrew
Learning to ride a scooter begins on a flat asphalt area. The main attention is paid to practicing a long and strong, but not sharp kick with the foot, and they also try to master the movement of coasting, by inertia. Please note that the steering wheel must remain completely motionless when coasting, as otherwise the resistance to movement increases and the speed of the scooter decreases.
Past and thoughts
The design of a homemade scooter presented here is more of a working prototype, the shortcomings of which are obvious. First of all, the diameter of the rear wheel is excessively large, which increases the dimensions of the roller skate. Excessive cross-country ability, generally speaking, is useless, since on difficult sections of the road it is better to dismount and overcome them, rolling the carriage with luggage by hand.
Maybe the best option It will be possible to install a rear wheel with a reduced diameter, for example, from a Sibiryak roller ski. As a front wheel, it is probably advisable to use a wheel with a tubeless tire from the Druzhok bicycle, as it is not afraid of punctures.
It should be noted that in the West, scooters with an internal combustion engine with a displacement of 28 “cubes” are now extremely popular. If you are lucky enough to acquire a small-sized motor from a Mac Cullog chainsaw, then you can easily make a similar projectile by equipping the roller with a motor.
How far can a person cover by pushing off the ground once? If this is one step, then on average it is less than meters. If you run up and push off harder, you can jump four or five meters. Therefore, imagine our surprise when a modest, no longer young man appeared in the editorial office and declared that he could move 50 m with one push of his leg, and even with a load of 30 kg. The visitor had some kind of strange cart in his hands. We, understandably, doubted it.
And when they doubted it, they demanded proof.
“Well, please,” the owner of the strange cart told us. - Let's go outside. Here, on the asphalt, we were convinced that we were not being deceived.
Upon closer inspection, the “cart” turned out to be a converted children's scooter. Our guest, engineer Sergei Stanislavovich Lundovsky, managed to turn it into an unusual vehicle for adults.
How did you manage to “grow up” the scooter? What is the essence of his alteration? First of all, the maximum permissible lowering of the platform on which the “driver” stands. The ground clearance of the converted scooter when loaded is only 30 mm. But this, as practice has shown, is quite enough for driving not only on smooth asphalt, but also on country paths. When the bottom hits uneven roads, the scooter simply slides forward. And if a larger obstacle is encountered, the driver can help his car by pulling the steering wheel up and thus lifting the front wheel.
Lowering the platform lowered the center of gravity of the machine, which had a beneficial effect on its stability and made it easy to reach the ground with a “push” leg, without bending the supporting leg at all. And thanks to this, the driver gets tired much less than when using a scooter with a standard (high) platform.
The car is made on the basis of the children's sports scooter "Orlik" (costs 14 rubles). As shown in the picture, the fork legs leading to the rear wheel and the front part of the roller blade have been cut off. A new platform is made from a steel angle 20X20X5 mm to the size of the boot; in the drawing its length is 320 mm, which is the most advantageous. The front part of the factory sports scooter is connected to the platform with a clamp welded to the pipe and four M8 bolts. A plate about 20 mm thick is placed under the clamp legs, with the help of which the platform inclination that is most convenient for the driver can be found.
The length of the steering tube should be increased so that the driver can comfortably control the car without bending.
The rear wheel fork is made from the same angle as the platform itself.
A stamped luggage frame from a bicycle is used as a trunk, which is best placed above the front wheel. It is attached to the steering column head and to the front axle. You cannot place the trunk at the back, as the load makes it difficult for the pushing leg to move.
You should start learning to ride a roller skate on a flat, non-sloping asphalt area. The main attention is paid to practicing a long and strong, but not sharp kick with the leg, as well as mastering the movement of inertia. In this case, the steering wheel must be completely motionless, otherwise (due to increased resistance) the speed quickly drops.
During training, it is quickly determined which leg is the most efficient as a supporting leg and which as a pushing leg.
S. LUNDOWSKY, engineer
