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Peugeot Mixte electric taking shape

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harpon

Finally riding a big boys bike
I've made some decisions now on the Peugeot mixte frame I'm fitting a 36v 250 watt hub motor to. I'm using the hoverboard battery packs- probably two of them (20 18650 cells apiece wired 2x 10 series each for a total of 40 cells, yet I have the option of adding one or two more packs or only using one).

So anyway- one pack fits in a nylon triangle frame pack tucked very nicely between the pedals and another will latch onto the mixte rails above it-the controller will be fixed under the rails- with appropriate worm clamps when I have them- The T60 parallel connector reaches both battery packs from here and a short reach then to the controller.

So this battery arrangement leaves me FULL carry potential- with both a front basket and saddlebag baskets and rack top for goodies I may want to bring home. I originally was going to put both battery packs and the controller at the bottom of a front basket and that would still leave 7 inches of depth on top of that. But this arrangement will keep the battery weight (2 or 4 lbs with 1 or 2 packs) lower in the center of gravity on the bike The controller will also be fixed to the rail with a worm clamp or two- and not the rubber band shown here,

Pictures may say it best- Not rushing the process but hope to have running in a month or two. Tires are 700 x 28 mm, the Stronglight 93 is an upgrade from a steel cottered original crank, so this is built with lightness in mind- Projecting 16-18mph under it's own power with any amount of pedal assist I choose to give-, and a range of 10-13 miles. (I went out on the GT electric yesterday and after hibernating felt sluggish, so I let it take me more than otherwise)

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The paint needs some further touching and clear coat I think and is a blend of Folk Art green and another acrylic green. Here's what the frame looked like when I got it. I just had to GO GREEN. There's a green one on ebay I saw last night if you're interested,
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Peugeot-Mixte-Road-Bike-Frame-w-Crankset-52cm-Green/273627226526?_trkparms=aid=111001&algo=REC.SEED&ao=12&asc=20140905073823&meid=441bb0fd46b94a43a572072910c56b6c&pid=100284&rk=2&rkt=11&sd=273627226526&itm=273627226526&_trksid=p5713.c100284.m3505

Here's the one on ebay- Actually unless you are totally engaged with the vintage- I got the one above because the decals match my '67 PX 10- I might suggest a mixte a little more modern, because the bottom bracket is French and a little hard to find- though not terribly, but the seatpost tube is an odd size and if you don't spent a lot of money for a steel one, you have to get a futed BMX post and slightly file it down- the stem even more so, though a 7/8 eventually fits with enough filing. The mixte frame is great for fitting a battery on low, unless you are using a bottle battery, and being 65 today, I'm finding it more difficult to swing my leg over the saddle after any time on the bike- so the step through aspect is not wasted on a codger.
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Incidentally, that beautiful concrete pillar railing in front of the St John's river in Memorial Park in Jacksonville was all washed away in Hurricane Irma and a record 5.5 feet of water over the bank the summer before last.
 
Anyway as far as this project has gone- I had some problem with the Peugeot controller, and got the wheel running with the turn of a key, but could never get the three pin- black green and red- throttle control to have an effect. Apparently it functions at a low voltage level of about 5v, like a car relay I assume- to open and regulate a line to the wheel with the varying 0 to 42 voltage.

The controllers are a bit of a can of worms if purchased outside of kits as this was, and complicated by the fact that I'd bought it a year or two ago. The harness I put together to replace the cut 9 pin line apparently worked, but the specific wires and their functions from the controller were baffling- different on almost every one I studied on ebay as a replacement and I was getting quite frustrated. A couple of questions I tried to ask vendors went unanswered, and the connectors appear to be in a manufacturing state of flux- generally becoming smaller.

Long story short- I ended up getting another controller from ebiking- who I bought the kit from on the 500 watt silver GT step through bike. I also got an LED display I knew would plug in and turn it all on- mostly to eliminate that factor- but then I opted not to use the key throttle grips that were displaying the Peugeot's voltage in red block letter- Tant pis! too bad. Anyway- I'm familiar with the 4 LED dot system, so off I go.

Now I have a 500 watt controller-larger and heavier- but DEFINITELY stronger- drawing 22 amps instead of 13. And the wheel now spins much faster than when I did when I had it going under key, but not throttle-

So with a little bit work- I've had the Peugeot Mixte out to test a short bit- with this stronger controller- it's almost as fast as the other bike with the better silver fish 4ike battery, but surprisingly a little bit louder for some reason. This 250 watt hub motor whirrs louder- it might be the 500 watt controller I suppose, but it's loud under any amount of throttle (though not like a China Girl!)

Once again I found the little Stronglight 93 39 chain ring insufficient and was overspinning at full throttle- I'll put a 42 crank set on, but I think you can go 45 or 47 if you really aren't granny aged like myself. I'd probably keep both rings and a front shifter if I was in my prime, but not all that need in flat Florida. I want to go out again- the test was short- 2 or 3 miles and just sorting out the bike frame and wheels for the first time too.

There was great weather yesterday and I took the silver bike out and down to the river- got rained on a bit and came back- and then out again an hour or so later when it cleared again. I figured maybe I did 10 or 12 miles total- much of it riding much like a bike- only "pedaling" while the motor does most of the work- so I'm actually getting a mild work-out I can control, and I find the experience very satisfying.

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A picture I took on the river as it started to rain and forced me home:
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#15 Nashville Kat, 21 minutes ago
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Edit Report
 
Excellent results today- well, almost

I took the Peugeot mixte ot for coffee at the usual Starbucks- normally a little more than 6 miles round trip- and did a bit of random lollygagging on the way back-

I was going to take a longer route, but the crank was ticking against the kickstand, and when I stopped to check it out, I found the crankset loose- the fixed cup had begun to loosen- so I cut the long way home shorter for that reason.

I also had not changed the Stronglight 93 39 chainwheel yet, so when this baby gets up to speed- must be about 18-20, I can't add any pedal assist to the equation- in fact then almost the whole trip was under the motor's own power- pedal assist extremely minimal.

I'm going to invest in a cheap electronic speedo- if you get a LCD display with the kit or option one later- speed sensors in the motor give you all the readouts on that- speed top speed, distance etc and very accurately I imagine.

So anyway, I got home- an estimated trip of between 7 and 8 miles almost all under motor power, with three of the four LED indicators lit except under acceleration when that was dropping to two. So that was using two Hoverboard battery packs- 2 pounds each- 20 cells apiece and an ebiking 22 amp 500 watt controller.

I was loving every minute of it- just like good ole bike riding, but I won't have cramps for most of the night and I can put as much effort into it all as I desire.

The Stronglight crank is off and I have to sort out the chain ring and bolting situation on another crank- I have a 42 Ofmega or another nice 42 alloy to use and that should give me just enough at speed to keep up- 42 x 14. The set up adds about 10 pounds to the mixte otherwise- 2 x2 lbs for the pack, 1 lb for the controller and throttle and 5 extra lbs for the front wheel and the bike is lighter with the alloy crank and only one chainring, no front shifter and lighter faster rolling 700 x 28 tires on alloy rims.

I also got the stronger charger with the T60 connector and it's in the next room whirring fan and charging as we speak- the packs are doing fine, and two wired in series together should suit much of my in town and through the neighborhood needs.

By the shores of Gitchee Gummee,
By the shining Big Sea Waters
Stood the Peugeot Record mixte
Daughter of the Gonofumee....,

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I've been playing with bottle cages and with a little bending- of the cheap from China cages (about $2 each) the 18650 Hoverboard packs fit in pretty well- With another strap bungee or plastic ties they would probably work well two in a series on a more modern frame with two sets of bottle braze-ons.

like this Lotus for instance:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lotus-3000...-Fork-21-Tange-/254153145080?oid=254109252329

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And so with a controller in a triangle frame bag and two hoverboard packs in bottle cages for a range of 10 or 12 miles it's possible to have most of a kit inside the main frame diamond. Or with the mixte there are possibilities to mount the controller or a battery or two.
 
My wife had a Univega with a mixte frame. Is was surprisingly stiff for a step through frame. We sold it to a dog groomer when she bought a mountain bike. Your mixte frame looks like it makes mounting batteries and other components easy.
 
The old silver Cannondale SEW-UP bag, on the top of the mixte frame has a cable lock in front of a battery pack- yeah very convenient, and to hang the controller under- I had to get another controller- a bigger one so the worm clamps on order won't fit around it now- but it works fine with plastic ties

I just took delivery on another mixte- a mid-80's Raleigh Marathon with double butted tubing- VERY lightweight, and will probably put it up on the lightweight forum when I get some better pictures.
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I was out again on the Peugeot again a short bit ago- I'm going mileage that I was riding when I got south ten years ago- but can no longer pedal without some hyper-tension consequence- so it's a very pleasant experience.
 
THIS IS SOOOOOO EASY !

Just put a wheel on the bike, find a place to put the controller (not much bigger than an old transistor radio) and then a battery or two and you're rolling. It's a lot like motor-pacing too, if you ever raced and trained at all that way.



Check out this new seat bag with two mesh water carriers on either side. Under $12.
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Guess what? THIS would hold TWO hover batteries in the mesh compartments- I have a similar bag with one mesh bottle hanging out the back, and I just tried putting a hovr pack into it- it fits!
36v 40 18650 cells 18/20 mph and 12-15 miles of range



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof-Bicycle-Strap-On-Bike-Saddle-Bag-Rack-Cycling-Cargo-Rear-Pack-Bag/322901449865?_trkparms=aid=333200&algo=COMP.MBE&ao=1&asc=20190129125700&meid=bdc4d1fed5bb4d918ca0ab244076360c&pid=100752&rk=4&rkt=10&sd=322375618525&itm=322901449865&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982

The newer wheel kits- from "ebiking" at least are more plug and play than ever- this is a totally great and practical ride. Don't be carried away by power or high voltage. These 36v hover cells are really great.
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If you can't tell in the last shot, I've put a larger 45t Ofmega ring on the crank set and now the motor can't out-spin me anymore. I can put as much iinto the peddling as I care, and it should increase the range at slightly faster seeds. I've also added an extremely lightweight china folding saddle basket (can't get 'em anymore) lashed to the handlebars with two radiator worm clamps- very handy.
Pedals are MKS quill- traditional look, alloy weight savings.

If I was 20 years younger, I'd turn Jacksonville into the Electric Bike Capitol of America.
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