Building A Mini Electric Bike In Between Projects

James Bruton's mini electric bike

What do you do when you suddenly find you have some free time because you’re waiting on parts or have run up against other delays for your current project? If you’re [James Bruton], you design and build a mini electric bike.

Being a prolific builder, [James] already had the parts he needed. Some of them were left over from previous projects: a small motor, a 24 volt LiPo battery, an SK8 electronic speed controller, and a twist grip for the handlebars. He cut a wooden frame using his CNC machine and 3D printed various other components. Normally he uses ABS for motor mounts but this time he went with PLA and sure enough, the motor heated up and the mounting screws got hot enough to melt the plastic. But other than that, the bike worked great and looks like a polished, manufactured product. How many of us can say the same for our own unplanned projects using only parts from around the workshop? Check out his build and watch him whizzing around on it in the video below.

As for the former projects from which he had leftover parts, he says that some came from skateboard projects such as his pimped out electric LEGO longboard.

13 thoughts on “Building A Mini Electric Bike In Between Projects

    1. I was expecting you to say it’s dangerous because the in-between project takes over and you forget about the one which was on hold. Happens to me sometimes.

      1. I dare say that most of the visitors on this page fits that description ;)
        “Journey before destination”, Often getting it done is not as important as starting on a new project. You learn quite a lot before you get stuck or out of time and the project ends up collecting dust and finally gets torn apart to be used in the next project that probably never will be completed.

        1. I’m the poster child of 80% completed projects. I hack on something enthusiastically until it’s just about working, rough around the edges but functional, then rather than spend as much time again polishing it I build 80% of another thing.

          1. I wonder if there’s some kind of “life hack” (ugh) trick for avoiding not finishing a project? My last unfinished project was a pet food feeder. Got it all working but never got around to attaching it to a bowl. I think I got bored once the interesting/fun part of it’s creation was done. Usually I do the worst and hardest parts of a project first, but maybe I shouldn’t?

    2. Maybe there should be an HAD article of the psychology of uncompleted projects. I sense some of us enjoy the learning and knowing we can conquer the concept once we know we can do it we loose interest. Yes I have boxes of uncompleted projects. Don’t tell my wife, but in reality she knows already and somehow still loves me. BTW if my wife wants it done it will be done because she pushes (hounds) me forward.

  1. ” But other than that, the bike worked great and looks like a polished, manufactured product. ”

    It needs a logo, a name…
    something to make it look “like a polished, manufactured product. “

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