7486
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7487
eBikes / Re: Building a R15k 65km/h bike
« on: May 14, 2014, 08:39:06 am »
Step 1: Picking a bicycle
I wanted an ebike. I don't need one, but I want one. My old motorbike was doing a fantastic job of getting me around cheaply, but it had some problems. It was making me fat, and I couldn't pack it into the boot of my car when I went on holiday. Oh and of course it smelt of petrol and oil. So an ebike had to be born. There are thousands of options to building one but this post will be about my tried and tested method for a bike that's performed flawlessly for 7000km and counting.
So step number one means getting hold of a bicycle. If you want to go faster than 50km/h you need full suspension. And a helmet. Never forget the helmet. I did once on a regular bike and ended up jumping the queue in the ER ward. If you're going to be going motorbike speeds, get a motorbike helmet. People will think you look like a fool wearing one on a bicycle, but they stop that after you pull away from them at the lights...
Ok so what should you look for in a bike. First the good points. Expensive bicycles make poor ebikes. Carbon fibre is a lousy material for this conversion, don't even try. You also can't convert a road bike into a high powered ebike. Maybe they could handle a tiny motor, but why bother. Best case scenario is to find a mid range bike with a steel frame so you can weld on to it if needed, but since they're in extremely short supply, like most people you're going to end up with an aluminium frame.
Not all frames are created equal either. If you're like me, you won't want to put 8kg of batteries onto a rear seatpost rack. It'll either break your seatpost after some time, of you'll have to lean way forward whenever you pull off to avoid wheelie starts. If you have an expensive triple crown fork you could attach the batteries to the handle bar with some home made mounts, that works pretty well, but ideally you'll want the batteries inside the frame triangle. You're also not concerned about the weight of the frame, so you can look at old spec downhill bikes.
This is my trusty steed I picked for the job:
It's a kona kahuna full suspension with disk brakes. Initially I wanted a kona stinky which is the downhill bike with the same frame deisgn but better suspension. Unfortunately I couldn't find one at the time. I picked this bike because it has quite a decent sized triangle, and it was cheap. Just under R5k if I remember right. and using my mildly primitive cad software I'd worked out that I could get a 24 of my choice in batteries into the triangle without too much difficulty.
Because the batteries I use and recommend are 38mm wide, it means I can get three next to each other and 8 groups to get a total of 24.
Coming soon will be step 2. Picking the motor.
I wanted an ebike. I don't need one, but I want one. My old motorbike was doing a fantastic job of getting me around cheaply, but it had some problems. It was making me fat, and I couldn't pack it into the boot of my car when I went on holiday. Oh and of course it smelt of petrol and oil. So an ebike had to be born. There are thousands of options to building one but this post will be about my tried and tested method for a bike that's performed flawlessly for 7000km and counting.
So step number one means getting hold of a bicycle. If you want to go faster than 50km/h you need full suspension. And a helmet. Never forget the helmet. I did once on a regular bike and ended up jumping the queue in the ER ward. If you're going to be going motorbike speeds, get a motorbike helmet. People will think you look like a fool wearing one on a bicycle, but they stop that after you pull away from them at the lights...
Ok so what should you look for in a bike. First the good points. Expensive bicycles make poor ebikes. Carbon fibre is a lousy material for this conversion, don't even try. You also can't convert a road bike into a high powered ebike. Maybe they could handle a tiny motor, but why bother. Best case scenario is to find a mid range bike with a steel frame so you can weld on to it if needed, but since they're in extremely short supply, like most people you're going to end up with an aluminium frame.
Not all frames are created equal either. If you're like me, you won't want to put 8kg of batteries onto a rear seatpost rack. It'll either break your seatpost after some time, of you'll have to lean way forward whenever you pull off to avoid wheelie starts. If you have an expensive triple crown fork you could attach the batteries to the handle bar with some home made mounts, that works pretty well, but ideally you'll want the batteries inside the frame triangle. You're also not concerned about the weight of the frame, so you can look at old spec downhill bikes.
This is my trusty steed I picked for the job:
It's a kona kahuna full suspension with disk brakes. Initially I wanted a kona stinky which is the downhill bike with the same frame deisgn but better suspension. Unfortunately I couldn't find one at the time. I picked this bike because it has quite a decent sized triangle, and it was cheap. Just under R5k if I remember right. and using my mildly primitive cad software I'd worked out that I could get a 24 of my choice in batteries into the triangle without too much difficulty.
Because the batteries I use and recommend are 38mm wide, it means I can get three next to each other and 8 groups to get a total of 24.
Coming soon will be step 2. Picking the motor.
7488
I would recommend you to officially emigrate as it is tax effective. No divi tax and no tax on interest.
Are you allowed to keep your SA passport and work again in SA if you wanted to?
7489
Shares / Early retirement
« on: May 13, 2014, 02:20:02 pm »
I know all about the 4% rule, as a reminder, if you have 25 x your annual expenses invested, you should never need to work again. But when would you think about hanging up the suit and tie?
I'm asking because although I love my job, a lot, changes on the way would mean I may need to spend a few years in a difficult place, far from the people I love... Money can buy you a lot, but it can't buy you years in your child's life. In theory I have enough, just, thank goodness for living well below my means... I could also consider a sabbatical from normal work now, and pick up a more permanent post again when he's older. Or I could find something I truely would love to do now... All sorts of questions...
I'm asking because although I love my job, a lot, changes on the way would mean I may need to spend a few years in a difficult place, far from the people I love... Money can buy you a lot, but it can't buy you years in your child's life. In theory I have enough, just, thank goodness for living well below my means... I could also consider a sabbatical from normal work now, and pick up a more permanent post again when he's older. Or I could find something I truely would love to do now... All sorts of questions...
7492
Off topic / Re: Tax Document
« on: May 13, 2014, 08:07:52 am »
As long as it's got your name and tax number on it you're good. I just used a letter they sent me.
7494
The Investor Challenge / Blog post: Those $%@#$^ fees are blatantly robbing you
« on: May 12, 2014, 12:54:25 pm »
Comments relating to the new blog post "Those $%@#$^ fees are blatantly robbing you".
http://www.investorchallenge.co.za/those-fees-are-blatantly-robbing-you/
http://www.investorchallenge.co.za/those-fees-are-blatantly-robbing-you/
7496
Shares / Re: Medical shares, what would you buy?
« on: May 10, 2014, 03:04:29 pm »
I just noticed Russell is on top of the leaderboard just holding discovery. Maybe that's an option?