You really inspired me to think about converting my trike. Thank you for putting this up. A lot of companies want to make this conversion really complicated so you get discouraged and buy an electric trike.
Thank you for your tutorial. I'm 71 and per your instructions I did a conversion on my trike last night. Without you I would have had problems. Thanks again. Hope Nauman from Idaho
While watching this I grew a 70's Mustache and was featured in the "Debbie Does Dallas" Sequel and had a delivery of Lava Lamps show up unexpectedly....
I took the rear hubs and laced them into 20inch rear rims so it lowered the back. Put on a banana seat. Large front basket. Filled the rear basket with 4 huge batteries in parallel. Could go almost 100 miles. It could hit corners preeeety fast without rolling. Got stolen. Miss that thing
I'm working on electrifying a Meridian track I just got, But I wanna install a banana seat with the Sissy bar. Do you know if there's anything out there for the Meridian that will fit? Thanks in advanyes.
@@DIYKauai hello im in the process of getting the things i need to make me one of these because i dont have a car and cannot afford one and RU-vid recommended your video is it a great tutorial thank you for this , but i need the link for where you got the extra battery please .
We had the wrapped wires on front tire wrap around the hub🤪 we think we have a missing part, we have the nut but not the cap you show in the video , any suggestions Gina
This was SO helpful!! Thank you for posting this. We are having trouble finding the right PAS sensor, needs to be 4.7mm. Do you have a link to the one you used?
Could toy show how to install rear disc brakes to a mooncool trike? I converted one to an etrike, but I want to convert it to a gas/electric hybrid now and the only way I can do that is by converting to disc brake on the rear so I can mount the gas motor sprocket to the rear disc rotor. I can't figure out how to mount the caliper to the trike frame.
l agree that it works, you have not taken into the account the possibility of a flat front tire. with a trike, the tube and tube are the most important. Tires and tubes need to be as close to flat proof as possible. they are available. People do not realize the implications of a flat far from home. Also, your mounting of the controller can be easier by mounting inside the rear wishbone with zip-ties. providing way better cooling and less material.
It is very important to really tighten down the nuts on the front forks - much tighter then without the motor wheel. This is the key. The torque arm is a safety backup. You can contact Schwinn over the phone and they can get you another fork. I have learned the hard way, lol... Also, I always pedal to get the bike going as this relieves a lot of stress on the forks. Once you get going you can stop pedaling.
I was motivated by your builds so I garbage picked a Miami Sun trike and got a thousand watt front hub motor and installed it everything went together fairly well but the front forks don't seem to be able to hold the axle in place or on do you have any suggestions or close-ups of how you secured yours. Thank you
Thanks for the video. I just converted a similar Sun Trike with an Amazon 750W, 36V motor. But it makes a grinding noise under load. When I lift the wheel the noise goes away. Now the Company says they aren't suitable for a Tricycle. Only a bike. They didn't elaborate why. Is it maybe because a trike has more resistance? Is that why you use such a big motor and 52 volts on yours? This build is for someone that has no need to go fast so I thought 750 would be plenty.
If you are going up a hill or putting big demand on it, make sure that you are pedaling Demanding too much torque from the motor can be an issue. pedal!
Have you installed disk brakes on your bikes? My trike is new but it doesn’t have the mounting brackets for disk brakes unless I use the brackets. Is it worth it?
The Meridian trikes are not setup to support disk brakes. I simply put bigger break pads on and they stop competently. Check out this new video comparing 6 different builds. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aj3abhgAi2Q.html
I don't have a crank pulling tool and it can be a real pain to get the cranks off... I prefer to manually feather in the throttle instead of dealing with PAS delays.
Great vid thinking of doing one of these. Been looking at used meridians and only see 1 speed trikes. Is that an issue? Seems like you'd want the 7 speed for a 1000w etrike conversion? Thanks
@@DIYKauai oh I see makes sense. I wasn’t sure if you had a 7 speed if you could do a sort of pedal assist but I could that probably wouldn’t work since it’s front wheel drive anyway. Thanks looking to build one of these for my wife
What type of motor did you buy?Looking to upgrade my trike. I think a 1000 watts is plenty. I don’t have a meridian but a knock off that is exactly the same. Thanks
Check out the latest video I just posted on these trikes where I compare 6 of them side by side. I think that the 1000W motor with a 52V battery is the way to go. It has plenty of power and nice smooth acceleration curve. The 1500's just peel out in any type of lose ground or grass. 1000W is plenty of power! Def go for the 52V battery... over volting is fine.
@@DIYKauai WILL you PLEASE put up links to EXACTLY the kit you used here and the battery and manufacturer, cost of the build and any or all other build items, accessories, etc. Thank you. Rubber side down....
Because I live on Kauai I have to order everything from China via DHL airfreight. I order through Aliexpress which is like their Amazon. The companies products I use are Unit Pack Power. I like their products and just ordered another battery last week.
I converted my Meridian. I rode it for two months and four spokes broke on my right rear wheel. I read that the spokes on the stock Meridians are notorious for this. They are also hard to find. Has this been your experience? I have no desire to keep replacing wheels or spokes so I’m wanting to convert to alloy wheels but the “D” shaped axle is not compatible with any I have found. Is it possible to change the axle to one that will work?
Yes you can change the axle get a 3/4 axle off of bmi karts and od 1 3/8 I'd 3/4 axle bearings from ace hardware and get some 3/4 sprockets Bing bang bam larger stronger axle I did it while making a custom stretched drift schwinn
All from Aliexpress in China. They change part #'s a lot. I would reccomend to just visit their site and start searching for ebike conversion kit... they have plenty and you get to choose the options.
Hello, I come from Italy, I saw your video, I find it very interesting. I would like to convert my tricycle like you did, I want to ask you a question, with a 1000 Watt motor like yours, it is possible to face 10/15% climbs, moreover, you have only mounted the motor, battery, accelerator and controller ? I'm waiting for an answer, bye.
You dont need to Fast forward everything, if we get bored we can do it ourselves or get the details. Im getting my kit soon and hope to convert. Have you waterproofed anything?
is it, well not insanely, hard to wire 2 rear wheel kits together into 1 control board? or should i just do 1 for the front wheel? I'm 398Lb and the extra torque/stopping power would come in handy
Somebody please help before I take a blind plunge! I want a Meridian, preferably the 24' 1 speed, however I plan on installing a few aftermarket parts. Can I change the rear rims to 144 spoke hollow hubs??? My first experience with trikes, input is much appreciated.
On the US mainland you can just order from Amazon... search for ebike kits. In Hawaii I have to order them from Aliexpress. Vendors and parts changing constantly so just gotta search.
I have to order the kits from China because I live in Hawaii... you can order them from Amazon... the mfg. and specs change so just search for "ebike conversion kits" on amazon and you will have many options.
How is this fwd ebike/trike kit working out on this meridian? Would you change or do anything different and if so, what specifically? Btw, thanks for all your previous Schwinn Meridian trike conversion videos. Please make an update video with any or all trike conversions and what you added, changed or improved so others can not make any mistakes and have the best result in our eventual conversions. Cheers!
Honestly from an engineering perspective this is just dumb ..as trikes are designed to have a rwd design to create the forward momentum the front wheel has far too much "play" in its turning radi and the extra torque applied ves where the most of the weigh is focused rwd is far superior epically if you also upgrade the tires and suspension as well..this " diy kit" is a serious joke..
No a proper spanner set for bike repair is better less stripping of threads depending on condition I carry a 3/8 & 5/16 literally everywhere along with my Gerber multi-tool with hex / allenwrenches...fixed so many other people's bikes it's not even funny just by having on hand and a bit of proper repair knowledge ( also keep 3 spare patch kits as well)
They change all the time. Just go to Amazon or Google and search for ebike conversion kit. You want to make sure you order front wheel of course if that is what you need.
I did two with pedal assist but skipped it for the others. We found that it was better to feather the throttle while you pedal... smoother and more predictable take offs. And it is hard to get the cranks off!
Yes. The ebike kits usually include the motor/wheel, new brake levers, a display and a controller of some sore. Batteries are sold seperately. This allows you to chose what type of throttle, motor, etc...
My ebike only does 15 miles per hour. It has fat tires but adds to traction. It has the wrong tires because it doesn't grip the pavement. It's new tires but the wrong tires.
I'm curious, why not mount the battery below the basket so you still have full space in basket? Also, wouldn't it make sense to clean up the frame and repaint it. Kinda looks ghetto bro.. If your goal is to sell it or gift it, my suggestions make sense correct. Either way the video is cool. Thanks for reading and dont take offense.
Because I live in Hawaii I had to purchase from China via Aliexpress. I you live in the US mainland you have more options such as Amazon, EBAY, etc. Search for e-bike conversion kit. Best of luck to you!
The products on Aliexpress change constantly, you just need to go to their website and search. If you are on the US mainland you can probably order through Amazon. I cannot because I live in Hawaii.
@@MadDog44 I don't sell them aaaaand I am on Kauai... I would keep your eye on your local markets... they come up every now and then. Otherwise you can order the parts and make one!
I have ordered everything on Aliexpress from China. The motor kits I get from CSC and I have been using UnitPackPower for my batteries. You can just search Amazon or Aliexpress as you are on the mainland (?) and have more delivery options. I have also posted a couple other videos on these trikes that you may find useful.
The big hang up to me on these ebike/trikes is batterie$. I saw a guy put 4 lawn and garden batteries in series in a tote just to make it more affordable. I only need 25 miles round trip. Where can a guy get affordable batteries?
@@bobetization would have to use bottle anchors, to weak and not a good area under there. Would also get wet from mud puddles. The batteries are extra expensive to get to Hawaii so we protect them like little babies! Plenty of room in the basket. I ride them daily and haul all kinds of stuff in them. I am thinking of building custom wood boxes to replace the baskets.. that could be interesting.
@@bobetizationhis answer shows that you're not the know-it-all that you thought you were !!!everybody wants to put in there two cents next time just appreciate what people are showing you and stop trying to show different ways to do things that he probably thought of already thank you duh
You guys on the mainland are lucky! Getting them to Kauai is a challenge which is why I have had to order them from China with expensive air cargo shipping.
Great video! I have the same trike and would like to electrify it, but I would prefer RWD. Since the rear wheels in these trikes don't actually have cassettes mounted directly onto them, could I use the "front wheel" conversion motor (as shown in the video) on one of the rear wheels instead? Or is there some sort of difference between the wheels? (I know nothing about these yet.) Thanks!
I bet you anything that there's no way this battery has 24ah. Impossible, too small. Do a test with the proper equipment to measure capacity, the labels usually lie.
The one that lays flat in the tray def is. It has much more capacity compared to the 19.2 AH I run on the others. These things have tons of range anyways.
@@DIYKauai right, but how do you know? Reading the capacity out of the label is not accurate at all, most of these companies lie and exaggerate. They get away with it because nobody checks for capacity. If you haven't done a capacity test. You legit don't know how much you have. I make lithium ion batteries for a living. You never get what you are supposed to get even with brand new cells. I just made a 14ah battery, but when I do the test, there's only 12ah. There's one I made with recycled cells. On paper it's supposed to be 28ah but the test says 22ah. That's what it is. You need special equipment to do a capacity test. If we were in the same town I would give you a free capacity test.
NOT a good idea to put battery in the basket.......you loose basket volume carrying capacity, and more important loose traction as this is a front wheel drive. Battery needs to be mounted as far as possible to the front or over front wheel to provide maximum traction on loose gravel or even on asphalt . Now if you like smoking tires when throttling put the battery as far back as you can, like on this video!,
For the size of the hailong batteries that I use I have not found any other place to put them. I generally agree with your principals but in actual real rode conditions (I have 6 of these) it has proven to not be an issue. When I need to haul more then the 30 lbs. the basket can handle i attached a garden cart and can haul lots. Aloha!
I mounted my Hailong battery on the front frame tube, had to make a custom made curved battery support tied to the front frame tube as it it not straight on the Merdian.It did put more weight on the front wheel, and made a difference has I also use the trike on gravel roads with an uphill inclines! For testing purpose I had the battery in the basket. The front wheel spined very easily due to the good torque of the 1000W 26" motor !!
So, you went to the trouble of making a video showing us how you built the ebike... but you're not posting links to the hardware? I feel fortunate to have caught the fact that the hub you purchased apparently didn't come with a battery? Or did it? See? I don't even know. Thumbs down!
The links change all the time as I order stuff from China so there's no point in posting them. If you are on the US mainland you can order much cheaper from Amazon. Batteries are usually sold separately.
