Save Gas and Get Exercise - Put an Engine on Your Bike!

Lets face it: gas is just too darn expensive. When gas hit $4.00 a gallon in my town, I decided it was time I did something. No, I couldn't bring the price of gas back down, at least not directly. However one thing I could do was decrease the demand by not using so much of it. I thought, "I should find a much more fuel efficient way of getting around town." I decided that I wanted a Vespa!

However, after a quick price check I no longer wanted a Vespa. At least not if I was going to have to shell out a few thousand dollars for it. New plan. It was time to break out my old bicycle. I started doing a lot of riding for my short trips. However, I forgot how much hard work biking is, especially when hills are involved. Don't get me wrong, I love riding my bike now, but I just wish I could make it a little easier on the legs, and thus allow me to ride further distances. That's when I got the idea to put a small engine on the bike. I don't want to turn it into a motorcycle or anything, but just to give me a little extra power and speed to make it easier to use my bike as a daily commuting vehicle.

I've done some research on the web for methods and full kits to retrofit bicycles with small engines. A company called Golden Eagle Bike Engines appears to be the best of the best. Sort of the Cadillac of motorized bicycles. However, to purchase their kits will run you between $500 and $700, not including the bike. That's still out of my budget. But hey, if you can afford it, a kit from GEBE is the way to go. Currently they have suspended orders for entire kits until the company can meet the high demand (I guess everyone had the same idea, but more money than me), but they are still taking orders for replacement parts. I ordered three individual replacement parts as if I was replacing them on my kit. They never asked what I needed with three random parts, and I never told. For someone like me with a slightly smaller budget but still a lot of technical know-how, this is definitely the way to go. Here is what I am planning: I have purchased from their site the only parts from the kit that I can't make myself. Those parts are:

1. Drive Ring

2. Drive Belt

3. Drive Gear

Everything else can be done by yourself. These parts all together cost me $108, with shipping. In addition, I needed to get an engine. If you or someone you know has an old string trimmer, leaf blower, chain saw or any other lawn tool with a horizontal crank shaft engine, try using that. However, I needed my string trimmer for the lawn, so I went to Lowes and picked up a Troy-Bilt 25 cc string trimmer for $100 (I'm also selling the left over shaft after I remove the engine on eBay to recoup some costs). Just make sure that the engine you use has a centrifugal clutch. If you don't know for sure, try spinning the end of the string trimmer. If it spins freely and you don't hear the engine turn over, then it has a clutch.

Now I have everything I need (plus some parts laying around in the garage) to add this engine to my bike. Total estimated cost: $208 dollars. Estimated mileage: 200 mpg (based on GEBE kit mpg estimates).

I will be working on this project over the next couple of days. I'll update my steps along the way so anyone can follow along, and include pictures as I go. Have a great day.

Aerobic exercise around home

The benefits of aerobics are well known to all of us ... improved circulation, increased strength, resistance to infection, more energy, better attitude, etc. But what if you're too busy with work and household chores to find that 2 hours a week? What happens if they can not afford the equipment or subscription to a gym? This article is for you! We will take a common house, you have to do anyway, and turn it into a gym-aerobic exercise program.Ready ... Together ... Go!

Fitness dates of operation: The key to an aerobic workout, your heart rate increases by at least 20 minutes with the warm-up and cool-down time of 5 minutes on each side of the training. To get the budget measures the value of aerobic, so they need to keep your body in constant motion for 30 minutes. This requires some 'planning, but there really is enough business to get to work. In fact, if you are doing to keep the developmentaerobic these things you can actually earn extra time due to progress much faster. Plan your aerobic exercise) (tasks, so that you are doing for 30 minutes, 3-4 days a week. This makes it more fun and easier for you to stay active can play music while you're busy doing the aerobic work home.

Indoor Aerobics: There is probably more difficult to get a good aerobic exercise on days of bad weather, so these exercises can be helpful, even if you have time to adjust. Jogging

1. Jog Away is away things in a high rate, but requires a certain degree of disorder, a full aerobic value. If you have children, this will be a problem.

2. Vacuum-er-Cise requires that all furniture is moved and an action plan (where the plugs are) before you as you start to vacuum all the floors in 30 minutes, with long, exhausting movements.

3. Dust-er-Cise requires that all surfaces for dust before you begin, or what might be willing tobroken.

4. Aerobics Tub can take 30 minutes if you shower walls and fixtures and all surfaces are dry with a towel afterwards. If it is not long enough, add in the sink and toilet ... could not hurt.

5. Hardfloor Fever is a great workout. You can reach easily move all the furniture, the place, broom, mop water, mop and dry cloth before you. Then, broom, mop and dry floor without stopping. Drying hands is great exercise and removes remaining dirt.

6. WindowThe training requires you to change all the blinds / curtains to move the articles in between, and strategically placed towels to dry before you begin. If you have so many windows that could be more than a workout.

Pool aerobics: Just like aerobics indoors, only the weather was beautiful. As an advantage, once you are determined to be for this, a lot of money washing cars, lawn mowers, lawn mowers and leaf blowers save.

1. Window Workout: as in,unless they do so only with Windows, which can be reached while he was on the ground. Aerobics Ladder produces an excessive number of requests for personal injuries. So ... Do not use the squeegee hose or ... The exercise should be.

2. Sweep-er-Cise is good for at least a couple of training sessions for the moment, including porch, deck, driveway, garage and sidewalks. To ensure fast enough to do to keep your heart rate. You can collect the debris after the workout.

3. Whack Aerobics is done on the basis ofAll the weeds are using the string trimmer. You have to keep buying a new garden tool of a fool. Basically, you swing it with one hand for the weeds until you are at the desired level.

4. Car Wash Training requires the pipe, buckets, towels, wax and buffer all begin to be prepared before you. Sure and jogging on the spot, while rinsing, you are different ... Heart rate drops.

5. Harvest Madness' is usually good for a workout short. Do not use a lawnmower toAerobic ... I can not afford legal costs. Use a push mower!

6. Rake-a-robics you can usually just a few months a year.

7. Pala-Cise is made, from time to time when you have a garden, more often if you live in snow belt.

Personal Training: I know the language that I used for these activities seem silly, but the concept works for the use of domestic work as fitness training seriously. Five years ago I was diagnosed with diabetes. Most of my life, I avoided physical laborwith the instruments of power, like all the others. When we bought our 20 acres for our home, I always wanted larger instruments of power. Fortunately, we could not afford to do. I also do something to save the clearing and much of the structure to make money. After working hard on the tree and shrub clearing, hand excavation and landscaping and construction of 700 square feet of pavement, I had the best evidence of blood, because the diabetes has begun requested. Since then, I could pay, are 2 hectares of land around my houseTurn off the heat, but I do. It's wonderful exercise. Yes, I use a leaf blower and a chain saw, but I'm moving all the wood by hand ... several tons of it. Not bad for a reformed city-boy. My point is ... You can save money and get a great workout at home, if only way to change the approach to the family.