http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/ en-us Gallery 2 RSS Module, version 1.1.8 Thu, 14 May 2026 08:51:31 +0000 120 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/d/90573-10/Bikestandandgenerator.jpg http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/ http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0809.JPG.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0809.JPG.html
The last job required to complete the bicycle stand is to cover the axle extenders with Friction Tape. The Tape in the photo was purchased from Home Depot and is listed in the Materials spreadsheet. Although Electrical Tape would be better than nothing, Friction tape is the better choice for this application. Don't forget to have cleaned up your axle extenders prior to Tape application.

Not only will it protect your hands from being cut when assembling, but if you leave the axle extenders installed with the bicycle out of the stand, it will probably lessen someones shin injury when they walk into the extender (when bike comes out of the stand as a habit I put the front leveler in the top of the starboard Bucket and then unscrew and place the axle extenders in the recess of the front leveler) .

Begin outboard leaving at least 1/16" overhang and work your way inboard.

The added thickness of the tape should now allow for a nice snug fit into the 1 x 2 Bucket guides. If by chance the Friction Tape is causing the fit to become too tight and preventing the axle extender from resting on the top of the bucket 2 x 6, just cut another 1 x 2 and reinstall with the screws 1/2" further in from the edge to prevent the screws in the new piece from entering the old holes in the 2 x 6.

The Friction Tape also gives your right foot a better grip when mounting from the rear.

Y11-09-17

** Note **
Once your bicycle is set up in the stand after the Friction tape is installed, if for any number of reasons it's leaning to one side (or the other), and / or your axle extender/s are not laying flat on the top of the Bucket 2 x 6 (point of contact of the axle extender is OK if its close to the axle cap, but it's bad and needs correcting if contact is near the opened end of the axle extender), then shimming will be required.
One easy to work with and inexpensive shim material is a 1/16" self adhesive sticky back floor tile. As of this date Home Depot sells 1/16" thick 12" x 12" peel off adhesive backed squares individually for under $1 each.

Y11-09-19]]> rparigoris photo Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:45:18 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0808.JPG.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0808.JPG.html
Besides the 2 x 6s weigh less by cutting them to only 10" long instead of full length, the front leveler fits perfectly on the top of the starboard Bucket which helps when carrying about all the components.

Y11-09-17]]> rparigoris photo Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:14:09 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0799.JPG.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0799.JPG.html
First a few things need to be known about the bike you plan on using as far as the axle receptacles go:
1) What is the diameter of the axle that extends outboard of the bike frame? Some common sizes are:
5MM for many Quick Release Axles
5/16"
3/8"
14MM
2) Does your bike have a Quick Release axle in the rear? If so the axle receptacle needs to be relieved with a .750" wide minimum slot to allow it to fit both the offset to side and center pull designs.
3) Does your bike have a multi-speed gear tree on the rear wheel with associated derailer? If so that is the side you need to put the axle nut on and relieve the axle receptacle by making a flat to fit past the derailer. If the distance from the center of the axle to the closest edge of the derailer anchor / pivot is more than 5/8" then you only need to make a flat on the axle cap until you see the threads and then drill the hole for the axle in the center of the cap. If the clearance is 5/8" or less, you still need to make the flat until you see the threads (this gives you just 5/8" from center) and offset the axle hole either 1/16" or 1/8" closer to the flat to give you a little clearance fron the derailer anchor / pivot..
4) If you have a Three Speed English Racer hub, the easiest thing is to remove the shifter mechanism coming out of the center of the hub. These are not too common anymore and I couldn't find one to examine closely, but with a little ingenuity the axle extension / axle receptacle could be modified to leave the shifter installed.

This is a good time to clean up your axle receptacles. Use a solvent first like Alcohol, Mineral Spirits, Paint Thinner or?? to clean off dirt, grease and oil. Then second pass put under hot water faucet with a brush and dish washing detergent.
If you are using galvanized 1" pipe caps then cleaning is all that is necessary. If you are using Black pipe 1" caps (especially if you chose to machine smooth the exterior surfaces) then it is a good idea to paint them. Don't put very much paint on the internal threads though!
Later on in the build we will be putting Friction Tape onto these nipples and adhesion will be a lot better when they are clean.

Y11-09-13

** Note **

There's a new dimension for the flat on the starboard axle cap. Mill down until the threads just begin to show through (no longer 3/4" (.750")). This will yield ~ 5/8" (.625") from the center of the axle cap. If necessary the hole for the axle can be located 1/16" to 1/8" closer to the flat (instead of being located in the center of the axle cap) to allow more clearance for the derailer anchor / pivot. A self sticky tile can be used as a spacer to level things by adhering one or more layers to the starboard Bucket 2 x 6 between the 1 x 2 guides (or you can screw or glue in place a paint mixing stick). Alternative ideas to increase clearance is to remove material from the anchor / pivot if feasible, or file the frame to allow the axle to be moved further from the anchor / pivot (best do both sides of the frame to keep the wheel true to frame), or you could tap the starboard axle cap and eliminate the axle nut. This would allow more offset for a 1" pipe cap, or you could probably go down in size from a 1" pipe cap to a 3/4" pipe cap. If even more clearance is necessary, since there is no axle nut that needs accessing, the axle extender and axle cap could be machined further than just breaking through to the point you see the threads coming through. In this later scenario one would not be able to unscrew the axle extender, but could just unscrew the entire axle cap and axle extender (now an assembly) and reinstall the original axle nut.

Y11-09-18]]> rparigoris photo Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:37:02 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0798.JPG.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0798.JPG.html
I initially didn't have a front tire leveler.
The generator works fine without it, but I didn't find it comfortable after a while of always pedaling while going "downhill".
Depending on the Bucket height, tire outside diameter and your personal preference, spacing will vary.

First off a word of caution when mounting the bike when it is situated on the stand:
** If you move the center of mass too far sideways, the bike will lean to that side. It will do no good for the axle extender, axle receptacle and the axle itself if you really try hard to point load with all your weight the outboard end of the axle extender by having the bike banked sideways. Keeping the center of mass towards the middle of the bike is far easier to learn than learning to master riding a two wheeler. What you don't want to do is have your body far outboard and step on a pedal kind of like you would do to get on a horse. If you are careful you can stand on a pedal and throw a leg over, but I find it easier to mount the bike from behind by first stepping with my right foot on top of the axle extender on the starboard Bucket (remember later on in the build it will get wrapped with Friction Tape) and then throw your left leg over.
For someone who is not very limber, using a single step stool is also a viable alternative. Just mount from the side, you are up higher than the ground and throw a leg over. See under the "Options" album the one I found at Target which offers good quality at a reasonable price.

Once you learn how to mount and dismount, now you want to figure out how much spacing you may want under the front wheel.
Take some 2 x 6s, 2 x 4s or 2 x 3s you may have hanging around and begin stacking them under the front wheel and go pedal on the bike for a while. On my 26" mountain bike I am using, I found two stacked two 2s together gives me the perfect height I want.
I will describe how to make a more permanent front wheel spacer in the next. pic.

Y11-09-13]]> rparigoris photo Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:32:19 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0797.JPG.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0797.JPG.html
To make the front tire leveler:
1) I cut two pieces of 2 x 6s to 10" in length, then on the center line 1+ 1/4" in from the end-grain edges drilled a clearance hole on each end, then screwed the two pieces together using 3" long Sheetrock screws. To prevent the tip of the screw from coming out of the bottom you could put two washers under the head of the screws, file or grind off the tip if it does come through, use 2+1/2" long screws, use 1+1/2" or 2" long screws and counter sink the top 2 x6 a little to allow enough threads to grab and hold the two pieces of wood together.
2) Cut two 1 x 2s long enough to allow two cross 1 x 2s to fully capture the front tire. For my 26" tired bike the length is ~ 14+3/4" long. Then position the now screwed together 2 x 6s under the front tire, Take your two longer 1 x 2s and drill a clearance hole through the center of each piece 1+ 1/4" in from the end-grain edge of the 2 x 6s, now position the two 1 x 2s tight up against the sides of the front tire of your bike and screw the 1 x 2s to the 2 x 6s with 1+ 1/2" or 2" long Sheetrock screws. Snug is OK, but you don't want it too tight where you can't hardly get the front tire into position.
Oh BTW now would be a good time to fill your tires with air. I would fill the back and front tire to the maximum pressure written on the sidewalls. Do this before making the front tire leveler.
If you don't plan on using your generator as a bike, you could probably fill the rear tire to 5 PSI over the maximum and get a slight bit less friction when generating electricity. Since you won't be putting the approximately half of your weight on the rear tire, no more stress should be exerted on the tire with 5 more PSI over maximum than if you were to take a ride at maximum pressure.
3) Once you are happy with the height and side guide positioning, cut two cross 1 x 2 guides, drill two clearance holes on each 1 x 2 cross member located in the middle of the top 1 x 2 and the middle of the bottom 1 x 2 and screw together using 1+ 1/2" Sheetrock screws. Again you could put a washer or two under the head of the screw so the sharp tip doesn't stick out of the bottom, let it stick out and grind or file it off, use 1+ 1/4" long screws or cut the 2 x 6s to the same length as the side guides (if you can tolerate a heavier to carry around front leveler) and use the 1+1/2" screws.

Y11-09-13]]> rparigoris photo Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:08:35 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0796.JPG.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0796.JPG.html
To maintain stability of the bike platform, it's imperative that you don't allow the Buckets to skirt outboard from each other (by the accumulating effect of small wiggling motion, IE walking).
To accomplish this task a simple 1 x 2 fixture serves this purpose brilliantly.
With everything positioned as perfectly as you can get it, measure the distance between the starboard and port Bucket lips and cut a 1 x2 to that size less 1/8".
This distance between Buckets will vary depending on the specific bike. The mountain Bike I have required a length after subtracting 1/8" came to be 7+3/4" in length.

Y11-09-13]]> rparigoris photo Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:51:09 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0795.JPG.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0795.JPG.html
Now cut two 1 x 2s to a length of 3" each.

Y11-09-13]]> rparigoris photo Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:51:36 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0793.JPG.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0793.JPG.html
After carefully marking the longer base 1 x 2 that spans between the Buckets the precise position of the two 3" long 1 x 2s required to keep a little bit of tension on the handles of the Buckets, at least to the point that the handles are off the ground, but not so much as to cause the Buckets to be cocked with the base of the Buckets too inboard.
See pic:
Bucket base retainer 1 of 3. noticing that the base 1 x 2 is not touching the ground because there is a little bit of tension on this retainer.
Drill clearance holes in the longer 1 x 2 for 2 each holes over the center of the two 3" long 1 x 2 uprights, then one at a time drill a pilot hole into the end-grain of the 3" long 1 x 2 uprights. Make the holes spaced about 3/4" apart.
Use either 1+1/2" or 2" long Sheetrock screws. If the screw strips in the end-grain of the 1 x 2 uprights, try a longer screw.
You always have the option of cutting a new upright if you got a soft or unacceptable piece the first time around.
If you saw, or you didn't quite make a perfect 90 degree cut, you could smear some JB Weld "Wood Weld" in the joint, tighten the screws just to the point the JB weld starts to ooze out. Then clean off the ooze, let set 15 or 20 minutes and tighten the screws a bit more.

Y11-09-13]]> rparigoris photo Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:52:04 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0791.JPG.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0791.JPG.html
On the port Bucket since there is no derailer to deal with, position the 2 x 6 hard against the outboard face of the axle receptacle.
Then position the remaining two 1 x 2 x 5+3/4" with their inboard end-grain edges hard against the outboard face of the axle receptacle and their long edges hard against the axle extender.
Then drill clearance holes in the 1 x 2s for four Sheetrock screws (1+1/2" or 2") located 1" in from the end-grain edges of the 1 x 2s and screw the 1 x2s into the 2 x 6..

Y11-09-13]]> rparigoris photo Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:51:15 +0000 http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0790.JPG.html http://www.europaowners.org/gallery2/v/Begin-06-2003/album258/PedalPoweredBatteryCharger/HowToAssemble/Bikestandandgenerator/DSCF0790.JPG.html
Top down shot showing the 1 x 2s hard against the outboard face of the axle receptacle, but also showing that the 2 x 6 is further outboard allowing the derailer to achieve top gear.

Y11-09-13]]> rparigoris photo Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:29:09 +0000