I am working on plans to build a really epic electric and gas powered bike. You’re probably thinking, why not just buy a motorcycle? The bike I want to build will have 3 power sources- gas, electric, and pedal power. I know of very few that has combined both gas and electric power on a bicycle, and those I could find I included videos of at the bottom of this post. I believe in the rule of 3. Having 3 power sources for the bike means I have options if one or two of them fail.
Having these 2 motor systems would add a fair amount of weight, but that’s just something you’d need to consider when planning your bike. It’d be the same strain on my e-bike now, if I were to lose 22 lbs, something I want to do anyways. Or if I was carrying a heavy backpack, something I do on a regular basis. The goal with this bike would be to be able to go on a 200 mile trip. Honestly, with planning and assuming you can stop at gas stations on the way, or carrying fuel with you, I think I could in theory ride this hybrid from coast to coast.
Electric Motor
My current electric bike has a rear hub motor because I wanted it to blend in and look stock, but for my gas and electric build I want a front hub motor. The rear hub will be connected to the gas motor, and separating them will help distribute weight. Also, it’ll be impossible to make a bike with a gas motor look stock. These hub kits are really easy to install (even easier for a front hub), and there are tons of YouTube videos that walk you through it. In included one in the video library at the bottom of this post. I also plan to go with a thumb throttle for the electric motor because the best gas motor I found has a twist throttle. That way I’ll be able to run both and they won’t interfere with each other.
Gas Motor
I’d go with a 2 stroke engine. This means you’d need to use mixed fuel. For engine size and power though, you get a good bang for your buck with the 2 stroke. I’ve also just had less issues with 2 stroke motors. Besides, mixing fuel really isn’t that hard.
Tires
I don’t want fat tires. I think they’d be great for off road, and they cushion your ride, but they increase friction, which means your motor has to do more work to keep them going. Instead, I opt for the largest mountain bike tire (not fat tire) that the stock mountain bike can handle. The easiest to find is in the 2.2-2.3 range. I also like the fact that if I needed to repair the tires in a SHTF scenario, it’d be a lot easier to find or barter for a regular 26″ tire, and it won’t require a different rim.
Tire Protection- Necessary for an Electric and Gas Bike
I live in the desert. There are a few species of cactus that grow near me. There are also goat head sticker weeds. These things are murder to bike tires. I have to plan for them. I’d love to have solid tires, but those are really heavy. They may prove a necessity because of the growth and added weight of two motor systems.
Foam
I would want this foam tire protector. It adds a layer of foam between the tire and the inner tube. This means a thorn would have to travel further to puncture your tube. These are also advertised as being able to allow you to ride on a flat tire (slowly) without damaging your rims, again because of the foam. That’s the kind of versatility I want.
Harder Plastic
There’s another product I plan to use. There are hard plastic tire protectors, and I currently use these tire protectors on my electric bike. They stop goat heads, thorns, and glass from reaching the inner tube. I haven’t had a puncture since I started using these. I plan to use both the foam, and these tire protectors in harmony with each other. I also intend to double up the tire protectors, both with a protective layer inside and outside the foam. Is that overkill? Probably, but I hate repairing flats, especially when you have to work around a motor. This should provide the best protection, without adding too much weight.
Rim Strips- Protection from Spokes
I had the experience once where I had the bike stored outside, and it got hot. The inner tubes softened and the air inside expanded. Because of this, the inner tubes pushed down into the spoke holes, and the spokes actually popped by bike tire. Actually, they exploded. Think of popping a balloon. It was like that. Since then, I double stack the rim strips. 99% of the time, this is overkill, but this gas and electric bike is all about overkill, right?
Green Slime
Green slime goes into tires and, if something does puncture it, the slime will be pulled with the air leaving the tire into the hole, and essentially patches the tire for you while you’re in motion. Unless you get a major hole, like the size of a nail (though I have seen reports that it has fixed that before as well), this stuff can probably fix it, keeping you moving.
Batteries
I would want two of the same batteries, inside saddle bags. You can connect multiple batteries, but I’d actually want to keep them separate. It’d be easier to replace one if it fails. You may need to unplug from one and plug into another halfway through your trip, but that’s pretty easy. My current battery on my electric bike build can take me about 22 miles on pavement. This battery has a bigger output, with reviews claiming 30 miles, so with two, I’d be at 60. This battery could also replace the one on my current e-bike if I needed it to. Or I could take the battery from my current e-bike and have 3 batteries for a long trip.
Saddle Bags
I want the batteries in my saddle bags, along with any other gear I may need. These saddle bags are high capacity and water proof and are the highest rated bags on Amazon. They also have more storage than most on amazon, which I really liked.
Bike Trailer
I see homeless people using these to pull all of their possessions with them. I’ve also got a toddler. I probably wouldn’t use this on a daily basis, but it needs to be able to have storage capacity, and to take care of my family’s needs to make it a viable survival mode of transportation. If I had to travel for some reason across the state of Utah, where I live, into Idaho where my wife’s family lives, I could throw a 5 gallon tank of gas into a bike trailer and I could make it there with gas to spare. It’d take 20 hours to go the almost 400 miles, but I could do it. You’d better believe that I’d also protect the tires on this in the same way I would on the bike itself.
Bike Computer
A bike computer is your clock, you speedometer, your odometer, and your trip odometer. This one also has a thermometer, in case you can’t tell if you’re burning up or freezing. The speedometer and odometer features are most useful for me. I like to know how far I’ve been, especially when calculating fuel usage and battery life. It’s also important to know how fast you’re going because you can get a ticket for speeding on your bike.
Lights
Most every state has laws about bikes having lights. I was actually pulled over on a bike because my rear light on my bike had gone out. True story. Having lights makes you visible and is so important if you don’t want to be roadkill. They’re pretty inexpensive. I like the kind below. I want a fairly decent front light, but the back light just needs to be visible to vehicles, which is pretty easy to do. I also really like that with this light kit, I could remove the flashlight to either replace it, or use it for any application where I might need a good flashlight while on my trip.
Chain Lock
The very best types of bike locks are u-bar locks and chain locks. I’ve had a bike stolen that had a cable lock on it. The cable was cut and left on the ground and I was left on foot. Luckily they didn’t steel any of my nice build bikes, but it still sucks to have your bike stolen. A bike that is obviously a nice, custom made bike needs to be protected. I recommend a chain. A U-bar lock is really nice, but you’re limited on what you can lock it to. A chain lock is bigger and you’ve got more options.
Enhanced front fork
It’s difficult to mess with the rear suspension on a bike, but the front suspension is much easier to switch out. Suspension makes for a smoother ride. The faster you’re going on a bike, and/or the rougher the terrain, the more suspension you’ll want to have. This front fork is actually adjustable, so you can allow for more or less suspension as you may need. You’d want less suspension on pavement, as the flex in the bike actually wastes some energy. This is why street bikes have no suspension.
Mirror
A hybrid bike can go pretty fast. Because of this, you’ll often be in traffic. The sound of the gas motor and the air blowing by will make it hard for you to hear a vehicle approaching. People also tend to swerve when they look over their shoulder on a bike. A mirror can save your life. I have one on every bike I own, and I am much safer on the roads.
Kick Stand
You might be thinking- my bike already has one. It might, but it wasn’t built to hold as much weight as a bike with all these upgrades will have. You’ll need a new one that can take the weight. I plan to go with a center mount kick stand, similar to those used by mopeds and small motorcycles.
On board battery charging
I debated having an alternator system connected- essentially using the gas motor to charge the batteries. I opted against this though. The energy transfer isn’t perfect, so this would actually leave me with less battery. I have toyed with the idea of setting up a solar panel and an inverter, but I don’t think the size required to actually charge the battery while you’re using the bike is practical. Because of this, I opted to not go with any onboard battery charging system. This could change for my electric and gas bike if solar panel technology improves.
Conclusion: Gas and Electric Bike
We’re in the process of purchasing a full suspension bike frame for starters. This is going to be a great bug out option and will have plenty of power to get me to my bug out location. We also plan to use this for commuting in town as well. The 3 sources of power make this a great and reliable option for whatever purpose you may have for it.
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