Below is my previous reply regarding the subject of BionX Power Assist that seems to have gotten buried under the 'New Member' heading.  I have received no comments or any other questions regarding Power Assist so I hereby create a new topic. (I hope)

Sincerely,  D. J. Brown, DBOG      <:-)#<<=
           Sedro Woolley  WA  USA

Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:22:51 -0700
Subject: BionX on My GTO

Yes, the BionX unit does work. And with only a couple exceptions quite well. There are quirks in most new items and the largest BionX one is delivery time. Lack of dealers & mechanic experience sees to be improving. I was told that the rear hub provided with the motor &
wheel unit does not use a standard freewheel, so I ordered the whole
trike from PBW in CA. I could find no local or even WA state dealers
that would play with such systems. And BionX refuses to correspond
with anyone other than dealers.

A year ago I purchased the top of the line BionX and am very glad I did. The 350 watt lithium ion battery has driven me 50 or so miles with assist. It is NOT intended for full time use but can do so using the hand throttle after starting motion. On my 10% grade gravel drive I have to assist with peddling while hauling groceries. I think the torque
sensor is calibrated for upright bikes as it seems to take too much
peddle pressure to activate it at the 35% and 75% assist settings.
Such continuous pressure will kill one's knees on a recumbent. So I
run it mostly at 150% assist and hit the hand throttle when my crank
cadence gets below 70 RPM. On the old MTB years ago I could average 12 MPH overall. The GTR72 I averaged 10 MPH. With the power assist on the GTO I now average 15 MPH overall. Most of my travel is on the valley floor and smooth paved roads but I have a mile of 2% grade up a course McAdam (now called chip seal) road home.  My main problem with that road is vibration transmitted by the 100PSI Scorcher tires which loosens bolts and knocks off lights & fender mounts.

Battery drain depends upon many factors. The BionX web page states
that their figures do not consider wind resistance, slope, rolling
resistance, etc. I assume it to mean the results were done on a
trainer stand. But the figures do appear reasonable. I made one ride
last September of 55 miles using 150% assist and hand throttle for
starts, hills and cadence control with only an hour recharge during a
mid point meeting. When I tried the same ride in November, cold and
stiff head wind, I ran out of power half way and had to cycle home
with NO assist. One can turn the controller off and cycle normally
but of course than the controller does not record statistics. (I keep
a log of all my rides.)

I have heard from a fellow in Port Angeles, WA, that converted his 26"
touring bike who said the BionX 350 did not have enough power for his hill. Of course, on a trike one can always gear down and creep up a hill and the power assist does assist. I run my rig in the 65 tooth
Schlumpf chain wheel all the time. If I forget to gear down at a stop
all I have to do is click my right heel against the shift lever to get
a 2.5X gear reduction that will get me moving enough to hit the
throttle lever to get me up to speed. I have calculated the gear-inch
table for my rigs if anyone is interested and can decode a MS Excel table.

Sincerely, D. J. Brown, DBOG <:-)#<<=
Sedro Woolley WA USA

--- In Greenspeedtrikeowners@yahoogroups.com, "Jim Strasma"
<jimstrasma@...> wrote:
>
> Welcome! Tell us about your experience with the BionX. Does it do all the work, or just make the pedaling easier? And for how many miles
> before it needs a recharge (I've read that maximum distance epends
> somewhat on which battery you have for your BionX.)
>
> I ask because my wife can only go about 8 MPH on her GT3, and I've wondered if adding a BionX would allow her to keep up with me, while still getting a workout herself. Unfortunately, I don't think the
> BionX is available for 16" wheels, so we'd have to figure out some way to get at least an 18" wheel on that bike.
> -Jim S.