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FBS posted:How are you guys not completely paranoid all the time about these things getting stolen? I have an insurance policy and a big Kryptonite U-lock, and I found some space in my apartment for the bike when I'm not riding it. Same as when I rode motorcycles -- make stealing it somewhat difficult, but if someone manages it make it my insurer's problem. I also own a 5' long Kryptonite chain lock that weights a ton because I mis-read the product description on Amazon. I only use it when I plan to lock my bike to a lamp post. Leng posted:
It wasn't awful, just a lot of work. In the worst case I could have locked up the bike, removed the battery, taken a taxi home, charged it, and then gone to retrieve the bike. stephenthinkpad posted:If you don't get the fancy Bosch middrive, and look for Chinese solution , most of their batteries can be brought for $400-600 separately. That's one of my only regrets about buying into the Bosch ecosystem -- I can't figure out where to buy or rent additional batteries. What part of NYC do you live in? Safety Dance fucked around with this message at 17:49 on Jul 21, 2020 |
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Jul 21, 2020 17:42
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Lol I had my $3k evelo delta stolen from my apartment’s bike room. best place for it to be stolen since my renters insurance paid for it 
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Jul 21, 2020 17:59
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Safety Dance posted:
WHAT? That sounds way more complicated than just paddle it home. You can paddle an ebike with no power just fine. You just need to carry 30 extra pounds of dead weight. One time my ebike stop working, so I just paddle it home for 13 miles. It took around 100 min instead of 60, that was it. I let my bike sat for a whole month before I got off my rear end to fix it, it turned out just the power cable going into the hub wheel was loose. quote:That's one of my only regrets about buying into the Bosch ecosystem -- I can't figure out where to buy or rent additional batteries. What part of NYC do you live in? I live in Flushing, 13 miles to downtown Manhattan. stephenthinkpad fucked around with this message at 18:19 on Jul 21, 2020 |
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Jul 21, 2020 18:14
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SilvergunSuperman posted:That's crazy to me, in my city even your lovely $100 special has a great chance of getting stolen with a lock on it. Do you want me to suggest a 26 pound ebike you can put under your desk?
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Jul 21, 2020 18:20
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stephenthinkpad posted:WHAT? That sounds way more complicated than just paddle it home. You can paddle an ebike with no power just fine. You just need to carry 30 extra pounds of dead weight. One time my ebike stop working, so I just paddle it home for 13 miles. It took around 100 min instead of 60, that was it. I let my bike sat for a whole month before I got off my rear end to fix it, it turned out just the power cable going into the hub wheel was loose. Yeah, I agree. I'm thinking if I was dead tired and it was 100+ degrees outside or something like that, or if I popped an inner tube and couldn't sort it out with the patch kit I have. I'm in Kips Bay, but I've been hitting up the Queensboro Bridge and exploring that part of Queens a lot lately
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Jul 21, 2020 18:32
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Safety Dance posted:Yeah, I agree. I'm thinking if I was dead tired and it was 100+ degrees outside or something like that, or if I popped an inner tube and couldn't sort it out with the patch kit I have. Getting a flat is my biggest fear, so I swapped my tires to the toughest Marathon+, and a pair of new slim tubes every year. The ride comfort sucks but the tires are indestructible. stephenthinkpad fucked around with this message at 07:18 on Jul 22, 2020 |
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Jul 21, 2020 18:48
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Due to request, posting pic of bike: Edit: Stripping cross thread drama BS. Rocko Bonaparte fucked around with this message at 05:26 on Jul 22, 2020 |
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Jul 22, 2020 05:16
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Safety Dance posted:I wound up muscling the bike crosstown with the motor off, and using eco mode to get me up some of the worse hills on the ride back only. Safety Dance posted:It wasn't awful, just a lot of work. In the worst case I could have locked up the bike, removed the battery, taken a taxi home, charged it, and then gone to retrieve the bike. Safety Dance posted:I'm in Kips Bay I used to live in NYC (Upper West Side) so I still think the trip back crosstown sounds horrific, what with dodging pedestrians, piles of trash, aggressive bike delivery riders and cab drivers (for those reasons I was way too scared to go cycling when I lived there). Where did you get stuck, when your battery went flat? I assume you were somewhere past Harlem? Liberty State Park?
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Jul 22, 2020 12:43
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Leng posted:I used to live in NYC (Upper West Side) so I still think the trip back crosstown sounds horrific, what with dodging pedestrians, piles of trash, aggressive bike delivery riders and cab drivers (for those reasons I was way too scared to go cycling when I lived there). I was up at 135th on the Hudson River greenway when I noticed I had less range than distance home. I took 125th to 120th on low power, then motor off to 2nd ave. When it was flat or downhill or a shallow climb on 2nd the motor was off, and I used low power for the worst couple climbs. My range displayed 1 mile when I got back to my door.  I think riding in the city has gotten better overall in the last few years (I only moved here in 2017 so I can't speak for earlier). I use the Citibike app a lot to figure out the best bike lanes between me and my destination, and I've had good experiences with Google Maps too -- if you tell it you're on a bike, it will prioritize bike lanes and backstreets.
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Jul 22, 2020 16:17
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I don't know when you guys last ride a bike in NYC, but the city built up a lot of cycling miles in the last 2 years. You can go to place like r/nycbike and just browse the photos and get an idea. Keep in mind the people in nycbike are the most grumpy cyclists.
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Jul 22, 2020 17:02
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AriTheDog posted:I'm in the bay area also and yes, you will feel like a superman with just about any e-bike. You'll be able to climb any road if you have a decent motor, and you'll improve your fitness as you ride more and get stronger because you'll turn down the assist to conserve battery when it doesn't feel hard. my current bike is a surly cross check, on the heavier side because of steel frame and the rack/pannier i have on it. the cassette range is decent but i did add a third chainring in front for climbing steep hills slowly. it's just frustrating to go that slow and i don't have the endurance for some of the climbs. i did end up ordering a ghost ebike from rei, have a friend who got one and raves about it. will post updates when it's ready!
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Jul 22, 2020 18:13
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DELETE CASCADE posted:my current bike is a surly cross check, on the heavier side because of steel frame and the rack/pannier i have on it. the cassette range is decent but i did add a third chainring in front for climbing steep hills slowly. it's just frustrating to go that slow and i don't have the endurance for some of the climbs. Check what your front triple's smallest cog size and your rear cassette's largest size is. I'm riding a Surly LHT and despite the low touring gearing I feel like I could use lower especially on what constitutes gravel here (incredibly steep climbs that go on and on and on). Still going to put a motor on my cargo bike, and maybe my wife's bike, which is why I'm following this thread. edit: Stock rear cassette is 11-32. If you can swap for a wider cassette that goes to 36 or 40 it would probably make a big difference in terms of grinding up the hills. AriTheDog fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Jul 22, 2020 |
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Jul 22, 2020 23:30
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I'm looking for any information about being able to ride along oil and gas pipelines. We have some clearly beaten-in trails along them in Austin with opened up fences but I don't know if it's cool to use them.
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Jul 23, 2020 00:40
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Hell yeah it was cooler than expected tonight, so I went on an after-work ride down to Bay Ridge. 25ish miles in 2.5 hours. If I rode it again, I'd do it in the morning -- 5th Avenue in Brooklyn has a lot of traffic, and people trying to parallel park and double park across the bike lane. Sunset off the Bay Ride Ave pier  Big biek  There were a couple other ebikers down there. The guy with the RadPower bike was fiddling with his rear fender.  Manhattan and Jersey City. The Statue of Liberty is in this photo somewheres.  9th St bridge over the Gowanus Canal  I really really really need new pedals. The ones that came with the bike have little rubber nubbins that have worn down, and my foot keeps slipping off. I'll try to swing by REI when they open tomorrow. Rocko Bonaparte posted:I'm looking for any information about being able to ride along oil and gas pipelines. We have some clearly beaten-in trails along them in Austin with opened up fences but I don't know if it's cool to use them. I can't offer any specific texas legal advice, but my philosophy when it comes to oil and gas pipelines is it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. If you're in the boonies, just ride and wear something blaze orange so you don't get shot for looking like a deer. If you get caught, there's a 99% chance they'll just tell you to get lost.
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Jul 25, 2020 03:57
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What's the deal with cargo rack weight limits? The one that came with my bike can only hold 45 pounds so I got a 110-pound one that is, in all ways, much smaller. Same kind of bolts for that size. I also deal with a bike with an integrated frame before that had a 55-pound limit despite being chunky as hell and welded into the bike's frame.Safety Dance posted:I can't offer any specific texas legal advice, but my philosophy when it comes to oil and gas pipelines is it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. If you're in the boonies, just ride and wear something blaze orange so you don't get shot for looking like a deer. If you get caught, there's a 99% chance they'll just tell you to get lost.
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Jul 25, 2020 22:50
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I got a RadRunner recently as I thought I'd be commuting on it but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's a decent grocery/home depot runner, but it's not perfect. The single gear means its literally impossible to move if the battery dies and I'm constantly adjusting the brakes. Like, every time I get on the bike I have to adjust the brakes. But it looks cool and goes zoom. I get looks and complements everywhere I go.  I'd love to get a Riese & Müller but who's got $8k to drop on a bike.
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Jul 26, 2020 03:06
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SamsCola posted:I got a RadRunner recently as I thought I'd be commuting on it but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ RadRunner is good  Glad I'm not the only one bothered by the brakes. It's unbelievable how unstable the alignment on those things seems to be. I don't mind the single-gear thing but I'm diligent to the point of paranoia about my battery levels, so I don't expect to get caught out by that alone anywayMaybe it's the cheap fastening hardware they use. I've rounded or stripped two or three hex bolts in the couple months I've had it. (e) Oh, here's the most first-world-problems grievance ever: i've got four water bottles and that cupholder is microns too small for all of them 
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Jul 26, 2020 16:31
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Ciaphas posted:RadRunner is good Ah yeah, the cheap hardware was annoying to deal with. Apparently Ikea sells a water bottle that fits it perfectly.
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Jul 26, 2020 19:33
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Rad now has a upgraded version of the Radrunner with gears and some other upgrades. It costs 1500 just like all their other bikes. But it no longer has the cool green color option. If I can get an indoor garage from my building, I would get a wagon ebike, which is easier to install a child seat and carry a few more things to the bbq/supermarket. The funny thing is my wife won't let me sell my SUV so even if I want to replace the car with an ebike as much as possible, it's not that essential in my own case. I may also upgrade to a "halfway wagon ebike". I consider the Radrunner belongs to that category.
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Jul 26, 2020 19:53
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I was riding around on my ebike and a peddle just came completely off, stripped the thread and everything. I was miles away from my home/car. Thankfully I just throttled my way back home. Put me down as one of those incredibly greatful for my e-bike.
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Jul 26, 2020 21:46
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Nitrousoxide posted:I was riding around on my ebike and a peddle just came completely off, stripped the thread and everything. Are you gonna have to replace the crank?
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Jul 26, 2020 22:30
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Nitrousoxide posted:I was riding around on my ebike and a peddle just came completely off, stripped the thread and everything. I was miles away from my home/car. What model is this?
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Jul 26, 2020 23:18
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Nitrousoxide posted:I was riding around on my ebike and a peddle just came completely off, stripped the thread and everything. I was miles away from my home/car. kimbo305 posted:Are you gonna have to replace the crank? If you really want to save the crank, you can probably find somebody with a 9/16" x 20 thread repair kit. Otherwise, swapping the crank out with something that isn't made of cheese is probably a good idea. stephenthinkpad posted:What model is this? Yeah, I'm curious too. SamsCola posted:
Extremely good little bichael. I wonder if it would be a pain to swap your brakes out with something decent. Speaking of which, it was new pedal day for me:  I swapped out these plastic things for Bontrager Line mountain bike platform pedals. My feet kept slipping off the old ones. Judging by the stress around the outer bearing, I'd say 215 miles was just about the service limit for the original pedals anyhow.
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Jul 27, 2020 02:48
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stephenthinkpad posted:What model is this? https://united-city-bikes.com/eng/ Honestly, don't buy it. The lack of any gearing and the inability to put any cargo on it has been less than ideal. It also lags behind the pedaling and matching your power output. kimbo305 posted:Are you gonna have to replace the crank? Yeah it's completely hosed.
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Jul 27, 2020 02:54
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Safety Dance posted:
TY I might look at an upgrade next year, if it hasn't been stolen by then. I have to park on the sidewalk outside my apartment, so I feel like it's only a matter of time...
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Jul 27, 2020 02:59
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Nitrousoxide posted:https://united-city-bikes.com/eng/ Ah drat. That sucks.  Maybe you should have gotten the multi-pack.  SamsCola posted:TY That also sucks. What kind of lock are you using?
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Jul 27, 2020 03:08
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Hopefully you’re using something like this https://youtu.be/ixPFDFp8Cfo
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Jul 27, 2020 03:26
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If you guys want a really really light ebike just get an e scooter . A good one like etwow GT only weights 26 lbs.
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Jul 27, 2020 07:18
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Safety Dance posted:Gazelle didn't think too hard about how people were going to work on their bikes. The Bosch and Shimano parts use 3mm hex, the grips use 4mm hex, the brakes need a T25 torx, and the bar clamp uses a single 6mm hex. Rocko Bonaparte posted:The newer Radwagon has smaller tires and that's been a rare point of e-bike criticism. I suppose that could make the wheels sturdier and lower the center of gravity. However, the bike doesn't have a suspension so that makes it a smooth road queen. If anyone's interested in one, the main drawbacks are the chinesium stand and lovely facing on the brake mounts. Apart from that it's been great. evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 11:13 on Jul 27, 2020 |
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Jul 27, 2020 11:04
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Safety Dance posted:
I've got an abus chain through the frame. I can't use a ulock because it interferes with the cover that I put over the bike. I hoping the cover makes it more anonymous and less likely for someone to mess with it. We'll see how it goes. It's covered by my insurance so at least there's that. Pic of my beautiful baby on the sidewalk: 
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Jul 27, 2020 14:45
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evil_bunnY posted:Tern GSD I’m just starting to look into ebikes (going to have a son in November, I’d like to get some exercise with him), thanks for the recommendation. I love the setup, just not the price. Are there any similar alternatives, or is that the benchmark for quality bike vs price?
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Jul 27, 2020 15:50
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savesthedayrocks posted:I’m just starting to look into ebikes (going to have a son in November, I’d like to get some exercise with him), thanks for the recommendation. I love the setup, just not the price. Are there any similar alternatives, or is that the benchmark for quality bike vs price? There are only maybe 5 wagon ebikes on the market. The thing with the GSD is you can buy 3 radwagon with it. Also alot of people think they need a wagon bike when they rarely need to. You can even carry 2 children on a standard sized folding bike if you want to.
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Jul 27, 2020 16:13
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Look up baby carrier reviews to see how old your baby has to be before biking with him prior to purchasing the bike. Everyone’s threshold on that is different. I liked front handlebar carriers for when my kids were around two or three.
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Jul 27, 2020 16:37
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stephenthinkpad posted:There are only maybe 5 wagon ebikes on the market. The thing with the GSD is you can buy 3 radwagon with it.
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Jul 27, 2020 18:05
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Also consider a cheap child trailer on craigslist to carry large grocery. The rack I use is a Topeak MTX quick release rack. you can quick install a childseat or a carrying trolly on it fast. You can also use the child seat itself to carry a giant laundry bag if you want.   Pro tip, don't just rely on the quick release clip to lock your commuting bag, also use included volcre loops. I lost a bag that way. stephenthinkpad fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Jul 27, 2020 |
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Jul 27, 2020 18:31
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savesthedayrocks posted:I’m just starting to look into ebikes (going to have a son in November, I’d like to get some exercise with him), thanks for the recommendation. I love the setup, just not the price. Are there any similar alternatives, or is that the benchmark for quality bike vs price? My impression is that you're getting into that Tern GSD's price range if you want a smoother, more manageable ride. Cargo bikes are having to take cost into consideration with all the other changes they're making for producing a cargo ebike. You can take what I'm saying with some salt because I don't have personal experience hauling around tons of stuff on two wheels yet*. I ultimately just settled on a more conventional rack with the biggest panniers I can get. Those are still in the mail. I think I've come to terms like others have mentioned about just using a trailer if I need to do anything more. I would recommend some homework on that. In particular, how easy is it to tip over, and will to take the bike with it? Also, this thing with smaller wheels on the cargo ebikes comes some benefits. It's easier to mount and dismount. Apparently, you accelerate faster which would matter for hauling loads. That trades speed but this is fine if you're treating the motor like it's there to even make this at all possible, not to also make it super fast. It puts less stress on the spokes, and spokes going out was a problem with the larger Radwagon tires. The Radwagon complaint I saw a lot about their new 22" tires was that there was only one source for them, so you're locked into their stuff even for basic repairs. *I do have an electric tricycle with a suspension fork which has been pretty good, but it's a different animal because it naturally stays upright. It doesn't need a special kickstand to keep it level for loading. On the bad side, you can't make small steering adjustments by leaning because that force just gets soaked into the wheel on the side you're leaning. The first time you ride something like that in your adult life is pretty dangerous ("why won't it change direction?!").
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Jul 27, 2020 18:55
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Thanks for all the feedback. Because it’s recreational and not utility, a trailer may make more sense. Something I’ll look into!
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Jul 27, 2020 21:29
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Rocko Bonaparte posted:Somebody else did mention the chargers are not too bad. Beyond this, most batteries are easily removed. There are a few brands trying to make the bikes look less like obvious electric bikes that are making this complicated. They will build it into the frame. I only ever saw road/commuter bikes pulling that stunt but you'd want to verify with a mountain bike. If it looks like a black chunk hanging off the frame then I've never seen one that can't readily be popped off. So you can take that over to wherever to charge it up, and you can bring more than one. Those are a lot chunkier than the chargers. I got two batteries when I ordered mine, but I can't really deal with transporting the second one yet until I get my panniers. I guess this gets harder if you're really hauling on some rough terrain and don't want to deal with a rack. stephenthinkpad posted:If you don't get the fancy Bosch middrive, and look for Chinese solution , most of their batteries can be brought for $400-600 separately. So just get a 2nd battery for the road trip. Also what you describe doesn't require a full suspension eMTB. I don't want to dismiss you guys but the types of bikes n8r (I assume) and other mountain bikes are talking about are something like this: https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/heckler Most of us are dropping $4-7K on our regular mountain bike. $7-12K is kind of the price range for a real FS mountain e-bike. Just look at what the Levo SL costs... There is also a sort of turf war going on with non ebike and ebike riders. There is a lot of concern around mountain bikes with motors leading to land managers closing areas to bikes all together. Thankfully we have generally only seen ebikes banned and not mountain bikes all together. You see the mountain bikers who fought for 30 years to make us not motor bikes as that was originally where we were lumped in and they get really worried.Personally I have no issues other then giving an eye roll with secret jealously on brutal long climbs.
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Jul 28, 2020 04:13
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spwrozek posted:I don't want to dismiss you guys but the types of bikes n8r (I assume) and other mountain bikes are talking about are something like this: https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/heckler There are cheaper entry level mountain bikes. A Diamondback Sync'r 24 is less than $900. I'd guess that n8r secretly wants a hardtail gravel/touring bike with knobbies and a front suspension rather than a full sus trail bike for going off jumps and such.
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Jul 28, 2020 04:28
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Rocko Bonaparte posted:I can't help directly here since I don't know what's available in Japan, what could be shipped to Japan, or even what can be bought outside of Japan and brought in. Most e-bikes can be configured to cut off at a lower speed, but I think you're in a legal frontier if software capping is insufficient. For the right bike, I would definitely look at options to import. If it's too much juice, I might technically have to get scooter plates or something but I have my license so that's fine. Thanks for the heads up on Dapu, the bike shop guy that loaned me his fat tire for the week gave me a catalog and it looks like most of the Jpn market bikes I would consider come with Shimano parts, which seem to have favorable reviews?
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Jul 28, 2020 16:09
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