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Rocko Bonaparte posted:I thought I'd post more about the misadventures finding a particular kind of electric bike frame for my mom. Apparently her inseam is somewhere between 24"-26.5". She says she has a pair of comfortable pants that are 26.5" and that goes to her ankle. When she was cycling, she had to ride small frames, although I wonder if she really meant an extra small. I haven't found a mid-drive bike that I think would work for her yeah. There's some rear hub stuff (like even a RadCity), but I figured she'd benefit from a mid-drive for how I expect she'd ride--as well as have it consistent with mine if it had a Bafang motor. Electra sells some cruiser style bikes that have the geometry putting the crank pretty far forward and the seat low, so you can get both feet on the ground more easily. They have a hub and mid-drive option with the same geos. I think this is p deece https://electra.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/electra-bikes/electra-e-bikes/townie-go/townie-go-8d-eq-step-thru/p/33389/?colorCode=red French Canadian fucked around with this message at 17:38 on Jan 3, 2021 |
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Jan 3, 2021 17:34
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Hi thread. I haven’t bike rid in like 12 years - did it all the time growing up in a small town but when I moved to Sydney to go to Uni it seemed far too terrifying. But I just ordered a Trek Allant+ 8 from my local bike shop (Australian). It’s expensive but I just jumped in because they have a 90 days no questions returns if you’re not absolutely positively delighted with it, and they fit it out for you, so I figure there’s not much risk either way. My reasons are I want to get out more and be more active, but I live at the bottom of a really vicious hill that it would be just grand if I didn’t have to like, deal with it. And the suburb I’m in has a lot of bike paths and stuff and they seem to be building more. I’ve lost a lot of weight last year, almost 20 kg all up, and I’m looking to continue that trend this year and I think that the Trek will definitely factor into it. I’m still right at the weight limit for the bike but I figure there’s probably going to be some tolerances, especially since I’m a very tall man I’m getting the XL size.
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Jan 4, 2021 10:39
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That's a good looking bike! Share your impressions when it comes in. The weight limit is probably on the conservative side, but be sure to check your spoke tension and brake pad wear periodically.
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Jan 4, 2021 15:53
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Man the Tern GSD v2 looks like such a great bike.
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Jan 5, 2021 11:50
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I revisited the electric trailer project I was working on earlier. Before I was having a problem getty smooth power output, but I have found a solution by using an old suspension fork with no spring (but still damping) actuate a throttle on the pull bar. One half of the travel increases assist power and the other half of the travel actuates proportional braking. Despite how janky the front end is attached, I decided to take it out on my routes yesterday and it worked fantastic! Up to a load of about 200lbs it was like not even pulling anything. I ended up loading it up over 350lbs without too much effort, but my poor little 16" tires could not handle much more weight. I'm quite upset about 16" big apples and hook worms being discontinued.  I plan on getting a less janky platform built now that I feel more confident with the e-assist. Also gotta add some safety cutoff, maybe like a jet ski kill switch. evil_bunnY posted:Man the Tern GSD v2 looks like such a great bike.
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Jan 5, 2021 16:48
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CopperHound posted:Despite how janky the front end is attached, I decided to take it out on my routes yesterday and it worked fantastic! Up to a load of about 200lbs it was like not even pulling anything. I ended up loading it up over 350lbs without too much effort, but my poor little 16" tires could not handle much more weight. I'm quite upset about 16" big apples and hook worms being discontinued. What do you haul?
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Jan 5, 2021 20:05
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Safety Dance posted:What do you haul?  and sometimes some less successful attempts at other stuff: 
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Jan 5, 2021 21:31
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CopperHound posted:I revisited the electric trailer project I was working on earlier. Before I was having a problem getty smooth power output, but I have found a solution by using an old suspension fork with no spring (but still damping) actuate a throttle on the pull bar. One half of the travel increases assist power and the other half of the travel actuates proportional braking. Legend
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Jan 5, 2021 21:54
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I got that new 17.5Ah battery connected to the trike. I just left it on the basket for a test ride out and back for around 3 miles. It went from 97% to 79%. That was not very reassuring since the old battery drops roughly half that. Is there some break in I should do? Another peculiar thing is that it physically requires the key to be inserted and turned the on position for the battery to discharge.
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Jan 5, 2021 21:55
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CopperHound posted:Comes with a good kickstand now?
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Jan 5, 2021 22:38
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My Alliant+ 8 is missing in transit, stolen, I guess, and so Trek is sending out another shipment. Getting your bike stolen before you even take it home from the shop is pretty funny. But every day is perfect bike weather right now, so that's frustrating.
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Jan 18, 2021 06:59
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lovely! I'm glad Trek is taking care of you, but that's still annoying.
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Jan 18, 2021 07:04
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I scooped up a BD Motobecane that one of the neighbor's was selling. Only a few months old and looked brand new. As an ex racer type, I had sort of been a bike snob when it came to e-bikes. I will admit that I was wrong. In any case, the idea was that the wife of girl could join me on a few road rides and go at my speed. That has really now been the case. Instead, the bike gets most of its use from me. I ride it all over the place doing chores and lunch pickup. I have been working from home snice COVID started, the kids and I call it "Committing a Crime" when we get takeout while the wife is at her work. The e bike is my main criminal vehicle. It is only a 250watt pedal assist, so that is the main reason the neighbor was selling it. I think he was looking for more power and a throttle. In any case, the bike is perfect for me, and I have enjoyed it way more than I though I would.
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Jan 18, 2021 18:20
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I bought a Himiway Cruiser, picked it because it had the longest range in the entry level offerings, though I need to loose about 100 pounds before I can see if it gets anywhere close. Advertised as 65 mile range max (which I'm guessing is a 120 pound person riding on the lowest power assist on flat ground), I'm getting around 40 on power level 2/5, this must what it's like to ride a regular bike as a fit person, it's amazing. I can't stop riding this thing, put about 200 miles on it already, which I think more miles than I've ridden in the past 15 years combined. I was dumb though and didnt realize going from a couch potato to a bike should be taken a little cautiously and I pulled my hamstring so I'm taking it easy and just staring at it in my living room while I heal up, all I want to do it ride it more.  *Next thing to kick are those cigarettes sticking out.  I bought it for when I move into a travel trailer in couple months to check out the surrounding areas of places I'm traveling to. Super comfortable on roads and decently graded forest roads, wouldnt take it on any mountain bike trails though. ddiddles fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Jan 21, 2021 |
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Jan 21, 2021 01:58
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How quickly does it charge, and how often will you be at camping sites with electrical?
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Jan 21, 2021 08:34
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kimbo305 posted:How quickly does it charge, and how often will you be at camping sites with electrical? For some reason they sent a bike with a 840Wh battery along with a 100W charger, so it takes over 8 hours. I'm thinking about trying to find a 54.6v 4a charger to cut the time down in half. I'll be with electricity 100% of the time, setting up the trailer to be mostly boondocking so a large battery bank and solar + generator, hoping I can get in a rhythm where I drain the battery during the day, charge it up over night and then run the generator for a bit to make up for that battery taking up 1/3 of my total Wh storage. Can anyone tell me if mid drive motors are easier to pedal with a dead battery than a hub motor? This fat bike feels like I have a flat when I have no pedal assist, and takes a bunch of work to keep it going, spinning the rear wheel freely I can see a ton of resistance the motor creates, wondering if mid drive motors can disengage?
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Jan 21, 2021 19:19
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If your hub motor is geared hub instead of direct drive it shouldn't have that much resistance. How heavy is your bike? Edit, I took a look at the spec, it has about the same spec as every other ebikes in the $1500 range, but with a 20% bigger battery. Don't think there is much to complain about. Maybe you can increase the range with 2" tires, I don't know whether it can be done. stephenthinkpad fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Jan 21, 2021 |
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Jan 21, 2021 19:38
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stephenthinkpad posted:If your hub motor is geared hub instead of direct drive it shouldn't have that much resistance. How heavy is your bike? Yeah I'm not too worried about it, 40 miles is great for me, and I figure the range will only go up as my waist size goes down. Leg was feeling better today so I went out for a ride, it was good and fun.
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Jan 21, 2021 21:16
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mca797JvwaA
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Jan 22, 2021 09:23
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Man thats awesome, I didn't even think about ebikes use for the disabled. Is there really a stigma against people riding ebikes? Thats one of the most eye-rolling, gatekeeping things i've ever heard.
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Jan 22, 2021 20:54
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Some urban trails here are supposed to be off limits to electric bikes and some right in downtown have speed limits imposed on them that are supposed to be enforced automatically by rental electric stuff (bikes and scooters). I don't really see stuff from people online just outright complaining about e-bike people or anything. I suspect e-bikes as a nuisance is particularly a bugbear invented by city planners. On the other hand, I irritated the hell out of the bike commuting thread while talking about e-bikes. The worst impression I get is hostility towards expecting e-bikes to go 20mph and share the resources of regular cyclists. If I lived in a densely populated area and I only had to go a mile or too, I'd agree. My own situation has my shortest useful stop being 4 miles away one-way with a 55mph rural highway for the first couple hundred yards of it, and I very rarely even see another bike of any kind along it. Most of my traffic comes down to people jogging in the bike lane. My commute one-way would be 12 miles, and there's a typical normal day for me that driving would be something like a 35-mile round trip*. A pretty chunky electric bike with a lot of battery and speed is the only way I could even contemplate trying to do that in any normal, regular way. If there's anything that personally drives me crazy: Ebike manufacturers showing off their bikes in videos by tearing into the grass at the local park with the full throttle. I've never seen somebody do this in real life, but I can see a policymaker watching that video and thinking, "gently caress that!" *Covid hit when I tooled up for this so I haven't actually had the chance to try this trip. I did the work trip a few times and concluded I absolutely couldn't do it with a light road bike with a low-power motor. I have to go along turf and grass and points because there's simply no infrastructure.
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Jan 23, 2021 00:32
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ddiddles posted:Man thats awesome, I didn't even think about ebikes use for the disabled. I’m not disabled but after a severe spinal surgery I spent the last 12 years thinking I would never ride a bike again. I have a five level fusion and lost the L3 and L4 right periphery nerves so in essence I do not have a right quad plus some other muscular impairment. Basically I have to peddle with one leg, which basically makes any sort of hill nearly impossible. Last fall I was able to do my first ride since my surgery, an hour long beach cruiser crawl on a flat path. After speaking with other people we realized an e bike might enable me to ride more than just a beach path. Last week I demoed a full suspension e mountain bike. 21 kilometres total, mainly up a mountain and back down, including some real trails. I broke down in tears after getting back to the shop. We placed an order the next day and I should have it next month. I get why people might hate on an e bike, and I’m sure some people are assholes on them, but at the same time thank gently caress they exist. It will open an entire world for me that I had assumed slammed shut 12 years ago, and I don’t give a poo poo how many people get pissy when they see me on a trail in the future.
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Jan 23, 2021 03:41
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There's definitely a sporadic, change-averse backlash from otherwise bike-friendly folks. A lot of knee-jerk reactions where, if they took a moment to think about it, they'd realize are obviously wrongheaded. "Ebikes are for the lazy! I like to get a workout on my commute" Uhh... congrats, but not everyone is interested or able of the physical exertion required. "Ebikes are just a toy for rich tech bros! They're the only ones I ever see riding them." Ebikes unfortunately do come at a premium that poses a serious barrier for entry to the poor. If we subsidized them even ¼ what we do for electric cars, they'd be a much more competitive option for folks that might otherwise burn money on a beater that'll require regular gas, maintenance, repairs. On the other hand, I 100% agree with the criticism of the engineering and marketing of ebikes putting undue focus on speed. Much better to build an image that ebikes are a great mode of transportation for everyday folks than to target a narrow, homogenous niche of racers.
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Jan 23, 2021 04:09
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Voodoofly posted:I’m not disabled but after a severe spinal surgery I spent the last 12 years thinking I would never ride a bike again. I have a five level fusion and lost the L3 and L4 right periphery nerves so in essence I do not have a right quad plus some other muscular impairment. Basically I have to peddle with one leg, which basically makes any sort of hill nearly impossible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjhhbuDrJ1A I'm not crying! You're crying.
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Jan 23, 2021 06:52
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Voodoofly posted:Last week I demoed a full suspension e mountain bike. 21 kilometres total, mainly up a mountain and back down, including some real trails. I broke down in tears after getting back to the shop. We placed an order the next day and I should have it next month. Also you're the perfect case to demonstrate the correctness of EU ebike rules. 25kph bikes are bikes, period. Above that you're a moped with all that entails. There's a bunch of people on ebikes on our trail network and honestly it doesn't bother anyone, plus MTB peeps get to take their spouses/kids along and that owns.
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Jan 23, 2021 11:28
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Pulled the trigger on one of the gen2 GSDs from my LBS. Decided I couldn’t justify the Rohloff and went for the s00 instead. I think I can get used to the Enviolo cvt...we’ll see!
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Jan 26, 2021 00:33
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My Allant+ 8 finally arrived, and I took it for its first ride, and my first in like 12 years. It's incredible. I can't believe I was even slightly worried it didn't have enough power to get up a hill. If you chuck it in first and have any assistance on above Eco it just crushes them flat. Turbo is actually scary how fast it goes up hills. Getting it home meant taking up an incredibly steep driveway, and it was laughably easy, like easier than walking easy. Barely moving my legs. This is honestly a poo poo load more bike than I was expecting given the restrictions on wattage and speed. It has a precision and stability to it that is wonderful, it feels capable of anything. I felt like I have found something important that I lost a very long time ago. Since it's XL-sized, it's the first bike I've ever had that fits my height, it's honestly a completely different thing. Some of that has come with some hard realisations: I relied on having my feet flat on the ground for getting out of jams a lot and don't really have good dismounting down, or tight cornering. One thing that compounded that I found starting on a hill is basically impossible. For that steep driveway I mentioned I was able to turn around, go downhill to the bottom, then take a run at it and it was again, laughable, pitiable even. But then at the top of that driveway and the start of the next one in a slightly more flatter but still very much uphill gradient, a car came the other way, and I had to break, and then I realised I was basically hosed and had to scary dismount via my tiptoes and balls. The assistance selection thing is another thing. Through most of the ride I was treating it basically like gears but I think that's definitely wrong, I know I've read from a bunch of places that you should use the gears to guide the assistance, not the other way around, so I think I need to get a feel for that more. I spent pretty much all the flats in Eco or Off, enjoying the actual sensation of pedalling with resistance while not going fast, but I found myself scrambling to up the assistance before I got to a hill. I get the distinct impression that micromanagement is definitely the wrong way here. Comfort wise it's pretty great, I think it will take some getting used to though. I opted for upgrading the seat to a huge Bioaktive one that did alright but still might need to get used to it. The handlebars also can feel a little more distant than I'm used to. But really on the whole, I am blown away. I love the look of it, the feel of it, everything. Very satisfied first day. We're in for a rainy week, unfortunately, so that will probably curtail me using it heavily but I am so looking forward to getting better with it.
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Jan 28, 2021 13:13
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chaosbreather posted:: I relied on having my feet flat on the ground for getting out of jams a lot and don't really have good dismounting down, or tight cornering. One thing that compounded that I found starting on a hill is basically impossible. quote:But then at the top of that driveway and the start of the next one in a slightly more flatter but still very much uphill gradient, a car came the other way, and I had to break, and then I realised I was basically hosed and had to scary dismount via my tiptoes and balls. quote:Comfort wise it's pretty great, I think it will take some getting used to though. I opted for upgrading the seat to a huge Bioaktive one that did alright but still might need to get used to it. The handlebars also can feel a little more distant than I'm used to.
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Jan 28, 2021 13:25
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kimbo305 posted:On modern hybrids like the Allant+, in a size that fits you, you should have clearance standing astride the bike, flatfooted. Are you really short in the leg? I am extremely tall in the everything. I'm actually 1cm under the maximum height for the Allant. I'm not super clear on your usage of 'astride' here. If I'm on the saddle I can stand, like, on tiptoes, according to the bikeshop and the stuff I've read, that's the ticket -- and that my leg is fully extended when my heel is on the pedal when it's down or something similar. I can definitely stand flat footed if I am off the saddle, like in front of it, which this video points out is the thing to do which i am just finding out about now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0CJk5UpY4w I am def doing a bunch of things totally wrong, I sort of had to figure it all out myself growing up without any real guidance. (and on bikes that were way too small for me) chaosbreather fucked around with this message at 13:35 on Jan 28, 2021 |
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Jan 28, 2021 13:31
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If you can tiptoe the ground when you are on the saddle, that would be too uncomfortable to pedal. Unless you pedal with the rear end not touching the saddle most of the time, which would give you more exercise. Just spend some time on practicing dismount techniques. stephenthinkpad fucked around with this message at 13:55 on Jan 28, 2021 |
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Jan 28, 2021 13:51
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marmot25 posted:Pulled the trigger on one of the gen2 GSDs from my LBS. Decided I couldn’t justify the Rohloff and went for the s00 instead. I think I can get used to the Enviolo cvt...we’ll see! The v2 GSD solves 90% of the issues with the v1, so if you want a long tail it's the best option IMO. This is good practice. You can't have your butt on the saddle, good leg extension at the bottom of the stroke, and any ground clearance at the same time. The saddle is the right part to compromise. When you want to stop just stand on a pedal at the bottom of the stroke and put your opposite foot down. evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 13:57 on Jan 28, 2021 |
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Jan 28, 2021 13:53
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chaosbreather posted:I can definitely stand flat footed if I am off the saddle, like in front of it, which this video points out is the thing to do which i am just finding out about now: Yeah, when coming to a complete stop for any extended period of time, you'll want to be off your saddle. For the obvious reason that it's more comfortable and lets you plant a wider base. Coming to a relaxed stop, you can get down to 0.5mph before hopping off. But in an emergency stop, you'll want to be getting off the saddle sooner as the bike rapidly comes to a halt, giving you more leeway between when your body is and where the bike ends up. Going by what you said, you braked all the way to a stop and stayed in the saddle? If so, probably wouldn't have been as dicy feeling if you'd come off the bike and planted feet sooner.
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Jan 28, 2021 14:10
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kimbo305 posted:Yeah, when coming to a complete stop for any extended period of time, you'll want to be off your saddle. For the obvious reason that it's more comfortable and lets you plant a wider base. Yes this seems like a better approach than giving yourself a massive wedgie while your toes fight for traction and you desperately fight not to fall over. Who knew?
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Jan 28, 2021 14:17
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evil_bunnY posted:Man that's awesome. Cat rear end Trophy posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjhhbuDrJ1A Thanks. I can’t imagine a bike with more top speed, it’s a beast as it is. Also as I recently moved to North Vancouver from the states it is definitely a goal to ride whatever Whistlers equivalent of a bunny slope is someday.
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Jan 30, 2021 19:13
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Ebike-relevant content: https://youtu.be/6MM6MbDISQI
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Jan 30, 2021 20:41
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Well you guys convinced me, I ordered a biktrix juggernaut duo ultra step through, I’m fat and short so it seems to be just right for me. I loved riding my old city bike in Louisiana but since moving to Arkansas it doesn’t do it, I need exercise and this seems the best way to get out of the house and lose some pounds, I’m going to commute to work on it 3 miles. kaptkobe fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Feb 5, 2021 |
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Feb 5, 2021 00:49
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Awesome, welcome to the practical nerds' club. Post pics of your sweet ride when you get it!
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Feb 5, 2021 16:37
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Got my bike! Did a couple hour ride today in the rain. Got muddy, froze my feet (need to get waterproof shoes), stalled out in some mud and had a blast. Not sure the best way to post pics anymore but can post a couple if people are interested.
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Feb 6, 2021 22:30
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Voodoofly posted:Not sure the best way to post pics anymore but can post a couple if people are interested. Absolutely interested! I think the recommended thing to do is: - upload the picture to imgur.com - right click on the picture and 'Copy Location' - paste that into SA and the forum will handle putting img tags around it If your picture is too large, you can append a lower case L onto the file name to make it more reasonable. For example: i.imgur.com/xxxxx.jpg becomes i.imgur.com/xxxxxl.jpg
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Feb 6, 2021 22:42
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Not really that great a set of photos, but here they are. It was raining most of the ride so I didn’t stop very often to take pics as I had my phone in a bag in my backpack and it was a hassle to get out. We have a couple shots of the bike before I set out, a shot on the bike path looking into downtown (I stopped to put on more gear because the rain picked up), two shots from the trail once I got into the forests going up the mountain, and then a couple shots back home which don’t show the mud nearly as much as it looked like in person before I cleaned it.        If the pics don’t work I’ll mess around with them once I’m at a computer. Voodoofly fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Feb 7, 2021 |
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Feb 7, 2021 16:53
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