Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
VacaGrande
Dec 24, 2003
God! A red nugget! A fat egg under a dog!

Voodoofly posted:

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.

The bell absolutely owns. If you're going to be riding any trails more rough or technical than this path, you should consider replacing that adjustable stem with a fixed-angle stem. I doubt that adjustable thing is rated for the force of singletrack trail riding, and the rest of the bike is ready to hit some fun trails, especially since you're in one of the best MTB areas in the world.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Voodoofly
Jul 3, 2002

Some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don't help

VacaGrande posted:

The bell absolutely owns. If you're going to be riding any trails more rough or technical than this path, you should consider replacing that adjustable stem with a fixed-angle stem. I doubt that adjustable thing is rated for the force of singletrack trail riding, and the rest of the bike is ready to hit some fun trails, especially since you're in one of the best MTB areas in the world.

Thanks, the bell was my sons gift to me when I got the bike and I love it.

The stem was specifically added by the bike shop, who spent a lot of time crafting the bike to fit me and my physical issues. It’s jacked up to the sky because I have a five level spinal fusion and ride pretty upright. They have told me that the bike and all the parts are good to go wherever I can get with it due to my limitations, although I’m going to check in with them from time to time as I get more comfortable on the bike and hit gnarlier and nastier terrain. That said I’ll never be able to do really crazy shuttled downhill tracks or anything.

At least not for a while.

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad
Is that the factory stem?

E: whoop, missed a few posts.

You might try to get a +30 stem and a huge riser bar to get a more secure fit.

Voodoofly
Jul 3, 2002

Some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don't help

I’ll ask them about the stem. The owner is the one who built it for me and has been recommending the trails as I ramp up and hasn’t said anything about the stem but I appreciate both of your posts pointing it out.

I have now realized that the rear tire no longer holds any pressure for more than an hour or so. I’m new to tubeless tires, can’t spot any specific puncture to plug, and can’t heat the air escaping but it goes from 30 psi to nothing flat in a couple hours right now. Looks like I’ll be back in the shop sooner than I thought.

bicievino
Feb 5, 2015

Tell em you want the orangest of orange seal, none of that stan's tire milk.

French Canadian
Feb 23, 2004

Fluffy cat sensory experience
This would be cool

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2021/02/09/bill-would-give-refundable-tax-credit-purchase-e-bike

meowmeowmeowmeow
Jan 4, 2017
Any thoughts on the bafang conversion kits? Thinking of putting one on my commuter bike for round town stuff.

Protaper and diety make 3" riser bars, not sure of any bigger than that and both make good poo poo.

Rear probably needs more/new sealant, they'll go flat if they sit too long and it looks but that's like a couple weeks and sounds like you just rode it.

meowmeowmeowmeow fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Feb 12, 2021

French Canadian
Feb 23, 2004

Fluffy cat sensory experience

meowmeowmeowmeow posted:

Any thoughts on the bafang conversion kits? Thinking of putting one on my commuter bike for round town stuff.

I think it's a cool way to get into ebikes and learning about them but if you're thinking you will get a purpose built in the future, I'd just go test ride a poo poo load and buy an actual eBike. Aside from the inventory issues, it's a good time to buy one given where the tech is at.

CopperHound
Feb 14, 2012

Test ride something with and without good power sensing, so you can see what you're missing out on with most conversion kits. Make sure you to try some low speed menuvers.

Voodoofly
Jul 3, 2002

Some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don't help

Did my second ride this afternoon. It’s cold out and there was still some snow left on the trail. I’m getting more confident on descent and I’m learning how to balance out of the saddle better as I navigate terrain (all my weight is basically on my left leg doing this which is much different than riding in my pre-surgery days). Stopped for a drink at a frozen pond and took a couple shots.







Also spoke to the shop about the stem. They said it’s strong enough for what I’m able to do now and it will help us adjust it as I get more comfortable and discover the best riding position for me. Probably won’t be a forever stem but they aren’t worried about me hitting terrain that would cause issues with it anytime soon. They also said they are happy to look at it after each of my rides (the shop is two blocks from our place which makes it easy).

Edit: 27km, probably 220m or so ascent and then descent back down on the route.

evil_bunnY
Apr 2, 2003

your LBS sounds cool, glad you’re riding :)

meowmeowmeowmeow
Jan 4, 2017
So the main difference between cheap kit and nice bike is power sensing and smoothness of the boost? Are there any better conversion kits or drivetrains available ala carte? Haven't really loved the geo or design of most of the current ebikes, I'd like to put something on the crit frame I've been riding for loving ages and know really well, it's been my city bike for a decade.

DELETE CASCADE
Oct 25, 2017

i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003
there's lots of poo poo, but anything you put on there is gonna weigh so much (battery+motor) that your frame will feel completely different imo

evil_bunnY
Apr 2, 2003

meowmeowmeowmeow posted:

So the main difference between cheap kit and nice bike is power sensing and smoothness of the boost?
That, noise, reliability, parts availability and LBS support, etc

kaptkobe
Mar 29, 2015
Got my bike today here are some pics







Biktrix jug ultra duo, got two 52v 910wh batteries, rode around the neighborhood, shifting is going to take some getting used to, seems like anything below 3 is useless even on hills. Realized how out of shape I am! Definitely not going to drain both batteries for a while.

kaptkobe fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Feb 23, 2021

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad
Are those the stock bars they ship? Not bad.

kaptkobe
Mar 29, 2015
No those are the add on a-bars they are really nice

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

kaptkobe posted:

No those are the add on a-bars they are really nice

Oh I see. House brand and not actual Jones bars. Though priced the same as the SG Loop.

kaptkobe
Mar 29, 2015
Yeah I thought about switching my self later but didn’t feel like having to wait for the Jones or moving everything over. They included the original bars if I want to switch back.

Cugel the Clever
Apr 5, 2009
I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA
The War on Cars did an ebike episode! They interviewed Oregon's Earl Blumenauer on an ebike tax credit.
https://twitter.com/TheWarOnCars/status/1366737432738205706?s=19

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad
It's an extremely attractive offer for people who were considering dropping multiple thousands on a utility vehicle. Namely, people with considerable means already.
It's a net good for the planet, but don't overlook how many people cannot benefit from this when they might be able to benefit from $1500 toward other things. Like just a normal bike.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLKm5Q-lk_o/

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad
Here's a decent discount for a skinny tire ebike:
https://www.theproscloset.com/products/cannondale-quick-neo-sl-2-fitness-e-bike-2021-medium

French Canadian
Feb 23, 2004

Fluffy cat sensory experience

Cugel the Clever posted:

The War on Cars did an ebike episode! They interviewed Oregon's Earl Blumenauer on an ebike tax credit.
https://twitter.com/TheWarOnCars/status/1366737432738205706?s=19

I love The War on Cars and I listened to another eBike episode a few months ago that was quite good:

https://thewaroncars.org/2020/09/29/winning-the-war-on-cars-in-rural-america/

Dren
Jan 5, 2001

Pillbug

kimbo305 posted:

It's an extremely attractive offer for people who were considering dropping multiple thousands on a utility vehicle. Namely, people with considerable means already.
It's a net good for the planet, but don't overlook how many people cannot benefit from this when they might be able to benefit from $1500 toward other things. Like just a normal bike.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLKm5Q-lk_o/

It should be attractive for people who were not already thinking about purchasing an ebike as well. In the podcast segment he talks about how it's a refundable tax credit, which means people at lower income levels should be able to receive the full credit. If those people have access to financing they can likely get a loan term that is longer than would be needed to get their refund check and apply it to the loan balance. For a certain segment of people it could be a legitimate alternative to a car and those people could consider selling their car, if they have one.

The instagram post is talking about people who cannot access financing and cannot pay up front. I tend to agree that this bill does not help those people access an ebike.

I'm having trouble imagining replacing my car with an ebike. I regularly transport passengers and travel longer distances, both of which would be impractical on bikes. However, I have replaced some local trips with bike trips. I'm sure smarter people than me have stuff to say about this but a huge obstacle for bicycles and ally for cars is suburbs. They are built to make sense for cars. They space everything out and their roads are designed to dead end to prevent outsiders from wandering in. If density went up bikes would make much more sense.

kronix
Jul 1, 2004



Glad I found this thread. I just purchased a Vado SL 5.0 last weekend and rode it ~10 miles the day I got it. Holy poo poo are these things fun. It's definitely not the fastest ebike but I'm a huge fun of how it's a class 3 that looks subtle enough to not draw a ton of attention on paths in Boston where it's 100% unclear whether or not ebikes are legal or not. The line between bike path and separated bike lane seems nebulous.

Honestly, it feels like I'm 10 years younger. I used to be a huge cyclist until 5 years ago when my work became outside of reasonable cycling range for a place with no showers. I live in a less dense part of the city where hills are bigger, distances are further and traffic is faster. The hope is to use this bike for most of my errands as an excuse to get out and be more active after 20 pounds of Covid weight.

Basically, I'm faster than my road bike now with paniers, comfy tires, fenders and a kickstand and I don't have to clack around inside stores.

Safety Dance
Sep 10, 2007

Five degrees to starboard!

Hell yeah welcome to the cult! The Vado SL 5.0 looks amazing, and you're right: I'd have no idea it was electric if you didn't say so.

evil_bunnY
Apr 2, 2003

Dren posted:

I'm having trouble imagining replacing my car with an ebike. I regularly transport passengers and travel longer distances, both of which would be impractical on bikes.
This is by design. American midcentury city planning was a hell of a thing.
There's only so much public space and rich white guys decided it'd be used for cars, and more cars, and gently caress you. Also everyone that matters would live in free standing houses in the burbs, which make disproportionate use of city resources. No, you can't build anything else.

evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 15:53 on Mar 9, 2021

learnincurve
May 15, 2014

Smoosh
I caved and bought from a company reconditioning Argos returns, vitesse pulse, new £1100, but mine was £600, has the 100-120km battery which makes up for the front wheel drive and v brakes (??)

Standard “I took this shot for the insurance outside Halfords” shot.

Only registered members can see post attachments!

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad
Is that the stock saddle?

learnincurve
May 15, 2014

Smoosh
Oh yes, and not only is it the stock saddle it’s too far forward because the rack is in the way.

frogbs
May 5, 2004
Well well well
Hello friends, I have a Raleigh Lorry sitting around that I was considering getting rid of, but after thinking it over, I want to pour more money into it by adding a motor. I've found two other people who've converted theirs, one with a Bafang BBS02 motor, and another with a Tongsheng TSDZ2. Are those still the best options out there in terms of cost/performance? And is mid-drive still ideal for a bike like this? I'd worry about the bike being unwieldy with more front/back weight than it has already.

Also, possibly dumb question. Are there 'pedal assist' only kits out there? I'd be fine with just having a little boost when pedaling, vs. a whole throttle system, etc. If there's no cosst savings I guess it doesn't matter, but thought i'd ask.

Here were the other two conversions I found:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CargoBike/comments/gbkpyq/raleigh_lorry_with_electric_conversion_and_custom/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ebikes/comments/fw2ils/raleigh_lorry_electrified_budget_small_cargowork/

frogbs fucked around with this message at 22:19 on Mar 11, 2021

CopperHound
Feb 14, 2012

frogbs posted:

Also, possibly dumb question. Are there 'pedal assist' only kits out there? I'd be fine with just having a little boost when pedaling, vs. a whole throttle system, etc. If there's no cosst savings I guess it doesn't matter, but thought i'd ask.
Yes, but it is no cost savings beyond just the cost of a $10 throttle. If not using a throttle appeals to you, you should probably lean more towards the TSDZ2. Torque sensing feels so much better than cadence based pas.

evil_bunnY
Apr 2, 2003

learnincurve posted:

I caved and bought from a company reconditioning Argos returns, vitesse pulse, new £1100, but mine was £600, has the 100-120km battery which makes up for the front wheel drive and v brakes (??)

Standard “I took this shot for the insurance outside Halfords” shot.


If the V brakes annoy you HS 33’s are a massive improvement.

learnincurve
May 15, 2014

Smoosh

evil_bunnY posted:

If the V brakes annoy you HS 33’s are a massive improvement.

Thank you :) the stopping distance on this at 27kg without panniers is somewhat alarming in the wet. I get that it needs some work, but at £600 basically new (it was returned because someone left it on 100% pedal assist, tried to wheel it along with obvious sideways results - she claimed on the return form that the peddles moved all on their own) for a bike with a 120km range I’m not complaining.

evil_bunnY
Apr 2, 2003

The trick with rim brakes in the wet is to clear the brake track with light pressure before you actually brake.

kaptkobe
Mar 29, 2015
Well I’m finding out that I really over bought on the batteries. I rode to work all week and around town a bit and I still have 54 volts on the two 52 volt 900 wh batteries. I’d just use one but want to keep the other fresh if I want to take longer rides.

French Canadian
Feb 23, 2004

Fluffy cat sensory experience
I just did a pretty hilly 36 mile ride on 500wh and had a tiny bit left. I figure you'll get like 170 miles or something crazy? How many miles have you gone?

evil_bunnY
Apr 2, 2003

kaptkobe posted:

Well I’m finding out that I really over bought on the batteries. I rode to work all week and around town a bit and I still have 54 volts on the two 52 volt 900 wh batteries. I’d just use one but want to keep the other fresh if I want to take longer rides.
If you're over capacity you can make li-ion cells essentially last forever by only running them from 80 to 20.

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

evil_bunnY posted:

If you're over capacity you can make li-ion cells essentially last forever by only running them from 80 to 20.

I've heard that before -- do you have to stay under the 80 or some upper threshold for that to work? Does fully charging also wear the battery?

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

evil_bunnY
Apr 2, 2003

kimbo305 posted:

I've heard that before -- do you have to stay under the 80 or some upper threshold for that to work? Does fully charging also wear the battery?
yeah, dendrites!

EVs really encourage you to not top up unless you need the range for the same reason.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply