Anyone into electric cycling? Electric Bicycles

[Boomer23]

My bike has 11 Ah, for about .4 kWh at 36V. For 2013, they plan to offer a 14Ah pack, which is .5 kWh.

It's a heavy bike, though, at around 65 lb. For a lighter weight bike, look for one with a geared rather than gearless motor. I've seen that some brands will offer larger capacity packs than 0.5 kWh.

 

[hill]

My bike has 11 Ah, for about .4 kWh at 36V. For 2013, they plan to offer a 14Ah pack, which is .5 kWh.

It's a heavy bike, though, at around 65 lb. For a lighter weight bike, look for one with a geared rather than gearless motor. I've seen that some brands will offer larger capacity packs than 0.5 kWh.

Not too shabby . . . I'll see your 11 AH, and raise you the following:

This . . . along with my excruciatingly massive quadriceps, will utterly crush you in any biking challenge, so don't even think of it.

 

[Boomer23]

My bike has 11 Ah, for about .4 kWh at 36V. For 2013, they plan to offer a 14Ah pack, which is .5 kWh.

It's a heavy bike, though, at around 65 lb. For a lighter weight bike, look for one with a geared rather than gearless motor. I've seen that some brands will offer larger capacity packs than 0.5 kWh.

Not too shabby . . . I'll see your 11 AH, and raise you the following:


This . . . along with my excruciatingly massive quadriceps, will utterly crush you in any biking challenge, so don't even think of it.

The Pedegos are pretty cool, hill, and made right here in Irvine. I test rode one like yours, but I wanted more of a mountain style bike. Happy riding!

 

[hill]

My bike has 11 Ah, for about .4 kWh at 36V. For 2013, they plan to offer a 14Ah pack, which is .5 kWh.

It's a heavy bike, though, at around 65 lb. For a lighter weight bike, look for one with a geared rather than gearless motor. I've seen that some brands will offer larger capacity packs than 0.5 kWh.

Not too shabby . . . I'll see your 11 AH, and raise you the following:


This . . . along with my excruciatingly massive quadriceps, will utterly crush you in any biking challenge, so don't even think of it.

The Pedegos are pretty cool, hill, and made right here in Irvine. I test rode one like yours, but I wanted more of a mountain style bike. Happy riding!

The Pedego is 50lbs of pure fun. And Yes, I've been to the Irvine shop ... just a 5 minute bike ride down past the train station. The owner is a great guy. "She-who-must-be-obeyed" said the garage was way too full, so I just sold my P-38 Lightning Recumbent but I'm hoping to call in that sacrifice and work it for a few favors.
(story) We pick up the pedego while attending the "free wheel chair" silent auction.
http://www.freewheelchairmission.org/site/c.fgLFIXOJKtF/b.4916767/k.2A77/Inside_FWM.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
One of the many things up for auction was the bike we bought. I'd been looking at it anyway for a while. So we decided "what the heck" ... and we won the auction.

C'mon you e-bikers . . . . let's see more photos!

 

[abasile]

Does anyone here ride an e-bike with a racing-style seat, drop handlebars, and 700c tires? I personally have no interest in using an MTB style bike on paved roads.

 

[Boomer23]

Does anyone here ride an e-bike with a racing-style seat, drop handlebars, and 700c tires? I personally have no interest in using an MTB style bike on paved roads.

Ahh, there's the rub. In my few weeks of online research, I've never seen an electric road bike like you describe. They are usually heavier frames to balance and attach the battery and motor weight, and they are usually city bikes, MTBs, hybrids (MTB/city bike hybrid) or cruisers. I find the MTB style works well for the paved trails that I ride on, and I never go off trail with the city tires that are on my bike. But if a drop handlebar road bike is your cup of tea, you might be able to fit a BionX drive kit to an existing bike, as long as the frame is sturdy enough to handle it. The frame would have to be sturdy enough to attach a fairly heavy battery pack to the water bottle braze-ons and the rear fork dropouts would have to be able to handle the torque of the rear axle.

EDIT: It looks like I'm wrong again. I did a quick search for BionX Road Bike and came up with this right away: http://www.nycewheels.com/bionx-road-bike.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and another page on the same bike. Sounds like a bit of a project, but not too terrible. http://www.nycewheels.com/bionx-review-george-g.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's the BionX kit with the 700c rear wheel mounted motor. http://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup.asp?igpk=2126182137&TID=367&gclid=CNvG_IGWgrMCFc5_QgodzkMAqQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Plenty of research for you to do over the winter, me thinks.

 

[abasile]

But if a drop handlebar road bike is your cup of tea, you might be able to fit a BionX drive kit to an existing bike, as long as the frame is sturdy enough to handle it. The frame would have to be sturdy enough to attach a fairly heavy battery pack to the water bottle braze-ons and the rear fork dropouts would have to be able to handle the torque of the rear axle.

Thanks for the pointers! My current road bike could probably accommodate this. As a racing bike, it has to be prepared for a lot of torque. These days, I sometimes like sprinting away from traffic lights, briefly hitting ~ 30 mph before most of the ICE cars catch up. The LEAF battery's relative intolerance for heat has been a blessing for my fitness level.

 

[GRA]

There's an article in the October Bicycling about a guy who does both, and why. Can't find it right now, but will post the reference when I can.

Here it is:

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/bikes-and-gear-features/electric-feeling" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GRA]

The ultimate for me would be a road bicycle that performs well without electric assist, allowing it to be ridden as a traditional bicycle for the majority of its miles, including on a 45 mph mountain descent. It would need to have a large enough battery pack to assist me in doing a 5000' mountain climb in much less time than the ~ 2 hours it currently takes me on my non-assisted bicycle. As that climb takes place over about 16 miles, an e-bike should legally (at least in theory) be able to do it in well under an hour. An electric motorcycle would not be an acceptable alternative, as I do want to get significant exercise.

I'm afraid, however, that the energy density of current lithium ion batteries is not great enough to support what I'm asking for, at least at a semi-affordable price point. So my solution on many days is to ride my bicycle partway up the mountain, and have my wife pick me up in the LEAF. That way I don't take forever to get home at the end of the workday, and my wife gets to use the LEAF during the day, in the cool mountain air.

You have my unceasing admiration for being capable of such a climb, or for even considering it possible.

We've met and you don't resemble a Tour de France winner, but you obviously have some of that grit, determination and stamina. My helmet is off to you, abasile!

+1! Hell, I'd be happy to do half that climb over that distance in that time. Granted, I'm riding a 30-year-old bottom-end Peugeot steel 12-speed for commuting (I don't care if it gets stolen, unlike previous bikes), but still, 5,000 feet/16 miles, especially in high temps?! That's an average grade of just under 6%. How much liquid are you going through?

Edit:

0% grade is exactly flat (and a negative grade, less then zero, is downhill).

2% grade does not seem very steep, but it's enough to substantially reduce forward speed, and for most riders it will absorb more than half their power output.

6% grade is enough to cut speed to well under half, and absorb more than 80% of a rider's power output (leaving less than 20% to fight air resistance and rolling friction).

10% grade, and anyone who is not a fit and frequent rider is off their bike walking -- and anyone who is not a racer is reaching for all the extra power they've got.

 

[Stoaty]

Thanks for the pointers! My current road bike could probably accommodate this. As a racing bike, it has to be prepared for a lot of torque. These days, I sometimes like sprinting away from traffic lights, briefly hitting ~ 30 mph before most of the ICE cars catch up. The LEAF battery's relative intolerance for heat has been a blessing for my fitness level.

Yes, but how about your battery's heat tolerance? I must say, that is quite a feat. I have ridden in the mountains a few times (almost 40 years ago) including up to Big Bear the back way by Mill Creek Ranger station, and could not imagine doing it now, or doing it regularly back then.

 

[spike09]

Here are a few pics I collected on Pinterest.

http://pinterest.com/spike09/electric-bicycles/

Nice! I particularly like the Polaris Vector and the Specialized. I'm partial to nicely integrated designs with the battery pack hidden within a tube.

Just updated my Pinterest eBike Page. I now have a good sampling of what is available. Electric Motorcycles and Scooters now have their own pages.

 

[GRA]

Just for those who really want to torture themselves climbing hills on a bike :

http://www.bicycling.com/ride-maps/featured-rides/extremely-long-and-incredibly-close" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Boomer23]

Just for those who really want to torture themselves climbing hills on a bike :

http://www.bicycling.com/ride-maps/featured-rides/extremely-long-and-incredibly-close" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And after that, for those who want to picture themselves enjoying one of our world's paradises on an e-bike, this story put me right into that picture.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/travel/the-swiss-alps-on-an-electric-bicycle.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[abasile]

The LEAF battery's relative intolerance for heat has been a blessing for my fitness level.

Yes, but how about your battery's heat tolerance? I must say, that is quite a feat. I have ridden in the mountains a few times (almost 40 years ago) including up to Big Bear the back way by Mill Creek Ranger station, and could not imagine doing it now, or doing it regularly back then.

Bicycling in the heat is something I am able to tolerate up to a certain point. If the temperature is 100°F when I leave work in the evening, then I reach my limit at roughly the 3000' level, no matter how much liquid I consume. Starting at 90°F, the 5000' level is do-able. The last time I bicycled all the way home, the starting temperature was closer to 80°F. Also, if I bike on consecutive days, then I scale back my climbing ambitions.

Now, bicycling to Big Bear Lake via CA-38 is much more impressive, as you have to crest Onyx Summit at 8400'. That would be a good goal for me, before I get too much older. ;-)

I have to admit, I'm still struggling with the notion of allowing myself to use electric assistance while biking, even though the options presented by Boomer23 are quite reasonable. The hybrid bicycle/LEAF commute isn't bad at all, as long as my wife is game for picking me up, which seems fair since she says she doesn't want me to spend $2000+ on an e-bike conversion.

 

[Stoaty]

Now, bicycling to Big Bear Lake via CA-38 is much more impressive, as you have to crest Onyx Summit at 8400'. That would be a good goal for me, before I get too much older. ;-)

Yes, we rode about 85 miles in 11 hours, stayed in Lake Arrowhead with a friend. Hardest ride I have ever done (or ever will do). Late in the afternoon the smog started getting to us, even at that high elevation. Of course, that was around 1970 before there were really strong regulations on auto exhaust. That Onyx Summit is an absolute killer!

 

[GRA]

Just for those who really want to torture themselves climbing hills on a bike :

http://www.bicycling.com/ride-maps/featured-rides/extremely-long-and-incredibly-close" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And after that, for those who want to picture themselves enjoying one of our world's paradises on an e-bike, this story put me right into that picture.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/travel/the-swiss-alps-on-an-electric-bicycle.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That sounds quite enjoyable, especially if accompanied by a significant other who doesn't think "no pain, no gain" is a reasonable attitude. And the batteries are small enough to make battery storage for swapping feasible. Maybe Better Place needs to redo their business plan.

 

[AndyH]

Just in case it's raining where you are and it's not good riding weather.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8xKw_ShvzM[/youtube]


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi7EhYgHPX4[/youtube]

 

[Boomer23]

Since I got my Stromer, I've been riding most mornings, which is quite a change from my previous exercise frequency. But I began to realize that my preferred 45 minute ride with 250 to 300 feet of elevation gain only felt equivalent to a light workout on an exercycle at the gym. So I resolved to challenge myself more today. I set the pedal-assist to the lowest level for most of the ride, with additional assist for only the steepest of hills, so I was working harder. This gave my legs a nice "burn" and the whole ride was a more satisfying workout. I still finished the ride in 40 minutes for 9.3 miles and kept an average of about 13.5 mph.

What's truly great about the e-bike is that the fun factor gets you out exercising more often, and you take on more challenging routes, which is also fun, and you can set the level of workout that you feel up to for any given day. But you also are "packing" a virtual supercharger that can get you out of any jam, such as a headwind, an unexpected hill due to a wrong turn, or dehydration/ fatigue. I'm hooked!

 

[Boomer23]

Just in case it's raining where you are and it's not good riding weather.

Thanks for these great videos, Andy. I really enjoy watching Robert Llewellyn (being an Anglophile) and his Everyman approach to explaining the benefits of EVs makes the topic really accessible.

The first video accurately describes the fun factor of pedal-assist e-cycling, especially the surreal feeling of cycling uphill while your legs feel like you're on the flats, or even like you're going slightly downhill.

I liked that he went through the whole gamut of e-bike types, from a low powered folding bike up through the bigger bikes with throttle.

 

[Boomer23]

Just thought that I'd post an update that I'm still riding an hour a day, about 6 days a week, on my favorite hilly, scenic 10 mile route. I've adopted the discipline to keep the motor assist at the lowest of the four levels so that I get some decent exercise.

The last third of that route is down hill, so I've begun putting the controller in RECUP mode (regen braking) while going down steepish hills, and pedaling part of that distance to add regen and get more exercise. The regen is pretty minimal and it only adds 2% or so charge on a 10 minute downhill that would usually have me coasting at 20 mph or so.

The battery range is staying constant at about 45 miles with pedaling on flat ground at the lowest level of motor assist.