Charging the #eBikes battery by pedaling down the hill after taking kid to school. (sorry about volume) you can hear where my brake switch bounces (I'm trying not to engage the mechanical brake but have to squeeze the lever just slightly for #regenBraking.) You can also hear where I had to stop pedaling because the hill got steeper than 300W (why isn't it 700, GRIN, because I'm the only person on earth with this problem? IDK, give me the source code.)
Today I realized that if I could ever figure out how to get my #eBikes' #regenBraking to work right (currently can't get over 300W), I could be pedaling hard to get down the hill, which should give me extra points with the piously sweating club that likes to grouse about how e-bikes will make us dependent on motors and don't you know lithium and cobalt mining are incredibly damaging to the environment sorry what I can't hear you over the CAR traffic.
"I get that there is a legitimate case to make that we have to dismantle capitalism to effectively address climate, but I can't imagine any scenario in which the starting point for that project is #eBikes..." 💯 -- @chrissmithus
Best-selling electric vehicle in US? The e-bike. WaPo on appeal of the car replacement that makes you happy. https://wapo.st/3RXYuAb (gift link)
Kawthar Duncan: “Before I know it, I’m riding 20 miles a day,” she laughs. “I never thought it was going to be me.”
Adrienne McCann: "Eventually, a lightbulb turned on when her e-bike-owning friend told her she wasn’t buying an expensive bike. It was a cheap car." #EBikes#EV#BikeLove#BicyclesChangeLives#ClimateAction#transportation#BikeTooter
This article on e-bikes really resonated with me, including the experience of going from “biking isn’t for me” to my bike becoming part of my daily life. #BikeTooter
@kimu "if even just a quarter of vehicle trips in the 10 most populous U.S. cities were on e-bikes, users would save a combined $91 million every month on fuel and vehicle maintenance."
So much potential for local economic activity. Cities that aren't making space for #eBikes are throwing money away.
Rainy season has started for some of us. We've talked a bit about rain gear, but have you wondered how waterproof your bike is (especially if electric)? @ingalls asks:
Q5. Do you feel comfortable riding your e-bike in light to moderate rainfall? Obviously different models behave differently. Mine says it’s water resistant, but does that mean I can ride short distances in the rain or does it mean hitting occasional puddles won’t kill it?
#BikeNite A5 you should probably never take #eBikes into water deeper than the axles, but see what the manufacturer says (submerging hubs and bottom brackets in general is not good for acoustic bikes either). Your connectors should be sealed plugs but a removable battery is meant to shed rain to protect its contacts, not gasketed to go underwater. You might also discover whether they tested leaving it out in the rain, if some part fills up given enough time and rain.
@BrentToderian I'm waiting for some commenter to chime in that e-assist is bad because it means the user doesn't get as much exercise. Someone always does. And (a) it's not true, but also (b) who cares????
how do you waterproof an xt60 connector without making it too much pain to take apart? I'm thinking 1.5-2 wraps of cut rubber innertube with tape and zip ties on each end, like a 2in bandage over the connector. #eBikes
When I sold my last car in 2011 and switched to bike (first a standard, last 5 yrs eBike) I walked past the auto-electrician, the tyre place, the rego office, spare parts dealer, the mechanic, the panel beater, the petrol station etc etc and counted all the money I was saving and it made me very happy.
Also noticed how many things I did not spontaneously shopped for because I had no way of getting them home (and really didn't need them anyway).
It works well for me, public transport is used for trips I can't make with the bike.
The freedom of pulling up next to the shop without having to search for a parking spot is priceless.
Some would find it extremely inconvenient for sure. Others, like myself, find it very liberating.
ran out of #eBikes battery on the tandem coming home from Tigard, tried both of us pedaling on what few downhills with ~200W regen but that only amounted to maybe a few minutes total. The baserunner did give us maybe 100W on Multnomah + bits of climb after that, but it was, overall, a sweaty ordeal. I have not been keeping this one parked on the charger, since we've been experimenting with the regen setup, need to plan ahead better if it's not always fully charged. 😅 💦 #pdxBikes#BikeTooter
Check out this #eBikes demo in #Tigard today at El Tigre Festival, free test rides with a variety of electric commuter and #cargoBikes from local vendors. (plus food, music, and kids activities)
@scottsthoughts economic security and independent mobility, health, and higher-quality family time. At least, these are reasons for #CarReplacement#cargoBikes / #eBikes, and then you quickly realize the absurdity of #CarSupremacy reserving 100% of bike-able routes for speeding cars to line up two-by-two at the next red light, and join #theWarOnCars
Well, this is quite cool. It would be cooler if Toyota started knocking these out from a proper mass-production factory with Toyota's legendary quality control. They could EASILY sell them at €2,000 (not €6,500) - especially if they cut the stealership out of the loop.
PS I note that the French manufacturer, Douze, is fitting one of the Bafang middrive motors, hmmm, power hacks...
You know when a cop drives alongside of you, matches your speed, and gives you a look? Like after 2 miles of stroad with no bike lanes, a bike slot opens for a block or two by the freeway underpass (I don't think that lane even makes it through the other side of the underpass to the Fred Meyer in #Beaverton.) So I ride in the bike lane for two seconds and he drives off to sit in traffic at a red light, where I'll catch up in a bit, again occupying the right lane. 🙄 drivers
In all the traffic I got distracted from watching my #eBikes#odometer hit 9000... but I mapped my ride 7.8 miles back from here and it was that moment. So maybe dude was just checking out my digits.
“Toyota will be marketing the #cargobike to existing customers—including van-driving tradesfolk who may wish for an agile last-mile haulage option for streets closed to motor vehicles–and also hoping to attract bike customers...”
madsen moms singing the praises of the thumb throttle on their #cargoBikes should make us question why our #eBikes policy is biased toward torque-sensing pedal assist.
I don't see it mentioned on their website, but the Madsen has brake sensors, so I'm guessing no torque sensor.
If you try to pedal slowly around a gate or style, a cadence sensor may launch the bike at an inopportune time. Also, starting uphill without throttle is hard until the bike decides it's really moving, and adds boost. (These are opposite problems... Fix one and make the other worse). The throttle works around this problem.
Neither is much of a problem with torque sensor and proportional boost. Their main problem is the added cost, which is a real issue for accessibility and adoption.
I went to get groceries but sorry kids it's raining, #climateAction#eBikes are cancelled. I take it all back, long live cars, nobody should have to suffer like this.
Riddle me this, Batman: I have rear wheel hub motor from the original Swytch bike indigogo campaign. 36v,22a controller. It was on a 700c wheel and I could regularly get up to 26-28mph on max PAS on a flat. I had the motor re-laced into a 20" wheel and can barely get above 16-17mph. After looking closely at the motor, it seems likes it's a Shengyi DGW22, which is nearly identical to the sx2 from GRIN, standard wind. 1/2
"As #ebikes age, they are quickly turning to electronic waste destined for the scrap yard along with old laptops, tube monitors, and old cell phones. That is something the industry needs to be prepared for. I hope there is regulation that will require companies to support these products for a reasonable period of time."
For more than a month, since my cargo Lectric eTrike was delivered, all my visits to the grocery store (5 miles, roundtrip) have been on the trike. It's been fun, and my gas consumption (some trips are still too far, or time is a factor, or I need the pickup to haul something big) has been cut in half. Hope to do this through the winter. #EV#eTrike#eBike
I think if vehicle trips were analyzed, lightweight electric bikes/trikes/quads would be found adequate or preferable in many instances, recognizing there would be a big difference between urban and rural areas because of distances and infrastructure.
I think getting more of these types of vehicles on the road is mostly about creating infrastructure (consistent, ubiquitous bike paths would go a long way), and changing personal habits.
The suggestion from GRIN is that I could apparently scale up the regen current setting by 59/25ths, but setting that to 28A does not seem like an ideal solution / does not inspire confidence (how much can I trust the BMS to correctly limit the charge current just-in-case, assuming I manage to first check with a meter that the typical actual current is not over ~12A?) #regenBraking#eBikes
Also, being told there's currently no way to do a dynamic regen clamp speed 😞