Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 9, 2022 10:20:15 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 9, 2022 10:20:15 GMT -8
Well, I finally pulled the trigger on an electric bike. I ordered the Ride1Up LMT'D...the "XR" model in the gold/black color. They had it on sale for $250.00 off which put it better in range of what I was willing to spend. I'm having it sent directly to my bike shop for them to assemble. It's not a complicated assembly, but Nick at the local shop takes good care of me and he can make sure everything is adjusted well (and torqued to proper specifications). He said he'd charge $100 or less for this. And that's a deal to get it done right. I have no idea what to expect in terms of getting on it and seeing if I like it. But I've researched this from both textual and online YouTube reviews...about as much as is humanely possible. It's actually been several hours of research which makes me aghast to think of the millions of dollars dumped into Theranos without so much as a bit of scrutiny. The features this has that I like or needed are: 1) Relatively light weight at 53 lbs. Minus the battery (which is easily removable), that makes it about 45 lbs. or less. That's about ten more pounds than my current bike which is a bit to lug into the back of the Ford Focus wagon. But I think I can manage. Note that some ebikes typically weigh 80 lbs or more. This LMT'D doesn't come with fenders or a rack...both of which I don't need, and that helps with the weight. I'll probably take off the kickstand as well. 2) A good-quality lock-out front fork. When going up hill, it's best to lock the front fork so you don't lose energy. 3) Wide tires. These don't have an aggressive tread like my current bike. But they should suffice for the relatively tame stuff I ride on. If not, I'll upgrade the tires to something with a more aggressive tread. 4) It has a well-tuned torque sensor. That's opposed to a cadence sensor. Having ridden neither, I do gather from ample reviews that the torque sensor gives a much more natural bike-riding feel. Cadence sensors basically run the motor for assist whenever you are moving the front peddles (no matter the pressure on them or if you're just twirling them around while coasting). The torque sensors add assistance when they feel pressure on the pedals. The reputed effect is that if gives you the sense of having "bionic" legs. That is, it's a smooth application of power that apparently melds well with your own efforts. 5) Purportedly the motor on this is relatively quiet. Some aren't. 6) It has a left-side thumb throttle. Again, not having ridden one of these electric bikes, I have no idea if I need that. Basically the thumb throttle lets you turn on the engine regardless of how you are peddling. I can certainly see the possible benefit of this for sudden steep hills. 7) This model has a fairly high torque motor at 100nm. If you're going to have an ebike, you might as well have some power. 8) Battery life sounds like it is good, but unspectacular. But then none of them are. Batteries add weight and there's only so much you want to pack around. 9) The gearing and cassette. Again, I won't know until I ride it. But the gears (front a back) are a little more geared for hills rather than flat open country. And that's good. I'd rather have the gearing be a little lower. And this one has that. 10) Many of the other items (such as the hydraulic breaks) are of good quality. There are apparently no "cheapie" components on this. I should have this in my hands in four or five days, depending upon when my bike shop gets it and when they can turn it around. But there's no hurry for what I am justifying as a belated birthday gift to myself.
And for the record, no one is quite sure if it is "eBikes, "Ebikes, or "E-Bikes."
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kungfuzu
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eBikes
Aug 9, 2022 13:47:11 GMT -8
Post by kungfuzu on Aug 9, 2022 13:47:11 GMT -8
Looks like an interesting bike. I would be a little afraid to go too fast on it. Have you considered how you are going to keep it from being stolen when you are out and about?
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eBikes
Aug 9, 2022 13:52:06 GMT -8
Post by artraveler on Aug 9, 2022 13:52:06 GMT -8
I have never been much a bike person. I had a classic Schwinn when I was a kid, painted it black and rode it to school and around the neighborhood. Never took it on any trails. I started driving when I was 15 so the bike only lasted a few years then it sat it the garage.
It sounds like you have done all the research necessary too get the bike you want. And it sounds like the premise that all bike weigh 50 pounds is operative. A 15 lb bike has a 35 lb lock and chain, at 25 lb bike has a 25 lob lock and chain, at 40 lb bike has a 10 lb lock and chain and bike 50 lb or over doesn't need a lot or chain.
Is the battery easily accessible on this bike, is there a lock and cover to keep idle hands from ripping it off? At any rate good luck in your travels about the mountains, enjoy the wind in your hair and the special joy that comes from knowing your not riding with Joe Biden.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 9, 2022 16:18:51 GMT -8
I will not be going fast on it, although that seems to be the big sell for these bikes when used as commuter bikes. There's one stretch of rural road out by Port Gamble where you go down a big hill on a nice wide and smooth road. I think I've had it to 30 or so. And on a bike, that is fast. But, really, that's the extreme case...for me. And, frankly, I think people who ride at these speeds as a commuter are severely pushing their luck.
As for it being stolen, the only time I would be separated from it is when it's inside the back of my station wagon while I stop at the grocery store on the way back from outings. But I won't discount a possible bike-napping somewhere on the road.
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Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 9, 2022 16:25:54 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 9, 2022 16:25:54 GMT -8
The battery is easily accessible on the top riser of the frame. And it locks. Having it on the top (some come out from the bottom) seems to me to be a bit more idiot-proof. There's less chance of the thing dropping on the ground.
Again, I don't ride to places on my bike and then lock the bike up outside a store. I'm always either riding it or it's briefly locked inside the back of my station wagon while I stop at the store.
If I lived in, say, a more wide open and flat place like Texas, I might take the bike in lieu of a short trip in the car to the store. But where I'm at on The Left Coast is probably the least bike-friendly place because of the hills, the weather, and no shoulders to speak of to drive on in most places. I'm all off-road for the most part. But a bike like this would certainly be a blast to ride long distances through large, wide open, residential areas. But if you saw the layout of just Bremerton, you'd know that riding-for-pleasure along the roads around here is not a lot of fun. When we were kids, there was far less traffic. But those days are over. I now commune with the bears and the chipmunks off-road.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 10, 2022 6:52:09 GMT -8
I read somewhere that you could get a further discount on a bike from Ride1Up if you pledged to use the bike in place of a car trip at least once a week, or something like that. I'm not ridiculing the idea. I just wonder how many bike riders will unnecessarily be killed as they try to elbow their way through traffic in order to "save the planet."
I'm still of the view that bikes and cars don't mix. The pandemic (a real one) of inattentiveness caused by cell phones has made the situation even worse.
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kungfuzu
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Aug 10, 2022 18:27:15 GMT -8
Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2022 18:27:15 GMT -8
I agree. Unfortunately, the previous bum mayor clearly arranged to have "bicycle" routes created in Plano in order to adhere to some Californian notion of what a progressive city should look like. The city put up pretentious little signs indicating this or that bicycle route, as if putting up signs labeling suburban neighborhood roads filled with rows of houses would give some sort of nature-trail atmosphere to the place. What a joke.
Since Toyota moved here, the number of bicyclists on the road has increased quite a bit. And some of the idiots actually take up a whole lane as if it isn't dangerous. Most also have their spandex outfits and funny helmets.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 10, 2022 20:14:41 GMT -8
Same shit is happening here. Lots of green lanes for bicyclists. If I was a bicyclist commuter, they seem so labyrinthine in the way they are laid out, I wouldn't trust my life to them.
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Post by artraveler on Aug 11, 2022 7:41:01 GMT -8
The city put up pretentious little signs indicating this or that bicycle route, as if putting up signs labeling suburban neighborhood roads filled with rows of houses would give some sort of nature-trail atmosphere to the place. I guess the same is happening all over the country. Used to be houses were sold featuring the ease of access to major automobile commuter routes. The easier the access and the further away from road noise were considered positives. We now see ads for homes in our area stressing bike lanes and public transportation. The last time I rode a bike was about 1993 in Yosemite. We rented bike and had a great time, but never went off the trail. I used to ride the bus to the U of A campus. I don't go there any more so I don't use it. |
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 11, 2022 7:50:11 GMT -8
Times change. And I see nothing wrong with promoting, within reason, lanes for bicycles. But the reality is that this is a war against cars. The end game they want looks something like this:  I believe in the American automobile and that way of life. The Left doesn't. We (us three, at least) can see these bicycle lanes as the Hanoi-ification of America. Until we are all peasants, they won't be satisfied. |
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kungfuzu
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 11, 2022 9:04:19 GMT -8
Back to the future.
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Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 17, 2022 14:27:12 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 17, 2022 14:27:12 GMT -8
The Ride1Up "LMT'D" arrived via FedEx at the bike shop today. Finally. I haven't talked to my bike shop guy. But I figure I should have that in my hands by next Tuesday or so. We'll see.
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Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 17, 2022 16:45:09 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 17, 2022 16:45:09 GMT -8
Probably the thing that sold me on this particular model (and type) of bike is the torque sensor. Torque Vs Cadence Sensor Pedal Assist: Pros and ConsHowever, the early models of Ride1Up's torque sensors were fairly rough in their operation. I've read a few threads on the internet about how the power outlay of these early torque sensors was not smooth. They would tend to jerk a bit out of the starting gate and things like that. Well, the company ironed that out and fine-tuned the controller card which has the Algore-rhythms and electronics that control the power characteristics of the torque sensor. One guy was shipped a new controller card (he had been working back-and-forth with the company regarding his opinion of the deficiencies of their current engineering of the torque sensor) and he said it was like night-and-day. He could have lived with the first edition but was glad that the company went to bat and fine-tuned it. What I vaguely understand is that eBikes have just recently hit the "critical mass" point where economies of scale and such can kick in. This $1645.00 bike that I got is the equivalent of probably a $7000.00 bike a few years ago. And obviously they have worked some of the bugs out of them and continue to do so. |
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kungfuzu
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Aug 17, 2022 17:54:10 GMT -8
Post by kungfuzu on Aug 17, 2022 17:54:10 GMT -8
From what I read, I would probably go for a cadence sensor with a throttle.
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Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 17, 2022 18:07:22 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 17, 2022 18:07:22 GMT -8
The LMT'D also has a throttle. That's one of the things I wanted because it would certainly expand the ways in which you could use that power.
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kungfuzu
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Aug 18, 2022 11:52:27 GMT -8
Post by kungfuzu on Aug 18, 2022 11:52:27 GMT -8
After reading the various pieces on eBikes, I couldn't imagine not riding one without a throttle of some sort.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 18, 2022 16:34:14 GMT -8
Time will tell. I envision the throttle as a sort of "instant power surge" for either climbing small hills as you encounter them or even just boosting from a dead start.
But I didn't want to buy a bike without this throttle because, like you, it does sound inherently useful. It could turn out that I never touch it. I'm looking forward to demoing the bike to see what's what. I should have it in my hands next Tuesday or Wednesday...whenever Nick has time to get to it. He was pretty swamped last time I talked to him. Good to be busy. I think he's part of the family that owns the bike shop. He's a super nice kid.
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Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 19, 2022 16:26:40 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 19, 2022 16:26:40 GMT -8
I had brought my primary (non-electric) bike to the bike shop on Tuesday to have Nick repair a flat. I went in today and picked it up and also got a look at the LMT'D eBike which is a work-in-progress as assembling it.
He'll finish putting it together tomorrow. Nick was generally positive regarding the various components that he saw. We're both not sure about the front fork because it's not a name brand. We'll see. You can always switch those with a better one as I did a couple years ago on my main Fuji brand bike.
Earlier in the day, Nick had sent me a photo showing a couple scratches on the frame. Nothing is bent. It's just cosmetic. All I asked Ride1Up for in an email was for them to send me some touch-up paint. They don't do that so they offered to take 50 bucks off. I went that route.
The guy said you can take your bike into Lowe's or Home Depot where they can scan the paint and give you a match for some touch-up paint. I might do that. But it's more likely I'll just find try to find a small bottle (modeling paint, presumably) online that is in the ballpark.
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kungfuzu
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Aug 19, 2022 17:37:46 GMT -8
Post by kungfuzu on Aug 19, 2022 17:37:46 GMT -8
That is good to know. I had no idea such a service was available.
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Brad Nelson
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Aug 19, 2022 18:58:09 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 19, 2022 18:58:09 GMT -8
One option is to buy a touch-up paint kit and do your own color matching. But as much as I'm familiar with color matching, I'm not sure where to start when matching the existing sand color. Still, it's not so much that it matches as it matters that the metal is protected. Apparently this company has some color-matching guides on their web site. But I think maybe Lowe's is the way to go. I'll give them a call tomorrow. |
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