Anyone into electric cycling? Electric Bicycles

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At 250 watts that had better be a mid drive motor that uses the bike's gearing. A hub motor or even a separate EZIP-type drive wouldn't be much good on hills with that output...
 
LeftieBiker said:
At 250 watts that had better be a mid drive motor that uses the bike's gearing. A hub motor or even a separate EZIP-type drive wouldn't be much good on hills with that output...
The photo appears to show mid-drive, and I found a press release which says:
A high level of ride comfort is made possible thanks to the 250-watt centrally-mounted motor.
https://www.continental-corporation.com/en/press/press-releases/three-wheeled-e-cargo-bikes-124352
 
I'm waiting this evening for my first new, up to date bike in many years to be delivered. If it isn't damaged in shipping and I don't have to refuse delivery, tomorrow night I'll be riding a Magnum Metro.

https://www.magnumbikes.com/product/magnum-metro/

I think I need a step-thru now, but this bike should have enough power (500 watt geared hub motor with 750 watt surge) and speed (about 25MPH in pedal assist mode) to satisfy my needs. Having disk brakes (and hydraulic at that!) will be a first for me. I can't recommend the company at this point, though, as I had trouble getting a refund for a $1000 kit I ordered that was listed as "In Stock" but wasn't. I bought the bike from another dealer. The controls aren't especially to my liking, but it seems that ALL of the E-Bikes have stopped using the right side twist throttle, left side twist shifter I have on my EZIP bikes. I'll see what I can do with them. I'm getting free professional assembly from Velofix.


US006UI5600LAMB4813H95174.jpg
 
After ordering THREE bikes, only to find that they weren't really in stock the first two times, I now have a Magnum Metro. It was a week late arriving, and only three weeks after I expected to have one. It was, however, worth the wait.

I took my first ride this evening. I was blown away, actually. I had been hoping the bike would be "good" for me, but it exceeded my expectations by quite a bit. It isn't perfect, but between the rearranged bar and controls (by the Velofix guy who assembled the bike, and by me), and the bike's great power and power handling, the "short shakedown ride" I had planned turned into a 22 mile outing in which I stopped less often to rest, felt less pain and traveled farther than I have in a couple of years. Based on this ride I'd say my effective range will be about 50 miles.

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Nice looking bike :) so was it around $2k delivered then? I've kind of been looking on and off for an e-bike, I was hoping for <$1k but then again I don't want a cheap bike either, want it to have decent components :)
 
jjeff said:
Nice looking bike :) so was it around $2k delivered then? I've kind of been looking on and off for an e-bike, I was hoping for <$1k but then again I don't want a cheap bike either, want it to have decent components :)

Yes, $2k. They make an almost identical bike with mechanical disc brakes instead of hydraulic, 7 speed Shimano transmission instead of 8, and less expensive forks, but the same battery and hubmotor (and I think frame) for about $300 less. That's the Ui6. I'm not as impressed with the hydraulic disk brakes as I expected, so I think the Ui6 should be virtually the same riding experience, with a slightly lower top speed. Then there's the Surface 604 (IIRC) Rook, which is similar but uses a quieter direct drive hubmotor with less torque, and a smaller battery, for $1500. That would be a good bike if your terrain is more level. I suggest you watch prices on these bikes in the off season.
 
I have a GoCycle I am really pleased with. It is less a touring bike than Leftie bought but a lot easier to put in a Tesla ;-)
 
I created an electric full size folder but have had some unfortunate things happen and haven't been able to ride in a while. Have several others too! A very practical and fun form of transit!
 
Evoforce said:
I created an electric full size folder but have had some unfortunate things happen and haven't been able to ride in a while. Have several others too! A very practical and fun form of transit!
I think the often-shared folding electric scooters that are now appearing in cities all over the place are excellent first/last mile vehicles, especially for people who have to wear business attire to work and can't get all sweaty. They're also easy to carry on mass transit. e-Bikes strike me as best suited for longer trips.
 
I just got back from a 16 mile, 1 hour ride (yes, that's an average speed of 16MPH, even with two rest stops). It's really hard to take a short ride on this bike.
 
LeftieBiker said:
I just got back from a 16 mile, 1 hour ride (yes, that's an average speed of 16MPH, even with two rest stops). It's really hard to take a short ride on this bike.

Yes, I always enjoy it and get an EV grin and want to keep going!
 
GRA said:
Evoforce said:
I created an electric full size folder but have had some unfortunate things happen and haven't been able to ride in a while. Have several others too! A very practical and fun form of transit!
I think the often-shared folding electric scooters that are now appearing in cities all over the place are excellent first/last mile vehicles, especially for people who have to wear business attire to work and can't get all sweaty. They're also easy to carry on mass transit. e-Bikes strike me as best suited for longer trips.
I agree! Some problems to contend with though are stupid laws that require pedals in a lot of States. So... can't be in the bike lane without pedals and can't be in the sidewalk either as a motorized toy.
 
Evoforce said:
GRA said:
Evoforce said:
I created an electric full size folder but have had some unfortunate things happen and haven't been able to ride in a while. Have several others too! A very practical and fun form of transit!
I think the often-shared folding electric scooters that are now appearing in cities all over the place are excellent first/last mile vehicles, especially for people who have to wear business attire to work and can't get all sweaty. They're also easy to carry on mass transit. e-Bikes strike me as best suited for longer trips.
I agree! Some problems to contend with though are stupid laws that require pedals in a lot of States. So... can't be in the bike lane without pedals and can't be in the sidewalk either as a motorized toy.
My state(or is it city??) has such a law. A company recently put several dozen e-scooters on the sidewalks of St. Paul. I saw a couple outside my building and had to check them out. They had a barcode near the handlebar that you would scan with your smartphone after downloading an app. I believe it cost a dollar to use? Anyway the city put the kibosh on it, I believe something about them not being able to be used in sidewalks because they were motorized and not being able to be used on the road because they weren't up to road standards for a motorized device :roll:
Not sure if things have changed but last I checked, something like an e-bike wasn't really legal to be used on MN roads because of a law that said any motorized device on a public street needed to be licensed, just more ways for the state to make money if you ask me :x My guess is if you purchased one and asked, you'd probably have to say it was for off road use ;) It's the same reason driving something like a golf cart on a public road is likely to get you a ticket :cry:
 
New York defined electric bicycles out of existence decades ago with DMV regs that ban them, but that is on hold in most places (except those with their own e-bike bans in place) while the Legislature tries to pass a law legalizing them in some form.
 
Via aBG:
This electric bicycle folds up in just 1 second
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/07/30/electric-bicycle-folds-in-1-second/

. . .The fly folding system makes the bike collapsible and ready to carry in just 1 second. It has an aluminium frame and a total weight of 55 lbs. The 250 watt rear-wheel motor can propel you 40 miles on a full charge. Gi fly meets global e-bike regulations. Top speed with the highest level of electrical assistance is 15 mph. A faster speed can be achieved by pedaling. The bike's smartphone connectivity feature charges your phone and provides directions. There's even an app-controlled locking system which secures your bike when you're 10 ft away. The Gi Fly costs $3,390.
There's a video.
 
I've been meaning to put together a Winter E-Bike from a New Old Stock EZIP Trailz I have. Grippier tires, windshield, and the one PAS speed it has is quite a bit slower than the ridiculous 12.5MPH my Magnum Metro does at its lowest PAS setting. I've had to use the Metro's thumb throttle most of the time to lower the windchill. Alas, I always wait too long for these projects, and the garage is now too cold. So I got a universal motorcycle windshield from Ebay, and after only 90 minutes of doing a 20 minute installation (the bar clamp bolts are 1mm too short) I now have a bike that's too fast in the cold but doesn't blast me with frigid air quite as much.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nzeQMt3jYkiWD61L9

Can people see the image by clicking on this link? Anyone know how to embed a Google Drive link to just show the image?
 
This story was on the local TV news a couple of days ago (includes the video):
E-scooters being dumped into Oakland's Lake Merritt
http://www.ktvu.com/news/e-scooters-being-dumped-into-oakland-s-lake-merritt

Sigh. This sort of thing was happening decades ago in Amsterdam with the white bikes being dumped in canals, has been happening elsewhere, and is now spreading to e-scooters. Some human behavior seems to be a constant across all cultures - if something is low cost or free and ubiquitous, some people will treat it like garbage.

OTOH, China allowed essentially uncontrolled numbers of bikes for bike-sharing, and this has been the result (the photos are amazing, and sobering):
The Bike-Share Oversupply in China: Huge Piles of Abandoned and Broken Bicycles
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2...iles-of-abandoned-and-broken-bicycles/556268/
 
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