Retired boomer, out to walk my dogs, ride my bike, and hike the forest paths around Monroe County Indiana. Recently found ADHD runs in my family, and apparently gallops in me…
This bike came into the workshop because the torque sensor was working intermittently. It is a Juiced Rip Current, a monster of a fat tire mountain bike. The torque sensor is bolted between frame and gear cassette, and integrates the derailleur hanger, and was damaged in a fall. This ebike has a powerful 750W motor, hydraulic disk brakes, suspension front fork, and built in lights, with a massive 52V 19.2 Ah battery. This is a full sized “SUV” of an ebike, and is being used accordingly. Now back on the road, the new torque/cadence sensor makes this bike easy to start up and ride anywhere. It takes two hand to handle this whopper!
One of the main trade-offs in owning an ebike is that changing tires and tubes is harder, and with most rear wheel motors, it best to adjust the deraileur and disk brakes at that time. So what to do if riding in the city, with metal and glass everywhere? I looked around at the various products sold to help prevent flats, got a bit confused, but then found this great video from Bolton Ebike where they put the top products to the test: Mr. Tuffy Tire Liners, Slime, Tannus Armour, and Flat Out, the clear winner.
So we have been adding Flat Out to all the bikes that come through the shop, if the client approves. It just makes sense (though I make more money if you bring me a flat tire, I am not that anxious to work on preventable problems!)
I just found this new (Jan 11, 2022) feature by Street Films on cargo bikes in NYC, it gave me all the feelies about how we can change our future for the better. After 4 years riding my RadWagon cargo ebike with the grandkids, groceries and dog, I totally understand and agree with the sentiments expressed by the cargo bike users featured in this video. It makes life in the city easier and more fun, cheaper and less carbon intensive, all positives in my book. I’ve had a few cargo ebikes in the shop for tune-ups/repairs, and they are wonderful machines for families as well as delivery drivers!
I had not heard of Street Films before, but I like them. Here is an added link to the shorter Cycling Copenhagen…
This cute Vela 2 commuter ebike came in for some assembly and tuning (plus some Flat Out for the tubes). It says it is designed in Sao Paulo and made in China, but checks all the boxes for being a Dutch-Euro style commuter ebike.
Vela 2, Euro Style Commuter Ebike
A Pedelectric (Class 1) fixie, it has no gears to change, but the torque sensor reads how much effort you are expending, and sends more power as you need it.
Comforable seat and upright seating position (handle bars well above the seat).
36V/350W Geared Motor, 10 Ah battery
Battery is hidden in the downtube below the seat, with USB port
All in all, a great value ($1600) for a stylish commuter bike, with room for a front basket as well as a couple of panniers on the rack. Keep an eye out for it around Bloomington in the new year!
This is a great video about Dutch bikes (Omafiets) from a Canadian point of view, he lists many of the advantages that I cite to folks as the advantages of ebikes for transportation, not just sport.
Here are a few of the fine points that make this style of bike so useful as a day to day mode of transport in northern Europe.
Upright riding position-less effecient, but more comfortable
Handlebars swept back, less stress to arms/back/neck
Easier to look around, don’t have to raise head
Normal clothing
Step through ease
Coat guard
Chain guard
Frame lock for quick stops
Fenders, front/rear rack
Sturdy steel frame
Internal gears or fixies
Coaster brakes/no cables
Simple, easy to maintain
Here is the Ecotric Lark, which seems to fit the bill for most of the points mentioned above, it can be ordered from Ecotric, and I have one in the workshop.
Ecotric Lark 36V/500W
We also have an Ectotric Peace Dove, which meets most of the list, with front basket, rear rack, comfort seating, step through frame throttle and power assist, while it lacks the fender and coat guards. but is a great value at $700.
This Dutch e-bike came in for repairs this week, and so I had to do some research to familiarize myself with its unique points. It works in power assit mode (no throttle), with a 36V/250W motor, a typical Euro e-bike. It has a fully protected chain, electronic shifting, and a hidden battery and controller. The built-in electronics include bike tracking and recovery, and a built in lock that is activated by the app only. In short a really cool Euro-commuter bike.
I knew little about the VanMoof brand, so I looked it up, and came across this video ad they ran in Europe, only to be banned by the French (who apparently needs to protect their stellar auto brands…).
VanMoof is now behind in RadPower in venture capitalization, but still an ebike leader, especially in the Euro market.
Later: Unfortunately, this was an early model, and the controller and battery were just not accessible without cutting wires, and no guarantee we could get it back together, it is all proprietary design, and they don’t share their manuals. I am recommending it to go back to the factory for service, but the client does not want to do it…
1 year later: VanMoof went poof! No repairs, no returns, no parts, done, finished, that’s all folks!
Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) have introduced the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (Senate E-BIKE Act), and yeah, I support it, as does the House, where there are 21 co-sponsors of the bill. It offers a tax credit worth 30 percent of a new e-bike’s purchase price, and the credit would also be fully refundable, which would allow lower-income individuals to claim it. E-bikes are definately more expensive from the get-go, so this would be a big help.
“The bill makes a clean alternative more accessible to more people,” Schatz said. “E-bikes make lots of sense for working people, young people, and others who either cannot afford or don’t want a car.”
A recent study found that if 15 percent of car trips were made by e-bike, carbon emissions would drop by 12 percent. I have found my e-bike riding has eliminated at least 80% of my car trips, and made them more pleasant to do in the process!
E-bikes are not an entirely new mode of transportation, but they are one of the fastest growing, most practical, and carbon reducing ways of getting around in the city. (Did I mention they are fun too?!)
I agree with whoever makes decisions at Domino’s, this RadPower e-bike is a great value. With a 48V/750W rear hub motor, this bike is maxed out power wise (to be legal on our multi-use paths), and can handle a 275 pound load. The step-thru feature is essential for carrying large loads, and front hydraulic forks takes out the bumps. The high handle bars make for a comfort ride, and the rear rack is welded on the body, quite sturdy. I am thinking it would be great for pulling a trailer as well. It is $1600, and not available till this November (unless you are a giant corporation like Dominos!)
Charlie Birdof Bloomington came by the Workshop to help build a few new bikes last week, and of course he and Lalo (dog prince of the manor) got along just fine…
Charlie at Work
Charlie and Lalo on break
BTW, Charlie’s new book is available at Zephyr E-Bike Workshop, or on his website at CharlieBirdBtown.com!
So I noticed that both Jamelle Bouie and David Plotz seemed to advocate for e-bikes on the latest Slate Political Gabfest! Well known for his writing/commentary for the NYT/CBS News, Jamelle Bouie also spends time riding his Tern GSD , a well outfitted cargo e-bike, which he uses to transport his kids and run errands around town.
Great minds cruise down the same roads…my RadWagon has done the same for several years now! His Tern has bunch of upgrades from mine: mid-drive Bosch motor, suspension fork, hydraulic brakes, and 20″ wheels, and it is somewhat foldable. But to my surprise, no throttle, power assist only! I am not sure that it is worth +$3000 over the Radwagon, at least for me. But he is a young man, I am not, and I rely on the throttle to get me going in tight situations (stop signs and traffic lights are but one example.)
Jamelle gives a good rationale for buying even this well made e-bike: it is cheaper and easier to use than a car for most trips in town!
(I was tempted to edit the grammar, but he writes for the NYT, I figure he wants his tweets informal):
“the reason for this particular bike — an e-assist cargo bike — is that we need a second vehicle but i absolutely do not want to own another car. so for far less than a car (to say nothing of insurance and fees and taxes and such) i get something that i can do 95% of trips with”
IMHO e-bikes are a new catagory of transportation (and recreation): they take the sting (and sweat) out of bike travel, yet massively reduce the carbon footprint of gas powered vehicles like mopeds, scooters, motorcycles and cars. (A charge cycle on an e-bike battery costs less than a dime at today’s electricity rates.)
They are fun to use, so people use them more to do day to day tasks, and thus use their cars/trucks less. Each e-bike in use is one less car on our already overcrowded streets and parking lots, which I see as win/win.
Mitch's Btown Blog 