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E-Bikes

I started my Saturday by investigating my brakes. They are some generic brake that doesn't have a brand name on them. There is less pad surface on the back brake than the front but there is still some pad. They have far more miles on them than brakes normally last. I think that is because I do so much road riding that requires few stops. In any event, I left a query with Juiced as to brand of brake and pads. I've read that about any pad will work as long as it's similar in size and design. I'm in favor of installing the right pad if I can and sooner than later.
I rode yesterday and today and had a great time. Today was particularly nice for bike riding and I saw quite a few riders enjoying the day. I logged just over a hundred miles across the weekend. I ran out of daylight both evening rides. Days are getting shorter. :(
 
It's been windy the past two days. I'm sure glad I'm riding an e-bike. Speaking of e-bike, I spot more of them all the time. I'm loving it! I've seen a lady, I'm guessing in her early thirties, a number of times now. She is riding more than pedaling. Whatever... I'm glad she's out enjoying the day. I saw a young guy in his late teens by my guess absolutely ripping down the street on a small e-bike. I hope he remains safe. I also heard from my buddy that I sold my original bike to today. He is loving the bike. He's been pretty religious about riding a 15 mile loop daily. He said he sees quite a few e-bikes on his trail. His breathing has vastly improved since he started riding and he is pushing himself to go a little faster as the days go by. He is enjoying the slight leg burn he's getting. He's hooked :)

Riding the e-bike is addictive. I can't enjoy my day unless I've logged some miles. I'm averaging 35 miles a day since my one year anniversary. I won't average that daily across the winter but I'm out to beat the 15 mile per day first year effort.

I mentioned that my rear brake was squealing. I contacted Juiced by leaving a message. I received two responses from them. The first was a we received your query and will get back with you. The second was how would you rate your support from Juiced. So far... zero brake info.... bummer. The good news is it quit making a noise. I use a dry lube in an aerosol to maintain my chain's health. My brake may have got a bit of overspray. The brake is ready to be replaced but it's not shot. I'll figure something out if I don't hear from Juiced.
 
That's an interesting option. They list some very low assist motors. I'm certain they have a niche or they wouldn't have survived for 13 years. If the motor options were more powerful, I would want to upgrade the brakes. Upgraded brakes and the conversion kit would likely be as much or more than a comparable e-bike. It's still interesting. I have a early nineties model carbon bike. Being so light weight, a little motor might make a pretty good ride.

My uncle, ten years my senior, put a gas powered motor on his bike. It had a lever that cammed over and ran on the outside of his back tire. I was just a little guy when he was taking me for rides. I felt like I was flying and we owned his end of town. :) It's a fun memory that your article brought back from the forgotten past. Thanks for sharing.
 
It rained just a bit early this morning that brought some stiff winds with it. I rode my 21 mile loop after mowing and decided to finish riding after dinner. I had hopes that the wind would subside but it intensified. I rode my 21 mile loop and then rode around in town until it started to get dark. At least the houses and trees helped block some of the wind.
I had an interesting conversation with the owner of my original bike. He is now shopping for an e-trike for his wife. There are a number of different designs that all ride different. It sounds like they are a bit tricky to get onto riding them. They turn so differently than a bicycle and a rider wants to lean into a turn which is all wrong. I know his wife would enjoy riding and being outside if she can get over the learning curve. I found a yt of a guy with five different trikes and two old ladies. It's pretty interesting. I'll post the link if you are bored. It's a lot longer vid than I want to watch but zipping forward a few times will give you the general idea about the difficulties of an old lady riding a e-trike.
 
If you watch any of that video you will be left amazed that the guy turned them lose in a parking lot with parked cars and some light traffic. He either had a lot of nerve, had no clue it was going to be that hard for them to ride, or hates old ladies. :)

It was as windy or windier today. It was also very hot and humid. (102°) So today I not only didn't see any other riders, I didn't see anybody out. It was me and only me and I admit it wasn't much fun. I rode 45 miles and put the bike up.

I have yet to hear from Juiced about my brakes. I was far more important to them five years ago or so it seems. I'm fairly convinced the brakes are Star Union and a special brake made for Juiced. There is no name on the brakes but they are so much like the Star Union brakes. Mine have a port to add fluid and to bleed the brakes off. Their normal brake lacks a special port and instead has a removable cover and gasket. The two brakes look identical otherwise.
 
olbriar said:
If you watch any of that video you will be left amazed that the guy turned them lose in a parking lot with parked cars and some light traffic. He either had a lot of nerve, had no clue it was going to be that hard for them to ride, or hates old ladies. :)

It was as windy or windier today. It was also very hot and humid. (102°) So today I not only didn't see any other riders, I didn't see anybody out. It was me and only me and I admit it wasn't much fun. I rode 45 miles and put the bike up.

I have yet to hear from Juiced about my brakes. I was far more important to them five years ago or so it seems. I'm fairly convinced the brakes are Star Union and a special brake made for Juiced. There is no name on the brakes but they are so much like the Star Union brakes. Mine have a port to add fluid and to bleed the brakes off. Their normal brake lacks a special port and instead has a removable cover and gasket. The two brakes look identical otherwise.
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You can always give them a call ?
 
I rode Saturday but missed riding today. The last day that I didn't get to ride was July 6th and 2,870 miles ago. :) It rained last night and all day today. Never heavy rain but was a constant light rain that was nearly an inch and a half worth. I hope to ride tomorrow but the weather is supposed to be the same as today.
 
It's been cooler the last two days. I'm going to be in serious trouble riding this winter. They have my blood so thin that I'm cold riding when the temperature is in the sixties. A real bummer!! It has been nice riding weather though cool. The winds have been out of the North at single digit. I logged 98 miles for the last two days. The cooler weather has brought out additional riders. It's great to see them.
 
I managed to get in some good rides across the weekend. The weather was great which brought a lot of riders out to enjoy their bikes. I was one of the many riders for a change. I broke through the 8,000 mile mark this weekend and have logged over eleven hundred miles on my new tires. I can't say that I'm loving the new tires but I haven't had a flat. :)
 
I've been riding daily since my last post and having fun. A month or so ago, my bike seat developed a small rip in the material and over time it became a hole. Lucky for me, my son replaced his bike seat when his bike was nearly new and he brought the saved seat over last night and I installed it before riding today. It's exactly the same seat that I had and am very accustomed to riding on. Made my day.
 
treb1797 said:
Are you still going to ride in the winter months?
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I will ride all I'm able but obviously my riding will be limited. The wind chill is a huge factor and with my blood so thin I am cold riding when the temps are in the sixties. I have some warm gear but hope to invest in even warmer clothing for this winter. I will very likely have to get a gym membership so I can ride a stationary bike when it's too cold to ride my bike. I can't see sitting idle all winter.
 
olbriar said:
I will ride all I'm able but obviously my riding will be limited. The wind chill is a huge factor and with my blood so thin I am cold riding when the temps are in the sixties. I have some warm gear but hope to invest in even warmer clothing for this winter. I will very likely have to get a gym membership so I can ride a stationary bike when it's too cold to ride my bike. I can't see sitting idle all winter.
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You could just ride your bike on @Steven58 's treadmill :goofydroid:
 
Bearsyzf said:
You mean his new Clothes Rack 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
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Tonight Show Comedian GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
 
It's been on the windy side but I've been riding anyway. I've logged 260 miles since Monday. I can no longer say that I've not had a flat with my new tires. I had to fix a flat this morning before I could ride. The culprit looked like one leg of a staple. It's so small that it makes one wonder how it penetrates a tire... especially the tires I'm using. I was happy my bike was home. Fixing a flat is no fun but not a big deal when it's already in the shed.

I talked with my buddy that bought my original bike. He's still loving the ride and has worked his way up to logging around 20 miles a ride. I'm happy for him and glad the bike is serving him well.

I met an elderly lady riding a trike yesterday. She was just leaving the town South heading toward my town. I met her again as I started to head South my second time around. She was just entering my town. She had the wind at her back but that's pretty remarkable considering there was zero assist on her trike and looked to be a single gear. That would be all work.
 
I only rode 31 miles today. I ran short of time during the day and I wanted to watch both the KC baseball and football games on tonight. There was nothing special about the ride today... fun like always.

I'm not seeing them on my ride back and forth to the town South but I'm seeing more and more E-bikes in town when I'm traveling from job to job.
Just a hand full of adults but quit a few school age kids coasting along with their electric bikes heading home from school. I'm sure they are enjoying the transportation but most the fun of riding a bike is pedaling. At least it is for me. I was telling my buddy about them the other day and he was amused. I then told him that his bike has cruise control. He said you've got to be kidding. I admitted that I tried it once and have forgotten how to turn it on. I'm pretty sure you can set it between five and up to twenty mph. Like an auto's cruise, braking turns it off. That looks like what the kids are doing.... cruising.
 
I had a car pull out in front of me last night and I had to make a quick stop. I didn't like the way I stopped. I think I either wore through the rear brake pad or it was so thin it shattered. I pulled the front brake today and went shopping on Amazon for something that looked similar. It seems the majority of brands of bike brakes are very similar in design. I'm pretty sure what I ordered will work. I bought four sets of pads for just a bit over seven bucks. :) If they don't fit, I'll try another brand.
 
The replacement brake pads weren't delivered in time to do the repair last night. They were a perfect fit and the repair went very easy this morning. I still had some pad left on the front brakes but the back brakes were all but gone. I would have done the repair a month ago if I only knew what brake pads to order. Waiting until the 12th hour and then shopping for a look-a-like on Amazon was stupid. I could have done that well when I first noticed they were bad. Oh well. Job done and oh what a difference new brakes make. Here is a pic of one rear pad and it's replacement side by side.
Brake Pads.jpg
 
olbriar said:
The replacement brake pads weren't delivered in time to do the repair last night. They were a perfect fit and the repair went very easy this morning. I still had some pad left on the front brakes but the back brakes were all but gone. I would have done the repair a month ago if I only knew what brake pads to order. Waiting until the 12th hour and then shopping for a look-a-like on Amazon was stupid. I could have done that well when I first noticed they were bad. Oh well. Job done and oh what a difference new brakes make. Here is a pic of one rear pad and it's replacement side by side.
View attachment 175582
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Wow, good to know you got it resolved, brakes are important to your daily function. ;)
 
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