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E-Bikes

I finally got to ride today. It rained Saturday night and all day Sunday. It was an ideal rain that we desperately needed. It never rained hard but never quit. It stopped me from riding and caused me to start mowing late this morning. I had a good friend in town so I went to see him immediately after my lawns were mowed. When I got home I jumped into my riding gear and rode 36 miles. It was 75° with nearly zero wind blowing late this afternoon. It was great riding weather and I contemplated grabbing the second battery and riding some more. It was one of those days when it was hard to quit riding.
 
Rain is likely tonight and for the next week. With that in mind, I mowed more than my normal schedule today. After mowing nine lawns I came home and went riding. I rode 36 miles and called it a day. I didn't see any cyclists while riding but saw three different riders while out mowing... two were e-bikes. I saw one of the e-bikes twice and the other just once. Neither rider was pedaling... just coasting along without a care. I guess that's the best part about an e-bike, you only have to pedal if you want to. Coasting is not my thing but different strokes for different folks.
 
Rain was in the forecast for today but it didn't materialize here. I was able to mow and get in a good ride. I was ready to ride around two this afternoon but I found my rear tire flat when I went to the shed. An hour later I was all patched up and riding. It was a bummer to have another flat but at least I got home yesterday with a nail in my tire and it went flat in the shed. It seems I've had a rash of flat tires lately. I'm riding more miles but a flat at 10855,11077, and today's flat at 11474 miles seem too darn frequent. What really strikes me odd is every flat has been on the back tire. At least today's flat was a nail and not a metal bristle. I rode 39 miles today and didn't see any other cyclists besides kids riding in town.
 
olbriar said:
Rain was in the forecast for today but it didn't materialize here. I was able to mow and get in a good ride. I was ready to ride around two this afternoon but I found my rear tire flat when I went to the shed. An hour later I was all patched up and riding. It was a bummer to have another flat but at least I got home yesterday with a nail in my tire and it went flat in the shed. It seems I've had a rash of flat tires lately. I'm riding more miles but a flat at 10855,11077, and today's flat at 11474 miles seem too darn frequent. What really strikes me odd is every flat has been on the back tire. At least today's flat was a nail and not a metal bristle. I rode 39 miles today and didn't see any other cyclists besides kids riding in town.
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Back tire, probably due to more weight to the rear of the bike ;)
 
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DonB said:
Back tire, probably due to more to the rear of the bike ;)
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My theory is that the back tire is so much heavier than the front. It has the gear rings and it has the hub motor and half my weight. I'll weigh it the next time I'm fixing a flat. I'm guessing between fifteen and twenty pounds.

I mowed one lawn and then the rains hit. I came home and did some chores until the front moved across my area. It only dropped .06 inch of rain so I returned to my lawns and finished up. I came home and then went riding. I only rode 34 miles and saw not other riders. I've been meeting or passing a pedestrian daily recently. He walks the sidewalk to the town South and back so I see him a couple or three times a day. He's an elderly guy and I only assume he is walking for his health. He always waves.
I was wondering how many miles I've ridden since I installed the new color display. I have logged 1,220 miles in the last 46 days since the new display was installed. That's averaging over 26 miles per day. Now that's more like it!
I bought a new patch kit today. I was out of the pre cut patches and used the last of my rubber cement yesterday. I have most of a sheet of rubber for patches but I normally run out of pre cut patches the same time I run out of glue. Today I noticed they had a can of rubber cement for sale. It wasn't cheap but it would be a bargain if it lasted and didn't set up in the can. I assume it has an applicator in the can. The can is about the same size as primer and glue for joining pvc pipe. I would have been a buyer if I knew the product was decent. Cutting my own patches from a sheet is plenty easy.. just need the cement.
 
olbriar said:
My theory is that the back tire is so much heavier than the front. It has the gear rings and it has the hub motor and half my weight. I'll weigh it the next time I'm fixing a flat. I'm guessing between fifteen and twenty pounds.

I mowed one lawn and then the rains hit. I came home and did some chores until the front moved across my area. It only dropped .06 inch of rain so I returned to my lawns and finished up. I came home and then went riding. I only rode 34 miles and saw not other riders. I've been meeting or passing a pedestrian daily recently. He walks the sidewalk to the town South and back so I see him a couple or three times a day. He's an elderly guy and I only assume he is walking for his health. He always waves.
I was wondering how many miles I've ridden since I installed the new color display. I have logged 1,220 miles in the last 46 days since the new display was installed. That's averaging over 26 miles per day. Now that's more like it!
I bought a new patch kit today. I was out of the pre cut patches and used the last of my rubber cement yesterday. I have most of a sheet of rubber for patches but I normally run out of pre cut patches the same time I run out of glue. Today I noticed they had a can of rubber cement for sale. It wasn't cheap but it would be a bargain if it lasted and didn't set up in the can. I assume it has an applicator in the can. The can is about the same size as primer and glue for joining pvc pipe. I would have been a buyer if I knew the product was decent. Cutting my own patches from a sheet is plenty easy.. just need the cement.
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I edited my above post, I left out the word "Weight" Sometimes I think quicker then I type, LOL but I;m sure you knew what I meant
 
I had chores this morning but once I worked my way through them, I went riding. It was a bit cooler today with the wind out of the North. A North wind makes for difficult riding on my normal loop. Oh well, it was fun going South. :) I rode 35 miles today and saw nobody walking or riding. It wasn't ideal weather and it was a week day. I anticipate some company when riding tomorrow.
 
It very much looks like I will be rained out of my riding today. It's cooler with no wind but a weather front is closing in on my area. I was just reading an email from Rails to Trails Conservancy which I support. They actively raise money and lobby for abandoned rail lines to be converted into multiuse trails. One of the nicest trails in my area is such a converted trail. It's a great cause and their efforts are evident in all 50 states. They now claim there are over 42,000 miles on 2,400 trails open across the country. I think that's outstanding! The best part of the the rail to trail here is it accesses some pretty land from a complete different vantage point. Today is Celebrate Trails Day.
 
My son has been working out of town and came by today and we spent the afternoon catching up. I immediately put on my bike attire and went riding as soon as he left. I was just about out of town when a car pulled up beside me and motioned me to pull over. I think it was a mother and mostly grown boy that pulled ahead of me and stopped so I pulled up to see what was up. The kid tells me he had his two e-bikes ripped off ten days ago and has come to the conclusion that they are gone for all of time. He has two batteries and the charger he would like to sell. I explain that only juiced batteries would fit my bike. He informs me that's why they pulled me over... his two bikes were juiced bikes and thought I might be interested. Naturally I am. Both batteries are 52v batteries like mine but one is a 19.2ah and one is a 15.6ah. I told him I'd buy the 19.2 and arranged to meet up with after he gets off work tomorrow. I don't really need it but it's not like you can go to the store and get one. I talked to my buddy that bought my old bike to see if he wanted the lesser battery. He thought as little as he gets to ride that the one battery will last his lifetime. He's probably correct. I need two batteries so I can ride more than just 50 miles a day when the weather is ideal. I have two and don't really need another. I just couldn't say no.

I rode my normal loop three times to log my 33 miles. It was nice this evening and I would have gone around one more time but it was getting late and I was getting hungry. :)
 
olbriar said:
My son has been working out of town and came by today and we spent the afternoon catching up. I immediately put on my bike attire and went riding as soon as he left. I was just about out of town when a car pulled up beside me and motioned me to pull over. I think it was a mother and mostly grown boy that pulled ahead of me and stopped so I pulled up to see what was up. The kid tells me he had his two e-bikes ripped off ten days ago and has come to the conclusion that they are gone for all of time. He has two batteries and the charger he would like to sell. I explain that only juiced batteries would fit my bike. He informs me that's why they pulled me over... his two bikes were juiced bikes and thought I might be interested. Naturally I am. Both batteries are 52v batteries like mine but one is a 19.2ah and one is a 15.6ah. I told him I'd buy the 19.2 and arranged to meet up with after he gets off work tomorrow. I don't really need it but it's not like you can go to the store and get one. I talked to my buddy that bought my old bike to see if he wanted the lesser battery. He thought as little as he gets to ride that the one battery will last his lifetime. He's probably correct. I need two batteries so I can ride more than just 50 miles a day when the weather is ideal. I have two and don't really need another. I just couldn't say no.

I rode my normal loop three times to log my 33 miles. It was nice this evening and I would have gone around one more time but it was getting late and I was getting hungry. :)
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You got balls kid, if somebody tried to wave me over in this day and age I'm putting my bike in ludicrous speed and getting the hell out of dodge.
 
I mowed my lawns and then went riding. It was a windy day but was warm with broken cloud cover. I rode 36 miles and called it a day. I then hooked up with the kid that had the batteries for sale. I bought the bigger amp hour battery and charger for $450. A new battery if one could be found was selling for $800 and the charger $150. The battery was all but fully charged so I suited up and went riding again. I rode another 34 miles in a much heavier wind than this afternoon's ride. I had a lot more battery left on the new to me battery than my old battery so I don't think it was heavily used. I'm a happy camper.
 
I just got home from riding thirty four miles. It was a bit on the cool side with a North wind so I really hadn't planned to ride that much. However, the weather improved as I was riding and it's now in the mid sixties with single digit North winds. I should have waited a couple of hours. I only saw one other cyclist today. It was an elderly gent on a nice road bike. He was dressed for the ride and saw me approaching and moved to the far right of the sidewalk as he should. Most riders are oblivious to me wanting to pass them. I have to ring a bell to get their attention as they weave all over the sidewalk. It never upsets me because I realize I'm not going a normal speed and I'm behind them before they know it. I always slow down big time when I pass. It seems courteous as well as an attempt to be safe.

I failed to mention that I saw a nice scooter type e-bike yesterday. It was parked on a hill as I enter a nice neighborhood on my loop to the sidewalk South. I pulled off the road to see what's up with the bike to find a middle school age boy fishing the retention pond that's down the hill to the addition entry. We exchanged thumbs up and I rode back to the road and was on my way. I think about the miles I walked to my favorite fishing hole as a kid. An e-bike is cheating. :)
 
It was overcast and cool with high humidity this morning. The grass was glistening with moisture so I got a late start mowing. It was still pretty cool when I went riding but the sun was breaking through the clouds. I rode 33 miles and saw nobody else out. After dinner the sky was clear, it had warmed into the low seventies and the wind had quit blowing. I had to ride some more. :) I rode another 39 miles and only quit because it was getting dark. I saw lots of riders, dog walkers, couple with strollers, etc out this evening. It was beautiful.
I found a set of keys, a key fob, and some shopping loyalty cards on a carabiner as I rode back into town tonight. I went to the Dillons.. our local Kroger store in hopes they might find the owner in their database. They said the card threw and error. It has an Ace Hardware rewards card that I'll try tomorrow before mowing. It was too late tonight. I'm sure whoever lost them is in panic mode. Car key, car fob, house key, and a padlock key lost can't be a good thing.
 
I think the Ace connection worked. Their database had a local landline number that they called. She said there was an answering machine pickup.
She went and asked the shift manager what should she do. She came back and informed me that they could not give me the number. I told her I didn't want the number, just wanted the owner to have their keys. She said her manager would call and leave a message and they would keep the keys in their safe until they were picked up by the owner. I only hope that it ends well.
It was wet this morning so I didn't start mowing until it dried up a little. I went riding for a while, came home and cooked dinner, ate, and then went riding again. I logged 59 miles of good times today. I saw the littlest kid riding the littlest bike I've ever seen tonight as I was heading home. This guy had to be two... three max. The bike had wheels that couldn't have been much larger than a foot in diameter. He was pedaling like crazy to keep up with his dad that was walking. No training wheels... I hollered at the dad that he had a champ in the making. :)
 
I mowed the cabin property today and had a few beers with a bud on the deck for good measure. I rode when I got home but it was closing in on dinner time. I rode 31 miles that half those miles was into a cool North wind. Between hunger and being chilled, that was enough riding today.
 
My buddy text me this morning just as I was getting ready to ride. He rode in assist level one for over 21 miles which only drained 1% of his battery. I had no desire to test that but I did check my battery percentage when I thought about it... it was at 23 miles and had 60% remaining and I was ridding in assist level 2. It wasn't an apple to apple test but clearly showed that my bike with it's heavy tires wasn't about to only use 1% of the battery in 21 miles use... no matter what I did. I logged 43 miles and came home and cooked dinner. After eating I googled up the recommended psi for my heavy tires on pavement. Better late than never but clearly I was very stupid for not checking this a couple of thousand miles ago. I added 6 pounds to each tire which is like adding another third of total psi. I could add another 6 which would bring the tire pressure up close to the recommend max if I cared to. I've been riding on under inflated tires. The bike was far more responsive and my original battery that will give me 35 miles max on a good day gave me 42 miles tonight. The best part of the added pressure is it did away with the annoying vibration the tires make at twenty one to twenty three miles per hour. That is my sweet spot speed when on the road. Going slower or faster to avoid the vibration just makes me mad. Now I can ride my desired speed and not have my hands go numb from the vibration. I rode 85 miles today and lack 34 miles of breaking 12K and 26 days since breaking 11K.
 
I managed to cross over the 12K mile mark today. It took me 27 days to go from eleven to twelve thousand miles. I'm still super stroked with the difference the added tire pressure has made. My first battery today lasted 46 miles. The huge gratifying change is the annoying vibration is gone and I can ride any speed I like without feeling it now.
I was surprised not to see more cyclists out today. The walkers were out in force. A lot of dog walkers, as per normal, but quite a few ma and pa and kids walking and enjoying the day. I saw one family with three stair step children with the oldest barely big enough to push a double stroller. Good luck with that clan :) I also saw a lady walking her dog that did not have the body for it but was wearing a scant bikini. She was strutting down the sidewalk and the dog looked embarrassed. :)

It was just too nice and with rain in the forecast for most of the week I decided to ride some more. I had planned to do at least one and likely two loops to the town South but it turned into three. Then I realized I only lacked a few miles of riding 100 miles today. I rode around town and ended up logging 103 miles for the day. I think that's a personal record for me. It was nearly dark before I was done riding so I stopped and turned on my headlight and exchanged my sunglasses for my clear riding glasses. When I was done riding and pulled my bike into the shed I discovered that turning the headlight on also turns on the taillight which I thought was just a brake light.... cool.
 
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Today was nearly a carbon copy of yesterday.. perhaps a couple of degrees warmer. I mowed my Monday lawns and some of my Tuesday lawns today with the threat of rain forecasted for the rest of the week. I even mowed my own lawn but then went riding. I came home at half time and ate dinner and rode again. I logged 69 miles in beautiful weather and no wind. :)
I noticed the other day that the reflector that was mounted in my front wheel spokes was broken and the one on the back was broken and missing. I have replacements ordered that are to arrive tomorrow. I very rarely ride after dark but for eleven bucks I think the reflectors are worth while.
 
With the threat of rain yesterday I didn't ride. It looked like rain was a sure thing but it never happened. Naturally, it is raining today. :( We need the rain so the only bummer is I'm not riding and I'm getting a day behind in my work.
My son was over last night and was telling me that his son-in-law bought my granddaughter an e-bike. She wants to pull a carrier with her two youngest children while the older two ride their bikes with her. The problem with all of that is the bike they have ordered is an over priced turd. Though it has decent bike components, it is way short of motor and battery. I seriously doubt it will perform as they anticipate and might burn up the 400w hub motor. My son is very sorry they didn't reach out for a bit of advice before spending that sort of money. Not that my son or myself are experts, having owned and used an e-bike, the numbers that sellers boast about their products weighed against the price makes more sense.
 
The wheel spoke reflector replacements showed up late today. I ran out and installed them. It rained all day so there was no riding. While sitting around being bored I searched the net for a replacement back wheel with the same motor that I have. (1000w Bafang) I found one right away. The motor has the same connector as mine and is on the correct side of the bike to hook up. The wheel comes with a 7 ring instead of a 9 ring gears. I don't know how to remove that and install the 9 on the new wheel but I know it's doable. With some luck I will never have to replace my back wheel but I'm getting a lot of miles on my motor. It is comforting to know that it can be replaced vs buying a new bike.
 
I had to mow all day yesterday to catch up. By design, I don't mow on Fridays and today was beautiful. I spent the day playing catch up on my bike. I tested my newest battery and the used one I just bought. I rode the same course at same level of assist with an attempt to ride similar speeds on both batteries. I found that the two batteries are nearly identical in capacity. I'm very pleased with my used battery purchase. After dinner I rode 33 miles on the original battery and called it a day. I had battery left but I had run out of ways to set on the bike seat without my butt killing me. I rode 125 miles today.

I saw three what I call professional riders today. (Expensive bikes and wearing bike clothing sort of riders) I don't know how they got off work to ride. They weren't old farts like me. It was fun seeing them. I also saw four or five e-bikes today. One was a full size bike like mine but wasn't a fat tire bike. I'd guess the rider to be an 8th or 9th grader. He was riding around in a grade school parking lot with a grin that went from ear to ear. I'm betting it was his first ride on the bike.
 
It was just a bit warmer today than yesterday. Otherwise, the weather was exactly the same... beautiful weather to be outside. I was amazed that I saw fewer riders today considering it was Saturday and not a work day. Oh well, their loss. I had great fun riding today. I did see a young lady, likely in her twenties, riding a nice bike today. I saw her a number of times so she put some miles on her bike. She was riding hard every time I saw her but she still managed a smile and a wave. I bet I see here more this summer. She must be new to the area. It was very obvious she was not new to riding.
 
I rode three different times.. batteries today. It was a beautiful day and I took my time and enjoyed it. Oddly, again there were very few people out on my loop South and back. Perhaps they were all honoring their mothers with their time vs riding or walking. Whatever the reason, they missed a great day to be out. I did see one rider that caught my attention this morning. I caught up and passed this lady as I was riding through town on my way home from my first ride. The first thing that caught my attention was she was wearing a full length dress and the second thing was she had a wheel chair sort of scooter in tow. As I went around her I could see that she was riding an e-bike and not pedaling. I watched her in my rear view as she turned into a church parking lot. How cool is that? And I thought e-bikes were perfect for an old man like me. I never considered how useful it could be to someone with a handicap. Good on her and the tech to make it all happen for her.
 
Yesterday and today were both warm days but today was a bit windy. At least the wind was from the South which is not too bad with my normal loop. Yesterday my son came over after his work and today I had some chores here at the house. Both limited my bike time but I still managed just under 100 miles between the two day. I'm really liking the higher pressure in my tires. Beside eliminating the vibration, the bike seems more lively. It's amazing that a change of pressure could make such a difference.
 
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