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E-Bikes

I rode 41 miles this morning. I likely had another 15 miles of assist left in the battery but I called it a day. It was a perfect morning to ride, weather wise. My normal loop to the next town South actually had other riders out enjoying the unusual Late July weather. No E-bikes on my trek but a lot of bikers out. Was fun to see.

I rode in mode 3 today. That's mid way in the assist levels. The take off power assist was decreased but there was still ample assist to clear an intersection without a problem. The cadence remained the same as the upper two modes of assist. If I pedaled fast, I went fast. When I pedaled my normal cadence, I was going around 24 mph. That's plenty fast on a busy sidewalk. My return half of my loop is on a concrete siding of a state highway. It makes for great riding and I've yet to see another rider using the siding. I could pedal faster and go faster on the siding and still be riding in mode 3. I think that'll be the sweet spot for my rides with this bike.
 
I just heard from my grand son-in-law and he plans on getting my old bike next week. I'm happy to hear from him. It seemed odd that he hasn't reached out sooner but oh well. I had it sold to him almost two weeks ago and this is the first I've heard from him since he said I'm your buyer. I'm glad he still wants the bike. It's a great price on a great bike. If he flaked out on me. my daughter said she wanted it. She is a little woman like her mother and I'm afraid it's too much bike for her. The best fit is definitely my son's son-in-law. His is a bike nut and is of my stature. He and the bike will enjoy a lot of miles together. Unfortunately for him, he will likely have to buy his wife (my grand daughter) an e-bike. Such is life :)

I am really in no hurry to sell the old bike. It is taking up space in my shed that I'd like to utilize though. To be honest, I will miss seeing the old girl. It needs a new home however. It's not good for a bike to just sit and not be ridden. I'm glad I finally heard from the guy. I wanted him to have it from the start. I guess he's not as excited about it as I was when I first bought. He has rode my son's bike a number of times so he knows what he's buying. He also knows that he's getting it at a bargain price.
 
I had to ride again this morning. It was far too nice to sit and drink coffee. I had planned to do a number of the usual loops to the next town South. The sidewalk was busy with riders so when I cut across to the state highway I take on my return, instead of heading North I went on South to the next town and then returned. The funny part of the ride is that my son and his wife were also on that sidewalk to the first town South about the same time as I. They rode around the same people as I did. They rode on into town instead of cutting across for the return trip on the state highway. I had to be just a few minutes behind them. It would have been fun to meet up and we came close today.
 
I'm having a bit of problem with the derailleur on the new bike. It does not shift gears as well as it should. I went online and watched their video on how to adjust it. I improved it some but I'm still not happy with it. I called Juiced this morning and they admitted that they are highly adjustable and suggested I have it fine tuned by a trained bike mechanic. I'm all in favor of that but I'll have to haul the bike uptown to have it worked on. To compensate me for the expense of the procedure they gave me a gift code. Naturally it is to put towards anything they sell. At least I felt that they cared and I talked to an English speaking rep with zero wait time.
 
I rode my bike today after mowing my lawns. It was hot so I only rode 21 miles. I tried out the second level of assist which I've never used on either bike. There was some help from the bike but not a great amount. Going up a hill felt like going up a hill on a normal bike. On a level surface I could still feel the cadence sensor assisting some. Mode 2 was fun for a change and I'll likely ride in it often. The best part of riding with very little assist was it consumed far less battery.
 
My bike doesn't have enough assist to ride today. When I finished mowing it was over 100°. That's just a wee bit too hot for me.
I did get a shipping notice from Juiced. The new upgrade controllers are shipping as they advocated and mine is due to arrive Friday. I guess I'll be the beta bike guy. I won't likely get to the project of trading out the existing controller for the new until this weekend. I'm pretty excited to see what the bike will do with the added power to the motor. I'm guessing 36 mph. In all honesty, I will never ride like that but I will have to see how fast it will go. That much power to the motor equates to quick battery drain. I don't see getting 50 miles out of a full charged battery pushing the bike like that. That would limit a ride to less than an hour and a half. That just won't work for me. The new controller does come with a tail light / brake light like an auto. That can't be bad.
It also lets the cruise control operate up to 30 mph where it is limited to 20 mph or less now. It's not a big deal to me. I set it once on the old bike to see how it worked. I never used the feature and I haven't tried the new bike's cruise. It will also let the rider use the throttle up to 30 mph. Another feature I very rarely use and see no need of it exceeding 20 mph.
 
AugieTN said:
What is the fastest an electric bike can go before you have to register it as a motorcycle?
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They are classed as a bicycle and not a motorcycle. They lack brake lights and signals etc. Bicycle laws vary by state laws. In Kansas, my bike as is now is legal. 1000w motor with 20 mph assist only and 28 mph pedal and assist. Once I do the upgrade controller, my bike will only be legal to exceed those parameters on private land. That can and will be adhered to by not accessing race mode. It will be like owning a hot rod bike but riding it like a little old lady school teacher. :) But, it's fun to have that power.

To be quite honest, I'd have not ordered the upgraded controller if I had rode my new bike for a week. It has all the power I need and want. I'm riding in a lower mode of assist than I ever have. I got the bike just prior to the 20% off sale ending. It was that 20% savings that prompted the purchase. I don't need it at all. I thought I would, but I don't. I will enjoy the brake light.
 
I received my upgrade controller today. It wasn't hard to install but took some time. By the time I had the old removed and new installed, it was way too hot to give it a test ride. The display showed no errors and the tail light and brake like were functional. I hope to get out early AM tomorrow before it's miserably hot and give it a trial ride. I want to test the throttle, cruise control, and top speed with pedaling and full assist. It will also be interesting to compare the levels of assist and throttle to the old controller.
 
The AM test ride went well and the new controller is everything and a lot more than advertised. I'm satisfied that with a rider's weight forward with a hard stroke on the pedal while hitting the throttle the bike will burn rubber. It's simply crazy power and response. I can't see myself riding in that level of assist. It is fun, I'll admit, but near dangerous in my opinion. The throttle will run up to 30 mph with no pedaling and the cruise control will keep it at any speed up to 30. My top out speed was 35.1 mph on a flat concrete surface with a bit of head wind. Back in the 90's I had my Giant Iguana up to 40 mph with no assist. That was down hill and with the wind. Anything over 30 mph is crazy fast for a bicycle. I can't imagine the road rash if I laid the bike down at that speed.

I ride in assist level 2. It's a bit less than my old bike in level 5 (race) mode. There is still work to be done in level 2 but it's not demanding. There is always level three four and five if needed or wanted. In level 2 it's plenty easy to ride at 26mph. That's my sweet spot and it consumes far less battery. I rode 52 miles in level 2 with only 5 miles in race between charges.

I'm sure there is a market for the upgraded controller but I wouldn't recommend it to the every day rider. It's over the top.
 
I rode again this morning before it got too hot. I enjoyed the ride so that I put 39 miles on the bike before calling it a day. I did have derailleur problems again. I wasn't shifting gears and had the chain come off of the drive ring. I have no idea why. It was easy to fix but this should not be happening. A professional tune up is in the near future. This coming week might be the best time to put it in the shop. It's supposed to be triple digit weather all next week. Mowing my lawns in that heat won't put me in the mood to do any riding.
 
AugieTN said:
Are you required register your E-Bike or have insurance since it's motorized?
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No, neither is required. I suppose my town still has a registration system but it's voluntary and for identification purposes. I registered my children's bikes but found them of no help when a couple were stolen. My son had an expensive bike that was ripped off. Naturally I reported the theft. A couple of weeks later I called in hopes they found it somewhere. The officer I talked to said no and that they rarely recovered a stolen bike. He went on to say that if they didn't find it in a couple of more weeks, he would gladly let me go through their collection of unclaimed bikes. I took him up on his offer and when he unlocked the yard where they were stored, I was shocked at the number of unclaimed bikes they had. I looked hard and long but couldn't find my son's bike. The office said just pick one out and take it home. ...sheesh!

As E-bikes become more popular, and I believe they will, I anticipate more laws specific to them to be put in place. I don't really see insurance but perhaps a registration and license plate at some point. I think there would be more laws dictating where they can be ridden if there were designated bike lanes and paths. But for now, there is really no accommodations for bikes around here.

I was amazed years ago of the bike lanes and paths around the Phoenix area. I bet they have laws in place requiring bikes to ride those safe avenues when available. I'd sure ride them if they existed here. I've watched just about every E-bike video on YT and they are all riding on sweet paths and marked lanes. They exist in many places just not in Kansas.
 
No pedals... 45 mph... that's not a bicycle :) I'm not surprised that they are cracking down on them. That sort of bike is not a street vehicle and way dangerous to ride at that speed on pedestrian / bike paths. The comment left from the rad racer dude moving to UK speaking of harmonizing has great merit. It is far safer to go with the flow.
 
My son was over tonight and offered up his bike rack so I can haul my bike to a shop without laying it in the bed of my truck. I hope to take advantage of his offer before the week is out. I'd like to buy a rack but most of them aren't rated for my bike's weight and fat tires. The racks that I've found that are accommodating are made to haul two bikes. I need a one bike rack.
 
I rode this morning before it was extremely hot. I only rode 21 miles but it was fun. I'm taking my bike to a shop tomorrow for a derailleur adjustment. I called today and though they can't promise prompt service, it's normally a walk in repair. I'll try that first.
An appointment is over two weeks out. I didn't foresee them being that busy with all of the triple digit weather of late.
 
AugieTN said:
What do you think about this bike: XP 3.0 Black Electric Bike | Lectric eBikes
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It has a lot going for it at that price. I've never rode a foldable bike so I can't speak for the stability. It's no race bike with a 500w motor but I don't think that's was the intent of it's design. It has a cadence sensor which assists as you pedal. The faster you pedal, the more help the bike gives. It lacks torque sensing as many bikes do. Torque sensors detect how hard you are pressing on the pedals. It helps when you are taking off from a stop with the bike being so heavy. It does come with a throttle that some do and some don't. A throttle will be a big aid in taking off from a stop. The battery is average capacity and boasts of a 40+ mile ride ability. Those numbers are usually not real life numbers... no matter what bike you are looking at. I like the head light and tail light. It's great to be seen while riding. It says the battery can be charged while on the bike and removed and exchanged in seconds. I'm interested to know more. A buyer will not likely want to store the bike in his home. The battery should not be stored in extreme elements. I hope it is easy to bring the battery in and leave the bike in a shed or trunk of a car. Hydraulic disc brakes are a big deal on a motorized bike in my opinion and the bike has them. There is no mention about how many levels of assist the bike has. They do elude to different PAS levels. I don't know exactly what that is. They don't mention if the battery was UL tested. Not that an approval stamp will prevent a battery fire but at least it has been tested and certified safe.

I'm no expert on e-bikes. I have one... actually two :) but that's another story. I think the bike would be fun and make riding easier. Being able to fold would be a big plus to some a deal killer for others. That's all a matter of opinion that I can't honestly weigh in on having never rode one. I've not shopped for a foldable e-bike so I don't know where it falls as prices to features go.
Under a grand for a new e-bike sounds legit. It's a shame we aren't geographically close. I'd gladly let you ride my bike so you could feel torque and larger motor. If you are in the market and not just curious, I suggest visiting some local vendors so that you might better judge the bike according to your needs and desires.
 
AugieTN said:
I saw this review that got me interested Lectric XP 3.0 launched as most affordable 2-passenger e-bike, and we got the first ride [Video]
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E-bikes are fun to ride! The bike wasn't struggling with the additional rider. It's difficult to see how much the bike is assisting in the vid. The amount of help desired will differ from rider to rider and terrain anyway. Only riding one could you judge if it fits your desires and needs.

My original bike has a 750w motor and my new bike a 100w. I'm blown away by the added power of that 25% difference in motor size. The Lectric XP has a 500w motor that is 25% smaller than my original motor. Just how that equates to pushing the bike around is anyone's guess. I will say that the 750w motor had plenty of power and was less of a battery hog. I'm not saying the 500w motor is under powered but it is an unknown. Only riding the bike can answer that question.

Shopping for a bike is an adventure. I was fortunate to take a ride on my son's bike before I bought mine. I rode down his drive and a few houses down his street and knew it was the bike for me. It's the only e-bike brand and model that I have ridden. That leaves my evaluations of another bike pretty much worthless. :) I do suspect that everyone's first ride on any brand e-bike will wear a smile. They make you feel like you are a kid again.. or the six million dollar man! Having the bike assist your pedaling is an awesome feeling.
 
My derailleur adjustment cost sixteen bucks plus tax. He took over an inch out of the cable and then adjusted the derailleur from there. It was very poorly set up from the factory. It works like a charm now and I am super pleased with the adjustment. I was advised that replacing the derailleur with a quality shifter might be a wise investment at some point. The dude doing the work said it was a pretty cheap derailleur that's on the bike and he was surprised to see it on such a quality bike. I don't shift gears that often so shifting is not a big deal to me. The slack in the chain was causing lateral movement which was the culprit for having the chain come off the drive sprocket. By removing that slack it also eliminated what I call chain ring banging. ( going from idle to pedaling again and hitting the back chain ring hard) At least I got it adjusted prior to bending a tooth or worse damage. And it was fun watching a professional making the adjustment process look easy.
 
I received an email from Juiced Bikes saying they are having a $250 off sale this weekend on all regular priced bikes. I had to look. With the weekend discount, the bike is still $650 more than what I paid. I guess I bought at the perfect time.
 
It's raining this morning and spoiled my AM ride I was amped up to take. We need the rain...

I heard though the grapevine that the buyer for my old bike had to replace his AC at a cost of $10,200. I've not heard from the guy so that might well be the reason. I agreed to sell it to him for $800 but that's a lot of jack when you just dropped 10k. He's family so I hate to call him up and ask but if he's not my buyer I need to move on. I don't need two. :)

I visited with the guy that was in front of me to have our derailleurs worked on yesterday. I'd place the guy in his mid forties. He had a nice but well used road bike that need adjusted. He asked how I like my bike and went onto say he wants to buy one for his father. They used to ride together but this year it's just a bit too demanding for his dad to enjoy the rides. E-bikes make bike riding easy and are especially sweet for the older riders. I might have sold my old bike yesterday if I didn't have a deal? already made.
 
olbriar said:
It's raining this morning and spoiled my AM ride I was amped up to take. We need the rain...

I heard though the grapevine that the buyer for my old bike had to replace his AC at a cost of $10,200. I've not heard from the guy so that might well be the reason. I agreed to sell it to him for $800 but that's a lot of jack when you just dropped 10k. He's family so I hate to call him up and ask but if he's not my buyer I need to move on. I don't need two. :)

I visited with the guy that was in front of me to have our derailleurs worked on yesterday. I'd place the guy in his mid forties. He had a nice but well used road bike that need adjusted. He asked how I like my bike and went onto say he wants to buy one for his father. They used to ride together but this year it's just a bit too demanding for his dad to enjoy the rides. E-bikes make bike riding easy and are especially sweet for the older riders. I might have sold my old bike yesterday if I didn't have a deal? already made.
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Well you can still offer it to him and say you have it sold, but if the deal doesn't go through you'll let him know.

As for your current buyer, even if family, a call would be OK, and if he can't buy in now at least you can move on. No reason why you have to stay in limbo. The least he could of done is keep you posted on what is happenig rather then hearing about it 3rd hand. JMO.

I'd also post it on Craigslist, just for kicks and grins
 
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