E-Bikes

[olbriar]

I went riding after dinner. I wanted to get the numbers of my new loop. It is 3.9 miles to the beginning of the sidewalk loop from my home. Each loop is 6.2 miles. A trip to the sidewalk, the loop, and back home is a neat 14 miles. Each additional loop adds another 6.2 miles. I rode 4 loops and my total miles on the odometer were 39 miles. I think that in reality it was a 38.8 mile ride. My numbers are close enough to project what I can do with each battery. I discovered a problem beyond the new loop being boring. The three ladies I've mentioned seeing were walking tonight. I interrupted their side by side walking eight times tonight. I bet they thought that I was an old man on the prowl. It was nearly embarrassing approaching them from behind and ringing my bell to get them to move to one side. At least when we were facing one another they obliged and moved without the bell.

Though hot and miserable tonight, I did see the three ladies walking, two cyclists, two joggers, and the old trike lady from the town South. One of the riders I stopped and visited on one of my return loops. We passed each other earlier and now he was walking his bike. I stopped and offered help. He was riding an old bike like my son grew up riding. It no longer had the banana seat but still had the hanger handle bars.
His crank locked up on the bike. He thought a bearing or race broke. At least it still rolled and he said he lived close. Nice guy.. John. I hope he gets his bike fixed of can grab another. He said he started riding again to shake off the oh no I'm 5Oh

 

[ozonetrooper]

I do not understand the multiple flat occurrences.

I have had one flat on BBS and that was a roofing nail from the roofers replacing shingles at the place next door. FWIW, the Harley shops do not patch tubes they will only sell you a new one.

I came out of my house one time, back when I had the blue ford truck, and all 4 tires were flat. It was not from road debris, it was from the prick next door cutting them.
That is a story for another day ....

 

[olbriar]

All of the cars that were parked in the street on my block were knifed in the sidewall forty or so years ago. Created quite the mess. The flats that I've gotten the past two weeks almost seem like sabotage. I get a flat around every thousand miles and then almost daily... It's has been frequent enough that I have given up riding along the concrete siding of the state highway that makes a great loop. Now I'm just riding back and forth on the other half of that loop. Hate it!!!

 

[olbriar]

I was a bit late starting my ride tonight. I ran short on daylight before I ran short of battery. It was right at 100° when I headed out but only 92° when I returned. I saw no one on the sidewalk tonight. I took a little detour to the East at the traffic light at the far North end of the town I ride to. It has a nice sidewalk running beside a wide two lane road. Sadly, less than a half mile East and it reached the end of that addition and so it stopped. It certainly isn't worth waiting on the traffic light to safely cross the four lane to ride just under a half mile and turn around and wait on the light again.

I've put off bike tire and tube shopping. I need both but don't know what I want. I'd love to once again try a heavy duty puncture resistant tire. Two things I know about them. ONE, they are heavy and will require more battery per mile. About seven to ten miles per full charge. That just can't be healthy for the motor to work extra hard to spin that tire. TWO, I had flats like normal when I was riding with the heavier tire. Perhaps it saved me numerous flats... how is one to know? The company that made the heavy tire I bought has a new and improved tire. It strikes me as a marketing ploy. I'll have to do my homework before I buy. I already long to ride the state highway. Three rides in a row without a flat speaks volumes for the sidewalk only loop.

There is something I have noticed about the sidewalk that I have never thought about. It has one short downhill stretch and a bit of level riding but mostly it is uphill going South. The state highway is also mostly level or uphill going North. Riding North on the Sidewalk has over a mile of combined downhill that requires zero pedaling. It is no wonder that cyclists ride my old loop in reverse. It's a lot less work.
It is also a lot less exercise. Coasting is not my thing.