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.

 

[olbriar]

My buddy Tim the trike guy text me today. He sent me a screen shot of his ride. It was tracked on a map and riding stats were provided by an app he suggest I get (Strava). I looked into the app and I wasn't comfortable with the permissions it was wanting. It might be a great app but I don't need it. I, in turn, sent him a screen shot of tonight's ride that is on my bike display. I had to describe the route but it's something I don't anticipate sharing again. After all, it's the same dull ride every night. The good part is, close to half of almost 30k miles were on that sidewalk with only one flat to report. I'd love it to be a more fun ride but I'll live with the safety of the sidewalk. I logged 39 miles as per usual tonight.

I started doing a bit of research on new tire and tube with flat protection tonight. A product I had heard of caught my attention. It is a tire liner that actually acts like part of the tube. You must downsize the tube you use, in fact. It is a foam and rubber product that only weighs a bit over a pound. It is a Tannus Armour liner. It's not a cheap option, hard to install, and would be terrible to fix a flat out on the highway with it installed. Riders were bragging it up but I don't think it's for me. Besides the shear grief the liner would cause with a flat, and its weight and difficult to install at home, it brags that the protection is almost .6 inch thick (15mm). I looked in the old ashtray with a couple of super magnets and the nest of past flat producers and I don't see any that short. My search will continue

 

[PitCarver]

Probably one of the main reasons that I've not looked in to an e bike.
Here I am, a couple miles from home and I get a flat. Battery starts smoking. It's been too many years since I've pushed a bike, even a light weight bike.

Too much crap on the rural roads for my comfort.

 

[olbriar]

Probably one of the main reasons that I've not looked in to an e bike.
Here I am, a couple miles from home and I get a flat. Battery starts smoking. It's been too many years since I've pushed a bike, even a light weight bike.

Too much crap on the rural roads for my comfort.

I've not encountered a battery problem beyond them slowly ageing. I am the King of flats however. They make solid tires for e-bikes that have smaller tires than mine. I understand there is a bit of compromise as to riding comfort but they eliminate the possibility of a flat. My bicycles both have fat tires. Four inch wide tires. I read that the flat free tires put too much side pressure on the wheel rim. I'm sure they will redesign the wheels at some point or design a tire that doesn't stress the wheel.

 

[olbriar]

My sister came over this morning to see the new kitties which trumped my riding plans. We followed through with our Costco shopping plans which consumed most of the afternoon. My local daughter and son-in-law came over to see the kitties after their work. It was after dinner when I finally went for a ride. It was 100° with a feel like of 107° when I left. There was nobody on the sidewalk but me so I rode the sidewalk loop once at a normal speed and the other three loops I rode fast and hard. I was able to ride like I was on the state highway. It's fun to work hard at riding sometimes. I logged 32 miles and was home before dark.

 

[ozonetrooper]

What are you finding that is causing the flats ?

 

[olbriar]

What are you finding that is causing the flats ?

None of the items should be on the highway.

The pneumatic staples are the hardest to understand. I have an old ashtray full of similar items. I had one puncture that I couldn't find in my tire. It was a tear of sorts about a quarter inch long in the tube.

Before I went riding tonight, I noticed that my back tire is shot. The lack of tread is not helping avoid the flats. I knew the tire was worn but had not realized it was shot. As I was riding and thinking about what tire I wanted to purchase, I remembered that I have a tire or two in my shed. One is a heavy duty flat resistant tire that is still mounted on the original bike wheel. I didn't like the tire but it may well have some miles left in it. The other tire is the original tire that came on the bike. I saved it when I mounted that heavy duty tire. I brought it in. I think I'll mount it tomorrow. I just hope the beads will make. The tire matches the front tire and has quite a bit of tread left.

 

[olbriar]

I rode twice today. I was on the sidewalk before nine this morning. I saw one jogger and I counted fifteen cyclists. It was fun to see all of the traffic. I saw two guys and a gal riding in a group a couple of times. I saw an older couple a couple of times. I saw two different parents with kids riding. I saw Tim the trike guy on the sate highway that I now ride less than a half mile of. He would make the total sixteen but I didn't see him return via the sidewalk. I rode 44 miles with my best battery and put the bike up.

I rode again tonight. It was over 100° when I started but it cooled into the low nineties by the time I got back to the house. I was the only one on the sidewalk tonight. I logged another 27 miles tonight. I saw the kid / young man that I bought my best battery and the Napune Aquila bike from tonight. He and someone riding with him crossed my path. They had the right of way so I stopped and he waved as they rode by.

I stopped to answer a text this morning while riding. It was Tim the trike guy saying he was surprised to see me on the state highway after the recent rash of flats. I explained I only turn my loop around by going over the railroad bridge and then cut through the addition to get back to the sidewalk. A guy rode up and stopped to talk to me as I was answering the text. He lives in that addition on the frontage road running along side the state highway. He said he sees me all of the time but not lately. Nice retired guy. (Craig) We have exchanged waves a few times when he was working in his yard and I was riding past. He was riding a folding e-bike. I believe it was a Lectric brand. He said he purchased two, takes them with his camper, and they can ride around wherever they are set up. I hope I see him again. I also stopped to assist a young couple and their child. Their boy was riding a small but nice multispeed bike. He had tried to switch too many gears at once and the chain was bound up across a few gears of the rear cassette and the derailleur. The parents were trying to get the mess untangled so I offered my assistance. They would have figured it out, no doubt. They were grateful for my assistance.

 

[olbriar]

I was all excited to ride this morning. It was hot and humid but what's new? I drained my best battery and only saw two cyclists and three joggers. I was expecting a crowd like yesterday but the heat and church stifled the sidewalk participation. I came home and changed into some work clothes and pulled the rear wheel off of the bike and brought it inside to do my changing. I decided I would put the original back tire back onto the back wheel. I discovered that I had picked up another staple and my tire was going flat. At least I was changing the tire anyway. I went for a short ride after I had the old tire mounted with a patched tube. I rode or basically walked the one third of a mile that I am still riding on the state highway siding. This is a pic of the crap I gathered up.

They were strung along a stretch close to twenty five yards in length. I'm not sure how that happens. I'd love to clean up the entire highway siding. It would take hours if someone has scattered staples for four miles. Being gray they blend right in with the concrete and don't reflect any sunlight.

I was closing in on a milestone so I went riding again after dinner. I only rode 26 miles tonight but manage 91 miles total for the day. The milestone was reached and when I put the bike up, the odometer read 30,010 miles.

I stopped and helped an old man with his bike on my way home. I say old... he was likely my junior. He was riding a single speed coaster brake bike and the chain had come off. I could have fixed the bike for him if he would had just stepped out of the way. As it was, I was trying to help him for over ten minutes. My display is set to turn off after ten minutes of being idle and it was off when I went to ride home. I kept telling him what he needed to do while I was holding the back wheel off of the ground. We finally got it back on. I told him he needed to loosen the bolts and slide the wheel away from the cranks to put more tension on the chain once he got home. I doubt that happens.