E-Bikes

[olbriar]

Speaking of prices, I noticed just tonight that my bicke is on sale...$200 off. Father's Day sale. Dang! I received my Kinekt seatpost last night. Was a snap to install and works like a dream. Talk about smoothing out a ride..wow! Lovin' it!

 

[MoodyBlues]

I noticed just tonight that my bicke is on sale...$200 off. Father's Day sale. Dang!

Some companies have price guarantees/protection. Like if you bought something and within X days its price drops, they'll refund the difference.

Considering the amount involved here, I'd get in touch with the company ASAP!

 

[Simardeep]

Ebikes are of advanced technology and is very beneficial.

 

[olbriar]

I emailed juiced bikes last night. Nothing wrong about asking about their sale and my recent purchase.

I charged my battery today at 50 miles. I'm guessing that I had another 20 miles before it was a necessity. I'm planning on riding tomorrow with my son and grand son-in-law so I wanted a full charge for the day. I'm super impressed with the battery life!

 

[olbriar]

I'm still loving my E-bike and having a lot of fun riding when I can. The only problem I've encountered is with the battery mounted to the frame, there is no room for a water bottle. Twice I've had to head for home just because I was thirsty. Today I ordered a hydration backpack that should fix me up. Not only will I have the space to carry a few desired items, the water bladder should prove invaluable. I went with the Osprey Raptor 14. They make a 10 liter model that was just change cheaper that was under serious consideration. I opted for the larger pack for those long trips and the goodies I would like to have with me.

 

[Unforgiven]

I'm still loving my E-bike and having a lot of fun riding when I can. The only problem I've encountered is with the battery mounted to the frame, there is no room for a water bottle. Twice I've had to head for home just because I was thirsty. Today I ordered a hydration backpack that should fix me up. Not only will I have the space to carry a few desired items, the water bladder should prove invaluable. I went with the Osprey Raptor 14. They make a 10 liter model that was just change cheaper that was under serious consideration. I opted for the larger pack for those long trips and the goodies I would like to have with me.

10 liter???? I hiked a few miles today and drank 2 liters out of a 3 liter bladder. I hope that's total capacity and not the water capacity. You'll be parked at every third tree if it is.

 

[olbriar]

LoL yes, the total pack is a rated at 14 liter. The water bladder is three liter. It came in today so I quickly adjusted the straps and put it on. The wife just shook her head Oh well, I like it. I haven't explored the pockets yet. It has a roll up tool kit that will replace the saddle caddie I have had for years. Pockets for valuables, pockets for snacks, pockets for dry clothing, and a pocket for wet clothing. I'm anxious to see how it works out for space and the goodies I like to tote along. It's 9" wide and can be 9" deep by 20". I'll likely ride with it collapsed which is only 7" deep. Bike lock, tools, water, pump, blistex, keys, and wallet is about all I normally like to have along. Add on some water and perhaps a tube and I should be good to go.

Hey, I hope you are having a great time.

 

[DonB]

Well I thought I's resurrect this thread again to follow up on how you are enjoying your bike ?? As you know I'm looking at getting a foldable E-Bike for traveling as we have privately discussed.

So let's hear a bit about your past 4 months experience for other enthusiast to read.

 

[olbriar]

I'm still loving it Don. The E-Bike has added a whole new level of riding a bike. I've always enjoyed riding. The tensions of the day just melt away when I'm riding. And now with the E-bike, riding is easy to do even if I'm tired. I'm still very pleased with my purchase. The bike has proven to be a sound build and has given me zero problems. Now that the weather is cooling off, I can see many more rides before it's too cold.

If you enjoy bike riding, I highly recommend an E-bike. It's too large of an investment to see if you might like to ride however. But if you like to ride, you will love the assistance an E-bike lends. It's like riding down hill all of the time.

 

[mikedt]

Public e-bikes in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. First time I've seen these things, and I've not seen anyone riding one yet. Thing is, in the next couple of months it's going to be around minus 15C to minus 20C for the whole winter. Can't imagine public e-bikes been too popular then.

I did see public electric scooters in Beijing last year. But that scheme now seems to have been withdrawn.

 

[olbriar]

I doubt seriously if the batteries will perform under those conditions. Summer.. yes but winter no.

 

[mikedt]

I doubt seriously if the batteries will perform under those conditions. Summer.. yes but winter no.

I'm pretty sure that lithium batteries can't be recharged when at sub-zero temps. I've been in this city in the middle of winter, and other places in Inner Mongolia, and most of the scooters and e-bikes I see here are the cheaper ones, that use lead-acid batteries, which work quite happily at freezing temps.

These public e-bikes in Hohhot, I will do a bit more investigation today, try to determine what sort of battery is in them, their weight is probably a good clue. Also I'm not even sure how they're recharged yet, like I've not seen anyone going round plugging a charger into them. The e-scooters I saw in Beijing, every one I looked at was dead, and a few months later they'd all been collected, and scrapped probably.

Some cities in China have public electric cars, but those you pickup and return to specific places that have recharging.

 

[olbriar]

The owners manual that came with my Juiced bike warned not to use below freezing. The battery is a lithium 52 V 19.2 Ah multi cell. It weighs over 10 pounds. I can't imagine the weight of a lead acid battery of similar specs. Maybe they are designed for short distances with at a much reduced top speed or level of assistance. The batteries on the bikes you pictured are quite large in comparison to mine. I think you are right in thinking they are lead acid. I'm interested to hear what you find out.

 

[mikedt]

The owners manual that came with my Juiced bike warned not to use below freezing. The battery is a lithium 52 V 19.2 Ah multi cell. It weighs over 10 pounds. I can't imagine the weight of a lead acid battery of similar specs. Maybe they are designed for short distances with at a much reduced top speed or level of assistance. The batteries on the bikes you pictured are quite large in comparison to mine. I think you are right in thinking they are lead acid. I'm interested to hear what you find out.

I did pick one up, quite heavy and so must be lead-acid gel batteries, probably 48V. The batteries appear to be easily removable but are locked to the e-bikes. So someone with a truck, must go around changing discharged batteries for charged ones, and they're charged at the bike company's depots. With the public e-bikes you must leave them at specially designated areas. With the ordinary public bikes you can leave them pretty much anywhere that's for parking bikes.

The electric scooter I own, that's 60V lead-acid, can do about 30mph max, but there's no temperature restrictions for charging and use, and Jinan where I live, can be sub-zero through the winter.

 

[olbriar]

Outstanding on your scooter! 30 mph is quite respectable. Personally, I don't want to go any faster than that unless I was riding a bike only designated lane... which don't exist in my area. About how many miles can you travel on a charge? Your scooter and those bikes intrigue me.

 

[mikedt]

My scooter does about 20-25 miles on a full-charge. Which can get to and from most of the places i might want to go in Jinan. It does have pedals, but they're more of an emergency thing to get home with, as it's quite a low gear and it is heavy to pedal. Jinan like all Chinese cities has cycle only lanes on most major roads and streets.

A friend of mine was riding this black monster of an electric bike. It's 72V, not sure what batteries it has, but the speedo is upto 100kmh. But he had to stop riding it, because it attracted the attention of the traffic police, without license plates. He sold it in the end. I think the local laws for electric bikes are 60V battery and 500W motor maximum, and anything bigger, it must have license plates, must wear a helmet, have insurance and requires a driving license. But as with many things traffic in this country, it's questionable if there's much enforcement.

Can see part of my scooter behind it, with the red handlebars.

 

[Bearsyzf]

So far I've been riding in town. My little city is around ten square miles which is easily twice as large as it was when I was riding years ago. There is a lot of town that I've not seen from a bike seat so it's been a fun ride. Back in the day there wasn't much for sidewalks either for that matter so they have been fun to ride as well. Mostly I take to the roads. Speed limits vary from 30 to 45 mph so it's not like I'm entirely in the way. City riding includes stopping often making the start up a battery drain that I did not mention earlier. I'm anxious to take to the roads and put some real miles on the bike. I love riding but this is much better than that!

I thought I would add this. E bikes are very rare around here. I've seen one other in town. The looks this old man gets while screamin' down the road with very little effort is worth a mention.

If you don't mind me asking, how much did that hit you in the wallet for ?

 

[olbriar]

If you don't mind me asking, how much did that hit you in the wallet for ?

I bought top end technology from an upstart company. When shopping I found bikes with similar specs but at a much higher price. So far I'm super happy with the build quality and design of my bike. My son had issues with his bike from the same company and they were quick to address his problem which made me feel better.
With a new company one is taking a chance on warranty work. I see that my bike is now listed on their site for $2,499. I paid one hundred less with free shipping. I have since upgraded my seat post with a Kinekt Isolation Seatpost which set me back another $250. Not at all a necessity but it sure sweetened the ride. So as my bike sets today, I've got $2,650 invested.

Could I live with less bike? Absolutely I could get by with a lot less bike. My battery is top of the line lithium that retails for over $700. If I was willing to only take short rides and charge afterwards a smaller / cheaper battery would have been wise. I don't really have to employ assistance up to 28 mph. I like going that fast but if I was a leisure rider it would be wasted money. Most E-bikes are assisted by a cadence sensor. It measures how fast you are pedaling and assists accordingly. My bike has cadence as well as torque. Torque is a sensor that measures the pressure you are applying to the pedals. So when you step on it hard it kicks in and gives an extra boost. Nice but not necessary. I also have a throttle with cruise control. With no pedaling the throttle will power the bike up to 20 mph and you can set that speed on cruise and just ride along without pedaling while maintaining a constant speed. Not necessary either. I paid for all of those perks and enjoy them but I could live without. If I was buying again, I would buy the same bike I bought. I have zero regrets and long for nothing better. https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/ripcurrent-s

 

[olbriar]

My scooter does about 20-25 miles on a full-charge. Which can get to and from most of the places i might want to go in Jinan. It does have pedals, but they're more of an emergency thing to get home with, as it's quite a low gear and it is heavy to pedal. Jinan like all Chinese cities has cycle only lanes on most major roads and streets.

A friend of mine was riding this black monster of an electric bike. It's 72V, not sure what batteries it has, but the speedo is upto 100kmh. But he had to stop riding it, because it attracted the attention of the traffic police, without license plates. He sold it in the end. I think the local laws for electric bikes are 60V battery and 500W motor maximum, and anything bigger, it must have license plates, must wear a helmet, have insurance and requires a driving license. But as with many things traffic in this country, it's questionable if there's much enforcement.
View attachment 144866

Can see part of my scooter behind it, with the red handlebars.

I only assume that your scooter is as rad as the black one. That's one sweet scooter!!!!

 

[DonB]

Mike, your friends black scooter looks more like a Motorcycle, amazing that it's an electric bike, no wonder they kept stopping him, I would also, LOL

Olbriar, your bike looks awesome, and I'm glad you love it. I still have not made a decision on mine yet as I still have to weigh the pro and cons of my needs. I was going to buy one before I left for our vacation this weekend, but I choose not to rush, and will test some EBikes while I'm awaiting to see which better fits my needs. As we discussed, I want one that is foldable and with Fat Tires, just need to find the right one.

 

[olbriar]

I think you are wise to explore your options. I know that you will enjoy whatever bike you ultimately purchase. Test riding will answer a lot of your questions and narrow your search field. I was able to ride the bike I purchased prior to buying. I fell in love with the features and knew it was the bike for me.

 

[mikedt]

I've noticed within the last year that many bike sheds now have these charging points installed. 1 yuan 4 hour charge, 2 yuan 8 hour charge. You either scan and pay with your smart-phone, or use a pre-paid card.

 

[olbriar]

That's cool! You say bike sheds? Is this some sort of secure enclosure? I wouldn't dream of leaving my bike anywhere unless theft was impossible. My bike has a battery specific charger. I'd hate to ride with it in my pack to use at a charging station. Fortunately I enjoy enough battery life that it is easy enough to schedule charging across my sleeping hours. I wish battery transportation was popular enough here in the states that charging stations were needed.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

A 10 liter backpack has to be heavy.

 

[mikedt]

That's cool! You say bike sheds? Is this some sort of secure enclosure? I wouldn't dream of leaving my bike anywhere unless theft was impossible. My bike has a battery specific charger. I'd hate to ride with it in my pack to use at a charging station. Fortunately I enjoy enough battery life that it is easy enough to schedule charging across my sleeping hours. I wish battery transportation was popular enough here in the states that charging stations were needed.

Yes, it's a covered secure enclosure within the school campus, where I live, and that's very secure as well. In fact we must charge e-bikes and scooters there, because charging e-bike and scooter batteries is prohibited within our accommodation. Very likely because there's been a spate of fires from charging e-bike and scooter batteries. Like this: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201804/01/WS5ac03f04a3105cdcf65158bf.html

Four people were killed in a fire at an electric bike shop in Beijing early Sunday, municipal fire department said.

In Jinan, I think bike theft is pretty low, and I often leave my scooter parked on the street locked with a D-lock when I'm doing something. Carrying my charger on the scooter is no problem, because there's a storage basket on the front. On Sunday evening I have quite a long ride to a class I do, and take the charger, and will charge it at my destination.