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Old May 29th 08, 03:36 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
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Default ebikes: lots of bad ideas

On May 28, 1:03 pm, DougC wrote:
johns wrote:
Before I start building my ebike, I'm reading everything I can find
on what is available. So far, I'm learning more about what not to
get ..


Sounds to me like the ebike has a ways to go.


One thing I noticed right off when I started looking into gas and
electric bicycle engine kits, was that the people with electrics always,
always ended up wishing they could ride longer. During a short test ride
the torque/acceleration can seem impressive, and you usually cannot
explore the limitations of the battery endurance.

With gas engines you can ride all day if you keep pouring gas in. Most
of the gas ones don't do real well up hills either, because they only
allow one drive speed. The Staton/NuVinci setup seems to be the first
that allows variable drive ratios.

A few people have built bikes using the cheap Lifan moped/motorcycle
engines, 50-to-100cc engines that only cost around $300 and come with a
3- or 4-speed transmission. These are usually over legal
displacement/power/top speed limits but the multiple gears totally
eliminates the problem of hillclimbing. And the engine/trans weighs
around 40 lbs.


It seems like at that point, you're getting into
"just buy a moped" territory.

I used to live in a hilly area and knew
some people who got E-bikes or Curries to
commute up the hill to work (elevation gain
800 ft, a real hill). They work for that -
only need a fairly short ride time, twice a day,
power gets you up the hill, but not at car speed.
I preferred riding a much lighter plain old
people-bike, but not everyone wants to get
that much exercise.

However, people who want the ebike to cruise
at high speeds or have a really long range
are basically asking it to be an imitation
moped, scooter, or motorcycle. I doubt
that one can make a decent faux moped without
making it as heavy as a moped, and then it
would probably be better and safer to actually
get a moped. The same goes triple for
motorcycles. Electric scooters could be an
interesting, and quieter, niche.

My pet peeve: people who ride loud gas-powered
"bicycles" on bike paths. Get on the road.

Ben

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