Motor at CycleCross Worlds

On Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 5:32:50 AM UTC-8, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per :
If speeds could be increased from say 15mph to 25mph for a 10 mile commute, that would reduce the time from 40 minutes to 24 minutes.
Maybe not quite as fast as in a car, but not too much slower. And same effort as riding at 15mph but you go 25mph.
15mph I think is a pace most people can maintain for hours. Even if you had to charge it every night, that would be OK.
30 mile total range maybe.

My experience with eBikes suggests that we are not even close to that
being a realistic possibility.

Yes, the brute force is currently available - but it weighs sooooooo
much.

https://optibike.com/pioneer-carbon/ I have not done a comprehensive web search, but this one is CF, 33lbs with a top speed of 28mph and a range of 50 miles -- plus it looks plausible as a road bike. Only $5,520 USD on sale. Pre-order now! Look at the rest of the page -- the top of the range is $14K.

The big benefit is that it is a bike and, presumably, you can use it in a bike lane and in bike-only facilities. Skip traffic and cruise. It makes coming in from the 'burbs more attractive, but as a hpBike rider (human powered), I'm not that excited about dealing with eBikes in the already crowded facilities -- although eBikes do present drafting opportunities. Every so often, I get passed by some guy on a souped-up eBike that is just too fast for the facilities and is a bit startling. The guy might as well be on a Vespa.

-- Jay Beattie.

Per jbeattie:
https://optibike.com/pioneer-carbon/

Those are some pretty impressive specs.

Especially the 5.5 pound 11.6 AH battery....

I would think that they need to disclose the body weight of the rider
for which the bike achieves those specs... I am 210# and I've ridden
500W motors.... and 28 MPH does not compute for me.... nor does 50 miles
without pedaling. Maybe somebody around 110#.....
--
Pete Cresswell

Op 2-2-2016 om 14:39 schreef AMuzi:
On 2/2/2016 4:39 AM, Lou Holtman wrote:
On Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 6:33:13 AM UTC+1, Tim McNamara wrote:
On Mon, 1 Feb 2016 15:15:15 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

Seems to me there should be a market for a product like I described.
A simpler, cleaner electric/battery bike. Many people do not ride
bikes solely for the joy of pedaling. Many ride because of utility or
necessity. A few percentage extra oomph would increase range and
speed. If speeds could be increased from say 15mph to 25mph for a 10
mile commute, that would reduce the time from 40 minutes to 24
minutes. Maybe not quite as fast as in a car, but not too much
slower. And same effort as riding at 15mph but you go 25mph. 15mph I
think is a pace most people can maintain for hours. Even if you had
to charge it every night, that would be OK. 30 mile total range
maybe.

Ummm.... there are lots of e-bikes on the market now for exactly those
reasons. Lots of cycling magazine coverage- not in bike racing
magazines, but cycling magazines aimed at the less abnormal cyclist than
racers. ;-) A to B Magazine from England, in particular, has been
covering these for 10-15 years along with folders- their target market
is people getting to work and runnign errands by bike. Encycleopedia,
Bike Culture Quarterly (possibly my favorite bike magazine ever),
Bycycle, Velo Vision, etc., covered this sort of thing.

30% of the utility bike sales in the Netherlands are electric assisted
bikes. They are a huge succes here. Nobody is 'ashamed' anymore using
them.

Lou


Does your average person drag the thing upstairs at night? They are not
light, typically 60lb.



I don't think so but very, very few people need to carry any bike
upstairs at night. We have pretty good houses ;-)

Lou

On Monday, February 1, 2016 at 8:20:06 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Monday, February 1, 2016 at 7:17:55 PM UTC-6, Doug Landau wrote:
Which brings us to: Since mopeds already exist and have for a long time, and are not in the least bit uncommon, it seems reasonable to conclude that the form factor of - and the functionality offered by - the motorized bicycle has already reached equilibrium, and the moped is it.


Disagree. A moped is basically a smaller motorcycle. Not much difference. But a motorized bicycle or electric bicycle would still contain the simplicity and sleekness of a bicycle. With a moped you cannot pick it up. A moped must be parked in a car parking space usually. There is nothing simple about a moped. Its a motorcycle basically. But a motorized bicycle, motorized like the cheater used in the race, would keep the ease of the bike.. You would still need to pedal and use your muscles to go. But the motor could reduce a lot of the effort and trouble of biking. Get it to moped speed roughly but still be simple like a bike.

You are missing the point. The moped is the combination of motorcycle and bicycle that the public wants. The other form factors like the cheater and the motor over the front wheel are passing fads.

On Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 5:38:41 AM UTC-8, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per :
There is nothing simple about a moped. Its a motorcycle basically.

The first mopeds were pretty simple: a IC engine hanging on the front
fork driving the front wheel via a friction roller. To disengage the
motor, one flipped a lever that raised the engine/roller up off the
tire.

Back in the '70's or 80's somebody in the USA brought out something
called "ChickenPower" that was essentially that concept.

This isn't it, but it is the same idea: http://tinyurl.com/jjrx6qk

The other stuff came later.
--
Pete Cresswell

Steam engines over the front wheel, however, came long before. Google steam bicycle and click images.

https://www.google.com/search?q=stea...1 404&bih=751

Op 2-2-2016 om 14:43 schreef AMuzi:
On 2/2/2016 7:32 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per :
If speeds could be increased from say 15mph to 25mph for a 10 mile
commute, that would reduce the time from 40 minutes to 24 minutes.
Maybe not quite as fast as in a car, but not too much slower. And
same effort as riding at 15mph but you go 25mph.
15mph I think is a pace most people can maintain for hours. Even if
you had to charge it every night, that would be OK.
30 mile total range maybe.

My experience with eBikes suggests that we are not even close to that
being a realistic possibility.

Yes, the brute force is currently available - but it weighs sooooooo
much.


Right. People like what they like but a 60lb boat anchor for $2500
mystifies me in a world where a 17lb race ready bike from a well known
manufacturer is under $2k.



People buying 2500+ euro E bikes are not into racing. They are into
something like this:

http://www.koga.com/nl/fietsen/elekt...re.htm?frame=H

It is a completely different kind of cycling.

Lou

On Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3:55:41 PM UTC-5, JoeRiel wrote:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/femk...championships/

--
Joe Riel

my un-researched opinion is that

THE COMPETITION E MOTOR IS FLACK

but where's Shakespeare ? did he kick off, jailed for ?, someone beat the living XXXX outta him ?

Billy owns an E bike after an E OP.

On Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3:55:41 PM UTC-5, JoeRiel wrote:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/femk...championships/

--
Joe Riel

Jay Beattie ? what goes on with E Bike use age in Portland's rain ?

gotta report ?

On 2/2/2016 1:13 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Op 2-2-2016 om 14:43 schreef AMuzi:
On 2/2/2016 7:32 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per :
If speeds could be increased from say 15mph to 25mph for a 10 mile
commute, that would reduce the time from 40 minutes to 24 minutes.
Maybe not quite as fast as in a car, but not too much slower. And
same effort as riding at 15mph but you go 25mph.
15mph I think is a pace most people can maintain for hours. Even if
you had to charge it every night, that would be OK.
30 mile total range maybe.

My experience with eBikes suggests that we are not even close to that
being a realistic possibility.

Yes, the brute force is currently available - but it weighs sooooooo
much.


Right. People like what they like but a 60lb boat anchor for $2500
mystifies me in a world where a 17lb race ready bike from a well known
manufacturer is under $2k.



People buying 2500+ euro E bikes are not into racing. They are into
something like this:

http://www.koga.com/nl/fietsen/elekt...re.htm?frame=H

It is a completely different kind of cycling.

I agree with Lou, it is a completely different kind of cycling.

I just returned from visiting a friend who owns a vaguely similar
machine. He used it for years to commute to work in his relatively warm
climate. He was not really interested in cycling, but he was very
interested in reducing his personal environmental impact, and in saving
money. And as an electrical engineer, he enjoyed tinkering with his
ebike.

He now has a different job, one that (sadly) requires an hour commute
each way by car. But the increase in salary was enough to let him
afford a Chevy Volt. He feels pretty good about doing almost the entire
drive on electric power.


--
- Frank Krygowski

Frank Krygowski writes:

On 2/2/2016 1:13 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Op 2-2-2016 om 14:43 schreef AMuzi:
On 2/2/2016 7:32 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per :
If speeds could be increased from say 15mph to 25mph for a 10 mile
commute, that would reduce the time from 40 minutes to 24 minutes.
Maybe not quite as fast as in a car, but not too much slower. And
same effort as riding at 15mph but you go 25mph.
15mph I think is a pace most people can maintain for hours. Even if
you had to charge it every night, that would be OK.
30 mile total range maybe.

My experience with eBikes suggests that we are not even close to that
being a realistic possibility.

Yes, the brute force is currently available - but it weighs sooooooo
much.


Right. People like what they like but a 60lb boat anchor for $2500
mystifies me in a world where a 17lb race ready bike from a well known
manufacturer is under $2k.



People buying 2500+ euro E bikes are not into racing. They are into
something like this:

http://www.koga.com/nl/fietsen/elekt...re.htm?frame=H

It is a completely different kind of cycling.

I agree with Lou, it is a completely different kind of cycling.

I just returned from visiting a friend who owns a vaguely similar
machine. He used it for years to commute to work in his relatively
warm climate. He was not really interested in cycling, but he was
very interested in reducing his personal environmental impact, and in
saving money. And as an electrical engineer, he enjoyed tinkering
with his ebike.

He now has a different job, one that (sadly) requires an hour commute
each way by car. But the increase in salary was enough to let him
afford a Chevy Volt. He feels pretty good about doing almost the
entire drive on electric power.

The range of a Volt on electric only drive is about 50 miles.
Unless it's a rather slow commute he has to charge it at each end.

--
Joe Riel