Why wait until I turn 80??
#1
Old enough, hmmm?
Thread Starter
Why wait until I turn 80??
That was the original plan, because that way I could rib some of the e-bikers who were slower than yours truly on an analog bike. SWMBO got herself a new Class 2 e-bike and I had to try it out on my favourite rail trail.
There are 9 levels of PA on the bike and I was curious with how little one could get by while staying at the 32 km/h / 20 mp/h limit.
Level 1 proved to be enough, biggest gear in 68 cadence mode and the BPM at < 130 did the trick.
So today I ordered a RBSM Mud Adder Electric eBike 500W Motor, 48 Volt Bafang Brushless Rear Hub, that should arrive within two weeks.
It will be an interesting experience even if it is at age 76.
There are 9 levels of PA on the bike and I was curious with how little one could get by while staying at the 32 km/h / 20 mp/h limit.
Level 1 proved to be enough, biggest gear in 68 cadence mode and the BPM at < 130 did the trick.
So today I ordered a RBSM Mud Adder Electric eBike 500W Motor, 48 Volt Bafang Brushless Rear Hub, that should arrive within two weeks.
It will be an interesting experience even if it is at age 76.
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#2
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My 500W Bafang geared rear hub drive, from a kit, has exceeded my expectations. I predict you'll love it.
#3
Senior Member
I ride a bike not only for adventure and fun, but for excersize. My concern is with an e bike I'm going to get lazy and use the motor too much. Since neither time nor speed are factors on my rides I choose to forgo the electric assist at 65 years old. Perhaps later.
Last edited by xroadcharlie; 09-04-21 at 10:31 AM.
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#4
Old enough, hmmm?
Thread Starter
I ride a bike not only for adventure and fun, but for excersize. My concern is with an e bike I'm going to get lazy and use the motor too much. Since neither time nor speed are factors on my rides I choose to forgo the electric assist at 65 years old. Perhaps later.
Today was the 65.3 kilometre ride using SWMBO's e-bike; I wanted to see where the battery would start to pulse that last bar (close to empty!). The first 40 K are a constant up and down with climbs up to 13% and corresponding descents. The last 25.3 K are on our rail trail with minimal grades <1.8%.
The PA works in 9 steps, the cassette has 8 gears i.e. it's up to the rider how hard or easy the "session". aka you get out corresponding to how much you put in.
BTW it was a good ride and the bar started to flash with 10 K to go, no problem.
Only part I don't like on her bike: the saddle is definitely designed for females.
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#5
Old enough, hmmm?
Thread Starter
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#6
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I ride a bike not only for adventure and fun, but for excersize. My concern is with an e bike I'm going to get lazy and use the motor too much. Since neither time nor speed are factors on my rides I choose to forgo the electric assist at 65 years old. Perhaps later.
First, get a pedelec, no throttle. Second, realise that as big as those batteries are, you can burn through them very quickly if you use the top level of assist. The longer, or harder, the ride, the less you can use assist. My bike has three levels of assist, and 99% of the time I leave it on the middle setting. One of the rides I am working up to is the LL Bean ride. It totals a bit over 35 miles, and I don't think I will be able to use the high level of assist at all.
I have been using it from the beginning to do things I couldn't without it. No rush, but when you're ready, you're gonna love it.
#7
Old enough, hmmm?
Thread Starter
On our "flat Rail Trail" I leave it in level one (of nine), put it in the largest gear (of 8) for most of the 52K,shifting only for two slight ondulations and/or when I have to slow down for other traffic e.g. the people who are hard of hearing. Other than that always just below the PA limit i.e between 30 and 32 kmh.
It's up to the rider to adjust for the desired benefit.
The ORT is perfect for the easy days, go as far as the mood strikes but go.
#8
Full Member
Old knees made riding at lot less fun, so I put a 36v 500W kit on my hybrid bike 6 years ago - also at 76. It made it possible for me to keep riding without my knees hurting on the long hills. I ride it only in PA mode, don't use the throttle (actually removed it to make room for ergon grips and bar ends.) I just wanted some assistance, not a moped.
It was a good decision for me. Without the assist I probably would have hung up the bike a few years ago. Enjoy!
It was a good decision for me. Without the assist I probably would have hung up the bike a few years ago. Enjoy!
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#9
Senior Member
I'll put off getting an e-bike for as long as I can and like others only PA and a smaller motor (<250w) that's smoother and uses less battery. Hopefully some years after 70 but we'll see. My knees already complain occasionally but not enough to keep me from riding. I know myself and know that I'll likely use whatever I have available so I only want enough to make up for age related decline and nothing more.
My guess is my bakfiets will be the first to get it as it can already be a beast to pedal up some hills when loaded.
My guess is my bakfiets will be the first to get it as it can already be a beast to pedal up some hills when loaded.
Last edited by CrankyOne; 09-11-21 at 04:38 PM.
#10
don't try this at home.
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The wife of one of the local riders got a Trek ebike. Our rides were too long and too much elevation for her, previously. So she rarely rode. WIth the ebike, she could confidently ride our 50 mile rides. She rode with the assist dialed way back most of the time and got surprisingly strong! Late in the season, she rode up some impressive hills with her old non-e bike. Yeah!
There's some newer road e-bikes that have small batteries and less powerful motors, so they aren't too heavy, and you have to look closely to notice they are ebikes. These will need a good amount of rider assistance for steeper hills and longer distances. I like the idea of just a partial assist for a lot of riders.
There's some newer road e-bikes that have small batteries and less powerful motors, so they aren't too heavy, and you have to look closely to notice they are ebikes. These will need a good amount of rider assistance for steeper hills and longer distances. I like the idea of just a partial assist for a lot of riders.
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#11
Old enough, hmmm?
Thread Starter
Yesterday was the real test run on the new e-MTB. Mostly on pavement of varying "quality"but 5 K on gravel, washboard, mega holes and loose stuff in the downhill curves.
52.6 K, a happy mixture of different PA and through the whole 9 speed cluster'.
The only thing that was missing was the half toe clips, but they are on order.
Performance?
Anytime one gets up a 9 -16 % climb in 5th gear with full blast PA should put a big smile on one's face.
Battery life?
16% left at the end of the ride. Yes it was a good workout. Average cadence 77, age? not quite 77, yet.
52.6 K, a happy mixture of different PA and through the whole 9 speed cluster'.
The only thing that was missing was the half toe clips, but they are on order.
Performance?
Anytime one gets up a 9 -16 % climb in 5th gear with full blast PA should put a big smile on one's face.
Battery life?
16% left at the end of the ride. Yes it was a good workout. Average cadence 77, age? not quite 77, yet.
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#12
Newbie
The wife of one of the local riders got a Trek ebike. Our rides were too long and too much elevation for her, previously. So she rarely rode. WIth the ebike, she could confidently ride our 50 mile rides. She rode with the assist dialed way back most of the time and got surprisingly strong! Late in the season, she rode up some impressive hills with her old non-e bike. Yeah!
There's some newer road e-bikes that have small batteries and less powerful motors, so they aren't too heavy, and you have to look closely to notice they are ebikes. These will need a good amount of rider assistance for steeper hills and longer distances. I like the idea of just a partial assist for a lot of riders.
There's some newer road e-bikes that have small batteries and less powerful motors, so they aren't too heavy, and you have to look closely to notice they are ebikes. These will need a good amount of rider assistance for steeper hills and longer distances. I like the idea of just a partial assist for a lot of riders.
#13
Old enough, hmmm?
Thread Starter
And today my e-bike gets introduced to gravel — half of 38 K will be pavement with plenty of hills, the rest is either single track or Rail Trail and then more pavement for the last 4 K with more hills.
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#14
Junior Member
The wife of one of the local riders got a Trek ebike. Our rides were too long and too much elevation for her, previously. So she rarely rode. WIth the ebike, she could confidently ride our 50 mile rides. She rode with the assist dialed way back most of the time and got surprisingly strong! Late in the season, she rode up some impressive hills with her old non-e bike. Yeah!
There's some newer road e-bikes that have small batteries and less powerful motors, so they aren't too heavy, and you have to look closely to notice they are ebikes. These will need a good amount of rider assistance for steeper hills and longer distances. I like the idea of just a partial assist for a lot of riders.
There's some newer road e-bikes that have small batteries and less powerful motors, so they aren't too heavy, and you have to look closely to notice they are ebikes. These will need a good amount of rider assistance for steeper hills and longer distances. I like the idea of just a partial assist for a lot of riders.
I totally understand ebikes are not for everyone and purists may dislike them, but they do enable people to get out cycling with all the joys and benefits that brings. It's literally changed my life by rekindling and lost passion.
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#15
don't try this at home.
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Trek Domane+ ebike
They recently test rode a Trek like this: Domane+ ALR, but didn't buy it. Much lighter, and a half sized battery and smaller motor at the crank. It's a "class A", 20 mph top boost speed. Rides more like a road bike, too. It has a normal pair of front chainrings and a wide range rear cassette, so it can be easily ridden without a boost.
The only problem was on a couple of steeper climbs where it felt like the drivetrain locked up briefly. I'm guessing that the software that decides when to engage the motor had a bit of a lag. It shouldn't boost if the rider is coasting, for instance, but has to start assisting as soon as the rider pedals. They found some other online comments about the same problem. I'm sure these glitches will be handled better in the future. It had a nice display with the battery remaining percentage, etc.
I know a rider out of town that got a Bianchi Aria this summer. It's similar to the lighter weight Trek, but the motor is in the rear hub, which is about as big around as the cassette. There's a lighted push button on the top tube, with three levels of boost: 50watts, 100, and 150 watts. That's definitely in the "assist" mode, not the "do all the work for me" mode. And the same Class A 20 mph limit.
This same setup, with the top tube button and rear motor, is available from other manufacturers, too.
One is featured in this entertaining GCN Show video: Can an E-bike make you fast enough to train with a pro? He says "250 watts max" but that's likely to be just a momentary startup power, it should have the same 150 watts max as the Bianchi. He gets dropped on the flats, since his assist stops at 25 kph = 16 mph. That's pretty slow. But the 150 watts boost lets him work hard and hang with the pro on the climbs. Really, though, e-bike riders: don't ride with the pros or the local "A" group drop-ride. Not a good idea.
Last edited by rm -rf; 09-15-21 at 11:56 AM.
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#16
Newbie
I didn't wait until 80. I wasn't able to ride the hills and distances I could 10 years ago now that I'm 77 years old. I bought a Pinarello Dyodo that has the ebikemotion x35 motor which is 250 watts. It was 2019 NOS. It will assist up to 20mph. It has 3 assist levels. I mostly ride with no assist or 1st level on mostly flat terrain but I've gone up some steep hills (15%) in the 3rd assist level sitting down. On a 46 mile ride last Wednesday with nearly 2000 ft of elevation I still had 45% of battery left. I'm very happy with the purchase. It was just time to get some help on some of the routes I've been avoiding that I enjoyed in the past but didn't feel I could do them any more without over doing it.
#17
Old enough, hmmm?
Thread Starter
Officially my Mud Adder will go for 55 km on one charge, however I'm still testing that part,. As soon as the wind dies down and the rain stops I'll be doing the 65 km route, trying to be frugal with the PA.
#18
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I was riding around my local pretty flat streets today using 7 wh per mile on my "street" bike. Theoretically my 52V, 14 ah battery should provide 14 X 52 X (80%) = 582 wh / 7 = 83 miles. Doubt I'll find out but maybe someday when I'm bored.
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#19
Full Member
I was 61 years old, in good health and riding a Specialized S Works Stumpjumper 27.5. A delightful 22 lb full suspension bike. A dream bike to ride off road.
My wife has a genetic condition and some assistance to even continue to ride flat rail trails. I decided to build her a super stable easy to balance E bike. The result was a sub 38 pound step through bike with 2.4" tires and Bafang 52 volt system. I had no intentions of building one for myself but I was hooked in about a hundred meters of debugging the e bike. Hooking me was not because of the ease factor at all, It was the fun factor and nothing more.
I felt guilty for getting hooked on the fun factor. My mind started to race I started to rationalize the justification for making myself an e bike. I already had a $10k bike I loved and loved the exercise. What to do. The idea hit me to build a big fat bike for off road sand, grass, mud and snow. I had already tried a fat bike and found that they rode like a pig in comparison to my Stumpy. My heartrate went stupid trying to ride a fat bike. My rationalization complete I didn't want to sink too much money into one if I wasn't going to like it so I started with a Motobecane Titanium Night Train Bullet for $2.3k and added a Bafang BBSHD 52 volt system and customized the cockpit. I was done for about $4.5k. The bike weighed in at 48.8 pounds.
I found the fun factor was once again spiked beyond my wife's bike and way beyond my Stumpy. Now I felt guilty again for liking the E fat over my Stumpy. Damned, I was doomed and knew it. Well, I have the discipline to get the exercise and do no feel the need to punish with denial to get it.
Long story short the Stumpy has not been ridden this year. My miles went from about 1,400 miles per year to around 5,000 miles (2,240-8,000 Km). The bike is just short of doubling in weight. My rides have gone from 20-25 miles ( 32-40 km) to as much as 150 miles (240 km)in one day. My power usage has gone from 6-7 watt hours per mile (9.6 -11.2 Wh/km) to 15-22 Watt hours per mile (25-35 Wh/km). I now dirt tour with the bike and my rig can exceed 400 pounds.
At 66 years old I get plenty of exercise and do not justify my e bike on exercise at all. The only justification for an e bike I need, is the freedom and fun factor that e bike grants me.
Next year will be the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route on my E fat. I can do it in about a month.
My wife has a genetic condition and some assistance to even continue to ride flat rail trails. I decided to build her a super stable easy to balance E bike. The result was a sub 38 pound step through bike with 2.4" tires and Bafang 52 volt system. I had no intentions of building one for myself but I was hooked in about a hundred meters of debugging the e bike. Hooking me was not because of the ease factor at all, It was the fun factor and nothing more.
I felt guilty for getting hooked on the fun factor. My mind started to race I started to rationalize the justification for making myself an e bike. I already had a $10k bike I loved and loved the exercise. What to do. The idea hit me to build a big fat bike for off road sand, grass, mud and snow. I had already tried a fat bike and found that they rode like a pig in comparison to my Stumpy. My heartrate went stupid trying to ride a fat bike. My rationalization complete I didn't want to sink too much money into one if I wasn't going to like it so I started with a Motobecane Titanium Night Train Bullet for $2.3k and added a Bafang BBSHD 52 volt system and customized the cockpit. I was done for about $4.5k. The bike weighed in at 48.8 pounds.
I found the fun factor was once again spiked beyond my wife's bike and way beyond my Stumpy. Now I felt guilty again for liking the E fat over my Stumpy. Damned, I was doomed and knew it. Well, I have the discipline to get the exercise and do no feel the need to punish with denial to get it.
Long story short the Stumpy has not been ridden this year. My miles went from about 1,400 miles per year to around 5,000 miles (2,240-8,000 Km). The bike is just short of doubling in weight. My rides have gone from 20-25 miles ( 32-40 km) to as much as 150 miles (240 km)in one day. My power usage has gone from 6-7 watt hours per mile (9.6 -11.2 Wh/km) to 15-22 Watt hours per mile (25-35 Wh/km). I now dirt tour with the bike and my rig can exceed 400 pounds.
At 66 years old I get plenty of exercise and do not justify my e bike on exercise at all. The only justification for an e bike I need, is the freedom and fun factor that e bike grants me.
Next year will be the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route on my E fat. I can do it in about a month.
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#20
Old enough, hmmm?
Thread Starter
What make of battery is that? Thanks!
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#22
Old enough, hmmm?
Thread Starter
I'd need the 48 V version and as their website mentions they are all sold out.
Could be used as a range extender, if I need one (?), Still in the testing stages.
#23
Old enough, hmmm?
Thread Starter
Update on the battery range: One full charge was good for 70 km on mixed roads/gravel. Showed 0% at the end but the PA was still working coming up the steep driveway
Things are looking good.
Things are looking good.
#24
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Pretty similar for me; I rode my Haibike 10 miles off road on fairly steep terrain yesterday and used 22% of my 396 wh battery. Should be able to ride 40 miles or so. Not bad for a four year old system.
#25
Sheik Yerbouti
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Orbea Gain...check it out. I am soooo interested, yet am having trouble convincing myself I really need an ebike yet. And wondering what big improvements could be made in the intervening years if I hold off for now.
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