Recent content by mclewis1

I was going to ask if it had steel bars. I was thinking that years ago (70s into the early 80s) as index shifting and such was coming in there was a real movement to routing brake and shifter cables to under the tape on the drop bars. It was really interesting to find different ways of...

Very nice (cheating good). You've got to start painting those bottle batteries a few different colors ... even just white would help on this one. Nice hide of the wires in the handlebar. Did you run the wires under the grip and into the end or did you drill the bar? If the later you need to...

Some were not too bad looking either - a hatchback Hornet or the AMX/Javelin were not that bad. But that "Snot" green or the vibrant lime paint options would be pretty bad on any vehicle.

It's cheaper to turn out bikes in just a few solid colours ... and you know how everyone is looking to save a few dollars. I too miss a choice of colours and combinations (stripes etc.), or even just more chrome. This from a guy who built up his ebikes from solid black frames (both Surlys) ...

Upon closer inspection (my zooming in was confined to the handlebar area) that is indeed a Phaserunner (it initially appeared to me to be a bit flatter and more like the Baserunner) ... sorry about that, and to gromike ... Never mind the question. Pedal - don't mind us. All of this little...

That's almost exactly what I was thinking of as an upgrade to my urban all season ebike (currently a Shengyi SX motor, CycleAnalyst, 52v/750w battery with a Baserunner controller). The only thing holding me back was/is money. I'm with Pedal ... I'd like to hear more about your experiences...

To deal with blackouts there's a whole lot of real-estate between lighting a couple of candles and a totally automated 10-15kW whole home natural gas/propane generator that's plumbed into the gas source and wired into your home's electrical - and so there are a lot of different solutions for...

I think it bears repeating that the preferred "design" now for home backup is a suitable battery (power station) that is then recharged via the ICE generator ... and not using the generator to directly power some or most of your appliances. Yes battery power stations cost quite a bit more than...

Going waaay back that orange Raleigh also brought back memories. In the very early 80s I bought an orange Centurion LeMans that looked very similar. No it didn't have that lovely lug work or the polished drilled out components but overall it was a very similar vibe. Even the sizing looked...

How did I miss this thread originally? I especially enjoyed the discussion about the Ti Spectrum. I raced on a few different Ti Litespeeds (Catalyst and Ultimate). I still have a jack of all trades Appalachian (originally designed as a cyclecross frame) with Campy Chorus shifting (shifts smooth...

Used to be ... I started occasional commuting by bike in the 80s (when most of my riding was recreational and racing) and then in the 90s it progressed to regularly (weather permitting). Moved to a slightly better climate (less rain, less winter snow) in the 2000s and commuted by bike all the...

Interesting how we've come full circle in many ways. My grandparents had a dairy farm in the 40s, 50s, and 60s with a very limited grid connection (less than 50amps to the house - and in the 40s it was even less). So there was always the consideration about power and things like when to do...

Thanks usclassic, I have to say that despite some of the “detours” from others that I’m really enjoying this thread. It seems to parallel much of my interest in power from alternative (non grid) sources. I’m always interested in new technologies and in particular when I can learn and put them to...

Tonight's low will be -20C (by 6am) ... so no early morning ride on Monday (the afternoon looks promising, cool but reasonable). No new snow so the paths are mostly bare. Will have to watch my studs. Also no snow on the 10 day forecast (just a little possible rain), but I don't think that means...

I'm 2 adults in ~1100sq/ft, all electric (heat, water, cooking, charging the ebike :D ) - and we pay 15c/kw (so about 11c USD). With this and a colder than avg winter my worst monthly bill was just over $500 cad. About $70 is additional stuff (water tank rental, extra surcharges to cover debt...