New to E-Bike and this forum

[GMA52]

Unfortunately, an unanswerably broad question.

Q1. What size tires do you have now?

Q2. What surfaces do you see yourself riding on in the future? Pavement only, pavement + hardpack, add in light trails?

Q3. Will you be riding these surfaces when wet, sandy, or muddy? If so, you'll want more tread — perhaps a hybrid tread design.

Q4. How much puncture protection do you need? There can be trade-offs with weight and rolling resistance.

For quality above Kenda, look at Schwalbe and Specialized offerings. (Others can point you to additional quality brands.) Pick out some promising candidates and use the forum search function to see what's already been said about them.

Then come back with narrower tire questions.

I did not see a viable Schalbe or Specialized 4” tire for mostly roads. Seems a lot more options for 2 1/2” or less tires.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I did not see a viable Schalbe or Specialized 4” tire for mostly roads. Seems a lot more options for 2 1/2” or less tires.

Sorry, didn't realize you were after 4" tires when I recommended those brands.

 

[GMA52]

Sorry, didn't realize you were after 4" tires when I recommended those brands.

No worries. I sort of figured that

 

[PCeBiker]

Sorry, I assumed that tire was the back tire.

Yeah, I cropped the picture too much, and it looks like the rear tire.

BTW: Nice Bike! Where did you get the windshield?

Thanks, I got the windshield on Aliexpress to cover up my stupid looking front end after I bought new steering stem and installed it backwards to get my handlebars closer, so I didn't have to lean forward.
I wanted to sit straight up,..

Thread 'handlebar rise or longer goose neck?' https://forums.electricbikereview.com/threads/handlebar-rise-or-longer-goose-neck.52648/

Also, I wished now that I had gone with a step through model because I had to push my seat back as far as it would go and get Sketchers Tennis shoes with 2” heel to get my let over due to fused lumbar and arthritis in hips but They were lower wattage in the brand I was buying.

I've recently started to lean my bike way over before I swing my leg around. I find it easier to get on.

My new ebike is a mile off the ground and I have to stand on my toes to clear the battery that I attached to the top tube.

If I slip off my seat, I'm going to be in a world of hurt when I land on my jewels.

 

[gromike]

Hey ECeBiker, do you have hills where you ride? In my world I would be terrified going downhill with your rig

 

[GMA52]

PCeBiker, by the height of your seat you must be tall. I am 5’8” but most of that is in the torso and 29” inseam on pants. That plus other issues do not allow me to lean my 84lb bike to get on without possibility of it falling over. I was getting on via the curb of the street but at least I can usually get on without issue due to the things I have done. As I said it would have been easier if I had bought a step through. Getting old and surgeries are “hell”.

 

[PCeBiker]

Hey ECeBiker, do you have hills where you ride? In my world I would be terrified going downhill with your rig

Very few. The only hills are where a road crosses a river then I finally get going over 32 kph,..

I've gone down this hill (when it wasn't flooded) and some others that are steeper, riding no-hands at over 35 kph.

It is kinda freaky, but I've gotten pretty good at riding my electric unicycle with a training wheel.

I've got 8000 km on that ebike with over 6000 km of that with no-hands.

 

[PCeBiker]

PCeBiker, by the height of your seat you must be tall. I am 5’8” but most of that is in the torso and 29” inseam on pants.

Yeah, I'm 6' tall with a 32" inseam and I've got the seat set quite high, partly because a full suspension frame needs more ground clearance to help avoid pedal strikes when you squash the suspension, and I replaced my original forks that had 95 mm of travel with downhill air forks that have 160 mm of travel.

I also straighten one leg out at a time, with my heel pointing down from the pedal to stand on one leg to help take the pressure off my ass, so I need my seat set higher so I don't lift off the seat.
I kinda lock myself in so I'm less inclined to get thrown forward when I hit a pothole or some washboard roads.
I also have a suspension seatpost that compresses when I sit on it, so I have to raise the seat and fiddle with my seatpost spring tension to compensate.
And I've got a spring seat on top of the seatpost with a gell seat cover on top of that, and they compress a bit too.

That plus other issues do not allow me to lean my 84lb bike to get on without possibility of it falling over. I was getting on via the curb of the street but at least I can usually get on without issue due to the things I have done.

I've fallen off my e-bike a couple of times when I came to a stop on the shoulder of a gravel road.
The shoulder was sloped a bit, my right toes couldn't touch, and I fell over.

As I said it would have been easier if I had bought a step through. Getting old and surgeries are “hell”.

I didn't buy the step-through on purpose. It just kinda happened to be a step through.
I actually threw my leg around to get on most of the time.

 

[PCeBiker]

In my world I would be terrified going downhill with your rig

It actually feels very stable.
I wouldn't want to go screaming down the side of a mountain on a narrow dirt path but I'd have no fear of doing it on a road.

I did get going 43 kph went I unlocked the ebike, and I did it no-hands but I didn't like it at all, only because I was afraid of getting $5,000 in fines.

I would love to find a hill steep enough and long enough to scare the s*it outta me.
I'm allowed to speed when I'm going down a hill.

 

[GMA52]

Very few. The only hills are where a road crosses a river then I finally get going over 32 kph,..


View attachment 201602




I've got 8000 km on that ebike with over 6000 km of that with no-hands.

Now I see where you got the name “Daffy” LOL. “Over 6000km with no hands”. I don’t think I can go over 10 ft without hands

 

[PCeBiker]

I learned when I was a kid, and never forgot how.

 

[GMA52]

I learned when I was a kid, and never forgot how.

When I was a kid i could do it but never as far as you rhough

 

[PCeBiker]

One thing I am glad for is that My E-Bike doesn’t (or shouldn’t) need balancing due to the lower speed.

I spent months trying to get rid of a wobble or shimmy that would only happen when I carried a second battery on my rear rack, and only when I rode no-hands.

I ended up balancing both my wheels (by wrapping solder around the spokes), and broke two rear racks off my e-bike before I managed to make battery mounts for my top tube.

That got rid of the speed wobble but I'm down to only a couple multi tools in my pockets now.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Yeah I tried the rear rack battery on a fs mountain bike build and though ok for casual street rides I never really liked the setup. Ended up with a custom, much smaller 10ah battery from Jenny and then the bike was a delight everywhere. Proper center of gravity is golden.

And I went step thru on my latest bike even though I can still get up over a properly sized bike with a 30in inseam. Man it makes many things easier. My arthritic knees can act up and then add carpal tunnel on top and I want comfort and ease above all.

 

[PedalUma]

steering stem and installed it backwards

There are 110 adjustable riser stems that work with backswept bars. I am not showing this because it would be for you. Only to show that there are all kinds options. I might use something like this to convert a dropbar gravel bike so I can reuse the dropbar levers. It is called a moustache bar. I don't know why. You wrap it like a road bike. The shifting on that bike is in the lever. I am not sure how well that will work. This spanking new $1900 bike has been sitting here for almost two years. Got it with a bunch of others when a bike shop owner ripped me off with a bunch of others and closed the shop. It went there with four guys just before he closed and took a truck and trailer load of new bikes as a settlement.

 

[GMA52]

“. Got it with a bunch of others when a bike shop owner ripped me off with a bunch of others and closed the shop. It went there with four guys just before he closed and took a truck and trailer load of new bikes as a settlement.”

How did that work and more importantly why did the bike sit for 2 years?

 

[PCeBiker]

There are 110 adjustable riser stems that work with backswept bars. I am not showing this because it would be for you.

The Daffed part is that my first e-bike came with that very same adjustable riser, and it would have worked perfectly for me.
It didn't occur to me to just rotate it 180`

Instead, I bought and installed a new riser and handlebars, then bought a $70 windshield to cover up the ugly mess.


The first thing I did with my new ebike, (which also came with an adjustable riser) was to spin the riser backwards.

 

[GMA52]

The Daffed part is that my first e-bike came with that very same adjustable riser, and it would have worked perfectly for me.
It didn't occur to me to just rotate it 180`

Instead, I bought and installed a new riser and handlebars, then bought a $70 windshield to cover up the ugly mess.


The first thing I did with my new ebike, (which also came with an adjustable riser) was to spin the riser backwards.

Welcome to the club!

 

[PedalUma]

very same adjustable riser

How did that work? Well, the guy I trusted ripped of a bunch of people. He knowingly wrote me a bad check for $1000. That is criminal. Federal time. Attorney fees. Court dates for months. I just went in there with several big guys and loaded new bikes and called it even. No Police Report. One little old lady was ripped off for $1600. A legally blind guy and friend, Michael, paid in advance to have his eTrike disassembled and painted and rebuilt. All he got back after months of excuses was a bunch of unsorted parts. With no instructions, no labels. There were a bunch of others in town. For 18 months it was the coolest place to hangout in town. There were sofas and good free espresso with big screen bike videos and cool music, cool bikes. I would work on collaborative projects there. That bike is all GRX, Shimano gravel specific, and is sweet but extra-small. What grown woman wants to ride an expensive off-road analog dropbar? I think I will sometime find a small woman and sell it for half-price as part of a conversion to electric package with a higher bar and more lady friendly saddle. That is why it has just been sitting. I was counting in the rainy off-season to help make rent with that $1,000. I was pissed but did not blow my cool. We just marched in on a mission and loaded bikes.

 

[GMA52]

That is pathetic to rip of anyone but especially sick to take advantage of the blind and elderly. That is NO Conscience. Did the little old lady get anything back?