2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[steve mercier]

Thankyou..it needs all the love it can get, most people in the UK think its a dump.

Without Liverpool there would be no Beatles and that is unthinkable!

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Perhaps Liverpool is the centre of the universe…

 

[Anna]

My Birthday Vado Turbo Mode Range Test Ride

The title could not be more complicated, could it "How I Tested the Range of My Vado in the Turbo Mode on My Birthday" could be a better one, as some great American book on proper writing of chemical papers taught me many years ago. The author would describe my original post title as "the German Vice" but I'm departing from I wanted to tell you now

In one of the Forum threads, someone asked what the range of Vado 5.0 would be if the bike were ridden in Turbo mode only. I was guessing it would be some 40 km (25 mi) but wanted to verify it experimentally for good, so I set off with my Vado for a 40 km loop ride (or, until the battery charge would fall below 5%, where the Turbo Mode doesn't work anymore).

What a ride! No effort at all! Just zooming at high speed! Freeway overpasses seemed not to exist! With the instantaneous speed of 40 km/h or more against headwind, my only worry was the cold wind, as it was as cold as 13 C (55 F) and my thermo-active base layer, padded shorts and summer jersey seemed not to be good enough for the weather. I wished I wore a balaclava!

View attachment 59728
In 2/3 of an hour, I made the first 20 km and the display figures ensured me the 40 km/h distance was easily doable on the 604 Wh Vado battery in Turbo mode.


View attachment 59729
Actually, I had to make the distance up to achieve the 5% battery charge. It was at 27 miles sharp.


View attachment 59730
At some moment, I overtook a car that blocked my way (the person was joining the traffic and ignored the approaching cyclist, that was me). How hollering I was! I honked at the driver and overtook him, reaching 51 km/h at high cadence, well past the 45 km/h limiter...

I was born on July 22nd, 1961. July 22nd used to be an important day in Polish history. On that day in 1944, the Communist rule was established in Poland, and it had been a holiday for 45 years. There was a large chocolate manufacturer owned by E. Wedel before WWII. The commies changed the name of the factory to "22nd of July, formerly E. Wedel" Nowadays, friends wish me "the best on the formerly E. Wedel day!"

All the best to you all, too!

You are looking “stealth“ Stephan... (and supposedly the camera adds 10 pounds. ) Glad your helmet is bright red! Happy Birthday .

 

[Marci jo]

My Birthday Vado Turbo Mode Range Test Ride

The title could not be more complicated, could it "How I Tested the Range of My Vado in the Turbo Mode on My Birthday" could be a better one, as some great American book on proper writing of chemical papers taught me many years ago. The author would describe my original post title as "the German Vice" but I'm departing from I wanted to tell you now

In one of the Forum threads, someone asked what the range of Vado 5.0 would be if the bike were ridden in Turbo mode only. I was guessing it would be some 40 km (25 mi) but wanted to verify it experimentally for good, so I set off with my Vado for a 40 km loop ride (or, until the battery charge would fall below 5%, where the Turbo Mode doesn't work anymore).

What a ride! No effort at all! Just zooming at high speed! Freeway overpasses seemed not to exist! With the instantaneous speed of 40 km/h or more against headwind, my only worry was the cold wind, as it was as cold as 13 C (55 F) and my thermo-active base layer, padded shorts and summer jersey seemed not to be good enough for the weather. I wished I wore a balaclava!

View attachment 59728
In 2/3 of an hour, I made the first 20 km and the display figures ensured me the 40 km/h distance was easily doable on the 604 Wh Vado battery in Turbo mode.


View attachment 59729
Actually, I had to make the distance up to achieve the 5% battery charge. It was at 27 miles sharp.


View attachment 59730
At some moment, I overtook a car that blocked my way (the person was joining the traffic and ignored the approaching cyclist, that was me). How hollering I was! I honked at the driver and overtook him, reaching 51 km/h at high cadence, well past the 45 km/h limiter...

I was born on July 22nd, 1961. July 22nd used to be an important day in Polish history. On that day in 1944, the Communist rule was established in Poland, and it had been a holiday for 45 years. There was a large chocolate manufacturer owned by E. Wedel before WWII. The commies changed the name of the factory to "22nd of July, formerly E. Wedel" Nowadays, friends wish me "the best on the formerly E. Wedel day!"

All the best to you all, too!

Happy Birthday Stefan !
Yes riding the class 3 Vado on turbo is so incredibly addicting. Love it.
And how many metric centuries have you completed since getting your ebikes?
I wonder what your doctor would think of your improved health. Maybe he would recommend ebikes to others.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thank you all for the birthday greetings!

@Marci jo, it looks there were as many as eight metric centuries, all this year.

I agree riding fast means more fun! The fast rides on the Vado need to be long to give me enough of workout. On the other hand, the Trance rides are shorter but very intensive physically since these are off-road ones and I'm limited by a smaller battery. I would recommend e-bike to anyone, yet these are too expensive for average Jan or Anna Kowalski...

I hope the day for the Imperial Century will come I'm going to the Sudety mountains on Friday for magical Table and Owl Mountains rides. Unfortunately, the larger Giant battery won't be delivered on time, so my rides will be distance-limited. I may take the large backpack/pannier with me to carry the DSLR for better pictures. Need to think about it.

Friday: Single-track practices in Bardo and elsewhere

Saturday: Table Mountains National Park

Sunday: The Great Owl in the Owl Mountains Landscape Park

I hope I'm going to survive...

You are looking “stealth“ Stephan... (and supposedly the camera adds 10 pounds. ) Glad your helmet is bright red! Happy Birthday .

Nay, that was the smartphone

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thankyou..it needs all the love it can get, most people in the UK think its a dump.

Perhaps Liverpool is the centre of the universe…

Without Liverpool there would be no Beatles and that is unthinkable!

It is true what you say, @Chargeride. When our family stayed at the excellent camping in Abbey Wood near London, some English people were trying to dissuade us from going to see Liverpool, and especially Birkenhead. They were saying Birkenhead was the core of British crime or something like that. We found Liverpool a gorgeous and "touristically" diversified city. We even drove to Birkenhead through the Mersey Tunnels. We found a beautiful, gentrified city there. My wife Sheila was laughing: "See this gentleman in suit and with a suitcase? He's certainly a bandit! Or, these children playing football there? How lovely these bandit kids look!" I need to add that travel over England and a little bit of Scotland was the part of our longest, 21-day long trip around the North Sea with a car.

Next time, we flew to Liverpool (only Sheila and me) just to see the city. We took the Beatles tour etc. On both trips, I was met with the Scouse accent and loved it! "Don't take the bleKH (black) taxi! These are expensive!" or "You're gonna see the Albert DoKH (Dock)!"

Lovely memories!

A 45 kmh limit is acceptable. All Ebikes should be allowed to help up to 45 kmh because there are times when you take a class 1 on the road and then you can blend better with traffic flow.

Not necessarily, Steve. The 45 km/h European e-bikes are equipped with many safety features and are treated exactly as a 50 cc scooter such as Vespa Primavera 50. Letting such S-Pedelecs ride bike paths would be a disaster. In all honesty, the 32 km/h limit you enjoy in Canada is perfect and I'd like such a limit were applied in Europe, as the current 25 km/h limitation is a sad joke. I rarely ride faster than 32 kph! Yet 25 km/h is too slow, unless it is the e-MTB.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

A gentle ride through the suburbs …

Shaw Park, Brisbane​

Really, I cannot add much to this photo's title. It was an uneventful ride along a quiet cycleway with no name, no rush, no particularly interesting scenery… just 'everyday ordinary'. Sometimes, that's how life should be.

 

[steve mercier]

It is true what you say, @Chargeride. When our family stayed at the excellent camping in Abbey Wood near London, some English people were trying to dissuade us from going to see Liverpool, and especially Birkenhead. They were saying Birkenhead was the core of British crime or something like that. We found Liverpool a gorgeous and "touristically" diversified city. We even drove to Birkenhead through the Mersey Tunnels. We found a beautiful, gentrified city there. My wife Sheila was laughing: "See this gentleman in suit and with a suitcase? He's certainly a bandit! Or, these children playing football there? How lovely these bandit kids look!" I need to add that travel over England and a little bit of Scotland was the part of our longest, 21-day long trip around the North Sea with a car.

Next time, we flew to Liverpool (only Sheila and me) just to see the city. We took the Beatles tour etc. On both trips, I was met with the Scouse accent and loved it! "Don't take the bleKH (black) taxi! These are expensive!" or "You're gonna see the Albert DoKH (Dock)!"

Lovely memories!


Not necessarily, Steve. The 45 km/h European e-bikes are equipped with many safety features and are treated exactly as a 50 cc scooter such as Vespa Primavera 50. Letting such S-Pedelecs ride bike paths would be a disaster. In all honesty, the 32 km/h limit you enjoy in Canada is perfect and I'd like such a limit were applied in Europe, as the current 25 km/h limitation is a sad joke. I rarely ride faster than 32 kph! Yet 25 km/h is too slow, unless it is the e-MTB.

We will have to agree to disagree Stefan. The 45 kmh I am advocating for is not a minimum speed limit. Simply because the bike can go that fast when required is no reason for people to start riding like idiots.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

We will have to agree to disagree Stefan. The 45 kmh I am advocating for is not a minimum speed limit. Simply because the bike can go that fast when required is no reason for people to start riding like idiots.

Unluckily, I have read (and seen) enough from the throttle & kilowatt motor idiots to be optimistic, Steve...

See that Polish idiot...

I met him in person when he was hanging around a Specialized LBS while I was collecting my Vado. His actual e-bike looked as a crap. He admired the Vado, as he had probably not seen a real e-bike before... He complained about his overheating hub motor.

 

[RabH]

We will have to agree to disagree Stefan. The 45 kmh I am advocating for is not a minimum speed limit. Simply because the bike can go that fast when required is no reason for people to start riding like idiots.

Sadly there are many idiots out there that spoil it for everybody, just like the idiot Stefan is referring to...they will end up making us all pay by making us have to register our e bikes just like a motorbike or a car...I enjoy the freedom of having my e bike and I want that to remain!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Friends,

Let me express the greatest praise for e-bikes. I was able to download my Endomondo ride data to Excel and analyse them. (Not sure how that works for Strava or RideWithGPS, etc). Here is the ride summary for August 21st, 2019 (the day I had the first true ride on my Lovelec Diadem) to July 22nd, 2020 (11 months):

1. Number of registered workouts: 124
2. Total distance ridden (using 3 different e-bikes): 6121 km
3. Total net time spent in the saddle: 275 hours.

I know I am one of many cyclists who got a new life because of buying e-bike. There are many harder riders such as @David Berry or @RabH or many of you. So I do not boast with my performance. I just want to say:

-- With e-bike, you ride farther, faster, and more frequently.

How true! Viva e-bikes!

Screen dump of some stats, sorted by distance ridden in km.

 

[Marci jo]

Thank you all for the birthday greetings!

@Marci jo, it looks there were as many as eight metric centuries, all this year.
View attachment 59785

I agree riding fast means more fun! The fast rides on the Vado need to be long to give me enough of workout. On the other hand, the Trance rides are shorter but very intensive physically since these are off-road ones and I'm limited by a smaller battery. I would recommend e-bike to anyone, yet these are too expensive for average Jan or Anna Kowalski...

I hope the day for the Imperial Century will come I'm going to the Sudety mountains on Friday for magical Table and Owl Mountains rides. Unfortunately, the larger Giant battery won't be delivered on time, so my rides will be distance-limited. I may take the large backpack/pannier with me to carry the DSLR for better pictures. Need to think about it.

View attachment 59797
Friday: Single-track practices in Bardo and elsewhere

View attachment 59798
Saturday: Table Mountains National Park

View attachment 59799
Sunday: The Great Owl in the Owl Mountains Landscape Park

I hope I'm going to survive...


Nay, that was the smartphone

Congrats on those centuries.

Those Sudety mountains look amazing. Are you tempted to take your Vado or do the trails require big shocks and knobby tires?
It will be a beautiful ride.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Those Sudety mountains look amazing. Are you tempted to take your Vado or do the trails require big shocks and knobby tires?

One thing I've learnt so far is: "Never ever get into the forest without a proper e-MTB" If I only rode paved roads, for instance the One Hundred Turns Highway, that could be the Vado. I'm slightly scared about mountain biking, even in so undemanding mountains as the Tables or Owls. Yet, the forest and the rocks are better to be handled with the full suspension, knobby tyres, dropper post, and MTB geometry. I'm scared about the range, therefore the routes are short but there will be significant elevation gain there. I estimate the elevation gain to be at least 2400 ft, and it might easily be 3000'. I hope to be able to recharge the battery in mountain lodges in case of need.

Unfortunately, the 625 Wh battery delivery has been delayed.

I still hesitate which e-bike to take. The guy here took the "green trail" and carried his kid in a trailer, so that might be the Vado.

On the other hand, technical trails exist there, too (the guy took the "blue trail"):

I might ask myself why I bought the Trance for if not for mountains "Decisions, decisions..." /Johnny Bravo/

 

[Alaskan]

@Stefan Mikes sorry to have missed all your birthday hullabaloo yesterday. Nancy and I were out riding. Congratulations on being on board the planet for another circle round the sun. Those are some great ride numbers. I am sure your personal numbers (like blood pressure and weight) have been moving down as you have spent more and more time moving out on your bikes.

Nancy and I have had some lovely rides here as summer has progressed. Staying sane in the era of Covid has certainly been a challenge.

 

[RabH]

Friends,

Let me express the greatest praise for e-bikes. I was able to download my Endomondo ride data to Excel and analyse them. (Not sure how that works for Strava or RideWithGPS, etc). Here is the ride summary for August 21st, 2019 (the day I had the first true ride on my Lovelec Diadem) to July 22nd, 2020 (11 months):

1. Number of registered workouts: 124
2. Total distance ridden (using 3 different e-bikes): 6121 km
3. Total net time spent in the saddle: 275 hours.

I know I am one of many cyclists who got a new life because of buying e-bike. There are many harder riders such as @David Berry or @RabH or many of you. So I do not boast with my performance. I just want to say:

-- With e-bike, you ride farther, faster, and more frequently.

How true! Viva e-bikes!

View attachment 59814
Screen dump of some stats, sorted by distance ridden in km.

Amazing stats Stefan, you should be very proud of everything you have achieved since joining the e bike community, here's to many more of your wonderful rides and fascinating stories! ☺

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Boy, you‘re not kidding, Stefan. I didn’t ride three feet for about five years while my Cannondale touring bike hung upside down in the garage. Just lost the mojo.

Then I’m listening to the Talking Tesla podcast back in August 2016 and they start talking about electric bikes, something I had literally never heard of. Intriguing! Maybe I miss riding my bike?

Stop in a bike shop in Charlotte, NC since that’s where we happened to be at the time, took a test ride on a Pedego, and got my eyes opened.

Bought a different bike at the time, but the bottom line is that almost four years and three ebikes later I’m past 11,000 miles, 100% of it pleasure riding. No commuting or having to go ride, just found the love of it again.

So happy birthday and aren’t we all grateful to be here!

 

[Marci jo]

@Stefan Mikes sorry to have missed all your birthday hullabaloo yesterday. Nancy and I were out riding. Congratulations on being on board the planet for another circle round the sun. Those are some great ride numbers. I am sure your personal numbers (like blood pressure and weight) have been moving down as you have spent more and more time moving out on your bikes.

Nancy and I have had some lovely rides here as summer has progressed. Staying sane in the era of Covid has certainly been a challenge.

View attachment 59819

View attachment 59820

View attachment 59821

View attachment 59822

View attachment 59823

View attachment 59825

View attachment 59827

Looking fabulous you two!!!

 

[Dr.V]

This is about half-way out on our 20 mile loop - Tennessee River south of Huntsville, Al.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

This is about half-way out on our 20 mile loop - Tennessee River south of Huntsville, Al.

I can recognise the Como but what is the other e-bike?

 

[steve mercier]

One thing I've learnt so far is: "Never ever get into the forest without a proper e-MTB" If I only rode paved roads, for instance the One Hundred Turns Highway, that could be the Vado. I'm slightly scared about mountain biking, even in so undemanding mountains as the Tables or Owls. Yet, the forest and the rocks are better to be handled with the full suspension, knobby tyres, dropper post, and MTB geometry. I'm scared about the range, therefore the routes are short but there will be significant elevation gain there. I estimate the elevation gain to be at least 2400 ft, and it might easily be 3000'. I hope to be able to recharge the battery in mountain lodges in case of need.

Unfortunately, the 625 Wh battery delivery has been delayed.

I still hesitate which e-bike to take. The guy here took the "green trail" and carried his kid in a trailer, so that might be the Vado.

On the other hand, technical trails exist there, too (the guy took the "blue trail"):

I might ask myself why I bought the Trance for if not for mountains "Decisions, decisions..." /Johnny Bravo/

I think it could be a long wait for the battery. My son in law has waited 10 weeks for a Giant battery and now they have told him it will not come until October.