2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[RGOLD]

Here is the cockpit view from my NCM Moscow Plus:

 

[Chargeride]

Here is the cockpit view from my NCM Moscow Plus:

Never heard of a Moscow...great value bike with a good battery.
So envious of such space, just look at that scenery.

 

[Chargeride]

Yes, they will install a hitch. A Tesla hitch. Cost $1k.

All a moot point now as I wasn't all that impressed with the Model Y in real life. It didn't have that WOW factor I needed, and the important check point items I wanted are still TBA at an indeterminate time. If I didn't already have an electric car, and if I traveled great distances regularly, I'm sure I would have been more googly eyed. But I expected more, and that wasn't what I found.

Will be having Nissan install a hitch on my 2018 Leaf .

Pure electric cars get very little advertising in the UK and I can see why, there is no charging infrastructure beyond early adopter level of ownership.
If more the 100 thousand people bought one for regular use, there would be gridlock at charging stations.

 

[Readytoride]

Pure electric cars get very little advertising in the UK and I can see why, there is no charging infrastructure beyond early adopter level of ownership.
If more the 100 thousand people bought one for regular use, there would be gridlock at charging stations.

No really. Electric cars are charged at home. Unlike a gasoline car they aren't constrained having to fuel at a specific place 100% of the time. Most BEV owners chose a car that will have the range needed for just about all their personal use. Trips outside that limit will require the use of a charge station, but for most of us that is maybe once or twice a year.

It requires a completely different mindset to understand that one's car is no longer forced to only fuel, all the time, at a fueling station. It's just like your ebike. You don't take it to some public charger after each use and plug it in there, do you? No, you ride it home, plug it in at home, and that's how you recharge the battery.

Speaking for myself, and I know I'm well within the majority of BEV owners, not once in the 9,462 miles (15,228 km) I drove our electric car this year (328.5 hours in the driver's seat) did I use a public charging station. Not once. All the kW my car needed to "refuel"** came from the electrical outlet in my own garage. Use the car, come home, plug it in (just like my ebike), and walk off. By the time I want to use the car again, it is fully "fueled" ready to go.

As battery ranges continue to increase towards an average of 300-400 miles per charge (483-643 km), so will the appeal of an electric car. And (at least in Europe) the push to ban internal combustion engines is also helping turn the tide towards more electric cars being sold.

I look at a regular car the same way I look at a regular bike now. No desire to ride either.

Give me an e-bike and an e-car anyday.

**In case you're curious, my car used 2,224 kWh of electricity supplied by my power company. About $20/month. Half the cost of fueling the Prius (abt $40/month) that gets an average of 56mpg (90kpg) were I to drive that car instead. I have to take the Prius to a gas station to refuel, sit in line, touch dirty handles on dirty pumps, pay atrocious amount of money for a polluting fuel for a noisy engine that is slow to accelerate and wastes fuel while idling. It is a cute little car, but compare it to a completely silent, ridiculously fast, no exhaust, semi-autonomous car with the same cargo space, a car that plugs into an electrical outlet and silently recharges the battery when not in use so that it is full of juice and ready to roll every time you want to use it. All the time. No gas stations ever again. Which would you prefer?

Sorry about getting off topic talking electric cars on an electric bike forum. So here is a pic of my e-bikes parked next to my e-car, all happily charging up their respective batteries in the comfort of my own garage. They each have their own outlet, too.

For those that are more curious about public charging availability, log onto plugshare.com to see the vast availability of public charging in your area - locally as well as area wide. World wide if you're extra curious. I think you will be surprised at the numbers of public chargers. Fact is, they don't require the BIG in-your-face infrastructure that combustion fuels require. They tend to be small, unobtrusive, out of the way, and out of view. You just don't notice them generally, unless you are looking for them. Free chargers are just about everywhere - grocery stores, hotels, parks, parking garages, etc if you want a few electrons while you are out and about. A sweet perk. No body gives gas away for free.

Now when it comes down to comparing the efficiency of your ebike battery to an e-car battery - those are fun comparisons to make. But probably a subject for a different thread.

 

[Readytoride]

Last chance dunny …
View attachment 64183

Brisbane Valley Rail Trail
Wanora, Queensland​

Remember to lift the lid, if it has one, to check for redbacks (local equivalent of black widow spiders).

Oh, good Lord, NO. No, no, no, no, no.

 

[Dallant]

Here is the cockpit view from my NCM Moscow Plus:

Yehaa! Columbia Gorge!
Boy, it sure looks dry as a bone there.

 

[reed scott]

Visited Delamere forest, it has all the usual attractions like Go Ape, Offroad Segways, adventure trails for the kids.
But also miles and miles of tracks deep in the forest and you could ride all day thinking you were in the middle of a rainforest.
It has a lake in the middle that is full of decaying trees and I'd say its the closest place to a Jurassic landscape I have ever seen.
You get lost...recognise something..then completely lost again.
There are no laid out trails, you just follow any path you see, some are dead enders after a mile of battling through vegitation, others kick you out into a clearing you have never seen before.
I came to this path to find it had a 4ft deep mud section, but turning back was a good mile through dense overgrown paths.
I managed to wobble across on the branch, dragging the bike.
Pretty awesome adventures all round I'd say.
I'll be going back next week to complete some great tracks I saw, after 3 hours the battery said no more.
Completely knackered tonight.

I hope you tell someone who cares about you where you plan to be on these rides. One wrong step across that bog and you could have been inextricably stuck up to your waist. Or deeper. Be careful out there.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Dam cows!

Borallon, Queensland​

Lowland cattle seen on a ride on the other side of the world while we wait for RabH's wee highland beasties to put in an appearance.

No sooner had I put the camera back in the handlebar bag than a wallaby bounded across the grass strip in the foreground. Maybe, better luck next time!

A short magpie-free morning ride from home…

• 0 – 9 km : Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (rough gravel)
• 9 – 23 km : Pine Mountain Road (sealed country road)
• 6 km : last chance dunny (photo taken on a previous ride)
• 9 km : fork in the road (coming soon; be patient)
• 12 km : dam cows (dam is next to '12' on the map)
• 22 km : mobile phone tower (on Steve's weird wonders thread)

 

[Anna]

Here is the cockpit view from my NCM Moscow Plus:

Fun ride . Thank you for sharing. Looks like a nice all around ebike.

 

[RabH]

It's OK... those horses are very photogenic too.

I had some time on my hands tonight and was browsing through my old photos and lo and behold I found these from October 2018, this is from the exact field I was hoping to see them in yesterday!

No ride today as it poured down virtually all day, more flooding for sure!

 

[reed scott]

No really. Electric cars are charged at home. Unlike a gasoline car they aren't constrained having to fuel at a specific place 100% of the time. Most BEV owners chose a car that will have the range needed for just about all their personal use. Trips outside that limit will require the use of a charge station, but for most of us that is maybe once or twice a year.

It requires a completely different mindset to understand that one's car is no longer forced to only fuel, all the time, at a fueling station. It's just like your ebike. You don't take it to some public charger after each use and plug it in there, do you? No, you ride it home, plug it in at home, and that's how you recharge the battery.

Speaking for myself, and I know I'm well within the majority of BEV owners, not once in the 9,462 miles (15,228 km) I drove our electric car this year (328.5 hours in the driver's seat) did I use a public charging station. Not once. All the kW my car needed to "refuel"** came from the electrical outlet in my own garage. Use the car, come home, plug it in (just like my ebike), and walk off. By the time I want to use the car again, it is fully "fueled" ready to go.

As battery ranges continue to increase towards an average of 300-400 miles per charge (483-643 km), so will the appeal of an electric car. And (at least in Europe) the push to ban internal combustion engines is also helping turn the tide towards more electric cars being sold.

I look at a regular car the same way I look at a regular bike now. No desire to ride either.

Give me an e-bike and an e-car anyday.

**In case you're curious, my car used 2,224 kWh of electricity supplied by my power company. About $20/month. Half the cost of fueling the Prius (abt $40/month) that gets an average of 56mpg (90kpg) were I to drive that car instead. I have to take the Prius to a gas station to refuel, sit in line, touch dirty handles on dirty pumps, pay atrocious amount of money for a polluting fuel for a noisy engine that is slow to accelerate and wastes fuel while idling. It is a cute little car, but compare it to a completely silent, ridiculously fast, no exhaust, semi-autonomous car with the same cargo space, a car that plugs into an electrical outlet and silently recharges the battery when not in use so that it is full of juice and ready to roll every time you want to use it. All the time. No gas stations ever again. Which would you prefer?

Sorry about getting off topic talking electric cars on an electric bike forum. So here is a pic of my e-bikes parked next to my e-car, all happily charging up their respective batteries in the comfort of my own garage. They each have their own outlet, too.


For those that are more curious about public charging availability, log onto plugshare.com to see the vast availability of public charging in your area - locally as well as area wide. World wide if you're extra curious. I think you will be surprised at the numbers of public chargers. Fact is, they don't require the BIG in-your-face infrastructure that combustion fuels require. They tend to be small, unobtrusive, out of the way, and out of view. You just don't notice them generally, unless you are looking for them. Free chargers are just about everywhere - grocery stores, hotels, parks, parking garages, etc if you want a few electrons while you are out and about. A sweet perk. No body gives gas away for free.

Now when it comes down to comparing the efficiency of your ebike battery to an e-car battery - those are fun comparisons to make. But probably a subject for a different thread.

Quick question: What would be the feasibility of putting solar panels on your roof and charging the car? Any idea how much panel sq ftg necessary? Would it be cost effective?

 

[Art Deco]

I had some time on my hands tonight and was browsing through my old photos and lo and behold I found these from October 2018, this is from the exact field I was hoping to see them in yesterday!

No ride today as it poured down virtually all day, more flooding for sure!

View attachment 64229View attachment 64230View attachment 64231

Doubles likes ... my wife and I.

 

[Sifu Ben]

Our town has a summer concert series at the park. Tonight’s band is a very good Santana tribute band. They got everybody jumping when the first conga beats of Jingo played.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

When you come to a fork in the road, take it …

Wanora, Queensland
At 9 km on map above.​

 

[Readytoride]

Quick question: What would be the feasibility of putting solar panels on your roof and charging the car? Any idea how much panel sq ftg necessary? Would it be cost effective?

A business acquaintance's husband did that for his Tesla Model 3 - installed solar panels and a Tesla power pack. He and I talked about it, and the relative cost of investment/future savings, but that was last year and I sincerely don't remember the financial specifics. From what my memory can drudge up, it was about a 7 year (?) payback, but that was because the entire household electrical needs were involved. Plus he got the terrific federal rebate for doing so, just before the program ended. I think he got about 40% of his costs covered by the government.

I have toyed with the idea of using solar for the car, but haven't taken any steps beyond thinking about it and doing a very basic cost analysis.
The solar panels aren't the big cost issue. The battery for storage is. Plus siting the panels to obtain the best solar input requires the roof of an outbuilding, not my house as it is surrounded by mature shade trees that keep the southern exposure roof side shaded. That means an added cost of trenching electrical lines under the ground from the solar collection site to the garage. "15 years" sticks in my head for payback break even, and at my age it wouldn't be cost effective.

As of right now my electric car charging support costs have been $800 to have my electricians put in two NEMA 14-50 outlets (240w lines) in my garage, one outlet for each bay in future anticipation of having two electric vehicles in residence charging at Level 2. (An electric car will charge at Level 1 which is your standard household outlet, but is pretty much just a trickle charge and takes a very long time). The electric car is saving me approximately $25/month in lieu of using the Prius (factoring in the erratic petroleum fuel cost increases/decreases) or $300/year not having to buy petroleum for the Prius. I have had the electric car for 2 years 3 months, so my payback is at $675 at the moment. 5 more months and I will reach breakeven. Not counting in cost savings for no more oil changes, etc. The 240w outlets are considered a household improvement in that they do not degrade over time, and provide a higher power source for other needs besides an electric car.

I have portable 12v solar panels and marine batteries I can employ to recharge my ebikes easily, but for everyday use it is easier to just plug their chargers into an outlet. In a power outage emergency, however, I do like the fact that I have the solar for my ebikes as back-up. I can easily go to the store and back using less than half the charge of my ebike battery, and both bikes have a 2nd battery. Solar is an excellent option for an ebike, and the cost of 20w 12v panel, marine battery, and inverter is about $250.

 

[RabH]

Doubles likes ... my wife and I.

A little bonus today, 3 young ones! All thanks to Google (I tried a search last night and it paid off) as I never even knew they were there and I pass very close to this field quite often!

This one fancied the sign that was attached to the fence post! The other one was laughing I think!

Oh you do smell nice!

It was quite a day today, the forecast said strong winds with light rain showers...how wrong they were! They got the strong winds part right but were way off with the rain! I got caught in quite a few showers, some light and some heavyish but it wasn't cold so it didn't bother me until about 5 miles from home and it just closed right in and the rain absolutely battered down! Typical as I had just about dried off by this time, everything got soaked, my shoes were squelching when I got off the bike!

When I reached my turning point my average speed was almost 19mph but I had the strong wind behind me, by the time I got home it had dropped to 16.8mph! The headwind really drained my battery, I had to turn the assist off to make sure I had some juice left for the final climbs! Despite getting soaked it was still a very enjoyable ride, this will probably be my last midweek ride for quite some time as tomorrow isn't looking promising and I'm pretty sure I will be back at work next week!

 

[Art Deco]

A little bonus today, 3 young ones! All thanks to Google (I tried a search last night and it paid off) as I never even knew they were there and I pass very close to this field quite often!


View attachment 64272

This one fancied the sign that was attached to the fence post! The other one was laughing I think!

View attachment 64273

Oh you do smell nice!

View attachment 64274

It was quite a day today, the forecast said strong winds with light rain showers...how wrong they were! They got the strong winds part right but were way off with the rain! I got caught in quite a few showers, some light and some heavyish but it wasn't cold so it didn't bother me until about 5 miles from home and it just closed right in and the rain absolutely battered down! Typical as I had just about dried off by this time, everything got soaked, my shoes were squelching when I got off the bike!

When I reached my turning point my average speed was almost 19mph but I had the strong wind behind me, by the time I got home it had dropped to 16.8mph! The headwind really drained my battery, I had to turn the assist off to make sure I had some juice left for the final climbs! Despite getting soaked it was still a very enjoyable ride, this will probably be my last midweek ride for quite some time as tomorrow isn't looking promising and I'm pretty sure I will be back at work next week!

View attachment 64271

Wouldn't be proper Scottish cattle if they weren't a bit wet and smelly. And a beautiful horse. Bonuses.

 

[RabH]

Wouldn't be proper Scottish cattle if they weren't a bit wet and smelly. And a beautiful horse. Bonuses.

For sure!

 

[Readytoride]

@RabH - Almost 40mph maximum speed! That's Ludicrous Speed. Color me impressed!!

 

[Chargeride]

No really. Electric cars are charged at home. Unlike a gasoline car they aren't constrained having to fuel at a specific place 100% of the time. Most BEV owners chose a car that will have the range needed for just about all their personal use. Trips outside that limit will require the use of a charge station, but for most of us that is maybe once or twice a year.

It requires a completely different mindset to understand that one's car is no longer forced to only fuel, all the time, at a fueling station. It's just like your ebike. You don't take it to some public charger after each use and plug it in there, do you? No, you ride it home, plug it in at home, and that's how you recharge the battery.

Speaking for myself, and I know I'm well within the majority of BEV owners, not once in the 9,462 miles (15,228 km) I drove our electric car this year (328.5 hours in the driver's seat) did I use a public charging station. Not once. All the kW my car needed to "refuel"** came from the electrical outlet in my own garage. Use the car, come home, plug it in (just like my ebike), and walk off. By the time I want to use the car again, it is fully "fueled" ready to go.

As battery ranges continue to increase towards an average of 300-400 miles per charge (483-643 km), so will the appeal of an electric car. And (at least in Europe) the push to ban internal combustion engines is also helping turn the tide towards more electric cars being sold.

I look at a regular car the same way I look at a regular bike now. No desire to ride either.

Give me an e-bike and an e-car anyday.

**In case you're curious, my car used 2,224 kWh of electricity supplied by my power company. About $20/month. Half the cost of fueling the Prius (abt $40/month) that gets an average of 56mpg (90kpg) were I to drive that car instead. I have to take the Prius to a gas station to refuel, sit in line, touch dirty handles on dirty pumps, pay atrocious amount of money for a polluting fuel for a noisy engine that is slow to accelerate and wastes fuel while idling. It is a cute little car, but compare it to a completely silent, ridiculously fast, no exhaust, semi-autonomous car with the same cargo space, a car that plugs into an electrical outlet and silently recharges the battery when not in use so that it is full of juice and ready to roll every time you want to use it. All the time. No gas stations ever again. Which would you prefer?

Sorry about getting off topic talking electric cars on an electric bike forum. So here is a pic of my e-bikes parked next to my e-car, all happily charging up their respective batteries in the comfort of my own garage. They each have their own outlet, too.
View attachment 64193

For those that are more curious about public charging availability, log onto plugshare.com to see the vast availability of public charging in your area - locally as well as area wide. World wide if you're extra curious. I think you will be surprised at the numbers of public chargers. Fact is, they don't require the BIG in-your-face infrastructure that combustion fuels require. They tend to be small, unobtrusive, out of the way, and out of view. You just don't notice them generally, unless you are looking for them. Free chargers are just about everywhere - grocery stores, hotels, parks, parking garages, etc if you want a few electrons while you are out and about. A sweet perk. No body gives gas away for free.

Now when it comes down to comparing the efficiency of your ebike battery to an e-car battery - those are fun comparisons to make. But probably a subject for a different thread.

The problem is there is no feasable way to get that much power into homes.
If everyone plugged an EV in at night the local transformer would burst into flames, yes maybe slow charge.
Evs are brilliant, but once you scale up ownership you meet serious current supply problems.