2024 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Jeremy McCreary]

I also have a range extender! I rode to St Albans on virtually no power, just a couple of squirts of eco mode to help on a few small hills but otherwise over half of this ride was unpowered. When I got to St Albans I still had 142% of charge. The built-in lights had used up around 5-6% of charge!

Find myself riding my SL in OFF more and more. Very peaceful, but it seems a little too easy at times. Maybe it has a hidden motor. Or maybe the mothership's messing with me with their tractor beam again.
;^}

By the time I reached Hemel Hempstead I still had 122% of charge available! After that I was in "get home mode", and knowing I had power to spare it was pretty much all Sports and Turbo mode - especially down the bridleways and canal towpath. My legs didn't have much left in them by then!

My last comment notwithstanding, I also find myself staying out a little longer than I should — partly because I'm enjoying the bike, and partly to have a good excuse to dash home in SPORT. The Carrot Effect definitely kicks in here, as my own power output also goes up.

These SLs seem to have a curious psychology of their own.

 

[MartsEbike]

Find myself riding my SL in OFF more and more. Seems a little too easy at times. Maybe it has a hidden motor. Or maybe the mothership's messing with me with their tractor beam again.
;^}


My last comment notwithstanding, I also find myself staying out a little longer than I should — partly because I'm enjoying the bike, and partly to have a good excuse to dash home in SPORT. The Carrot Effect definitely kicks in here, as my own power output also goes up.

These SLs have a curious psychology all their own.

I completely get it now Jeremy! You can get so far on leg power alone that it allows you to be more liberal with the power on the run home! Have to say on my Frey I never really had a carrot effect - you could settle into "ghost pedalling", but on the Vado SL you're 100% right, as you up the power your legs want to spin faster! Cadence goes up considerably! I had to knock it back to Eco/Sports on occasion to give my legs a rest!

 

[JGcycle]

A few pics from today's 27km ride:

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Hi Stefan haha I'm getting fitter and more confident on this bike! Its liberating knowing you won't be completely stranded if you run out of power!

I'm definitely going to invest in mudguards, and a suspension seat post! I have some Crankbrothers pedals being delivered tomorrow too

I also have a range extender! I rode to St Albans on virtually no power, just a couple of squirts of eco mode to help on a few small hills but otherwise over half of this ride was unpowered. When I got to St Albans I still had 142% of charge. The built-in lights had used up around 5-6% of charge!

By the time I reached Hemel Hempstead I still had 122% of charge available! After that I was in "get home mode", and knowing I had power to spare it was pretty much all Sports and Turbo mode - especially down the bridleways and canal towpath. My legs didn't have much left in them by then!

The "off-road" sections used up most of the charge but I still reached home with 86% charge in the batteries. This might be the first bike I'll do a 100 mile ride on.

I'm proud of you Marts, I really am! I think your leg output is twice of mine, and that's a real battery charge saver! (I am also proud of Jeremy, as you both guys have really won new life with your SLs!) The Range Extender will surely enable you Martin to do Centuries, I'm sure! Now, reconsider the suspension seat-post. Do you really need it?

Now guys, @RabH, @Jeremy McCreary, @JGcycle, @MartsEbike please report the weather! As for myself, I'm just back from an evening shopping ride, which involved dense fog and -1 deg C (that's the proper Polish November for you). The fog caused a very low average speed for my ride, around 18 km/h, which is very slow as for the big Vado!

 

[JGcycle]

I'm proud of you Marts, I really am! I think your leg output is twice of mine, and that's a real battery charge saver! (I am also proud of Jeremy, as you both guys have really won new life with your SLs!) The Range Extender will surely enable you Martin to do Centuries, I'm sure! Now, reconsider the suspension seat-post. Do you really need it?

Now guys, @RabH, @Jeremy McCreary, @JGcycle, @MartsEbike please report the weather! As for myself, I'm just back from an evening shopping ride, which involved dense fog and -1 deg C (that's the proper Polish November for you). The fog caused a very low average speed for my ride, around 18 km/h, which is very slow as for the big Vado!

It was 16c, with a mix of sun and clouds for today's ride.

 

[MartsEbike]

I'm proud of you Marts, I really am! I think your leg output is twice of mine, and that's a real battery charge saver! (I am also proud of Jeremy, as you both guys have really won new life with your SLs!) The Range Extender will surely enable you Martin to do Centuries, I'm sure! Now, reconsider the suspension seat-post. Do you really need it?

Yep, a suspension seat post brings its challenges in fitting it, but it needs something! If I'm ever to achieve a century ride I need to make it as comfortable as possible.

On many roads and cycle paths, it's not too bad. But gravel/hardpacked ground can be bumpy. The Future Shock helps keep the arms fresh removing much of the jolting, but it's the rear end that starts hurting over long runs. It tires you out being bumped around! I'm thinking of changing the seat first... My other bike has a Selle SMP TRK which is quite comfortable. It has more cushioning than the seat that came with the bike. I just need to work out a way of mounting the built-in rear light. I don't want to lose the built-in lights as it was a life-saver on this ride. The extra rear light I fitted ran out of charge about halfway and on dark countryside roads with cars travelling at up to 60mph (sometimes more!), you need that visibility.

The weather was pretty good on the last ride 10-12C, cloudy to begin with and a little misty later on. But wouldn't want to ride it in -1C, you need thermals for that weather!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Now guys, @RabH, @Jeremy McCreary, @JGcycle, @MartsEbike please report the weather!

At noon today, 74°F with clear skies — about 10° warmer than usual for early November due to an ongoing Santa Ana wind event.

Instead of coming off the Pacific, the flow is coming off the deserts and then over the mountains to our NNE. These unusually warm, dry winds — in places, well over 50 mph — happen to be flowing over the driest vegetation of the year, as our winter rains have yet to start up.

Getting little wind here at the coast, but the inland wildfire danger is extreme. Authorities fear a repeat of the SoCal wildfire beakout around LA earlier this fall. But this time, San Diego County could be involved.