Commuting ebike in the middle of nowhere

[indianajo]

The first KMC chain on my hub drive bike lasted 5000 miles or 2 1/2 years. Any mid drive riders beat that? I took it off because the Park gage said so, not that I was having any problems.
It took me 3 afternoons to change the chain. Dodge chain stretcher didn't work, Dodge pin popper didn't work, (dodge bros invented the 2 way drive chain) the schwinn pin popper didn't work. The cyclist's choice yc-336 pin popper worked, but I wasn't strong enough to snap the master link in. Had to make a ***-**** master link stretcher, or wait 4 days for a store bought one. The new KMC Z51RB chain has 1 1/2 years on it or 3000 miles.

 

[PedalUma]

melted nylon gear

I have never melted a nylon gear on a mid-drives. Never seen it. A brass gear is noisy as heck. Hub-drive sellers talk up the hyperbole of mid-drive chains. Yet changing a rear flat on a hub-drive is a P.I.T.A. And the online only ones have axle nuts made of soft ripened cheese that are over tightened at the factory. These fat bike pinch flats suck. One low curb will do it, every time. The derailleur needs to be removed for access.

. Use a bent spoke to hold together the ends of a chain.

 

[m@Robertson]

The first KMC chain on my hub drive bike lasted 5000 miles or 2 1/2 years. Any mid drive riders beat that? I took it off because the Park gage said so, not that I was having any problems.
It took me 3 afternoons to change the chain. Dodge chain stretcher didn't work, Dodge pin popper didn't work, (dodge bros invented the 2 way drive chain) the schwinn pin popper didn't work. The cyclist's choice yc-336 pin popper worked, but I wasn't strong enough to snap the master link in. Had to make a ***-**** master link stretcher, or wait 4 days for a store bought one. The new KMC Z51RB chain has 1 1/2 years on it or 3000 miles.

My twin hub motor bike is I think at around 6600 and its still going. But... So what? On a hub motor'd bike the chainrings, the chain and the rear cogs are all there purely for the rider and are worthless to the motor. You know as well as most here that if you remove the chain entirely and then pedal the bike, PAS will still work just fine on a hub motor'd bike.

But none of that matters. The reason you configure a bike is not to preserve a (cheap!) component. Its to do a job. You may be saving $X over Y years, but the small amount of money saved - assuming an intelligent build in the first place - is peanuts compared to the benefits gained by building a bike to best do the job being asked of it. And then enjoying those benefits on every single ride leading up to that annual chain-change.

 

[m@Robertson]

I will keep the battery with me/in my office. That is for certain. Unfortunately no security or police stations near me. I will see if there is a nice parking space with cameras nearby.

Yeah you gotta do that. Myself, I do more than just a Kryptonite/U-lock. I would at least do a big chain with a noose at the end, and then add a U lock to that. I hook a second U lock on the other end as an entirely independent lock. Its like the story about the bear attack: I don't have to outrun the bear... I just have to outrun you. So I need to be visibly a bigger PITA to steal than the bike(s) near me.

I also insure my bike against theft, which would be pretty reasonable to buy for a bike in your price range. A bike-specific policy tends to make more sense than trying to piggyback onto a homeowners policy. Lots of pitfalls going down that road. there's a thread on the subject here that was fairly recent.

I wrote up all the lock details/story here. Note I chose a chain that is just as strong but quite a bit lighter than the competition thanks to nothing more than a more savvy design.

Choosing Bike Locks: Small, Medium or Ridiculous?

I see this question so many times, lets write up my daily outdoor locking strategy so I can just link to it from now on.

talesontwowheels.com

 

[sorofsh]

Yeah you gotta do that. Myself, I do more than just a Kryptonite/U-lock. I would at least do a big chain with a noose at the end, and then add a U lock to that. I hook a second U lock on the other end as an entirely independent lock. Its like the story about the bear attack: I don't have to outrun the bear... I just have to outrun you. So I need to be visibly a bigger PITA to steal than the bike(s) near me.

I also insure my bike against theft, which would be pretty reasonable to buy for a bike in your price range. A bike-specific policy tends to make more sense than trying to piggyback onto a homeowners policy. Lots of pitfalls going down that road. there's a thread on the subject here that was fairly recent.

I wrote up all the lock details/story here. Note I chose a chain that is just as strong but quite a bit lighter than the competition thanks to nothing more than a more savvy design.

Choosing Bike Locks: Small, Medium or Ridiculous?

I see this question so many times, lets write up my daily outdoor locking strategy so I can just link to it from now on.

talesontwowheels.com

Thanks for your comments. Yeah I decided to do the chain and throw in a U lock: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HN47G1M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The only thing I do not like is that chain and the U-Lock have the same type of cylinder. Also I am attaching a photo of a bike I saw today on campus. If it has not been stolen, I hope I will have nothing to worry about. I mean look at it! The only lock is on the back wheel, and its a cable!

 

[Art Deco]

Thanks for your comments. Yeah I decided to do the chain and throw in a U lock: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HN47G1M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The only thing I do not like is that chain and the U-Lock have the same type of cylinder. Also I am attaching a photo of a bike I saw today on campus. If it has not been stolen, I hope I will have nothing to worry about. I mean look at it! The only lock is on the back wheel, and its a cable!
View attachment 113247

Two kinds of locks ... a U and a foldy or chain seems like it will help a lot, since it requires a theif to carry multiple tools.

 

[m@Robertson]

Also I am attaching a photo of a bike I saw today on campus. If it has not been stolen, I hope I will have nothing to worry about. I mean look at it! The only lock is on the back wheel, and its a cable!
View attachment 113247

See what I mean? You don't have to outrun the bear!

 

[PedalUma]

You don't have to outrun the bear

Nope. Just outrun the other guy. I wonder, is that bike is part of a stunt to film and track a thief? It looks like wounded live bait set in a trap.

 

[Art Deco]

Nope. Just outrun the other guy. I wonder, is that bike is part of a stunt to film and track a thief? It looks like wounded live bait set in a trap.

Spoken like a true Californian ... I see bikes with a single cable lock commonly. Just not ebikes.

 

[PedalUma]

San Francisco is the worst. A few years ago cops found a warehouse full of stolen bikes. There are open air markets and bike chop shops in the drug riddled Tenderloin district. If we can stop the resale, that is the key. Know the provenance of every bike you touch.

 

[GenXrider]

The three bikes I sort of am looking at are:
Pace 500/Level (Aventon)
Radcity 4

I originally was looking at the Aventon Level but ended up going with the Ride1Up 700 for various reasons, and I have no regrets. With a combination of PAS and pedaling, I get up the big hills a lot easier and faster than I got up them on my 35 pound hybrid bike. So, if your legs are strong enough to get up those hills on a regular bike, the 700 with the added assist should work great as it does for me, probably a Level also.

 

[AHicks]

I originally was looking at the Aventon Level but ended up going with the Ride1Up 700 for various reasons, and I have no regrets. With a combination of PAS and pedaling, I get up the big hills a lot easier and faster than I got up them on my 35 pound hybrid bike. So, if your legs are strong enough to get up those hills on a regular bike, the 700 with the added assist should work great as it does for me, probably a Level also.

Good point. As a way out of shape senior, I have a tendency to assume that perspective when talking e-bike. Clearly that's not always the case.....