hello!
- Thread starter efair
- Start date
stompandgo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Welcome to the forum.
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
Welcome from Vancouver!
I'm only 150 miles in, and a novice ebiker with no other bikes to compare it to, so my opinion may not count for much - but it seems well made, forgiving of my mistakes (well, all but one really dumb one), and highly adjustable. Unlike my wife's bike, I can draw the battery down to zero with no appreciable loss of assist until the end. As my several threads here prove, there is lots of technical info available for the many OEM parts included, which is always a plus for me.
My last bike, a GT road bike, was new in 1993 - with the additional complexity of the T10 I now realize the value of the LBS. I purchased this bike from upw** (online) who offers no real support, which I've sorely needed a couple of times.
Chazmo
fat-tire biker
- Region
- USA
- City
- Central Massachusetts
Nonsense. Your opinion, novice or not, is certainly important. Like I said earlier, that Gazelle seems like a lot of bike for the money! Good luck.
Oh, as for the value of the LBS… If you hang out around here long enough, or if you’re forced into it like I was (my direct-order bike company vanished), you’ll learn a ton and you will become mostly self-sufficient. Of course, if you have a great shop near you with good techs, that’s a huge win.
Anyway, the bottom line around here is that you should just ask your questions and be prepared to learn the ins and outs. Most folks around here are really helpful.
Chazmo
fat-tire biker
- Region
- USA
- City
- Central Massachusetts
Oh, my first piece of advice for you… One important thing that you can do to prolong the life of your battery is to observe the 80-20 rule of thumb. Namely, try not to charge past 80%, and don’t drain below 20%. This is due to the way the lithium-ion batteries work. Once in a while, charge to 100% to make sure the cells are balanced, but not often. That, of course, depends on whether you can get your rides in within that range.
Also, if you’re storing the bike for more than a couple of weeks, best to keep the battery at 50%.
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
No harm in charging to 100% before a big ride. Just don't let it sit at 100% for more than a day or so.
Chazmo
fat-tire biker
- Region
- USA
- City
- Central Massachusetts
Definitely no harm done, Jeremy, but you’ll get longer life if you stay around 80%. I’m not a chem E, but I don’t recall that “time spent” at 100% is a relevant factor. If I recall correctly in my research of the technology it is simply the act of charging to 100% that shortens the life of the battery.
Having said that, charging to 100% if you need it is not a problem. And, it’s better to take a full charge than to discharge the battery too far for a number of technical reasons, but I’m talking about battery longevity.
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Shortening battery service life qualifies as harm. I know authoritative sources are hard to come by when it comes to ebike batteries, but I'd really like to see one on the part I put in bold.
Certainly important if true, but this is the first time I've heard it, and I've done a fair amount of research myself. Anyone?
Aside from that, generally agree with the 80-20 guideline.
Chazmo
fat-tire biker
- Region
- USA
- City
- Central Massachusetts
Hi Jeremy,
I’ve spent about an hour reading several documents on the web about the various lithium ion battery technologies. They all explain why it’s best to avoid 100% charges, but I can’t find anything that supports the claim that “time spent” at full charge is relevant to the amount of degradation caused by the full charge. I wonder if you’re thinking somehow about older nickel cadmium tech, where “memory” was a factor. Perhaps not since that referred more to shortening life by unequal discharges, and I don’t think memory was a factor for 100% NiCad charges. Of course we all know how terrible that technology was for varied use and rechargeable batteries for kids’ toys. Good riddance.
Anyway, I freely admit that I cannot speak with authority on the subject.
