bob armani
Well-Known Member
Thank you Ron!
Hi fromChicago
- Thread starter RITIREDVET
- Start date
RITIREDVET
New Member
Hi Mark,Born and raised in Chicago myself, glad to know the Chicago eBike community is growing! So far I have not seen any other eBikes on the city roads where I ride, to work mostly as well as recreational northside chicago. I have also cruised in oak park illinois which is pretty bike friendly
I have seen a few mopeds and diy gas kit bicycles still and I used to think they were so cool, (actually still think they are cool) but riding near them I noticed how loud and smelly those are compared to eBikes lol
anyway I digress, happy hunting for the right eBike for you and hopefully you get it soon as Chicago has many great bicycle events coming up for anyone wanting to visit Chicago, for example bike the drive and late ride!
Look forward to seeing what eBike you get!
Take care, ride safe!
Marc V
Been living here all my life and I have seen exactly one e-bike.It was a fat tire bike and it passed me up in my car,
I knew right then and there I had to have an e-bike.Diy gas engined bikes gets the job done I guess,but your right
they are loud and smelly and attract the attention of LE,with very little benefit of exercise.
I am very close to getting my xm700+.,waiting for the new ones to come in.
Your right,a lot of bike events and great places to ride in Chicago.
I think once people find out what e-bikes are about, it is really going to take off.
P.S.When I get the bike I'll posts some pics.
bob armani
Well-Known Member
Hi Ron-
You must be overflowing with excitement waiting for your new bike. Hope to see some pics of your new ride on Chicago trails and roads.
I agree, once riders become more familiar here, it will really start getting the attention of both everyday riders and even the CPD that ride bikes everywhere.
I think they need them too!
Chris Nolte
Well-Known Member
Thanks Ron! Much appreciated. I think you're making a good move. Let me know if I can help in anyway. Enjoy the ride!
Marc V
Member
Didn't even know eBike Expo was coming to Chicago, that should be fun!
bob armani
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I just checked Ebike Assoc webpage and it looks like they changed the dates to June 23rd thru 25th instead of August.
Hi Alan,
I recently rode my xm700+ Sixty miles around the loop in Tucson averaging about 16mph, I was passed by numerous road bikes that must have been going over 25mph, yes you can exceed 28mph on the flats but you have to really work at it. My car will go over 100, but would I do it, NO. A good rule is less than 15 around walkers/joggers, 5-7 around small kids and dogs, even on long leashes, maybe a lot faster with some mean unleashed dogs. My factory tires have over 800 miles, with one flat, a one inch welders wire. I had enough battery left for another 10 miles, used Sports mode for about 15 miles on city street bikeways. I was regularly getting two 26 mile (1100' vertical, to Saguaro NP) rides out of one charge, turning off the power on down grades and flat areas. I ride very upright, with a 6"+ stem, to reduce pressure on my 73 year old hands.
Bruce (wymapper)
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harryS
Well-Known Member
Last year, I Biked the Drive with a dead ebike. We packed up the bikes at 5AM and parked at the Waveland lot. Ha. Bike lost power heading onto the Irving ramp. Nothing to do but pedal and follow my wife for 20 miles.
This year, we'll aim for the full 30 miles. Stay with the 10-12 mph flow and the batteries should last, but I'll carry a spare to make sure my wife can make it.
Has a few rides this year, but it's been a bit cold. Probably should have stayed inside this week. Got chilled and it activated some dormant gems.
This year, we'll aim for the full 30 miles. Stay with the 10-12 mph flow and the batteries should last, but I'll carry a spare to make sure my wife can make it.
Has a few rides this year, but it's been a bit cold. Probably should have stayed inside this week. Got chilled and it activated some dormant gems.
Jeff Backes
Active Member
I did the Tucson ride last month. Probably the best bike loop I've ever used.
jeff
jeff
Luv2ride
Active Member
I have been riding my Trek since November and have ridden 4000 miles. I carry two extra batteries in a seatpost mounted bag and regularly ride 60 to 70 miles with a couple of thousand feet of gain. About 50% using tour and sport modes averaging 18 to 25 mph on a mix of good bike paths and city streets.
I am 6 feet tall 210 lbs and get about 30 to 40 miles on a 400 wh battery and 40 to 50 on a 500.
I absolutely love my bike!
I am 6 feet tall 210 lbs and get about 30 to 40 miles on a 400 wh battery and 40 to 50 on a 500.
I absolutely love my bike!
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bob armani
Well-Known Member
Hey Marc-I just received the ebike expo location in Lincolnwood nearby. Hope to see you there! Pass the word! I am so excited to test ride the BULLS and Specialized. This is going to be great!
Tour Stop 3: 2017 Electric Bike Expo – Chicagoland
June 23-25, 2017
Hours: Friday 3pm – 7pm; Saturday 9am-6pm; Sunday 10am-5pm
Lincolnwood Town Center, 3333 Touhy Ave., Lincolnwood IL 60712
bob armani
Well-Known Member
Harry- Yeah, I live really close and have been to that mall several times. It can get packed. Perhaps we can get there early to beat the rush. It will be fun testing out the new brands and finding some discounts from LBS!
bob armani
Well-Known Member
Yeah, this is in my neck of the woods also. That is a great path that I think goes up to Evanston. Very busy over there, but I think all of the expos are outdoors. I would like to take one home with me if I could score a great buy on the spot for a partly used demo. Preferably one of the BULLS LOL!!
RITIREDVET
New Member
Sorry for the long hiatus everybody,had a lot of family obligations to take of over the past several months.Yeah, this is in my neck of the woods also. That is a great path that I think goes up to Evanston. Very busy over there, but I think all of the expos are outdoors. I would like to take one home with me if I could score a great buy on the spot for a partly used demo. Preferably one of the BULLS LOL!!
Last time I posted I was looking for a discount for a leftover trek xm700 but to no avail.So I got a real good
deal on a trek conduit(almost half off).I really wanted a speed pedelec but I'm more than happy with what I got.
Only thing I did'nt like about it was the very harsh ride because of the steel fork(I was used to carbon fiber in the past)
So I swapped out for a mono shock front fork like the one used on the xm700,it makes all the difference in the world.
Oh yeah, also went to the e-bike expo in Lincolnwood,Il.which helped me make up my mind.What a great show that was,
I think I rode almost everything they had out there.For anybody thats thinking about an e-bike this is THE place to go!!
Will try to post some pics if I can figure it out.Good day to everybody and please stay warm.
P.S.Hey Bob,did you get that deal on a Bulls?Also is that a KTM in your avitar pic?
Ron
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bob armani
Well-Known Member
He
Glad to see you back! The Expo was GREAT and test rode over 2 dozen ebikes. It was great meeting all of the kind reps which were most hepful with my 1000 questions about their brands. BMW was also an interesting addition to the pack. The guys at EM and Trek were very informative indeed. I picked up an EM Jet on a sale from a dealer. That is my bike of choice right now. Rear hub motor and very zippy ride. During the warm season, I biked mostly on NBT, Green Bay Trail etc. Very impressed with the performance. I think now I'll be looking at a second ride soon.
How do you like your Trek conduit? Is it meeting your expectations? Ride safe! Bob A.
Hey Ron-
Glad to see you back! The Expo was GREAT and test rode over 2 dozen ebikes. It was great meeting all of the kind reps which were most hepful with my 1000 questions about their brands. BMW was also an interesting addition to the pack. The guys at EM and Trek were very informative indeed. I picked up an EM Jet on a sale from a dealer. That is my bike of choice right now. Rear hub motor and very zippy ride. During the warm season, I biked mostly on NBT, Green Bay Trail etc. Very impressed with the performance. I think now I'll be looking at a second ride soon.
How do you like your Trek conduit? Is it meeting your expectations? Ride safe! Bob A.
RITIREDVET
New Member
Hi Bob,
Glad to hear you enjoyed the expo,it was quite a ways for me to go but well worth it.I really like the conduit,kind of like a xm700 but with a shimano motor instead
of the bosch.I made it a lot better ride wise with the mono-shock fork I had put on.All and all a great ride for what I paid for it.
I have never ridden anything with a hub mounted motor,(outside of the show)how does this compare to a mid mount motor for all around riding?
Would love to get something else to compliment my conduit but I think I'm going to hold off for about a year or so because they
are coming out with so much new and high tech models I don't want to jump in too soon.But I have to admit that Juiced hyper-fat
1000 watt motor has my attention!!Look this up if you get a chance,there's a couple of great you-tubes on this one.One more thing,
is that your KTM in your avatar pic?I'm asking because I also ride motorcycles and wanted to know if you did too.Take care.
Ron
bob armani
Well-Known Member
Hi Ron- The Juiced hyper-fat is insane clocked at over 35mph by Tora on his website. Thanks for the heads up! Right now that is a great choice for the $$, however with tech changing so rapidly, perhaps it is better to wait. Love the bike though. I also thought the Surface 604 Boar Fat is a a good buy also and very cool looking.
Your hub drive vs mid drive question: I found the hub drives felt a bit more get and go power than some of the mid-drives, however, when I tested the Trek SuperCommuter8 with Bosch, my feeling changed based on the way they tuned the motor on that bike compared to the BMW mid-drive which was not as peppy. For all around, riding (mostly pavement), I like a hub driven motor. If your chain breaks, you can keep riding using the throttle.
I also liked the Trek Powerfly series they had at the expo, but a little pricey. Seems like trek knows how to tune their motors well paired to the bike to get peak performance IMHO. I was a little disappointed not to see Haibike at the expo. The organizers said they would be there, but then pulled out of the Chicago location. I would have liked to try their line of bikes as well. Maybe next year. Haha! Yeah, I do not own the KTM, just test rode the Freeride electric. A real thrill indeed. KTM also makes some great ebikes, but are taking forever to get over to the US. Downloaded the European catalog and they have some real beauties. HNY! Bob
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