McAndy
New Member
- Region
- Canada
Dear members of this forum:
I am a newbie to it. I had already received a kind reply to a first new thread (please see further below) from an Ian (in Australia? New Zealand?) in another 'section', but cannot find it now to follow from there. My apologies to said Ian (by the way, Ian, if you come across this post: I live near Toronto, Ontario, Canada) .
My pressing question now is: Should I next buy another hub drive (as I have now), or a mid drive? I have never ridden the latter, but read 'it delivers a more natural feel' to the ride. I love the thumb throttle action on my hub drive when getting away from a stop, but have to be very careful navigating tight turns when releasing the brakes momentarily (motor power is applied strongly immediately). Perhaps a mid drive, if geared down in time, is more adequate? I understand that some mid drive models have a power inhibitor when changing gears (which I do a lot on my current bike). I do not ride up steep hills in the woods. I will really appreciate your thoughts on this choice of technology.
The text below describes my experience with my first ebike (as posted very recently) - now over one year long :
My ebike is a 2016 Urban Ryder, possibly designed by, and administered by Green Light Cycle in Burnaby, B.C. (with a very supportive staff), and probably built in Asia. Up to into the Covid-19 pandemic it was also sold by Costco.ca .
I bought it spontaneously second-hand at the end of July 2021, via Kijiji, with 3477 km on the Kingmeter display. It now reads 5933 km (early November 2021), ergo up to now I rode it 2456 km. I am a fair-weather rider, our season is say April to November (-6 deg. C this a.m.).
This bike with accessories now weighs about 59 lb. The accessories added by my very helpful local bike shop BicyclesPlus were: A rear bicycle rack with removable battery-operated flashing LED light, a CatEye Velo 9 'computer', and an improved rear fender support. I added a 'ding' (for lack of a better description) 'bell', and a Zacron coil spring saddle.
Since my big feet tend to slip off the pedals after about 35km (I am pushing 88), I added 1 1/4 inch (??) pedal extenders, and jury-rigged endplates to each pedal (wired-on tomato can tops, if you must know; but since improved with a more elegant and sturdier solution - the round tops for electric outlet boxes -) ).
I weigh 175 lb, have an only-30 inch inseam. My saddle is set to 31.5 inch above ground; a bit risky, but better for pedaling more effectively.
Other than a nail in the rear tire and an insecure rear fender I have had no problems at all (yes, I have fallen over about 4 times, fortunately all at a near standstill; you have heard of errant kids and dogs on trails, and those bl..dy tight gates..... )
I remove the nominally 48V, 13 A/hr Panasonic battery after each ride, leaving it charged below 80%/51V (actually typically around 55%/47V; yes, I am a data freak). Charging it up before a ride to only near-full, and, so far, perhaps 3 times a season, to 100%/54.3 V (the charger light shows green then). This is supposed to improve battery life.
I tend to use Assist 3/5 on shorter ides (20+ km), and Assist 2 on the out-leg of longer rides (say 52 km), on about my 5 typical routes (partly in subdivisions, partly on paved trails, partly into the country on less-traveled roads. Average speeds vary between 22 and 24+ km/hr (participating in the Tour De France is but a dream). Winds around here are typically light.
If you don't care to read the specs on this Urban Ryder: It employs a cadence-sensor-only geared rear hub 500W Bafang motor, used in combination with a much-used 7-speed Shimano derailleur.
Until last year, I rode a conventional hybrid bicycle. What I now really love about this ebike is that to a certain degree it now replaces my beloved 1990 candy-apple red Honda Pacific Coast 800 cc 630 lb touring motorcycle, which had become too heavy for me -( .
Well, so far, so good. Thanks for listening, McAndy.
I am a newbie to it. I had already received a kind reply to a first new thread (please see further below) from an Ian (in Australia? New Zealand?) in another 'section', but cannot find it now to follow from there. My apologies to said Ian (by the way, Ian, if you come across this post: I live near Toronto, Ontario, Canada) .
My pressing question now is: Should I next buy another hub drive (as I have now), or a mid drive? I have never ridden the latter, but read 'it delivers a more natural feel' to the ride. I love the thumb throttle action on my hub drive when getting away from a stop, but have to be very careful navigating tight turns when releasing the brakes momentarily (motor power is applied strongly immediately). Perhaps a mid drive, if geared down in time, is more adequate? I understand that some mid drive models have a power inhibitor when changing gears (which I do a lot on my current bike). I do not ride up steep hills in the woods. I will really appreciate your thoughts on this choice of technology.
The text below describes my experience with my first ebike (as posted very recently) - now over one year long :
My ebike is a 2016 Urban Ryder, possibly designed by, and administered by Green Light Cycle in Burnaby, B.C. (with a very supportive staff), and probably built in Asia. Up to into the Covid-19 pandemic it was also sold by Costco.ca .
I bought it spontaneously second-hand at the end of July 2021, via Kijiji, with 3477 km on the Kingmeter display. It now reads 5933 km (early November 2021), ergo up to now I rode it 2456 km. I am a fair-weather rider, our season is say April to November (-6 deg. C this a.m.).
This bike with accessories now weighs about 59 lb. The accessories added by my very helpful local bike shop BicyclesPlus were: A rear bicycle rack with removable battery-operated flashing LED light, a CatEye Velo 9 'computer', and an improved rear fender support. I added a 'ding' (for lack of a better description) 'bell', and a Zacron coil spring saddle.
Since my big feet tend to slip off the pedals after about 35km (I am pushing 88), I added 1 1/4 inch (??) pedal extenders, and jury-rigged endplates to each pedal (wired-on tomato can tops, if you must know; but since improved with a more elegant and sturdier solution - the round tops for electric outlet boxes -) ).
I weigh 175 lb, have an only-30 inch inseam. My saddle is set to 31.5 inch above ground; a bit risky, but better for pedaling more effectively.
Other than a nail in the rear tire and an insecure rear fender I have had no problems at all (yes, I have fallen over about 4 times, fortunately all at a near standstill; you have heard of errant kids and dogs on trails, and those bl..dy tight gates..... )
I remove the nominally 48V, 13 A/hr Panasonic battery after each ride, leaving it charged below 80%/51V (actually typically around 55%/47V; yes, I am a data freak). Charging it up before a ride to only near-full, and, so far, perhaps 3 times a season, to 100%/54.3 V (the charger light shows green then). This is supposed to improve battery life.
I tend to use Assist 3/5 on shorter ides (20+ km), and Assist 2 on the out-leg of longer rides (say 52 km), on about my 5 typical routes (partly in subdivisions, partly on paved trails, partly into the country on less-traveled roads. Average speeds vary between 22 and 24+ km/hr (participating in the Tour De France is but a dream). Winds around here are typically light.
If you don't care to read the specs on this Urban Ryder: It employs a cadence-sensor-only geared rear hub 500W Bafang motor, used in combination with a much-used 7-speed Shimano derailleur.
Until last year, I rode a conventional hybrid bicycle. What I now really love about this ebike is that to a certain degree it now replaces my beloved 1990 candy-apple red Honda Pacific Coast 800 cc 630 lb touring motorcycle, which had become too heavy for me -( .
Well, so far, so good. Thanks for listening, McAndy.