LeMond Dutch e-bike: battery range and tires

Easy. The fact some tyres are marked as "tubeless" does not mean you cannot use the inner tube (that is, these tyres offer the tubeless capability, too). I actually ride Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss 38-622 with inner tubes.


There's been a lot of confusion with wheel/tyre sizes; that's why ETRTO standard was developed:
  • 28" wheel is a 622 mm one for tyres of width below 2". Example: 25-622 (road bike tyre 28x1") or 47-622 (trekking tyre 28x1.75") are both 28" ones.
  • 29" wheel is a 622 mm one for tyres of 2" and up. Example: 50-622 is 29x2" and 60-622 is 29x2.35".

    Both 28 and 29" tyres have the rim diameter of 622 mm only 29" wheels are taller because of greater tyre width. A big confusion!

  • 700c wheel means a 622 mm wheel (French system). However, 700x40c is just a nominal size, and the actual casing width could be below or above 40 mm.
As the Inch or French systems are so confusing, ETRTO is the only system giving the precise information on the tyre size. ETRTO size is always moulded on the tyre sidewall.
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A fun fact:
Schwalbe makes some tyres in size 37-622.
Specialized makes similar tyres in size 38-622.
Both are 28x1.40". Only the Specialized tyre is by 1 mm wider
Thanks!

Additional pictures attached for those who asked.

Went out on a 1 hour ride today. It was cold (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and very windy, so the effective temperature with windchill while in motion was probably more like 22 degrees. Even so, battery is showing 27 mile estimated range at 78% charge, so down very little from the previous level. So, I’m now less concerned about this.

Further brief impressions:

1. I’m still not loving the tires. To me, it’s basically like they’re nearly bald in terms of having any real abrupt stopping ability. If I keep it, I’m definitely going to swap the tires. I’m sure some people find them to be great, but I don’t think they’d be right for me in the long term.

2. My route home on my commute entails a modest-grade uphill sustained stretch of maybe 10-15% (I’m not good at geometric estimates) for about 10 minutes/maybe a mile. I went to test that out today (on a Sunday, so that needing to keep up with traffic wouldn’t be an issue). Although I’m reasonably fit, I wouldn’t be able to *comfortably* keep up with 20-25mph traffic on that entire stretch, even on High. The motor just isn’t powerful enough: I wasn’t sweating or panting, but in trying to keep it at what felt like about 20MPH on that stretch, I was definitely putting in some actual work. (I could go back and check what my heart rate on my Apple Watch, I suppose). In contrast, my Vintage Electric Cafe will shred that hill even just at Level 3, with my contributing only very little pedaling effort. Now: this isn’t actually a problem for my use case for the Dutch for a few reasons: 1. I don’t actually need to keep up with traffic on that stretch: there’s a separate bike lane. 2. I decided to get into biking both for the exercise and for commuting, so I wouldn’t actually consider it bad to do significant pedaling effort on this stretch just for the exercise; 3. I could just ride the Cafe on a day when I didn’t feel like putting in that effort (90 degree heat and 90% humidity, for example) and 4. as I mentioned, the Dutch on High definitely *can* do this hill with the amount of pedaling effort that I’m capable of putting in; it’s just that it would require some significant, but not exhausting, pedaling effort (at least in my case: reasonably fit 50 year old male, but by no means “quads of steel.”). There are, however, many other hills around here that I would be sweating and panting to get up on the Dutch, even if it’s on High. I fully understand that that’s not what this bike is really for; just sharing it for others’ benefit.

3. In addition to the step-thru form factor, the other reason I looked into the Dutch was because of the upright cycling position. Riding in that position, even pedaling fairly hard as described above, made a *dramatic* difference in aches and pains during and after riding. In the more forward riding position of the the Cafe, I have significant back tightness and hip flexor discomfort after a lengthy ride; nothing that can’t be cured by a little post-ride stretching, but still: I have none of these whatsoever after riding the Dutch. I’m sure this is due to a combination of factors, but the difference is so dramatic that it’s at least substantially attributable to the upright posture.

4. The seat and grips that come on the Dutch are in my opinion far below the quality of the rest of the bike’s workmanship. And I found the seat - a Selle Royal Essenza - to be *very* uncomfortable. Notwithstanding the padding that it has, it is far less comfortable than the Brooks B17 on my other bike, and the B17 is just barely broken in; so I may look into one of the Brooks saddles designed for upright riding (there are a few: still doing my research)

5. The gear shifting is a lot less smooth thus far on the Dutch than on my Cafe. Might just need some time for things to loosen up/break in, though. Or maybe my gear shifting technique needs to be modified for the Dutch.
 

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Very true: the raw power of the Vintage motor is very very impressive. I almost never put it in Level 4 or 5 for regular riding - I’ve done it a few times on a clear stretch of road that runs through a local park nearby, just for fun - but I definitely do not have the skills to be riding it above Level 3 in traffic or around pedestrians or other obstacles. It’s not the bike - the brakes will indeed slam the bike to a halt if needed - it’s me: as a relatively newbie, the highest power levels are almost scarily-powerful.
 
I am considering purchasing a Lemond Prolog with range extender in the US and taking it as checked baggage on the flight from Seattle to Medellin, where I spend most of my time. Is it allowe to take the lemond prolog as checked baggage on a commercial flight? And the range extender?
i have a Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 in Medellin now as my daily driver. Its a great ebike, but I live on the 16th floor and the elevator is very small. I can just barely get the Turbo Vado into the elevator by bending the front and rear fenders just a bit. A
so, I had no idea how much I would dislike a 65 pound ebike. I am bicyclist moving over to ebikes and I am definitely going to be getting a much lighter and somewhat more compact ebike to replace my Turbo Vado. Its a grat machine, but it leaves me feeling frustrated.
The LeMond prolog is my first choice, I would have bought one, but they don’t sell in Colombia or ship to Colombia
 
Just to throw my 2 cents worth into this conversation. Panaracer tires really are very good bicycle tire for road and gravel use. They have specific models for road and gravel.
there is a small company in washington state usa….Rene Herse which sells tires branded Rene Herse. They are to my knowledge perhaps the best all around road/gravel tires available. I don’t know who makes them, but they would be an excellent choice for a Lemond. They are lightweight, very supple, and have several levels of durability available in sized from 700x32 to about 700x48 in smoothish treads. Also available in a much more agressive tread pattern, but of course as you add lugs and tread to tires they start to get heavier and less supple pretty quickly..
I really like the Lemond Dutch a lot…I would rather have one than my Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0. But they aren’t available in Colombia.
my take is that they are exactly what they purport to be. A Dutch style bike done very meticulously in carbon fiber with a premium drive system and almost insanely light weight.
when I was in Holland 20 years ago a did a little riding on Dutch bikes and most of them weighed as much or more than the Lemond without battery or motor!
I hope you are still enjoying your LeMond. it is probably the closest thing to the perfect ebike for me and my style of riding.
real bummer I can’t get one here
 
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