My 2015 EVO Street Has Arrived!

[PowerMe]

Recovery food of choice: Large Quiznos Chipotle Steak on Wheat (I incorporated a stop @ Quiznos on the last leg of my ride). nom-nom.

Today the weather is so gorgeous ... I didn't want to stop riding, so I added on an extra 4 mi to get to and over 20mi. It's the kind of perfect weather day where if you're in shape and didn't need to depend on a battery, you could have a fantastic 50 - 100 mi ride.

 

[PowerMe]

Well at least my ebike battery is working...

I discovered my car battery is el morte. Sigh.... Tomorrow will be dealing with that. Hopefully I'll get it fixed and still have lots of time for a jaunty bike ride because it's going to be beautiful out.

 

[eDean]

Actually, the bike was using more watts than I was contributing.

Easy motion is 70% in Eco mode, 140% in Standard, 200% in Sport, and 300% in Boost.

Those are more like guidelines than actual math.

 

[K. Jones]

Steve,
When the bike starts the surging I will adjust the plate sensor and also spray it clean with water. The plate is very sensitive to adjustments. I try to keep the large bolts on the sensor as close to 10 N-m as possible, and the smaller bolts at 1 N-m. I did purchase a torque wrench for just this purpose.

Good Luck,
Mike, Colorado

I was wondering about this. I also notice that the power cuts in and out on my EVO City and it is hard to keep it going smooth. I thought this was just how it worked, but maybe it's something out of adjustment? You mention a plate sensor. What is this, where is it, and how do you adjust it? Is there any documentation about this on the web that you know of? (I don't want to mess with something without understanding it.) Or is it in the owner's manual? (I didn't notice it, but maybe I missed it.)

Thanks.

 

[K. Jones]

I needed to increase my seat height up about 4 or 5 inches to accommodate my leg extension when pedaling, as I suspected I would need to do. That means feet don't touch the ground when stopped. I found dismounting and getting going to be just fine. It's what I have to do on every bike.

How tall are you? Having to raise the seat high enough that you can't touch the ground in order for the pedals to feel right is a sign that your bike frame is too small for your body. At 5'9", I have this problem too.

(I mean, I don't KNOW that that's your problem, but I suspect.)

The Street is listed as a Medium size frame (as is the City Wave). I didn't try out the Street, but I did try the City Wave, and it was definitely too small for me. With the seat adjusted as high as I could get it while still touching the ground with my feet, my knees still hurt. But when I tried the City (which is a Large frame) I moved the seat only about 2 inches or so up from the top of the frame and it fits great. No knee pain and I can touch the ground with my feet, up on my toes but still touching pretty well.

If you have this problem with every bike, I think you might be consistently choosing the wrong frame size. Have you ever gone to a specialty bike shop and had yourself fitted for a bike? If you're tall, I bet, if you did, they'd say you need a larger frame than what you have.

It's completely counter-intuitive that you'd be able to touch the ground better with a bigger frame than with a smaller one. But it's true.

I wish you luck.

 

[PowerMe]

Hi K.Jones,

I'm about 5'0" and this frame is definitely not too small for me.

The reality is that for a proper leg extension (15 degrees bend in knee over the pedals), everyone's seat would be raised at least some, and if measured properly, almost no one's feet could touch the ground while they are seated in a properly adjusted saddle, unless the pedals themselves are very close to the ground or the person is leaning the bike to one side to touch a foot down.

If you do see feet on ground while the person is sitting on the saddle, that's a sign they are positioned too low, their legs are not extending to the full position on the downpedal, and their knees are taking the brunt of that wrong fit. That's what I was told by a professional bike fitter, and for myself this is very true.

 

[K. Jones]

Oh, okay. That sounds like you've got the right frame then. I just noticed that it can be a problem for taller people like me.

I'm basing that on what I've been told by bike shops fitting me and my kids. At least for upright-style bikes. Maybe it's different for road bikes and racing bikes. For myself, my leg is pretty darn close to fully extended when the pedal's down, but I still can touch the ground on my toes in the saddle without leaning. This leaves me just enough room to lift up just a tiny bit on my pedals when going over bumps and sidewalk chinks. If my seat were any higher (for full leg extension) I'd be feeling every bump!

Just sharing my experience. Sorry if it doesn't match yours.

 

[PowerMe]

You might have large feet! LOL. When a seat post is raised up all the way that's one sign (but not the only sign) that a frame may be too small. My seat post is raised up maybe 1/3 or less -- just enough to give me the proper leg extension I need when riding. I have little feet, so my toes don't touch the ground at that particular seat height, but if the seat is any lower, I feel it in my knees, which is how I know.

 

[K. Jones]

Yup, big feet. Size 9. Goes with the height.

Sorry if I came off as confrontational, that wasn't my intention. Perhaps different bike stores give different advice on how a bike should fit, and we each received advice based on two different approaches.

 

[stevenast]

Those pedal-forward bikes, where your feet can touch the ground when you're on the seat, like the Electra Townie, are among the few that allow that. I don't know of any ebikes with that kind of riding position ... semi-recumbent. I guess Electra themselves do make an ebike of sorts.

However, I do find that I am comfortable riding with my seat positioned an inch or two lower on my ebike than a bike fitter would suggest. The motor takes any strain from my knees, lol!

 

[stevenast]

My saddle is noseless and that makes a difference.

 

[PowerMe]

Good news on the shoulder injury: it's not a rotator cuff tear. Surgery likely not required. There is an impingement though, as well as tendonitis and bursitis and "frozen shoulder syndrome," which will require PT twice a week + exercises in between, + ice packs + NSAIDs. I got a cortisone shot into the joint. I need to rest that shoulder (actually he said the whole upper body). I'm thinking that lifting my eBike onto it's rear rack is a big no-no unless I can manage to do it without using my left arm much.

 

[stevenast]

adhesive capsulitis, not to be an old person talking about ailments but I had it a few years ago in my right shoulder

 

[PowerMe]

It was funny when the doc pointed to my shoulder joint on the xray and told me I "have the shoulder joint of a 30 yr old." (no arthritis, etc).

 

[stevenast]

It was funny when the doc pointed to my shoulder joint on the xray and told me I "have the shoulder joint of a 30 yr old." (no arthritis, etc).

Nice, there's hope for you yet!

 

[PowerMe]

No riding at all since last Saturday's 20 miler. Doc had told me on Monday to rest my upper body (arms) due to the shoulder injury, plus we got 3 days of rain, rain, and more rain.

I'm in pain still, with limited movement in the one arm, even after the cortisone injection into the joint. I'm taking my NSAIDs, and icing 2x a day. Phys therapy will begin next week. It will be painful since it hurts to move the arm much now, but there's no other way.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so I will take a short bike ride around, just to get out and about. I've got cabin fever!

 

[stevenast]

We had snow the past two days. I'm hoping to ride tomorrow, my bike is trying to take itself out the door!

 

[PowerMe]

I rode all of 3 mi today (LOL). Just long enough to get to the pharmacy to pick up some Aleve and back home.

My Suntour NCX Suspension post arrived last week so I took the time today to install it, which is quite easy. I purchased the one for medium weight riders. The post comes pre-loaded and can be easily adjusted to increase or decrease the pre-load. Haven't give it a good tryout, but it certainly seemed like a smoother ride for the 3 mi.

My bike is apparently not as stealth as I'd hoped. Some guy who did not look like someone who would notice little details on a bike, must have been checking out my bike when I was in the pharmacy. He commented to me as I was getting ready to leave to go back home, "that looks like the Cadillac of bikes!" He had noticed the little hub motor.

 

[PowerMe]

Have done zero, nada riding.

Started my new job last week and also started physical therapy for my shoulder. I've been exhausted and the weather has only been nice during a few workdays and then raining on the weekend.

PT is helping though, so that's the good news. I'm noticing less pain and slightly greater range of movement

Sometimes you just have to do what your body wants even if what it wants is rest and more rest and sleep and not to ride a bike, even a very cool ebike.

 

[Ann M.]

Hang in there, @PowerMe , we miss your enthusiastic ride reports! Glad that the PT is helping a bit, know its gotta be tough not on the bike.