My first commute on my new CCX, real world range of a heavy rider

[Captain Walnut]

What fun! I did my first commute to work today on urban bike lanes and bike trails. 12.6 miles in 43 minutes, 374 feet up and 581 feet down according to Google, and feeling great! 341Wh, 6.5 Ah, 12.6 mi, 26.8 Wh/mi, 52.7V remaining (if I understand the advanced stats screen).

It helps that the weather has been sunny and 70s in Seattle this week. I rode mostly in 3 and a little S, after starting in 1 and 2 and realizing I wanted to feel the speed and power. I am heavy and out of shape, about 270lbs, so perhaps my experience can be useful to other heavy riders wondering what kind of battery stats they will get. It used more battery than I expected, and I'm glad I tossed the charger in my backpack to charge at work (was still well above half, though). I'm sure I could have made it round trip no problem, but my first taste of range anxiety is real.

I'll post a photo of the stats for those interested. Other photos are from a shorter 3.5 mile ride to a park for sunset last night. I took the bike to my LBS for an initial tune up after assembly, because I was having problems with chain drop issues at both ends of the gear spectrum. They fixed that and aligned some other stuff. I will say I'm a bit disappointed with the paint quality on this matte black, as there were some flakes taken out from them adjusting the rack, and some scratches from the chain drop. Of course this is what happens with nice new things, so it goes. Another issue is that the rear light came back to me dead. I only had it on for testing, so it may have a short or maybe the shop accidentally left it on overnight or something. I'll probably return to them to have the battery replaced (if they'll do it as a favor), since it seems like such a PIA to access the light. Overall I'm thrilled with how empowering this bike feels, how fast and free, and how motivating it is to get up and out in the sunshine!

 

[highpockets]

Your right about accessing the light. It is an arduous task even with a ratchet wrench. Mine went out but all I had to do was roll the batteries around a little and it started to work again.

 

[BrianMura]

Nice bike you got there, @Captain Walnut I swear that the rear light is turned off by the time I get home. Seems so finicky! I'm testing it on my desk, but so far, it seems to stay lit...

 

[linklemming]

What fun! I did my first commute to work today on urban bike lanes and bike trails. 12.6 miles in 43 minutes, 374 feet up and 581 feet down according to Google, and feeling great! 341Wh, 6.5 Ah, 12.6 mi, 26.8 Wh/mi, 52.7V remaining (if I understand the advanced stats screen).

It helps that the weather has been sunny and 70s in Seattle this week. I rode mostly in 3 and a little S, after starting in 1 and 2 and realizing I wanted to feel the speed and power. I am heavy and out of shape, about 270lbs, so perhaps my experience can be useful to other heavy riders wondering what kind of battery stats they will get. It used more battery than I expected, and I'm glad I tossed the charger in my backpack to charge at work (was still well above half, though). I'm sure I could have made it round trip no problem, but my first taste of range anxiety is real.

Congrats on the bike and welcome to ebiking.

Im around 220# at the moment and as I work from home, all my rides are for fitness using a HR monitor (20-30 miles a day).

My rides are rolling terrain between 4-8%, typically on a 30 mile ride I will see about 1500ft elevation (+ and -).

My CCX has larger gravel oriented tires (2.2F/2.0R continental racekings) at about 40psi so probably not the most efficient but about 1/2 my miles are on gravel surfaces. I also prefer the softer ride of larger tires. Im also using a 42t front chainring due to many of the steeper sections I encounter. That being said, I can get up to 28mph at 90rpm cadence which is where I have the speed limit set at. Anything faster and Im usually going downhill so I just get aero and stop pedalling.

I have been playing alot recently with trying to maximize range (the main reason I bought a CCX). So far my best ride over 30 miles was 13.8wh/mile which was done about 80% in eco mode. Still a respectable 17.9mph average on that ride. All out in S mode has been 23.8wh/mile with 22mph average speed for 25 miles.

I have done rides of 50 miles so far with sufficient reserve, Im guessing I could reach 60 miles using mostly eco.

Ironically, I can match that range with my Brose mid-drive equipped Bulls eMTB with 650whish battery and 2.8 tires(done a 60 mile ride), but Im going alot slower (about 14mph average).

 

[ebikemom]

My commute is similar to yours, and a true pleasure compared to driving or taking public transportation. Enjoy!

 

[christob]

Welcome to ebike commuting!
While not a CCX rider here, I too commute (in dry weather) with my ebike. Door to door direct, it is only a scant 5 miles one way -- but I often add 2-3 miles on the way in (not much, since I'm aiming to avoid excess sweat, and negate the need for a shower at work) and then I usually add 10 - 20 miles on the way home, depending on weather & schedule constraints.

I too started out very overweight (6'2", 303 pounds.) And early on, I needed the higher levels of assist just to complete rides comfortably. A year later now, I'm down 60 pounds and I stay in Level 1 (of 5) almost exclusively. I'm certainly not "fit and trim" today -- still looking to drop another 30 pounds, and will have to eventually focus on some other workouts for toning, etc. But I can easily tell how much stamina/strength I've gained over the last year --- by how easily I stay in Level 1 nearly all the time. I still use L2 as I approach certain uphills... or in strong headwinds... or at the end of a long leisure ride if feeling unmotivated... or when I'm truly in a hurry to get from A to B. I rarely bother with L3, L4 or L5 --- they can be a lot of fun (under the right road/trail conditions) -- but of course the battery is devoured that much faster!

My rides are almost never "hurry" rides (whether for commute or leisure) and I do still need/want to derive an exercise element from pedaling more, most of the time; but especially on the longer evening commutes home, where I can afford to get sweaty and not care about my appearance at the end of the ride.

 

[Chris Hammond]

I'll probably return to them to have the battery replaced (if they'll do it as a favor), since it seems like such a PIA to access the light.

So the easiest fix for the rear taillight is to take it off and flip it upside down. This actually solves 2 problems. The power button is more accessible, and you can see the tab that locks the light to the mount so that you can use a small flathead screwdriver to easily pop it off and replace batteries as needed.
FWIW, adding a small washer or 2 to the mount screws, in between the mount and rear rack, keeps the mount bracket from bending around the bolt that mounts the fender to the rear rack.

 

[Captain Walnut]

So the easiest fix for the rear taillight is to take it off and flip it upside down. This actually solves 2 problems. The power button is more accessible, and you can see the tab that locks the light to the mount so that you can use a small flathead screwdriver to easily pop it off and replace batteries as needed.
FWIW, adding a small washer or 2 to the mount screws, in between the mount and rear rack, keeps the mount bracket from bending around the bolt that mounts the fender to the rear rack.

great tips, thanks!