My VEB Cafe thread. (1st Year Recap: post #83)

[opimax]

I was being serious and a jerk at the same time I would love to ride with anybody !!! I have a range of 100+ miles in batteries abut not the legs to do this often. I would not expect someone new to all ramped up to ride like for so much. I hope to be on my bike by 1230 and not stop till 7 or 8 til when i get home (coupe short breaks). I will probably go near 100. I take off from work when the weather is particularly nice and just go...I am on the paved trails as much as possible, some roads ....Flat and smooth is my style


Happy to ride with you when available...

 

[christob]

Yeah, I'm definitely not ready yet to try a 100 mile day But I was pleasantly surprised how "easy" the 24 mile trip was... so I suspect I will be comfortable with longer and longer trips, before too much more time goes by... then it will be a question of how to estimate the useful life of my battery on a longer trip -- like could I do 50 miles roundtrip and manage to get home with a little battery juice left...
(When my battery died last night shortly before I got home, and I had to use only leg-power for the final mile (and one challenging hill) it really demonstrated how NOT in shape I am, at least so far!! But I know I'll get into better shape, every day I keep riding...)

 

[opimax]

Spare battery! Longer rides , longer battery life, no range anxiety ....no more pushing the bike...better yet spare batteries....

 

[christob]

We'll see... still recovering from the bike purchase... might be awhile before I can justify the added expense of a second battery!

 

[opimax]

I do understand...Once i got started with this feeling of riding , don't want to stop ...more juice...headed home to change and go!

 

[christob]

Dunno why it only just dawned on me today... but I realized that every 10 round-trip-work-commutes made on the bike saves three gallons of gasoline consumed in the car (based on an annual average of 43-44 MPG in my Prius; though in summer months a tank of gas can yield 49-50 MPG.) The bike commute is 13.4 miles round trip right now. Right now, 3 gallons is around $7.50 here; I may have to geek out in a spreadsheet and factor this savings into my accumulating cost of ownership per mile biked...

 

[christob]

Another fun update for me personally... set my new trip record of 36 miles today, riding with @BlondAngel from Arlington down to the historic Mt. Vernon Estate, a lovely ride along the bank of the Potomac nearly the whole way there and back. I did my darndest to spend as much time in PAL1, to conserve battery… Still trying to figure out a reliable way to predict battery duration on a single continuous ride… While I used levels 2, 3 and 4 (of 5) today for some challenging hills, I reverted to 1 as soon as possible. Once home and parked, the battery gauge at rest showed three bars remaining, which makes me think with judicious, light use of the higher levels, I might be able to get a 50 mile trip on a full charge, over reasonably flat, only mildly hilly terrain.

 

[BlondAngel]

I learned a bit from that trip with @christob -- get a water bottle. While I have had water bottles on my past trips I always felt it was optional. I had this hare-brained idea that if I have an e-bike, there is no need for water since you wouldn't really need it. WRONG! Always have water.

With Chris as my bike buddy, there is more incentive on the bike part than the 'e' part. For example, when I am by myself, I am content to use PAS2 or PAS3 or PAS4. But with a bike buddy (who said that he would stay on PAS 1 most of time) , my mild competitive nature comes to the fore, and I also try to stay on PAS 1. LOL! As a consequence, I started shifting gears a LOT more, and I am learning more how my bike behaves. From that, I gain more confidence that I can go farther and also lessen my range-anxiety. On our trail trip, we saw hawks and a heron. In my book, it's a win-win-win situation for me.

 

[Merc]

Hi all, I’m new to the forum and don’t even own an E-Bikes at the moment so looking for some great advice.

I plan on getting an E-Bike and have narrowed my choice to 2 bikes obviously leaning on the Cafe that’s why I’m posting here. The other bike is the Trek Super-Commuter 8S. Both go 28mph, Trek is aluminum alloy and a mid drive vs chromoly steel and a hub drive. The Trek is $1000 more expensive but produces lower wattage from its battery. The Cafe weighs only 4more pounds but I prefer the chromoly steel because it’s more stable. Haven’t tried it yet but will soon. Tried the Tek and it was great.

Can’t wait to hear from your input.

 

[christob]

I plan on getting an E-Bike and have narrowed my choice to 2 bikes obviously leaning on the Cafe that’s why I’m posting here. The other bike is the Trek Super-Commuter 8S. Both go 28mph, Trek is aluminum alloy and a mid drive vs chromoly steel and a hub drive. The Trek is $1000 more expensive but produces lower wattage from its battery. The Cafe weighs only 4more pounds but I prefer the chromoly steel because it’s more stable. Haven’t tried it yet but will soon. Tried the Tek and it was great.
Can’t wait to hear from your input.

Hi @Merc; welcome to the forum... tons of great info posted here from casual/helpful reads, to deeply technical analyses, and highly creative customizations, etc. The Cafe is my first ebike, so unlike some multi-bike owners, I can't directly compare the two models for you. I test-rode the 8S and if memory serves, I liked it... Didn't like the screaming red color choice (the only color, I was told, when I test-rode.) There are pros and cons to both, I'm sure -- as with every choice in life
One thing the Cafe is short on -- attachment points. There isn't a pair of bosses to mount a water bottle cage anywhere on the frame. (I added a cage to my handle bar using an accessory.) The Cafe doesn't come with a rack (while the 8S comes with a very basic one.) I wish the display had a clock feature -- but the 8S doesn't appear to have that either. (Would be much handier to check the time on the display, than a watch or phone when you're all gloved and jacketed in cold weather!) The Cafe had rear lights integrated into the frame of the Velo saddle -- but I ultimately swapped a different saddle, and haven't worked up a "hack" to remove the integrated lights to reuse on the new saddle somehow.
PS - worth asking at VEB if they have any "floor models" discounted -- got mine that way at a nice discount (a very slight scuff in the paint - no exposed metal - and a little dimple dent in the rear fender - hidden when a pair of panniers are mounted.) If shipping the Cafe to you - don't forget to add shipping costs and assembly cost (if someone is doing final assembly for you) to more accurately compare total delivered costs between the 2 bikes... Keep me posted!

 

[Merc]

Hi Chris, thanks for responding. The Cafe actually has a rack, better than the one offered on the Trek. I also found a dealer in Oregon who has a gold Cafe for sale for $300 less than VEB is advertising, free shipping and no tax! VEB is trying to hard sell I wrote them back to see if they can beat the price this place is offering. If they do, I just may go ahead and purchase prior to trying it out. I can only imagine, it’s as good, if not better than the Trek due to the chromoly steel, stronger battery output, and bigger tires.

 

[Merc]

The one thing I was concerned with is cogging. If not peddling, does the bike coast or does it dramatically slow down? In the video review, cogging is demonstrated but it’s while he’s lifting the bike. Wondering if it happens while riding.

 

[christob]

Interesting; when I went to buy online, the rack was an extra. Perhaps they've started including one. As for cogging, yes, you do notice when the battery stops supplying juice to the motor; i.e., about 2-3 seconds after you stop actively pedaling, it feels like a bit of a drag applied to the bike. I don't think I would say it dramatically slows down, although when I tend to be not paddling, is on downward inclines, or stretches of flat… For me it hasn't been a big detractor.

 

[Merc]

Does it feel like a downshift on a transmission when driving a stick? What about when going down hill, or flat? Doesn’t turn off but coast?

Yes, you’re right, the rack is an extra unlike the Trek.

 

[christob]

I suppose that's a reasonable analogy, but it is nothing quite as pronounced as a car's downshift. Any time you're pedaling with Assist on, and you stop pedaling, the motor stops assisting, so you'll notice that transition.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

@christob and @BlondAngel,that is so cool that riding together is both fun and making you better ebikers. I'm kind of envious. I love riding with my wife and so glad she's enthusiastic about it, but it's a different experience from what you described. Way to go!

 

[christob]

@Bruce Arnold I subjected @BlondAngel to my requirement "I'm going to stay in Level 1 as much as possible" -- because I knew that day's ride would be my longest one yet, and I just don't have a solid grip on predicting how long a single charge lasts for me; especially given unknown terrain we'd encounter on this trip (neither of us had biked it before), and the overall length... I had done a 17 mile trip with some big, long hills biking into a very strong wind most of the time - and my battery died a mile or so before I got home... But I'd also done a 24 mile trip and come home with 3 bars left... So I knew I needed Level 1 as much as possible to extend the range and ensure I could get home with some assist, as I'd undoubtedly have more-tired-than-usual legs. Fortunately, Paul was agreeable to my plan, and it worked successfully re: my battery!
Lots of great bird life on that trip, and it was a spectacular day weather-wise. And the Level 1 objective sort of forced my ride to be (I have to assume) far more of an actual workout -- something I also want my newfound interest in biking to provide, on my path to some weight loss and better fitness.

 

[Merc]

When the Cafe shipped to you, how did it come? Who assembled it?

 

[christob]

@Merc, I had it shipped to a local bike mobile outfit, Velofix; they received it, assembled it, and delivered the finished bike to me.

 

[christob]

Another update on my ebike journey, here in my little dedicated forum thread...
Yesterday was my 10th day of office commute on the bike in April. That equates to 3 gallons of gas not consumed in my Prius. (Around 27 bike commutes should then equate to a tank of gas, saved.) Also, today's office commute on the bike marks 5 days in a row and thus my first full workweek commuting every day. Alas, I have a conference to attend later this month which will preclude biking for a few days