Pathsurfer on the road to apocalypse

[bikeweazle]

The electric bike in all its forms has the potential to save the planet, or at least make it a bloody sight easier to get to wherever is the place to get to.
Personally prefer comfort to speed, so need an upright riding position, handlebars at least six inches higher than the saddle.
Smooth balloony tires with low rolling resistance, and a hard leather saddle worked best for me in the end. Tried more and more gel padding but after two or more hours, the initially harder leather saddle stayed comfortable.
Prefer front suspension forks to iron out some lackluster infrastructure, and rear suspension is bliss, but springs in the saddle help heaps if no rear suspension.
Ergo grips are a blessing for sore hands and a nice touch of luxury, but out on the streets, a mirror is essential.
A mid drive motor is the way to go if you have any slopes to cope with, but any bike that feels comfy is years ahead of a motor car and all its trappings.
A few of these things can make any bike a blast to ride, and half the fun is evolving the bike to suit the situation.
Enjoy the ride.

 

[indianajo]

A mid drive motor is the way to go if you have any slopes to cope with, but any bike that feels comfy is years ahead of a motor car and all its trappings.

Not if one ever intends to get some exercise. I use the motor when my 3.5 hour commute could go to 6 hours due to 25-40 mph headwinds. Otherwise, I ride unpowered. My geared hub motor doesn't drag unpowered. I have 77 hills in my commute, 4 are 15% grade.
Minority mid drive brands yamaha and some shimano have an internal clutch where one's feet does not drag the motor unpowered.
BTW the cardiologist that had to approve me suitable for tendon surgery, spent $5000 of medicare money to prove my heart "has nothing wrong with it". I'm age 69. Use it or lose it. I quit driving cars except vacation in 2008.
Welcome to the site.

 

[bikeweazle]

Not if one ever intends to get some exercise. I use the motor when my 3.5 hour commute could go to 6 hours due to 25-40 mph headwinds. Otherwise, I ride unpowered. My geared hub motor doesn't drag unpowered. I have 77 hills in my commute, 4 are 15% grade.
Minority mid drive brands yamaha and some shimano have an internal clutch where one's feet does not drag the motor unpowered.
BTW the cardiologist that had to approve me suitable for tendon surgery, spent $5000 of medicare money to prove my heart "has nothing wrong with it". I'm age 69. Use it or lose it. I quit driving cars except vacation in 2008.
Welcome to the site.

Yes. Here in Australia we are legally limited to 250w electric motors on the roads.
The mid drive motors get to use the mechanical advantage of the bikes gearing to make best use of that 250w motor.
Whichever motor type you're using, you can always turn the assist level down or off, whatever suits the circumstance at any given time.
I just love that we get to play around with different variations of bikes, for relatively inexpensive costs compared to motor cars, and get to travel almost anywhere we choose.
I just wish the government over here would create more bike riding infrastructure like the Dutch, to make it safe for all ages and abilities, so the whole community can benefit from lower transport costs, and more importantly better heath outcomes.
Look forward to browsing the site and learning more about the wonderful world of electric bikes and trikes.