Winter e-biking advices

[Stefan Mikes]

Winter riding

Kids In Finland Continue To Ride Bicycles To School In -17°C (1.4°F) Weather And It’s A Lesson In Commuting

Are you a cyclist? If so, are you one of the many who carefully puts old faithful into storage over the winter months, convinced that all that rain, snow and ice is just unsuitable for biking? Well, this Finnish town is living proof that winter cycling is perfectly possible with the right...

www.boredpanda.com

Come on, they are kids, good blood circulation. I played soccer in -20 C when I was a kid and rode a bike, too, when I was 35 and still had no car. You need to do some shopping even during heavy winter.

 

[antboy]

The heating pad is so wretched that on high setting I can't tell it's on unless I put it on the inside of my elbow and then wouldn't notice it except I was checking for any small degree of warmth. It's going back.

Heating Pad 5V2A USB Electric Cloth Heater Pad Heating Element for Clothes Seat Pet Warmer 24x30cm 45℃ : Amazon.ca: Health & Personal Care

Heating Pad 5V2A USB Electric Cloth Heater Pad Heating Element for Clothes Seat Pet Warmer 24x30cm 45℃ : Amazon.ca: Health & Personal Care

www.amazon.ca

Hmmm... Maybe you got a dud unit?

Mine definitely generates more heat than what you're describing. Are you sure your battery pack outputs 2A?

 

[tomjasz]

I think Northwave Raptor Arctic GTX might be as good. Gore-tex, lightweight and even SPD ready.

Thanks! I have no use for SPD devices. Especially in ice and snow, but those are likely a good suggestion for other in cold conditions. I tend to be throttle dominant in ice riding using legs as outriggers.

 

[Handlebars]

Hmmm... Maybe you got a dud unit?

Mine definitely generates more heat than what you're describing. Are you sure your battery pack outputs 2A?

I don't know. Does yours? I have a power bank rated 2A that takes 4 18650 cells, I think my arm is warming the pad more than the other way 'round.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thanks! I have no use for SPD devices.

Bad news, Tom. This kind of shoe is extremely hard to pull on. My EU shoe size is 46; I ordered size 47 and was unable go get my heel through the cuff. When I forced the foot through, I found I would need size 49, which is ridiculous. I had to return those with great regret. Now I ordered NW Flash Arctic GTX, which are road bike winter shoes, size 49, no SPD. Hopefully these would fit. I liked the shoes anyway as they seemed to be very warm and waterproof, also lightweight.

Yet I perfectly understand your concerns. For me, warm feet are above everything else.

 

[tomjasz]

Warm feet are critical here too. Several heart attacks and TIAs have left me with poor circulation. My boot liners are 1/2 thick recycled wool. I’ve worked out for my entire work life from -10F to 115F . The right clothing makes all the difference in my experience. Because I have wide feet I’ve never found bike specific footwear a solution.

 

[Ebiker01]

Aerogel is a space age material. Much better then neoprene for a battery cover or for insulating anything.
Thinking about designing/ making custom battery covers made from aerogel/velcro+zipper closure. 100$/apiece with superior insulation vs neoprene.

Aerogel- the wonder material :

The Endeavour Glove

Keep the heat and dexterity even in the most extreme conditions.

www.orosapparel.com

Aerogel everything for a NE winter : Aerogel shoes/jackets/socks/gloves.
The material itself is very expensive but a very SMALL amount is needed.

 

[Handlebars]

Aerogel is a space age material. Much better then neoprene for a battery cover or for insulating anything.
Thinking about designing/ making custom battery covers made from aerogel/velcro+zipper closure. 100$/apiece with superior insulation vs neoprene.

Aerogel- the wonder material :

2.5 times better than styrofoam. I'd rather have a styofoam formed battery jacket for $60 less. I wonder how neoprene compares as insulator.
Adhesive truck window foam. Done. That was easy.

 

[Ebiker01]

2.5 times better than styrofoam. I'd rather have a styofoam formed battery jacket for $60 less. I wonder how neoprene compares as insulator.

Instead of the 80% benefit you get 30% only. 2.5x less. Don’t be cheap.
That’s why the Nasa astronauts didn’t wear styrofoam suits in space. The aerogel works a LOT better. A 10x10 3mm piece is 10-15$ . With a few of them can do a lot of projects.

But the manufacturing companies charge way too much b/c it is just now starting to being used in their products.

 

[Handlebars]

Instead of the 80% benefit you get 30% only. 2.5x less. Don’t be cheap.
That’s why the Nasa astronauts didn’t wear styrofoam suits in space. The aerogel works a LOT better. A 10x10 3mm piece is 10-15$ . With a few of them can do a lot of projects.

But the manufacturing companies charge way too much b/c it is just now starting to being used in their products.

Right, I understand astronauts wore neoprene. Here's something else

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19740004701

Flexible fire retardant polyisocyanate modified neoprene foam. [for thermal protective devices]
NTRS Full-Text:	View Document [PDF Size: 355 KB]
Author and Affiliation:	Parker, J. A. (NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States) Riccitiello, S. R. [Inventor] (NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Abstract:	Lightweight, fire resistant foams have been developed through the modification of conventional neoprene-isocyanate foams by the addition of an alkyl halide polymer. Extensive tests have shown that the modified/neoprene-isocyanate foams are much superior in heat protection properties than the foams heretofore employed both for ballistic and ablative purposes.

So how much does it currently cost to just cover a battery in the neogel foam? 3mm is pretty thin.

 

[Ebiker01]

3mm is all you need. Read some more about the material. A 7mm thickness is good for up to -300F . On Mars !
DIY it would cost 30-40$ for the 3mm thickness for a 47cm long 605wh Easy motion battery (i’m doing mine tmrw.) then 1-2hours of work to sew it inside a cover or something. Maybe 60$ at most. On ebay is a better price then On amazon.

But of course when BOSCH will steal my idea, they will charge 200$ for the aerogel cover !! And if it’s a Stromer's cover 300$.

 

[Handlebars]

That is incredible. What about degradation?

 

[Handlebars]

Don’t be cheap.

There's nothing better than being cheap if it allows you to do better things with your dough.
How about mylar wrap first?
Remember, if nothing is better than aerogel, and a ham sandwich is better than nothing, a ham sandwich is better than aerogel.

 

[Scott Adams]

Where in Minnesota? SE here, on the Mighty Mississippi.

North of you along the St. Croix, just a tributary to the mother river, but still beautiful.

It was 42F here today and two hours into my ride it felt as comfortable as a summer day.

Winter brings unexpected challenges, I've had rides during which ice built up on the derailleurs to the point it was no longer possible to shift.

Over time I've come to think of winter cycling as not all that different from cross country skiing.

That said, I doubt that I'll be riding much below freezing this year, it can be as hard on the bike as the rider, especially when the roads are salty.

 

[Handlebars]

3mm is all you need. Read some more about the material. A 7mm thickness is good for up to -300F . On Mars !

If you're riding your ebike on Mars, then that counts. Or in a vacuum. That would count.

 

[tomjasz]

My batteries don’t produce enough heat or store enough heat for cold weather commuting. Perhaps higher tech insulation holds significant heat, but I suspect a space suit has a heat source, or body heat is somehow maintained. In my experience my winter batteries don’t generate enough heat to keep warm over a long ride. I’d love to see some data and find that cells can self warm a pack.

That’s a WOW! If true.

Off to Google aerogel, thanks!

 

[tomjasz]

Over time I've come to think of winter cycling as not all that different from cross country skiing.

That said, I doubt that I'll be riding much below freezing this year, it can be as hard on the bike as the rider, especially when the roads are salty.

My new winter bike is a one speed. And I’m a slower rider, especially in winter. Salty roads are avoided by me. But I have a number of riders using Boeshield and similar products with some good results. I’ll poke Jim R in MPLS. He’s an all condition commuter. Good feedback! Thanks!

I got a nice ride in today as well. Any day I don’t climb in a cage is a better day.

40 something years ago I took my 14 year old brother to the first canoeable stretch of the Upper Namekagon through the Lower, and into the St. Croix and to the Mississippi. A lifetime memory. A stunning part a the American river landscape.

 

[antboy]

I don't know. Does yours? I have a power bank rated 2A that takes 4 18650 cells, I think my arm is warming the pad more than the other way 'round.

The battery I'm using is an Anker Astro, with up to 2.1A output.

If it's not doing what you need, probably best to return it, and look at the kit that @Thomas Jaszewski recommended. That was going to be my second choice.

 

[Handlebars]

The battery I'm using is an Anker Astro, with up to 2.1A output.

If it's not doing what you need, probably best to return it, and look at the kit that @Thomas Jaszewski recommended. That was going to be my second choice.

That heater was my first choice but I changed due to quick delivery on my dud.
My power bank is an empty case which I filled with 4 known excellent LG batteries I bought, so that's not the problem. I guess it's just a dud heater. They approved the return.

 

[ElevenAD]

The heating pad is so wretched that on high setting I can't tell it's on unless I put it on the inside of my elbow and then wouldn't notice it except I was checking for any small degree of warmth. It's going back.

Heating Pad 5V2A USB Electric Cloth Heater Pad Heating Element for Clothes Seat Pet Warmer 24x30cm 45℃ : Amazon.ca: Health & Personal Care

Heating Pad 5V2A USB Electric Cloth Heater Pad Heating Element for Clothes Seat Pet Warmer 24x30cm 45℃ : Amazon.ca: Health & Personal Care

www.amazon.ca

was it damaged or just a bad product?