How many people are using there e-bike off-road?

EddiePJ

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Jul 7, 2013
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ed cant believe u buy 1 of them it looks naff n bet you brake it in 3 days rolling round ur swamp lol ;)
My current pedal hardtail mtb has put up with everything that I can throw at it. I've had a set of forks replaced under warranty via SRAM, but that could have happened to any bike.
The battery case is pretty exposed, so knocking that could be an issue in the event of the bike falling side ways, but the rest is just cycle parts.
The bike will suit my needs perfectly for what I want it for, and the Panasonic hub motor is exceptionally good, and the already superb available battery range, has now been upped, so some decent length off road rides should now be possible.
I don't need full suspension for muddier winter rides, so this bike should fit the bill perfectly. I certainly had plenty of fun last year on the road bike version, and most of that 2 week riding time was spent off road. :)

My lovely hardtail pedal mtb. :)



A little present arrived in the post today. :)
These came curtesy of a company that are following my Instagram posts.
They know that I ride clipless, and hate the look of flats, but who am I to turn down a freebie. With my knee the way that it is at the moment, they have actually come at a very good time.

 
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Izzyekerslike

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Apr 3, 2015
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After 3 weeks wait my single arm light bar arrived today from China n20151002_181148.jpg ice quality unobtrusive and fitted in just right. On another note I had a great ride out with my occasional riding partner last Sunday we had an amazing and eventful day out with a faceplate and quite a few "offs" into bogs and heather all captured on my new SJ4000 camera. I started editing it it down but as I got near completion the pc threw a wobbly and lost the edited version. Pc is now in for repair.. Quick question what's the maximum file size I can upload to the forum?
 

Sherman

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Oct 29, 2014
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Helsinki, Finland
Short ride and testing new lights (Nitefighter BT40S) for the dark season. It was fun and interesting, but I still have to add a helmet light.

And I have to start thinking about studding some tires...

valo1.jpg

valo2.jpg
 
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EddiePJ

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That's an impressive light. I went off the idea of fitting a helmet light, as I'm all to often riding in places that have low hanging branches, and I'm quite regularly receiving gentle wacks to the top of the cycle helmet.

I grabbed a mid morning chance to ride on the South Downs today. It was certainly mixed weather, and for the majority of the time, the fog was really thick and it caught me out on a particularly fast decent, when I reached the bottom sooner than I had anticipated. I'd forgotten just how long that wet grass takes to stop on! :)
The temperature was also very mixed. One minute it was short sleeve time, the next it was putting another layer on.

I can't say that I enjoy the SD overly at weekends, and the SDW gets like a motorway of people. Thankfully, those same people never seem to venture on the countless criss cross of bridleways, so for most of the 30 odd miles, I was on my on. I found some fantastic new routes to ride today, with some very fast down hill sections, both across fields and through woodlands.
Speaking of people, why is it that people can't leave mobile phones etc alone. Get on the SDW and it seems as though every other person s either using a mobile phone, or are looking at their gps. Camera use aside, can't people just go out and enjoy the space without this technology.















A life behind bars.




Today was also saw the first use of the DMR flat pedals. I already knew that I'd think that riding with flat pedals would be pox, and it was.
The first thing was that I'm used to pedalling on the up stroke, so my foot was constantly almost hovering off the pedal.
Next issue with them, is that on anything remotely fast and bumpy, my feet weren't secure enough, and bouncing off of them could be a real possibility.
The worse issue, and one that will see me getting shot of flat pedals asap, is the fact that they are so bloody big! It's impossible to pedal through anything tight or narrow, without wacking them on the side. This will render them useless for most of my local riding, as even with my very small clipless pedals, I hit my foot and become un clipped at least once on every ride. At least with clipless this is possible, where as with flats, the potential is there to launch you into the air.
On the plus side of them, I'd long wondered if my clipless set up was making things such as bunny hops easier. It made no difference, which was good to know, so my technique must be fine.

That's another side of a rut hit.

 
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Rohloffboy

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Interesting that you mention pedals, I was not sure if Clipless was the way to go for when I get an ebike, although I can't think of any reason for not using them. For the last 11 years I have been using SpeedPlay Frog (Stainless) pedals, on my none ebike, so I think my spare set of Frog's may just find a home on an ebike.
 

EddiePJ

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I was really surprised that the clipless set up would have made any difference, as I have never consciously pulled on the up stroke, but clearly have been, given how my foot kept lifting.
I'd thought that it was just one those BS comments given by road riders, but it seems not.

Popping off to see what SpeedPlay Frog pedals are, as I'm not familiar with those. :)

edit.. They certainly appear to be exceptionally well made.
 

Rohloffboy

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Sep 1, 2015
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Yep, I moved from Shimano SPD, to the Frogs back in 2004, and have never looked back since.

The Cleat is in Shoe, not the Pedal, but what I like most about the Frog's is that the Float is almost total, so you have no feeling of being clipped in even though you are.

It's kind of hard to explain, I don't think the Frog's are for everyone, but if you have any knee issues they are defiantly worth a try.

They work superb with my Shimano Sandals, which strangely they are not meant to be compatible with!

Mostly I wear Carnac Cyclecross type cycle shoes, which are a perfect match with the Frog's.

The Frog's come in three types, Chromoloy, Stainless and Titanium.
 
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Nealh

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Aug 7, 2014
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soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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EddiePJ

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Looking at the time stamp of the clip, was this another police camera action/crime watch clip. You really need to get away faster than that, if you are hoping to escape.

When are we going to see a night time off road/mud riding clip?
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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when i get some better lights ;)
 

soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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bebbe

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Oct 17, 2014
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Wounderful weather here in Sweden today! But the trail was really dirty! Heavy in the thick clay. Cant wait to hit the dirt with my Haibike Sduro instead. The Scott I have now is a really god bike but no ebike. Will be interesting to se how much faster the Sduro will be [emoji3]

 

Izzyekerslike

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Apr 3, 2015
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Leeds, West Yorkshire
Looks good but it seems the front light comes without a battery pack.
 
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soundwave

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EddiePJ

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Will be interesting to se how much faster the Sduro will be
It's not so much the extra speed that you will notice, although clearly it will be faster. In my opinion the thing that is more crucial, is that you will get so much more torque to be able to power through muddy sections, with relative ease.
The motor makes a clear and massive difference to this, and in deep mud, the best approach is slow in, and then power through at a consistent and steady rate.
 

bebbe

Pedelecer
Oct 17, 2014
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It's not so much the extra speed that you will notice, although clearly it will be faster. In my opinion the thing that is more crucial, is that you will get so much more torque to be able to power through muddy sections, with relative ease.
The motor makes a clear and massive difference to this, and in deep mud, the best approach is slow in, and then power through at a consistent and steady rate.
That will be interesting! As it is now some times it is hard to keep the momentum up all the way through the mud. I gues that hard climbs also will be interesting with the Sduro. When the engine is giving the extra momentum maybe it will be easier to focus on where to put the wheels [emoji3]
 

EddiePJ

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Jul 7, 2013
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Bebbe, you will be smiling all the way up. :)


When is the bike arriving?



when i get some better lights ;)
Is that so that you can see to pick up the bits that fall off the Haibike? :D

Just get out and ride. I'm out three to four late evening/night rides a week with just a one cree light. Grow some and get out! :p It'll only be you out there in the woods at night. ;)


Flicking back to yesterday's ride, I was having a few rear brake issues, as in didn't really have any, and just assumed that I was getting due for some pads. Cleaning and checking the bike today, I went to remove the pads, only to discover that a stone had become wedged in between the pads, just above the disc. Never had that one happen before.
 
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Izzyekerslike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 3, 2015
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Leeds, West Yorkshire
After a lot of faffing and time spent learning part 1. of my video from last weeks ride over the moors is ready for viewing. It was a long ride so I have edited down substantially stick with it all the way through I'm certain you will like it.
 

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