Recent content by Richard_M

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    eBike feature on Radio 4 You & Yours

    Thanks Trex. I was curious. Like d8veh, we all know emporiums with a vast array of eBikes to try.
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    eBike feature on Radio 4 You & Yours

    Yes, that was rather unfortunate. Also the motorist who underestimated the speed of the eCyclist approaching in her mirror, opened her door on him and nearly had him off. d8veh, I agree. Starting the journo off on a quirky, prohibitively expensive £1600 BionX was a poor option. What I found...
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    eBike feature on Radio 4 You & Yours

    Hello all, Did anyone else catch the eBike feature on You and Yours on Radio 4 this lunchtime ? The presenter had a go on a BionX conversion and checked out a Powabyke. I thought they gave us riders and the technology fair press. It's only 8 minutes: BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Straw...
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    Casio Calculator

    This is a really good topic with two issues. How long can electronics keep working and how long can batteries last ? I too have a Casio calculator that I bought for college in 1981. Still going strong. A 1982 Yaesu FT790 transceiver with its original Ni-Cds still holding charge. A Grundig...
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    Commercials turning left. Take care.

    Hello again to you all. I ride my bike to and from the depot and then drive a minibus all day. I had a near miss in Histon near Cambridge with a bike up the inside just before turning left. I indicate at least 10 secs, at least 400yds before a turn yet still had a bike come up the inside...
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    Amateur Radio

    Hello again, but under a different context this time. I've recently expanded my station aboard narrowboat 'Patent Pending' somewhat : I'm currently active on 40m, 2m and 70cms. Locals in East Anglia can find me on GB3PI and GB3PY. I'm always up for a chat about radio, more radio, ebikes...
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    Wingbike rides on water.

    Courtesy of Hackaday, here's a link to some wingbike mayhem: Human Powered Hydrofoil, the Wingbike!
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    Battery "fuel gauge" query

    Mine's just arrived and it's a bit flimsy and optimistically rated, but cost less than a tenner. Amazing ! I shall pull it apart and apply all sorts of volts and currents. Thanks for the link, d8veh. With a bit of modding this could be a handy bit of kit. Just what my bike needs.
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    How to fix a blown throttle for about 25p

    Can anyone shed any light on why these halls fail ? The halls are epoxied and should be OK themselves, so that just leaves electrical or mechanical damage. I can understand the halls in the hub getting flashed if the cable gets spun and shorted or if water conducts motor drive to the halls. But...
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    How to fix a blown throttle for about 25p

    Nice post d8veh. Those halls really are as cheap as chips. Hello D C, I've been filling mine with oil. I use an oilcan and pump it into the gap until it overflows. You'll find that it gradually runs out of the cable hole, but at least nothing will corrode or short inside. As for covering it...
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    Northampton - new proposed cycle way

    That's a good start, but look here at the astonishing rail network that serviced industrial Northampton: While it is always sad to lose a railway, just imagine that lot reborn as cycleways :).
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    Is it just me

    I think one of the secret pleasures of being an old git is the release from the pressure of ambition. When you're young, you're ambitious. Get on a bit and you're driven (but still a failure). Get to to be an old git and...you know. Other old gits I spot on the bikes give me a nod and a knowing...
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    An end to the dreaded numb bum?

    "the sit bones and pubic bones are suspended in mid-air, with the fleshier sides of the buttocks absorbing the rider's weight over a wider area."
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    Measuring Battery Charge

    That's absurdly cheap, so I've bought one straight away. I couldn't buy the LCD for that price. I'll check its accuracy thoroughly when it arrives.
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    End of the 25 Kph wall - BionX is re-born

    Dear CD, I knew this would happen. At last, this closed system has been broken. I never wanted to go faster, but I found the 25 Kph 'wall' downright dangerous at times. The power would tail off on a bend and throw me all over. I entered into a lengthy correspondence with the EU distributors and...