eMTB owners photo and ride thread.

Dom T

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 17, 2017
433
377
Shropshire
Well today was new insert and tyres day Nukeproof ADR inserts, 2 boxes, 29 and 27.5, as we have mullet bikes with regards to the Canyons.
Put one on the rear of the Voodoo (29in) and one on the rear of my Canyon, plus new nobblies. On his Canyon he did front and rear inserts.
They are an absolute tW@t to put on with the enduro style tyres, quite heavy, but then we have eMTB's so who care about weight. It'll be interesting to see how it drains the battery.
IMG_20200801_112910.jpgIMG_20200801_115510.jpgIMG_20200801_123024.jpgIMG_20200801_163135.jpg
 

georgehenry

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2015
1,425
1,251
Surrey
Had a bit of a rear tyre saga

I began a pattern of 6 days at work that started on Wednesday the 29th of July, and being late start jobs should have allowed me to ride 6 consecutive 12 mile off road rides to work and then a 10 mile road ride home late at night.

I mentioned that on the last ride home from work the bike would not go into top gear 9. The rear mech needed removing cleaning and adjusting but is now working as it should.

I had recently also got a second rear puncture and decided that after 6,500 miles it was time for a new rear tyre.

So as I need to avoid punctures as much as possible I decided to get my first Schwalbe Marathon Plus mountain bike tyre. I also got a slime filled tube. I did make sure when I pumped up the slime tube that the tyre was at about ten to two position so slime would not fowl the valve. My son and I did a 20 mile gentle off road shake down ride together and all was well.

So I set off on Wednesday afternoon and 4 miles in the back tyre went mostly down. I limped home and took the car. I was not pleased!

The next day I rode my splendid £100 second hand rear hub bike. Before going I checked the Marathon plus tyre and it looked good. So I pumped it up before going to work.

When I got home it was soft. Maybe the valve I think. The next day I put a different valve in and pumped it up. It went down faster.

Then I removed the rear wheel, and took out the tube, nothing of note on either. I put a non slime new tube in and pumped up the tyre.

Hey presto, the next day the tyre was still good. Finally. So I rode my rear hub bike for three days wasting the off road riding potential, but still much better than driving the car.

I finally rode The Haibike Yesterday and really enjoyed my off road route. I used the track that I found the council turning into a road and took a picture, and found an old picture of the track, so you can see the difference.
Ride to work secret garden 11 05 20 002.JPG
Before.
Bridle path ride to work 02 08 20 002.JPG
Afterwards, why? How much did it cost?

The unsung hero in all this is my £100 second hand rear hub 2011 Oxygen emate city that I have now ridden for 1186 miles after buying it from the pedelec classified advertisements around September 2018.

It is great to have a back up bike to ride when the Haibike is not available, so I can still ride to work rather than take the car. For early starts when I am riding to work and back on the road I use the Oxygen instead of the Haibike as it is a better road riding commuting machine and to save the Haibike for what it does best, off road riding.

On one of the return trips from work on the Oxygen I had accidentally switched on the average speed setting and when the wheels stopped turning on my driveway it showed 19.6 mph, still using the original 2011 battery!
 
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,990
8,172
60
West Sx RH
Valves can stick esp with slime or other gunk in a TL set up or tubed set up.
 

georgehenry

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2015
1,425
1,251
Surrey
I did put a new valve in. I think there was a poor fit between the valve stem and the valve, when screwed in air could still escape, just one of those annoying things.
 

Dom T

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 17, 2017
433
377
Shropshire
My Hubs used the slime ones and he also had little success with them, punctures and one exploded, slime everywhere. Tubeless all the way for me.
 

georgehenry

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2015
1,425
1,251
Surrey
Hottest day of the year ride to work.

I had a really lovely ride to work this morning setting off just after 08:00 in the morning.
Ride to work before headland 07 08 20 001.JPG
Shadows cast by a still quite low in the sky rising sun.
Ride to work before headland 07 08 20 005.JPG
Baby I'm amazed. View out from single track over a field of maze and countryside.
Ride to work before headland 07 08 20 006.JPG
Lady of the lake. Well Lake really.
Ride to work before headland 07 08 20 008.JPG
From woodland track to open field.
Ride to work before headland 07 08 20 010.JPG
Shaded section of The North Downs Path.

Another sublime 12 mile ride to work. Maybe the heat made my battery work more efficiently or the dry tracks provided less drag but I only used 23% of my 400Wh battery on my 12 mile ride to work.

I rode home at about 2:00PM, nice short day, but the heat was at its zenith. My temperature gauge on my display climbed to over 40 degrees. I also only used 31% of my 400Wh battery on my 10 mile undulating road ride home. I felt slightly faint when I got home after pushing hard on the pedals in the heat to complete the 10 miles in thirty minutes. I felt better after jumping in my 12ft circular 3ft deep unheated pool that I have on my rear patio for about 8 weeks in the height of the summer to cool down. On the admittedly few really hot days it is a god send. It lives rolled up in a shed the rest of the time. 6732 ltrs of water, but fortunately no water meter at my house.

I notice that my the rear wheel is drifting very gently out of true. There is always something. Getting closer to 12,500 miles as my total mileage creeps up to 12,450.
 
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georgehenry

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2015
1,425
1,251
Surrey
Went out to the garage today, bloody back tyre had gone down.

Fortunately there were no neighbours out and about to witness my looney tunes cartoon like reaction with John McEnroe "You cannot be serious" sound track accept using the Foxtrot Oscar word instead.

After some counselling I returned to remove said back wheel, remove said tube, and remove said Marathon Plus far from invincible back tyre.

On examination of the wheel all became clear and an angel choir began to sing.

All I will say at this juncture is "Rim Tape".

I have re aligned said satanic tape from hell and put in another tube, replaced the tyre, put the wheel back in the bike, pumped up the tyre, and taken it for a quick test ride.

I dare you to go down, I double dare you,

Look at the brain on Brad
 
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soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,971
6,292

try one of those soon as you get it out the box you will look at a Marathon Plus tyre like toilet paper.

i have it on my rear and never had a flat tyre ;)DSC_0186_02.JPG
 

georgehenry

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2015
1,425
1,251
Surrey
Ironically, I had considered fitting a heavy duty downhill tyre instead of the marathon plus.

To be fair to the marathon plus it has not been at fault, it has all been due to my own incompetence after not having to deal with a puncture for literally years.

And it is to that state of non puncture nirvana in which my knowledge of how to deal with a puncture diminishes once more to zero that I wish at some haste to return.
 

Dom T

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 17, 2017
433
377
Shropshire
Nice tyre combo Soundwave :)
Quite like the Ardents ( maxxis) that came with the Voodoo
My day today only a 20 mile plod, but did a 55 miler on the weekend.IMG_20200811_130936.jpgIMG_20200811_130816.jpgIMG_20200811_122113.jpg
IMG_20200811_131129.jpg
 
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Charliefox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 11, 2015
322
87
79
Culloden Moor Inverness
Had a great 30 mile ride on August 9th riding over the 'Burma road' from the river Dulnain over to Strathspey. Was hoping to catch the heather in full bloom but not quite ready yet. Was hoping to go with a mate, but his Bosch motor is in for new bearings! Last time I did this run the tyre pressure was too high and the rear wheel went sideways in the freshly made surface of 'the road' giving me a painful dump. Softer tyres now.P1020997.JPGP1020998.JPGP1030001.JPGView attachment 37945View attachment 37945P1030004.JPGP1030005.JPGP1030007.JPGP1030009.JPG
 
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georgehenry

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2015
1,425
1,251
Surrey
Holiday transport!
Torquay 22 08 20 001.JPG
Just back from a staycation holiday in Torquay and took my 2011 Oxygen to park at the beach and enable me to go on a sandwich run to and from the beech hut. Lots of fresh air and swimming in the surprisingly warm sea.
 
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georgehenry

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2015
1,425
1,251
Surrey
First off road rides to work after my 20 day summer leave period.

I came back to four days of work after my summer break. Of those four the second and third enabled me to use my Haibike and enjoy my 12 mile cross country route to work.

The first of those rides was on Saturday 29th of August. So the Haibike and battery had a 22 day lay off. 12 miles cross country to work and then 10 miles back home in the small hours on the road. The joys of shift work.

So I charged my almost 5 and a half year old 400Wh Yamaha battery to full at home within a couple of hours of setting off to work at just after 13:30.

Ride to work first after headland holiday 29 08 20 001.JPG
Sheep had appeared in the first field of my ride and I was reminded of the Peter Gabriel lyric from the Genesis Album, Selling England by the Pound, a seminal album from my youth,
"The sheep remain inside their pen
Though many times they've seen the way to leave.....

Especially if I had left the gate open!

Later in the ride in short succession I had three fleeting glimpses of departing deer. Nice.

As I was contributing to another thread "battery charge cycles", I made a note that I had used what I thought was a miserly 28% of my battery on the 12 mile cross country journey.

I also noted that I had used 34% of my recharged battery on my faster 10 mile road ride home.
Ride to work first after headland holiday 29 08 20 003.JPG

Then on Sunday although I was technically at work I just had to sit at home with my mobile on and got no work to do. Yippee.

My last ride to work was on Bank Holiday Monday, setting off at 11:40 before three days off, the last of which I am enjoying today.

A Lovely ride in beautiful countryside. Being a bank holiday I came across many more people than normal.

Used even less battery capacity on this 12 mile ride to work than the day before yesterday, 26% and also less on the 10 mile road ride home, 32%.

The exercise makes a big difference to my nearly 59 year old body.

At this rate both me and my bike are going to wear our before the battery!

I had noticed that my rear wheel on The Haibike was drifting out of true. I had for many years used an independent cycle shop in Guildford for mechanical repairs and adjustments I was too lazy to do myself, run by two brothers, but they retired and shut down.

I have now found an alternative one man independent cycle repair man local to me recommended by a friend at work and he is the best cycle mechanic I have come across.

I took the rear wheel to him yesterday and he trued it while I waited and we chatted. He works from home. He charged me £15 but spent time doing the job properly and I did not think that was bad for the glorious over priced Surrey where I live.

The Haibike now gets a probable 13 day lay off as I return to early shifts tomorrow and will be riding my £100 rear hub bike on the road there and back, 6 days of work in a row, and a potential 120 miles on my cheap second hand rear hub.
 
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trickgixer

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 2, 2020
22
14
Had my first ever pedelec ride yesterday and, after all the advice received before its purchase, thought I would share some details of the experience.

The bike - is a Rockrider E-ST900 hard tail EMTB from Decathlon. Initially I was looking at some full suspension bikes at nearly three times the price. Not being able to test ride them, my familiarity with my GT Avalanche non electric hard tail mtb and some advice on here, influenced my decision to save my hard earned for now with the caveat that I can then upgrade next year if I feel the need.

The ride - in at the deep end, or should I say high end. 20km with 775m of elevation, from the sea shore in Llanfairfechan to the summit of Drum.
After the joy of effortlessly climbing the initial 2k of road with 2/3 bars of assist, I was at the gate to the start of the trail. Initially I had to push up a steep gradient of solid rock with patches of wet grass. I just could not get any traction to even start riding, which was a bit disappointing. Then onto grass at a more manageable gradient with 3 and 4 bars of assist. Traction from the overwide knobblies was better than I expected as I powered up the hill. Because I was riding up a steeper incline than I could on my conventional bike, the need for body positioning probably more of a surprise to me than it should have been. If I didn't lean forward enough the front wheel lifted. Leaning too far forward resulting in the back wheel starting to spin on the grass. Maybe I need some more extreme grippy tyres.
My grassy trail reached a junction with a rocky/gravelly track used by the sheep farmers with their Quads and Land Rovers. I took the direction that would take me to the summit of Drum. The 27.5" wheels and fat tyres coped with the rocky surface much better than my GT would have done on its 26" wheels and narrower tyres. The surface included large pebbles several inches across and gullies that crossing rainwater had forged. Not easy going, but I was impressed by how well the bike handled it. I observed that I had used nearly half the battery, that's fine as it was all downhill thereafter.
DBike up Drum.jpg
The summit was very windy and colder than I had expected, but the view down to the sea and across to Anglesey made up for that!

The descent - madness! Climbing with power assist, I hadn't appreciated how steep that track was. Bouncing along, just in control, often just a controlled rear wheel skid and feathering the front brake. Yes, I probably should have been more cautious, but it was such fun!
The rocky track was shaking me to the point that my hands were numbing with the vibration, but it was so exhilarating. Grateful I didn't have false teeth!
To avoid contact with the bigger rocks, I was stood with each pedal at the same height using my knees as shock absorbers . My feet were literally bouncing off the pedals from time to time, maybe full suspension would have been a good idea!
Several times the angle of decent sometimes also made me wish I had a drop post, as I tried to position back and the saddle obstructed me.

In conclusion - I arrived home, spattered in mud and with a stupid grin that probably said it all to my other half. Having thoroughly enjoyed my first ride, I felt the investment in the bike was well worth it. The nature of the ride had exposed some limitations of the bike, but for now I am happy to live with them. The Rockrider has reduced my personal limits. It will get me far higher, further and easier into Snowdonia than my conventional MTB would have. It would be a crying shame to live in such a beautiful place and not make the most of it!
 
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georgehenry

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 7, 2015
1,425
1,251
Surrey
Great report trickgixer and I absolutely loved the picture and view towards Anglesey. It is a superb area. I was married in St Maelogs Church on Anglesey.
 
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Chargeriderepeat

Pedelecer
Mar 3, 2020
28
53
Did a small distance, but big climb ride to the local tv tower and then on to a cute waterfall in a picture postcard village.
Got scared by cows...melted my front brake and nearly fell in the river.
Great day out.

 
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