Just thought I'd post a few words on the Ching Challenge, which several of us enjoyed doing yesterday. I'm sure others will add more details and pictures soon but here are some short highlights.
Glorious weather in Exmoor - bright sunshine all day.
Eight of us set off on the challenge and I'm afraid none of us managed the 100 miles. Largely this was because the route cunningly planned by Nick 'Tiberius' was so fiendishly hilly that we ran out of time and energy to do it all.
Unfortunately David from Wisper was taken ill so couldn't make it. Hope you are feeling better, David, and I'm sure that the rumours that it was a tactical move because you felt it was too hilly for a Wisper were unfounded!
Five of us managed about 85 miles, one had to cut short in the afternoon, largely, I think, because of brakes overheating on the descent of Porlock Hill (at 1 in 4, or 25%, the steepest hill I have ever seen) and a couple of others had only planned to do the morning.
The most startling figure for me was our total ascent, which was measured by GPS as being over 13,000 feet - ie the equivalent of almost half way up Mount Everest! It really was an extremely hilly ride, involving three full descents from the top of Exmoor to the bottom and back up again + smaller hills, and one that only an extremely fit cyclist could contemplate without electric assistance.
The bikes were all Ezees (most of the people) or Tongxins (me plus a second Nick who had a Cytronex). I was very impressed by the way the Ezees performed - they got up the 3 or 4 of the 20%/1 in 5 hills that Nick directed us up with only the occasional rest stop. The two of us with Tongxins were probably the most regular non-electric cyclists and our motors couldn't keep up with the Ezees on the hills - they needed more help from us. Also we had to pedal more as we had fewer batteries. I only used limited assistance to make sure my two 10Ah Ping batteries lasted the day (which they did with the help of a 1 hour top up charge over lunch). It was clear that the Ping LiFePO4 gave better performance than the Cytronex battery, which - as is normal for an NiMH - had a tailing off of performance as it ran down. For most rides this would be ok but on such a hilly course I was glad of the full assistance right through the discharge cycle.
I was extremely pleased with my kit bike, Tongxin motor, eCrazyman controller and Ping batteries. I had no cut-outs, overheating, or other significant problems (other than one or two bolts working loose on the long ride with many cattle grids!). I had the advantage of low gearing which meant I could spin up the hills to assist the motor. With my limited battery capacity (<24Ah) I probably could not have managed the ride on a production eBike which did not have a triple chainring.
Big thanks to Nick for organising, and for the others for helping to make it a very enjoyable day. Probably the toughest days cycling I can remember - electric power or no - and also one of the most enjoyable! Also thanks to the people who followed the route (a lurker on this site who knows far too much about electric bikes not to be posting!) and took pictures of us. For those of you who missed the afternoon - the morning was a piece of cake compared to the pull back up from Porlock on the coast to the very top of Exmoor!
Frank
Glorious weather in Exmoor - bright sunshine all day.
Eight of us set off on the challenge and I'm afraid none of us managed the 100 miles. Largely this was because the route cunningly planned by Nick 'Tiberius' was so fiendishly hilly that we ran out of time and energy to do it all.
Unfortunately David from Wisper was taken ill so couldn't make it. Hope you are feeling better, David, and I'm sure that the rumours that it was a tactical move because you felt it was too hilly for a Wisper were unfounded!
Five of us managed about 85 miles, one had to cut short in the afternoon, largely, I think, because of brakes overheating on the descent of Porlock Hill (at 1 in 4, or 25%, the steepest hill I have ever seen) and a couple of others had only planned to do the morning.
The most startling figure for me was our total ascent, which was measured by GPS as being over 13,000 feet - ie the equivalent of almost half way up Mount Everest! It really was an extremely hilly ride, involving three full descents from the top of Exmoor to the bottom and back up again + smaller hills, and one that only an extremely fit cyclist could contemplate without electric assistance.
The bikes were all Ezees (most of the people) or Tongxins (me plus a second Nick who had a Cytronex). I was very impressed by the way the Ezees performed - they got up the 3 or 4 of the 20%/1 in 5 hills that Nick directed us up with only the occasional rest stop. The two of us with Tongxins were probably the most regular non-electric cyclists and our motors couldn't keep up with the Ezees on the hills - they needed more help from us. Also we had to pedal more as we had fewer batteries. I only used limited assistance to make sure my two 10Ah Ping batteries lasted the day (which they did with the help of a 1 hour top up charge over lunch). It was clear that the Ping LiFePO4 gave better performance than the Cytronex battery, which - as is normal for an NiMH - had a tailing off of performance as it ran down. For most rides this would be ok but on such a hilly course I was glad of the full assistance right through the discharge cycle.
I was extremely pleased with my kit bike, Tongxin motor, eCrazyman controller and Ping batteries. I had no cut-outs, overheating, or other significant problems (other than one or two bolts working loose on the long ride with many cattle grids!). I had the advantage of low gearing which meant I could spin up the hills to assist the motor. With my limited battery capacity (<24Ah) I probably could not have managed the ride on a production eBike which did not have a triple chainring.
Big thanks to Nick for organising, and for the others for helping to make it a very enjoyable day. Probably the toughest days cycling I can remember - electric power or no - and also one of the most enjoyable! Also thanks to the people who followed the route (a lurker on this site who knows far too much about electric bikes not to be posting!) and took pictures of us. For those of you who missed the afternoon - the morning was a piece of cake compared to the pull back up from Porlock on the coast to the very top of Exmoor!
Frank
