Couple of questions

[Benjahmin]

Doing some post holiday maintenance, I noticed my front tyre was about as slick as Bruce Willis' head. I've never worn out a tyre before. Anyway fitted a new marathon plus today and, as I have no intention trying a road side fix, I've slimed the tube. It's a kenda tube and has a sort of hybrid schraeder cum presta valve, any one know what it's called?


While the bike was on the workstand I thought I'd see what the different pas settings gave.
1 - 10mph
2 - 14.9mph
3 - 18.3mph
4 - 19.9mph
5 - 19.9mph
Throttle gave 19.9mph.
This is an Ezee kit with led control, I think it's a 20A controller.
So, is this a speed limit control system rather than a current limit system? I'm asking because I'm still trying to learn how to get the best from the battery.
There's a trip I do to a local coastal village. 22mile round trip with a stop for a very nice fish stew and a beer.
Trip involves climbing out of the valley I'm in, descending into and climbing out of another, before descending to the coast. Some long climbs and can be windy up top. So battery indicator is sometimes down to the red light approaching home. (This is a nearly 3 year old 14.5Ah Ezee battery).
This Sunday I took both my batteries (I also have an Insat battery with Boston power swing cells) and instead of riding on power 2/5 rode on 3/5, expecting the battery to croak climbing out of the coastal village. It's a long climb with some pretty steep bits and causes a fair bit of sag.
However I got home with about the same reserve as previous rides.
From this I'm assuming that the motor was consuming the same wattage but over a shorter time span as speed was higher. Would that be right?


Anyway, tyre fitted, bike cleaned and ready for the next 3000 miles.
Then, of course, one can always find another use for the packaging!

 

[Nealh]

Woods/Dunlop valve.

If the older battery is still well balanced and charge voltage is good, to reduce sag you could parallel the two batts as long as the voltages are very similar when connecting. That way you would increase total battery amperage reducing stress on the older one.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's a Dunlop valve, sometimes called English valves by forreigners.

It's a speed control controller - as are most that are more than a couple of years old. That means that you could use levels 3, 4 or 5 and use exactly the same amount of power if you didn't go over the speed limit. In simple terms, you'd use a lot of power below the speed limit and none if you're over it, so you don't save anything by using a lower level when travelling slowly. In practice, there's a bit of a ramp in the speed-power curve, so it's a bit more complicated, but you get the general idea - I hope.

Nice pussy. I always wanted a marmalade tomcat. I nearly had one once, but when they opened the cage at the cat sanctuary, he chose his moment and did a runner. Silly cat; he could have had a life of pampered luxury.

 

[Wicky]

At first glance I thought it was a Danish pastry on the packaging!

 

[Benjahmin]

Nice pussy? Saucy minx! This could your cat then as he turned up one night about 3 years ago, had a look 'round all the rooms and decided this would do. He's a very friendly, talkative cat - when he wants to be

On the controller, I think I get it. It'll draw the same wattage on, say, 2 as it will on 4, but I'll go faster. So in terms of watt hours I should get more mileage because I'll be using that power for less time.
ie 10 miles @ 10mph takes 1 hour
10 miles @ 15mph takes 45 minutes but same wattage used but for less time. Therefore less watt hours drawn from battery?

On parallelling the batteries. I rarely carry the two 'cause it's so bloody heavy. Where I live 25 miles is about all my body can take because it's so hilly. Just come back from holiday in Isle of Purbeck and they only have pimples there. We did several day rides of 35 miles surprising ourselves. Battery was plenty good enough as I was riding with the power off a lot on what I think they call - flat roads

 

[Benjahmin]

Oh yeh, the valve. Thanks. Slime went in really easy. I take it that a schraeder would fit, should I need to change the tube?

 

[Nealh]

I only mentioned paralleling the batteries as less stress will be easier on both and give them both a longer life, there's always options on how to mount/carry a second.

 

[Benjahmin]

Understood Neal, thanks.
The main thing was to better understand how my Ezee system works. I don't really need more range as my body just can't do it, not with all the hills here anyway. I'm determined to ride it as a bike with assisstance not as a moped I pedal sometimes. I'm aware that I am getting more able as I'm riding more often with power off.

 

[phil01]

It's a Dunlop valve, sometimes called English valves by forreigners.

It's a speed control controller - as are most that are more than a couple of years old. That means that you could use levels 3, 4 or 5 and use exactly the same amount of power if you didn't go over the speed limit. In simple terms, you'd use a lot of power below the speed limit and none if you're over it, so you don't save anything by using a lower level when travelling slowly. In practice, there's a bit of a ramp in the speed-power curve, so it's a bit more complicated, but you get the general idea - I hope.

Nice pussy. I always wanted a marmalade tomcat. I nearly had one once, but when they opened the cage at the cat sanctuary, he chose his moment and did a runner. Silly cat; he could have had a life of pampered luxury.

Dave is the Dunlop/English valve the same function and operation as the Schrieder valve, as in removal core and same airline for inflating?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

No. It world from a Presta valve pump.

 

[Benjahmin]

I've done a couple of rides now using higher assist level. Battery usage seems to be about the same, I have no way of accurately measuring.
Counter intuitively my breathing and heart rate is higher using this higher setting. Perhaps because of higher speed. Because of higher speed I am turning assist off more often (on what limited level bits there are around here) thus aiding battery trip longevity, and helping build overall fitness.

I still get the occaisional, "That's not real cycling" comment, all I can say is that after 3 years of e-biking (and at the age op 64) my cycling ability is better than it's ever been. Soto all those nay sayers.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Get a Fitbit Charge 2 or similar. they tell you everything about your heart. You can see when I was riding my bike today on that summary below, but there's other pages that give more precise info. Below the first picture, the next three show a recorded ride:

 

[Zlatan]

Is it waterproof ?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Is it waterproof ?

Sort of. They say not 100%, but I keep forgetting to take it off in the shower, and it's still going. My last watch was waterproof to 200m, solar powered and radio controlled with a SS strap, so I never took it off in 10 years. it's difficult to break the habit.