Looking for more comfort

[Old Timer]

I love riding my PowerTrek E bike and in general it`s comfy. My Alien Evans conversion although very light and powerful has no suspension and around these lanes is a bit of a bone shacker plus it`s a bit head down bum up.
So I set about thinking what was different from the Powertrek and would you believe my folder. After measuring and eyeing up the bikes it became clear that apart from the handlebar height it was the reach from seat to bars. I looked around the web for a set of trekking handlebars but the ones I fancied were the wrong size for my 20 year old clamp. Then I had a thought, I had purchased a pair of Titec bar ends and had never fitted them. So I shifted everything in a touch and tried out various positions for them. Turns out that back towards me and lifted just a touch gives a really comfortable cruising position with easy access to the brakes etc. Thinking I would be compromised by not having access to the throttle( which is something I needed with the alien conversion because of the opposite way the pedelec works) anyway, turns out that sitting up more allows me to pedal faster in more comfort which puts me more or less OK with the pedelec in 5th gear(out of 6) Now that is a big bonus because that has always been the fly in the oitment with the conversion.
Thinking a bit further down the line when my cramp busters arrive I should be able to fit that to the throttle and position it so that my fingers can engage it from the bar ends. It might be a touch wide but i can modify it as needed. I really think that judging by my ride tonight with the bar ends in place that Alien riders in general should try a set. No numbness at all and a much more relaxed ride and I still maintained my mirror out of the handlebars where it was. Much cheaper than new bars and very adjustable.

A couple of images (sorry about the quality) bar_ends Photo Gallery by david chilvers at pbase.com

 

[onmebike]

I love riding my PowerTrek E bike and in general it`s comfy. My Alien Evans conversion although very light and powerful has no suspension and around these lanes is a bit of a bone shacker plus it`s a bit head down bum up.
So I set about thinking what was different from the Powertrek and would you believe my folder. After measuring and eyeing up the bikes it became clear that apart from the handlebar height it was the reach from seat to bars. I looked around the web for a set of trekking handlebars but the ones I fancied were the wrong size for my 20 year old clamp. Then I had a thought, I had purchased a pair of Titec bar ends and had never fitted them. So I shifted everything in a touch and tried out various positions for them. Turns out that back towards me and lifted just a touch gives a really comfortable cruising position with easy access to the brakes etc. Thinking I would be compromised by not having access to the throttle( which is something I needed with the alien conversion because of the opposite way the pedelec works) anyway, turns out that sitting up more allows me to pedal faster in more comfort which puts me more or less OK with the pedelec in 5th gear(out of 6) Now that is a big bonus because that has always been the fly in the oitment with the conversion.
Thinking a bit further down the line when my cramp busters arrive I should be able to fit that to the throttle and position it so that my fingers can engage it from the bar ends. It might be a touch wide but i can modify it as needed. I really think that judging by my ride tonight with the bar ends in place that Alien riders in general should try a set. No numbness at all and a much more relaxed ride and I still maintained my mirror out of the handlebars where it was. Much cheaper than new bars and very adjustable.

A couple of images (sorry about the quality) bar_ends Photo Gallery by david chilvers at pbase.com

Turn your handlebar stem round to face you or get a shorter one?

 

[Old Timer]

Turn your handlebar stem round to face you or get a shorter one?

Why would I want to turn the stem around? it has the front brake cable going through it ( Oh I see, you mean and ride backwards

Na! best solution are those bar ends, you can adjust them individual, you can lift them, drop them and still maintain the original bars for braking, cornering and riding into a head wind. Best of both worlds. The only other thing I might consider is a pair of trekking bars but then you are fixed with them and my stem is a slightly unusual clamp size.

 

[onmebike]

Why would I want to turn the stem around? it has the front brake cable going through it ( Oh I see, you mean and ride backwards

Na! best solution are those bar ends, you can adjust them individual, you can lift them, drop them and still maintain the original bars for braking, cornering and riding into a head wind. Best of both worlds. The only other thing I might consider is a pair of trekking bars but then you are fixed with them and my stem is a slightly unusual clamp size.

Must be a real pain having different length arm's? Good thing is, only being able to turn left all the time you'll always find your way home. Otherwise a bit hit and miss at your age.

 

[Old Timer]

Well! I put some soft tubes on the new bar ends and got around to fitting a computer on the Evans that I have had for a while.
Those bar ends certainly make a difference to how you pedal, much easier to pedal faster and keep the alien kit on song.BTW the computer is well calibrated.

Easy 20mph on the throttle on the flat.
20mph pedaling with the assist just on the edge in top gear (13 rear and 48 front)
18 mph easy in 5th of 6 gears pedaling.

I actually reached 22mph on the flat and on throttle when I passed alongside a hedge that shielded me from the wind and got down on the bars.

I put some of this down to the Evans being light and i gave the bike a good service today and that motor seems to run on forever when you turn off the power.

This is definitely the bike for a bit of exercise but when you can eat away the miles like that then why not.

 

[eddieo]

E bikes will never convince "normal" cyclists and go mainstream until they shed some weight......

 

[eTim]

E bikes will never convince "normal" cyclists and go mainstream until they shed some weight......

My Supersix weighs 12 something Kg's !

 

[eddieo]

My Supersix weighs 12 something Kg's !

if it was 15-16 kg with a decent capacity battery then I would take a cytronex seriously (I am to heavy I think ) Its a shame they are so purist....

 

[eddieo]

Right back on topic...Comfort!

Is there a trike that will seat two people. that I could stick a kit on?

My wife is on her way back from visiting friends in Brighton and I've had to much to drink to pick her up from the station...if I had a 1 + 1 E Trike I would happily go get her

why I love the E bikes travelling, as you can have a meal and a reasonable amount to drink and still ride home...whereas with a car its risky Just had a goggle, and Alien do a trike but dont think she would be to impressed havin to sit in the rear basket.......

 

[eTim]

if it was 15-16 kg with a decent capacity battery then I would take a cytronex seriously (I am to heavy I think ) Its a shame they are so purist....

OK so the S6 is probably the lightest most purist road bike out there. The Synapse is a step down and I use it for fast commuting and weighs in at 15Kg, with one battery.

Both of these bikes will take an additional battery at 2.1Kg which will provide 40+ miles of easy motoring, in my book that is realistic ebiking for cyclists that don't want to lose the cycling element and easily answers the ebike weight question, ebikes don't need to be heavy.

Just one more avantage to the Cytronex (for now). When these bikes' electronic technology becomes obsolete, it will be a simple case of stripping it back to it's non-ebike form or fitting a new kit at relatively low cost. That can't be done with the likes of proprietary ebikes such as Wispers etc, they will just be too heavy to use as non assist-bikes and will need to be scrapped or modified to take on new batteries or electronics at probably higher cost.

 

[Mussels]

Right back on topic...Comfort!

Is there a trike that will seat two people. that I could stick a kit on?

My wife is on her way back from visiting friends in Brighton and I've had to much to drink to pick her up from the station...if I had a 1 + 1 E Trike I would happily go get her

why I love the E bikes travelling, as you can have a meal and a reasonable amount to drink and still ride home...whereas with a car its risky Just had a goggle, and Alien do a trike but dont think she would be to impressed havin to sit in the rear basket.......

Just remember to refuse a breath test, they have to prove intoxiction with the white line tests.