New(ish) products on the streets

[Andrew harvey]

First a recomendation, I have replaced my home made thumb throttle with a pedal sensor driven speed controller. Basically it's handle bar mounted form of cruise control, activated by pedal sensor. Unlike normal sensors that vary the power fed to the motor according to pedal speed it has 3 different rider switch-able power setting.
I have built crude versions myself but this is far better than any I could make.
It has the obligatory 4 led battery display 3 labelled leds for low, medium,high power, a 6km/h button, a plus and minus button to control the output.
The problem I have found with the usual cheap pedal sensors is the pedalling air, you get pulling away from the lights when you've changed down, very disconcerting, and the lack of ability to alter the power output to suit different road conditions. This over comes these problems, turn the power on it, defaults to low power mode, pedal and you get enough umph to get you up to a fast walking pace or jogging speed., just the ticket for pulling away or manoeuvring in traffic. once under way with a clear road you can press the plus button to increase the power, mid setting gives about 12 mph and is ideal for climbing steep hills, limiting strain on the battery or electrical gubbins. Flat road or shallow climbs and high power takes the strain, helping to keep the speed up.
Stop pedalling at any time and the system shuts down with a slight but manageable delay, (under a second).
The power set is displayed by an led showing above the appropriate legend, (low, mid, high,), from low power if you press the minus button the power level lamps go out and you can ride along alfresco, if you are in high and you press the plus button all three leds come on and hey presto the throttle takes over, did I mention you could fit a throttle?
The sets quite neat and has the big advantage of turning a throttle controlled bike into a Euro legal throttle controlled bike, and not only that if your hankering after a pair of dropped bars for your tourer you can now have a neat and usable speed controller.
Check them out here; Der Umbausatz

 

[Andrew harvey]

Almost totally convinced

I've owned a Panasonic systemed bike an old Lafree, it was a bit of a let down.
I had ridden a nice new example before I bought it and decided it could offer more. I found a broken example a couple of years ago, it cost me a £80, the right price for playing with. I had it running with a set a lead acids taped to the rack for about 3 months before I changed the controller for a Tongxin with throttle , then a Crystalyte this made a huge difference. The m,motor eventually died however.

Since then I have tried a Kalkoff and an Emotion, but only for brief rides at Prestigne.
Last week the local Raleigh rep rang to say that he was expecting a delivery of a Dover (basically a rebadged Kalkoff), and asked if he could have it delivered to my shop as he was on holiday.
Well it arrived with a fully charged battery, well since he had said we could test it....
Eventually I got my chance, it had already being out for a good hour. I took it from Kidderminster out to the longest local climb within easy reach, Bewdley bypass, not particularly steep but about a mile long a quarter mile flat in the middle breaks the climb, it looks to be over 200" from the contour maps, say a max gradient of 1 in 15 at a guess.
The total trip was only a few miles but a lot longer than anything I had managed before.
I was impressed by the lack of 'porridge' in the system, it felt when you had a little speed on that all the effort you put in went straight into the free rolling tyres, without any losses in the mechanical bits. At any speed over a fast trot it was a joy to pedal, I had the same impression from the Emotion I tried but didn't more than a few minutes on it.
The big thing about the Raleigh version will be that you shouldn't have to travel far to test one as Raleigh are now recruiting dealers across the country, which can only be good.

I've been a bit of Panasonic sceptic, the bike still isn't how I would want it, the granddad bars would have to go, and the gearing's far to low, or rather the gear range is to small.
Yes I would rather a larger gear range, I don't necessarily want the power at speed but I would still want to be able to pedal faster when mood and conditions allow. Some of my favorite lanes have those 'swooping' hills were you whistle down picking up speed for the next climb, I like to race down so as to use the momentum on the ascent, the high rise bars give a very upright riding position that drags the speed down and discourages standing on the pedals, with this bike I can't pedal fast enough to get the speed I like, eighth gear isn't high enough. The rear cog could of course be changed, but if I rather change the whole back wheel. An extra £250 could buy a Sram Dual Drive, 3 speed hub with an 8 speed block, add £200 for a pair of dropped bars with STI's, fit a micro switch somehow to cut the power on 2nd or 3rd hub gear.... now I'm dreaming of course, but this bike could make a really nice tourer, lets face it a new Dawse super Galaxy is about £1400 and you have to do all the work yourself.
I might get myself an old sweet jar for all my lose change.....

 

[Andrew harvey]

An comments on this battery spec

The last new product I have come across,
I have ridden this bike but ONLY AROUND A CAR PARK,
is the Swinn Tailwind. It has the right badges on it, Swinn part of the Cannondale Manufactouring Froup, Suzhou Bafang front hub motor and a Toshiba battery.
it's the battery that is most interesting check out the spec's cut from the sales brochure, sounds almost like a wish list

Tailwind system component s
Toshiba SCiB battery pack
30 min charge
5 -10 year shelf life
6000 cycle s
Safe sleep mode for 3 -12 month s
Safest battery (no fires)
The bike looks and feels to be well made, but that's all I can say as yet.

 

[felix]

Great posts Andrew, keep 'em coming!

 

[eTim]

Thanks for the update Andrew.

 

[flecc]

Thanks for the reports Andrew.

Your riding preferences are like mine on the hills in my area, swooping down hills so needing a good gear range to use the bike to the full. Certainly the best option as far as I'm concerned is the DualDrive you like, though the latest and lighter NuVinci is an option. I'm not a Rohloff fan.

It's thumbs down on SCiB batteries though. Designed by Toshiba for ultra fast charge on e-cars to enable on route fill-ups, they are low density of necessity and low capacity to size and weight.

E-bike needs are the opposite, high density and capacity for minimum size and weight, fast charge during journeys never likely to be needed or even available.

Toshiba originally developed Lithium polymer as a low density, small cell, ultra fast charge system for e-car use, but changed course when there was no ready market at the time. Perhaps stubbornly trying again with SCiB, it may be finally dawning on them that fast charge will never be an in-journey option for e-cars since the supply infrastructure is impossible to realise. This could explain the e-bike usage attempt, but gimmick-prone Schwinn are the only ones to have adopted it in nearly two years of availability and I can't see others following.
.