Right, I'm all set to go now

[Patrick]

My CycleScheme voucher came through today so I snuck out of school early to collect my Powabyke X6. The kind gents in the bike shop had already fitted my lights and computer, and I've fitted my Winkku, packed my pannier and plugged in my Thermos flask to charge. So this is it, from tomorrow I'll be an e-bike commuter, and seeing as I've spent my train fare for the next year on the bike there's no going back now

Patrick

 

[Footie]

Patrick posted:
.... from tomorrow I'll be an e-bike commuter ....

Good luck with the ebike.

Incidentally, the wife and I saw one of these the other day parked outside the local bike shop.
First electric bike I have seen for about 12 months - rare around here.
They are nice looking bikes.
.

 

[Rad]

Best of luck Patrick. Let us know how you're getting on.

 

[Patrick]

I've arrived safely, it took me an hour to travel 10 miles across an 400 foot up and back down (I still want to know who left that hill there). There was one technical problem which added to the time and I'm not used to the route or the bike, I think that the journey time will end up around 40 mins (my best unassisted time for the route is around 1 hour 20 mins after which I was knackered).

I really like the bike, the killer hill wasn't a problem, the lesser hills were were negligable, and it was fun being able to coast around Canterbury in pure power mode.

The technical problem I mentioned was the motor not kicking in reliably. It was caused by the power cable getting between the bike frame and a thick plastic disc atached to the left hand pedal. The disc has some metal inserts which activate the pedel sensor, and the power cable had pushed them out of range. Once identified it was easy to fix, I just needed to reposition the power cable and push the disc back.

Patrick

 

[Rad]

Did you have it in pure power all the time?

 

[Patrick]

Did you have it in pure power all the time?

Yes, as far as I can tell from the manual the only difference between Pure Power and Pedal Assist seem to be that Pedal Assist automatically cuts out if you stop pedaling while Pure Power will keep going unless you release the throtle.

Pure Power doesn't need to be at all pure, you can still pedal as much as you want to speed things up. The Pedal Assist mode would comply with European regulations (which insists that electric bikes only provide power when they are being pedaled) but I don't think it offers any practical advantages if you're riding under UK law, you can always let go of the throttle when you want to switch to pedals only.

Patrick

 

[Barnowl]

Congratulations Patrick. I'm glad you managed to make use of the cycle scheme. 40 - 45 mins journey sounds about right to me. Is this quicker than your all in train journey? I guess it's a lot more enjoyable, flexible and reliable. .

 

[Rad]

Yes, as far as I can tell from the manual the only difference between Pure Power and Pedal Assist seem to be that Pedal Assist automatically cuts out if you stop pedaling while Pure Power will keep going unless you release the throtle.

Pure Power doesn't need to be at all pure, you can still pedal as much as you want to speed things up. The Pedal Assist mode would comply with European regulations (which insists that electric bikes only provide power when they are being pedaled) but I don't think it offers any practical advantages if you're riding under UK law, you can always let go of the throttle when you want to switch to pedals only.

Patrick

I prefer the 'nudge' that pedal assist gives. As you say if you stop pedalling the power cuts out. I found that on pure power it was very easy to be a bit lazy so I'm exclusively on PAS mode now.

 

[Patrick]

I prefer the 'nudge' that pedal assist gives. As you say if you stop pedalling the power cuts out. I found that on pure power it was very easy to be a bit lazy so I'm exclusively on PAS mode now.

So far I've found that the fact that you can go significantly faster by contributing some of your own leg power is enougth to keep me pedalling. I like being able to push myself and then stop for pedalling for a few seconds to take a quick breather. For most of my commute I'm either going up a slope so I have to pedal to get a reasonable speed, or I'm going down one and I don't need the motor at all.

It was only when I got to the pedestianised part of Canterbury that I stopped pedalling for any real distance, I had to slow right down to a speed that would have been to slow for me to pedal comfortably.

On the other hand, this ability to go without pedalling is still new to me, if I find myself using it too much then I'll switch to PAS.

Patrick

 

[Patrick]

Congratulations Patrick. I'm glad you managed to make use of the cycle scheme. 40 - 45 mins journey sounds about right to me. Is this quicker than your all in train journey? I guess it's a lot more enjoyable, flexible and reliable. .

It's a bit longer than the train journey, 35 mins door-to-door, but it is more enjoyable and more flexible.

The trains between Faversham and Canterbury are actually very reliable, they even kept going when the rest of the line was knocked out by the snow.

The main reason for the switch is to incorporate some exercise in my daily routine.

 

[Barnowl]

The main reason for the switch is to incorporate some exercise in my daily routine.

That's a good enough reason in itself. Regardless of the electric assistance I'm sure you'll find you get plenty of exercise - but it's great being able to take a breather and still keep up a good speed.
I still get a kick out of using the bike rather than the car and the E-Bike factor is what makes it all work for me. Good luck.