"Steep Road" ... easy :)

[daniel.weck]

I thought this was funny enough to deserve its own thread !
Hills make us chuckle , don't they.

Short video: YouTube - eBrompton and "Steep Road"

I'm cross-posting from here, by the way:

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/4825-diy-stage-8-continuous-improvements-12.html#post65792

 

[Footie]

If that's what's considered a steep road in your neck of the woods, then I strongly recommend you stay away from Cornwall
.... Down here that would be called a gentle rise

Try this one for size
LiFePo4 Test3 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
At the bottom is a ford so you get wet feet as well
.

 

[daniel.weck]

If that's what's considered a steep road in your neck of the woods, then I strongly recommend you stay away from Cornwall
.... Down here that would be called a gentle rise

I bet !

Let's be honest though, it's hard to see the gradient on the photos or even in my little video (the dip is actually at the far end of the visible stretch of road).

But yeah, there are hillier places than where I live

 

[daniel.weck]

There's a few nice gradients around here, but the total ascent sure isn't that high (mostly low altitude hills). Kidds Hill is a favorite (1 mile, 400 ft elevation).

cycling route Kidds Hill Loop - Route description | RouteYou

Kidd’s Hill Challenge » FutureCycles Blog

 

[flecc]

Yes, photos rarely show how steep hills are. It's best to take the shot across the road with a horizontal reference behind like the wall in this photo of my Quando with trailer before it's conversion to the Q-bike. In this case it's a 1 in 7 (14%) hill:

This other hill in my area is quite steep:

 

[daniel.weck]

Kidds Hill is a favorite (1 mile, 400 ft elevation).

"Hell of the Ashdown Forest"

Hell of the Ashdown - Ups and Downs of the HELL

Hell of the Ashdown Forest 2008 - a set on Flickr

 

[bode]

There's this one: Nimlet Hill near Bath, 1 in 4 on the last section.
To get here from Bath, I think you go up something like 600 feet in about 5 miles; but it's not just a straight climb: no sooner have you reached a summit than you switchback down about halfway and then start climbing again, ending with this little killer.

 

[Footie]

I bet !

Let's be honest though, it's hard to see the gradient on the photos or even in my little video (the dip is actually at the far end of the visible stretch of road).

But yeah, there are hillier places than where I live

Well, I think I have yet to find a place hillier then where I live.
In most cases one only needs to travel a mile (sometimes only half a mile) and the road will have gone either up or down by about 260ft.
As an example the hill I mentioned earlier is only half a mile long but it raises 284ft .... and of course it drops the other side of the village.
That's why even with a LiFePo4 battery I can only get 18 miles range including a lot of effort from me as well .... and that's being totally honest

-----------------------------------------------
Bike #1
Cougar Mountain Electric Bike 36v 200w rear wheel Hub motor (Jul07), 10 Ah LiFePo4 battery (Apr08)
Maximum range (road/hills - Cornwall) 18 miles. Maximum range (on flat) 25 miles

Bike #2
20 year old 18 gear mountain bike 36v 500w Goldenmotor front hub motor (Jun 09), 9 AH DIY rack-pack or 15 AH SLA (depending on trip).
Used off road
.

 

[daniel.weck]

That's why even with a LiFePo4 battery I can only get 18 miles range including a lot of effort from me as well .... and that's being totally honest

That's with a 200W heavy mountain bike, right ? Do you know the actual Watts that the motor draws when riding uphill ?

Cheers, Daniel

 

[Footie]

daniel.weck posted:
.... That's with a 200W heavy mountain bike, right ? Do you know the actual Watts that the motor draws when riding uphill ? ....

There’s nothing in the bikes paperwork or on the original website to indicate what the max watt power is and I don’t have any electrical gizmo that I can attach to tell me, so this is going to be a guess on my part.
The bike is fitted with a 20 amp fuse and is 36 volts, as the bike has never blown the fuse (during use) I think it's safe to say its unlikely it exceeds 20 amps (or the fuse would blow), so it must top out below this. So guessing, the highest amp possibilities I would say they could be 15 amps to 18 amps maximum (giving an extreme of a two amp safety margin at the very top).
So working on the way the AtoB website works things out;
15 Amps x 36 Volts = 540 Watts or 18 Amps x 36 Volts = 648 Watts
So I would say it's probably between 540 watts and 648 watts.
This would put it in the higher-powered motor bracket.

A to B Example:
The Zap motor draws 20 Amps x 12 Volts = 240 Watts
The Giant Twist Lite draws 15 Amps x 24 Volts = 360 Watts
The Powabyke draws 20 Amps x 36 Volts = 720 Watts
The Curry Drive draws 40 Amps x 24 Volts = 960 Watts

The bike is heavy, but it has to be to be able to withstand the rough road conditions here, suspension is a must if you want to keep your teeth.
A lightweight 16-inch wheeled bike would be no good as it will be shaken to bits on my roads along any light framed machine. I have a 16-inched wheeled folder, so I know what I'm talking about.
My bike choice has had to be a compromise of a high strength bike (including the extra weight) for a more comfortable ride.
But having a heavy powerful bike doesn’t make my hills any less steeper

-----------------------------------------------
Bike #1
Cougar Mountain Electric Bike 36v 200w rear wheel Hub motor (Jul07), 10 Ah LiFePo4 battery (Apr08)
Maximum range (road/hills - Cornwall) 18 miles. Maximum range (on flat) 25 miles

Bike #2
20 year old 18 gear mountain bike 36v 500w Goldenmotor front hub motor (Jun 09), 9 AH DIY rack-pack or 15 AH SLA (depending on trip). Used off road
.