The Ching Challenge and Tour of Britain Ride

[Tiberius]

Well done - sounds excellent.

Next time I am near Exmoor, I will try the climb on my Torq1 to see if my legs can maintain the 9 or 10 mph that the motor expects.

James

Hi James,

It can be done. The long climb to the top of Exmoor isn't too bad. It is long, and the rider certainly does have to work to keep the speed up.

The really nasty one, though, is the short, steep climb out of Withypool. There's a section there where I fell back to 6 mph. At that point, I'm falling off the bottom end of the gearing and it makes more sense to get off and run alongside. In the event, that choice was dictated to me, because by then my controller was cutting in and out.

Nick

 

[flecc]

Well done Nick and all participants, no mean feat to get that far in worsening conditions in that hilly territory.

As James says, the Torq 1 is very rider dependent, on it's motor alone it's one of the worst hill climbers around, only climbing well when a strong enough rider gets it up to it's optimal speeds and can keep it there.

Keep it comfortably above 12 mph and it outruns most other e-bikes when climbing, but below 8 mph I'd rather be on anything else.
.

 

[JamesC]

Hi James,

It can be done. The long climb to the top of Exmoor isn't too bad. It is long, and the rider certainly does have to work to keep the speed up.

The really nasty one, though, is the short, steep climb out of Withypool. There's a section there where I fell back to 6 mph. At that point, I'm falling off the bottom end of the gearing and it makes more sense to get off and run alongside. In the event, that choice was dictated to me, because by then my controller was cutting in and out.

Nick

The only time I have suffered (briefly) with the controller cutting in and out was when rain got into the "3 lights" battery meter on the handlebars. Intermittently, it was causing the controller to think that there was an input from brake switches being activated, but that input is not used on the later version of the Torq1. Some drying out and resealing did the trick.

Out of interest, how much ascent did you record on the GPS through to Bridgewater ? Was Memory Map anywhere near right with 10,000 ft or so ?

James

 

[Tiberius]

The only time I have suffered (briefly) with the controller cutting in and out was when rain got into the "3 lights" battery meter on the handlebars. Intermittently, it was causing the controller to think that there was an input from brake switches being activated, but that input is not used on the later version of the Torq1. Some drying out and resealing did the trick.

Out of interest, how much ascent did you record on the GPS through to Bridgewater ? Was Memory Map anywhere near right with 10,000 ft or so ?

James

I've had that, but this was different, and it started before the rain. At first I thought it was something overheating, but now I think its a Hall sensor or a bad connection in the motor to controller wiring. The controller shutdown is preceded by the motor "misfiring".

I didn't have the GPS running, but at least one of the other riders did. I expect he'll be along shortly.

Going up those hills certainly gave me respect for the people who did it the day before without assistance.

Nick

 

[stokepa31_mk2]

Hi James,

It can be done. The long climb to the top of Exmoor isn't too bad. It is long, and the rider certainly does have to work to keep the speed up.

The really nasty one, though, is the short, steep climb out of Withypool. There's a section there where I fell back to 6 mph. At that point, I'm falling off the bottom end of the gearing and it makes more sense to get off and run alongside. In the event, that choice was dictated to me, because by then my controller was cutting in and out.

Nick

Well done Nick et al. A fantastic achievement even with assistance. I look forward to all the details and battery consumption data. Did you have a mix of bikes in the end or was it all Ezee's?

 

[Django]

Quite - a brilliant effort and deserving of serious congratulations. Work permitting, I would love to join in next year.

Well done!

 

[Tiberius]

Well done Nick et al. A fantastic achievement even with assistance. I look forward to all the details and battery consumption data. Did you have a mix of bikes in the end or was it all Ezee's?

Hi Paul,

I think they were all eZee's, though that wasn't one of the requirements. The original idea was that another make would be there as a direct comparison, but for some reason that didn't happen.

Mine was the only Torq1.

Nick

PS. My 400th post. That's about 1 post per Ampere-hour.

 

[Conal]

Hil climbing with 262 wheels

I rode my Ezee Forza which is suposed to be the best climber of the lot because the wheels are 26", two inches smaller than the Torqs. Actually I brought up the back of the group except for the downhill sections where I think I reached 42mph. Nick (Tiberius) was king of the descents and he reached the same speed. However I think, as has been said before, the bike is only one factor, the rider is another.

The most difficult aspect was following the route, no marshalls and no crowds lining the way! I only saw one directional board left over from the ToB.

I really enjoyed the day, even the gusty winds coming down from Exmoor and I will certainly remember the driving rain towards the end of the day. Next time we will set off earlier so hopefully where ever we are, the weather won't close in before we finish!

I had a puncture so missed 15 miles. Got a lift to rejoin the rest of the group from the photographers who helped me change the inner tube and also pumped my tyre up!

Ching demonstrated the methods that should be used for hill climbing, which seems to be pretty high cadance and as low as possible assistance, and of course hard work. I will learn from this for next year and hopefully use four batteries instead of five.

The gentlemen's approach to rules worked really well, we had a mixed group on very different bikes Sprint, Torq 1, Torq 2, and Forza, and the cycle meters will give interesting information.

What made it most enjoyable to me were the frequent stops where we compared notes, discussed things ebike connected and not, and admired the scenery. We passed through one of the most picturesque village views I have ever seen - small lawn/meadow leading down to a river, stone bridge, tea room, horses and us!

The only thing that will improve it is if more people with different bikes make it next year.

Conal

 

[Tiberius]

I've just got the readings off my Cycle Analyst.
The boring stuff is 98 miles, 40 Ah in 6 hrs 16 mins.

But what it does say is max speed of 45.4 mph. Above about 35 mph I stopped focussing on the reading. I don't know about king of the descents, though. There was one person who passed me on a downhill section - Conal. I think he was just later braking for the corner.

Some photos are starting to come through from the photographer....

Nick

 

[stokepa31_mk2]

I've just got the readings off my Cycle Analyst.
The boring stuff is 98 miles, 40 Ah in 6 hrs 16 mins.

But what it does say is max speed of 45.4 mph. Above about 35 mph I stopped focussing on the reading. I don't know about king of the descents, though. There was one person who passed me on a downhill section - Conal. I think he was just later braking for the corner.

Some photos are starting to come through from the photographer....

Nick

It takes balls of steel to hit those sorts of speeds on what the tour commentary team described as highly technical descents. Hats off!!! come on with the piccies!!!

 

[Conal]

Sore heels

I very much enjoyed the day and will be riding again if I can on future rides.
However I will be preparing better in future. After 97 miles cycling on Wednesday, and an early morning arrival home, I was in work on Thursday afternoon with no ill effects. During Thursday night I woke up with heel pains and by Friday morning could not put any weight on either of my heels. They were hot and tender to the touch but there was no redness or swelling. I did not travel to work on Friday and by Saturday morning most of the tenderness has gone. I have just "googled" this and apparently I have plantar fasciitis.

"http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068803/

What is Plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis means inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a strong band of tissue (similar to a ligament) that stretches from the heel to the middle bones of the foot. It supports the arch of the foot. Small injuries to the plantar fascia can cause inflammation and symptoms. The injury is usually near to where it attaches to the heel bone.

What are the symptoms of plantar fasciitis?


Pain is the main symptom. This can be anywhere on the underside of the heel. Commonly one spot is found as the main source of pain. This is often about 4 cms forward from the heel, and may be tender to touch. The pain usually eases on resting the foot, but is often worst when first used in the morning. Gentle exercise may then ease things a little as the day goes by, but a long walk often makes the pain worse. Sudden stretching of the sole of the foot may make the pain worse, for example, walking up stairs or on tip-toes.

Who gets plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is quite common. It mainly affects people over 40 and is more common in women. It is also common in athletes. Situations where it is more likely include the following.

If you do lots of walking, running, standing, etc, when you are not used to it.
Wearing shoes with poor cushioning.
Sudden gains in weight or being overweight will put extra strain on the heel.
Overuse or sudden stretching of the sole. For example: athletes who increase their running intensity or distance; poor technique starting 'off the blocks'; etc.
Tightness of the Achilles tendon (at the bottom of the calf muscles above the heel)."

From this site and others I have worked out that I overstretch my calf muscle / achilles tendon by the repetitive movements and lack of stretching.

The good news is that it seems to have only lasted a couple of days so I will be back in work on Monday.

I now intend to stretch my calfs each day as recomended on the websites, and build up my distance cycling to avoid repetions of this injury after long rides.

Has anyone else experienced similar problems after a long ride?

Conal

 

[burncycle]

I very much enjoyed the day and will be riding again if I can on future rides.
However I will be preparing better in future. After 97 miles cycling on Wednesday, and an early morning arrival home, I was in work on Thursday afternoon with no ill effects. During Thursday night I woke up with heel pains and by Friday morning could not put any weight on either of my heels. They were hot and tender to the touch but there was no redness or swelling. I did not travel to work on Friday and by Saturday morning most of the tenderness has gone. I have just "googled" this and apparently I have plantar fasciitis.

"http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068803/

What is Plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis means inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a strong band of tissue (similar to a ligament) that stretches from the heel to the middle bones of the foot. It supports the arch of the foot. Small injuries to the plantar fascia can cause inflammation and symptoms. The injury is usually near to where it attaches to the heel bone.

What are the symptoms of plantar fasciitis?


Pain is the main symptom. This can be anywhere on the underside of the heel. Commonly one spot is found as the main source of pain. This is often about 4 cms forward from the heel, and may be tender to touch. The pain usually eases on resting the foot, but is often worst when first used in the morning. Gentle exercise may then ease things a little as the day goes by, but a long walk often makes the pain worse. Sudden stretching of the sole of the foot may make the pain worse, for example, walking up stairs or on tip-toes.

Who gets plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is quite common. It mainly affects people over 40 and is more common in women. It is also common in athletes. Situations where it is more likely include the following.

If you do lots of walking, running, standing, etc, when you are not used to it.
Wearing shoes with poor cushioning.
Sudden gains in weight or being overweight will put extra strain on the heel.
Overuse or sudden stretching of the sole. For example: athletes who increase their running intensity or distance; poor technique starting 'off the blocks'; etc.
Tightness of the Achilles tendon (at the bottom of the calf muscles above the heel)."

From this site and others I have worked out that I overstretch my calf muscle / achilles tendon by the repetitive movements and lack of stretching.

The good news is that it seems to have only lasted a couple of days so I will be back in work on Monday.

I now intend to stretch my calfs each day as recomended on the websites, and build up my distance cycling to avoid repetions of this injury after long rides.

Has anyone else experienced similar problems after a long ride?

Conal

No I've not experienced this, though here's a good plan for recovery from this.
1. Rest area and take anti-inflammatory drugs.
2. Gentle stretching of the area each day to prevent the tendon constricting.
3. Once fully healed, then gentle exercise.
4. Attempt to do warm and cold baths of the area for 1 min each 4 times daily. ie foot in a bowl. Not a full bath.
Only warm water, though try to use as colder water as you can stand.
The baths will clear the toxins from the repair process in the tendon.
5. Restart gradual expercise and monitor your progress. If troubles start again see your GP.
6. Recovery may take 6weeks to 6months depending on age.

Hope this is useful.

Bob.

 

[stokepa31_mk2]

I very much enjoyed the day and will be riding again if I can on future rides.
However I will be preparing better in future. After 97 miles cycling on Wednesday, and an early morning arrival home, I was in work on Thursday afternoon with no ill effects. During Thursday night I woke up with heel pains and by Friday morning could not put any weight on either of my heels. They were hot and tender to the touch but there was no redness or swelling. I did not travel to work on Friday and by Saturday morning most of the tenderness has gone. I have just "googled" this and apparently I have plantar fasciitis.

"http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068803/

What is Plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis means inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a strong band of tissue (similar to a ligament) that stretches from the heel to the middle bones of the foot. It supports the arch of the foot. Small injuries to the plantar fascia can cause inflammation and symptoms. The injury is usually near to where it attaches to the heel bone.

What are the symptoms of plantar fasciitis?


Pain is the main symptom. This can be anywhere on the underside of the heel. Commonly one spot is found as the main source of pain. This is often about 4 cms forward from the heel, and may be tender to touch. The pain usually eases on resting the foot, but is often worst when first used in the morning. Gentle exercise may then ease things a little as the day goes by, but a long walk often makes the pain worse. Sudden stretching of the sole of the foot may make the pain worse, for example, walking up stairs or on tip-toes.

Who gets plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is quite common. It mainly affects people over 40 and is more common in women. It is also common in athletes. Situations where it is more likely include the following.

If you do lots of walking, running, standing, etc, when you are not used to it.
Wearing shoes with poor cushioning.
Sudden gains in weight or being overweight will put extra strain on the heel.
Overuse or sudden stretching of the sole. For example: athletes who increase their running intensity or distance; poor technique starting 'off the blocks'; etc.
Tightness of the Achilles tendon (at the bottom of the calf muscles above the heel)."

From this site and others I have worked out that I overstretch my calf muscle / achilles tendon by the repetitive movements and lack of stretching.

The good news is that it seems to have only lasted a couple of days so I will be back in work on Monday.

I now intend to stretch my calfs each day as recomended on the websites, and build up my distance cycling to avoid repetions of this injury after long rides.

Has anyone else experienced similar problems after a long ride?

Conal

Hi Conal

I used to have a problem with this and found that it stemmed from riding with the foot too far forward on the pedal. Since using spd shoes, i have found that my foot is in the correct position on the pedal and am pain free even on long rides.

 

[Tiberius]

Hi Conal,

Sorry about your feet; hope they are better soon. I was worried about how I was going to be the day after. I did a 40 mile practice ride the Sunday before and had back pain on Monday, so I was a little fearful it could trigger a nasty problem. In the end the only ache I had on Thursday was in my derriere.

Nick

 

[Conal]

Foot too far forward

Paul

You are right. I have always riden with the pedals just behind my toes. Obviously this is not the right position for long rides. I will get a pair of spd shoes.

Bob, thanks for the tips. I will follow them.

Nick, I had a little back pain towards the end of the ride but that disappeared when I stopped cycling. No other pains until heel pains.

Thanks for the responses. My heels have now completely recovered and I am looking forward to the next ride.

Conal

 

[Tiberius]

.......I am looking forward to the next ride.

Conal

Next year, then.

Nick

PS. Good on you. It was great to have you along.

 

[JohnInStockie]

I will get a pair of spd shoes.

fyi mini-clips seem to also be very good for foot positioning, but without the 'risk' of falling over.

like these

Of course you need pedals that can take them, like these


John

 

[chantelauze]

i met Mr Ching and his son in Eurobike in Germany on the 7th of september and he told me of the upcoming challenge ( because i dared to mention other e-bikes were more powerfull that his own ! specially a XU 700 canadian bike that - in my modest opinion - outperformed eZee models by its power and overall qualities ) , it's really a personnal matter of him to demonstrate he has the most powerfull bike since so many other elements and qualities are necessary to determine the overall quality of e-bikes , but his position and assertion did not really strike my attention at this time ; now i suddenly discover this amazing challenge has been brought to an end , great for him and too bad for other potential brands that did not dare to participate ( or simply could not ) ; if Mr Ching comes to France again some day for a similar type of event and gets a chance to promote his brand that we almost never heard off in France ( although his Mr Ching's son speaks almost like a native frenchman ) it should be a good thing ...i will be most interested by the performance graphs if they are to be made available on that forum

 

[Conal]

Future rides

Chantelauze

"I met Mr Ching and his son in Eurobike in Germany on the 7th of september and he told me of the upcoming challenge....if Mr Ching comes to France again some day for a similar type of event and gets a chance to promote his brand that we almost never heard off in France (although his Mr Ching's son speaks almost like a native frenchman) it should be a good thing"

It is nice to hear from you. Do you have an electric bike?

I took part in the ride on a year old Forza. It was a pity that no one rode another manufacturer's bike as the differences would have been interesting. After completing 97 miles of hill riding I have concluded that there are (at least) three main factors apart from the bike; rider ability, energy management (bike and rider), and rider weight. Mr Ching has great stamina, is light and demonstrated superb energy management.

Some forum members expressed caution about the route and this was well founded. It was hard but managable, and more enjoyable because of the extreme nature of the route. The day was a sociable occasion as well as a challenge.

If there is a ride in (Northern) France I would love to ride. I have a Volvo Estate and could fit four bikes and riders so it would not be too expensive if a group travelled together. It would also be nice to see French riders coming to England.

Conal

 

[Tiberius]

Update and write up

I have just posted an article on the Tour of Britain ride. Its a full write up, with some new photos.

The link to it is here Electric on Exmoor

Or you can download the pdf here Electric-on-Exmoor.pdf

Hope you all find it enjoyable reading.

Nick