bogmonster

I think Land Rovers are designed to let a little oil seep out of the transmission. It splashes around the chassis and stops too much rust taking hold:D And anyway, speed bumps are evil. Many are too high and scrape cars whatever speed they go over them. The square ones are especially bad as the tend to splay the wheels and push the tracking out. Speed ramps should not be placed on roads with 20 mph+ speed limits. If 20mph is too fast for the road then reduce the speed limt. I don't have an issue where sensible sized speed ramps are placed on 10mph access roads but that's it. As for the state of the roads, most of the issues around here are a plain and simple lack of maintainence. On my old car I used to have to change the front wishbones every 12 to 18 months due to state of the roads. And even when the roads are resurfaced the strom drains are often not raised which is very dangerous and destructive for bikes. Next time my car or bike is damaged, or heaven forbid me, due to the state of the roads I will seek compensation from the council. Incidently, the roads by my house (which is way out in the sticks where farm machinery and 4x4s make up about half the traffic) are in much better condition than the main roads near Bath where I work. 4x4 are not the problem. Agreed, they are not good machines for a city school run but they have their place and have become too easy a target. I need a 4x4 to get to my house some times in the winter. As it hapens it is a 1.5l hatchback. Many of my neighbours need 4x4s to get to their farms, move livestock etc. And I don't care how practical ebikes are, try towing a trailer full of calves with it. BM

Wow, this certainly has been a busy thread..... Just picking up on a few points I have heard along the way: Does, as somebody suggested, the motor really need to have a aticker on it stating the power? My TongXin does not. I know it is 180 watts and is well within the boundaries from a power perspective. I could print always label Also, there are some commercial bikes that push the envelope a bit I think. Don't want to stir things up here but there are certainly bikes that assist up to about 16.5. How do these get away with this? My bike assists upto about 16.5 mph and I have considered putting a resistor in series with the throttle as I think this would make little difference to my commute time but would be closer to legal. Cheers, BM

The pound is in the post....

I agree that 20mph would be great but I also think it would add significantly to accidents. For my part I am cycling up around this speed anyway and only want the assistance if I start falling away from that speed such as on hills and into headwinds. The bike will never totally replace a car for me as I live too far away from work and shops and up up big hill that has been iced over for the last few weeks. Therefore I am not prepared to overtly break rules that might cost me my license. As for cycle paths, I think these could become very dangerous with a large uptake in fast moving bikes. Same thing applies on the roads, cars and bikes already struggle competing for space. 20 to 25mph is a dangerous speed on the road. Keeping a bike at this speed at the edge of the road in the dark, wind pot-holed conditions we have takes some skill and concentration. Moving out into the road puts you in the direct firing line of cars (I do cycle further out in the road than I used to but do feel very exposed at times). The roads I use are twisty and unlit but very fast and I find I need to slow my speed down in the winter to maintain an acceptable degree of safety. I lived in the US for a couple of years and I think things are a little different. Most of the roads are much wider and straight. They are also generally in much better condition. So, I reluctantly agree that 15mph (or is it 15.5) is probably about right. If you want to go faster then pedel. If you want to go faster again then get a moped or motorbike, you will be more comfortable and probably safer going at these sort of speeds on such a machine and will also have a more solid brain bucket. If being green is important then get an electric moped, I think there are reasonable models availiable now. If as an individual you wish to push the boundaries a little, then good for you, be safe, be discreet, have fun. Cheers, BM.

One word of warning, kids get very cold on bikes. My son hated the child seat and I think the cold was one reason. They are just sat there not generating any real heat and their small body mass cools quickly. There is also quite a wind chill factor. If they can't yet talk they can't tell you the problem. I will not be having more kids but if I did, I would not consider taking one one bile until they could talk. In some ways a trailer is better as they can be a lot more protected from the elements. Personally I am a little paranoid about kids in trailers on roads, too easily clipped by cars. Regards, Chris.

Well, I'm clearly just a baby at 36. BM.

Hi, I'm pleased that 50 Cycles have got you sorted and hope that you will have good success with the new battery. I think there must be about 6 people on this furum who have returned batteries. Given that stated failure rate, you are a have odds a little under 28000 to 1 to get 2 duds in a row if my school maths serves me correctly. I should buy a lottery ticket this weekend. Worst case, if the batteries are unreliable and you get replacments under warranty for the first 2 years its not so bad. After 2 years, if you need to buy a replacment does that also come with a 2 year warranty? If the warranties continue to be honoured and in a worse case scenario you would then only need to buy a battery every 2 years and that is the life of most batteries anyways. Given the faiure rate you are experiencing that would be a new battery every 3 weeks for me Cheers, BM.

Well, leave 2 locks at work then

Well this is splitting hairs a bit but: kryptonite lock - 3Kg - leave at work so no need to carry. the rack - 700g - say 500g for a good light one the panniers - 2Kg - these are mighty heavy panniers - one side of the heavy duty Ortileb Roller Classic = 775g would be ample for most commuting the sat nav - 300g - Really, personally I can remember my way to work. the bike pump - 250g - OK the tool kit - 1Kg - Can't imagine mine is this heavy but OK. the lights - 500g - already included in bike weight the winter wear - 2Kg - well, we do neet to wear clothes, not sure that is fair to include in the bike weight. And if you must have them, mudguards at 500g So I make that about an extra 4kg making 21kg total for the bike. I don't own a Cytronex but I really think the bike is just as suited for commuting as any of the other ebikes given a suitable match with rider. I have a Cytronex inspired bike and it is built primarily for commuting, not for fun. My only real concern is the long term reliability but the Cytronex appears good so far. While it is not a typical ebike I think it is a very practical machine that is too readily dissmissed. It is clearly far from perfect and clearly not for everybody but I really don't see why it can't be a commuter while still weighing less than much of the competition. I see many cyclists commuting along my route and none of them (well the ones who cycle further out) have 9 or 10 kg or extra stuff on their bikes. In fact, my boss cycles to work most days and his bike is sub 8.5kg all in. Granted, not an ebike. He has a lock that weighs almost as much of the bike but that is just kept on the railings outside work. He does not bother with a toolkit, walks if the bike breaks as its only 8 miles - at most 4 miles home to pick up the car or 4 miles into work. Cheers, BM.

I agree up to a point..... but the Cytronex is a fully functional bike as it stands. Admittedly the battery is a bit small but is still good for 20 to 25 miles. Adding a rack and panniers will not add that much and I think mudguards are overated anyway. The bike already has lights. Just as it is, it does make for a serious, practicle machine to commute on. I think the main difference is that the Cytronex is intended (and perhaps the Kakhoffs to a lesser extent) to be ridden as unpowered bikes as well and there weight makes a difference if any hills are on route. I for one opted away from the Marathon Plus tyres due to weight. Instead I am using Panaracer Pasela Tours and very happy with them I am. The puncture fairy has not visited in the first 600 miles on them. My bike is about 19 kilos all in including panniers and I would not want to add another 10 kilos to that. That was one reason for going the TongXin route - both motor weight and the ability to get good range due to ease of user input. Also, man handling and transporting a heavy bike is a pain. When I mentioned 'toy bikes' I was refering to those with silly little wheels (6 inch jobbies) and frames that have you all hunched up in a ball - in my mind these are not practicle. I am all for good electric folders and indeed I am looking for one right now. Might be another home grown afair using the narrow TongXin and a Dahon 20". Cheers, BM.

Not that it is in production anymore but I think the Brompton Nano was lighter than the Cytronex. I suspect there are some 'toy' bikes that are lighter still. BM

Hi, I would certainly be interested in one of these providing it can be easily accommodated by a Dahon folder. If somebody has accurate dimensions I would be keen to see them. I don't mind tweaking the forks a bit and maybe a couple of spacers are needed to clearance higher up the forks? This would be a bike mainly for my wife. As for me, the next project will be with my old mountain bike and probably an SB motor. Need to make the current bike pay for iteself first Cheers, BM.

Can't comment on e-crazyman as I have had no dealings but I am more than happy with Li Ping and JohnP and have had direct dealings Also, I am impressed with the Wisper staff and Powabyke staff. I like down to earth honesty. Of course all suppliers have a vested interest but I have noted that these suppliers have been honest about thier product's strengths and weaknesess and have appeared to give fantastic customer service. I have had limited dealings with both companies but have read their posts. I almost feel guilty for not buying a Wisper actually. Never mind, sombody in my office just bought a 905 eco. I will let you know how she gets on. Cheers, BM.

Pictures: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/3146778321_a60af4902c.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/3147609884_7600433337.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/3146778631_cc09481308.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/3147610162_f34d64346d.jpg?v=0 Now, I know the wiring is, ummm, a little poor shall we say. This was jury-rigged. I was still deciding what to do, was thinking of putting the controller on an IP rated box. Think I will leave it as it is and solder and heat shrink all the cables. I will get some trunking to run down the frame I think. I think all the control wires will be soldered as they are now, just MUCH tidier Does not look like there are any brake levers in the pictures but there are! Also, very pleased with the bag. Fits very secure and has fold out paniers that are large enough to take a laptop. Kind of need this for work. Cheers, BM.

Did another run this morning. Like a muppet I didn't note my time of departure accurately but my wife assures me she looked at the clock before I left so I have a rough idea. I was out for no more than 1 hour 15 and probably about 1 hour 5. I managed 21 miles with a downhill from the Mendips into Wells, along the bottom to Cheddar and up Cheddar Gorge and back home. For those interested here is a profile of the gorge. profile of the Cheddar Gorge I only managed 30mph on the downhill, still getting used to the butterfly bars, the new weight disrtibution, the new brakes and paranoia about the modified dropouts. Given the 1 hour 15 time that would be about 17mph average and I am happy with that. I suspect it was a bit faster but due to my dodgy time keeping would not want to set false expectations. I found I was down to under 10mph at one steep section but was going 16+ on the long shallow hill at the top. Overall I am happy with the result. Note however that I put a fair degree of effort in cycling up the gorge. This was not a sit back and let the bike do all the work experience. That is what I wanted from the bike but may not work well for everyone. Cheers, BM.

Frank, The issue has been the distance between the front wheel and the mounting bosses on the forks. With the V brakes I have there is not enough room to fit the brake blocks with the proper spacer washers. I have no washers on the inside which makes adjustment a little harder but they are working OK. Think I bought the wrong brakes. The situation is not helped by my filling of the dropouts as needed to fit the wider Tongxin axle. The wheel sits lower on one side pulling the rim closer to one fork than the other. This is easily fixed and I might get time to look at this today. I want to tidy up the dropouts but testing the motor was more of a priority :o Overall, the brakes are working well. Cheers, BM.

Been hard to tell with the wind lately. I think the anassisted speed is about 16mph. With no load the motor turns at 18.4mph (not too sure how well calibrated my cycle computer is mind). I think there is noticable assitance upto about 17.5 mph. It is not so windt today so I think I might go out again when the ice has melted. I was thinking about my first real run and I beleive the fast average MPH is due to all the hills here. I averaged about 17mph for the first 25 miles but that included some fastish downhill sections. Paradoxically I don't think the average will be as high on the flat unless you are prepared to cycle above the assist cutoff and therefore no point in having a motor. The motor was selected for my hilly commute, this is not a config I think I would favour on the flat. Cheers, BM

I used a V1 Ping at 10ah 36v. It was bought in a long configuration about 28cm x 10.5 x 8.7. This turned out to be a mistake so I took it apart and reconfigured it into more of a square. Having had a go at this I am impressed with Ping's duct tape skills, my attempt was not quite so tody Anyway, it is all in a weatherproof Maplin enclosure now - very good fit. My Horizon was in a bit of a mess, not having been used for about 14 years. Did not take too much effort or cost to get it running again. New wheel bearings, chain, cassette, tyres, tubes etc. I need to replace the bottom bracket at some point and there is an issue with the real wheel, with the freehub I think but not so bad as to make me fix it yet. The cassette does not turn concentrically but a blind man would be pleased to see it. BM

Hi, was going to have a go at building the wheel myself but work has been mad so didn't have much free time. Cost 70 pounds at the local bike shop. Most good bike shops will be happy to do this. I think it was 35 for the rim and 35 for the spokes and labour. The other bike shop I asked quoted about the same total price, with 20 for the labour. If you have the time you can save yourself some money but it is not too expensive anyway. I would certainly get a spoke key anyway and learn how to true a wheel. I rebuilt by back wheel a few months ago and it was quite easy. Cheers, BM.

Had the flu and been real busy over Christmas with rels but eventually got out on the bike. First conditioning run and very cold and very windy. I managed 38 miles before the battery gave out. And that was me being real lazy in places. There were some big hills on the route. I can down off the Mendips twice. The fisrt time I went up a 1 in 10 at about 13mph+ with the wind behind me. On the second time up the hill it was 1 in 6 in places and a much slower 8 mph, but that was also into a gale. Up on top the hill it was a real battle against the wind on the flat. I averaged about 16mph. So, I had hoped for 40 miles on the first conditioning run but given the cold and wind and hills I can't complain. I would be expecting 50+ once the battery is conditioned and the waether is more favourable. Based on the first part of the trip I am expecting to be able to do my 21 miles back from work (Bath) in about 1 hour 15 which is what I was aiming for (I averaged 17.5mph for the first 25 miles). I can already get into work in the time due to lots of downhill so trying for 1 hour into work. Cheers, BM.

Not sure I well placed to comment but that has never stoped me. I vote for the Cytronex. In my mind it is the clear winer of the comercial bikes. And I think this for ther reasons that some people have poo pooed it. It is suited to semi-fit cyclists that want some assitance and with the right rider makes a fast and effective machine. It gets my vote as it opens up a new segment. After looking at a number of bikes this was the only comercial bike I seriously considered. Lack of a CycleScheme option put me off. The Kalkhoffs, as good as they are can't have my vote due to what I see as the terrible system that rewards low cadence pedalling. Asthetically I don't find them appealing either. As good as they maybe for all thier German engineering they are very boring, a definite VW Polo kind of bike. In more traditional e-bike terms the Wisper 905se would get my vote. And that is not just for the bike but also for the customer service people are getting and the reliability I would really like to see a more traditional touting style e-bike with maybe drops and a larger capacity battery than the Cytronex but with a low drag motor. Alternatively a Panasonic type system that encourages higher cadence pedalling and not such a frumpy design. In the end I could not find anythng off the shelf so built myself. Far from perfect but cheaper and a better fit for my needs. Cheers, BM.

Hey, not done much as I have been over worked and had the flu. Anyways, got the stem moving again. Turned bike upside down, removed wheel, sprayed in lots of WD40, applied woodwork clamp around crown of forks, got wife to hold bars and pulled. As soon as I got it rotating it became lose and I was away. Looking on the web some stems become very stuck. The only answer then is to cut off the top, drill out as much as possible and then saw through the sides. Thankfully this was not needed. Lesson is to apply some grease every now and again I think. Also on the seat post. The stem had probably not been moved for 16 to 18 years....:o I have also reconfigured the shape of the Ping cells. Made a mistake a bit when I ordered. There is a waterproof box on the way for both the battery and the controller. The controller is potted but I think it would be better in a box as I can put all the conections in there as well. I will sort out some photos over christrmas when all the rels have gone Cheers, BM.

At long last I have finaly built my bike. Started last night and finished (well, sort of) today. The bile is a very old (about 18 years) dawes Horizon touring bike. I have not used it for about 13 years until I dug it out recently and started cycling to work. I have had to spend money on it getting it into reasonable shape but most of it is not so bad given the years. I had used and abused it a fair amount for its first four or five years of life. I liked the steel frame but found my 42 mile hilly comute hard going. Things I have done are: Butterly bars to allow V-brake levers. Not sure about these yet, stem is kind of stuck solid and I would like to lower it. I will need to get the WD-40 and a matllet on it I think unless somebody has a better idea. Changed Canti brakes to v so v levers would work. These are so much better although I ended up with mountain bike ones that don't fit as well as I would like. Ping 10ah 36v battery. Tongxin brushles and sensorless 175rpm motor and controller. Thumb throttle. Changed the bars and brakes and installed the rest of the stuff. Took it out today without a cycle computer. I think I did about 25 miles on very hilly roads with lots of throttle - it was quite windy. Worked without fault and could not kill the battery. I tackled some steepish hills - looked for them rather than avoiding them and no issue at all. So far very happy indeed. There is some stuff still to do like tidy the wiring and sort out a battery encolsure but it is functional. I will post some pictures and provide some range info and speed info when I have it. By the way, I got the motor from Johnp on this forum. He was very easy to deal with, honest polite etc. I picked the motor up from his house as we live reasonably close to each other. If you are after a Tongxin he may be able to provide the necessary. I am a moderately fit cyclist as I was doing the 42 mile round trip once or twice a week for the last 3 months. I found the bike complimented the way I wanted to ride and I still got a workout without killing myself. The real proof of the pudding will be how long my commute takes. I don't think I would recommend this setup if you don't want to put a fair degree of effort in but for me I think it is near perfect. All in the bike is 19kg. It was 13kg before the conversion. The conversion was really quite easy and so far has worked without fault. I know it is early days. I have spent about 450 squid on the project excluding repairs to the old bike (chain, cassette, tyres, tubes, bearings....) Thank you for all the help and advice, could not have done it without you all. Cheers, BM.

I would have thought a 200w (continuous) inverter would handle most bike chargers. Unfortunately that will draw more than 16a at 12v which is more than a cigarette lighter socket can handle. At 45v that would give 4.4a so given some inefficiencies in the charger would be enough for most chargers. Depending on the size of the inverter you need, you might need to wire up a dedicated circuit in your car. Don't risk melting the wiring loom... Could be very expensive. I think most cigarette lighter sockests have a 10a fuse but I have put a 6a fridge in mine and the socket gets very hot. Looking on the web: http://www.ringautomotive.co.uk/images/pdfs/RINV150+300%20Instructions.pdf suggests you might good for upto 180w on the gigarette lighter socket. Probably enough for most chargers. Look at the charger and multiply 240v by the amps drawn. Cheers, BM

Yeah, but that is one hell of a postage cost