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e-bike commuting

GS1150Pilot

GS1150Pilot

Forum Sage
Past Site Supporter
I bit the bullet and bought a class 3 e-bike which I am using 2-3 days for my 32 mile RT to and from work.

It's an insane machine, and I love it.

Anyone else own an e-bike?
 
Yeah .... And it has given me my freedom back. I have a couple of aneurysms in my legs so I can only walk about a block before resting. But I can go a long way on my e-bike. Our laws are a little different than yours and anything over 500 watts is classed as a motorcycle requiring licensing and insurance . So here it's pretty much class 1 and 2 ..... What I originally wanted was a Gazelle and they are all class 1 but on the advice of my bike shop I went with a class 2 Envo ..... Shop was right it is exactly what I needed ...... Plenty of juice to make those Costco runs with full panniers up the hill home ......

I was pretty paranoid about theft so I sprung for an Abus Granite Supreme . It's takes four grinder wheels to get through it. In retrospect probably a bit overkill ...... Damn lock weighs a ton .....
 
I had not heard of this lock until now, but have learned that most bike locks will not deter a professional thief

Example:
Motorcycles can get pulled or tossed onto the back of a truck and be gone in less than two minutes..
and the toughest of locks get taken off later on with a hot wrench.

Recommend attaching the lock to something fixed in place to keep it and your bike a bit safer.



As to cutting....
Diamond blades have gotten really cheap in the last few years.
I use diamond blades on both plug-in and portable angle grinders

Never tried them on a bike lock, but I suspect they would be considerably faster than standard grinder blades.
I also suspect that a professional thief would do the same.
 
I did a few things to customize the bike before it left the store . As my riding is primarily on paved bicycle paths and well maintained trails I had them replace the stock 2.75 tires with 1.75's . The bike also came with a back rack that only accepted panniers made by the bicycle manufacturer . This was replaced with a standard rack to accommodate the Arkel panniers I purchased with the bike. The grips were replaced with Ergon GP 3 bar ends. I can't emphasize enough the increase in comfortable riding replacing the grips made . I also had them install a bar end mirror . I'm old and twisting around to see what's happening behind me ain't going to happen .......And after researching every saddle made I opted for a Brooks C 19 which has been extremely comfortable for me { saddle choices are going to be different for every person } .....

The final two tweaks were after a week of riding when I went back and had them buck an inch off each side of the handle bars making it a quicker turning bike ...... And as I had found my feet slipping on the pedals I had them install pedals with better spikes on them to reduce shoe movement . A mixed blessing as they do a very good job of keeping my foot from moving on the pedal but also have a tendency to rip the skin on my leg open if I accidentally rub against them ......

Best single tweak ? ..... Definitely the Ergon GP 3 bar ends . A huge improvement in comfort on distance riding ......

 
I ordered a Cambium C67 to replace the saddle on this beast. I also swapped the pedals for Look Activ Grips and will be swapping the knobby 26x4 tires for Arisun Big Smoothies with Tannus Armour liners.
 
GS1150Pilot said:
I ordered a Cambium C67 to replace the saddle on this beast. I also swapped the pedals for Look Activ Grips and will be swapping the knobby 26x4 tires for Arisun Big Smoothies with Tannus Armour liners.
Click to expand...
Could you post a picture of your pedals and a review of them ? .... I'm really getting tired of wound care on my shins ......
 
These are the ones, Garth:


I run pretty aggressive screw-in pin pedals on my big BMX and mountain bikes, but these are waaaaay easier on the leg for commuting. I can say with extremely recent certainty (yesterday, leaving a brewery) that these don't destroy your shin like the pinned pedals.
 
GS1150Pilot said:
These are the ones, Garth:


I run pretty aggressive screw-in pin pedals on my big BMX and mountain bikes, but these are waaaaay easier on the leg for commuting. I can say with extremely recent certainty (yesterday, leaving a brewery) that these don't destroy your shin like the pinned pedals.
Click to expand...
Thanks . I printed it out and will take it to the bike shop this afternoon .....
 
Added panniers to the rear rack today. Ordered a front basket. Mounted a tool kit with manual and C02 inflation. Not impressed with the crank material, so those will be replaced soon.
 
What bike did you go with Mason ? ......I'm humming and hawing over this for air . Did my research and it appears to be the best bang for buck . Good for 9 or 10 tire inflations between charges and about 9 ounces and the size of a cigarette pack.... I'm not worried about flats . I had them install { supposedly } puncture proof tubes. But being a heavy guy who's panniers often have 30 lb's or so in them I find I'm topping up from 50 psi to 67 psi once a week ......

 
Garth, I bought a Chinese supertanker: Aipas M2 Max. 106 pound hunka love. I really do like it.

I'll have Tannus Armour liners in the new tires as soon as they arrive, but I ordered them from England (and, surprisingly, got a helluva deal on them).
 
Mine is a similar design only a step-through . An Envo ST 50 locally made bike ..... I think weight only comes into the equation when you have to muscle it around . When I'm on the street I couldn't care less what it weighs . But getting it there is another matter . Mine is 60 lb.'s and I find it difficult to muscle around . I live in a high rise so I have to muscle it out my door . Muscle it in and out of the elevator . But after that everything is pretty much a straight shot .... I even put a strap on the rear rack for the express purpose of dragging the a$$ end around ..... As yours and my bike share similar geometry watch out leaning into corners . Make sure the low side pedal is up . Ask me how I know ?
 
LoL. I hear ya. Been riding BMX and mountain bikes forever (even raced in a few early SARA races back in the day).

I unlocked the controller and this thing will hit a real 33 mph, but mostly I ride in PAS 3 or 4.
 
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