Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

Post by jacquesm » Fri, Nov 12, 2021, 5:43 PM UTC

nybble41 wrote: post #106

jacquesm wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, there is a direct relationship between the power exerted and the power the motor will add. There is a nifty torque sensor built into the cranks.

You're describing one particular kind of (high-end) e-bike. Many perfectly legal, unmodified e-bikes do not have torque sensors. If the bike has a cadence sensor, like mine does, then it doesn't care about how much torque you're applying to the pedals. All it cares about is how fast they're turning. And at the higher speeds (around the 20 MPH limit) the gearing and small wheel sizes on mine are such that one would ne…

Post by jacquesm » Fri, Nov 12, 2021, 5:44 PM UTC

2dvisio wrote: post #66

TacticalCoder wrote: post #27

We really need a terminology to differentiate better between pedal-assist only e-bikes ("pedelec") and electric motorbikes. A "bicycle" that can accelerate without the need to pedal at all is an electric motorcycle, no matter if you put pedal on it or not. I see the two as totally different things: I've tried pedal-assist e-bike and they're great. But... Although I have nothing against motorbikes I'm not cool at all…

This one is my first sight of a "bicycle with engine" ever (sorry article is in Italian). It was used in the movie "Bread love and dreams". https://www.cronachemaceratesi.it/2017/04/18/il-museo-del-si...

Post by mikepurvis » Fri, Nov 12, 2021, 5:45 PM UTC

hendersoon wrote: post #100

QuercusMax wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife just bought an ebike (from RadPower) that has both pedal assist and a throttle that doesn't require pedaling. You can also adjust the amount of pedal assist so you can "feather pedal". Who's going to confiscate this bike????

Depends on your country, really. Throttle ebikes are legal in the USA so long as they don't go faster than 20MPH on throttle alone. And really speed is what matters here. Who cares if it's pedal-assist or throttle so long as you aren't going markedly faster than normal people without any motor at all? There's no safety concern.

Post by withinboredom » Fri, Nov 12, 2021, 5:46 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #80

pawelwentpawel wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Screen-zombie pedestrians annoy me as well. So do uneven pavements, trash, rocks and any other obstacles that appear on my way. If I'm on an electric scooter or a bike though it's my responsibility to ensure that I'm not riding a silent, heavy and fast vehicle into someone. Especially if they can't see me because I'm approaching from behind. And to emphasise - there is an entire range of pedestrians that might have a…

Absolutely. But spending time on your mobile phone has no place in traffic and that has nothing to do with being disabled. It's just being grossly disrespectful towards others and endangering them and yourself.

Post by jacquesm » Fri, Nov 12, 2021, 5:47 PM UTC

mikepurvis wrote: post #115

hendersoon wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends on your country, really. Throttle ebikes are legal in the USA so long as they don't go faster than 20MPH on throttle alone. And really speed is what matters here. Who cares if it's pedal-assist or throttle so long as you aren't going markedly faster than normal people without any motor at all? There's no safety concern.

At a certain point, you've added enough extra mass to the vehicle in terms of batteries, motor, beefed up brakes and frame, etc that you need to start asking questions about how much kinetic energy it's carrying and what happens to it all in case of a crash. Silly comparison, but we wouldn't let a car drive on the sidewalk even if it had a special module that limited it to 5km/h.