Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Long Range E-Bike (2021)

jacquesmattheij.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 345 posts

Re: Long Range E-Bike (2021)

#141

Post by loeg »

kibwen wrote: post #38
tokai wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't it help changing gears? You can even get sprockets changed to lower the gearing for more torque.

Depends on the bike. On some bikes the motor is mounted in the rear wheel, in which case there's no gear between the motor and the wheel. On other bikes the motor is mounted between the pedals and sent to the rear via the chain, in which case shifting works as you expect. But the latter style (a.k.a. mid-drive) demands custom frames (because mid-drive motors are nonstandardized), which increases costs and decreases r…

> But the latter style (a.k.a. mid-drive) demands custom frames (because mid-drive motors are nonstandardized),

This is somewhat overstated. Bafang middrive conversions fit on most frames with a BSA bottom bracket.

Re: Long Range E-Bike (2021)

#142

Post by loeg »

gcanyon wrote: post #75

It's weird that these restrictions apply: 25km/h, 55km range? The Evolve Carbon skateboard tops out at 50km/h, and 80km range. Granted, you have to be a little bit crazy to ride that fast on a skateboard, and having owned an earlier version, I guarantee it's not pleasant riding that far on one. But people do it. Someone must be putting out faster/longer distance bikes that don't look like/ride like mopeds. Okay, a qu…

The Europeans love a nanny state and ebike licensing is no exception.

Re: Long Range E-Bike (2021)

#143

Post by loeg »

cbdevidal wrote: post #99

I think of e-bikes as a kind of "electric horse." * Goes about as fast as a horse * Goes about the same distance as a horse * Sitting on a saddle like a horse * Out in the weather like a horse * But no feed or vet bills * No need for lots of land or infrastructure * Little ongoing maintenance * Little skill needed to ride :-)

Faster than a horse at long distances. Humans can outrun horses at distances as short as 26 miles.

Re: Long Range E-Bike (2021)

#144

Post by Filligree »

KennyBlanken wrote: post #102
mikestew wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The more useful case ime is turning cyclists with reduced mobility into regular cyclists. You mean, turn weak cyclists into strong cyclists, like GP said? :-)

No. Reduced mobility doesn't mean "weak." It means reduced mobility . It's right there in the words. People who cannot pedal much at all, even the motion, no matter how light it is. Joint issues / surgery, deformities, etc. Don't be smarmy.

If you can't pedal at all, then an e-bike definitionally won't help you. An e-moped might be suitable.

Re: Long Range E-Bike (2021)

#145

Post by loeg »

MagicMoonlight wrote: post #133
stevenhubertron wrote: post #3

It does feel like this is such an untapped market. Think commuters, credit cart tourers, tourism around a spread out city. Something that is safer than a motorcycle and faster than a bike.

It's not safer than a motorcycle. Motorcycles have lights and signals and can accelerate away from danger. Plus the riders are generally covered head to toe in safety equipment, whereas nobody is ever going to wear leathers on a push bike.

The speed limiting alone makes them safer than motorcycles.

Re: Long Range E-Bike (2021)

#146

Post by loeg »

adrianN wrote: post #2

I would be a bit worried that the extra weight compromises the structural integrity of the frame. 2kWh are heavy

There's significantly more variation in weight between riders. If you're under the frame's weight limit, including battery, you're fine.

Re: Long Range E-Bike (2021)

#147

Post by loeg »

jeffbee wrote: post #72

The aerodynamic situation of a bicycle is so disadvantageous that the easiest way to get a long range e-bike is to simply ride more slowly. People internalize beliefs about energy-range ratios from electric cars, but they don't translate well to bicycles.

The exact same thing applies to electric cars, though -- going slower significantly increases your range.

Re: Long Range E-Bike (2021)

#148

Post by loeg »

jandrese wrote: post #113
jeffbee wrote: post #72

The aerodynamic situation of a bicycle is so disadvantageous that the easiest way to get a long range e-bike is to simply ride more slowly. People internalize beliefs about energy-range ratios from electric cars, but they don't translate well to bicycles.

It is kind of a shame that recumbent bikes are expensive and bike nerd coded. A recumbent e-bike with an aeroshell would be fantastically efficient and useful in so many situations, but if you tried to buy one today it is going to cost as much as a car and have everybody else sneering at you.

> recumbent e-bike with an aeroshell

The term of art here is "velomobile."

Re: Long Range E-Bike (2021)

#149

Post by loeg »

renewiltord wrote: post #40

Very cool. Thanks for sharing. I have an ebike myself and have considered just strapping extra battery packs to the frame so that I can just swap when required. In the end, I mostly take shorter trips (I’ve had it since Dec and my odo only reads three figures). Speaking of R&M, I have wanted to get one of their bikes that has the child container area in the front. I saw one guy with one and it looked pretty awesome.…

> Speaking of R&M, I have wanted to get one of their bikes that has the child container area in the front. I saw one guy with one and it looked pretty awesome. A large bike like that would benefit from some larger battery pack.

I'm planning to buy one of these (Load 60 or 75). I think they can mount two battery packs (2x 800Wh = 1600Wh) on the frame.

Re: Long Range E-Bike (2021)

#150

Post by aziaziazi »

loeg wrote: post #140
jdboyd wrote: post #7

In my city, travel habits and condition, I find I wish for more torque and lower speed. Every place I want to go has significant hills that the motor can't handle, and easing climbing hills is the main reason I want an ebike. My ebike's minimum speed for the motor is 15kph, which is ok by myself, but my family likes to go slower, so I have to go fully manual with them. When I look at ebike ads it feels like nobody el…

This is what gearing is for. Get an ebike with a mid-drive motor and some form of gearing -- a conventional derailleur, or an internally geared hub (Shimano makes a decent one, Rohloff makes a great one).

Internal gear hubs are pricy but great. I’ll strongly advise against a conventional derailleur with a mid-drive motor: the derailleur needs a thinner chain which wear faster, especially with a motor that apply more torque than a normal human. Internal hubs allow to use a 1s chain or better: a belt. Then you’re good to go for a loooong time. There’s also the (super expensive) Pignon mid drive with integrated speeds, a bit like the Schlumpf’s but for e-bikes.

Pro of derailleur’s e-bikes: their price.

[waited long time to do that] - a former bike mechanist

edit: the problem with faster wear isn’t the risk to break but the decease in efficiency which will affect your motor health (heating) and batterie capacity. If you’re on a budget there’s a compromise: find your favorite gear and replace the derailleur and cassette with a single speed front and back sprockets (and chain). Beware that might not be adapted to hilly roads as GP environment.

Post reply on HN