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Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

jacquesmattheij.com

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Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#71

Post by YXNjaGVyZWdlbgo »

jacquesm wrote: post #36
YXNjaGVyZWdlbgo wrote: post #26

I love it but I personally would be too scared to ride it with that many cells sandwiched between what seems to be just foam board.

That's trespa, very strong stuff, weather proof, 6 mm thick.

Oh... I worked with something really similar but only for decoration purposes. I guess it's rigged enough to give the construction stability but it's still very prone to punctures. Do you think it would withstand a rock chip at higher speeds also do you prefer the high mechanical stability for a battery package? I don't really know if I would prefer it to warp at impact or break like hpl.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#72

Post by twic »

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…

The reality is that there is no useful bright-line rule to distinguish between bicycles and motorbikes. Historically, the two have been very distinct, so we haven't needed one. Now, we are starting to see more of the space between the extremes be explored.

We do absolutely need good laws and conventions here, for safety and fairness. But i don't think basing them on a classification is the way to write them.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#73

Post by deanc »

I have a specialized Vado sl. You can purchase a range extender and easily do over 100km with it, in reality closer to 200k. Any reason you didn’t consider this as it’s manufacturer supported?

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#75

Post by lukevi »

phreeza wrote: post #35
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…

The pedaling aspect is also not really what matters, because you can in principle reduce the load factor so much that the pedals also just become a fancy throttle, no?

I've found this to be correct on most every e-bike I have rented. You can "feather pedal", just spinning the cranks without engaging any energy, and the e-bike will send power to "assist".

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#76

Post by jacquesm »

Tostino wrote: post #63
jacquesm wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really, without the pedals it's no longer a bicycle but a moped. We have e-mopeds already and there are plenty of rules for those.

Your views are colored by the laws you have dealt with, as are mine. Just because that is the law near you doesn't automatically mean that is the ideal way of regulating society. It is just what you are used to.

Obviously, I am arguing from the position of legality where I live, that would seem logical (as the writer of the article). If you live somewhere else and have a different legal environment I'd be very interested to learn about it but I won't adapt my behavior based on that because it simply doesn't apply here.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#77

Post by potatolicious »

ralusek wrote: post #31
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…

> I'm not cool at all with basically motorbikes getting a free pass because they're disguised as bicycles Why? Seems like a pointless distinction in regards to any sort of rules. Surely where they're allowed to operate, for example, should be based on things like speed and weight, rather than "whether or not the operator is moving their legs in a circular motion."

This. There's an element of snobbery often in this discussion where there's a disdain for people who haven't "worked for" the movement they're getting.

Which seems besides the point. The reason you can't ride a motorcycle in the bike lane isn't because you haven't worked hard enough to deserve it, it's because of the top speeds and mass of the vehicles presenting a danger to others in the lane. It's the same reason cars present such a danger to cyclists - the scale of kinetic energy going around is just too high.

I think fast e-bikes are a technologically interesting thing, but from a regulatory point of view I'm much more mixed. ~30 kph seems eminently reasonable for bike infrastructure, and I'm excited about the ability for that to displace car trips - both from a sustainability perspective and a road capacity perspective. Much faster than that though?

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#78

Post by jacquesm »

lukevi wrote: post #75
phreeza wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The pedaling aspect is also not really what matters, because you can in principle reduce the load factor so much that the pedals also just become a fancy throttle, no?

I've found this to be correct on most every e-bike I have rented. You can "feather pedal", just spinning the cranks without engaging any energy, and the e-bike will send power to "assist".

I'll try that and see what my top speed is.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#79

Post by orforforof »

dQw4w9WgXcQ wrote: post #29
nousermane wrote: post #11

> S-Pedelec (...) top speed 45 kph (...) in many places you are forced to ride in traffic Yes. This is the way. Thank you, Dutch government. If somebody feels like wheezing an almost completely silent 200kg projectile, godspeed. But please gtfo from the urban bike paths, if at all possible.

All the speed of motorcycles without the sound awareness, what could possibly go wrong? My overall experience is that E-bike riders generally have decent cycling manners, it's the scooter and unicycle riders that seem to think they can just crank their walking speed up to 30mph and go everywhere a pedestrian would. I usually just give them a firm "heads up next time" when I get buzzed by an electric motor whine at 20…

I used to ride a motorcycle, now I have an ebike. They seem equally safe to me, which is to say neither are safe at all if there are other people on the road. The only solution is extremely defensive driving/riding, assume no one (including pedestrians) can see you. This attitude has been embedded deeply in the motorcycle culture and is the best way to all-around responsible riders -- and it needs to be propagated to ebike riders. I don't think it's about having manners, really. Also, sound awareness is a myth propagated by Harley riders.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#80

Post by jacquesm »

pawelwentpawel wrote: post #67
_Understated_ wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but a bigger danger is mobile phone use by cyclists. Or by pedestrians! My brother curses the number of pedestrians in Glasgow that cross the road while looking at their phones... they're by far his biggest hazard.

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.
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