E Bicycle. I want one

[tripper]

That's nice.  But as my original cross post in the other thread said, they're not legal in NY and the NYPD has already confiscated 600 of them from people trying to ride them in NYC.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...ic-bikes-legalized-n-y-2017-article-1.3202817

BTW I did want to address the New York confiscations.  Many people ride ebikes in New York.  As the article even alludes to, it is the delivery people that are getting their bikes confiscated.  The  food and bike couriers ride their bikes like total a-holes and having electric power allows them to ride even faster and more aggressively.  The police are not randomly grabbing average law abiding citizens bikes, but are actively going after the people who ride them recklessly. There are several documentaries on the couriers/delivery bikers, watch one of those and you will see why they get their bikes taken away.  
   If you ride your ebike safely and at sane speeds you will probably never have an issue.

 

[Ballenxj]

BTW I did want to address the New York confiscations. 
<-------->
   If you ride your ebike safely and at sane speeds you will probably never have an issue.

This changes the whole perspective. Thanks for that.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Another brand of e-bikes that I just learned about.

Pedego.

Apparently good quality, but a bit pricey. $2500 to $4500 range.

They have fat-tire bikes, cargo bikes, and even an e-trike!

https://www.pedegoelectricbikes.com/

 

[IGBT]

I am looking for info about anyone who has adapted the new high voltage power tool batteries to their e-bike.

I have some of the 5AH 56V EGO batteries which are fairly beefy and would make a nice, pretty convenient battery for a e-bike.   You need to make a holder and find a controller that would work with that voltage.   It is somewhat difficult to get exact specs on the battery but from what I have found it looks like it can source about 20 amps continuous.  I am not sure if the EGO power tool or the battery itself protects against excessive current draw.   I think it might be the tool because some youtube video of an open battery seem to indicate direct connection from the cells to the terminals.   In such case you would want to make sure your ebike motor controller limits the current it draws to no more than 20 amps (which is over 1000 watts which should be enough for most bike riding except for starting up a hill from dead stop).

 

[IGBT]

Im not sure why they arent using lithium motorcycle batteries yet. Those are down to about $100-150.

http://shoraipower.com/lfx18l2-bs06-p98

Careful with those, they use some language like Pb equivalent amp-hour and cold cranking amps but when you dig into the specifics you see the watt-hour of these batteries is pretty low, like 60 watt-hour.   $150 for 60 watt-hour is not so great really and would not get you far on a bike.

The EGO power tool batteries I have and mentioned above are 270 watt-hour and came with a nice 16" chain saw and fast charger for under $290.   I figure I will only use them a few dozen times in the chain saw and the remaining 480 cycles could be put to use in a e-bike.

 

[DLTooley]

These **look** good, at around $1,500.

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/

 

[Vagabound]

These **look** good, at around $1,500.

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/

They do look good.

Anyone ... any pros / cons on this model?

http://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radmini-electric-folding-fat-bike?variant=17586850561

If I missed that conversation earlier, just let me know.

Tom

 

[tx2sturgis]

Dragging a 'zombie' thread back to life...

I just ordered an e-bike....the most expensive thing I have EVER bought online.

There is a lot of financial 'power' in that mouse!

I want to be able to carry something for local transport that is much lighter and takes up much less space than my motorcycle...so...I pushed the 'buy it now' button for a RadMini.

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radmini-electric-folding-fat-bike?variant=5032656896031

Plus I ordered a little pet trailer to carry my little pooch around the campsites and on bike pathways.

It's in the slow lane on a FedEx Ground truck as we speak....I will post pics after it arrives.

This is new 'territory' for me!

 

[B and C]

Congratulation Tex. I have this on the strongly thinking about it list. I am friends with the people that Bob did the video on about the RadMini. They came from Oregon to meet me in Stanley, ID when I was there last September. They let me take it for a few test spins to see how I like it. And, I like it, so it's on the list.

Now to save for it. House insurance due first of December, property taxes due January and two vehicles to get inspected and registered this November. Sure seems like I spend a lot of money for nothing in return. Oh, and Christmas plus a couple of birthdays for the grandkids before the first of the year. Getting where I don't like this time of year.

 

[_KJ_]

im sooooo tired of getting my own cheap $85 regular bikes stolen, id be terrified to own an expensive bike

 

[tx2sturgis]

im sooooo tired of getting my own cheap $85 regular bikes stolen, id be terrified to own an expensive bike

Yeah, that would not be good.

Of course I will have a cable lock, and take the keys to the battery if leaving it unattended. And if my little 15 pound guard dog is on-duty, the would-be thief won't have a chance....he or she will probably get licked to death.

:dodgy:

 

[travelaround]

I just ordered an e-bike...

Very exciting! The bike looks awesome. I might buy that someday. Way to go.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I have this on the strongly thinking about it list. 

Yeah I've been on the fence for awhile, and had several other priorities, but with Quartzsite on the horizon, it was time to pull the trigger, so to speak.

I love riding my one remaining motorcycle locally, but it's just not a good fit in my road-rig for a variety of reasons. The folding electric bike with fat tires and folding pet trailer should make a better combo, plus I can charge it with my solar set-up. I looked at more expensive bikes, cheaper bikes, bigger bikes, smaller bikes, all online and on youtube. We just don't have any e-bike shops anywhere near me, since this part of the flats is mostly devoid of bicycles....except for the ones that kids ride.

I watch the e-bike and regular pedal bike videos in NYC and other large cities, and I'm just amazed. That is so far removed from the traffic environment in the area I live. I have been looking recently, and I have not even SEEN an e-bike around here, much less ever ridden one. I saw one in Quartzsite last January, and I was fairly impressed.

I still own a 'comfort bike' but rarely ride it...mostly because if I need to go anywhere, I need a bit more carrying capacity, or, there is just not anywhere interesting to go on it, within 50 miles of where I live. 

I hope to be pleasantly surprised with the e-bike, especially since I will be able to carry it easily on my road trips. I mainly plan to use it for short rides around camp, and the occasional brief ride to the store for supplies. It should be able to do that at least.

 

[bullfrog]

I've put over 800 miles on a radmini this last year and l let a bunch of people try it out. The only problems have been the fact that even though it iis a 20" wheel the folding frame is rather tall. In fact if your inseam is less than 26" with the seat in the lowest position you will have to lean the bike to get a foot down when you stop. I found that splitting a new tube and cutting out the valve to use as a tube liner between the tire and the tube in which you put 4oz of Stan's latex tire sealant pretty well makes it flat proof for about 750 miles and simply adding a few ozs of sealant and airing it back up just before a ride fixes the only two flats I've had both due to the tire wearing and off road riding in a desert full of pointy things. There are a few quarks and tricks that are different when riding an electric bike, be careful of the torque when using petal assist or the hand throttle in corners especially. Be sure to disable the hand throttle before you get off as it is easy to accidently activate it when you push or dismount. My purchase was really easy because I used their recommended mobile bike service to test ride and then assemble the bike. It is an easy bike to spot and really there are a lot of motorcycles out there to steal worth much more than a radmini. The petals fold up and may deter some kid from trying to petal it off as well as keeping it locked and taking the key. I keep mine in site when parked in the city. I have really enjoyed mine so far, I hope you do to!

 

[tx2sturgis]

Good info!

Yeah I know all about flats...unfortunately. 

But I'm an old fat guy that rides pretty slow, and I dont plan to ride it aggresively, especially with the pooch in tow. Having said that, this old fat guy used to tear it up on my dirt bikes and especially my 2WD Ural...what a hoot that was in the snow and the mud!

Speaking of 2WD....I see that Pedego now has a 'Dual Drive' Cargo bike...but the $5000 price is a bit steep for my pocketbook.

Yeah, I figure this RadMini will probably work out ok for my intended use...the only gripe I have right now is the shipment was delayed so the delivery date is now projected to be next Monday, instead of this Friday. BTW, the VeloFix asembly service is not available anywhere around here...again...we are in the boonies as far as bicycles are concerned. But I'm handy with tools and I can work on anything with 2 or 3 wheels.

Oh well...meanwhile, I can still ride my motorcycle, which I did this morning! (it was 35 degrees, felt 'refreshing!)

 

[bullfrog]

Another thing about the radmini is it is so much quieter than a dirt bike. Fun for watching wild life!

 

[tx2sturgis]

 Fun for watching wild life!

Well, there is wildlife, and then there is 'wild life'....which one are you referring to?

 

[Dingfelder]

Love those tires! That beast is heavy though. Wouldn't want to have to push it. Good thing the battery lasts a long time; a reviewer mentions going 100 miles and still having juice to spare.

 

[bullfrog]

It does have a walk mode but it is 6MPH and way above this old man's speed.

 

[AJ452]

I bought a RadRover and really enjoy it.  I wanted the fat tire mountain bike setup with 26" tires over the 20" on the folding one.  But man, it's a lot taller than I expected!  Shorter folk will really want to try one out before plunking down cash!  Fortunately, Rad Power Bikes does have a couple ways to take test rides, https://www.radpowerbikes.com/pages/where-to-ride.