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Post by Jim on Oct 3, 2020 19:01:47 GMT
It's disputed, a bit of a grey area. Be honest this whole pedelec thing is just 'Last of the Summer Wine' on wheels. I wouldn't deny it, though I do see a lot of 40+ on the canals round here. Just to reassure you I am Compo Smentis. 😊
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 19:04:13 GMT
He certainly is
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Post by Jim on Oct 3, 2020 19:05:29 GMT
He certainly is from the runner up, by a short straw hat! 😋
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 19:05:59 GMT
There is some chatter about electric scooters being made legal. Presume the kick type..
There are countless numbers of Chinese Xiaomi* type scooters about so might as well let them be legal.
*Chinese for "we are watching your every move."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 19:07:11 GMT
He certainly is from the runner up, by a short straw hat! 😋 This is why I never entered an apprenticeship with my eyes open.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 19:09:06 GMT
The one I have now is rear hub motor and cadence sensor and it works well, apart from I'd like more power. Its still visible though, and from what I can see, the 1000 watt hub motors are significantly larger- so some sort of effort will still be needed to make the motor less obvious- again, I'm wondering if chrome-style paint would 'do a job' in this respect. PanniersThe other niggle I have with rear hub motors is they add to the weight on the rear wheel- which is already carrying the bulk of my weight and most of the frame, plus the battery in my current case. These are heavy bikes, and I'm a heavy person, and that poor rear tyre is bearing a big load. 36-spoke (or more) wheel. Double wall rim. Disc brake - no wear on the rim. It may make some sort of sense to have a wheel custom-built - its not so expensive its out of the question. Schwalbe Marathon tyre. Forget tubeless.
www.cyclingabout.com/the-best-rims-for-bicycle-touring/
With a mid-drive motor it seems like the weight might be a little more evenly spread out, although that said, the motor is only about 7kg.... This is a valid plus-point. Panniers wont ride low enough to cover a hub- unless you use very large touring panniers maybe... Thing is though, you have to able to leave it locked up outside Tesco on a weekday afternoon as well, and in some places, big panniers will have to be taken off it and into the shop with you, or they wont be there when you come out. Not a biggie for many users to be fair, but in my case, I've just taken the rear rack off the bike because it attached to the seatpost, and it had to be undone (plus the seat) in order to remove the battery (to recharge it, and to make the bike less desirable to thieves)- and that just felt like too much messing around to do after every ride. So in future I'll take the big rucksack rather than use panniers. But it does depend on the bike layout- e.g. if the battery is on the downtube then fine, you can use a rear rack, fit panniers, and then you just have to do something to make the downtube battery less visually obvious. I really like the idea of custom built wheels, if there is a builder who has the skills. Most wheel builders back in the day worked with standard push bike hubs. In the 80s I built a stree bike based on a Reynolds 531 racind frame, with MTB bars and brakes, shimano gearset, and handbuilt wheels with decent mavic alloy rims. They still spun almost true even after 5 years of commuting 14 miles a day on crappy roads. Handbuilt wheels is something I hadnt even thought of tbh, but could be a real help in keeping the back wheel in one piece under all that weight.
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Post by Jim on Oct 3, 2020 19:10:18 GMT
from the runner up, by a short straw hat! 😋 This is why I never entered an apprenticeship with my eyes open. Keep em shut. Don't read this forum, it will drive you m.. 😜 Too late!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 19:13:21 GMT
I don't read anything
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 19:14:37 GMT
Panniers wont ride low enough to cover a hub- unless you use very large touring panniers maybe... Thing is though, you have to able to leave it locked up outside Tesco on a weekday afternoon as well, and in some places, big panniers will have to be taken off it and into the shop with you, or they wont be there when you come out. Not a biggie for many users to be fair, but in my case, I've just taken the rear rack off the bike because it attached to the seatpost, and it had to be undone (plus the seat) in order to remove the battery (to recharge it, and to make the bike less desirable to thieves)- and that just felt like too much messing around to do after every ride.  So in future I'll take the big rucksack rather than use panniers. But it does depend on the bike layout- e.g. if the battery is on the downtube then fine, you can use a rear rack, fit panniers, and then you just have to do something to make the downtube battery less visually obvious.  I really like the idea of custom built wheels, if there is a builder who has the skills. Most wheel builders back in the day worked with standard push bike hubs. In the 80s I built a stree bike based on a Reynolds 531 racind frame, with MTB bars and brakes, shimano gearset, and handbuilt wheels with decent mavic alloy rims. They still spun almost true even after 5 years of commuting 14 miles a day on crappy roads. Handbuilt wheels is something I hadnt even thought of tbh, but could be a real help in keeping the back wheel in one piece under all that weight.  We really need to get past this whole "wheel" thing maaan. It's the wheels which are the problem. Work on ways to progress past this issues and you will find enlightenment.
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Post by Jim on Oct 3, 2020 19:15:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 19:18:33 GMT
Can't see that really to be honest.
It's possible but unlikely due to CRT t&c issues which "you do agree to".
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 19:21:39 GMT
There is some chatter about electric scooters being made legal. Presume the kick type.. There are countless numbers of Chinese Xiaomi* type scooters about so might as well let them be legal. *Chinese for "we are watching your every move." It'll take this H+S obsessed country another 5 years to legalise scooters fully. For now all you can do is hire them (probably from a company owned by a mate of Boris). Obviously even when legal, they will have the same 250 watt/15mph legal limit as ebikes, so they will be very little use and very little fun. So it'll be the same deal as with ebikes now- buy a crappy underpowered legal version, or take a chance and buy an uprated one with a little more sauce, and hope you don't get nabbed. Some of the non road-legal scooters you can buy now are mental- 2kw or more of power and tend to weigh very little compared to ebikes. Your riding career on such a thing would be thrilling; glorious fun. And probably quite short.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 19:53:44 GMT
Panniers wont ride low enough to cover a hub- unless you use very large touring panniers maybe... Thing is though, you have to able to leave it locked up outside Tesco on a weekday afternoon as well, and in some places, big panniers will have to be taken off it and into the shop with you, or they wont be there when you come out. Not a biggie for many users to be fair, but in my case, I've just taken the rear rack off the bike because it attached to the seatpost, and it had to be undone (plus the seat) in order to remove the battery (to recharge it, and to make the bike less desirable to thieves)- and that just felt like too much messing around to do after every ride. So in future I'll take the big rucksack rather than use panniers. But it does depend on the bike layout- e.g. if the battery is on the downtube then fine, you can use a rear rack, fit panniers, and then you just have to do something to make the downtube battery less visually obvious. I really like the idea of custom built wheels, if there is a builder who has the skills. Most wheel builders back in the day worked with standard push bike hubs. In the 80s I built a stree bike based on a Reynolds 531 racind frame, with MTB bars and brakes, shimano gearset, and handbuilt wheels with decent mavic alloy rims. They still spun almost true even after 5 years of commuting 14 miles a day on crappy roads. Handbuilt wheels is something I hadnt even thought of tbh, but could be a real help in keeping the back wheel in one piece under all that weight. Panniers are cheap as chips. If I parked my bike and found all the thieves took was the panniers I'd light a candle. I expect a wheel builder will do as he's paid.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 20:17:47 GMT
Panniers wont ride low enough to cover a hub- unless you use very large touring panniers maybe... Thing is though, you have to able to leave it locked up outside Tesco on a weekday afternoon as well, and in some places, big panniers will have to be taken off it and into the shop with you, or they wont be there when you come out. Not a biggie for many users to be fair, but in my case, I've just taken the rear rack off the bike because it attached to the seatpost, and it had to be undone (plus the seat) in order to remove the battery (to recharge it, and to make the bike less desirable to thieves)- and that just felt like too much messing around to do after every ride. So in future I'll take the big rucksack rather than use panniers. But it does depend on the bike layout- e.g. if the battery is on the downtube then fine, you can use a rear rack, fit panniers, and then you just have to do something to make the downtube battery less visually obvious. I really like the idea of custom built wheels, if there is a builder who has the skills. Most wheel builders back in the day worked with standard push bike hubs. In the 80s I built a stree bike based on a Reynolds 531 racind frame, with MTB bars and brakes, shimano gearset, and handbuilt wheels with decent mavic alloy rims. They still spun almost true even after 5 years of commuting 14 miles a day on crappy roads. Handbuilt wheels is something I hadnt even thought of tbh, but could be a real help in keeping the back wheel in one piece under all that weight. Panniers are cheap as chips. If I parked my bike and found all the thieves took was the panniers I'd light a candle. I expect a wheel builder will do as he's paid. I dont agree with the cheap as chips thing tbh. Nice panniers cost money. But that's not the key question at hand- in my case its the rack that's the problem, because it has to be undone every time I get back, in order to get the battery out, because the battery sits behind the seat post. But look- the real problem with the bike is not the battery position, but rather that it just doesn't give me enough shove to be a good transport option to a town 10 miles away. When I commuted through Newcastle on it for two summers, I barely managed an average of 10mph over the 5 miles, and that was avoiding most of the traffic lights so I cant use stopping as an excuse. I just cant keep up a good cruising speed on it over a long distance. So how about this monster, currently on ebay: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/electric-bike-full-suspension-folding-48-volt-1500-watt/233694183081?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l9372I could move the battery onto the rear rack as its currently way too prominent (esp considering the speeds you could sometimes reach on it if you're not being careful), but it looks in great nick and is a decent price. it even folds, so I can get it on trains for longer trips. I'm pondering this one a bit.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 20:23:33 GMT
Panniers are cheap as chips. If I parked my bike and found all the thieves took was the panniers I'd light a candle. I expect a wheel builder will do as he's paid. I dont agree with the cheap as chips thing tbh. Nice panniers cost money. But that's not the key question at hand- in my case its the rack that's the problem, because it has to be undone every time I get back, in order to get the battery out, because the battery sits behind the seat post. But look- the real problem with the bike is not the battery position, but rather that it just doesn't give me enough shove to be a good transport option to a town 10 miles away. When I commuted through Newcastle on it for two summers, I barely managed an average of 10mph over the 5 miles, and that was avoiding most of the traffic lights so I cant use stopping as an excuse. I just cant keep up a good cruising speed on it over a long distance. So how about this monster, currently on ebay: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/electric-bike-full-suspension-folding-48-volt-1500-watt/233694183081?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l9372I could move the battery onto the rear rack as its currently way too prominent (esp considering the speeds you could sometimes reach on it if you're not being careful), but it looks in great nick and is a decent price. it even folds, so I can get it on trains for longer trips. I'm pondering this one a bit. But cheap ones do not. Don't buy a rack that connects to the seat post. I bought one for a fiver made by Dawes. A thing of beauty. Keep pondering.
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