Forum Index > Gear Talk > Electric Bikes
 Reply to topic
Previous :: Next Topic
Author Message
treeswarper
Alleged Sockpuppet!



Joined: 25 Dec 2006
Posts: 11272 | TRs | Pics
Location: Don't move here
treeswarper
Alleged Sockpuppet!
PostWed Aug 07, 2019 7:39 am 
Cyclopath wrote:
Interesting. Thanks all of you for sharing your opinions and experience. How long does it take to change a flat? Do you carry a spare tube and CO2? Is slime the same thing as sealant? People are having good results putting sealant in their tubes, if you're not pumping your tires up to 120 psi it works very well. (I haven't used tubes in years, the tires go on the rim, sealant in the middle, I've run over glass and got small punctures that sealed up on their own, very small loss of air.)
I dread the thought of a flat back tire. I fear it would take me a long time to change it. That's part of the attraction of a mid drive bike. I have carried a handy dandy battery powered compressor. It is tubular, like a bike pump and just a bit wider. We haven't had to use it out in the woods, yet, either. I find it handy for inflating the towing airbags on my pickup. A friend and I usually ride together when in the woods. Our flat strategy would be for one of us to go back and get the pickup and load up the bike and go home to a shady grassy yard to change the tire. I will also confess to carrying my phone with me on my local rides so I can call said friend to come and rescue me. What with the hot weather, taking time to change a flat is not appealing. Now, watch me get a flat today. Got some local errand biking to do. Just wondering, and I hope I don't have to find out, if fat tires are harder to change than regular tires? I have fat tires on my Radmini. My friend has had electronics problems but that has always happened on uphills and we've been able to get back to the pickup OK. She had to replace the controller. I helped and it was simpler than I thought. We've yet to test it. The old one was overheating on the uphill grades and shutting down. No flats, please!

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
iron
Member
Member


Joined: 10 Aug 2008
Posts: 6391 | TRs | Pics
Location: southeast kootenays
iron
Member
PostWed Aug 07, 2019 1:14 pm 
i used to ride skinny tires with stans tubeless for several years. it was mostly okay, but when it wasn't, it really wasn't. eventually i shifted to orange sealant and have been quite happy. i think i've had one flat in about 10000 miles of road commuting to bellevue. and, i certainly don't do the regular fill up intervals. so, either luck, or good product or some combo thereof. https://mbaction.com/tire-sealant-shootout/

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Cyclopath
Faster than light



Joined: 20 Mar 2012
Posts: 7694 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
Cyclopath
Faster than light
PostThu Aug 08, 2019 8:57 am 
Tom wrote:
If need to replace the tire on a hub motor wheel it would take a bit longer since you'd need to disconnect the electronics from the hub to remove the wheel. On non-hub wheel or mid-drive e-bike it wouldn't take much longer than a regular bike.
That makes a lot of sense and I can see why sounding $$ on supple tires that are less flat resistant wouldn't be a priority!

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Cyclopath
Faster than light



Joined: 20 Mar 2012
Posts: 7694 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
Cyclopath
Faster than light
PostThu Aug 08, 2019 8:58 am 
iron wrote:
i used to ride skinny tires with stans tubeless for several years. it was mostly okay, but when it wasn't, it really wasn't. eventually i shifted to orange sealant and have been quite happy. i think i've had one flat in about 10000 miles of road commuting to bellevue. and, i certainly don't do the regular fill up intervals. so, either luck, or good product or some combo thereof. https://mbaction.com/tire-sealant-shootout/
I've also had better luck with Orange Seal than Stan's. I'm running 28 mm tires at 60 to 70 psi. A lot of people agree that Orange works better at high pressure.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Cyclopath
Faster than light



Joined: 20 Mar 2012
Posts: 7694 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
Cyclopath
Faster than light
PostTue Aug 13, 2019 8:57 am 
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
treeswarper
Alleged Sockpuppet!



Joined: 25 Dec 2006
Posts: 11272 | TRs | Pics
Location: Don't move here
treeswarper
Alleged Sockpuppet!
PostTue Aug 13, 2019 12:43 pm 
If money were no object, or kind of no object, I'd get one of these Riese and Muller double battery touring bikes. But it is. So I'm looking at looking at a Giant Lafree or Trek Verve. https://www.oregon-ebikes.com/shop/by-category/commuter-touring/

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Opus
Wannabe



Joined: 04 Mar 2006
Posts: 3700 | TRs | Pics
Location: The big rock candy mountain
Opus
Wannabe
PostTue Sep 03, 2019 4:14 pm 
What do you think of the Luna Fixed Stealth? Anyone have one? https://lunacycle.com/luna-fixed-stealth-ebike/

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Randito
Snarky Member



Joined: 27 Jul 2008
Posts: 9495 | TRs | Pics
Location: Bellevue at the moment.
Randito
Snarky Member
PostTue Sep 03, 2019 4:31 pm 
Opus wrote:
What do you think of the Luna Fixed Stealth? Anyone have one? https://lunacycle.com/luna-fixed-stealth-ebike/
$1800 for an eBike with a 20 mile range ? Seems like a little for a lot.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Tom
Admin



Joined: 15 Dec 2001
Posts: 17835 | TRs | Pics
Tom
Admin
PostWed Sep 04, 2019 3:41 am 
Actually, it's fairly inexpensive for a quality e-bike. Torque sensing 500W mid drive with internal cabling, decent components including hydraulic brakes, patented Gates carbon belt drive, stealth and lightweight. What's not to like besides the battery? Could work out well as a commuter if you commute less than 20 miles without a lot of hills. Pack the charger or buy a spare to charge at work. My Volton has a 9.6 AH battery in the tube which is only 25% more capacity. I don't worry that much about battery unless I will be climbing hills.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Randito
Snarky Member



Joined: 27 Jul 2008
Posts: 9495 | TRs | Pics
Location: Bellevue at the moment.
Randito
Snarky Member
PostWed Sep 04, 2019 4:57 am 
IDK everything offered by Rad Power Bikes costs less, has greater range and a wider gear range https://www.radpowerbikes.com/ The stealth bike only has 3 gears in it's internal hub. Carbon belt drive is a stylish feature, but doesn't have much appeal for myself as I kinda enjoy cleaning and maintaining my bikes.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Tom
Admin



Joined: 15 Dec 2001
Posts: 17835 | TRs | Pics
Tom
Admin
PostWed Sep 04, 2019 11:35 am 
On an e-bike you don't need a lot of gears. On my Volton I'm usually in lowest gear when climbing steep hills, middle gear on moderate hills and highest gear otherwise. Mid-drive bikes put a lot of stress on the chain and they snap over time. You also want to avoid shifting under power so it's best to tap the brakes to cut power before shifting. I think the 3 speed and carbon drive is a really smart pairing with a mid-drive but can't say how well the battery or 3 speed might perform on hills. As far as RAD bikes, they are heavy imported Chinese rear hub bikes with budget components. Would you feel safe riding a 68 pound bike at 20 MPH with mechanical disc brakes? I'm not saying they aren't a great value for what you get and people who own then do like them, but it's going to be a different experience than riding the luna fixed which will feel more like riding a bike. All depends on what you want.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Opus
Wannabe



Joined: 04 Mar 2006
Posts: 3700 | TRs | Pics
Location: The big rock candy mountain
Opus
Wannabe
PostWed Sep 04, 2019 11:43 am 
The Luna bike is also lighter than RAD bikes. That's a pretty big advantage for people who live on upper floors in buildings with no elevator. And since it looks more like a normal bike from a distance it reduces the theft risk. I've read mixed reviews about its power for hills though. Seems like most people want it for going fast. Wish there was somewhere in Seattle to test one out.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Opus
Wannabe



Joined: 04 Mar 2006
Posts: 3700 | TRs | Pics
Location: The big rock candy mountain
Opus
Wannabe
PostWed Sep 04, 2019 2:28 pm 
I'm not sure ebike theft rate is really higher or not, I'm just assuming if a bike screams "electric" at a glance it might get noticed by thieves and targeted vs something like this Luna bike that from a distance looks normal. Not that I'd leave any ebike locked up outside for an extended amount of time. Same thing if I owned an expensive road or mountain bike.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Cyclopath
Faster than light



Joined: 20 Mar 2012
Posts: 7694 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
Cyclopath
Faster than light
PostWed Sep 04, 2019 8:31 pm 
I've been thinking I'd rent an ebike and leave it overnight at a trailhead at the end of a closed road. But I wouldn't leave any kind of bike unlocked and unattended almost anywhere.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Riverside Laker
Member
Member


Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 2818 | TRs | Pics
Riverside Laker
Member
PostWed Sep 04, 2019 9:23 pm 
Jeez, is my “acoustic “ bike going to become nearly worthless?

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
   All times are GMT - 8 Hours
 Reply to topic
Forum Index > Gear Talk > Electric Bikes
  Happy Birthday speyguy, Bandanabraids!
Jump to:   
Search this topic:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum