Having given the dust (and Mrs Avus) time to settle I looked around once more to replace my Freego bike as that firm went into administration. They had three containers of ebikes on the high seas from China when the EU slapped a 38% import tariff on stuff from there, resulting in bankruptcy.
The result was a Wisper bike - the nearest in spec. to my original Freego, in "Stealth Black".
After experiencing a couple of road test rides I can report that I am pleased with it. It is well equipped and of good quality. I specified the optional 700 watt, long range battery which , the way I ride, should give about 75 miles before a recharge is needed. Since my maximum day ride, in my senility, is no more than 40 miles that will do nicely.
The motor, located in the rear wheel is very powerful. Although rated at the maximum legally permissible 250 Watts it will power the bike along on pedal assist to about 18 mph. (legal limit for ebikes in the EU is 15.5 mph). Having a weak left leg since a stroke I need an independent throttle to give me a push off. Again, these have been made illegal in the EU, but a 4 mph "walk assist" mode to help with pushing a heavily laden bike is acceptable. Wisper have circumvented the throttle legislation by making the twist grip work to 4mph, pedal free, but as soon as the pedals are turned the full throttle takes over. Apparently it's legal as long as the pedals need to be turning. What a ridiculous situation!
Once I am under way I never use the throttle, preferring the exercise and leg movement of the pedal assistance. Again, the power of the unaided throttle is strictly illegal since it will waft the bike up to 20 mph!
My only bleat, and this applies to all ebikes, is the ridiculously high overall gearing caused by the 52 tooth front chainring. I shall do my usual conversion and fit a 42 tooth one asap. To see what I am on about see my previous post about cycle gearing.
9 comments:
Very nice and you've now got the bike that suits you. The 75 miles range is a terrific, and even if you don't do that mileage it's reassuring that you have the battery capacity to get you home should the need arise. I would imagine that fitting a 42 tooth chainring could mean that you need to use the motor less and so that will prolong the battery life. Have good fun.
Dave:
Thanks for your comment. I have been riding the new bike daily, usually short runs of about 20 miles, stopping from time to time to get the riding position to my taste. It now seems about right and I am looking forward to meeting up with my old cycling mate on Sunday. Like me , he is 80 and a lifelong CTC member. Like me, he has health problems, but to keep riding he has an ebike too.
The cafe where we stop for coffee says we need to find another to make a trio to form a "Last of the Summer Wine" cast!
The car review page in The Observer Sunday newspaper also includes a bike test each week. Over recent months these bike tests have tended to focus on ebikes. It was there I was alerted to the fact that above a certain quite modest output an ebike becomes (presumably in the eyes of the DVLA) "a scooter" which requires the rider to wear a helmet, carry third-party insurance and, I assume, number plates.
The reviewer, who appears to be quite an enthusiastic cyclist, also revealed there are gradations among these more powerful ebikes and one he tested came from the highest level. The main attraction being not so much the top speed and its rapid drain of the battery but the battery's duration. I forget the figures now but I began to wonder (given the top speed) about braking.
I note your new ebike is equipped with a disc brake - on the front wheel at least, the rear wheel hub is obscured - which seems desirable. But then tyre contact area becomes a factor as does the possibility of locking up.The tyres are, I see, more generously proportioned and I suppose you tend to avoid riding in heavy rain. Also you descend steepish hills with a degree of caution. Considerations that would in any case come into play with a normal pedal-bike. Two that don't, though, are added weight and, I'm guessing, a higher CoG. Other designs of ebike appear to have located the batteries in panniers and/or just above the crank. Since you have had decades of biking experience I take it your sense of stability is unaffected.
You told me about your CTC insurance. One of the questions I am asked re. my car insurance is: has this vehicle been modified in any way? Verb. sap.
More important than all this technology is your persistence in overcoming what for many would be a reason for retreating from the physical world. I salute you for that.
RR:
Thanks for your salutations!
This new bike has hydraulic disc brakes on both wheels. The levels between gentle control and highly efficient and effortless stopping are a revelation to someone who has previously ridden conventional, rim braked bikes all his life.
The only difference I have noted in how this one handles is that the wheel base is some 4 inches shorter than my previous machine, which had its battery situated vertically, mid-bike behind the saddle tube. This one has a smaller (in weight and dimensions)but more efficient battery on a carrier beneath my top bag. The carrier, you will note from my image has been scientifically located to transfer the battery weight to midway on the rear saddle stays, rather than to the centre of the rear wheel hub as on most other ebikes.
The shorter wheelbase certainly makes steering quicker and needs acclimatization. And yes, nothing is for nothing - the higher the assistance speed you dial in means a shorter battery range. But high speeds are of little personal interest these days and I usually poodle along at about 12 mph.
The saddle angle looks painful, but would the machine make the climb up the Col du Tourmalet MGS
Anonymous:
Saddle angles are a matter of personal taste (and riding positions). Note the high position of my handlebars. Although I would have had a level saddle in my "dropped" handlebar days (eyes down and arse up, as they say), this current position is, for me very comfortable and takes most weight off my wrists and hands. The traditional Brooks B17 leather saddle helps, especially as this one is fitted with springs.
I doubt, even in the prime of youth, when I time trialled, I would have made it up the Col du Tourmalet!
So good to catch up on your rambles - and great to see you had a visit from your daughter & son in law (which I did know because of your comment on my blog about your trip to Dungeness to see the pebbles). Your bike rides always sound so idyllic (even in the rain!)
Kay:
Good too see you again. I hope all goes well with you down in "UnZud"?
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