Good morning everyone....

[bluegoatwoods]

I'm a guy who was once pretty active on this forum. But I haven't logged in in, I think, a couple of years. I gave up the happy time bicycles back then. I'd bought a Honda scooter for my wife. And she took to it pretty enthusiastically. That tempted me in that direction. I've got a couple of scooters that I'm pretty fond of.

My only regret is that I really did enjoy chatting about those bikes here. There are quite a number of helpful and friendly folks here and I was happy to have any association at all with them.

During this past winter, though, I did buy myself a pretty decent e-bike. I was feeling the need to flex my own muscles just a bit. And I gotta say that I'm impressed with this bike. I'd rather ride it than my scooters.

So I guess I'm kinda back in the motorized bicycle game. It's not really the same since this isn't my build. It was engineered by others for this purpose and I bought it ready-to-go.

But I'll look in here from time to time. If the e-bike section is active at all, then it's just barely possible that I'll have something barely worthwhile to say from time to time.

It looks like there's an item in my inbox. Perhaps a private message or something like that. I wonder how old it is? I'll have a look right now. But to whoever sent it, sorry I missed it so long.

 

[bakaneko]

Yeah, I made an electric bike too. It feels good to start to get back into shape. I mean with the gas motorized bicycle I don't really think that pedaling to 8mph before opening the throttle is exercise. I tried biking mostly pedaling to run errands on a hilly route and I had to stop and walk the bike because I was so winded and chest hurt. Now, I am getting more and more conditioned from help of the electric motor.

I am trying to create a new paradigm for eBikes and have been collecting some data this weekend. One of the paradigm is designed to work with existing eBikes so might reach out to you to see what you think eventually. Unfortunately, I need to secretly run it through a couple funding and industry partner sources first before disclosing anything but if that don't work out. I might just see if any of you DIY guys here want to help and release the "plans" here.

Which eBike did you end up getting?

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Hello, bakaneko! I remember you. Good to hear from you!

The bike I bought is the RadCity model from Rad Power Bikes of Seattle WA. It's a 48 V, 750 W rear hub motor design with seven pedal gears. The old happy time bikes were fun. But you're right, of course, in that there's no exercise. I always pedalled right along. But it was always ghost pedalling.

With this bike I can always find the perfect amount of exercise for me with the bike always able to pick up the slack. This also applies to my keeping a good body temperature. In winter, for instance, when I'm bundled up I can get awfully hot. But with this bike I can ease the load on my legs and/or pick up speed and let the air cool me off.

I was just a bit hesitant over the price. Figure on $1500 for one of these. But studying the matter I could see that putting together my own bike out of components that I'd bought separately would come to not much less than that figure. Might as well just get one that's engineered for this purpose and ready to ride.

Something similar applies to happy time bikes, as a matter of fact. You can put one together at much less cost, of course. But if you want to use real quality components, then the price is going to get into that range and can be more.

Now that there are batteries that are up to the task without weighing far too much, electric really is good. I'm going to enjoy this.

 

[bakaneko]

That is a very nice bike. I have been scoping the eBike market from high to low end to understand the competition and offerings, and Rad Power definitely is a company that provides quality builds for a reasonable price. As you may know some of these bikes can exceed $7k. What pedal assist mode do you usually use on your bike and any plans to modify that as you build up more endurance?

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

The old happy time bikes were fun. But you're right, of course, in that there's no exercise.

Not to be argumentative but.. okay just to be argumentative hehe, I get more exercise with my Happy Time than I do on my unassisted bikes! I am happier so I ride further, faster, and I have the gears to keep exercising up to about 36mph before I have to "ghost pedal".

 

[KCvale]

I am trying to create a new paradigm for eBikes and have been collecting some data this weekend.
One of the paradigm is designed to work with existing eBikes so might reach out to you to see what you think eventually.

I dig E-bikes.
From a simple Mom transport to work 600W 3-speed...

...
This electric build is on a customer supplied ~$3,500 carbon fiber soft tail 9-speed mountain bike with dual disc brakes that only weighed about 35 pounds.

The electric parts consist of the e-cyclone internally geared 24-48V 1680W BLDC motor.
Kelly 24-60V programmable controller.
~50V EM3ev battery pack with 110 18650 lithium Ion batteries with an excellent BMS (Battery Management System) in a triangle configuration for mounting in mountain bikes.
Plus a smart battery charger with 3 settings, 50% charge for storage, 90% for most uses to extend battery life, and 100% 50V charge for when you want to go crazy, and with 9-gears it can really go crazy fast or putt around at 3 MPH or climb even the steepest hill with ease.

With the low center of gravity and virtually no drag electric system you can pedal it around with the motor off with ease and just give it `throttle` when you want help.

Or not, the customer didn't want to have to pedal at all, he just wanted to fast with no hassles and that sucker was fast ;-}