Bionx Owners - Touring Strategies
Greetings from the Great American Desert (Salt Lake City):
I took delivery on my PL350 about a month ago, and I am happy to report that everything is working as advertised. (My "maiden voyage" was into a 15MPG wind, and it was refreshing to not be at the mercy of moving air for a change).
This setup is eventually intended for long daytrips - and possibly multi-day trips ... so that I can complete 50+ miles per day without feeling completely exhausted.
Assuming a goal of 50 miles in a day, and assuming that the wind is not a factor on that day, what would be the best approach to getting the most out of the Bionx unit. Here are some weight numbers: rider is about 210 pounds, bicycle without Bionx is about 27 pounds, credit card touring load is about 15 pounds.
a) Leave the assist at "0" so there are no standing start issues - and regularly throttle for a mile after pedaling for every 4 miles. (Bionx routinely takes up 20% of the distance).
b) Pretend that it's a "normal bicycle" until an incline requires use of the throttle. (Use of the throttle, in this case, would be variable day to day).
c) Set the assist for a certain amount, and let the computer take up some of the effort during the entire journey.
I selected this unit specifically because of the throttle option - but holding it open for a long period of time doesn't seem practical, and I have no idea how much the Bionx designers intended that a rider should use it.
Thoughts on the above would be deeply appreciated.