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04-09-08, 05:02 AM
Hello everyone, I read a lot of excellent posts on this forum, and I wanted to give my two-cents worth…
The high price of filling up my Nissan Pathfinder is getting more painful with each passing month, so I was looking for an alternative way to commute. When I found out about the ~ $600 rebate check coming from the IRS to us taxpayers, I decided to buy (with my credit card) a cool looking beach cruiser and the BL-36 Brushless, 36 volt (50 AMPS) system made by Wilderness Energy. By doing so, I like to believe I can strike a blow to “Corporate America,” especially to the oil companies that profit from us car dependent citizens. So, I figured I can use “their” rebate money to become less dependent on gasoline (fossil fuel): as an added bonus, I can help in a small way to lessen my impact on global warming. With “record breaking oil prices” hitting us Americans on the news cast every evening -every week, I think in the near future, most Americans are going to have to adopt an European, India, China, and elsewhere lifestyle by commuting around using energy saving e-bikes. So, after careful research, I piece together my first e-bike: I like to share my first week experience riding my very first electric-bike.
After confirming with Dennis at bernsonev.com that the new BL-36 hub that I purchased from him is installed on the right side of the front fork and not the left side, as stated in the “outdated installation manual” that came with the kit, I put my e-bike together. I charged up my battery pack, strapped down the black battery pack to the rear rack using the Velcro straps that are sewed onto the bag, there was a little space left-over on the rear rack to mount the controller unit just under my seat. The controller unit was bigger than I thought, but it’s rated @ 50 amp. The front hub feels solid and looks well built, and it balances out the weight between the rear battery pack nicely; giving my e-bike an overall solid feel. Aesthetically, my flat black beach cruiser looks like an ordinary bike with what looks like drum brakes inside the front wheel. The battery pack compactness gives my bike a low profile look and the black wires strung along the frame blends in well with the bike. With the lack of knowledge from the general public about e-bikes and the “ordinary” look of my e-bike, I think it might help a little bit in theft prevention. For example, one day while riding my e-bike, I made a stop at a fast food joint, I overheard two looking gang bangers comment on my e-bike. I heard them both laugh a bit, and one guy said the front brake looks too big, and the other guy said “yea, it looks bullet-proof too.” After admiring the low-profile look of my new e-bike, I pushed it out the door, and I noticed “right off the bat” the added weight to my beach cruiser. However, I did not mind it too much because I like the solid feel—feels like a very light-weight moped. What’s more, I live in an apartment and my stairs are only ½-story to the street, making it easy to put it down or put it away.
On my first ride around the block, I experimented by alternating from pedaling and throttling only. When pedaling my 7-speed black beach cruiser, I find that at 5th or 6th gear, the bike becomes manageable and comfortable in pulling around the extra weight. Now for the fun part, I was impressed with the throttle response of the front electric hub. I can easily sit at a dead stop and accelerate down the road quickly, and with the last few centimeters of twisting the thumb accelerator to its max, I get an extra push or “oomph” to the ride. After riding around a bit, I quickly adapted by starting from a dead stop at 3rd or 4th gear to help get my e-bike rolling; and then I hit the throttle to pull the extra weight and make my bike go faster down the street. The rack and battery pack are a good combo and it feels firm on the rides; a little bumpy at times but durable.
The range of my e-bike is excellent for my commute in Los Angeles; I am about six miles away from most of my activities--my work, my old neighborhood, and my play area (the beach) going one way. So, on one of my round trips (~12 mile round trip) going full throttle roughly 80% of the way, when I arrive at my home, the light on the voltage meter was still on green (full power) and my e-bike still had that “peppiness” it did from the start of the ride. On one day, I tested the range of the extended battery pack (12 Volt DC, 12 Amp Hour Lead-Acid Gel-Cell Batteries (x3) ) on a very breezy late afternoon. I drove (notice I said “drove” and not struggle) into the wind at full throttle most of the way (I know full throttle drains the battery a lot quicker but I needed to get around quickly). Around 15miles into the trip, I notice from a take-off at a stop light that the bike hesitated briefly when I press on the throttle. At the next stop light, I checked out my wire connections to make sure they were not loose, all were snug. When I took off again, I begin to notice that the peppiness was gone, but I was still moving along at a better than average pace. Around the 17-18 mile-point (my home), the bike had intermittent surges and the yellow light on the voltage meter (low power) on my throttle was flickering off and on—so did the power from the front wheel. My pace was average now and there was a noticeable decrease in the power at this point; I had to assist the electric hub more and more. To the e-bikes defense, my range test that day was hampered by riding into a head wind most of the way, multiple traffic stops, a 1/4 mile hill climb, full throttling most of the way, and parking my e-bike uncharged for a few hours while I was at work--not a very scientific test but more of an average "Joe's" test. The e-bike performed very well, I was the fastest bicyclist on the road and I had fun the entire trip. :D I think I can go farther on my next test.....
My e-bike rides are more fun and less stressful compared to my "regular" bike rides. On my "regular” bike rides, when I “hit the wall” (low glucose in my muscles) I would struggle on my bike rides and creep along the road. Now, with my e-bike, I just hit the throttle on full, sit on my seat to “catch my breath,” all-the-while feeling a surge of wind on my face as I accelerate--and going at top speed on what use to be the slowest part of my rides. One of my biggest turn-offs while riding on my “regular” bike was pedaling into the wind and climbing up hills. For example, if the sea breeze was strong, I use to strap my bike onto my SUV, waste gas driving to the beach (and stressing-out going there because city drivers drive so poorly), spending my money for parking at the beach, and then unload my bike for a slow, struggling-in-the-wind bike ride down the boardwalk. Not anymore! Now, I can leave my SUV parked at home, jump on my e-bike and head straight into the wind, blowing past poor struggling bicyclists along the way. In addition to dealing with the wind, there are a few hills I have to ride over on my commute. After accelerating my e-bike a little more than a third way up a hill, I would have to pedal assist to climb over it: however, with the front electric hub working on max, combined with my pedaling the rear wheel at the same time, I get that easy feeling of pedaling at a 2nd or 3rd gear ratio but pushing fast up the hills at a 6th or 7th gear speed.
In summarizing my first week on my e-bike, I can go farther easier; my exercise seems less strenuous during the bike ride, although my body feels its getting a better workout (probably because I am riding longer than I did before owning my e-bike); I am saving money on soaring gas prices; I am going to bed earlier, waking up earlier, and the added health benefit to my body is the best part/blessing. Thank you, IRS!
thank you for your time...
Zephyr Boy
170lbs
The high price of filling up my Nissan Pathfinder is getting more painful with each passing month, so I was looking for an alternative way to commute. When I found out about the ~ $600 rebate check coming from the IRS to us taxpayers, I decided to buy (with my credit card) a cool looking beach cruiser and the BL-36 Brushless, 36 volt (50 AMPS) system made by Wilderness Energy. By doing so, I like to believe I can strike a blow to “Corporate America,” especially to the oil companies that profit from us car dependent citizens. So, I figured I can use “their” rebate money to become less dependent on gasoline (fossil fuel): as an added bonus, I can help in a small way to lessen my impact on global warming. With “record breaking oil prices” hitting us Americans on the news cast every evening -every week, I think in the near future, most Americans are going to have to adopt an European, India, China, and elsewhere lifestyle by commuting around using energy saving e-bikes. So, after careful research, I piece together my first e-bike: I like to share my first week experience riding my very first electric-bike.
After confirming with Dennis at bernsonev.com that the new BL-36 hub that I purchased from him is installed on the right side of the front fork and not the left side, as stated in the “outdated installation manual” that came with the kit, I put my e-bike together. I charged up my battery pack, strapped down the black battery pack to the rear rack using the Velcro straps that are sewed onto the bag, there was a little space left-over on the rear rack to mount the controller unit just under my seat. The controller unit was bigger than I thought, but it’s rated @ 50 amp. The front hub feels solid and looks well built, and it balances out the weight between the rear battery pack nicely; giving my e-bike an overall solid feel. Aesthetically, my flat black beach cruiser looks like an ordinary bike with what looks like drum brakes inside the front wheel. The battery pack compactness gives my bike a low profile look and the black wires strung along the frame blends in well with the bike. With the lack of knowledge from the general public about e-bikes and the “ordinary” look of my e-bike, I think it might help a little bit in theft prevention. For example, one day while riding my e-bike, I made a stop at a fast food joint, I overheard two looking gang bangers comment on my e-bike. I heard them both laugh a bit, and one guy said the front brake looks too big, and the other guy said “yea, it looks bullet-proof too.” After admiring the low-profile look of my new e-bike, I pushed it out the door, and I noticed “right off the bat” the added weight to my beach cruiser. However, I did not mind it too much because I like the solid feel—feels like a very light-weight moped. What’s more, I live in an apartment and my stairs are only ½-story to the street, making it easy to put it down or put it away.
On my first ride around the block, I experimented by alternating from pedaling and throttling only. When pedaling my 7-speed black beach cruiser, I find that at 5th or 6th gear, the bike becomes manageable and comfortable in pulling around the extra weight. Now for the fun part, I was impressed with the throttle response of the front electric hub. I can easily sit at a dead stop and accelerate down the road quickly, and with the last few centimeters of twisting the thumb accelerator to its max, I get an extra push or “oomph” to the ride. After riding around a bit, I quickly adapted by starting from a dead stop at 3rd or 4th gear to help get my e-bike rolling; and then I hit the throttle to pull the extra weight and make my bike go faster down the street. The rack and battery pack are a good combo and it feels firm on the rides; a little bumpy at times but durable.
The range of my e-bike is excellent for my commute in Los Angeles; I am about six miles away from most of my activities--my work, my old neighborhood, and my play area (the beach) going one way. So, on one of my round trips (~12 mile round trip) going full throttle roughly 80% of the way, when I arrive at my home, the light on the voltage meter was still on green (full power) and my e-bike still had that “peppiness” it did from the start of the ride. On one day, I tested the range of the extended battery pack (12 Volt DC, 12 Amp Hour Lead-Acid Gel-Cell Batteries (x3) ) on a very breezy late afternoon. I drove (notice I said “drove” and not struggle) into the wind at full throttle most of the way (I know full throttle drains the battery a lot quicker but I needed to get around quickly). Around 15miles into the trip, I notice from a take-off at a stop light that the bike hesitated briefly when I press on the throttle. At the next stop light, I checked out my wire connections to make sure they were not loose, all were snug. When I took off again, I begin to notice that the peppiness was gone, but I was still moving along at a better than average pace. Around the 17-18 mile-point (my home), the bike had intermittent surges and the yellow light on the voltage meter (low power) on my throttle was flickering off and on—so did the power from the front wheel. My pace was average now and there was a noticeable decrease in the power at this point; I had to assist the electric hub more and more. To the e-bikes defense, my range test that day was hampered by riding into a head wind most of the way, multiple traffic stops, a 1/4 mile hill climb, full throttling most of the way, and parking my e-bike uncharged for a few hours while I was at work--not a very scientific test but more of an average "Joe's" test. The e-bike performed very well, I was the fastest bicyclist on the road and I had fun the entire trip. :D I think I can go farther on my next test.....
My e-bike rides are more fun and less stressful compared to my "regular" bike rides. On my "regular” bike rides, when I “hit the wall” (low glucose in my muscles) I would struggle on my bike rides and creep along the road. Now, with my e-bike, I just hit the throttle on full, sit on my seat to “catch my breath,” all-the-while feeling a surge of wind on my face as I accelerate--and going at top speed on what use to be the slowest part of my rides. One of my biggest turn-offs while riding on my “regular” bike was pedaling into the wind and climbing up hills. For example, if the sea breeze was strong, I use to strap my bike onto my SUV, waste gas driving to the beach (and stressing-out going there because city drivers drive so poorly), spending my money for parking at the beach, and then unload my bike for a slow, struggling-in-the-wind bike ride down the boardwalk. Not anymore! Now, I can leave my SUV parked at home, jump on my e-bike and head straight into the wind, blowing past poor struggling bicyclists along the way. In addition to dealing with the wind, there are a few hills I have to ride over on my commute. After accelerating my e-bike a little more than a third way up a hill, I would have to pedal assist to climb over it: however, with the front electric hub working on max, combined with my pedaling the rear wheel at the same time, I get that easy feeling of pedaling at a 2nd or 3rd gear ratio but pushing fast up the hills at a 6th or 7th gear speed.
In summarizing my first week on my e-bike, I can go farther easier; my exercise seems less strenuous during the bike ride, although my body feels its getting a better workout (probably because I am riding longer than I did before owning my e-bike); I am saving money on soaring gas prices; I am going to bed earlier, waking up earlier, and the added health benefit to my body is the best part/blessing. Thank you, IRS!
thank you for your time...
Zephyr Boy
170lbs