EV’s are becoming mainstream

[Too Little Time]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Lee you do know there are really no $2,000 nice traditional road bikes anymore. This Colnago will set you back over $12,000 and there is no EV assist.

Local racers tend to ride more modest bikes.

As a casual cyclist I ride a more or less $5K bike - Cervelo CF frame, electric shifting, box rims, and custom gearing. Works out to be about $1K/year given the lifetime of parts.

[Joe (SoCal)]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Local racers tend to ride more modest bikes.

As a casual cyclist I ride a more or less $5K bike - Cervelo CF frame, electric shifting, box rims, and custom gearing. Works out to be about $1K/year given the lifetime of parts.

When I raced we used Team Bikes and beat them to hell. I raced with Austro Daimler Puch. CRC Raleigh Team, and Schwinn Team ( we raced Paramounts ) I remember looking at “Old” guys ( 40-50 years old ) and calling them $2,000 worth of SLOW

[AnalogKid]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

It's a shame the clean vehicle rebate doesn't apply to bicycles too...

There's a bit of lobbying to get them included. From the evidence worldwide, it's apparent that lots of people replacing their short journeys with ebikes is more affordable, and therefore effective, than a few people replacing all their journeys with an electric car.

...to my eye it’s pretty damned hard to get a EBike that has anywhere near the aesthetics.

Agreed. In an effort to integrate the battery into the frame, pretty much every ebike made looks like a dog's breakfast. I'm more inclined to go for one that doesn't attempt to look like anything other than a utility device. That way, I'm only going to use it as a runaround and keep the real bikes for longer rides, and therefore hopefully keep some degree of fitness longer.

The only problem with the utility ebikes is the only one I like is $5600 - a bit more than I'd like to spend. All the cheaper versions have unnecessary features, like cheap, heavy suspension forks that'll just rust out and lock up in a year or two of riding, or folding mechanisms that I don't really want.

[Priscilla]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

https://ubco.co.nz/pages/2x2-se

IMG_4570.jpg
IMG_4575.png

[AnalogKid]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Ubco bikes are great, but sadly being classed as mopeds, not allowed over the bridge. That very much limits their utility for me as a full commuter vehicle.

What I like about that Benno RemiDemi is that it's got the Ubco utility while still being pedalable, and half the price. half the speed too, probably, but that's OK if it's only for short, local trips.

Meanwhile the Stufff motoring section this morning is 3/4 EV stories, with one comparing the three new EVs available for around the $50K mark. Still too much though, but nice to see that they can be made for less than $79K.

(the remaining story was from Georgia US, the Florida woman that jumped her car over the tow-truck ramp).

[rgthom]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Now that I have done one, I'm finding a lot of advantages to doing a front hub motor conversion of a steel road bike. This is for around town and commuting, not off road and not for a lot of cargo. For some effort in putting it together, but much less than a mid-drive, you can get a high quality, fast and fully maintainable personal transporter. Either converting an old bike or building up from new parts (as I did here) you have control of components and appearance. I went for a mixte, personal preference in appearance, but the frame geometry made for a very clean wire routing. With the bags and a wrap over the battery it does not scream e-bike, certainly not fast e-bike, but it can do 28 mph on my commute. The huge advantage over electric motorcycles is use of the local bike paths, which are sparsely used in my area and far safer than roads.

[Chip-skiff]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Makes the Tesla CyberTruck look sort of cheap.

The Ford Nucleon, nuclear-powered car of the future


Ford Motor Company's Nucleon car design (1958)

“Atomic” fever swept America in the 1950s, shaping people’s hopes and fears and inspiring daring new dreams. The “atomic” future seemed boundless when nuclear energy began powering the nation’s cities, and the promise of nuclear medicine was beginning to emerge.

From cars to comic books, few aspects of the American landscape were untouched by the heady promises of the atomic age. Ford Motor Company produced its futuristic Nucleon design study car in 1958, not long after Pittsburgh’s residents began receiving electricity from the world’s first full-scale nuclear power plant.

Designers envisioned that the Ford Nucleon’s nuclear reactor would be located in the rear of the vehicle and that the reactor’s atomic core would be recharged periodically. This “replaceable power package” would be available in various sizes, enabling “the driver to select his own horsepower.”

https://thebulletin.org/virtual-tour/the-ford-nucleon-nuclear-powered-car-of-the-future/

[Garret]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Now that I have done one, I'm finding a lot of advantages to doing a front hub motor conversion of a steel road bike. This is for around town and commuting, not off road and not for a lot of cargo. For some effort in putting it together, but much less than a mid-drive, you can get a high quality, fast and fully maintainable personal transporter. Either converting an old bike or building up from new parts (as I did here) you have control of components and appearance. I went for a mixte, personal preference in appearance, but the frame geometry made for a very clean wire routing. With the bags and a wrap over the battery it does not scream e-bike, certainly not fast e-bike, but it can do 28 mph on my commute. The huge advantage over electric motorcycles is use of the local bike paths, which are sparsely used in my area and far safer than roads.

Are you finding drawbacks to the front wheel drive? Gyroscopic issues? Steering/handling?

I like how you've done it - looks great.

[LeeG]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Now that I have done one, I'm finding a lot of advantages to doing a front hub motor conversion of a steel road bike. This is for around town and commuting, not off road and not for a lot of cargo. For some effort in putting it together, but much less than a mid-drive, you can get a high quality, fast and fully maintainable personal transporter. Either converting an old bike or building up from new parts (as I did here) you have control of components and appearance. I went for a mixte, personal preference in appearance, but the frame geometry made for a very clean wire routing. With the bags and a wrap over the battery it does not scream e-bike, certainly not fast e-bike, but it can do 28 mph on my commute. The huge advantage over electric motorcycles is use of the local bike paths, which are sparsely used in my area and far safer than roads.

Very well done. I am trying out a CaneCreek suspension seatpost and Redshift suspension stem on my 26” wheel Surly LHT. It’s a worthwhile change for where I am.

[rgthom]

Are you finding drawbacks to the front wheel drive? Gyroscopic issues? Steering/handling?

I like how you've done it - looks great.

The front hub works much better than I was led to expect. It adds 6 lb, barely noticeable, and with PAS sensing acts like AWD to power both wheels when I pedal. On steep gravel at high power it can slip, but even wet roads have been fine.

[rgthom]

Very well done. I am trying out a CaneCreek suspension seatpost and Redshift suspension stem on my 26” wheel Surly LHT. It’s a worthwhile change for where I am.

That long travel Thudbuster is worth every penny. It soaks up the worst road surfaces.

[Joe (SoCal)]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream



Data firm JATO Dynamics, along with automotive site Motor.1.com, published new research that found the Tesla Model Y was the number one selling vehicle globally in the first quarter of the year — the first time an EV was the top selling vehicle.

JATO said Tesla sold 267,200 Model Ys in Q1, up 69% from a year ago. The 2nd best selling car was Toyota’s Corolla, with 256,400 vehicles sold globally.

[Priscilla]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

https://www.tesla.com/impact/product

https://www.tesla.com/ns_videos/2022-tesla-impact-report.pdf

[skuthorp]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Another viewpoint posing the likelihood that EV's, like other tech, will likely become the victim of lighter and more sufficient vehicles.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jun/03/electric-vehicles-early-adopter-petrol-car-ev-environment-rowan-atkinson?utm_term=647bf027909de333406ae840a2e358ef&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayAUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTAU_email

[Rigadog]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

We need cars that are lighter and smaller. And if you don't need a truck, don't buy one because you like riding high and it makes you feel cool. I found the guardian article very interesting.