e-bikes are getting stealthier
Discussion
The Stroud area is centre of the electric biking universe but I can't see the current crop of e-bike riders; old ducks on uprights with a basket full of kittens or yummy mummys who have left the Range Rover at home so that once or twice a year they can take Tamsin and Caspar to school in a trailer behind their e-bike going for a bike with a slammed aero riding position unless their route to the organic herb farm takes in a TT!!
Seriously though, if this complies with current regulations the electric assist is only going to be a benefit on climbs as it has to cutout above 15.5mph, you end up carrying significant extra dead weight all the time for a bit of boost on the climbs, just get a wide ratio cassette
I have worked on a number of electric scooters and trials bikes and they have all had battery issues, the 18650 cells that are used by Orbea and pretty much everyone else (including Tesla who use 7000 of them in a pack) are pretty much an industry standard but the chemistry has limitations; they will only charge to 100% rated capacity at 25 degrees C, charge them at 0 or +40 and you can only get 80% capacity into them, same for discharge, you only get 100% out (of whatever went in ) at 25 degrees C, go out on a frosty morning at -10 degrees and you only get 50% of the capacity. After 300 charge cycles the capacity will have dropped to 70%, all these factors combine so that you might be lucky to get the claimed range when the bike is brand new but it will deteriorate with time. Realistically I have found owners generally only getting 50% after a year or two. If the battery pack doesn't have a balancing battery management system just the passage of time will cripple the range in a year.
Looks nice though.
Seriously though, if this complies with current regulations the electric assist is only going to be a benefit on climbs as it has to cutout above 15.5mph, you end up carrying significant extra dead weight all the time for a bit of boost on the climbs, just get a wide ratio cassette
I have worked on a number of electric scooters and trials bikes and they have all had battery issues, the 18650 cells that are used by Orbea and pretty much everyone else (including Tesla who use 7000 of them in a pack) are pretty much an industry standard but the chemistry has limitations; they will only charge to 100% rated capacity at 25 degrees C, charge them at 0 or +40 and you can only get 80% capacity into them, same for discharge, you only get 100% out (of whatever went in ) at 25 degrees C, go out on a frosty morning at -10 degrees and you only get 50% of the capacity. After 300 charge cycles the capacity will have dropped to 70%, all these factors combine so that you might be lucky to get the claimed range when the bike is brand new but it will deteriorate with time. Realistically I have found owners generally only getting 50% after a year or two. If the battery pack doesn't have a balancing battery management system just the passage of time will cripple the range in a year.
Looks nice though.
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