Not sure it'd be practical where I'm at with the towns being miles apart, but a great idea in more dense areas. How do you deal with transporting things like a trip to the grocery store?
Now that's some crazy getup, i suppose the range and speed is going to be influenced by the weight and battery capacity, could be an interesting bit of research. For me it'd maybe a max of 400lbs for the two of us (I'm 6'3" and in the 230 some range alone) plus a minion and cargo. Probabbly 500 actually just to give some overhead, never good to spec things just at capacity.
My wife orders the weekly groceries home every 1-2 weeks. The delivery fee for purchases over 150.- is only 4.95, which easily pays for itself with the drive and the parking fee to the nearest shopping center (8km). In addition, in this setup i also have to carry the purchases only from the front door to the basement.
Edit: We use Public transportation a lot. For the normal bike we use the Thule Chariot Sport as a trailer. For the daily needs (fresh bread, somtimes mising butter or milk...) we shop localy in th village, also with bike and backbag or the biketrailer.
A decent cost, I'd guess the delivery is a store employee using a company vehicle since that'd be a heavy lift for $5 to take on in some 3rd party service or the employee's car like most small shops. Persoannly I like going to the shop, even if it's a little ways out just for the getting an idea on the fly aspect when walking by something.
Google pannier bags. They're basically totes that mount onto a bike rack. Some of them even have straps to convert them into a backpack for easy carrying.
In terms of distance, I think you might be surprised by how far and fast you can go with an ebike. A lot of people only think about their speed when on the highway, but most of your time on the road is likely spent at slower speeds navigating traffic in town. So what bikes may lack in speed, they make up for in maneuverability.
Sounds like a lot of people here have some experience with this. Where I'm at it's all towns of less than 2000 usually spaced 5-10 miles apart over a state highway. I could bike on it, at least in the summer. Might be worth a look, or just getting a decent analog bike since it can't really be my daily transport moving a kid and all. Been meaning to get one of those anyhow, last one I had was a shoddy thing not up to hauling someone my size.
Not the OP but I use a bag from Rhinowalk (I got mine from amazon for 85 Canadian dollars) that transforms from a pannier to a backpack and I love it! It's not the best backpack in the sense that only the top opens so it's harder to organize but I love it overall.
I understand exactly what you mean. The insurance for me (accident-free and driving safety course) was 500.-, plus road taxes of c. 250.-... and that every year...
I used to be very anxious over bad weather when I first started cycling more and switched modes of transport at any chance of rain. These days I always have a tiny-pack-size rain jacket and pants with me and plan my commute around the weather radar... but above of all I've just got pretty indifferent to rain. Most of the time it's just a little bit, the few instances it gets more I have the rain gear with me. Thunderstorms that entirely prevent cycling are extremely rare for me.
I ride a lot in my city and thunderstorms can happen several times a week where I live during certain parts of the year. Usually I can plan around them and if it's really so stormy I don't think I can bike then it's usually better if I don't drive anywhere either.
The main one that gets me is when I pick up my kid from school. Just rain and I'll bike but if there's lightning I occasionally need to take the car for safety.
Waterproof jacket and trousers that fits a pannier bag (preferably waterproof also) makes you basically 90% rainproof, especially if the trousers have shoe covers or your shoes are at least a little waterproof. Also, clear glasses avoid raindrops to go into your eyes while riding and allow you to see the road. Like this, only your hands are not covered.
In a drizzle or similar, I bike with a weatherproof jacket. I take the bus or tram if I have to get anywhere in bad weather, but more often I probably don't leave my home if the weather is bad or there's a storm brewing.
Disclaimer: I live alone in a major metropolitan area and mostly work from home.
There are only a few days in the year where the weather is so bad, that you really can't take the bike. In my region thats ~5 days where there's really heavy snowfall. Rain should not be an issue, with clothing
For the really bad days I can gladly stay home in my job, but if I couldn't I would take a cab
Think about how many times in the last year you had heavy rain hitting your windshield while driving a car. Certainly light rain in most places might be more common. I've been bike commuting for 1700 miles so far. I have only been caught out in heavy rain once, moderate rain once, and light rain twice. I live in a place with fairly average rainfall. It's probably rained several dozen times during some other part of the day many of the times I've commuted, but the commute itself is 38 minutes (10 miles) and I have usually been lucky. I had a lot of apprehension about weather when I started, but I mostly barely think about it at this point. Just check the radar, and wear appropriate cloths. One thing I mean to get is waterproof rain pants, but it hasn't really mattered that much so far. I have water "resistant" casual pants, and they work well enough for light rain.
Maybe you live in a place with immense heat or crippling cold. Me, I live outside london, and take my folding bike in the train in to cycle from train station to the office - takes about 30 minutes each way and it’s usually the high light of my day.
Since taking the bike, I think I’ve been caught in (proper) rain thrice. Then you put on some waterproofs and move on. Really not as bad as you think.
Sadly, eagles don't sound nearly as cool and I originally thought. Somehow, I got the impression that the bald eagle has some loud and menacing scream, but that scream actually belongs to some type of hawk. The bald eagle sounds much wimpier.
I take the bike to the small service every six months (Easter/October). I also always change the tires from summer tires to endurance tires or vice versa. The spare parts have so far cost me a little more than a complete set of decent winter tires for the car.
Fortunately, I had no problems with the engine so far.
Suggestions for GPS trackers?
I've always wondered if all of them have to rely on a network of Bluetooth/Wi-Fi devices in the vicinity of it, or there are some other options?
While we're at it, if it were possible, could we make it out of open hardware too?
Thanks :)
I have not replaced it jet, but i want to mention:
The speed i reach easily dropped from 44.5 to 42 km/h
The Distance i can max. travel in turbomode dropped from 47km to 42km. On the display it still showes 47 fully charged, but the 5km just vanish on tour.
Would you again buy a 50 km/h bike vs. a 25 km/h one? I consider buying an e-bike to pull a trailer but I am not sure if I need the extra power, 25 km/h seems plenty. Does it feel saver when you can drive as fast as surrounding cars?