jose Posted May 16, 2017 Report Posted May 16, 2017 Guys today Tom Dumoulin was Spectacular Enviado desde mi SM-G920F mediante Tapatalk
HeadphoneAddict Posted May 17, 2017 Report Posted May 17, 2017 Before this past Spring Break I hadn't been on a bicycle since fall of 2014, right before the big car accident. With my lung disease I'd go through a C-tank of oxygen within 15 miles of riding my Kona Nunu mtn bike on fairly flat ground with slight hills. Regardless, even with oxygen there was no hope of doing any riding in my hilly neighborhood at 6600 feet elevation, and especially no chance of making the 800 foot climb from the shopping center at the bottom of Cheyenne Mountain back up to my house (about 2.5 miles ride one way, with a grade ranging from 0 to 12% along the way). So we recently bought a pair of Trek eBikes so that I could ride in around our neighborhood whenever feasible, and so that my wife could keep up with me on the steep hills with her own eBike when she has time to ride. I bought the 17.5" Powerfly 7 mountain bike, but the smallest women's mountain bike was much too tall for my wife and she had to get the 14" Neko+ trail/hybrid. I tested the XM700+ and the Dual Sport+ first, but they didn't fit me as well as this one (and the one I got is sweet on single tracks unlike the others). The 29" tires roll over everything, and the Rock Shox Reba RL forks work great in combination with the Suntour NCX suspension seat post. The 203mm hydraulic front disk brakes are very impressive stoppers on fast downhill rides (up to 42.7mph so far), and the 75NM of torque lets me climb up very steep grades and trails. The bikes are class-1 pedal assist-only (no throttle), using torque sensing at the crank to multiply our effort, but with no assist past 20mph. We keep the assist levels as low as possible for the best workout and longest battery range. My bike adds power to the amount that I put into the crank in 4 levels: adds 55% more, 120%, 210%, or 300% more (up to 250W continuous or 500W peak), and my oxygen requirement has been dramatically reduced. My wife's bike does 50%, 100%, and 200%. Because of the mid-drive, the motor can benefit from the gear-set to make climbs easier. But because of the torque sensor, we still have to get some exercise in order to get the motor to help with climbs. On totally flat ground, any setting for assist makes pedaling effortless, which means I can leave my oxygen at home (not really true since my O2 sats drop to 85% just by walking). Range in the lowest assist mode on the easiest terrain is about 15 miles per 1 bar of battery (out of 5), or as much as 75 miles. On the harder rides around our neighborhood it drops 1/5 bars of battery every 6-8 miles, so my range would be closer to 30-40 miles. But I haven't ridden far enough to drain it more than 3 bars. I got an ECOhitch Invisi 1.25" hitch installed on my WRX (totally hidden behind the bumper) so we can take the bikes on a rack for holiday trips. We're going to Glenwood Springs CO this Memorial Day weekend, and we'll be able to ride the bike paths along the river in both directions. In the past we'd rent bikes and catch a shuttle to take us upriver so we could ride back downhill. Some parts would still be slightly uphill, and I'd need my oxygen despite the lower altitude. The plan is to ride out to the drop-off point and back, without needing the shuttle this time. Here's a pic of my wife with both bikes, then me, and the car with rack and her bike. (phone camera lens makes wife look tiny and me look huge because she's farther away behind the bikes and I'm closer and in front). I'd like to upgrade the bike rack to a 1up (or a Kuat NV base) at some point, because it's quite difficult to lift a 43 and 46 pound eBike onto the current rack. 6
grawk Posted May 17, 2017 Report Posted May 17, 2017 welcome back larry, you're looking happy and well. 4
HeadphoneAddict Posted May 18, 2017 Report Posted May 18, 2017 Thanks. Still trying to figure out which facial muscles to contract for a smile. 2
raffy Posted May 18, 2017 Report Posted May 18, 2017 Glad to see you out there, Larry! Looking good! 1
VPI Posted May 27, 2017 Report Posted May 27, 2017 Home post weigh in. 19lbs 3oz. Quite a bit less than my CF Gravel Bike. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 6
VPI Posted May 28, 2017 Report Posted May 28, 2017 A little spare Ti King Cage goodness and Garmin Sensors added. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3
MexicanDragon Posted May 28, 2017 Report Posted May 28, 2017 I fucking hate you.Beautiful knockaround bike, Jeff.**BRENT**Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
swt61 Posted May 28, 2017 Report Posted May 28, 2017 Brent's BAI will afford him an exotic bike made out of the rare metal "cast iron". 3
VPI Posted May 30, 2017 Report Posted May 30, 2017 Went out for a short ride with the Litespeed. A couple of early lessons:Rim brakes suck. Shimano wobbly brake levers are annoying. 23 Michelin Lithion 2s have less grip in crushed limestone that 37c WTB Riddlers. All fairly minor or obvious things so I am actually happy. Ride is better than the CF bike and handling is better in everything but gravel. Maybe I will go put the Litespeed on one of my two (Brent has none) smart trainers and work on the fit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3
MexicanDragon Posted May 30, 2017 Report Posted May 30, 2017 So much h8red.**BRENT"*Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
Dreadhead Posted May 30, 2017 Report Posted May 30, 2017 You spelt hatred like that. You deserve what you get. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk 3
Dreadhead Posted May 31, 2017 Report Posted May 31, 2017 First ride in a few months today. Poured with rain. Was still awesome. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk 6
Hopstretch Posted June 1, 2017 Report Posted June 1, 2017 (edited) On 30/05/2017 at 2:07 AM, Dreadhead said: You spelt hatred like that. You deserve what you get. You should be nicer to Brent. We could make some good money off him. Just need a biscuit ... Edited June 1, 2017 by Hopstretch 1
swt61 Posted June 1, 2017 Report Posted June 1, 2017 That is the single most un-PC thing I've seen in a while, and I can't stop laughing! That is funny, funny shit! 1
Hopstretch Posted June 2, 2017 Report Posted June 2, 2017 Know this is opening up a can of worms but I kinda want to buy a mountain bike and could use some advice. Will be living at the top of a big-ass hill, so going to be climbing that on the regular. Lots of fire roads/jeep track nearby. Too old and scaredy for stupid trails or hectic downhill. Thoughts?
grawk Posted June 2, 2017 Report Posted June 2, 2017 Just now, Hopstretch said: Know this is opening up a can of worms but I kinda want to buy a mountain bike and could use some advice. Will be living at the top of a big-ass hill, so going to be climbing that on the regular. Lots of fire roads/jeep track nearby. Too old and scaredy for stupid trails or hectic downhill. Thoughts? Find a local bike shop, look at their hardtails. Ask the shop for recommendations. They'll carry 3-4 brands. You'll want the relationship with the shop unless you want to tinker with the bike yourself. 1
TMoney Posted June 2, 2017 Report Posted June 2, 2017 3 minutes ago, Hopstretch said: Know this is opening up a can of worms but I kinda want to buy a mountain bike and could use some advice. Will be living at the top of a big-ass hill, so going to be climbing that on the regular. Lots of fire roads/jeep track nearby. Too old and scaredy for stupid trails or hectic downhill. Thoughts? Mike's Bikes, a local chain out here, was very highly recommended to me.
Hopstretch Posted June 2, 2017 Report Posted June 2, 2017 So you're saying I might need more than one bike? Never saw that coming! 2
VPI Posted June 2, 2017 Report Posted June 2, 2017 No one that does not intend to ride trails needs a MTB. Anything you are going to ride can be managed by a lighter, more efficient gravel bike/all-rounder
grawk Posted June 2, 2017 Report Posted June 2, 2017 Obviously you need a road bike, a gravel bike, a hard tail 29er, a full suspension 27.5 mid fat, and a fat bike, for you, each of the kids, and your wife.
MexicanDragon Posted June 2, 2017 Report Posted June 2, 2017 Worms, you say? Cans, you say? This should be fun. If DOTU chimes in on if he can remember where we rented bikes from years ago, that'd be great. I know we had Trek and Santa Cruz. Stretch, didn't you get your kid a bike? Which brand? Would you want to stick with the same brand (my kid likes some of our bike stuff to match.) I'd get Zach's take on this one, but while it's a couple years old, and doesn't have a trendy 1x setup (1 chainring in front, 11-12 gears in back,) it will give you easier gears to get up those hills.https://www.sunshinebicycle.com/products/moots-rogue-ybb-2014-20-ti Also, I agree with Jeff, you need at least 3 bikes. Budget 2.7 BAI. **BRENT**
grawk Posted June 2, 2017 Report Posted June 2, 2017 I wouldn't want to ride a jeep track on a gravel bike.
VPI Posted June 2, 2017 Report Posted June 2, 2017 He is not talking about real jeep trails, he is talking about dirt roads.
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