BiggKidd's bike rides

[BiggKidd]

Turned out it was a freewheel not a cassette. But it's swapped out now, bye bye to the 14-28 hello to the 11-28. Now I can pedal along with the motor at 13, 18, and somewhat at 23 mph. I think I'm still going to change the chainring. BTW It took me forever to learn the method for adjusting the derailleur! I almost went ahead and welded up the clutch in the motor but in the end decided to wait.

After swapping the freewheel I went for a 20 mile faster than normal for me ride mostly at 18 and 23mph and still had a little over 50% charge when I got back so it does help extend the range at higher speeds.

 

[BiggKidd]

I've had my bike one month today. I was hoping to cross the 500 mile mark but ended up 12 miles short, 488 miles in a month isn't bad though!

The new freewheel lets me travel at 18mph while pedaling but sadly it doesn't stretch the mileage as much as I had hoped. I can pedal at 23mph for a couple minutes but I run out of legs and air pretty quick. Now I know to travel the farthest per charge I have to run down at 13mph. Which I had already assumed.
Anyway did about 33 miles today and the battery was down at 43.5V when I put it on charge. That's likely the lowest it's ever been. Kept an eye on my volts all day and I have a feeling welding up the one way clutch may let it regain a little charge going down the big hills. Several times as I stopped pedaling going down hill the volts would briefly spike up above the battery voltage then settle back at battery voltage or one or two points of a volt higher than it was. It is hard to be sure though.

 

[BiggKidd]

The front rack I ordered from Walmart arrived today. Did a quick test fit and everything looks like it will clear the big 26x4 tires fine. I need to make or buy a couple simple pipe clamps to install it to the bike's forks.

 

[BiggKidd]

Nice little 20+ mile ride down to a town south of us. Then went by the grocery store and loaded the bike down. Pretty sure I was close to if not overloaded and the weight was up way to high. Super thankful not to have face planted on the way home.

Did try taking some video with the new camera. Not sure if that turned out at all the battery died really fast.

Thank the lord for AWD bikes, it makes all the difference in slick & sloppy mud. I've got mud up to my knees... Thankfully the water never quite got to the hubs but it was close several times!

Officially crossed the 500 mile mark today, took one month and one week to get there.

Had a father and son on a road trip stop and talk and get pics and video of the bike and load going down the road. lol They kept calling me a modern day cowboy, which is kind of true I guess I do have cows and other livestock.......

 

[Smaug]

I've had my bike one month today. I was hoping to cross the 500 mile mark but ended up 12 miles short, 488 miles in a month isn't bad though!

The new freewheel lets me travel at 18mph while pedaling but sadly it doesn't stretch the mileage as much as I had hoped. I can pedal at 23mph for a couple minutes but I run out of legs and air pretty quick. Now I know to travel the farthest per charge I have to run down at 13mph. Which I had already assumed.
Anyway did about 33 miles today and the battery was down at 43.5V when I put it on charge. That's likely the lowest it's ever been. Kept an eye on my volts all day and I have a feeling welding up the one way clutch may let it regain a little charge going down the big hills. Several times as I stopped pedaling going down hill the volts would briefly spike up above the battery voltage then settle back at battery voltage or one or two points of a volt higher than it was. It is hard to be sure though.

The faster you're going, esp. with fat knobbies, the less your effort matters.

Welding up a clutch is not going to give you regen; the circuitry has to be designed to make it happen.

I'm glad you didn't give up any of the low gearing. That is a life-saver when you run out of juice, which will happen sooner than you think as the temps drop.

Yeah, for hyper-miling, 10-13 mph is where it's at, on fat tire bikes.

 

[BiggKidd]

The faster you're going, esp. with fat knobbies, the less your effort matters.

Welding up a clutch is not going to give you regen; the circuitry has to be designed to make it happen.

I'm glad you didn't give up any of the low gearing. That is a life-saver when you run out of juice, which will happen sooner than you think as the temps drop.

Yeah, for hyper-miling, 10-13 mph is where it's at, on fat tire bikes.

I'm still leaning toward changing the chain ring to a 60T so I can pedal along in all 5 of the PAS levels. If I do I will likely also change the freewheel again to an 11-34t keeping this 11-28t for a spare. I honestly don't have any plans at all in any way shape or form of riding without the aid of the motor! I am in to rough of shape for that... I just plan my rides accordingly until I can get more batteries and or set up a trailer for solar. In the end both I fully expect.

Speaking of batteries where is a good place to buy QUALITY aftermarket batteries and save some change?

 

[Smaug]

I'm still leaning toward changing the chain ring to a 60T so I can pedal along in all 5 of the PAS levels. If I do I will likely also change the freewheel again to an 11-34t keeping this 11-28t for a spare. I honestly don't have any plans at all in any way shape or form of riding without the aid of the motor! I am in to rough of shape for that... I just plan my rides accordingly until I can get more batteries and or set up a trailer for solar. In the end both I fully expect.

That's a shame, I hope you're mentally prepared to push in case of any type of electrical fault.
I pedaled my 48 lb. gravel bike unpowered for 11 miles yesterday when it had an electrical fault, and it was sub-optimal. Your bike would have meant an 11 mile walk/push.

 

[BiggKidd]

That's a shame, I hope you're mentally prepared to push in case of any type of electrical fault.
I pedaled my 48 lb. gravel bike unpowered for 11 miles yesterday when it had an electrical fault, and it was sub-optimal. Your bike would have meant an 11 mile walk/push.

If I ever can't fix it on the side of the rode I'll hide it and leave it until I can pick it up. Unless I am so close to home walking it makes more sense. Personally I can't imagine relying on my body alone to ride that bike one mile much less eleven. More power to ya @Smaug

 

[HumanPerson]

If I ever can't fix it on the side of the rode I'll hide it and leave it until I can pick it up. Unless I am so close to home walking it makes more sense. Personally I can't imagine relying on my body alone to ride that bike one mile much less eleven. More power to ya @Smaug

If yur ever up Staunton way look me up if ya need a hand

 

[BiggKidd]

If yur ever up Staunton way look me up if ya need a hand

I will be making a trip up to the Altavista area by bike sometime in the next few months IF we get three decent weather days forecast sometime during the winter. I'd like to go sooner but don't have the range on the bike yet and it will be a bike trip or no reason to go. lol I need to be able to run a minimum of 80 miles before charging before I can go or get a solar panel on a trailer and pray for sun.

If and that's a big IF I could pedal the whole way along with PAS1 at 13mph then one more battery like the one I have should give me the range needed. So in reality I need two or three more batteries along with a solar panel on a trailer. Not sure when I'll be able to get all that.

 

[BiggKidd]

Thanks to the powers of Youtube I found out about this place which is pretty close to me.
https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/high-bridge-trailI'm trying to figure out where the southernmost (closest) point I can join the trail is. Burkeville I'm guessing.

 

[BiggKidd]

Ordered a few more parts and pieces today.

A chain cleaner from Amazon. Also ordered a new stainless steel chain to stop the rusting issues and to have a spare on hand. I doubt I'll change it until I have to. When the new one goes on I'll order a new spare. lol

Found and ordered a 60T chainring and the only way I could find one that size was by ordering just the chairing so I had to order new crank arms too. The ones that came on my bike have the chainring fixed (welded or pressed on) the new ones the chainring unbolts from so hopefully I wont have to change them again anytime soon. With the new chainring and the 11-28t freewheel I already installed hopefully I can extend my range a bit at higher speeds by pedaling along like I can at lower speeds!

Got a tire & tube patch kit as well and almost ordered a rechargeable air pump. Then decided to stick with the CO2 inflator for now, the reviews on the rechargeable pumps are mixed at best with a lot of complaints about the battery self discharging quickly and stopping working all together pretty quickly.

I even ordered a set of class 3 750W E-bike stickers to hopefully avoid any issues before problems arise! LMAO My bike came without a classification.

Hope it warms up soon so I can go riding again. I don't handle cold weather well at all!

Considering ordering this bag but holding off for a minute while watching for something like it a bit larger and waterproof if anyone knows of anything. https://www.ebay.com/itm/174724051334

ETA: Ebay accepted my lowball offer for the frame bag just now so it's also ordered. I didn't expect them to accept the offer! lol

 

[BiggKidd]

Just back from a quick trip into town for a few odds and ends. I almost started a new thread just for this post on account of how dangerous sudden very strong wind gusts can be. I got blown clean off the road more times than I could count! Lost my hat and glasses twice. My hat fits tight enough I can literally hang upside down without it coming off yet the wind took it and my glasses twice! I was shocked. I was also surprised I could have used more motor today. This is the first time I have even considered my bike might not have enough power with it having dual 1,000w hub motors. At one point the wind slowed me down from 28.5 to 11 mph with both motors going 100% and I was pedaling too! I also noticed the wind and maybe the temperature really beat on the battery. A round trip to town is only about 12 miles yet the battery after settling only had 46.1V usually I would have had about 49-49.5V when I get back home. I had topped the battery up before leaving so I know it was fully charged. It wasn't / isn't really cold enough for temperature to effect the battery with it being nearly 50f but then again the wind is doing gusts 20-40mph, maybe more! Granted I was traveling much faster than my usual 13-18mph!

Just to reiterate strong winds while biking can be quite alarming and dangerous!

 

[Smaug]

Are your glasses prescription? If not, consider the Wynd glasses from Amazon. Not only do they fight snugly (via earpieces or strap!) but they have a gasket that keeps too much wind from getting into your eyes around the edges.

As for the hat, you should be wearing a strap-on helmet anyway; that would not be taken by the wind. A lot of them come with bills now, for the sun...

I rode home yesterday too against 25-35 mph wind. I usually am around 17-18 mph in PAS1 on my Level.2, but this wind took me down to 10-11 mph, and I went up to PAS3 (of 5) and I was working pretty hard. It was brutal:

 

[BiggKidd]

No not prescription glasses, thankfully I only have to use readers as needed. These are safety / sun glasses that I buy by the dozen. I always wear an Outback oilskin hat in cool, cold and wet weather. A bike helmet is great for those who chose to wear them I am NOT one of those people. I have been living on borrowed time since 2005 and at this stage of the game I'll take my chances...

Yeah that wind is something else here today. A topic that would be good for all new or new OLD riders like me who have forgotten after years of not riding a bike.

 

[BiggKidd]

It took me nearly an hour to spray all the mud out of my bike after got back from the muddiest bike ride I've ever been on. The derailer was totally clogged with mud and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to pull the freewheel off to get it cleaned out. It doesn't want to spin backwards freely. It will go backward but it's dragging and grinding the whole way. The hose just won't get anymore of the crud out. Hope the freewheel is okay and doesn't give me trouble after this.

Dumped the bike twice after the tires stopped rotating on account of being wedged stopped from the mud between the fender, forks, frame and tires.

It still needs a really good cleaning I just attempted to get the worst of the heavy clay mud out with the garden hose.

The ride was pretty nice once I got to pavement. I never saw a single car in the fist 12 or so miles of my ride then saw 4-5 right as I was pulling back off the real roads on to the dirt road I live off of. I did however make it to the store and got what I needed so mission accomplished!

 

[BiggKidd]

Forgot to mention the new chain and chain cleaner along with the 48-72V air pump and tube patch kit also came in today. Now if the little Rockbros top frame bag would get here. The new crank arms also came in but still waiting for the chainring. I hope it comes with the bolts because the crank did not have them with it. If they don't come with the chainring can any of you tell me what the size and type is so I can get those ordered? No idea if it matters but the BDC is 130mm.
Thanks!

I ended up going back out and fooling with the freewheel until I got it back working as it should. Now I just need to lube it back up.

 

[BiggKidd]

Just found this and ordered one. My first ever order from Ali Express. I ordered the 4 amp version. This will hopefully give me a back up charging option for the bike when I'm out and about and give me a way to charge my 48 volt battery from a 12 volt battery on the fly. I had already gotten a 12 to 48 volt converter but it was literally 48 volts which is okay but with the 54 volt option I can get full power back in my bike battery and not just 48V. Those few volts between 48 and 54 do make quite a difference. Also with it being rated at 54 volts it should never over volt / over charge the bike battery...
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803620452349.html

 

[BiggKidd]

555 miles as of today. Made another short trip in to town for groceries. Getting from the house 2.2 miles to the road was the real challenge! After that it was all gravy.

Paid more attention to the gearing today. 7th gear in PAS 3 @23mph is just a bit to fast on pedal RPM for me at around 70-75RPM. I can maintain 60RPM without loosing my air at 70RPM and above I start gasping after a minute or so. When I got back my 60 tooth chainring had been delivered. Which is great but now I'm not sure I want to go that high. Since I've got it I'll likely give it a try but I have a feeling it may be to much. My gut is saying I need a 56T to maybe a 58T chainring. I did make it to town and back about 12-14 miles with errands mostly at 23mph with 50% battery left. Not sure when I will ride again so I think I'll leave the battery level as is for now. In fact since reading here and other places I've quit charging the battery as soon as I get home and leaving it to the day before the next ride before charging. Sometimes if I know I'll be riding in a few days I charge it an hour or so each day until my next ride.

The little top tube bag did barely fit and I used it today. To give Rockbro's credit where it's due my phone fits in it very well and I can hear my music perfectly. I can jam a few small items in there too but I'm still bummed that I can't put the air pump and such in it.

 

[BiggKidd]

So Ali Express shipping was actually faster than expected. The 12 to 54 volt 4 amp converter came in today. Amazon also delivered the 2nd chain I ordered after getting the new chainring and realizing the original chain length wasn't going to work.