Share your eBike-related purchases

Smaug

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I thought it might be fun to share our eBike-related purchases and explain what they're for. I get lots of ideas from you all.

By the way, this excellent forum software will allow us to copy smaller screenshots directly into a post.

Here are some of my recent purchases and some rationale for them:

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↑ Timer to limit charge time to try to keep battery packs to 80% state of charge. I've read that this can triple battery life. Vibra-tite because I'm running out of blue thread-locker and I've read here (from M@, I think) that it is better vs. vibration than Loctite, which is of course desirable in our use.


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↑ A set of winter tires for the incoming eMoped. The OEM Innova road tread ones have a spotty reputation.


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↑ These will extend my road cycling season dramatically. I'm finding that even when it's in the 30s, I can keep warm everywhere but my feet on my road bike. These are open on the bottom to keep the cleats exposed on my clip-in cycling shoes. They might double as galoshes for flat pedals.


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↑ This is a US-made helmet-mounted mirror. It attaches through the vent holes with zip ties, instead of with adhesive patches, and as a result, it has much higher retention and user ratings. I have one of the name brand glasses-mounted mirrors, but it's pretty fiddly.


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↑ Long sleeve thin fleece cycling kit. Probably won't use this for eBiking, but it has been fantastic for using on my road bike.


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↑ So far, I've only used this with my road bike, as I haven't gone for a lot of eBike rides longer than a couple hours. If I do, I will take this, as it has an all-day battery, compared to my phone, which runs maybe 2 hours with GPS going. I had a fancier model before (got run over by a car) with a larger touch screen and color display, but I prefer this one and it cost half. Its display is small but legible and uses side buttons instead of a touch screen, which works better with gloves on.


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↑ Spring & Fall road riding kit. Long sleeves/legs, but not insulated. Good quality and not too expensive, but you have to tolerate the obnoxious branding on the nine bull and Sponeed stuff. Baleaf is a bit more subdued, but costs more as a result.


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↑ I have a cycling buddy who says these work well enough to get home, but don't stick long-term. They're tiny though, and don't take up much room in an under-saddle bag on a road bike.


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↑ I find that a tube of contact cement is good for only one use. It gums up after being capped. Throw them away and just get a few spares.


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↑ Heart rate monitor for road cycling; (pairs with the above GPS) and some chain degreaser, which I haven't tried yet.


That's it for me for the past several months.
 
My list is nowhere near as comprehensive as yours.
Flat-Out tire sealant. 32 oz with metal valve stem removal tool.
Two good tire patch kits.
Set of 4 heavy duty plastic tire levers.
AirMoto battery powered compact compressor.
Case made specifically for the compressor above.
Bike mirror which slides inside handlebar tube.
WSDCAM smart tail light. Flashes various modes, provides a brake light when it senses you are decelerating, motion sensing alarm, turn signals.
3M "Scotchlite" spoke reflectors, so I could get rid of the horrid orange wheel reflectors which came with the bike.
Saddlebags, 50 liters of capacity.
Helmet with flashing USB-charged light built into it. I selected a horrendous shade of fluorescent yellow for "see-me factor".
Protective gloves (leather where your hands will skid if you hit the ground).
Two Kryptonite locks and cables.
Some "nobody brand" tire sealant, I decided not to use it.
1.5" by 3/16th mild steel bar stock, used to upgrade my bike rack. These bars were welded horizontally to keep the saddlebag out of the wheels when cornering. A can of matching paint was used to paint the rack afterwards.

Second 48v 22.4 AH battery.
Polar Bear 50 A battery combiner.

Future purchase, some more mild steel bar stock to modify my rack to mount the second battery while keeping the saddlebags removable.
Future purchase, higher pressure street-tread tires with a thicker carcass.

At this point, I don't want to add up all the costs that got tied into my "Bargain eBike".

Oh, and somewhat related, an eBike was purchased for my wife, so we can ride together.
It is only accessorized with a Kryptonite lock, and a helmet.
 
Vibra-tite because I'm running out of blue thread-locker and I've read here (from M@, I think) that it is better vs. vibration than Loctite
That was probably me. I learned of the stuff via the shooting sports as its the default for things like scope ring mounts that are subject to recoil, and it never truly dries like loctite does. Its my understanding its origins are in the propeller-driven aviation world where vibration is on a level all its own.
↑ I have a cycling buddy who says these work well enough to get home, but don't stick long-term. They're tiny though, and don't take up much room in an under-saddle bag on a road bike.
That was my experience as well. I stopped using them because it means you get home, but you have to take the tire back apart to fix the fix. So for me the Rema one-and-done patches are the way to go. But I try and let Flatout keep me from having to stop at all on the side of the road like I used to in the olden times.
↑ I find that a tube of contact cement is good for only one use. It gums up after being capped. Throw them away and just get a few spares.
I keep mine in a prescription pill bottle, and I seal the tube tightly. I also use the same bigger tubes you bought. It does creep me out a little when they get older but I have not had one gum up on me in recent years, doing this. Also, see how many patches I have in the kit(s)? I buy them in boxes of I think 100 rather than the little all-inclusive kits that are sold. Then I add a scrap of sandpaper and ready to go.
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I also have a Litelok X3 angle-grinder-resistant u lock on the way. 30 day wait as there is a production backlog.

And my oh my I discovered SQLab saddles after it turned out I was using saddles that were too narrow, and ended up giving myself an injury as a result. The SQLab 'medical' version ('M-D' which does not stand for medical) in the 16mm width it turns out my butt-bones dictate I use is amazing. So much for my narrow saddles from when I was in my 20's.
 
Both my E bikes are now ready for daily use

Been shopping in Halfords for 40 years, the prices were good then at checkout i go another £6 off

2 bikes, I have even placed the 2 cameras on the backs of both
 

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Very nice. By the way, Topeak also makes an MTX trunk bag with fold-out panniers that are very handy for shopping.

When I go away next year after Winter I will need to find out which "reasonable" panniers fit this rack :( I have NO idea
 
I made a couple more winter eBiking related purchases last week; should arrive Friday this week:

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I have some winter pants already, but none that keep away from the chainring. These taper down nicely ↑.
 
Okay, I lack self-control. More purchases made.

Innova Hybrid tires, 30 PSI rated, street tread. I really like them.

48v 30Ah battery in a Hailong case. (Probably a scam battery that is way over-rated. I will find out when it arrives). But who wouldn't want three batteries for their bikes ;)
 
Just bought


I don't buy cheap, I research and test before committing, so items me be cheaper but 100% WORK, in fact the gloves are amazing for the price.

I paid £19 for these glassers last week wish I had bought 2. I lost a pair last week, I used to wear (have 6 pairs Rayban/Oakley) my others but fear losing them, glad I wore the Oakleys really annoyed as they are great.

The Yale lock was £18 last week.



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I finally got around to ordering an upgrade for the rear shock. On the Zeeger S1, the factory rear shock is an "immovable object". It gave me concerns the cantilever shock system might become damaged from a hard bounce. The original shock is also non-adjustable. With the factory shock, the rear suspension might as well be welded in place. I am not "underweight" as I tip the scales at a bit over 200 pounds.

A new shock was ordered that has adjustable preload and rebound. I suspect it has a lighter rated spring as well (750 pounds per inch of compression).

The logic: Why pay for a dual suspension bike, if only the front suspension moves?

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I finally got around to ordering an upgrade for the rear shock. On the Zeeger S1, the factory rear shock is an "immovable object". It gave me concerns the cantilever shock system might become damaged from a hard bounce. The original shock is also non-adjustable. With the factory shock, the rear suspension might as well be welded in place. I am not "underweight" as I tip the scales at a bit over 200 pounds.

A new shock was ordered that has adjustable preload and rebound. I suspect it has a lighter rated spring as well (750 pounds per inch of compression).

The logic: Why pay for a dual suspension bike, if only the front suspension moves?
I hear you on that one. I just loosed the preload on the rear shocks of my HyperScrambler 2 to the lowest setting, and even there, they barely move. I may look to upgrade them in the future. It's one area for cost-cutting, as they can still advertise "full suspension", but good shocks cost good money.
 
I bought a few more items:

AirTags. I'll put one in the special compartment in the battery of my eMoped. May try to find a spot to hide them in other eBikes too:
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A pair of helmet locks. I only needed one, as they need a D-ring to work and I won't wear a motorcycle helmet on my other eBikes. However, they were cheap enough. Used it today for the first time for an appointment before work:
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A Crampbuster to help modulate the throttle. I tried it last night; don't like it at all. It gets in the way of using the rear brake:

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Insulated bike pants. These are very nice, but I haven't tried them yet. A fellow member of my road bike club has them and recommended them. We went on a 60 mile ride when it was in the 40s (°F) and he said they were too hot. Should be great on an eBike though, on which we're not generating as much of our own heat:
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A supplemental headlight for the eMoped. If it works out as well as I hope, I may use it on two other bikes, as it comes with additional mounting brackets. For something like this with a built-in Li-Ion battery pack, it makes sense to share it between bikes, so I can get the most life out of it while the built-in battery is still good. This is supposed to arrive Sunday.
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I rode thru another rainstorm yesterday. Stayed completely dry.

Wells Lamont hydrahyde waterproof work gloves. Wear a size bigger than normal and wear your cycling gloves underneath, or go normal size and they are nice and roomy.

Proviz 360 reflective rain coat. Waterproof and made of 100% reflective material. Turns you into a beacon to cars no matter how much the rain obscures the driver's vision. You'll see drivers back off from you and just stare at the jacket as they don't quite believe what they are seeing (I know this as I've had windows rolled down with a "WTF is that?" discussion to follow). Breathes like a garbage bag so the trick is to underdress underneath so you don't overheat. Its a UK company but Chinese sizing so buy at least two sizes up from normal to get shoulders and arms to fit. Mine is a 3XL and I wear an XL normally. XL doesn't have a prayer of zipping up and the shoulders are so narrow I can't even put the thing on.

33,000 Ft Rain Overpants. Hands down, no exceptions in more than 40 years of all-weather cycling the best rain pants I have ever owned. They are water proof but thats no big trick. The big deal is they are fully mesh lined, and the outer material is super light weight and of a consistency that the pants move freely with you and don't snag or bunch up on anything. Its like you aren't wearing overpants at all and thats the magic on a bike I am pedaling actively. Also they don't overheat when I am riding and exerting myself pedaling up hills.

Dry Mile waterproof socks. Don't waste your time looking for a decent cycling shoe that is also waterproof. Just wear the cycling shoes that work best for you and waterproof your feet at the sock level. The secondary benefit of these is they are also nicely warm but not overly so. Your feet won't sweat. These things are WAY better than the old-school sealskinz that were originally just glorified neoprene scuba booties. Waterproof but sweat buckets.

I also wore the balaclava under my helmet that @Smaug listed above. Its not water resistant at all but its good enough to keep my head warm under my helmet. Its not a great balaclava, actually as it is too open in the front, but that lets you pull the face down under your chin so its a good skull cap under the helmet that covers your ears, and is also a neck warmer.
 
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@Smaug as you are already on the big river site, check out air tag holders, there are a bunch of different options. I have a tag in the RR battery as it is like yours.
 
An axle socket to go on a spare ratchet for the eMoped. Got a discount, as I bought it from the mothership, but it's still expensive:
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A good quality multi-tool; this is also my first chain-breaker.
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Four sets of brake pads for the eMoped. I can tell this is going to eat them a LOT faster than the bikes that I pedal:
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And finally, a small bungee net to go with the basket on the eMoped:
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I've picked up a few more things lately, all from Amazon:

The flashlight I mentioned earlier only included one mount, not two as pictured. So I returned it and bought this one. It turned out to be better anyway: ($37)
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I needed a cold weather jacket for road cycling I do. I rode in this last weekend when it was 30°F with a fleece long sleeved jersey and thin fleece sweatshirt underneath. It was too much. for the Ride back, I took off the thin fleece sweatshirt and was a perfect temperature. The black parts are thin spandex, so they let out body heat. The fluorescent yellow are windproof material. It's very good; money well-spent: ($53)
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I picked up this top box for my eMoped. It is perfect. I think it was about $75, but it doesn't seem to be available any more. There are similar ones though! When I bought it, it had one 5-star rating. I took a chance and bought it. Now it has two ratings and a 2.5 star rating, so someone must have given it 1 star and caused the seller to remove it and relist it:
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I ordered this personalized eMoped plate. Mine is for Wisconsin and says: "JUICED": ($16)
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I bought this to add to the left rear shock of my eMoped for extra rearward visibility. Since I mounted the aforementioned top case, it blocks view of the tail light from above, as might happen if I was being followed by a big truck or SUV. It's VERY bright flashing red; daylight-visible: $26
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I got this to mount on the rear rack as an additional rear light on my commuter eBike. It has a nice bright one integrated into the fender, but it doesn't flash, so I added this. This one is rechargeable and is not as bright as the Superflash model above, but is still daylight visible and came with the proper mounting hardware for a rack: $20
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I bought this to mount my U-lock to my eMoped. Works great. $19:
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Lastly, I bought a chain-checker. I'm riding my road bike and commuter eBike enough that I need to start watching chain stretch: $11
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For my BBSHD build, I got a DM03 display to go with it. However, I soon upgraded to the Eggrider V2 display. They look very similar, as does the SW102, but they are all different. The Eggrider lets you ‘program’ the motor, pretty much, on the fly, and it can hold up to three different battery profiles. I have a 48-volt battery and I plan on getting a 52-volt battery. The Eggrider will remember the capacity rating and voltage of each battery - you press and hold a button to cycle through the three profiles.

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