Share your eBike-related purchases

[FrankR]

One accessory I would buy in an instant if I could find it - a display cover - that actually Covers the display. [protection from rain]

I have an M5 display - common on Lectric and similar ebikes. There are now a bunch of "display covers" available. But they are really just silcone covers for the edge - to guard against scrapes and small bumps. None of them that I have seen actually cover the display and keep rain out.

 

[addertooth]

I ordered a rear rack, and a second 60V 20Ah battery with a factory blender kit today.

Oh, and I ordered a bike to mount it on, a Motor Goat v3.

It seemed a shame to buy all those accessories, without a bike they fit on.

 

[Smaug]

I ordered a rear rack, and a second 60V 20Ah battery with a factory blender kit today.

Oh, and I ordered a bike to mount it on, a Motor Goat v3.

It seemed a shame to buy all those accessories, without a bike they fit on.

I watched TailHappy TVs review on that bike a couple of days ago. Looks like it’s going to be hard to stay out of trouble on it. (45 mph!)

The direct drive motor should last just about forever.

Congratulations!

 

[Smaug]

One accessory I would buy in an instant if I could find it - a display cover - that actually Covers the display. [protection from rain]

I have an M5 display - common on Lectric and similar ebikes. There are now a bunch of "display covers" available. But they are really just silcone covers for the edge - to guard against scrapes and small bumps. None of them that I have seen actually cover the display and keep rain out.

… but the factory display is already weather-sealed.

 

[biknut]

I bought this Co2 tire inflator so hopefully I won't get stranded next time I get a flat.

Amazon.com

 

[addertooth]

I watched TailHappy TVs review on that bike a couple of days ago. Looks like it’s going to be hard to stay out of trouble on it. (45 mph!)

The direct drive motor should last just about forever.

Congratulations!

My current bike will exceed 30 MPH. I realize that throttle thing controls how naughty I am.
Most the time when I commute to work, it is at 21.2 MPH (PAS 3). It seems like a reasonable clip.

This is the part I am not joking about. Where I work, is at the base of a mountain chain which is known to have mountain lions.
It may not outrun a lion at 45, but I would sure be willing to give it my best try. Perhaps cut off the trail and get back on the road; then try to weave through traffic and let it deal with car bumpers. I already have to play "dodge the deer and javelina game".

Still, I like the commute to work on an eBike. It gives me time to collect myself and plan my workflow for the day.

 

[Smaug]

I bought this Co2 tire inflator so hopefully I won't get stranded next time I get a flat.

Amazon.com

I was at the bike shop yesterday looking for a pump for my new gravel bike. I thought I might try a CO2 kit instead, but a CO2 with inflator and a couple cylinders weighs more than the latest pocket pumps, and the pocket pumps give a fellow a second chance. So I bought a pocket pump. The hose has Schrader on one end and Presta on the other and stores inside one end of the pump:

Lezyne Pocket Drive: https://ride.lezyne.com/products/pocket-drive

 

[Smaug]

Update on the Lumos helmet, it is awesome. I haven't tried the turn signals yet; no place to mount the remote on the handlebar of my gravel bike. The Bluetooth remote attaches with O-rings, so is not hard to move from bike to bike, but I wouldn't want to do it all the time, so I'll need to decide which bike I want it on.

• Press the button on the back and it turns on with a double-beep. Long-press to turn off. (with a single beep)
• It has a rubber cover for the USB-C charging port, which is just below the power button. When charging, an LED behind the power button comes on red. When charged, it turns green.
• I gave this a thorough try last night on an 11 mile ride home on the city streets. (In that ride, I only had one A-hole in a full size truck honk at me for daring to be in the street. I had to take up some of "his" lane for 50', causing him to have to slow down, to stay out of the door zone of parked cars.)
• The visor is a fairly snug fit so that it gets close to the nose. Any glasses you wear under it would also need to fit the countour of your face fairly well in order not to scrape. Sporty sunglasses would work. Full size glasses with right angle horn rims won't work.
• It is noticeably heavier than a regular bike helmet in the hands, but once on my head, I didn't notice it at all.

I'm doing some soul-searching as to whether a helmet like this with great lighting makes me safer, (since it makes me more conspicuous) or one with a chin bar. (since it will protect my face better in the event of a crash.

I've been hounding helmet mfrs. to not make us choose. I'd like a chin bar-equipped version of this helmet in the future. Whoever makes the first one will have no competition.

1710968262577.png

• Smaug
• Mar 20, 2024

 

[FrankR]

… but the factory display is already weather-sealed.

Uh uh. They will tell you that, but many, Many M5 displays in the universe have been killed by water.

 

[Smaug]

Update on the Lumos helmet, it is awesome. I haven't tried the turn signals yet; no place to mount the remote on the handlebar of my gravel bike. The Bluetooth remote attaches with O-rings, so is not hard to move from bike to bike, but I wouldn't want to do it all the time, so I'll need to decide which bike I want it on.

• Press the button on the back and it turns on with a double-beep. Long-press to turn off. (with a single beep)
• It has a rubber cover for the USB-C charging port, which is just below the power button. When charging, an LED behind the power button comes on red. When charged, it turns green.
• I gave this a thorough try last night on an 11 mile ride home on the city streets. (In that ride, I only had one A-hole in a full size truck honk at me for daring to be in the street. I had to take up some of "his" lane for 50', causing him to have to slow down, to stay out of the door zone of parked cars.)
• The visor is a fairly snug fit so that it gets close to the nose. Any glasses you wear under it would also need to fit the countour of your face fairly well in order not to scrape. Sporty sunglasses would work. Full size glasses with right angle horn rims won't work.
• It is noticeably heavier than a regular bike helmet in the hands, but once on my head, I didn't notice it at all.

I'm doing some soul-searching as to whether a helmet like this with great lighting makes me safer, (since it makes me more conspicuous) or one with a chin bar. (since it will protect my face better in the event of a crash.

I've been hounding helmet mfrs. to not make us choose. I'd like a chin bar-equipped version of this helmet in the future. Whoever makes the first one will have no competition.

1710968262577.png

• Smaug
• Mar 20, 2024

The visor on this helmet precludes the mounting of my favorite mirror, I’m afraid. :-/

 

[addertooth]

I have a new eBike coming in about a month from now.
I picked up another bag of flat-out.
A heat shrink kit to help seal the junction of the XT90 battery connectors.
A handlebar-end rear mirror for the left side.
And a new full-face helmet, as the bike is reputed to go 45 MPH with a rider of my weight.
I wanted all the safety and setup goodies on hand before the bike arrives.

 

[Smaug]

I have a new eBike coming in about a month from now.
...
And a new full-face helmet, as the bike is reputed to go 45 MPH with a rider of my weight.
I wanted all the safety and setup goodies on hand before the bike arrives.

Do you have a set of dirtbike goggles to go with the helmet? or WYND Blocker glasses?

You will find that regular glasses don't seal the wind out very well at sustained riding of > 20 mph. Eyes will water and dry out; it's not pleasant.

I have the white frames with yellow lenses. They are almost as good as sunglasses on a sunny day, but let you see better in the dark than clear lenses.

The temple pieces latch in with a simple push button and can be replaced with an elastic strap, which is also included.
Only downside to them is that they block peripheral vision, so the mirror becomes a must.

 

[bigoilbob]

A Bikebob single wheel trailer. I'm not linking to them because they have almost doubled in price, versus 6 years ago. But still worth it for e bikers who use their bikes for errand running regularly. 70# rated, which is good for a big Total Wines and More run, or lots of groceries.

The handling is great (low center of gravity) and you can squirm thru anything you can without the trailer attached. We fly a big St. Louis banner on the back of ours, for visibility. We had Cardinals and Blues championship flags, but they wear out before they can be replaced with something recent. They go on the back of either of our bikes. We need to pull on the arms a little to get them into the custom axle nuts, but newer models have an adjustment. Hooking up is 20 seconds, with another 20 to lock it to the bike with a cable lock. We both have mid drive, IGH bikes, and the trailer hooks up easily to them.

 

[EVDan]

I ordered a few sundry items on Amazon today. The one I'm most excited about is this Lumos helmet:
View attachment 13742

I've never heard of them as a helmet company in the company of Giro or Bontrager, but they get good reviews across the board and it is actually CERTIFIED as an eBike helmet. I probably should have gone for a downhill MTB helmet without lights instead, but I really like the visor on this. It means I can wear prescription glasses underneath it, instead if everyting further than 3' being fuzzy, like it is for me now.

I also ordered another bag of FlatOut:
View attachment 13743

...a couple of inner tubes for my folding eBikes:
View attachment 13744

...and a book to try to help me get better at wrenching on my bikes:
View attachment 13745


As an update, the heavy-duty FoldyLock I ordered earlier is mounted up now and it is certainly a higher class lock than the Lectric-branded one that is a re-branded Chinese one that came with my XP Lite. It's thicker and the exposed ends of the rivets are rounded, to make it harder to attack with a drill. It also weighs twice as much, but that's not such an issue on an eBike, right?

The Lumos helmet has lots of great features, but also quite a few complaints on Amazon. Most complaints suggest that it isn't a great helmet for rides more than 1.5 - 2 hours due to comfort a short battery life. Looking forward to hearing what you think after using it a while.

 

[1Tuna]

The SW102 and the ERv2 are identical displays with different firmware inside. They are made by a common manufacturer. Want to see a third version? Check out the KT-LCD4. I bought one, then two more to replace all of my KT displays. Unlike the big displays these only cost between $25 and $35 depending on whether you want to wait for one on AliExpress or get it tomorrow on Amazon. Exactly the same casing but KT specified a change that everyone should have gone for. A backlit LCD display that is visible in the brightest sunlight and the darkest night. The OLED displays of the DM03 and the ERv2 (I have both) can't hold a candle to this.

View attachment 13343

I tried the Hangzhou Velofox DM03 which advertises as an upgrade to the SW102, supporting 9 levels of PAS. However I had two separate DM03's wig out on me with PAS set to 9 and both had to be set down to 5 levels to keep working right (each functioned properly for about a week and then both went haywire in the same way). This was my 2wd Bullitt when I was using the DM03 on the left and the LCD4 on the right. WAY cleaner handlebar setup and I have changed over all the bikes I ride regularly to use these minimalist displays.
View attachment 13344

But with the DM03 being almost invisible in bright sunlight, and incapable of supporting the advertised 9 levels of PAS (I did side by side tests with an 860C and it was definitely a problem in the displays, which were manufactured several months apart and had different version numbers on their labels) I tried out the cheapest, smallest, most minimalist display on the market. It too is OLED but its display is so large (big speed numbers only) you can see it at noon on a sunny day. The Jiande Wuxing DZ40 that costs a whole $29.97. Here is the same bike with the DM04 replaced with it. I switched sides on the LCD4 because the DZ40 gives me more room to fully clear the shifters.
View attachment 13345
The DZ40 is the best BBSHD display for me. Before I was married to the 860C because it is brightest in sunlight could show amps and watt output in real time, but once you get a handle on that behavior, its just clutter. All I care about is the numeric voltage the LCD4 gives me, and - out of curiosity only - the speed the DZ40 shows.

I've had sort of an epiphany when it comes to displays and what is actually preferable. In particular learning that 5 levels of PAS is better than 9. At some point soon I'm doing an article comparing displays. The BN136 is another little display I put on my Apostate emtb, and it seems to be a great compromise between tiny and legible. Bigger than the little ones above but still less than half the size of the standard ones. Even smaller than the 500C.
View attachment 13346

I'd like to hear more about how to config settings to 5 levels and wouldn't mind a simpler display as shown above. I've taken my build out on trial rides and like it, but seems 9 levels are too many. My BBS02 kit came from JNO and came with the 600C. Haven't accessed it to change settings. Testing occurred in residential areas. I generally use PAS 2, 3, 4, and 6 for long stretches pedaling the whole time. I too have bought a lot of stuff. I'll add to this post later.

 

[Smaug]

The Lumos helmet has lots of great features, but also quite a few complaints on Amazon. Most complaints suggest that it isn't a great helmet for rides more than 1.5 - 2 hours due to comfort a short battery life. Looking forward to hearing what you think after using it a while.

I've been through a couple battery charges on it now.

I've noticed two downsides:

• It's hotter than a regular bike helmet when I'm doing some work, especially a good bike helmet, on account of having fewer vents. I guess since it's marketed as an eBike helmet and passes moped speed-specific tests, that's a fair trade-off. This is noticeable on a 70 °F day, so it will DEFINITELY be noticeable on a 90 ° day.
• The visor makes a helmet-mounted mirror impossible or impractical. The visor is not removable without also removing two of the front lights.

The battery life is fine. For the battery to not go well over 2 hours, it has to be in 'constant on' mode, which should only really be used at night. During the day, it makes more sense to use the triple blink mode on a bright day or the single blink mode to extend battery life. The constant-on mode will not be very visible during the daytime.

The trick is remembering to charge it between subsequent rides. This is something that became a challenge as LED bike lighting started to be available with built-in rechargeable Li-Ion batteries. The batteries could be made smaller & lighter, knowing that it would just be a matter of plugging in the device, rather than opening it up and changing batteries. An example I have is the Bontrager Flare R tail light:

Bontrager Flare R City Rear Bike Light - Trek Bikes

Enhance your cycling experience with Bontrager Flare R City Rear Bike Light. Find the best gear at trekbikes.com and your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

www.trekbikes.com

vs. something like a Flare 1, with 3 AAA batteries:

Bontrager Flare 1 Rear Bike Light - Trek Bikes

Enhance your cycling experience with Bontrager Flare 1 Rear Bike Light. Find the best gear at trekbikes.com and your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

www.trekbikes.com

The one that takes 3 AAAs will last many times longer on a charge/set of batteries. Weeks or months instead of hours.

Getting back to the helmet, it is already criticized by some as being "too heavy". It's noticeably heavier than a regular bike helmet, but nowhere near as heavy as a motorcycle helmet. If it needed to accommodate replaceable batteries, it would be even heavier and likely more expensive. I had a junky Schwinn-branded helmet with a built-in tail light and replaceable coin cell lithium battery, (CR2032) and it's kind of a hassle.

The overall quality is excellent, as one would expect from a 3rd party-certified helmet in this price range.

 

[Smaug]

I just ordered a budget smartwatch. The "good ones" seem to start at $500 and go up to $900. This one is $80 and reviews very well, considering the cost.

I do have a bike-specific GPS unit, but that only works for as many bikes as I have mounts for and requires a chest strap to get heart rate data. (and therefore calories burned and to watch my safe limit)

I figure with this, I will "get credit" for walks, steps and also can use it on any bike with no extra accessories needed. (at the expense of turn-by-turn directions that I get with my bike-specific GPS.

I found out about this through a search for "workout watches for bicycling". It was the only budget model they recommend.

As a side note, I'm also a watch collector, (mechanical and electronic) so I'm not sure how this will affect my wearing habits:

• Will I stop wearing "real watches" and then feel guilty?
• Will I start "dual-wristing"
• Will this be a flash in the pan and be wasted money?

I'm a bit excited about having different watch face designs to play with.

 

[m@Robertson]

I'd like to hear more about how to config settings to 5 levels and wouldn't mind a simpler display as shown above.

When I publish the article on the SW102 I'll go into the procedure for settings (the BN136 is coming first in the series). You should be able to google the procedure. Look for "SW102 advanced settings" and look out for the 4-digit pin you need to get into it. There are two of them. Sorry I don't have them handy atm.

Interestingly I just found the one I had but never used. It was a part of a kit I bought for a front wheel where all I wanted to use was the wheel/motor, and I did my own KT controller and display. Can't remember EXACTLY what I did with it now so hopefully I haven't dropped it into another abyss for a few more years.

One thing I did as soon as I found it was set it next to a LT-LCD4 and a DM03. Surprised me to see they are not truly identical now that I can see them directly adjacent to one another.

SW102 on the left. LCD4 on the right

DM03 on the left. SW102 on the right. The DM03 definitely has easier-to-use buttons.

 

[1Tuna]

I'd like to hear more about how to config settings to 5 levels and wouldn't mind a simpler display as shown above. I've taken my build out on trial rides and like it, but seems 9 levels are too many. My BBS02 kit came from JNO and came with the 600C. Haven't accessed it to change settings. Testing occurred in residential areas. I generally use PAS 2, 3, 4, and 6 for long stretches pedaling the whole time. I too have bought a lot of stuff. I'll add to this post later.

I'm sure many of us are interested to read your comparison of minimalist displays. Hope to see a comparison of the BN136 vs KT-LCD4 along with some steps to configuring for 5 PAS levels. I saw this on AliEx https://video.aliexpress-media.com/...1100180722559.mp4?from=chrome&definition=h265

 

[HumanPerson]

I'm sure many of us are interested to read your comparison of minimalist displays. Hope to see a comparison of the BN136 vs KT-LCD4 along with some steps to configuring for 5 PAS levels. I saw this on AliEx https://video.aliexpress-media.com/...1100180722559.mp4?from=chrome&definition=h265

bad link, doesnt work