Search found 136 matches

by RichardPH
5 Jul 2022, 5:09pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Bristol to Plymouth on the train with a bike
Replies: 8
Views: 491

Re: Bristol to Plymouth on the train with a bike

I travelled from Exeter to Penzance with a bike two week ago. I had to book via the GWR website and had a ticket to attach to the bike. Just as well since space seemed limited to 2 bikes in coach B. without a booking it'll be very doubtful you'll find a space, mine was occupied by a uncollapsed pushchair when I boarded, had to move it. Bikes are hung from an overhead hook so you might need to remove any heavy stuff (I did), unless you're quite strong.
by RichardPH
23 Mar 2022, 6:20pm
Forum: Electrically assisted pedal cycles
Topic: Is orbea gain usable without motor, and poor range?
Replies: 20
Views: 3330

Re: Is orbea gain usable without motor, and poor range?

I too have a Fazua powered bike [Vitus Emitter CF]. The basic range of a single battery is up to 89km and 630m climbing for all all up weight of 100kg. I ride almost 100% on the lowest setting, tailored to 70W maximum using the laptop software. with brief forays up to the middle setting at 150W. It meant I could go up every hill, up to and including 20% without gasping for breath.

Did I get left behind by the group on the flat? No, for the simple reason that I wasn't on borrowed time on the uphills before the flat. It makes a difference, the pros talk about burning matches and that's exactly how it works. Not going into the red means spare energy for another time.

If you're just about managing to survive a club ride, you'll be amazed by how much difference a mere 70W makes to the enjoyment of your day.
by RichardPH
9 Mar 2022, 6:33pm
Forum: Electrically assisted pedal cycles
Topic: E-bike range
Replies: 77
Views: 6955

Re: E-bike range

Minor confession here.. the 10.2A-hr battery is in fact a 10.4A-hr, or at least that's what's moulded into the casing, so slightly closer to Bosch figures. Also the average voltage is (40.5+34.5)/2 = 37.5 and at 10.4A-hr that makes 390W-hr.

Oddly, the hardest rating was probably level 4 because the effort required from me was so variable. Without a speed limiter it would just be a blast, and probably quite dangerous too..
by RichardPH
8 Mar 2022, 3:13pm
Forum: Electrically assisted pedal cycles
Topic: E-bike range
Replies: 77
Views: 6955

Re: E-bike range

For completeness, and little curiosity, I've done the same test at level 4, the highest.
Thus for an all-up mass of 102kg, road tyres, road bike with drops, ridden almost entirely on the hoods and on undulating roads with about 500m total climbing/descending on circular routes, these are the numbers

level 1 160km @21.5kph
level 2 115km @23.5kph
level 3 87km @24.5kph
level 4 70km @26.3kph

Without a doubt level 2 is the most useful.

Eco is barely there, I can and have averaged that speed on a very similar manual bicycle, there's maybe 5% in it.

Levels 3 and 4 flip your normal routes on their head so to speak. The flat bits that were an opportunity for a rest become frustrating because one is forever exceeding that very obvious assistance threshold and having to work hard to keep the pace that the motor was largely responsible for achieving. They are both a bit of a hoot though, if slightly risky because you keep arriving at corners that are very familiar at rather greater speeds.

Most importantly, each and every rating wasn't a reason to shirk rider workload, once you're pressing the pedals at all, instinct takes you to putting in as much effort as on an unassisted ride. Time on the bike does get shorter of course..

The performance of lithium cells at varying discharge rates is explained in this link https://www.richtek.com/Design%20Suppor ... ment/AN025
by RichardPH
6 Mar 2022, 7:07pm
Forum: Electrically assisted pedal cycles
Topic: E-bike range
Replies: 77
Views: 6955

Re: E-bike range

Now completed the test on TSDZ2/10.2A-hr battery in the 'eco' setting #1. Rather like Prince Phillip it expired just short of 100. 99.8 miles to be precise.

I was pleasantly surprised at the range, but assistance level is quite limited. The number of 100 mile rides I've done is minimal, whereas 72 miles is much more common and the boost from #2 level is more rewarding.
by RichardPH
2 Mar 2022, 1:11pm
Forum: Electrically assisted pedal cycles
Topic: E-bike range
Replies: 77
Views: 6955

Re: E-bike range

Re: the 72 miles on a road bike vs the other bike, is the main difference in expected mileage down to the weight of the bike or wheel size, or what? Thanks
The 'other bike' is a mid 90's Trek non-suspension MB with 32mm Schwalbe town tyres, as ridden it weighs about 21kg. My test on that bike included boosting the assistance setting towards the end of the ride because it was getting weaker presumably because the battery voltage was dropping. It was a first look-see at range limitations because I too plan to tour on an ebike, The result was still remarkably close to the Bosch calculator results.

My more recent assessments have been with 'other things equal'. That is..
same 17kg bike and battery
same 85kg rider [me]
very similar route that has about 450m of climbing over 72miles, [the River Severn has occasionally got in the way of late]
same reasonable weather, I don't like high wind and rain.
level 2 72miles, level 3 54 miles, level 1 TBA

The battery starts fully charged and I ride it to cut out, hence the last few miles are inevitably in town to avoid a shock to the system riding an unassisted bike for miles

I've got a Hailong 10.2A-hr battery on both my bikes. These are 10s4p units [40 cells, 10 in series, 4 sets in parallel] to yield nominal 36V battery. Larger 10s5p batteries are available, I don't need this level, so didn't go that way. Weight goes up obv, but so long as it's positioned on the down tube it's not noticeable. I've attached a bottle cage to the top of the battery case since that's the easiest to reach when riding. Larger batteries than a 10s4p may make this tricky. depending on frame size.

Rear rack mounted batteries upset the balance of the bike IMO.

Hope this helps..
by RichardPH
1 Mar 2022, 9:44pm
Forum: Electrically assisted pedal cycles
Topic: E-bike range
Replies: 77
Views: 6955

Re: E-bike range

- Fazua: About 30-40 miles with it enabled all the time, depending on terrain, speed, level of assistance selected. It's regularly on more than the lowest assistance which probably accounts for the low 30 figure.
Thanks for that feedback :)

I've done some more experiments with my Tongsheng driven road bike. It has 4 power settings, I've recently run the 10.2A-hr battery to cut out on level 3, it achieved 54 miles on the same routes as level 2 achieved 72 miles. It does feel like it's delivering significantly more oomph, therefore draining the battery faster. I'll probably not bother with level 4, it crushes any concept of a manual ride.

I've started to assess level 1, usually known as 'eco'. It's a very low assistance level and I may be riding for some time to get a flat battery. It's also only marginally c.5% better than a non e-bike of the same type.

I'll report back when it's done.

Measuring battery voltage, it's 40.8V when fully charged, 34.8V when it's cut out.
by RichardPH
21 Feb 2022, 2:08pm
Forum: Electrically assisted pedal cycles
Topic: E-bike range
Replies: 77
Views: 6955

Re: E-bike range

PH wrote: 11 Nov 2021, 9:49am Bosch have a Range assistant that you can play with, adjust the variables - Rider, Bike, Environment - and it tells you the likely range. I've found it to be fairly accurate. It's Bosch specific, but I'd be surprised if there was a huge variation between makes with similar specification.
https://www.bosch-ebike.com/en/service/range-assistant
Come to this thread a bit late, but have plenty of experience with Tongsheng TSDZ2 powered bikes. Presently have two, I've run these to battery cut out in the #2 or normal rating.

#1 aluminium mountain bike with TSDZ2/Hailong 10s4p 10.2A-hr battery. Real world range 52miles.
Bosch prediction based upon 106kg- upright rider - slightly hilly - mediocre road surface - not windy - '400' battery - town tyres - 75rpm cadence, 50miles range predicted

#2 aluminium road drop handlebar bike with TSDZ2/Hailong 10s4p 10.2A-hr battery. Real world range 72miles.
Bosch prediction based upon 101kg- rider on hoods - slightly hilly - mediocre road surface - not windy - '400' battery - 25mm tyres - 75rpm cadence, 70miles range predicted

Hence Bosch predictor is really very accurate, impressed.

Regarding the selected power level and range resulting. This I think depends greatly on rider power to weight. In a lot of instances I will be riding at the threshold of the speed limiter cut-in, which appears to operate over about a 2kph taper zone. Thus it depends purely how much the rider needs to dip into full assistance and therefore battery drain as to the range achieved. Plus of course if you're a cyclist you'll be used to putting in your best effort for a given situation, which will contribute more or less dependent upon ability. In my case I can run pretty continuous 130W on an exercise bike, given the accuracy of the Bosch prediction I must be Mr Average for them. On the road bike conversion my average speed is usually in the 24kph band, on an equivalent road bike without motor 21kph.

Word of warning about 'running out' of battery. The TSDZ2 uses the sprag clutch freewheel as the chainset side bearing. As such it has a small amount of radial play that manifests as a once per rev clonk when riding with a dead battery. Annoying but I suspect not damaging. The TSDZ2 is otherwise really nice to ride, the torque sensing works really well giving it a totally natural feel.

Has anyone got range experience with a Fazua system? I'd be interested since I've just bought one and will be using it for touring. I have acquired a spare battery so in theory it should be better, especially since it has tubeless 25mm tyres and has carbon frame making it 3kg lighter than my TSDZ2 road bike.
by RichardPH
1 May 2018, 10:56am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Aldi bike pump
Replies: 9
Views: 4159

Re: Aldi bike pump

OK. In between the last post and this one, I separated the rubber tube from the bayonet fitting, see photo

dismantled parts.jpg
dismantled parts.jpg (54.32 KiB) Viewed 3829 times


Then I drilled the nut 5,5mm so that it would fit over the main tube. The snap ring and nut must fitted and the bayonet pushed back into the rubber tube, see photo below

assembled parts.jpg
assembled parts.jpg (35.33 KiB) Viewed 3829 times


Then the epoxy was added

epoxy potting.jpg
epoxy potting.jpg (22.56 KiB) Viewed 3829 times


Lastly the nut was tightened down and the epoxy left to set

nut tightened down.jpg
nut tightened down.jpg (20.15 KiB) Viewed 3829 times
by RichardPH
1 May 2018, 10:06am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Aldi bike pump
Replies: 9
Views: 4159

Re: Aldi bike pump

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Never done a photo insert before so hoping this will work out...

I decided that since it's the internal snap ring that's failing in its duty, perhaps the best plan is to help it by potting with epoxy resin in the presta valve position. This will prevent the ring from bending and popping out of its shallow groove [I hope]. Will post a pic of the final result when it's set properly.

Longer term of course, who knows?
by RichardPH
30 Apr 2018, 7:21pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Aldi bike pump
Replies: 9
Views: 4159

Re: Aldi bike pump

Thanks for the suggestion mjr, but the problem lies with the snap ring, no question. Think it might be possible to cut off the feature for the Dunlop valve and use the screw thread to hold it together. It was only a fiver so little will be lost.

The high pressure stage goes up to 120psi BTW... it's the high volume feature that only goes up to 80psi. Handy to have both in one pump on the bike, which is why I'm going to persevere.
by RichardPH
30 Apr 2018, 7:00pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Aldi bike pump
Replies: 9
Views: 4159

Re: Aldi bike pump

OK, I understand now. Unless you have one, the explanation won't make it clearer... but the problem is that they rely on a round internal snap ring to retain the pressure tube, trouble is, the groove into which it fits is inadequate depth and at quite a low pressure it simply unseats and allows the tube to blow out.

Shame really because the rest of the pump seems a good design, two stage, lockable high pressure stage and a gauge. So close and yet so far. It may be possible to modify for Presta valve exclusively, that I shall investigate shortly.
by RichardPH
30 Apr 2018, 6:28pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Aldi bike pump
Replies: 9
Views: 4159

Aldi bike pump

I purchased an Aldi 2-stage pump today. Feel a little stupid because I can't see any way for it to accommodate a presta style valve without the pressure tube blowing out of the adaptor. The instructions have tiny diagrams that offer little in the way of guidance.

Has anyone bought one and worked it out?
by RichardPH
1 Feb 2018, 11:57am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Adapting battery packs from Cree T6 light to USB charger
Replies: 33
Views: 13293

Re: Adapting battery packs from Cree T6 light to USB charger

Coming a bit late to this discussion, but it seems to embody the cutting edge of the forum knowledge, certainly way beyond my own. I'm putting together a package to free me from the tyranny of having to find mains for my USB devices, common issue.

So far I have a wheel and Shimano DH-2N70 and have also ordered four of these from AliExpress, intent to package into a four USB output box.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DC-6-24 ... 0.0.p4X3wk

The output from the alternator needs to converted from AC to DC, and some overvoltage protection embodied. So far I've grown to understand that a full wave rectifier bridge and Zener diode plus a load resistor may be sufficient, but the Shimano based circuit discussed in this thread promises a better result.

Short question first, how did it go in practice?

Please bear in mind that whilst I'm a qualified mechanical engineer, electronics are not usually my thing, so you'll not insult me by spelling it out in very simple terms.
by RichardPH
23 Jan 2018, 7:16pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: E bikes - do you secretly want one?
Replies: 130
Views: 10505

Re: E bikes - do you secretly want one?

Early last year I regarded myself as a fittish 63yo, managing to keep up about 175W average for half an hour, happy with that. Then my LAD coronary artery blocked whilst out on a ride. Not good, reduced my output to 100W for 4 minutes accompanied by excruciating angina, blood flow was limited to a couple of minor collaterals, which were nevertheless essential in keeping my heart muscle undamaged.

An electric motor for the shopping bike was the answer to increasing stir craziness whilst the NHS sorted me out. A Tongsheng TDSZ2 bottom bracket motor with proportional torque sensing power delivery made the bike once again a delight to ride. 4 settings, found the 'normal' one was fine for my level of fitness and achieved a range of 50miles on a medium hilly route with an all-up weight of 108kg. Cost £450, weighs 7kg and took a couple of days to fit.

Here's the science. Me on that bike could, when fit, could deliver 175W with an all-up weight of 100kg. Add the motor and 10A-hr battery and the potential power rises to 425W, for an all-up weight of 108kg, that's a improvement of 225%. Tell me that doesn't make perfect sense. Add in the ability to take the battery to the charger, without the bike being attached, and you've got yourself a practical solution for almost anyone.

It's about energy density, an electric motor and a battery is a big step up in power to weight ratio from any human, up to and including Chris Froome. It's why mechanical doping has been a successful cheat strategy in pro cycling.

Lots of my older friends have been waiting around like vultures for me to get better and sell them my e-bike kit for a song. They're going to be waiting a long time, it's so much fun for around town stuff it's here to stay, even though the NHS have done a grand job stenting my artery.