Range extender

Electrically assisted bikes, trikes, etc. that are legal in the UK
hemo
Posts: 1438
Joined: 16 Nov 2017, 5:40pm
Location: West Sussex

Re: Range extender

Post by hemo »

How the power tapers off nearing the cut off can depend on the power delivery of the controller, current control or speed control. Speed controllers deliver more max current to attain the max speed of the setting,
Current control uses more current the slower you ride, so it is always best to be at near max speed.
BertYardbrush
Posts: 99
Joined: 4 Oct 2011, 9:18am
Location: Holmfirth

Re: Range extender

Post by BertYardbrush »

I had an Orbea Gain from Aug 2018 till last week. My replacement range extender came last August. I sold the bike to a club colleague with 9,000 miles on it. The reason for the sale is that I am not as fit as I was.
I have recently moved from Derbyshire to West Yorkshire and believe I need something with a little more power as the hills round here are more plentiful and steeper. When I was reasonably fit I was able to do 50 to 60 odd miles without the range extender and with a fair bit of unpowered riding. Recently I have had the power on Eco for almost all the ride with the occasional use of more powerful modes.
On 35 to 45 mile rides I have used all the power in the range extender with about 40% to 70% remaining in the main battery at the end of the ride. All the rides have been solo. I did go on a group ride a week or so ago with some unpowered riders and used a lot less battery.
I found on steep hills, the bike was somewhat underpowered and would grumble whichever mode it was in. Probably due to my inability to give as much input as it would have preferred.

A great bike and the range extender gave me confidence to go on longer rides. Unfortunately age has caught up and more power from an external source is required.
richtea99
Posts: 93
Joined: 30 Jun 2020, 9:56pm

Re: Range extender

Post by richtea99 »

54 miles and it's for fun? Just take it easy and only use the battery when you need it.

And no, you can't use the Specialized one - it has to be the Orbea / Mahle one.
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[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Range extender

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Grandad wrote: 16 Jun 2021, 9:06pm
the less assistance used, the greater the range achieved.
I use my Orbea Gain motor to get to the flatlands beyond the uncomfortably steep hills between them and home. Average ride is 2 miles on the motor and 35-40 on leg power. Can I claim the record miles per charge :D

On the other hand I dare not calculate the cost per mile of the motor use :(

Pre motor I had to use the car to get over the hills
Well the cost will be lower than the car, that's for sure.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Oldjohnw
Posts: 7764
Joined: 16 Oct 2018, 4:23am
Location: South Warwickshire

Re: Range extender

Post by Oldjohnw »

I can get over £100 miles on a charge - retro fitted Chinese kit. Not in one go.
John
Lentilbake
Posts: 5
Joined: 9 Nov 2021, 12:30pm

Re: Range extender

Post by Lentilbake »

My wife and I both have Ribble e-Bikes with the same x35 electrics. It's interesting to see the difference in battery consumption on the same ride. I'm a 64 year old rider and have been a keen cyclist for all my life, by no means am I super fit and I don't race or compete. My wife is a mere 60 years and pretty fit but isn't as keen a cyclist as I am. On the same ride 35 mile ride she'll end up with practically nothing left in the battery and I'll have 60% left. It's very difficult to predict what you'll get on a charge, so many factors involved. The great thing is that we do both go out together on the bikes, e-Bikes are a great leveller. I'm looking at range extenders too, I thought that the wife could use it when we go out together and I could use it for longer, hillier rides on my own. The Ribble extender is £549, pretty expensive compared to the Orbea version which is £449. Does anyone know if the Orbea extender will work with the Ribble as the both use the x35 system? There is another option made by Volabike (https://www.volabike.com/producto/range ... 5/?lang=en) at E449, they seem to be a new startup making extenders for other systems too. Anyone have any experience of these?
peterb
Posts: 388
Joined: 2 Dec 2017, 10:13am

Re: Range extender

Post by peterb »

Where can you get the Orbea extender for £449? On their UK site it is £549, like Ribble. I've been looking into the Volabike extender but they seem difficult to communicate with.
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[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Range extender

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Lentilbake wrote: 10 Nov 2021, 10:34am My wife and I both have Ribble e-Bikes with the same x35 electrics. It's interesting to see the difference in battery consumption on the same ride. I'm a 64 year old rider and have been a keen cyclist for all my life, by no means am I super fit and I don't race or compete. My wife is a mere 60 years and pretty fit but isn't as keen a cyclist as I am. On the same ride 35 mile ride she'll end up with practically nothing left in the battery and I'll have 60% left. It's very difficult to predict what you'll get on a charge, so many factors involved. The great thing is that we do both go out together on the bikes, e-Bikes are a great leveller. I'm looking at range extenders too, I thought that the wife could use it when we go out together and I could use it for longer, hillier rides on my own. The Ribble extender is £549, pretty expensive compared to the Orbea version which is £449. Does anyone know if the Orbea extender will work with the Ribble as the both use the x35 system? There is another option made by Volabike (https://www.volabike.com/producto/range ... 5/?lang=en) at E449, they seem to be a new startup making extenders for other systems too. Anyone have any experience of these?
Switch batteries at a convenient cafe stop?
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
peterb
Posts: 388
Joined: 2 Dec 2017, 10:13am

Re: Range extender

Post by peterb »

[quote
switch batteries at a convenient cafe stop?
[/quote]
If you mean from bike to bike that could be a little bit tricky as the batteries are well enclosed inside the Gain's downtube. Maybe if you have an hour or two and a serious set of bike tools. More a question of swapping bikes, maybe?
Littgull
Posts: 129
Joined: 21 Jun 2009, 9:36am

Re: Range extender

Post by Littgull »

peterb wrote: 28 Nov 2021, 1:45pm [quote
switch batteries at a convenient cafe stop?
If you mean from bike to bike that could be a little bit tricky as the batteries are well enclosed inside the Gain's downtube. Maybe if you have an hour or two and a serious set of bike tools. More a question of swapping bikes, maybe?
[/quote]

I think the fact that swapping the battery quickly on the Gain or the Ribble equivalent is impractical is a huge drawback and would dissuade me from buying such a bike. The Fazua Evation set up seems far more versatile and has been thought through much better. Imagine needing to charge the battery on a Gain during an overnight stay and the hotel or guest house owner only had provision for bike storage in an outhouse without an electricity socket? A huge drawback in my opinion.
Grandad
Posts: 1448
Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 12:22am
Location: Kent

Re: Range extender

Post by Grandad »

A huge drawback in my opinion.
Agreed if you plan this sort of use. It shows the need to identify what sort of rides you want to do and select a suitable system.

My Gain meets my requirements for a riding position identical to my other bike with a range that covers my rides of up to 50 miles.
ChrisF
Posts: 662
Joined: 22 Mar 2014, 7:34pm

Re: Range extender

Post by ChrisF »

Littgull wrote: 29 Nov 2021, 2:31pm I think the fact that swapping the battery quickly on the Gain or the Ribble equivalent is impractical is a huge drawback and would dissuade me from buying such a bike. The Fazua Evation set up seems far more versatile and has been thought through much better. Imagine needing to charge the battery on a Gain during an overnight stay and the hotel or guest house owner only had provision for bike storage in an outhouse without an electricity socket? A huge drawback in my opinion.
Not such a drawback if you use the range extender, which is what this thread is about. The extender can be charged in a B&B if a socket near the bike isn't available. OK, that won't get you the full potential mileage, but it should help a lot. Cost aside, it's an extra kg of weight to carry but that's less than the difference between Fazua-type machines and the Orbea type.
Chris F, Cornwall
Littgull
Posts: 129
Joined: 21 Jun 2009, 9:36am

Re: Range extender

Post by Littgull »

ChrisF wrote: 1 Dec 2021, 3:58pm
Littgull wrote: 29 Nov 2021, 2:31pm I think the fact that swapping the battery quickly on the Gain or the Ribble equivalent is impractical is a huge drawback and would dissuade me from buying such a bike. The Fazua Evation set up seems far more versatile and has been thought through much better. Imagine needing to charge the battery on a Gain during an overnight stay and the hotel or guest house owner only had provision for bike storage in an outhouse without an electricity socket? A huge drawback in my opinion.
Not such a drawback if you use the range extender, which is what this thread is about. The extender can be charged in a B&B if a socket near the bike isn't available. OK, that won't get you the full potential mileage, but it should help a lot. Cost aside, it's an extra kg of weight to carry but that's less than the difference between Fazua-type machines and the Orbea type.
Understood. But as you say, charging and using the range extender won't get you the 'full potential mileage' - a big drawback in my opinion.
Outside of that situation, I would not be happy in having to regularly bring the whole bike into the house or property to charge the bike battery (if no electric available in outhouse etc). The range extender doesn't resolve that requirement.
peterb
Posts: 388
Joined: 2 Dec 2017, 10:13am

Re: Range extender

Post by peterb »

I only use my Gain for day rides. It is kept in a garage attached to the house, so no problem with charging. I am happy to accept the limitations of the enclosed battery as it improves the aesthetics of the bike.
Littgull
Posts: 129
Joined: 21 Jun 2009, 9:36am

Re: Range extender

Post by Littgull »

peterb wrote: 2 Dec 2021, 11:32am I only use my Gain for day rides. It is kept in a garage attached to the house, so no problem with charging. I am happy to accept the limitations of the enclosed battery as it improves the aesthetics of the bike.
Ah yes, I can see how the Gain with it's hard to remove in frame battery plus range extender (if needed) completely suits your needs. But unfortunately, it wouldn't suit mine.
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