~o~
Tuesday 4th -2C/28F. Too dark to see the frost. Up at 4.45. More nightmares.
I have decided that the only way forwards is to invest in a spare battery. I am already tiring [sic] of owning a hideously expensive, '45' chocolate teapot! Some of the following diatribe may only be relevant to the faster '45' [28mph] e-bikes. Their higher speed capability seriously increases wind resistance. The raised [legal] build standards may also produce a heavier machine. Both of these handicaps may and probably will affect the range available.
An e-bike amplifies the efforts of the rider. The rider is not a passive lump of meat in the saddle. Without the input, from the rider, the e-bike goes literally nowhere. Turn off the electric motor and you won't willingly go very far at all! A few hundred yards, if that. Take my word for it. In the US they have e-bikes with throttle controls. These are illegal in Europe as far as I am aware. Where it is pedal or be damned!
Carrying a spare battery on longer rides has several, major advantages: The increased weight and its safe and secure transport is quite another issue. To avoid repetition we will assume the spare battery is carried on the e-bike somehow. To replace that in use when it becomes depleted. They then have to be swapped. With the flat battery going into the e-bike's baggage.
A spare battery allows a higher assistance mode to be selected. For the same range as having only one battery. This reduces the demand on the rider in several ways: The average speed can and will probably be higher for the same power input. This reduces the elapsed time that the rider must pedal.
The rider need not pedal so hard. Particularly when climbing hills or fighting a headwind. The motor automatically increases its share of the propulsion in a higher assistance mode. Which reduces the load on and very real suffering of the rider. A longer ride now reduces its severe toll on the rider's stamina and fitness.
A single battery forces the rider to work much harder and [usually] only in Eco mode. Doing so for an extended time. Which has very serious disadvantages. The rider reaches extreme tiredness or even exhaustion much earlier. They must tolerate working harder for very much longer. Simply to extend the range to quite a modest distance by normal cycle touring standards.
The rider is trapped in Eco mode simply to complete the ride. Otherwise they will quickly run out of the range to reach their planned destination. While still allowing them to return home safely under [at least some] power assistance.
The motor is governed by its clever electronics to amplify the rider's own input in turning the pedals. As the rider becomes tired they cannot then provide enough power themselves. To gain the desperately needed motor assistance.
Being trapped in Eco mode certainly extends the range. Though at a huge cost to the physical well-being of the rider. The e-bike rider loses interest in going similar distances to their human powered machine. A 50 mile ride in a day is not a great distance for a reasonably fit cyclist, Not on a normal, lightweight, touring machine. While a 50 mile ride, with a single battery, will severely tax a '45' e-bike rider! Ask me how I know?
Eco mode makes the rider work really hard. Just to keep the heavy e-bike rolling along. Eco mode provides least assistance. Which is a complete nonsense! The heavy and hideously expensive machine has wider tires and more internal friction. Which demands far more rider effort to propel it forwards unaided. Certainly far more effort than a normal touring bicycle, or tricycle requires. They don't mention this in the advertising.
In reality, the lack of affordable battery capacity is the very real limiting factor where '45' e-bikes are concerned. Otherwise the extra weight and friction wouldn't matter much at all. The rider could pedal effortlessly. Freely traveling at full speed for as long as they wanted to. Up hill and down dale. With the sun constantly shining and the wind in the smiling rider's hair. Or at least the tufts sticking up through their helmet. Assuming they have any hair left!
Range and speed are directly related to rider input. Times the resulting e-bike's amplification factor[s.] Take away the battery, motor and fancy electronics? You are riding a 19th century, cast iron, sewing machine table. Eco mode is little more than wasting the battery charge. Simply to overcome the greatly increased weight and rolling resistance of the expensive e-bike. There is no perpetual motion. E-bike advertising pretends there is.
If all your journeys are short enough, to use the higher assistance modes, then fine. Enjoy! Just don't expect to go much further. Not without running out of fuel. Which, in reality, means your own energy and the terrifyingly expensive battery's very limited range in higher assistance modes.
Carrying two fully charged batteries should effectively double the range. Or cut the journey time and the huge effort required to a far more realistic level. One battery makes a '45' e-bike a foolishly expensive exercise bicycle. Unless you limit yourself to foolishly short rides.
The re-charging time is far too long to take advantage of a stop at your destination. Unless your destination is at work and you can plug in your charger for a few hours. If not, then you had better console yourself with much less than 20 mile/30km radius out to your destination. Regardless of the blatant lies it it may say about range. On the foolishly expensive, computer display on the handlebars!
The estimated [indicated] range is constantly re-calculated from rider's own power input to the pedals. At the start of a ride the input power is at its highest. So is the estimated range. A typical rider is unlikely be able to keep up this pedaling power level for the whole distance. Because they have to work so hard in the lower assistance modes just to maintain an acceptable range.
So the assistance level inevitably drops to match their own increasing tiredness. Energy poverty simultaneously reduces both speed and range. Reducing the expensive e-bike to a crawl! The tired rider cannot engage a more helpful assistance level. Because the battery is rapidly nearing depletion. As the display shows a steady drop in charge for every, painful km or mile remaining!
Run out of battery power and you will be pushing that 19th century, cast iron, sewing machine table uphill! While you stagger uphill, alongside it, on foot! You paid as much as a secondhand car for a now worthless, chocolate teapot!
07.15 -1C/30F. A speckled sky and white frost on the grass. I am now enjoying more than 12 hours or 180º of sunshine indoors. The sun rises through the eastern windows and floods the house with warm light. 12 hours later it does the same again. As it now sets in the west. The house has become a sun worshipper's, stone age temple. The rest of the time it is lighting the south facing, lean-to greenhouse. Providing free warmth. It would do this whether I worshipped the sun or not. I don't, but do enjoy seeing it shine.
08.00 I ought to go for a walk!
The greenhouse warmed the house again. I spent the afternoon trying to fit a new display on the e-bike. The bike was manufactured without clearance for the multitude of cables wrapped around the motor. So I wasted a couple of hours trying to make a cable and plug go though a very tight space already filled with cables.
I finally found a video which showed the motor being hinged downwards to allow the cables to be run. By which time it was too late to finish. I should have photographed the wiring before I started. Then I would know where to run the cables neatly as they were before. I will just have to be creative.
Dinner was beans on toast.
~o~
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