Cross-Canada by Ebike

Poking at Justin's bike, i flipped thru the Trip Stats :

The Total Km reading includes pre-trip testing and a bit more, so not the distance of the exact trip itself, still impressive !!!!

In case anyone hasn't seen a close-up of a Cycle Analyst before...

The picture of Justin's unit in the previous post isn't representative of what one might expect to receive if they purchased one. Apart from special code/mods, the case on this unit is one of the rejects - eaten during the process of routing out the window for the display. It might be old enough to show what happens when a jig slips (assuming a human botched this one), but he's got himself milling these things with a CNC outfit now. Those Hammond boxes are way too much money to dispatch with a mere "oops"...

It's always bugged me that cases like he's using are so frikkin' expensive. The microcontroller that runs the whole affair costs less than HALF of what the plastic box does. Grumble Grumble.

ypedal... My apologies if you've posted about this elsewhere on this forum (at over 3,000 posts it could be a career to read everything you've written )Is that a full-face helmet hanging from your handlebars?

Thanks for the pics, video and update. The weather looked nice for the ride.

I hope Justin isn't going out to meet TS Kyle and is instead laying low for awhile.

Eeek...

I'd dismissed Kyle, after they said (yesterday) that the cool Atlantic waters would knock it down several pegs, but the CBC is now reporting the following as of 2 hours ago...

Tropical storm Kyle has grown into a hurricane over the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters said Saturday evening.

With winds of up to 120 km/h, the hurricane could make landfall anywhere between Nova Scotia and Maine, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

The storm is aimed directly for Saint John, according to Guy Roussel, a meteorologist at the Canadian Hurricane Centre. Kyle is expected to lash the Maritimes with up to 140 mm of rain and winds reaching up to 120 km/h by late Sunday or early Monday morning.

"Rainfalls will be kind of torrential in some areas. Within 12 hours you could get up to 100 mm of rain," Roussel said.

"That would cause rivers to flood too and also cause flooding in the city, a lot of run-off and conditions like that."

A hurricane watch has been issued for Shelburne, Yarmouth and Digby counties in southwestern Nova Scotia. A tropical storm watch is in place for the rest of the province and southwestern New Brunswick, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre.

Whatever western water has been expelled from that Crystalyte motor might get replaced with an eastern variety :-(

Ohh i'm fairly certain he will be getting wet on the way to Halifax !! it was pissing rain this morning when we were weatherproofing the bike a bit, covered the chargers with plastic before leaving, also fixed the rear mirror that snapped off when my - should know better - bumbass hopped on the seat at the Irving Big Stop .. you know.. .i just had to ( Funny thing, i'm aparently only the 2nd person to request test riding this Rig!!! quite the experience !!! ) I set the bike back resting on the picknick table and it was ok for a bit.. then all of a sudden when Justin was checking out the Norco.. i see the bike tipping over... Doh..

The 2nd set of handlebars, hooked up to the seat post location, wobbles like a drunk sailor, it works just fine however, once you get rolling, also a tricky thing..

Picture of covered chargers ! ( amazing that these things survived the trip ! ! )

Left Moncton around 2 or 3 pm, loaded and fully charged..

Ypedal said:

The 2nd set of handlebars, hooked up to the seat post location, wobbles like a drunk sailor, it works just fine however, once you get rolling, also a tricky thing..

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Xtracycles have twists of their own but Justin's rig defies description.

You should see him pilot the electrified "Side by Side Tandem" solo.
http://www.ebikes.ca/events.shtml (Scroll down to August 2007)

Talk about twisted handling!
YIKES!

He rode it on a Margaret Charles ride mostly solo after doing the Vancouver Kilowatt Hour Ride with a stoker for balance and starting.
I tried it but needed Allison as the pilot before getting the beast rolling. It has a pedal first controller.

knoxie said:

Hi Justin

Sorry to hear the wheel is giving you trouble.

How much dya wanna spend?

http://www.tagwheels.com

Knoxie

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Hi,

When I first checked this I thought $450 for a wheel was excessive but in Justin's case on this trip it probably would have saved him money, not to mention the hassles.

Next trip (hopefully down the coast to California) check to see if they'll sponsor you with a free wheel.

Figures justin arrives with the storm winds of change at his back!

Seriously though, the Hurricane kinda sucks in it's timing, all the press will be doing storm stories instead of $10.00 to cross canada on an electric bike stories.

Of course despite being bombarded with emails to cover the story I have as of yet to see a single tv news broadcast on this trip. just goes to show the only thing that makes it on the air is something that fits the agenda that news station cares to push.

smithinparis said:

Oh Douglas Adams will be missed ...

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and remembered on Towel Day:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_day

I'm not that stunned that Justin hasn't had too many requests to ride his rig. I admit, it was something >I< wanted to do - before I actually got my hands on the thing. Just jockeying it into the shop (through a 30" doorway) was enough to deter me. It was somewhat like handling a newborn baby for me. Beyond the handlebars, I wasn't even sure where to grab the thing without ripping off a piece of the Xtracycle or winding up with a mitt full of wires

I strikes me that the thing just HAS to rattle constantly. If it was me on that bike, I think I would have expired of something akin to Chinese Water Torture before even getting out of the Greater Vancouver Area. I HATE rattles

Right at the Big Stop i wanted to go for a spin, but i feared i may damage it somehow so i figured it would be prudent to wait until i we got home before i got on ( Had a few beers to work up the courage and away i went after a quick tutorial on how to deal with the regen and specifics of the not-yet-perfected-prototype controller " ) . ( At least if i break it close to home.. i have enough parts to fix it somehow !! :lol: )

It's the coolest thing, when you pull the left side brake lever ( and i say " lever " because there is no brake line.. just a wire !! ) the throttle suddenly becomes the brake level so you never really have to release the throttle.. just pull the lever and as you give more throttle with the brake lever pulled you get a progressive braking effect/regen.. takes getting used to but absolutely cool !!!

The controller makes the X5 behave smoothly, very different feel compared to a usual clyte controller that makes the motor pulse harshly..

If i was crossing canada on a bike.. i'd be so pre-prepped having all my routes documented in advance, spare parts that would weigh me down, backup plans for backup plans.. and likely never even leave... Justin just bolted this thing from left over, salvaged parts and went for it !

The man deserves a big hand of applause !! GO JUSTIN GO !!!!!!!! 8)

Ypedal said:

It's the coolest thing, when you pull the left side brake lever ( and i say " lever " because there is no brake line.. just a wire !! ) the throttle suddenly becomes the brake level so you never really have to release the throttle.. just pull the lever and as you give more throttle with the brake lever pulled you get a progressive braking effect/regen.. takes getting used to but absolutely cool !!!

If i was crossing canada on a bike.. i'd be so pre-prepped having all my routes documented in advance, spare parts that would weigh me down, backup plans for backup plans.. and likely never even leave... Justin just bolted this thing from left over, salvaged parts and went for it !

The man deserves a big hand of applause !! GO JUSTIN GO !!!!!!!! 8)

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I recall the regen brake would cause shuddering at low speed, or if you let go of the throttle before pulling the e-brake lever. (?)

I think I'd prefer to plan too, but perhaps it's just better sometimes to "Hop on and ride" and figure it out as you go. Unexpected stuff will always happen anyway. I've driven by car across the US a few times like that; with just a basic map only referenced occasionally. You can come across some pretty cool stuff just by taking back roads and being flexible to check out interesting things.

You can check all the weather stats but that never tells you 100% what you'll face. Justin has also relied in part on others, more experienced in their locales, to recommend routes and I'd bet that's worked well for him; maps only tell you so much and the biking experiences of others can be more useful.

Looking forward to the finish line story; hope the sun comes out and drier, calmer weather prevails.

Ypedal said:

[...]Funny thing, i'm aparently only the 2nd person to request test riding this Rig!!! quite the experience !!![...]

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Well, I wanted to try it but my legs are so weak, I was scared to drop the bike and break something... Didn't ask to try it. Especially, I would have liked to experience how a current based throttle feels like, part throttle operation happens a lot riding with other cyclists. Michael J Fox couldn't ride my current bike comfortably at part throttle, because of parkinson.

philf said:

Tropical storm Kyle has grown into a hurricane over the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters said Saturday evening.
With winds of up to 120 km/h, the hurricane could make landfall anywhere between Nova Scotia and Maine, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

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Wohoo, I'm not sure if it was Kyle or not but what a wild time riding into Nova Scotia last night. Winds were just howling! And straight into my face. It was frustrating in ontario and the prairies having strong headwinds but this instead was pretty exhilarating. Why? Because I could smell the ocean!!! There's an unmistakeable scent of salt water in the air that I haven't breathed in 2 months

The wind has totally slowed by progress and range between battery refills though. In any case, I am now charging up for the very last time in the town of Truro, NS:



How do the stats fare up to now? With just 92 km to go, we're looking at a total distance traveled of 7007.6 km, and $8.42 consumed from the electrical energy budget.

I could tow a car with my ebike for this last leg and still make it in for under $10.00!

Instead though, I think I'll by myself a souvenir in Halifax with the $1.40 or so I'll have left over :wink:

Lessss said:

Of course despite being bombarded with emails to cover the story I have as of yet to see a single tv news broadcast on this trip. just goes to show the only thing that makes it on the air is something that fits the agenda that news station cares to push.

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Don't fret about it Lessss, that may more my doing than lack of interest by broadcasters. I never said that I was doing this trip to get in the media or as some kind of publicity stunt to bring ebikes into the news, and so I've turned down many offers by Journalists to cover the story along the way.

Ebikes are mostly an underground movement here. That's the most awesome thing about what's going on, and it's the story that I really want to expose and tell with this trip. There is a change being driven at a very grassroots level, without any involvement of traditional big companies, marketing campaigns, government initiatives etc. Sooner or later ebikes are going to reach the mainstream in a big way. It's inevitable. When that happens, I want people to be aware of the roots of this movement, so they can see some of the faces that were building and riding electric bicycles 10, 20, 30 years before ebikes hit the selves of retail stores all across the Country.

So this story about me crossing Canada for the first time ever in a plug-in electric vehicle, it's not really something that is meant to be told now. All of you reading this surely appreciate the significance, but for most people I think the significance will only be apparent 1 or 2 decades from now. At least that's what I hope.

Justin

justin_le said:

Ebikes are mostly an underground movement here. That's the most awesome thing about what's going on, and it's the story that I really want to expose and tell with this trip. There is a change being driven at a very grassroots level, without any involvement of traditional big companies, marketing campaigns, government initiatives etc. Sooner or later ebikes are going to reach the mainstream in a big way. It's inevitable. When that happens, I want people to be aware of the roots of this movement, so they can see some of the faces that were building and riding electric bicycles 10, 20, 30 years before ebikes hit the selves of retail stores all across the Country.

So this story about me crossing Canada for the first time ever in a plug-in electric vehicle, it's not really something that is meant to be told now. All of you reading this surely appreciate the significance, but for most people I think the significance will only be apparent 1 or 2 decades from now. At least that's what I hope.

Justin

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Hi Justin,

I hope it won't be "10, 20, 30 years before ebikes hit the selves of retail stores all across the Country"

And I hope it won't be decades before the significance is appreciated by most people.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Best Wishes,

Mitch

justin_le said:

When that happens, I want people to be aware of the roots of this movement, so they can see some of the faces that were building and riding electric bicycles 10, 20, 30 years before ebikes hit the selves of retail stores all across the Country.

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Let's also hope that some of our faces will still be around in 10, 20 or 30 years!
Well done Justin; you must be pleased with the outcome of your trip and the remarkable people you have met along the way. I look forward to more of your 'people profiles' once you get back after a well-earned rest.

justin_le said:

Ebikes are mostly an underground movement here. That's the most awesome thing about what's going on, and it's the story that I really want to expose and tell with this trip. There is a change being driven at a very grassroots level, without any involvement of traditional big companies, marketing campaigns, government initiatives etc. Sooner or later ebikes are going to reach the mainstream in a big way. It's inevitable. When that happens, I want people to be aware of the roots of this movement, so they can see some of the faces that were building and riding electric bicycles 10, 20, 30 years before ebikes hit the selves of retail stores all across the Country.

Click to expand...

Power to the people

And even more power to those that know how to solder


Who would have thought that you would run into a hurricane on a trip across Canada. A moose I would expect, but not a hurricane. Keep dry, I see it's moving quickly.

Go Justin, Go.
Less than 100k to go... Whoo Hoo!
I'm so proud of you. Every time I scoot past your shop on my trike (that you helped electrify), I get a chill. Well, the fact that it is almost October helps that chill happen, but still... it's a thrill.
I should tell you that my son Conrad (you might remember meeting him at supper, he is the taller one) bought himself a bike. He has used it for the last month, and it has become his main transportation. It is worth mentioning, as just a year or so ago, he said that "bikes are for losers". But, I think that meeting you has helped change that.
Remember, it won't take decades for you to make your mark on the people in Canada. You've already made it, in many ways.
Get on that train back home as soon as you can. You've got an invitation to turkey dinner at my place for thanksgiving !
God speed you.
-Karl

Glad to see you are almost there been reading about your trip and looking at all the land and pictures available on Google earth to see what you have been riding through. Some beautiful country to see for sure. As for the bike mine has fared no better with broken spokes and two burnt controllers in 1200 miles. So room for improvement for sure possibly you know of someone that can figure things out. ;^) Be safe in the last little bit and enjoy the moment as moments are all we have.

Bravo Justin !
Si près de ton but, je te remercie d'avoir partager ton voyage avec nous !
J'écris en français depuis la France 8)
Si un jour tu te décide à venir nous voir, j'ai un grand jardin Et dans le sud de la France il fait toujours beau

Justin Bravo!
So close to your goal, I thank you for sharing your trip with us!
I write in French from France
If one day you decide to visit us, I have a large garden And in the south of France it is always nice

justin_le said:

philf said:

Tropical storm Kyle has grown into a hurricane over the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters said Saturday evening.
With winds of up to 120 km/h, the hurricane could make landfall anywhere between Nova Scotia and Maine, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Click to expand...

Wohoo, I'm not sure if it was Kyle or not but what a wild time riding into Nova Scotia last night. Winds were just howling!

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OK, Nevermind, what I went through then was just some powerful east coast winds. It was midway between Truro and Halifax yesterday evening that I ran into Kyle. Holy Toledo what an experience that was. If anyone's ever bicycled through the remnants of a hurricane, well you'll know what I'm talking about. Wind gusts so powerful they'll either stop your progress in it's tracks or propel you into regen territory, and rain so heavy and driven that it hurts. The cars were all rolling along the highway super slow with emergency lights blinking and windshield wipers on crack trying to keep a clear view out the glass, and I was just holding tight on the handlebars not to get blown over. I'm sure everyone was thinking that I have to be a little out of my mind to be biking through this!

Anyways, it was an exciting note to end the journey on, and knowing that this was the last leg I didn't care so much about how the ebike would fare. The rains and bumps (when I swerved on and off the shoulder) first took out my 10 watt HID light, and then the BMS on the LiFePO4 battery pack. But the homemade LED lights, the motor controller, the homebuilt LiPoly battery packs, the CycleAnalyst, they all kept on trucking right to the end like good little troopers.

I don't think the trip is totally over until I take a plunge in the Atlantic ocean, but for today I'm leaving the bike parked in a garage and will explore the city on my two feet for a change.

Thanks again to all the many people who've contributed to this thread or who have been quietly following the progress. It's made the whole adventure feel that much more complete knowing that a whole community has been behind it. I still have many more posts to make over the next couple days and will compile and upload the final trip statistics later this evening.

Cheers from Halifax, -Justin

I'm glad to hear you made it.. I was worried last night when i ventured out to bring the garbage to the curb thinking Holey cRap i hope he's indoors right now.. woooweeee..

edit : The 7 $ rain coat work ok ? :lol:

Congrats Justin!

It seems like just yesterday that we were standing in your back yard contemplating the weather - would it rain on the way to Hope or not?? Well, I guess that question now seems somewhat trivial after all you've been through.

Glad you made it intact and with a wild ending! Winds howling, parts failing, and you - just hanging on for dear life. Have you ever considered a career as a mailman? I know I'd always get my mail if you were in the loop!

I imagine that the trip back will have a surreal feeling to it; at rail-speed it may seem fast, but I'm sure you'll have some great contemplation time!

Who knows, sometime in the future when all the technology required for this kind of journey has been around for a bit, people will go on voyages attempting to follow in your exact footsteps (ahh, bike-tracks). Maybe the biggest bike in the world will still be standing...

Good work showing us all what a man of action can accomplish!! Now time to start planning the next big voyage. hehehe