Recent content by chrisvw

My lower limit has always been 20 degrees F (for a 10 mile each way commute). My hands, feet and ears can't take it any longer than that. The Barmitts did help my hands tremendously. (Also called pogies). I swear by them. My feet are too big for any of the bike shop shoe covers, so I've had...

Had a few gremlins that caused me to lose my cumulative miles, but I'm somewhere beyond 4500 miles on my ebike. Still love it, though no longer doing a daily commute, so the miles aren't adding up as quickly.

I've been considering the same with my old tandem. I was thinking of a front motor as well since the installation is so much simpler. Most tandems have a wider rear hub that would make connecting a hub motor more difficult. If you opt for a rear motor, be sure to check the width of the drop...

If you're commuting regularly, buy a charger for work. I've lost a charger by carrying on my bike too much. They tend to have heavy components that don't take shock well (separate from the PC board, etc.). A small charger is probably fine since you'll likely be there 8 hours or so.

+1 for Bar Mitts. Been using them for 2 years now. Neoprene material. Big enough to cover my throttle and shifters and I can wear lighter gloves. I've used them to 20 degrees F. Everything else was freezing but my hands were OK.

This is one of those obvious things that can bite you, but be sure there's enough room for your pedals and knees to clear the battery. That key sticking out could be a particular problem if it is not far enough forward to be out of the way. Anything more than about four inches wide could be a...

My philosophy - safety trumps laws. I do what's safest first, then follow the laws as much as possible. My rule of thumb is the less real interaction with cars, the better: - At a 4 way stop, I'll barely slow if it keeps me out of the intersection with any other cars. - Choice of bike trail...

My stats (by no known scientific collection method): Average speed: 18-20mph Distance: Commute: 23 mi/day Other: 15 mi/day Usually do one or the other. e-riding ~3 days/week for ~ 50 mi/week total C rate (wild guestimate) 1 - 1.5C Time riding ~ 1 hour (longer on commute days...

We have a fairly large biker group where I work. On several occasions where a big wind kicked up in the afternoon (a common Spring occurence here) I've received grateful thank you's when I offered to let one of them draft me home. The common section we ride is about 9 miles. We have a lake at...

In Ft. Collins case, the narrowest trails are also the oldest. They are also the most convenient to the center of town. The newer trails are much wider with few blind or sharp curves. This point came up in the City Council discussion. The multiuse trails are clearly seen as recreation...

I noted a comment/question about whether the self heating that occurs from the voltage droop you get when cold will correct the problem. I was riding in 25 deg F ( -4 deg C) weather last night where the bike had been parked outside for several hours (returning from the city council meeting...

Here's my report from the Dec 20 Ft. Collins city council meeting. It was one of the stranger events I've ever attended and a good example where misinformation/education and other problems managed to block normally rational thoughts. The ordinance passed on this reading. What that means is...

Lock - you're my hero! Thanks much. CVW

OK, It's on the agenda for tomorrow night - Dec 20th. For those interested, here's the URL for the City council agenda. See the summary agenda and item 27 which contains the main and alternate wording for the ordinance. I'd like to present at the agenda tomorrow, but one thing I haven't been...

In two years and around 5000 miles, among other things: - intermittent, then failed controller (stranded me twice > 5 miles from home - long, slow ride) - failed throttle (stranded me once 8 miles from home) - 3 flats and one blowout. Able to buy a new tire as bike shop was 2 blocks away. -...