I've ridden a Spicy Curry and thought it was a great bike, but limited to 20 mph AFAIK. There are $3,000 - $4,000 bikes from Trek, Specialized and others that are capable of 28 mph, and a $5,000 Stromer that easily rode at 30 mph. Any faster it's Luna, M1 Sportechnik, HPC or DIY and you're on a moped.
Fast Ebike for a tough commute
- Thread starter cbr shadow
- Start date
greetings fellow FBer,
i'm coming from the other direction to work, but I normally commute in on a Juiced CCX that's mostly stock except for aero mods and slightly lower Crr tires (long -30 degree stem and drop bars, Schwalbe G-one Speed tires.) at 50kph, i'll get a range of about 110km with the PAS set for up to 750W from the stock battery. for higher speed runs i've got another CCX with a MAC 8t in it, 72V 34Ah battery, and phaserunner controller which has a range of about 100km at 70kph. draws just under 2kW on average. facilities in mpk18 doesn't like it when i leave them charging on the ground floor instead of using the racks, but they haven't officially complained yet.
hth
i'm coming from the other direction to work, but I normally commute in on a Juiced CCX that's mostly stock except for aero mods and slightly lower Crr tires (long -30 degree stem and drop bars, Schwalbe G-one Speed tires.) at 50kph, i'll get a range of about 110km with the PAS set for up to 750W from the stock battery. for higher speed runs i've got another CCX with a MAC 8t in it, 72V 34Ah battery, and phaserunner controller which has a range of about 100km at 70kph. draws just under 2kW on average. facilities in mpk18 doesn't like it when i leave them charging on the ground floor instead of using the racks, but they haven't officially complained yet.
hth
Lebowski
10 MW
How about something different than a normal bike ? Maybe a tadpole trike ? Low to the ground, so maybe less battery capacity necessary to do the distance ? Probably also more stable at high speed and capable of carrying the battery weight ?
Jil
1 kW
Hi !
If you want to buy a speed-bike "off-the-shelf", it will probably by a 45 kph/28 mph one, so not able to maintain 35-40 mph, especially on 40 miles.
But you can still have a look on the (expensive) swiss Stromer, with 1 kWh battery and 850W motor (for Europe, for US it will be limited to 650W) :
https://www.stromerbike.com/en
Other possibility, not as "bike" than the Stromer but still with pedals :wink: : Luna Apex, with 750w (street legal) Bafang Ultra motor and 1.5 kWh battery : https://lunacycle.com/luna-apex/
With such a power on the transmission and your mileage, it's better to take the Rolhoff option, but it's expensive.
PS : I've not tried any of those bikes.
If you want to buy a speed-bike "off-the-shelf", it will probably by a 45 kph/28 mph one, so not able to maintain 35-40 mph, especially on 40 miles.
But you can still have a look on the (expensive) swiss Stromer, with 1 kWh battery and 850W motor (for Europe, for US it will be limited to 650W) :
https://www.stromerbike.com/en
Other possibility, not as "bike" than the Stromer but still with pedals :wink: : Luna Apex, with 750w (street legal) Bafang Ultra motor and 1.5 kWh battery : https://lunacycle.com/luna-apex/
With such a power on the transmission and your mileage, it's better to take the Rolhoff option, but it's expensive.
PS : I've not tried any of those bikes.
matmaxgeds
100 mW
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2016
- Messages
- 42
How about a Yuba sweet curry (https://yubabikes.com/cargobikestore/sweet-curry) with a GMAC motor (https://www.ebikes.ca/product-info/gmac.html) - lots of battery space, stability, passengers (maybe), regen, still able to peddle it, but fully customisable for higher power, use a torque sensing bottom bracket etc.
Or if ready-made is wanted and not customisation, a Delite from R+M (https://www.r-m.de/de/modelle/superdelite/) i.e. dual battery, can be Rohloff etc, gen4 Bosch motor
Or if ready-made is wanted and not customisation, a Delite from R+M (https://www.r-m.de/de/modelle/superdelite/) i.e. dual battery, can be Rohloff etc, gen4 Bosch motor
MadRhino
100 GW
40 miles range at 40mph is a dream. Not impossible but expansive and difficult to build stealthy. Many of us had built one, but decided for a compromise for the next. We end up with faster and shorter range, or slower and longer range.
In any case: 40mph on a hard tail should be a long frame so cargo bikes are a good idea. For sport handling you‘d be up for a good FS frame, and shorter range ideally. Both are pretty expansive builds.
Big battery, normally using high density chemistry. You should learn to build and manage your battery yourself. Best brakes you can find, ideally 4 pistons hydro calipers and large rotors, for the front at least. DD hubs are making long lasting, reliable commuters. Your motorization choice for your first bike was good, just unlucky. Many of us had done 10ths of thousands miles with a Clyte motor and Lyen controller. Today we have choice of bigger motors and more sophisticated controllers but roughly, the reliability is pretty much the same. My preferred dirt bike still rides on a Clyte X5404 and a Lyen 18fet, 24s RC lipo, after 8 years and 40k miles of mountain trails. For the street, in your commute conditions, I recommend a MXXUS 3k and a FOC controller. Yet it would do it with a cheaper motor and square wave 18fet if budget is short.
In any case: 40mph on a hard tail should be a long frame so cargo bikes are a good idea. For sport handling you‘d be up for a good FS frame, and shorter range ideally. Both are pretty expansive builds.
Big battery, normally using high density chemistry. You should learn to build and manage your battery yourself. Best brakes you can find, ideally 4 pistons hydro calipers and large rotors, for the front at least. DD hubs are making long lasting, reliable commuters. Your motorization choice for your first bike was good, just unlucky. Many of us had done 10ths of thousands miles with a Clyte motor and Lyen controller. Today we have choice of bigger motors and more sophisticated controllers but roughly, the reliability is pretty much the same. My preferred dirt bike still rides on a Clyte X5404 and a Lyen 18fet, 24s RC lipo, after 8 years and 40k miles of mountain trails. For the street, in your commute conditions, I recommend a MXXUS 3k and a FOC controller. Yet it would do it with a cheaper motor and square wave 18fet if budget is short.
cbr shadow
1 kW
kuromaku said:
Wow your 2nd CCX bike sounds very simliar to what I'm looking to build. Any chance you'll have it on campus this week? If you wouldn't mind I'd like to come take a look at it.
dogman dan
1 PW
I forgot to mention another way to get your ride, but not need an extreme e bike. Bike rack on the car, park it 15 miles from work, and ride in from there. Seriously,,,, then your ride is perfect length, maybe even for just pedal, and your e bike can be just about anything that runs reliably.
Re reliability, I'm actually amazed you had problems with a lyens. Controllers can be very reliable now, or not, but even the best can have a part get hot and toast off, especially when running hard up mountains. But a very good quality kit from somebody who has great customer support should get you commuting reliably. Its tires that will give you the most grief, if you ride real far daily.
IMO, 40 mph continuous on a big heavy cargo bike is a bit of a dream. Just like MR said. But like I said, and he said, carrying 40 mph for 40 miles worth of battery is a LOT of battery to carry, as you see on voltrons rig.
So to clarify and repeat, you can build a cargo bike that can do 40 mph, at least at the start of the ride. And later, after half the battery is gone, it will still have 35 mph when you need it, if the route has a bad spot where you have to get into the traffic lane for a mile or so.
A yuba mundo, or a surly big dummy would be a good choice, but alas, the price. I really suggest you get a wire feed welder for a couple hundred bucks at harbor freight, and teach yourself to weld. Its pretty easy with that type of welder. It must be, I am the worst welder on earth, and I built this in a weekend or two.
I was building for low speed, and extreme range, but this bike could have been as fast as Voltrons with the right motor. The main features were lots of tray space in the frame for batteries, and additional space in the panniers for even more.
This was not my first attempt, but a good project for a starting welder is the bolt on longtail attachment. Get a decent bike, and a junk mtb with a steel swing arm, and bingo, you got a longtail cargo bike. See links under any of my posts, for the threads where I built stuff.
Re reliability, I'm actually amazed you had problems with a lyens. Controllers can be very reliable now, or not, but even the best can have a part get hot and toast off, especially when running hard up mountains. But a very good quality kit from somebody who has great customer support should get you commuting reliably. Its tires that will give you the most grief, if you ride real far daily.
IMO, 40 mph continuous on a big heavy cargo bike is a bit of a dream. Just like MR said. But like I said, and he said, carrying 40 mph for 40 miles worth of battery is a LOT of battery to carry, as you see on voltrons rig.
So to clarify and repeat, you can build a cargo bike that can do 40 mph, at least at the start of the ride. And later, after half the battery is gone, it will still have 35 mph when you need it, if the route has a bad spot where you have to get into the traffic lane for a mile or so.
A yuba mundo, or a surly big dummy would be a good choice, but alas, the price. I really suggest you get a wire feed welder for a couple hundred bucks at harbor freight, and teach yourself to weld. Its pretty easy with that type of welder. It must be, I am the worst welder on earth, and I built this in a weekend or two.
I was building for low speed, and extreme range, but this bike could have been as fast as Voltrons with the right motor. The main features were lots of tray space in the frame for batteries, and additional space in the panniers for even more.
This was not my first attempt, but a good project for a starting welder is the bolt on longtail attachment. Get a decent bike, and a junk mtb with a steel swing arm, and bingo, you got a longtail cargo bike. See links under any of my posts, for the threads where I built stuff.
Grantmac
10 kW
I do the hybrid car/bike commute and it works quite well. I setup my commute for minimum time rather than maximum cost savings, but even so the fuel isn't costly (maybe $2-3/day, I go 12km by car and 20km by bike round trip).
I'm considering the full commute by bicycle in the summer but the car portion averages 6-8% grade on 40mph roads without bike lanes and with my driveway at 10% (exactly when I don't want to be pushing a 70# bike).
I'm considering the full commute by bicycle in the summer but the car portion averages 6-8% grade on 40mph roads without bike lanes and with my driveway at 10% (exactly when I don't want to be pushing a 70# bike).
John in CR
100 TW
Grantmac said:
Before I moved closer I was doing that commute each day, except half of mine was 50-60mph roads, but no hybrid for me, all ebike, exactly because it's much faster the whole way. Of course our laws are far more practical, making my highway capable ebikes perfectly legal.
Voltron
1 MW
I def don't park it at the airport, or roll up to any embassies or military bases real fast.
Voltron
1 MW
If you live in America, you're on a list already. Even if you've just spoken near a person with a phone on them. Edward Snowden showed how deep it goes.
But I doubt Miro is going to become a target of a gov sting over it.... But keep us posted!
But I doubt Miro is going to become a target of a gov sting over it.... But keep us posted!
miro13car
100 kW
Voltron
with ebike like yours you are on the list for sure.
with ebike like yours you are on the list for sure.
JoeAverage
1 mW
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2017
- Messages
- 11
I think a BBSHD motor setup would get the job done. Mine doesn't get hot as long as I keep the revs up. I live in a hilly place so I'm not aiming at 40 mph, I'm riding at 20 mph. I've had it up to nearly 40 mph but being a hard tail it gets pretty busy if the road isn't really smooth.
The trick will be enough battery capacity (Ah). And enough front sprocket. I dumped the 46T in favor of a 42T because of hills.
I'm nearing 2500 miles on my bike and I'm hard on wheels. That's has been the Achilles heel of my bike. I'm a big guy (working on being a smaller guy). I have cheap cable disc brakes (Tektro) and find their performance to be fine. I've ridden hydraulic brakes and they are really nice but touchy. Like power brakes vs not in a car. Just takes a heavier grip to get the same stopping ability. I have one spot on my commute home where my brakes get hot b/c of a stop sign at the end of a steep hill. Still, pads last about two seasons. No big deal.
If you go BBSxx look at the "Bafang sailboat turnbuckle" (a Google Images search) solution to prevent motor movement. It was the final piece my bike needed. Some helpful soul shared that idea. Not my idea.
The trick will be enough battery capacity (Ah). And enough front sprocket. I dumped the 46T in favor of a 42T because of hills.
I'm nearing 2500 miles on my bike and I'm hard on wheels. That's has been the Achilles heel of my bike. I'm a big guy (working on being a smaller guy). I have cheap cable disc brakes (Tektro) and find their performance to be fine. I've ridden hydraulic brakes and they are really nice but touchy. Like power brakes vs not in a car. Just takes a heavier grip to get the same stopping ability. I have one spot on my commute home where my brakes get hot b/c of a stop sign at the end of a steep hill. Still, pads last about two seasons. No big deal.
If you go BBSxx look at the "Bafang sailboat turnbuckle" (a Google Images search) solution to prevent motor movement. It was the final piece my bike needed. Some helpful soul shared that idea. Not my idea.
wturber
1 MW
JoeAverage said:
My concern about a BBSHD or any mid drive for that matter would be long term durability and maintenance. Everything I read and my own experience suggests that a DD hub is the most bulletproof setup. Given the miles and speed, I would place durability at a premium for this task.
JoeAverage
1 mW
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2017
- Messages
- 11
I guess that depends on the number and size of hills. I've helped with a DD setup and it didn't like low RPMs aka slow on a hill. Got really hot.
I can see why the BBSHD would seem risky - lots of moving parts vs none in the DD.
Interesting project. I want to hear how it goes.
I can see why the BBSHD would seem risky - lots of moving parts vs none in the DD.
Interesting project. I want to hear how it goes.
wturber
1 MW
JoeAverage said:
Yes. I think that's the key thing to be looking at.
dogman dan
1 PW
BBSHD might work real well, if you lose the 40 mph requirement.
Nothing wrong with efficiency up hills at 20 mph though, with a larger hub motor. And then on the flat, when needed, a 72v hubbie can still hit 40 mph with ease for that dangerous part of the commute. Like you need to ride in the traffic flow, to get that left turn on a 4 lane road. Initially, this can work with even a 1000w kit hub, as long as the thing is kept to 30 mph for most of the ride. So it can be tried out with a cheap hub, a 72v motor, and about 700wh of 72v battery. 72v 10 ah of lipo.
40 mph for 40 miles takes way too much battery for most bike frames to carry, but 30 mph for most of the 40 miles is doable, with 40 mph possible when you need it.
Ride only the last 20 miles is a good way to get started, and will take only about 1000wh of battery. Affordable, lighter, smaller battery to start out with. Charge at work, of course will be needed even for a 20 mile ride till you get more battery.
Nothing wrong with efficiency up hills at 20 mph though, with a larger hub motor. And then on the flat, when needed, a 72v hubbie can still hit 40 mph with ease for that dangerous part of the commute. Like you need to ride in the traffic flow, to get that left turn on a 4 lane road. Initially, this can work with even a 1000w kit hub, as long as the thing is kept to 30 mph for most of the ride. So it can be tried out with a cheap hub, a 72v motor, and about 700wh of 72v battery. 72v 10 ah of lipo.
40 mph for 40 miles takes way too much battery for most bike frames to carry, but 30 mph for most of the 40 miles is doable, with 40 mph possible when you need it.
Ride only the last 20 miles is a good way to get started, and will take only about 1000wh of battery. Affordable, lighter, smaller battery to start out with. Charge at work, of course will be needed even for a 20 mile ride till you get more battery.
Since you are an experienced cyclist you might not need such a powerful machine in order to cruise at 30mph on that commute
(hitting 40 mph on that route would be nuts IMO).
The infrastructure is just not designed for really fast bikes and cars don't know how to drive with them either. When you are throttling at 40 you do not want to be in an aero tuck or be pedaling either, you just take a defensive posture on the bike and hope not to get T-Boned. 30mph is pushing it for myself and although I thought I would want more speed after a year on an e-bike I find other features more intriguing/useful.
You will be cut off on all the sharrow bike paths and probably feel safer just riding with traffic like a motorcycle at those speeds, 40mph on an official bike path might draw some unwanted attention in too.
I would try a normal 25-35mph e-bike that fits and can be pedaled efficiently. Just changing this requirement will open up many options and is usually fast enough for most commuters. I think reliability and comfort would be the #1 consideration for such a long commute and speed would be down on the list.
Rent or borrow some e-bikes to see what might work for you.
(hitting 40 mph on that route would be nuts IMO).
The infrastructure is just not designed for really fast bikes and cars don't know how to drive with them either. When you are throttling at 40 you do not want to be in an aero tuck or be pedaling either, you just take a defensive posture on the bike and hope not to get T-Boned. 30mph is pushing it for myself and although I thought I would want more speed after a year on an e-bike I find other features more intriguing/useful.
You will be cut off on all the sharrow bike paths and probably feel safer just riding with traffic like a motorcycle at those speeds, 40mph on an official bike path might draw some unwanted attention in too.
I would try a normal 25-35mph e-bike that fits and can be pedaled efficiently. Just changing this requirement will open up many options and is usually fast enough for most commuters. I think reliability and comfort would be the #1 consideration for such a long commute and speed would be down on the list.
Rent or borrow some e-bikes to see what might work for you.
I bike everyday and average 14 mph, top speed 40 with pedaling. Use about 15 w-h/mi. If you are fit enough you can definitely make an ebike that can reach 40 for 40. Regenerative braking is a must, I get an additional 17% range with my high power setup, and even more if I derate the maximum speed. My personal record was 27% regen during a maximum range test, averaged 12 mph and around 3 w-h/mi, maximum sped around 25 mph with my full effort of pedaling
I'm not trying to put anybody down, but I suspect that most of the naysayers aren't "serious cyclists" first.
I used to commute 6.5mi one way on a CAAD4 on surface streets--not an ebike, just pedaling (lots of stop signs, traffic lights). I averaged 22-24mph (on the cyclocomputer, so not counting time while stopped): climbing in the mid-teens, flats 25-31, topping out 40-45.
I now commute 25 miles one way over rolling terrain, often with a couple miles between traffic signals, and average 29-30mph, pedaling hard the whole time. My hardest climb is 11% and I'm working dang hard to keep the speed at 22mph or above, otherwise the motor stalls (on PAS 5) and I have to slow down and scale back the PAS. I climb in the mid-20s, 28-35 in the flats, topping out 40-45. My energy consumption averaged 329 Wh over the past couple months, with a min of 237 wH and a max of 435 wH. I'm in an aerodynamic position that a serious road cyclists would consider respectable. Both for comfort (takes the load off the wrists and back) and efficiency I spend a lot of time on the aero bars.
The lowest power consumption is as I approach the no-load speed of the hub motor. I can be doing 35, 40mph and consuming less than 100W. The highest is when I've slowed down to half of the no-load speed, just above stall, which is when I'll see 750 or 800W.
Some folks say "once you get up to speed you won't even be able to pedal" or stuff like that. I'm pedaling 85-100 RPMs, and I can "feel it" perfectly fine, even at top speed. (A hub motor's contribution to your effort will drop off as speed increases; see above.) Anyone saying that you need 1000W to go 40mph must be sitting straight up and riding like they're on ape-hangers.
I switched frames from a mid-90s Litespeed (titanium) to a Surly Long Haul Trucker so that I could accommodate wider tires (700C x 35; with 28s on the Litespeed the wheel was able to handle the stress, but it was next to impossible to get the rim strip to stay in place and I was getting flats on the "inside" of the tube from the rim holes.
Full suspension or even a front fork simply aren't necessary. People might like them, but since you've logged plenty of miles on your road bike I'm assuming that you already have to technique to subtly lift off the seat for road seams, etc. People want to ride like they're on motorcycles. I'm perfectly comfortable and quite secure on 80-90 psi.
Something you haven't brought up is drive train. I'm turning a 60T up front with a 28/13 in the back. Going to smaller cogs both accelerates chain wear and increases the relative step size between the gears.
I charge the battery at work. I only use about 20% of the battery capacity each ride. I'm running an oversized battery to minimize wear.
40 average is rough, but 30mph average with max to 45 is doable. PM me if you want more details.
I used to commute 6.5mi one way on a CAAD4 on surface streets--not an ebike, just pedaling (lots of stop signs, traffic lights). I averaged 22-24mph (on the cyclocomputer, so not counting time while stopped): climbing in the mid-teens, flats 25-31, topping out 40-45.
I now commute 25 miles one way over rolling terrain, often with a couple miles between traffic signals, and average 29-30mph, pedaling hard the whole time. My hardest climb is 11% and I'm working dang hard to keep the speed at 22mph or above, otherwise the motor stalls (on PAS 5) and I have to slow down and scale back the PAS. I climb in the mid-20s, 28-35 in the flats, topping out 40-45. My energy consumption averaged 329 Wh over the past couple months, with a min of 237 wH and a max of 435 wH. I'm in an aerodynamic position that a serious road cyclists would consider respectable. Both for comfort (takes the load off the wrists and back) and efficiency I spend a lot of time on the aero bars.
The lowest power consumption is as I approach the no-load speed of the hub motor. I can be doing 35, 40mph and consuming less than 100W. The highest is when I've slowed down to half of the no-load speed, just above stall, which is when I'll see 750 or 800W.
Some folks say "once you get up to speed you won't even be able to pedal" or stuff like that. I'm pedaling 85-100 RPMs, and I can "feel it" perfectly fine, even at top speed. (A hub motor's contribution to your effort will drop off as speed increases; see above.) Anyone saying that you need 1000W to go 40mph must be sitting straight up and riding like they're on ape-hangers.
I switched frames from a mid-90s Litespeed (titanium) to a Surly Long Haul Trucker so that I could accommodate wider tires (700C x 35; with 28s on the Litespeed the wheel was able to handle the stress, but it was next to impossible to get the rim strip to stay in place and I was getting flats on the "inside" of the tube from the rim holes.
Full suspension or even a front fork simply aren't necessary. People might like them, but since you've logged plenty of miles on your road bike I'm assuming that you already have to technique to subtly lift off the seat for road seams, etc. People want to ride like they're on motorcycles. I'm perfectly comfortable and quite secure on 80-90 psi.
Something you haven't brought up is drive train. I'm turning a 60T up front with a 28/13 in the back. Going to smaller cogs both accelerates chain wear and increases the relative step size between the gears.
I charge the battery at work. I only use about 20% of the battery capacity each ride. I'm running an oversized battery to minimize wear.
40 average is rough, but 30mph average with max to 45 is doable. PM me if you want more details.
niwrad said:
The problem with regenerative braking is that it forces you into using a direct drive hub motor. They really don't "feel" like a bicycle because they' don't freewheel. They also weigh more than geared hub motors. Plus, if there's some issue with the electric drive then direct drive hubs are very difficult and unpleasant to pull along, whereas when I had a problem with my controller and lost electric assist it was simply like pedaling a heavy bicycle.
The third option (besides direct drive hub motor and geared hub motor) is mid drive. I don't think you want mid drive for the same reason that I decided against it: the length of your commute at the power-level needed to execute your desired speed will put excessive, rapid wear on your drive train.
You're going to need a large allowance of space and weight capacity for the battery. Consider starting with a high performance tandem, to give you these resources without the usual efficiency penalties imposed by a heavy e-bike. Also understand that at 40 mph, tucking your body in will yield more range and speed than any amount of pedaling can. Pedaling effectively is a net gain at significantly lower speeds, though.
Cruising at 40 in an aero tuck may attract more unwanted attention versus pedaling athletically. In some places it would be more of a problem than in others, I imagine.
Cruising at 40 in an aero tuck may attract more unwanted attention versus pedaling athletically. In some places it would be more of a problem than in others, I imagine.
wturber
1 MW
mystryda said:
Grin's motor simulator says that the load to go 40 mph on a full recumbent is 978 watts. A road bike set up for commuting is very unlikely to be that slippery. The simulator gives a load of 1355 watts for 40 mph on a semi-recumbent. If you are a very strong cyclist and can output 355 watts, that means the motor system still has to supply 1000 watts.
OTOH, bikecalculator.com says that on aero bars you can go 40 mph with "only" 904 watts of power. But that's a pretty iffy position for commuting. For drops the same calculator gives 1143 watts.
So no, one need not be sitting upright riding like they are on ape-hangars to suggest that they need 1000 watts to go 40 mph. They only need to have a bit less than optimal drop bar position, non-skinny tires and not have the ability to output more than 250 or so watts on their own. In other words, in the vast majority of real world situation most people really do need about 1000 watts of motor power (more battery power) to go 40 mph for any time longer than possibly a short burst of speed. There are only a very few exceptional situations (discounting going downhill or falling out of an airplane) where you don't need 1000 watts to get to 40 mph on a bicycle. It is a pretty realistic generalization.
It is true, however, that if you are an exceptionally fit rider and build a lightweight road e-bike with a small geared hub motor, that you can get by with a lot less battery and motor power. There are at least two threads on this forum that have outlined exactly those kinds of builds. (https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49691#p734494)
But even an exceptionally fit rider isn't likely to sustain 300 watts of output for for very long. But 200 watts or a bit more is realistic. And with that you can maintain speeds around 30 mph for extended periods with just 300 watts of added motor power - assuming you have a really good aerodynamics.
The OP posted a Strava track of his 30 mile commute. He averaged slightly better than 16 mph over that distance while having to do a fair amount of climbing - though his net elevation gain was less than 200 feet. This plus his yearly mileage tells me that he's an avid, fit, but probably not elite-amateur level rider. I'd bet he can sustain 200 watts for extended periods which is well above typical. Even so, the notion that he needs about 1000 watts of assistance to go 40 mph for any significant distance applies to him as well.
wturber, I agree with everything you've written. (Happily my commute has lots of long stretches where I can get comfortable on the aero bars.)
I think we're approaching this from different perspectives.
OP said that he was looking for something that "can go 35-40mph top speed." From that I'm understanding that he's not trying to cruise at 40mph. Then to "go 40 mph"--yes on a descent--you don't need 1000W. On my route the only way to get to 40mph is by pedaling.
Agreed that if you want to do that in the flats then you do need 1000W+.
I took a lot of inspiration from chase58's build. I wish mine was as light as his, but averaging 30mph over a longer distance and going with a larger battery higher to maximize its life were higher priorities.
I think we're approaching this from different perspectives.
OP said that he was looking for something that "can go 35-40mph top speed." From that I'm understanding that he's not trying to cruise at 40mph. Then to "go 40 mph"--yes on a descent--you don't need 1000W. On my route the only way to get to 40mph is by pedaling.
Agreed that if you want to do that in the flats then you do need 1000W+.
I took a lot of inspiration from chase58's build. I wish mine was as light as his, but averaging 30mph over a longer distance and going with a larger battery higher to maximize its life were higher priorities.
