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Safe's Electric Bike Project #002
- Thread starter safe
- Start date
xyster
10 MW
safe said:
Oops, I meant 'inanimate'. So much for my already dubious copy-editor cred. And it's good you respect your bike enough to take her out for dinner before jumping on her.
Do either of your significant others have a name?
Beagle123
10 kW
Don't worry about safe's sex life. As soon as he rides his new bike he won't have any balls anyway.
xyster
10 MW
Beagle123 said:
Also, because he's really, really old (by definition that's always been anybody more than 10 years older than me), at some point he'll come back from a ride unable to uncurl himself from the fetal position he'll be riding in.
TylerDurden
100 GW
That'll also lighten his riding-weight by 2 grams...Beagle123 said:
safe
1 GW
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It might be nice to get laid again... it's been awhile... and the weather won't be any good for riding soon. How's that for a decision process? Can't ride, so I might as well get laid as an alternative... :wink:
The nice thing about bikes and motorcycles is that when you are done with them you can leave them in the garage. Most women wouldn't accept being parked in the garage... :lol:
The nice thing about bikes and motorcycles is that when you are done with them you can leave them in the garage. Most women wouldn't accept being parked in the garage... :lol:
newbie electric rider
100 W
Safe, very nice job. That rear fairing is beautiful. Shaping up very nicely. Can't wait to see it all painted up!
safe
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newbie electric rider said:
The summer riding season is coming to an end. By the time the temperature drops to below 60 degrees it starts to get uncomfortable to ride. By 50 degrees you have to pretty much end for the season. So time is running out for this year, but in the spring I'll be ready with the bike and will have all next summer (a full riding season) to refine the project.
On my #001 Project I'm now 80 miles away from 2,500 miles and that's where I want to stop for the winter. So things are slowing down on everything... the season is mostly over...
xyster
10 MW
safe said:
Whatta wimp! I ride in the coldest, sub-freezing weather around here, no prob. Our Canadian friends here ride in sub-zero weather.
safe
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xyster said:
Xyster... don't you live in Tennessee? It's a little warmer on average there than in Kansas City in the winter. The spring, summer and fall is warm, but winters here last three months and are just too damn cold. I grew up in California near San Francisco and used to be able to ride year round. I just can't see "enjoying" a ride in temperatures below 50 degrees. You can do it all the way down to 40 degrees and still survive it, but it's no fun anymore. I'm not into riding as a form of masochistic torture. Riding is a "sport" and a "pleasure" not a necessity.
xyster
10 MW
safe said:
I live in the pacific northwest. I had a great time (seriously) riding last winter in 20F weather, sometimes on snow and ice. On one occasion, I even took my camera and made a frosty-the-ebikeman video.
dirty_d
10 kW
50 is comfortable with even a long sleeved shirt. 40 isn't horrible but just moving through the wind it could get a little chilly.
xyster
10 MW
dirty_d said:
If you also wore pants, shoes, socks, a jacket and gloves, I think you'd find 40 quite comfortable.
safe
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xyster said:If you also wore pants, shoes, socks, a jacket and gloves, I think you'd find 40 quite comfortable.
I just went for a ride and the temp is now 70 degrees. Now I've got my full road race clothing of leather jacket, elbow and knee pads underneath and then regular pants and a helmet and gloves. It felt perfect. 10 degrees less and it would still be okay, but by 50 degrees that's going to feel cold. I have a heavy winter jacket that makes 50 degree ride possible, but it feels kind of silly.
Also, don't forget that my bike is "motor only" so I can't pedal to build up some internal heat.
My power seems down a lot too... like I might have blown something in the controller again. I tried replacing the throttle yesterday (the usual problem) but that wasn't it. It feels like my 40 Amp controller is allowing about 30 Amps now. This was the same kind of problem I had on my old controller that went bad.It's also possible that the colder temperatures are making the batteries less effective. I know that happens. But is seems that the top end speed is down from 42 mph to about 36 mph. Something seems wrong. But then again a rapid 20 degree drop in temperature does effect performance a great deal.
Hmmmm....
Beagle123
10 kW
Don't be suprised if your SLAs start to crap-out on you. My cheap ones were a goner in 4 months. My max current draw was about 30amps when healthy, then it went down to about 20 amps. Also, they would not have the range either. By the time I arrived home, they'd only put out about 15 amps.
xyster said:
Loopy on testosterone buildup.
newbie electric rider
100 W
I lived and worked outside, in -40 degree C weather. It was a dry cold. If going outside in cool weather, it is important to be properley clothed.
You guys are just not used to it, but if properly attired it is a nice experience.
The colder it gets the more layers of clothing. The first layer of clothing, you want next to your skin is something that wickers moisture away. Like wool, wool dries from the inside out, cotton dries from the out side in (cotton is a bad choice because you remain wet ). They have new synthetic, type materials, that achieve this Then add some layers, layers are important, because it traps heat, like insulation, the more layers the less heat escapes. The final coveriing should be a wind proof, water proof, material that breaths, Gortex use to be a good one. Finally all skin that is exposed should be covered with a greasy fatty substance, to prevent frostbite, especially on your ears, and nose. Dont forget the sunglasses and a warm hat/ gloves.
Winter time can be nice to experience, Think like an astronaut, you are going out into a hostile enviroment, just put on the proper suit.
You guys are just not used to it, but if properly attired it is a nice experience.
The colder it gets the more layers of clothing. The first layer of clothing, you want next to your skin is something that wickers moisture away. Like wool, wool dries from the inside out, cotton dries from the out side in (cotton is a bad choice because you remain wet ). They have new synthetic, type materials, that achieve this Then add some layers, layers are important, because it traps heat, like insulation, the more layers the less heat escapes. The final coveriing should be a wind proof, water proof, material that breaths, Gortex use to be a good one. Finally all skin that is exposed should be covered with a greasy fatty substance, to prevent frostbite, especially on your ears, and nose. Dont forget the sunglasses and a warm hat/ gloves.
Winter time can be nice to experience, Think like an astronaut, you are going out into a hostile enviroment, just put on the proper suit.
safe
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Beagle123 said:
When I bought the batteries the resting voltage was about 13.2, then after a year it was 13.1 and now after another year it's about 13.0. My range seems okay, but my peak power seems slightly off. I think I've got some sort of problem with either the wiring or the controller.
The fact that I found a wire that completely unsoldered itself and was no longer giving a connection at all says that there might be other connections that are bad. Usually things degrade slowly, but this happened very fast, like within a few days, and the batteries were well maintained all along. Last year I had a wiring harness problem and it feels a lot like it again. A controller that no longer gives the full current is also possible. All this stuff can be replaced or examined in a winter teardown.
safe
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newbie electric rider said:
I'll be busy on the "Ice Road" trucking tons of material over frozen lakes in Alaska... oh no I won't... I'm just kidding... :lol: (actually people do ski in freezing cold weather, so it can be fun to be out in those temperatures)
newbie electric rider
100 W
One other thing.
Riding my road bike in 40 F,is pleasurable, the air feels a lot less dense, i actually feel there is less resistance. The crisp air, and the different sounds, it is nice.
I would also like to mention something i have noticed. I lived/ stayed in Arizona for three months during the fall. Some days it was a hundred degrees outside, and it felt normal after a while. When the temperature would drop to 70 I actually had to put on a sweater, and when I got back here, it was unbearable. I think our blood, or something, acclimatizes to our environment. You can see this effect during the winter in South Carolina. Hordes of Canadians can be easily identified on the beaches, swimming in the ocean and running around with shorts, and flip flops on. While the locals are dressed up like eskimos, thinking we are nuts.
Riding my road bike in 40 F,is pleasurable, the air feels a lot less dense, i actually feel there is less resistance. The crisp air, and the different sounds, it is nice.
I would also like to mention something i have noticed. I lived/ stayed in Arizona for three months during the fall. Some days it was a hundred degrees outside, and it felt normal after a while. When the temperature would drop to 70 I actually had to put on a sweater, and when I got back here, it was unbearable. I think our blood, or something, acclimatizes to our environment. You can see this effect during the winter in South Carolina. Hordes of Canadians can be easily identified on the beaches, swimming in the ocean and running around with shorts, and flip flops on. While the locals are dressed up like eskimos, thinking we are nuts.
safe
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newbie electric rider said:
I agree. In the summers here I get used to a constant temperture of about 80 degrees at night and 90 degrees during the day. In winter I get used to 60 degrees indoors and about 40 degrees most of the time outdoors. (sometimes a lot lower) During the transition seasons things feel strange because your body reaches a set point from the previous season. Right now 70 degrees feels cold... but by January 70 degrees will feel downright hot. It's actually easier to ride as the weather is warming (since your body had acclimated to the cold) than in the fall after you are used to the high heat.
Also, you get better traction when the surface temperature is higher, so my turning speeds and battery performance are at their best in the middle of summer. As the temperature cools the traction gets worse, the power gets worse, and often the roads start getting filled with various debris. Right now a few of my favorite roads are being worked on and so they are covered with gravel. It's all this stuff combined that makes the off seasons less fun for "sport bikes" like mine. In the winter our roads get covered with salt to prevent ice and that's no fun for a "road racer". (it's a real mess and it corrodes your paint)
Beagle123
10 kW
safe said:
When my batteries went they still had a good starting voltage. They just couldn't deliver the current like they used to.
safe
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Beagle123 said:
That seems to be what's going on. As the temperature is dropping (it got down to the 40's already last night) the ability to deliver current is dropping along with it. I'm finding that for short bursts the battery can deliver the current, but if you don't let it recover the current then tapers off and eventually you are left with something like 30 amps. I'll ride the #001 today in the coldest weather yet and see how bad it is.
The capacity still seems okay, so you get this interesting result in that the motor stays cooler, the range increases and yet the peak power drops. It feels like I've gone from a 40 amp controller down to a 30 amp controller.
I've noticed a substantial loss in pep from lead acid batteries when the weather gets cold. I remember a couple of Ego owners that installed rubber mat type heaters around the batteries for cold weather use. Run the heaters a few hours to get the batteries warm. They will generally stay warm long enough for one ride. Foam insulation around them helps keep them warm in the winter.
Since high temperatures will reduce the lifespan of the batteries, I suppose you wouldn't want to heat them when you weren't planning to go anywhere for a while. Possibly a timer switch on the heater would make heating easier.
If you have to charge your ride in a cold garage or outside, heating will improve the charging ability also. Keeping the batteries cold is good for long term storage, but not good for charging and discharging. You can easily overdischarge your batteries when they are cold, since they will crap out much sooner than you expect. They also take a higher voltage to fully charge when cold.
Since high temperatures will reduce the lifespan of the batteries, I suppose you wouldn't want to heat them when you weren't planning to go anywhere for a while. Possibly a timer switch on the heater would make heating easier.
If you have to charge your ride in a cold garage or outside, heating will improve the charging ability also. Keeping the batteries cold is good for long term storage, but not good for charging and discharging. You can easily overdischarge your batteries when they are cold, since they will crap out much sooner than you expect. They also take a higher voltage to fully charge when cold.
