See "Easyjet" thread http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/15962-easyjet.html
So, what are the facts of the matter?
So, what are the facts of the matter?
Complete Beginner
- Thread starter Annied
- Start date
Just got back from a trip up the mountain side - on a chair lift not on a bike though! There was the following message waiting for me.
"We thank you for your e-mail.
We will have to make an special request through your reservation for our special reservations
department to approve it.
We will need the three dimensions and the total weight of those batteries."
So it looks as though they're not dismissing it out of hand. Given my previous experiences at Amsterdam airport and in view of the comments here however, I think it would be easier, possibly a lot cheaper and definitely much more fun just to come back for a quick visit a bit sooner than I'd originally planned!
Thanks again.
"We thank you for your e-mail.
We will have to make an special request through your reservation for our special reservations
department to approve it.
We will need the three dimensions and the total weight of those batteries."
So it looks as though they're not dismissing it out of hand. Given my previous experiences at Amsterdam airport and in view of the comments here however, I think it would be easier, possibly a lot cheaper and definitely much more fun just to come back for a quick visit a bit sooner than I'd originally planned!
Thanks again.
Any chance of connecting to Eurostar Annie? That way you could probably take the batteries with less attention.
P.S. Return visits are certainly the best option to solve the problems. Lithium batteries will last for three months maximum without charging if fully charged when left.
.
P.S. Return visits are certainly the best option to solve the problems. Lithium batteries will last for three months maximum without charging if fully charged when left.
.
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Taken form the CAA website...
Spare lithium ion batteries exceeding a watt-hour rating of 100 Wh but not exceeding 160 Wh when carried by passengers may be carried in carry-on baggage.
Each lithium ion cell or battery must be individually protected so as to prevent short circuits (by placement in original retail packaging or by otherwise insulating terminals, e.g. by taping over exposed terminals or placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch).
No more than two individually protected spare batteries per person may be carried.
Batteries and cells must be of a type which meets the requirements of each test in the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, subsection 38.3. It may be necessary to contact the manufacturer to confirm that they have complied with this.
It also states that the batteries must be carry-on baggage,not carried on one's person and prior permission must be sought from the airline.
In any event that 160Wh limit pretty much eliminates all the lithium batteries we use in e-bikes.
KudosDave
Spare lithium ion batteries exceeding a watt-hour rating of 100 Wh but not exceeding 160 Wh when carried by passengers may be carried in carry-on baggage.
Each lithium ion cell or battery must be individually protected so as to prevent short circuits (by placement in original retail packaging or by otherwise insulating terminals, e.g. by taping over exposed terminals or placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch).
No more than two individually protected spare batteries per person may be carried.
Batteries and cells must be of a type which meets the requirements of each test in the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, subsection 38.3. It may be necessary to contact the manufacturer to confirm that they have complied with this.
It also states that the batteries must be carry-on baggage,not carried on one's person and prior permission must be sought from the airline.
In any event that 160Wh limit pretty much eliminates all the lithium batteries we use in e-bikes.
KudosDave
Eurolines run coaches from Amsterdam to London. Recently went from London to Alicante with folding bike they allow 2x medium suitcases per customer free. Some passengers clearly exceeded this limit.
PS connecting coach National Express from Newcastle
PS connecting coach National Express from Newcastle
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Elli, the owner of one of the other flats and the block administrator has just been here. I've asked her if she could periodically charge the batteries when I'm not here - as administrator, she has keys to all the flats, so can use my electricity - and she's said that'll be fine. Problem solved I hope.
Annie,obviously its good for someone to look after your battery.But, we have a rule at Kudos 80/20....these batteries don't like being left full....best to fully charge then ride the bike for 15 mins,just to take the top off,then leave....a sound LifePo4 will only self discharge at 2-3% per month,so there is no panic to keep topped up. Its not good practice to keep topping up the battery to full.
The battery will not be damaged unless it stays empty for a long period,hence the 20% lower level.
KudosDave
The battery will not be damaged unless it stays empty for a long period,hence the 20% lower level.
KudosDave
Thanks for that. It looks like I'll be back in early January, so from what you're saying, I'll be OK to leave the batteries until then. I'm not sure how easy it might be to "take the top off" in January though, if there's a lot of snow and ice around I don't think I'll be doing much cycling!
I've had such a lot of help from the members here, that I thought you might like a progress report on my return to cycling after a gap that is way longer than I'm prepared to specify!
As anticipated, it was too cold to go out in the short spell I was here over the New Year, but I've been back in Oberaudorf since the end of March and, for the most part, it's been like summer, so one of the very first things I did was to lug a bike up from the cellar.
First of all I have to say that I'm SO glad I got the bike, I love it! It's doing exactly what I hoped by making things like going to the supermarket so much quicker and easier.
It's true what they say about never forgetting how to ride a bike, but I'd have to add a proviso that, it's only riding on a perfectly even, completely straight path that you don't forget. As the days go by, my confidence is building however. I know that because I no longer feel the need to stop and dismount if someone's coming towards me on a cycle path. I still have a long way to go though. It takes a lot of concentration to manage a hand signal. and looking over my shoulder whilst simultaneously steering in a straight line is a complete impossibility. I think the next purchase will be a rear view mirror for the handlebars as although you can hear a car coming up from behind, it's not a comfortable feeling not being able to see it.
It's proving hard to shake the feeling that I'm totally invisible to everyone else, but that's probably no bad thing, even if it does mean I end up wheeling the bike a lot more than I probably need to. (I haven't managed a left turn yet.)
From being able to sit on the saddle and have both feet very firmly on the ground, which must have made me look like an adult riding a child's bike, (particularly since I have disproportionately long legs for my height), I've managed gradually to raise the saddle to a slightly more respectable height, although from what I read and from what my neighbour over the road was shouting at me the other day, it's probably still not as high as would normally be recommended.
This is very definitely cycling country. Despite the fact that this is a village with less than 5,000 inhabitants, there are 3 big bike shops here and just about everyone seems to own a bike. Little old ladies, possibly old enough to be my mother from the look of some of them, weave along the road along with the serious sportsmen. (I found it rather demoralising the first time someone on a push bike overtook me. I'm used to it now.) At the moment, every supermarket flyer you get (and a rainforest's worth arrives in my post box every week), has some special offer on to do with bikes. Presumably as a result, when I've had to use the road because there wasn't a cycle path, the motorists here, pretty much without exception, give you a very wide berth indeed.
The furthest I've gone so far is about a 10/12 mile round trip, but I managed that very comfortably if you don't count my thighs feeling a bit like jelly when I first dismounted, but that soon went. The next fine weekday that comes along, I'm going to attempt Walchsee, which has the lure of some very interesting looking shops and is about 8 or 9 miles to the east of here.
I've managed to run the batteries right down, which the manual recommended doing a couple of times with new ones. I hadn't realised that as they get onto their last legs, they still work, but at a reduced capacity, or at least these ones seem to, which explained why mine was struggling so much on a steep hill as it conked out completely shortly afterwards. I can see that understanding what the battery indicator really means, as opposed to what it's actually showing, is going to be useful.
Anyway, I hope that's perhaps raised a chuckle, but also shown that I'm thoroughly enjoying my electric bike. I'm not entirely sure I'd have gone ahead and bought them had I not found this forum, so thanks again everyone!
As anticipated, it was too cold to go out in the short spell I was here over the New Year, but I've been back in Oberaudorf since the end of March and, for the most part, it's been like summer, so one of the very first things I did was to lug a bike up from the cellar.
First of all I have to say that I'm SO glad I got the bike, I love it! It's doing exactly what I hoped by making things like going to the supermarket so much quicker and easier.
It's true what they say about never forgetting how to ride a bike, but I'd have to add a proviso that, it's only riding on a perfectly even, completely straight path that you don't forget. As the days go by, my confidence is building however. I know that because I no longer feel the need to stop and dismount if someone's coming towards me on a cycle path. I still have a long way to go though. It takes a lot of concentration to manage a hand signal. and looking over my shoulder whilst simultaneously steering in a straight line is a complete impossibility. I think the next purchase will be a rear view mirror for the handlebars as although you can hear a car coming up from behind, it's not a comfortable feeling not being able to see it.
It's proving hard to shake the feeling that I'm totally invisible to everyone else, but that's probably no bad thing, even if it does mean I end up wheeling the bike a lot more than I probably need to. (I haven't managed a left turn yet.)
From being able to sit on the saddle and have both feet very firmly on the ground, which must have made me look like an adult riding a child's bike, (particularly since I have disproportionately long legs for my height), I've managed gradually to raise the saddle to a slightly more respectable height, although from what I read and from what my neighbour over the road was shouting at me the other day, it's probably still not as high as would normally be recommended.
This is very definitely cycling country. Despite the fact that this is a village with less than 5,000 inhabitants, there are 3 big bike shops here and just about everyone seems to own a bike. Little old ladies, possibly old enough to be my mother from the look of some of them, weave along the road along with the serious sportsmen. (I found it rather demoralising the first time someone on a push bike overtook me. I'm used to it now.) At the moment, every supermarket flyer you get (and a rainforest's worth arrives in my post box every week), has some special offer on to do with bikes. Presumably as a result, when I've had to use the road because there wasn't a cycle path, the motorists here, pretty much without exception, give you a very wide berth indeed.
The furthest I've gone so far is about a 10/12 mile round trip, but I managed that very comfortably if you don't count my thighs feeling a bit like jelly when I first dismounted, but that soon went. The next fine weekday that comes along, I'm going to attempt Walchsee, which has the lure of some very interesting looking shops and is about 8 or 9 miles to the east of here.
I've managed to run the batteries right down, which the manual recommended doing a couple of times with new ones. I hadn't realised that as they get onto their last legs, they still work, but at a reduced capacity, or at least these ones seem to, which explained why mine was struggling so much on a steep hill as it conked out completely shortly afterwards. I can see that understanding what the battery indicator really means, as opposed to what it's actually showing, is going to be useful.
Anyway, I hope that's perhaps raised a chuckle, but also shown that I'm thoroughly enjoying my electric bike. I'm not entirely sure I'd have gone ahead and bought them had I not found this forum, so thanks again everyone!
We done you, I have found the more confident you get the further you want to go.
And all that lovely biking weather ahead.
And all that lovely biking weather ahead.
Getting the saddle up to the correct height will help in at least two ways.
Your pedalling is more efficient which means you get more out of the energy you put in.
In turn, this leads to longer battery life and faster progress.
Also you are much less likely to suffer discomfort with a correctly set saddle, particularly pain in the knees.
Many riders - not just new ones - find it hard to get on and off the bike with a correctly set saddle.
So it's time to dust off the old Sheldon Brown video - it's only nine seconds.
The moving pictures really do paint a thousand words, but the basic technique is to step forward off the saddle as you come to a rest, then pop up back onto it with the first down stroke as you pull away.
http://sheldonbrown.com/starting.html
Your pedalling is more efficient which means you get more out of the energy you put in.
In turn, this leads to longer battery life and faster progress.
Also you are much less likely to suffer discomfort with a correctly set saddle, particularly pain in the knees.
Many riders - not just new ones - find it hard to get on and off the bike with a correctly set saddle.
So it's time to dust off the old Sheldon Brown video - it's only nine seconds.
The moving pictures really do paint a thousand words, but the basic technique is to step forward off the saddle as you come to a rest, then pop up back onto it with the first down stroke as you pull away.
http://sheldonbrown.com/starting.html
That makes a lot of sense, not least because I did find when I first begain to raise the saddle that it was instantly a lot more comfortable. Apart from anything else, I stopped sliding forwards, despite the fact that the saddle itself tilts slightly backwards. Whether I'll ever muster the confidence to raise the saddle to the point where I can't touch the ground at all when I'm sitting on it is another matter though. The higher the saddle the further the drop if I fall off it! At least on the plus side, my disproportionate build (5'3'' but with 31½" legs) must, presumably, give me a reassuringly low centre of gravity as far as riding a bike is concerned.
I have actually started to do this, some distant memory kicking in perhaps, and yes, you're right, it does make pushing off and coming to a stop easier. (I also recognised the decription in the link of the "cowboy mount" from my youth - I wouldn't dare attempt it now!)
EasyJet allowed an electric bike on a plane with the battery stored seperately. I warned our customer that they would never let you take a lithium battery above 100wh on the plane but I was wrong. I suggested they get written evidence to cover themselves. However Dave is right you need to be very careful, as the CAA have tough rules in place with big fines.
Annie,
You don't need to raise the saddle to the point where your feet cannot touch the ground.
In any case, that measurement is irrelevant to pedalling efficiency.
The classic starting point is your leg fully extended with your heel on the pedal - this gives near full extension when pedalling with the ball of your foot, which is what you are aiming for.
Generally, that will mean you will be on tip toe for the ground when in the saddle.
For the terminally nervous, there are bikes on which the saddle is set further back.
This means you can get proper leg extension, but still put your feet flat on the ground when pedalling.
The reason all bikes are not made this way is you lose some pedalling efficiency - you get more power by pushing directly down rather than down and forwards a bit with a flatfoot bike.
http://www.electrabike.com/way-to-roll/flat-foot-technology
That's music to my ears!
Wow, I'm not far off that, perhaps I'm doing better than I thought! I reckon about another inch (well maybe 2) and I'll be there.
I think I'll give that one a miss. I can see how it would work for the legs, but with my peculiar proportions I'd end up with a permanently horizontal back in my efforts to reach the handlebars and looking like I'm in racing position whilst trundling along at 10 mph is something I'd rather avoid!
It does lead me to ask about handlebar position though. I read somewhere that saddle and handlebars should be at the same level. Is that right?
That's more a matter of comfort. Having the handlebars higher is a bit less efficient since it slightly reduces pedal power input. Having the handlebars lower reduces the wind resistance of the body.
But on an e-bike where you have motor assistance, what you feel most comfortable with is what really matters.
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