How many people are using there e-bike off-road?

[jackhandy]

Your little legs'll be going like ****tins on the flat with a 35 on the front

Must admit, I never stand up & honk these days - If I can't get up it on the granny ring, I ain't going up it. Trouble is, the front has come up to meet me once or twice

 

[Gringo]

Your little legs'll be going like ****tins on the flat with a 35 on the front

Several points here, there's no granny ring, i have a 7 speed hub with a 23t cog and a 41t chain-wheel.
This setup has me using 1st to 3rd in the woods and up to 6th on open trails (10/12mph) 7th comes into its own on the open road. The change in gearing should bring the overall ratio down by about 15%
As I will only be using this bike on trails & bridal ways, I can live without the top end gear

 

[EddiePJ]

Nice to see another bike being used for what it was intended for Gringo.

I found the limits of my new tyres today on yet another ride that was approx 27 miles long.

It started off okay with just a wet bridleway, then onto some very deep water on the roads.

Then onto this lot below! I didn't even need to put the stand down to take the photos.

continued..

 

[JamieP]

Thats a lot of mud

 

[EddiePJ]

Back onto another normal, but steep bridleway. This nearly finished me after the mud.

Then onto Ashdown Forest.

 

[EddiePJ]

Then home.

Thats a lot of mud

Annoyingly the tracks weren't wide enough to use the edges. I did try, but there was just too many brambles.




.

 

[Gringo]

I had muddy sections like that on my trail and it's a pain, with my rim breaks doubly so.
I did stop a few times to poke it out with a stick
I've been looking at better forks and disc breaks but then I realised how much it would cost and it would still be a compromise

 

[Oldie]

Had a run round Kielder Water today although the weather was pretty awful so we didn't do the whole loop. Started on the Landrover track until we noticed the cycle path below us - that was more fun

 

[RobF]

Had a run round Kielder Water today although the weather was pretty awful so we didn't do the whole loop. Started on the Landrover track until we noticed the cycle path below us - that was more fun

View attachment 7593

I've done the Kielder loop a couple of times.

It's about 26 miles and surprisingly challenging - a few steep switchback climbs.

The path is well maintained and more or less uninterrupted, which is a joy compared to most cycle paths where you have to stop for gates or give way at junctions every two minutes.

 

[OxygenJames]

I've done the Kielder loop a couple of times.

It's about 26 miles and surprisingly challenging - a few steep switchback climbs.

The path is well maintained and more or less uninterrupted, which is a joy compared to most cycle paths where you have to stop for gates or give way at junctions every two minutes.

Dang I was hoping that'd be somewhere in Surrey when a quick google maps directions showed me just how wrong I was. Shame. So where are some trails within shooting distance of SW London or does anybody know any sites that would know? Please? Pretty please? Not that I really want to get my £5K Haibike dirty but all that mud sure looks fun.

 

[EddiePJ]

I'll ask on another forum for you in respect of routes that are close to you, but when it comes to mud, trust me once you have got it dirty for the first time, you won't look back. That is when the fun begins.

It's easy and quick enough to wash and clean a bike off afterwards.

I reckon that it only takes me ten minutes to wash the bike down, blow it over with an air line, then re oil everything ready to go again. The only thing that bothers me, is that I also remove and clean the brake calipers every time (this is over an above the stated time) and I do wonder just how many times that the bolts can be unfastened/fastened before the threads eventually give up.

 

[Gringo]

Not that I really want to get my £5K Haibike dirty

Just do it, you know it makes sense.

But seriously, the first time hurts, but once you've lost your mud cherry, you'll be loving it.
After all, why have the kit if your not going to use it

 

[RobF]

Dang I was hoping that'd be somewhere in Surrey when a quick google maps directions showed me just how wrong I was. Shame. So where are some trails within shooting distance of SW London or does anybody know any sites that would know? Please? Pretty please? Not that I really want to get my £5K Haibike dirty but all that mud sure looks fun.

James,

Closed roads and a few bridleways at Burnham Beeches.

You could cycle 'on the trail' and keep the Haibike fairly clean:

Visitor information

 

[EddiePJ]

Mud is fine and is easy to wash off, the biggest concern at the moment is finding places to ride that aren't going to give you punctures. I guess that hedges have to be cut sometime.

This hedge cutting took it to the extreme though. They had removed over half the height of the hedge, then chipped it and scattered it along the bridleway. The novelty of carrying an electric bike to prevent punctures soon wears off.

 

[JamieP]

James,

Closed roads and a few bridleways at Burnham Beeches.

You could cycle 'on the trail' and keep the Haibike fairly clean:

Visitor information

I live right next to burnham beeches, it ok for a quick mess about in but not very big, 30 min and you have seen most of it, a better ride is along the Thames and jubilee river, Maidenhead, Slough and Windsor etc.

 

[EddiePJ]

I must be stupid! I couldn't hack being stuck indoors so popped out this afternoon for a 20mile ride in the rain. I rode the 7 miles into Tunbridge Wells to Wildside bikes, and tried out a Genesis Croix de Fer on a turbo trainer in the shop. I do love that bike, and I'm going back in next Saturday if it's dry to take it out for a spin. Just need to decide whether to leave the wallet at home or not!
I also decided to skip the A26 for the return journey and just went through the back lanes, one green lane and then onto rain washed out bridleways.

As wet as I was, I truly do love being out on the bike. One other thing, Sealskinz sock aren't water proof, despite what the marketing crap says!


The water in this lane came to just a few mm below the motor. Note the pedestrian walking boards to the side. I'd forgotten about how this area floods.

Oddly this bridleway is usually a bastid to ride because of mud and stone, but the water made the ride actually easier. I still managed to fall off though when I decided to take an unofficial detour to play in some woods.

 

[Oldie]

Great pics

Ever since reading this thread I've been taking the bike off road every day. Much fun

 

[Gringo]

Eddie I'm not as brave as you, anymore well done.
I spent a good part of the day fitting my new brakes.
A Shimano roller brake in the rear, nice soft feel & will lock the wheel if you pull hard enough (on Tarmac)
The front required a new wheel in order to have a disc break and as Halfords have Clark cable disc kits reduced from £30 down to £10 I thought I'd give one a go let's hope it beds in because at the moment it sucks big time.
The trouble is when I read reviews, some say they work fine.
I've also read reviews on budget hydraulics ( £40 & up ) and there's many who don't rate them, saying they need regular bleeding and a cable brake can be just as good !
Anywho, I'll try some long down hill braking to bed them in ASAP.

 

[EddiePJ]

Eddie I'm not as brave as you, anymore well done.
I spent a good part of the day fitting my new brakes.
A Shimano roller brake in the rear, nice soft feel & will lock the wheel if you pull hard enough (on Tarmac)
The front required a new wheel in order to have a disc break and as Halfords have Clark cable disc kits reduced from £30 down to £10 I thought I'd give one a go let's hope it beds in because at the moment it sucks big time.
The trouble is when I read reviews, some say they work fine.
I've also read reviews on budget hydraulics ( £40 & up ) and there's many who don't rate them, saying they need regular bleeding and a cable brake can be just as good !
Anywho, I'll try some long down hill braking to bed them in ASAP.

I'm not brave, just hate being indoors.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get out again tomorrow, as my console bracket has pretty much had it, and I'm constantly getting error codes all of the time because of it. I guess that I'll just get ripped off when I have to order the new one. The quality of parts fitted to BH bikes is pretty shocking. Designed to be used, the bikes aren't.

Ref your brakes. Good luck with that, I'm sure that they will be fine.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I've also read reviews on budget hydraulics ( £40 & up ) and there's many who don't rate them, saying they need regular bleeding and a cable brake can be just as good !

I can't see any reason a hydraulic brake would need bleeding. I have about 6 different types, and I've never had to do it yet. Neither did I ever have to do it on any of my motorbikes during nearly half a million miles except when I was replacing corroded calipers or stretched non-braided brake lines. Anybody that thinks a cable brake is better is suffering from some sort of dilusions (unless I am).