Now that I (almost) belong I can ask questions ;) Aka Rioja ramblings

[wissy]

1. Why does pedalling a pedelec not charge the battery at all?

2. How should I charge a new Bosch battery... Read bits about charge, ride to empty (how the hell do I get back then ) etc etc.. Views on this?

3. Do normal panniers work?

4. can I use a solar panel to charge battery..?? (Whilst cycling .?)

5. What about a little wind charger?

6. Best luminous aterproof cycling clothes? . Or normal confy ones?

7. What shall I call my pedelec (can be from Babylon 5 or Star Trek but Nimbar, Jakar, Kirk, Aleena and Cisco all taken) ps it will be a 'he'

8. I don't have to put a mirror on the bike legally do I??? It is not an s thing

9. How to make my tyres more puncture proof than now?

Tire Schwalbe Marathon 40-622

10. To be continued......

 

[jazper53]

1. Why does pedalling a pedelec not charge the battery at all?

2. How should I charge a new Bosch battery... Read bits about charge, ride to empty (how the hell do I get back then ) etc etc.. Views on this?

3. Do normal panniers work?

4. can I use a solar panel to charge battery..?? (Whilst cycling .?)

5. What about a little wind charger?

6. Best luminous aterproof cycling clothes? . Or normal confy ones?

7. What shall I call my pedelec (can be from Babylon 5 or Star Trek but Nimbar, Jakar, Kirk, Aleena and Cisco all taken) ps it will be a 'he'

8. I don't have to put a mirror on the bike legally do I??? It is not an s thing

9. How to make my tyres more puncture proof than now?

Tire Schwalbe Marathon 40-622

10. To be continued......

Part answer for No 1: 'Regenerative braking is marketed as the holy grail of electric bikes these days as people dream of infinite battery life. But while it is true regenerative braking does extend your range by up to 10 percent, you have to ride 200 miles downhill just to charge the battery enough for a 20 mile ride.' nycewheels.com

 

[halfer]

1. Some bikes do offer "regenerative braking" i.e. switching on a dynamo when the brakes are applied. However in practice, it offers very little charge for a lot of extra expense (several hundred GBP I think). It's worth bearing in mind that as your cycling proficiency improves, you'll brake less - since you tend to anticipate when you need to slow down.

2. All bike batteries have similar care instructions. You only need to ride-to-empty a few times to break them in, and then you can keep them topped up.

4. You can probably use a solar panel - if you have one that outputs 120V/230V then yes, just plug a charger in!

5. Wind charger - possibly. Again I would be inclined to see if you can get mains voltage from a turbine and then plug in the manufacturer's charger, rather than winging it with a home-made charger. However there are a few folks here who are experts on that - it can be done. Perhaps with a 12V output?

 

[halfer]

8. No, you don't need wing mirrors. Some people like them as they're safer than turning around whilst in motion, but I don't personally like the idea. Being able to maintain 360 awareness on a bike is a good skill to practice anyway, imo.

9. Your Marathons are probably plenty puncture-resistant enough. You could add slime, but I wouldn't bother - just keep them at a good pressure and you'll be fine.

 

[geezee74]

5) You can get a wind turbine from B&Q and strap it to your back.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

1. Why does pedalling a pedelec not charge the battery at all?

2. How should I charge a new Bosch battery... Read bits about charge, ride to empty (how the hell do I get back then ) etc etc.. Views on this?

3. Do normal panniers work?

4. can I use a solar panel to charge battery..?? (Whilst cycling .?)

5. What about a little wind charger?

6. Best luminous aterproof cycling clothes? . Or normal confy ones?

7. What shall I call my pedelec (can be from Babylon 5 or Star Trek but Nimbar, Jakar, Kirk, Aleena and Cisco all taken) ps it will be a 'he'

8. I don't have to put a mirror on the bike legally do I??? It is not an s thing

9. How to make my tyres more puncture proof than now?

Tire Schwalbe Marathon 40-622

10. To be continued......

1 you can only charge when you pedal if you have a direct drive motor. Even then, it'll be hard work
2 However you like. try not to run it too flat if avoidable
3 Yes
4 Yes, but you need a big one and lots of sunshine. Not economical/
5 Yes, but you need a big one and lots of wind. Not economical.
6 Those industrial yellow dayglo jackets with black quilt lining that you get from surplus stores for £10
7 My bike
8 no
9 Buy tyres with a puncture proof band or big knobblies. I've never had a puncture on MTB tyres!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

5) You can get a wind turbine from B&Q and strap it to your back.

Better still; mount it to the front of the bike and it'll charge as you go along, so your battery will never go flat.

 

[SRS]

Are you sure B&Q sell wind turbines?

 

[103Alex1]

^^ What they said.

9 Buy tyres with a puncture proof band or big knobblies. I've never had a puncture on MTB tyres!

Do these count as big knobblies or are we talking Big Apple / 2.3-2.4 nobby nics ?

SPECIALIZED CAPTAIN ARMADILLO ELITE 2BLISS READY TYRE 26x2.0 - Mc Convey Cycles

 

[jazper53]

7) could consider Pedro

 

[SRS]

Knobblies are pretty puncture resistant but much much slower tyres than something like the Marathons

 

[Old_Dave]

Big apples are for tarmac


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Scimitar]

5) You can get a wind turbine from B&Q and strap it to your back.

Be even better on the helmet - the top one.