Throttles-please can you talk me through how you use the throttle on a typical ride.
- Thread starter Kudoscycles
- Start date
I assume it will be Bosch powered, better start looking around nowelectric wheelchair or coffin?........YIPEE!
p.s. here you go -
http://www.mdtmag.com/articles/2011/07/rolling-along-quiet-dc-power
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Dave I have a crank drive bike with a throttle and in reply to your questions:
1) the most useful thing for me about having a throttle is for pulling away at junctions. Moving out into traffic the instant boost of speed available by just cracking the throttle open is a very useful feature
2) There can certainly be times when I will ride my bike just using the throttle and not pedalling at all, it is good to have that option for times when I am tired and can't be doing with pedalling
Eddie has it occured to you that because Europe does not have throttles the people that need one just dont/cant ride eBikes ?. So they dont live without they just go without.
Dave @ Kudos, you asked the question first in another thread and I answered there a while ago. Here's that answer:
The old Powabyke motor has a very high power peak of 700 watts gross at a quite low speed point, 7 mph. This gives it great hill slogging ability at around that speed, so anything up to 10% is ok without pedalling, and even steeper for lighter riders. In most areas there aren't many hills steeper.
I've got one throttle bike that can handle anything up to 12/14% with me on board and without pedalling, but I usually pedal anyway. The reason I use the throttle on that and another e-bike I owned is that the pedelec system was so poor, a common Chinese e-bike failing. They need good torque sensing, but until the adoption of the TMM sensor by some models, their torque sensors when fitted were mostly rubbish.
The old Powabyke motor has a very high power peak of 700 watts gross at a quite low speed point, 7 mph. This gives it great hill slogging ability at around that speed, so anything up to 10% is ok without pedalling, and even steeper for lighter riders. In most areas there aren't many hills steeper.
I've got one throttle bike that can handle anything up to 12/14% with me on board and without pedalling, but I usually pedal anyway. The reason I use the throttle on that and another e-bike I owned is that the pedelec system was so poor, a common Chinese e-bike failing. They need good torque sensing, but until the adoption of the TMM sensor by some models, their torque sensors when fitted were mostly rubbish.
Dont believe that for one minute..Many more e bikes in Europe and most ridden by far from young people. See loads of elderly in Italy (go there every summer) happily cycling well into there 70's? Its like the post above saying needs the throttle to power away, My centre drive bike is full power instantly as you hit the peddle.....It really is a nonsense to think it is the end of the world and like I said days ago, we simply deserve better bikes!
Flecc:
"The reason I use the throttle on that and another e-bike I owned is that the pedelec system was so poor, a common Chinese e-bike failing. They need good torque sensing"
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eddieo, I never use the throttle, I was referring to your comments about other people.
Thanks for starting the thread Dave!
I think it is conclusive, there is an overwhelming demand for the choice of a throttle on pedelecs in the UK for all the very positive reasons given here. A throttle employs the most sophisticated software known to man, to control exactly the amount of assistance a specific rider requires taking into consideration individual fitness, weight, gradients, road conditions etc. Let's not over complicate for the sake of it.
All the best
David
I think it is conclusive, there is an overwhelming demand for the choice of a throttle on pedelecs in the UK for all the very positive reasons given here. A throttle employs the most sophisticated software known to man, to control exactly the amount of assistance a specific rider requires taking into consideration individual fitness, weight, gradients, road conditions etc. Let's not over complicate for the sake of it.
All the best
David
OK, so Big Brother says that the throttle can only work when the pedals are turning forwards. Unfortunately for him, he forgot to specify how fast they have to turn. How about one revolution every four hours? So as soon as you open the throttle, a black box switches on and sort of claw sticks into the spokes of the chainwheel. You can turn the pedals forward at an extremely low rate , and it feels like a mega high gear. After half an hour or so, your pedals have moved through, say 30 degrees, so you back pedal slightly to get the pedals back to the start point. Job done, perfectly legal, up yours Big Brother.
Yes Neptune that is exactly the point and the one BEBA was making at the DfT meeting! According to EN15194 a bike can have a full throttle up to 6KPH so a throttle is legal and acceptable. The throttle can work up to 25KPH so the speed is legal and acceptable.
The pedals simply have to be constantly rotating in a forward direction when the bike is exceeding 6KPH, without adding any power at all to the propulsion of the bike! It is for this point alone we need to have the bikes Type Approved!
All the best
David
Neptune,you have gone to extremes but you are thinking along similar lines to myself. On my rally business we have often developed systems to get round the regulations-hydraulic handbrakes with mechanical backup being one that springs to mind immediately. If this lot ever finds its way into law I am sure us Brits are an enterprising lot to get round the regs,like most governments they will draft the law full of holes-I see none of us having to resort to type approval.
Dave
Kudoscycles
One would hope so Dave, but if needs be we will hopefully still be able to offer the throttle even if there are not any loopholes. It's a shame you were not at the meeting, your input would have been valuable, BEBA need more passionate people such as yourself become involved.
All the best
David
All the best
David
As I said in the other thread, my Kudos Tourer does just that. As long as I'm turning the pedals the motor will give full power. I can set the amount of power I want by using the 5 positions on my LCD display. I have tried to see how slowly I can pedal before the motor cuts out but I ended up pedaling so slow that it was actually an effort to keep pedaling. A nice slow steady pedal will make the motor work to its full capacity and is much more comfortable than trying to turn the pedals once per minute/hour/day/week.
However, there is therefore no point in fitting a throttle. Complying with such a law isn't going to be hard for Wisper, Kudos, Woosh or anyone else. It just won't be worth the bother. If you're too disabled to turn the pedals constantly the throttle isn't going to work so you won't move. If you are able to turn the pedals constantly then the throttle isn't going to do anything that my pedal sensor isn't doing.
The answer would be to stop using torque sensors and just use a simple pedal sensor. That still doesn't help those who need a throttle.
That's not good on the higher powered e-bikes though, since they can become downright dangerous in confined traffic situations with that simple full-on control. I once accidentally touched a pedal on one such powerful e-bike that was leaning alongside me but switched on, and it promptly punched a hole in a panel door that it was facing. The most powerful e-bikes have over 1 hp of net power, and an inadequately controlled horse can do a lot of damage.
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