A follow up:
I was out today with my bike for about 1.5-2 hours. The weather could have been worse as can be seen at:
Weather Observations, University of Tromsø, Department of Computer Science
The picture below was taken as I arrived home again. It looks worse than it was. It is mild (around 0C) so the road was 90% free of snow, but very wet as it was snowing steadily. As such, the conditions were not good for cycling, and I saw no other cyclists (however, the road winds along right by the ocean, and I came across 5-6 cars packed with divers suiting up for a day of current diving in the sound. The current is almost always brisk at 5 knots and they had an inflatable picking them up after they have drifted for a while. Some had spears so they will get a very good dinner tonight.)
Anyhow, aware of this thread, I kept an eye on the speedometer and the effort I needed to maintain a steady pace between 20-30KM/h going both uphill and flat. I am 6 feet and 80-85KG.
I don't know how accurate the speedometer is, but maintaining 20KM/h going uphill is easy. The hills are not steep, but unassisted I could only keep a speed at around 5KM/h unless I wanted a real work out. I observed that I got the most efficient gain from my own input when I balanced it with the motor. I could easily find this "break-even" point by holding off a little bit until I could feel the motor pushing more than me. The bike accelerates noticeably at this point, and it feels like the bike prefers going at 20KM/h uphill.
Of course, on the flat (and downhill) I went at anything between 20-30KM/h without any effort.
The balance of user input and the motor is perfect for my riding style. I can maintain a brisk pace for a very long time, and still feel rested when arriving. I once biked (a part of) the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (on a Bike Friday bike, which I still have - it has been great for traveling because it fits into a suitcase), and I wish I had had the Wisper then. Going in one direction was easy, but the return trip was harder as the dirt track had a slight incline for days on end.
Slowfeet
Pasted from <http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/attachments/electric-bicycles/254d1208357620-just-registered-introduce-yourself-here-70n_april08.jpg>
Greetings from 70N in Norway. The weather in April is not bad at all as can be seen from the picture. I'm out surfing with my electric bike for a few hours of fun in the sun.
No problems at all with the motor and battery at -5C. However, I need to be careful sometimes when the motor kicks in to avoid spinning.
The bike gives me a 30km reach very easily, and without breaking a sweat. And the battery still shows 1/2 left.
It may, of course, be a bit unfair to fellow riders when I effortlessly glide up a hill at 20km/h in strong headwind with a smile on my face and raised eyebrows. But they have no idea of how much effort it is to keep warm for us electric cyclists.
Later,
Slowfeet
).
