Wondering if an e-bike is for me...

[RobF]

I found it particularly interesting when changing the surface terrain which appears to make a huge difference. As you would expect I suppose.

The site is worth a look, but range calculation is no more than common sense.

Hills and headwinds make a huge difference, and it's impossible to predict the latter.

Being on the edge of capacity range is a constant nuisance.

I might be almost certain that I can manage a particular ride on one battery.

But the variables mean I lug along a second one to be on the safe side.

None of this matters if you only want to do 10 or 20 miles, but much more than that and range anxiety comes into play.

 

[SteveRuss]

None of this matters if you only want to do 10 or 20 miles, but much more than that and range anxiety comes into play.

And I think this is the point that most illustrates why I pushed myself towards the Kalkhoff and its 17ah battery, as I liked the idea of long runs and the fact that I don't use my bike to commute.

Even so, I do feel that I am wanting for another battery as my main fear, love the bike though I do, is that running out of juice on the last leg of a journey concerns me as the bike is heavy and I don't think I could ride it enjoyably past riding on level ground.

 

[Richard T. Jensen]

Different asphalt has a huge difference on the battery.
In DK we have three different kind of asphalts. A very smooth, a middle one and a very rough one (with small stones in it).
A bike club meassured the resistanse from the smooth to the rough, and they used 10% more energy to ride on the rough one.
On the smaller roads here in DK, they are using the rough one because it`s cheaper....

 

[Croxden]

Some road surfaces are to decrease the stopping distance under heavy braking. Having this extra grip to the tyres will also reduce the rolling efficiency, more noticeable on bikes.

 

[Richard T. Jensen]

Some road surfaces are to decrease the stopping distance under heavy braking.

Not here in Denmark, it`s only about money

 

[4bound]

Yesterday I rode my old commuting route just to see how the S11 would cope. It used to take me around 55 minutes unpowered when I was fitter than I am now. When I tried it with my wife's Panasonic powered Kalkhoff it took pretty much the same time. On my Kalkhoff S11 I did it in 40 minutes in very windy conditions, mostly at 90 degrees to me, but about 1.5 miles head on.

I carried on to do 33.5 miles in 2 hrs and the battery gave up a few hundred yards before I reached home. As before I made no attempt to preserve battery power.
The only thing I am disappointed by with the bike is that the front mudguard has a comparatively high cut off, resulting in a lot of mud on both the bike and my shoes and lower legs. Never had this on my road bikes.