Belated, sad E-bike update

Some years back I handed off my e-bike (UrbanMover Sprite electric-assist) on long-term loan to a friend of a friend who wanted to use it for commuting in Nevada County.  She did, but then it got stolen, sans key, off of a very quiet Grass Valley street.  I did see a bike that looked like it, being ridden in West Sacramento (by a woman) a few months back.  If you should ever run across it, or one that looks like it, text me please?   Google Voice # is 916-245-0749.

Here's what it looks like.  It's a sweet old thing, navy blue, with (unshown) chrome baskets on the back.   From a simpler time.   :-(

Where the rubber meets the road: on lowtech-friendly transportation in Nevada County

See July 2011 update.

There's a (relatively) new blog in town, by Nevada County's Alliance for People-Powered Transportation. Even better is their "SeeClickFix" citizen-powered Hazards Map, where you can report cycling and pedestrian trouble areas.


I added two spots that have kept me from feeling comfortable about bike commuting - they're stretches on Brunswick Road where the "bike lane" (read, gravel-free paved shoulder) is a foot or less, in a 45mph zone. It's a little too exciting, when you're being passed by a semi.

But there was hope:
A Mar. 12 article in The Union reported that brush-clearing along Brunswick was being done to prepare for resurfacing the roadway:

"The project is scheduled to clear brush along the busy road from Idaho-Maryland Road to Highway 174... The Public Works Department then will overlay Brunswick Road from Brunswick Pines to Woodrose Way, [Nevada County roads supervisor Dave] Keck said."

I called Mr. Keck to find out if the resurfacing would extend the shoulder paving to give us poor cyclists - especially us wider ones - a little more room; and while he assured me that their engineers will be looking for ways to improve local road shoulders for cyclists, the bad news is that the Brunswick resurfacing isn't scheduled to occur for another year and a half, in Fall 2011.

Ouch.

Our recent loss of cyclist Jim Rogers underscores the need for safer local cycling routes. Here's hoping that APPT's hazards map and Dave Keck's road engineers can make a real difference.

Another bike update: basket report

The bike now has rear baskets, on loan from a friend who'd bought them at Tour of Nevada City for around $30-40. They were easy to put on, they fold up when not in use, and each basket holds a full sized grocery bag; it makes the return from shopping much more convenient.

But if you're contemplating getting a bike, and contemplating putting rear baskets on it, you'd likely be better off getting a bike with a step-through frame. Otherwise you - and anyone you loan the bike to - must remember not to dismount by swinging a leg over the baskets, when they're loaded with stuff.

Electric bicycle update - 10 weeks later

An update on the UrbanMover Sprite electric-assist bicycle that arrived back in April - the owner's still happy, but the bike does have some drawbacks that weren't initially apparent.

One: I ride the bicycle now with three tires - a spare has materialized in my equatorial region, and is enlarging at an alarming rate. On short trips you really don't get exercise, although you can compensate by riding the bike with the power turned off where possible.
(if you buy one, try to get yours with the "torque sensor" option, that'll let you do more of the work on flat terrain)

Two: the bracket that holds the top of the battery to the seat post is plastic and underengineered, such that if the bike falls down, even from a standstill, the battery's momentum&weight will stress the bracket and - if this happens repeatedly - might cause it to fail. UrbanMovers, please re-engineer this part! (if you haven't already done so)

On the bright side, the service has been fantastic - I contacted the U.S. distributor requesting a replacement bracket, and he mailed it without delay and at no charge.
(well, one of the bright sides - riding it to do your shopping's pretty bright too.)


Question: how to give it a front basket or panniers - or attach a trailer? with just the back rack, carrying cargo can be stressful.
Answer: it was easy.

Schwinn electric bicycle questions and answers

August update: the bikes appear (from Schwinn's website) to be available now, but are only 250 watt not 400 watt(?). Answers from Schwinn are in italics below.

I've emailed Schwinn asking these questions about their three models of electric bikes.

1. From the Schwinn FAQ:
   ... We expect the electric bikes to be here in early summer, at which time they will be available through independent Schwinn bike dealers all over the US.
   Do you mean summer of 2007? (i.e. are they not available yet?)
   
   [Apparently they weren't, but as of August, from their website, it looks like they are.]
   
   
2. We live in a hilly area - what is the recommend max. grade, for the electric Schwinns?
   (for the UrbanMover electric bikes it's up to 12%10-14%, for the Giant Suede electric bike IIRC it's up to 15%)
   
   We don't have a specific grade recommendation...
   
   
3. If you take the bike up steeper-than-recommended hills, what are the consequences - do you merely get temporarily reduced power...?
   ...but requiring the battery to power extra work like climbing a steep grade will shorten the distance it can travel on that charge.
   
   Can this damage the motor?
   I'm sorry, but I don't yet have a definitive answer for that question.
   
   
4. Does the battery sit on top of the rack behind the seat?
   What are its dimensions (of battery plus whatever it's contained in, if anything)?
   The battery is integrated with the rear rack, but is relatively small and easily removable through a simple plug-in system.
   (update: from this Engadget post, looks like the battery fits under the rack)

Electric transportation roundup

*

• Bike Commute Tips Blog
  
• Specs for the Ezee Quando folding electric bike (sold by Electric Bikes NW)
  
• A UK electric bicycles forum, with a bike reviews section.
  
• Study: cyclists who jump red lights may be safer than those who stick to the law.
  
• From the UrbanMover FAQ:
  a report from Leeds University ...reveals that in a survey of electric bike owners, a third of respondents used their bikes typically at least once a day and 81% used their electric bikes at least once a week. Therefore an electric bike typically gets used at least twice as often as a conventional bicycle.
• At Daily Kos, a 'showroom' of current and near-future 3 and 4 wheeled electric vehicles, with photos.
  
• Sunday May 6 NYTimes A Two-Wheeled Option (With a Battery) for Commuters - article on electric bikes
  (tinyurl.com/3eyqd3)
  
• New owner in Chicago reports on his $300 Mongoose Cruiser electric bicycle from Target.
  
• Informative and interesting Peak Moment interview with happy Suede E owner (and commuter) Sally Lovell, who also has a bike trailer, and is a fount of knowledge on safe and successful biking. She tried several kinds of bikes before settling on the Suede:
  ...being able to test ride a bike on hills made all the difference to me. I first looked at E-bike, E-Go scooters. Then at Electric Bikes Northwest I looked at the Meridian, the Giants, and...another used one... The only one I actually took out onto the hills was the Giant Suede E, because it was what I wanted for price, weight, gear ratios and commuter durability.
• This $1500 electric Schwinn has a 400180-250-watt motor (in front wheel) and a lithium-polymer battery. ("One charge will last approximately 60 miles")
  Schwinn also makes $1700 and $2000 electric bikes. It'd be nice to be able to try out one of the Schwinns...
  
• Electric bicycle substrate: Torontoist's Insane in the Bike Lane, about its all-too-frequently appalling condition
  
• Suitable Transport - electric bicycling, on a Schwinn, in a suit, along the coast of Australia from Melbourne to Sydney.
  
• Unsuitable transport - the The World Naked Bike Ride to protest oil dependency.
  
• Electric bicycles in Nevada County, that I'm aware of*:
  • Giant Lite step-through (NiMH)
  
  
  • Giant Suede E step-through (NiMH)
  
  
  • UrbanMover Sprite (NiMH)
  
  
  • Iacocca E-bike (SLA)
  
  
  • EZip on a Mongoose(SLA?)
  
  

Electric bicycle report: Comparing the Giant Suede to the UrbanMover Sprite

*
Xtreme Outfitters here in town sells Giant bikes, and - for a couple more days* - has a Giant Suede electric bike on the premises. I went over there today and was able to take the Suede for a test ride. It was surprising how different it felt; for handling I prefer my Sprite, although the Suede will likelymay* do better on our hills.

Both the Suede(E?) and the Sprite* have a NiMH battery.

Suede Pros

• Price - $1000, vs the Sprite's $1200-plus-shipping (since nobody up here sells them yet)


• More powerful battery(36v, vs 24v for UM Sprite) and motor(240w, vs 200w for Sprite)(In UK UrbanMover's motor is 200w, but U.S. distributor says 'the US specification does have a 250watt motor' * )


• Controls - on the handlebar you get an on/off switch, and a high/med(?)/low power, and a 'cruise' (didn't try anything but on/low) - vs. for the Sprite the on/off is via key in the battery, and there is no high-vs.-low.


• Apparently 8 gears, vs 6 for Sprite


• Specs say max range (on flat ground...) is 30 miles if you pedal, vs Sprite's 18


• Nice treehugger coloring - silver and manzanita-green.


• Sturdier stand - a bilateral stand that you rock the bike back onto, as opposed to the Sprite's somewhat marginal kickstand.


• The convenience of having sales/support/service/assembly from a local bike store

?

• Suede's tires are kevlar lined; Sprite's are puncture resistant. (equivalent?)

Suede Cons

• Handling. It just feels clunkier; partly it's because of the marshmallow-soft upright-style seat, which wobbles a bit as you pedal; partly (I think) it's because the motor is in the front wheel, vs. rear wheel for the Sprite. And it seemed like this changed the bike's turning dynamics, in a counterintuitive (thus unstable) way - it's likely that this is something you can get used to, but beware of this behavior if you're taking a test ride.
  (This was how it felt to me; your mileage may vary.)


• Battery removal/insertion...

I came away from the experience glad I owned the Sprite; but the real question will be hardiness of the respective bikes in our area. This past weekend someone told me he'd been warned off electric bikes years ago because (he was told) the motors burn out on our hills; if this caveat still applies, the Suede(if 36v vs 24v battery makes a difference) or Schwinn* (if 400 watt vs 250 watt motor makes a difference) may be the better choice.

Calling all electrical whizzes - I am hopelessly confused on what this all means...
(and to make things even more interesting, Electric Bikes Northwest reports that wattage specs aren't necessarily comparable for different brands of electric bicycles.)

Trip report - electric bicycle journey to Grass Valley and back

(Grass Valley and Nevada City are about 3 miles apart as the freeway flies, more if you count the hills.)

I'm liking the electric bicycle* more and more; getting accustomed to its odd pedal-power dynamics, and while I still wish it was mountain-bike rugged, it's wonderful nonetheless. And the whoops of delight that new riders let out when they first take it uphill are mighty fine to hear.

Today was its first venture out of town; rode it from Nevada City to the GV post office and back. The trip took 90 minutes, but that included six stops, four proselytisms, two test rides and one side trip for tourism. Round trip was about 6 miles, and even at the end the battery was still going strong.
(I _wasn't_ sure how long the battery would last, so did some fairly heavy pedaling; next time I'll slack off some, and let it do more of the work.

I want someone in town to sell these bicycles; thus the trip was partly in order to show the bike off to potential sellers. No discernible interest at Sierra Motor Sports; at Briarpatch, Paul H. said possibly, after they've moved to the new store and things settle down; and while TR2 bike shop's owner wasn't in, people there said he might be interested. (Update: I've talked to him; he said he sells/installs a lot of Wilderness Energy kits, but didn't sound real enthusiastic about selling the UrbanMover bikes.)
Didn't try Tour of Nevada City since the impression I've gotten from talking to folks at that store is that they feel the same way about adding power to a bike that Boston feels about putting signs on their streets - life should be a challenge, so that the he-men may rise above the wimps.
(as one of the wimps, i do not share this point of view)

The ride is a little more interesting than I'd like. There isn't always a bike lane, and where there is one, you may find yourself sharing it with parked cars and trailers and luxuriant outstretched sprays of poison oak; and your tires take a beating from the pavement, which is crocodilian in some areas and pocked with utility covers (with not-exactly-seamless installation) in others, while yet other stretches - lower Searls, for one - bring to mind an asphalt rendition of "Patches ahm dependin on ya son".

Thank heavens, and all involved humans, for the repaving of Adams St; it is truly heavenly in comparison.

Riding the UrbanMover Sprite electric bicycle - product review

Apr 27 update - this is a bike that grows on you; update here. In short: I like it and do not want to give it up.
-----------------------

Earlier today I blogged about ordering, receiving and (manually?) pedalling this bike; now that I've used it in 'powered' mode, there's more to report.

In short: Sprites would be optimal for Lake Wildwood residents who don't want to stress their knees.

Visually, the bike is a stunner - for elegance, it's head and shoulders above the competition.

And without power (especially without the weight of the battery), the bike is usable, even for hills; if you were to run out of juice you could still make it home. Not quite as good as a mountain bike, but not bad.

But for me, unless I'm missing something, it's disappointing - it has a blind spot in the sweet spot, it seems to be designed for people who don't really want exercise.
In other words - it epitomizes the complaints of the people who're prejudiced against electric bicycles, who say "electric bikes make you lazy".

Clunky and tanklike though it may have been, my friend's E-Bike had a killer app, a 2-speed assist - low for "I just need a bit of help", high for "I need a lot". And most of the time, low was all you needed, and you could still get a workout by pedalling along.

In contrast, the Sprite is an Alpha Bicycle that's dying to show it's more powerful than you; there's no way to make it understand that you don't want much help. If the battery is 'on', anytime you pedal the power kicks in, full blast, dwarfing your efforts.

Alternatively there is a wrist (twist) throttle*, that's variable strength* and that overrides the pedal-activated power, so in theory you could (I think) pedal while using it to (lightly) power the bike. But maintaining such control seems like it'd be a PITA, and also the instruction manual cautions you that using the wrist throttle gives much poorer mileage.
(are they assuming you're not pedalling? I do not know.)

Also, the Sprite is a city bike - it feels like it'd be tempting fate to ride it over our potholes.
(but this is true to some degree for all electric bicycles, IMO.)

So the next question is, how to transfer the bike to its rightful owner without voiding the warranty, which says it applies only to the original owner?
(if the original owner has only owned the bike for a day, this doesn't seem entirely fair...)

Will report back.

UrbanMover Sprite electric bicycle - ordering, shipping, assembling

Evening update: report of its behavior under power here.

I've been wanting to get an electric bicycle for years now - in a hilly town where temperatures top 100 degrees (F) in summer, pedal-powered bicycling makes for hot and sweaty travel. So even for short trips I've generally taken the car instead, enduring the consequent jeers from passers-by (you know who you are) and from my own conscience.

AFAIK nobody within 100+ miles of here sellsstocks* electric bicycles, which makes taking test drives difficult (what range will it have, on our terrain? how will it do on our hills?), which makes the decision to purchase one difficult as well.

The one electric bicycle I was able to try, an E-Bike*, was OK, and climbed our hills fine with a bit of pedaling; but then I had to give it back, leaving me once again powered by gas or my own two legs.
(when not under power, riding the E-Bike on flat ground felt like pedaling a (very) small tank, and pedaling uphill was hopeless; even so, all was forgiven when the power kicked in...)

Real Goods (owned by Gaiam) recently added two UrbanMover electric bicycles to their Electric Vehicles lineup - a street bike (the Sprite) and a folding bike (the Terrain). These bikes look attractive and bikelike, and they have NiMH* batteries rather than SLA*ones - yielding greater range, lighter weight and (AFAIK) less toxicity. The bicycles are the same price (currently $1199) as the (no pedals) eGo electric cycle.
(Real Goods doesn't yet offer my #1 preference, UrbanMover's mountain-bike style Glider model, nor UM's new, better, but lots more expensive lithium-polymer batteries.)

I'd been waffling, but finally jumped when Gaiam sent an email offering a short-term 20% discount*.

Upon phoning in the order, it was disconcerting to hear "This item is drop-shipped from the manufacturer*; it should arrive in 4 to 6 weeks." Ouch.

Ha.
It arrived 6 days later - a 34" x 6 ft x 10" black-plastic-wrapped cardboard box, lying flat on the bed of a DHL truck and, fortunately, weighing much less than it appeared.

The packing and shipping were buggy:
The driver said he'd received no instructions to require a signature (also, order taker had led me to understand that I'd have advance notice before it arrived; there was none), and upon stripping off the black plastic covering, the warnings "Do not lay flat", "Keep upright" came into view, emblazoned on the cardboard underneath.

Oops.
It doesn't look like there's been any real damage, but I don't know for sure - haven't ridden it under power yet, the battery's still charging*.

Without the battery, the bike weighs about 42 pounds and handles pretty much like a normal, only slightly heavier, bicycle - the only problem so far is that just 5 of its 6 speeds are accessible. Adjusting the derailleur(?) gave me the choice of either gears 1-5, or 2-6. IMO this is a minor flaw, since I tend to spend most time in #1 anyway.
update: derailleur's been readjusted, now the bike reaches all 6 gears.

The bike is a handsome, dignified dark blue, and has a plucky little "here I come" bell on the handlebars - but if you're using the brakes, you will not need the bell.
(next step - wash wheel rims and brake pads with dilute soapy water, to remove any grease that might cause the squealing)
update: the squealing went away on its own.

Still to try: riding it in "electric" mode, and discovering how well the 'street' wheels perform when subjected to our legendary potholes.
(Also, the technical specifications say that the "gradient capacity" is 12% (FAQ says 10-14%) with pedal-assist (VPAC*); not sure what the typical max. gradient of our hilly streets is*, so it'll be interesting to see how well the bike climbs them.)
update: some streets (e.g. Nevada St) _are_ too steep; not healthy for the motor. Avoid them. OTOH, Pine St in Nevada City seems to be fine, as does Sacto St, as do Nevada City Hwy and East Main St in GV

I will report further on the Sprite, and would welcome correspondence from other current or potential electric bike owners - if you send email (to ncfocus2003@yahoo.com) regarding the Sprite or other electric bikes, please put "UrbanMover" somewhere in the email's Subject line.