Back in the Saddle: Going to California: 2011

[Green Machine]

Highway 9 - 35 is ideal for a fast ebike...and a beautiful ride. I use to race my motorycle up and down that route...what a thrill ride it was. In fact your worst threat will be being rear ended by a rice rocket going 70mph around a blind corner But especially on the weekdays you should be ok.....watch your backside early sunday morning when you hear a low grumbling roar of the gassers.

[MikeFairbanks]

I tried to get Ed Begley to sponsor me, and was surprised when he actually emailed me. We had a few discussions, but when I asked for sponsorship he wasn't too hip. Luckily the local utility company stepped in.

Try them. They love electricity if it's beating natural gas or gasoline.

They'll be very interested. I don't know if they'll fork over the dough, but it's worth a try.


Question: How long will this trip take? You probably mentioned it, but I didn't catch it.

[Kingfish]

Brief Status:

• Mods to the Trailer project are continuing.
• Worked up a basic schedule. The trip will take about 5 weeks. Essentially –
  
  • Depart near the 28th of June. This would put me at Bend Oregon about June 29th or 30th.
  • Pre-set Goal: 4th of July in Westwood, CA. I would like to arrive a day or two early.
  • 18th or 19th in Fresno
  • 30th in SF (tentative)
  • 5th or 6th back in Redmond, WA
  I’ll have more precise dates as the issues resolve.
• Cell Phone: I haven’t owned a cell phone since 1999. Been looking at Verizon and AT&T; the contracts are almost identical. The Windows 7 phone appeals to me because I will be able to write applications for it. I also need to spec out a notebook for basic journaling and photo-editing. A friend warned me off the Atom processor as being too slow.

That’s the short story. Less than 4 weeks to go.

Are we there yet? KF

[liveforphysics]

Brief Status:

• Mods to the Trailer project are continuing.
• Worked up a basic schedule. The trip will take about 5 weeks. Essentially –
  
  • Depart near the 28th of June. This would put me at Bend Oregon about June 29th or 30th.
  • Pre-set Goal: 4th of July in Westwood, CA. I would like to arrive a day or two early.
  • 18th or 19th in Fresno
  • 30th in SF (tentative)
  • 5th or 6th back in Redmond, WA
  I’ll have more precise dates as the issues resolve.
• Cell Phone: I haven’t owned a cell phone since 1999. Been looking at Verizon and AT&T; the contracts are almost identical. The Windows 7 phone appeals to me because I will be able to write applications for it. I also need to spec out a notebook for basic journaling and photo-editing. A friend warned me off the Atom processor as being too slow.

That’s the short story. Less than 4 weeks to go.

Are we there yet? KF

If you don't get an android device, you will forever hate yourself.

I phrased that like a joke, but you really will. Wind-blows is dead. Windblows 7 phone was dead before it was born.

The future is open my friend.

[neptronix]

+1 For android. Even one of Apple's phones would be better than Windows 7 phone.. and this is coming from a guy who hates apple with all his guts.

[liveforphysics]

+1 For android. Even one of Apple's phones would be better than Windows 7 phone.. and this is coming from a guy who hates apple with all his guts.

Yeah, I have to agree, and I the only thing I would use the iPhone for is toilet paper. The windows phone I wouldn't even use for toilet paper, because it would have to contact my ass for that...

[liveforphysics]

Also, for you kingfish, you've got great windblows based programming skills, but it's like speaking a dead/dying language. If you spent 1 day fiddling with android programming, you would be able to do higher level stuff than a year of working with windblows coding.

It's not intimidating to start over from scratch learning android. It's so logical, once you start playing a bit, you don't even need instruction anymore, it self-teaches just from being so intuitive and well designed.

[Kingfish]

Actually, I came off a project for HTC just a couple of months ago and have the Android SDK and JDK loaded in case they wanted to put me to task. So – you ain’t gonna hurt my feelings none friend

OK – so it looks like there are a lot of Android devices. May I presume we are discussing cell phones and not tablets? (I’ll still need photo editing and I already own Photoshop, hence some type of laptop/notebook.)

Which Android device do you prefer?

Thanks, KF

[Green Machine]

Hey Kingfish,

If you go android you can buy this $100 device instead of cycle analyst:

http://www.speedict.com/

If you think you might buy this speedict device in the future you should buy an bluetooth enabled phone now....the speedict connects wirelessly to your android phone.

Also if you have cell phone coverage the speedict will actually map your routes for you with gps so you can post your routes here....also record battery usage data in cool graphs.

Really nifty device....i got one and can vouch for it. Way cool. Worth buying an android just for it (does not work with iphone or windows 7)

[Kingfish]

Hey Kingfish,

If you go android you can buy this $100 device instead of cycle analyst:

http://www.speedict.com/

If you think you might buy this speedict device in the future you should buy an bluetooth enabled phone now....the speedict connects wirelessly to your android phone.

Also if you have cell phone coverage the speedict will actually map your routes for you with gps so you can post your routes here....also record battery usage data in cool graphs.

Really nifty device....i got one and can vouch for it. Way cool. Worth buying an android just for it (does not work with iphone or windows 7)

Oh man! I want!
Gosh, it's got it all and more! Who's using one? Does it come with temp sensors?? Most exciting toy I've seen since ... well since!
Best, KF

[liveforphysics]

Actually, I came off a project for HTC just a couple of months ago and have the Android SDK and JDK loaded in case they wanted to put me to task. So – you ain’t gonna hurt my feelings none friend

OK – so it looks like there are a lot of Android devices. May I presume we are discussing cell phones and not tablets? (I’ll still need photo editing and I already own Photoshop, hence some type of laptop/notebook.)

Which Android device do you prefer?

Thanks, KF

I have an HTC G1, an HTC Nexus2, an HTC Evo4G, and a gtablet (which I seldom ever use). (all hacked firmware and OS obviously, because stock android is pretty awful these days with the crap sprint/verizion/t-mobile load it up with.)

If I were buying a phone today, I would go with the Samsung galaxy S II (or S2). (not the galaxy s)

Towards Christmas, I will definitely be buying the HTC Nexus3 powered by the Tegra3 1.2Ghz quad-core processor with an HD gaming capable GPU setup. My EVO 4g all ready is as powerful as my atom netbook, and the Nexus3 is more powerful than the average persons desktop. I also think the desktop computer concept as we know it will be dead soon, replaced with just terminals that we plug our phone into to work if/when we want a larger screen and full sized keyboard.

[Green Machine]

Hey Kingfish,

If you go android you can buy this $100 device instead of cycle analyst:

http://www.speedict.com/

If you think you might buy this speedict device in the future you should buy an bluetooth enabled phone now....the speedict connects wirelessly to your android phone.

Also if you have cell phone coverage the speedict will actually map your routes for you with gps so you can post your routes here....also record battery usage data in cool graphs.

Really nifty device....i got one and can vouch for it. Way cool. Worth buying an android just for it (does not work with iphone or windows 7)

Oh man! I want!
Gosh, it's got it all and more! Who's using one? Does it come with temp sensors?? Most exciting toy I've seen since ... well since!
Best, KF

It does have temperature sensors....

Really cool looking...looks like rc technology...as opposed to dorky ebike tech

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22919&hilit=+speedict

Drop shipped straight from hong kong...got mine in like a week.

Only problem is now i got to ditch my iphone for an android....which i guess is a good thing.

[Kingfish]

Hey Kingfish,

If you go android you can buy this $100 device instead of cycle analyst:

http://www.speedict.com/

If you think you might buy this speedict device in the future you should buy an bluetooth enabled phone now....the speedict connects wirelessly to your android phone.

Also if you have cell phone coverage the speedict will actually map your routes for you with gps so you can post your routes here....also record battery usage data in cool graphs.

Really nifty device....i got one and can vouch for it. Way cool. Worth buying an android just for it (does not work with iphone or windows 7)

Oh man! I want!
Gosh, it's got it all and more! Who's using one? Does it come with temp sensors?? Most exciting toy I've seen since ... well since!
Best, KF

It does have temperature sensors....

Really cool looking...looks like rc technology...as opposed to dorky ebike tech

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22919&hilit=+speedict

Drop shipped straight from hong kong...got mine in like a week.

Only problem is now i got to ditch my iphone for an android....which i guess is a good thing.

OK, so I can see one question is that the 80V limit might be a problem with regen, particularly if I have mine set pretty high. Have you experienced issues with that?
The second question is that I presume this needs to be inline and inbetween the controller and battery. Might not be an issue though I'll be running dual-controllers.

The battery monitor feature is completely trick! KF

[Kingfish]

Cell Phones & Data

Actually, I came off a project for HTC just a couple of months ago and have the Android SDK and JDK loaded in case they wanted to put me to task. So – you ain’t gonna hurt my feelings none friend

OK – so it looks like there are a lot of Android devices. May I presume we are discussing cell phones and not tablets? (I’ll still need photo editing and I already own Photoshop, hence some type of laptop/notebook.)

Which Android device do you prefer?

Thanks, KF

I have an HTC G1, an HTC Nexus2, an HTC Evo4G, and a gtablet (which I seldom ever use). (all hacked firmware and OS obviously, because stock android is pretty awful these days with the crap sprint/verizion/t-mobile load it up with.)

If I were buying a phone today, I would go with the Samsung galaxy S II (or S2). (not the galaxy s)

Towards Christmas, I will definitely be buying the HTC Nexus3 powered by the Tegra3 1.2Ghz quad-core processor with an HD gaming capable GPU setup. My EVO 4g all ready is as powerful as my atom netbook, and the Nexus3 is more powerful than the average persons desktop. I also think the desktop computer concept as we know it will be dead soon, replaced with just terminals that we plug our phone into to work if/when we want a larger screen and full sized keyboard.

Did some research and it looks like Verizon has the better coverage in my local. Nation-wide, it’s a toss – though I’m rarely on that path. In northern California folks say AT&T beats out Verizon, yet I have to consider where I live.

Spelunking through the various choices, I am now in the Android camp thanks in part by your wisdom friend. Although I am struggling a little bit with the latest-greatest phones; where to get them…

Verizon says that jail-broken (did I get that right?) phones do not work on their network as they would with AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Thus I’m not sure that if I did acquire a hottie phone how it could be joined to the Borg, er… Network.

The best Android phone I could find in Redmond at Verizon is the Samsung Droid Charge. At Verizon they want $299. This morning I found an article that says Amazon beats their pricing by $100. It’s actually $150, and I can get the same plan offered through Amazon Wireless – seems like the best deal so far.

Anyway – I haven’t committed yet; there’s still time to evaluate the options. I beg to hear your thoughts.

The Plan considered: Cell Phone w/ 450 minutes Talk, unlimited data, no text.

If I sound like a noob, it's cos I yam, KF

[Kingfish]

Brief Status

• Custom Parts: I have been busy as bees trying to get the latest revisions out to the machinist. It’s got me a bit nervous and eyeballing the clock.
  
• Cell Phone: Haven’t bought one yet. Discovered Amazon has the best deal going. Awaiting feedback from ES-friendlies on the previous cell phone discussion. There’s a bit of time to choose. Coincidentally – there’s a Father’s Day sale at the Microsoft Store; the HTC Trophy is discounted heavily to $0.01, although a review of the monthly charges is warranted as I’m not sure if the fees include Data and Phone service.
  
• Laptop: I may forgo this altogether; it’s weight and convenience. I will have access to computers twice on my trip and the need is really only for image processing and uploading. I don’t need to spend the money right now: Drop.
  
• Exercise: When I’m not drawing and scheming, I’m riding or walking. The Cascade Bike Club (largest in the country I believe) is hosting the Flying Wheels Century this weekend. I’d like to go however I don’t have the proper torque arms, and I’d hate to run without them. It would be a good warm-up though. Last year I made incredible time, though I had problems with cramping and so forth. Well, I have one more day to consider it.
  
• Batteries: Forgot to mention that these arrived last week. They are still in the box and I haven’t had time to inspect yet.
  
• Food: This week I have begun to ponder my diet for the trip. Last year I brought along a load of Cliff Bars, however they are sort of falling out of favor for more traditional whole foods such as apples, bananas, oranges, bagels, Gorp, jerked beef or even tinned fish. Mainly I just want something where I can stop and eat every hour without a lot of hassle.
  
• Camping: Given the friendly invites it could be that I might be able to motel the rest when not at relatives, thus reducing my load significantly: My two longest days may not be so long after all. My hope is that we’ll have fair to good weather heading south from the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been caught twice this week in the rain when the Weather Channel predicted clear afternoons; no fun becoming soaked and cold to the bone. Actually I can take rain just fine so long as I am wearing rain gear. But every now and then we get those “sun breaks” around here and you just want to quite the day job and go for a hike!

Three weeks to go.
~KF

[write2dgray]

Very cool project Kingfish!

Kudos to you for taking this on, quite the modern adventure. Let me know if I can help with anything.

Cheers,
David
ProgressiveRC

[Kingfish]

Status

• The Trailer is coming along; I’ve settled on a battery box which forces the structural design to conclusion; I should have the final parts detailed today.
• Ordered the Speedict device.
• The Cell Phone is slated to be ordered tomorrow; June 14th sticks in my brain as a release-date of hardware for some odd reason. I did look at tablets but I think a phone will suffice. At present, it is looking like Verizon with the Samsung Droid Charge; best that can be had today for all I know.
• Aero Bars: Last year I had wrist strain and hand fatigue; it would have been nice to stretch out and give them a rest periodically. The aero bars would allow for that. There are no electrical controls for them unfortunately although I have some ideas and may introduce a new thread on the subject.
• Mirrors: Need to find a better set; what I have now is marginal. The motorcycle mirrors are too heavy for a bicycle handlebar. A nice 4” diameter wing-out might do. The alternative is to dump the carbon-fiber handlebar and go back to an alloy or aluminum and use the end-bar mirrors.
• Route-Reworked: Mainly I generated alternative routes in case of severe weather/headwind, and to accommodate potential invites. I also worked up two alternate routes back to Redmond: One adds an extra day to include the Olympic Peninsula with an overnight stay at Neah Bay (the Lands-End of the PNW and I’ve never been there), and the second takes a shorter route also via the Olympic Peninsula though on the east side – which I have never inspected. Lastly, I discovered a quicker way to the top of Medicine Lake that is paved by all accounts, although very steep; that’s what the 2WD is for!

Two weeks to go, KF

[Kingfish]

Cell phone acquired.
SEnt from a cell phone. KF

[liveforphysics]

Cell phone acquired.
SEnt from a cell phone. KF

Android? Galaxy S2?

[Kingfish]

Verizon Samsung Droid Charge...gawd this is really slow way to talk.

[Kingfish]

Hunt and peck city. Can a guy get a keyboard for this thing? Baby-stepping... gotta walk before i can run.Learning fast. No worries. And all good.

[dumbluck]

android for the win. I'm looking forward to getting htc thunderbolt. Currently loathing my eris but I was sure in love with it when it was new. I think that's how tech works. Verizon has the best overall coverage in my area.

I bet you could find a couch every night of your trip if you would like. I'm not California but I have plenty of friends and family that could hook you up.

[Kingfish]

android for the win. I'm looking forward to getting htc thunderbolt. Currently loathing my eris but I was sure in love with it when it was new. I think that's how tech works. Verizon has the best overall coverage in my area.

I bet you could find a couch every night of your trip if you would like. I'm not California but I have plenty of friends and family that could hook you up.

Couch: Thank you kindly - I am honored! I hope to have all the ducks in a row as we get closer to the launch date

Smartphone: I found this quite humorous link this AM; seems most appropriate given the last 24 hours:
Why I love and hate having a smartphone

I will post status later today.
Making headway on important issues, KF

[Kingfish]

Busy as Bees!

No other way to say it. I’m bushed – but happy.

• Trailer: Going great guns to get this wrapped up. All the designs are at the Machinist and we are cutting steel this evening. There is a lot to do still.
• Ordered up the Cell Phone yesterday. Still a babe in the woods with the device, though learning quickly. The Cell Phone charges through the USB-2 port from my PC to the USB Micro-B connector. Coincidence? I am now on the hunt for a 12V to USB-2 adapter for the ebike.
• Rear Suspension Shock serviced: I did this today by taking my ebike over to Gregg’s Cycle in Bellevue. They are the designated Fox Shock repair center. Only took an hour and the shock was in pretty good condition. Insurance for piece of mind; it had developed a slow leak – though I think the Seal Kit will fix all the issues.
• Mirrors: Determined late last night that I can fit my old Mirrycle MtB Bar-End Mirror into the carbon-fiber fork; it’s difficult though I can get it in and out. This resolved the initial problem. While at Gregg’s I snagged a second mirror for the other side for < $15; good deal!
• Gloves: Bought summer-time gloves as my old ones were quite worn.
• Fenders for Trailer: Still looking, although the Townie Balloon is the leading candidate.
• Rain Wraps: Still on the hunt for rain-proof covering for my summer shoes; saves me from carrying my winter boots.
• Aerobars: While the ebike was getting serviced I was able to test out a few of these as well. Narrowing the field.

However, the really big news that I have is actually quite exciting:

This morning I woke up to some delightful email from Speedict. Effective this AM, Speedict is now officially my first sponsor
I am really quite honored to be their guinea pig testing out the new hardware and firmware on this trip!

Now if I can just figure out a way for you guys to see my progress in real time.

More news when it happens; 13 days to go.
~KF

[jonathanm]

This is shaping up nicely. Congrats on pulling sponsorship from an android developer 24 hrs after becoming an android user! What phone mount are you gonna use?

I think there's a ton of apps for realtime gps location mapping

edit: oh i see the speedict has control of the gps, but doesn't do realtime......didn't realise it had gps as well.....