Any Phoenix, AZ area riders / builders?

The PDF from Tucson I linked to makes the 750 watt claim and said that it is per the A.R.S. ... which you correctly point out has no such specification.

Most of my commute is going through Scottsdale. So I guess I'll just try to keep a low profile and see how things go. I may just put my controller on a 20 mph limit and use leg power if I need extra punch - and look seriously into regen. I'm still in pretty good shape from all that table tennis, so I think I can still do an out of the saddle burst to 25+ mph on my own if needed - even if the bike is now well past 50 lbs. I may need to get that taller chain ring. :^)

Thanks again for your perspective.
 
wturber said:
I may just put my controller on a 20 mph limit and use leg power if I need extra punch
Keep in mind that the wording of the ARS defines an assisted bicycle as "operated at less than 20MPH". So technically, if it has an assist on it at all, even if it is not being used, it cannot be ridden (at or) over 20MPH even under pedal power alone, with no assistance. It's a terrible way to word it, but that's how they did word it. :/

It's unlikely anyone would bother you about it if you're riding safely and within the law otherwise, but since there's no way to tell if the assist is doing any or all of the work, or what portion, then exceeding 19.99999999MPH ;) could be ticketed, and it'd probably be upheld in court if the ticketing officer bothers to show up. (unless the judge determines that "assisted" means the assist must be actually in operation at the time, and requires the LEO have proof of that--an unlikely ruling even if it would be much fairer).

- and look seriously into regen.
Going downhill I doubt they'd bother you, realistically, but it's because of the above that I limit my speed regardless of situation.

I wish I had "proportional" regen, which means you have control over how much regen there is, so you can use it to finely control a speed on a downhill, or apply just enough braking to slow down instead of slamming it on, etc.

But all I have for now is just regular regen, so it puts it on as hard as it can vs the voltage the battery happens to be at. (the lower the battery voltage, the higher the regen current can be, and the harder the braking can be, depending on how the controller is designed/programmed/etc).

But it's still better than riding my mechanical brakes all the way down a long hill, even if I don't deal with those very often. ;)
 
amberwolf said:
wturber said:
I may just put my controller on a 20 mph limit and use leg power if I need extra punch
Keep in mind that the wording of the ARS defines an assisted bicycle as "operated at less than 20MPH". So technically, if it has an assist on it at all, even if it is not being used, it cannot be ridden (at or) over 20MPH even under pedal power alone, with no assistance. It's a terrible way to word it, but that's how they did word it. :/

Yep. That's the problem. The wording clearly does not match the intent.
amberwolf said:
It's unlikely anyone would bother you about it if you're riding safely and within the law otherwise, but since there's no way to tell if the assist is doing any or all of the work, or what portion, then exceeding 19.99999999MPH ;) could be ticketed, and it'd probably be upheld in court if the ticketing officer bothers to show up. (unless the judge determines that "assisted" means the assist must be actually in operation at the time, and requires the LEO have proof of that--an unlikely ruling even if it would be much fairer).

Yeah. I would assume it would be unlikely. But hard to say. After all, you think Scottsdale police may be a bit more nitpicky. I understand that setting the controller to 20mph doesn't make the bike compliant. But it does make it unlikely for me to exceed 20mph except in a situation (coasting - jumping on my horses to clear an intersection, etc.) where I would feel comfortable arguing that I'm respecting the law's intent vs. explicit letter to a traffic judge (usually a Justice of the Peace I think).


- and look seriously into regen.
Going downhill I doubt they'd bother you, realistically, but it's because of the above that I limit my speed regardless of situation.

Time will tell. All power assist was inside of 21mph on my test run to work this AM. The rest was pretty much downhill. If I set the max assist to 20mph, my speed is pretty much like a very fit road cyclist - I'm just not breathing as hard. :^)

Time to head back home and see if a 5-pack of those batteries will get me up the hill on Shea and back home or not. I have two packs in reserve in my backpack just in case.

I see regen in my future. But I don't intend to change my setup soon (other than refine the install) until I've used this setup for quite at least a half year or more. Right now my main need is to get lights on it and to install a 52 tooth chainring. It looks like a 52 will clear the chainstays.
 
OK, the five pack (5x 36v x 4.4ah) got me home - a total of 33.25 mile. Estimate watt/hrs per mile is 22.25. I had 36.6 volts on the cells when I got home which suggests about 7% of useful charge left. I started with a charge at 41.5v. SportsTrackLive shows my net gain at 500 feet on the trip back with a maximum grade of 24%. That seems too steep. Though we do have some short rolling hills and there is one that is probably right on the border of what the system as configured can do. But the system handled the ride up Shea from Scottsdale up to Palisades with no problem. 20mph all the way up the long hill. I've very happy with the system. Add some lights and the 52 tooth chainring and I'm good to go.
 
Back
Top