Recent content by Zoot Katz

Let's see, the drone carries five pounds, 10 miles in 30 minutes? How can this be better than a bicycle?

Rejoice in Pedal There's something about riding a bike that connects us to our environment, in real time, the way a cager doesn't enjoy. I'm lucky iving in a bike friendly city that makes it entirely possible to live without a car. The idea of someday not being able to ride a bike terrifys me...

Repeat, it's Popular I think that's our favourite canard. For a devout automobilist an ebike may provide some additional exercise but for a cyclist it's a step toward the dark side. Personally, it has led to deterioration of my former fitness levels. And then there was the heart attack...

Cover your ass with a prenuptial contract. Then think about spendy jewelry.

Added up and broken down like that, it's shocking. My batteries too seem to be getting near the end of their useful life. There's likely to be new batteries in the new year. And soon a new controller. It was assumed the halls were faulty. The quickest cure was a sensorless controller. Deeper...

Receipts in Piles Along with cleaning and reassembling the bike this week, I've pulled out receipts dating back to Sept 2008 and totaled up some of this e-bike stuff. It's hard to recall regular bike maintenance ever costing this much. Justin's shop has gotten the lion's share of the local...

Revealing Incipient Problems Turd polishing is always more fun than expected! A different fork might soon be necessary. Part of this refurbishment is getting the bike to track straight again. Took the forks in to correct the tip alignment. Noticed cracked paint on the braze. Marked it with a...

Remedied Inane Plan You're right. I realised my mistake about five in the morning and changed my order ASAP. What convinced me is the greater range possible by using the 3540 in the right size wheel. Sometimes I probably shouldn't be allowed out unsupervised. What was I thinking? Mainly I...

The bullet has been bitten. Today ordered a new Crystalyte HS3540, laced to a 26" rim, for bolting into a new Xtracycle. I think it will do fine as long as it doesn't sound too tinny under the bags. Better sealing, lighter weight and closer compliance with standards are what I'm seeking. If it...

Put it in a museum. I'm pretty sure there's not a lot of them. Shaft drives fell out of favour when the roller chain got invented. They've resurfaced from time to time, kinda like the row-bike or step-bike but without the giggle factor. Steal something steel and keep it real. Starting with a...

Rolling Into Perpetuity A manly hack would just scrap those pussy nooks, weld in Doc's Luke Proof torque plates and turn up the amps. With all the options available, my decision tree looks like a tumbleweed. Setting a budget will prune it. Reality is Pesky

Really, it's preferred. The 1" steerer tube limits ones choice for boinger forks. There's not much weight on the front except under braking. The Big Apples are enough suspension on the streets I ride. Repairing a forged dropout doesn't inspire much confidence. I'm suspecting the dropout may be...

Yeah, it's been good bike and great for pickin' up chicks. It's always gotten looks, questions and comments. Now I feel lost without a longtail. Geared hub motors don't much appeal to me but the lighter weight and freewheeling are attractive. Grin is my local shop so it would have to be an...

21,377 kilometers. The poor little monster motor has never tasted more than 54 volts or 40 amps. It's always operated well within its design parameters so has proven reliable. Not everybody wants to set the world on fire.

The Stokemonkey is a good system but not for me. IMO, aesthetically it's always been a clusterfuk. The Edgerunner design caught my attention a few years ago but I'm debating the usefulness of having a lower cargo deck. Now I'm trying to figure out whether it will work with a Xlyte 3548. My X5...