What is the distance record for a charge and other musings.

Here's what I'm wondering (and, no, I have no intentions of building such a project):

1. Using a regular bicycle (not a motorcycle) and converting it to an e-bike, what is the longest distance somebody went on one charge, with speed only being a factor in that the bike had to go at least a normal riding speed (12-15mph on up to about 25-30mph)?

Obviously a lot of battery would have to be included, but I wonder if someone has made it 200 miles on a single charge.

I wonder if anyone has made a true cross-country trek on nothing but electricity, stopping each 100-200 miles to plug in and sleep.
Just curious is all.

The reason my mind hit on this question today is that there is a lot of talk in the media about ebikes these days, and I like it.

Also, I email Jason at EbikeKit.com about once every month or two to see how he's doing and the guy is swamped with orders all the time. I'm so glad that it's working out. I bet his business will get pretty big before long. He makes a good product and backs it up. My two kits are still going strong. The tricycle is on its third year and the bike is on its second year.


On another note, Jason not only used my photo for his website, but it looks like it will be in an ad campaign in Mexico as well. Photography is my primary hobby for the last few years, and I don't ever do it for money (just doesn't seem fun to me). But I very much enjoy making a photo and giving it away.


This is the photo (you've seen it before) of my bike (which I'm slightly reconfiguring...just a little), and eventually when this battery dies (it's still very strong) I'll replace it with something modern. But for now it's a great ride. I really enjoy riding it and can go anywhere in town.




A week ago my wife and I went out for a few drinks and to watch college football (UGA vs. Tennessee) and there happened to be a car show in the next town. As luck would have it an old Ford (I think a Model A) parked right in front of the pub and I saw an opportunity to get a photo (I always bring my dslr everywhere I go).

I emailed the photo to the owner of the pub and she sent me a gift card for a free dinner. I didn't expect that, but now I get to go back and have a couple IPAs on the house. Sweet. Hopefully I uploaded the correct size photo.




It seems that the world is actually full of nice people. You give and sometimes you receive in return.

Years ago I caught this near-crash (notice that he forgot to bring down the landing gear...his partner radioed for him to pull up at the last second). I posted the photo online and the pilot invited me to take a ride with them in Nashville. The group is called Red Thunder, and they have a "communist" theme for their airshow performances. All their planes are Soviet or Chinese and are very old. Unfortunately, one of them died in the spring when he didn't pull up quickly enough from a vertical loop (they think he passed out and just went straight down), so I haven't talked to these guys in a while, but they are super cool.

Those are some Amazing pictures! That plane's blades had to be inches from the runway.

The best I've been able to average is 11wa/mile in Texas. But 20wa/mi is what I would plan on for my style of riding.

As for cross country, that other ebike kit seller rode ocean to ocean across Canada years ago. look at the top of the site when in general discussion for epic topics. He had a big battery, so likely beat my personal best daily. Longest one day one charge ride for me was 70 miles. One ping 36v 20 ah, and two nicad 24v 8 ah.

I may have the record for the shortest distance traveled on a charge...

186wh/mi for 6.1 miles. 12.62Ah taken from a 15Ah pack in less than 6 mins. Sustained high speed SUCKS power fast.

dogman said:

As for cross country, that other ebike kit seller rode ocean to ocean across Canada years ago. look at the top of the site when in general discussion for epic topics. He had a big battery, so likely beat my personal best daily. Longest one day one charge ride for me was 70 miles. One ping 36v 20 ah, and two nicad 24v 8 ah.

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You can say his name. I'm not the owner of EbikeKit.com, nor do I have any particular partnership with them. They're just the first company I went with for kits and it's worked out well. I've heard nothing but positives about both Jason and Justin. As far as I'm concerned they are legends who really put together products that were legitimate in a young world of hit-or-miss ebike sellers.


I will say this though: You can't get a much better business name or website name than simply ebikeKit.com.

Plus, I'm stoked that the have alternative batteries now. I always recommend them because they just work. One order one kit...it works. Anyone who knows what he is doing can get a kit piece-by-piece cheaper, of course, but I have friends who ask and I say, "Well, if you take your time, learn as much as you can, and ask a lot of questions, then you can get a great kit and save a lot of money. But if you want easy, call Ebikekit.com." I also tell them, "If you want something that you can use today, go to Trek."

I've ridden the Trek Ride + (in various formats...the 7100, the Valencia, and more) with the Bionx Kit, and it's (in my opinion) the most professional, solid commuter bike you can walk up and buy and start riding. It's not what I would do (unless I had a ton of money and that would just be one of many e-bikes I'd own), but there are various levels of ease.

The best way to get a free ebike is to work your butt off on putting together quality, honest group purchases, taking the extra for yourself (provided you are up front about it). People do that with travel all the time. Get ten people booked on a cruise and you go free.

What was Kingfish's best day on his trips to California?

Kingfish's farthest day 186 miles, more stats here:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28573&p=509718&hilit=kingfish+longest+day#p509718

Justin of ebikes.ca crossed Canada, long threads on ES here about both trips if you look you can find them.

Alan B said:

Kingfish's farthest day 186 miles, more stats here:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28573&p=509718&hilit=kingfish+longest+day#p509718

Justin of ebikes.ca crossed Canada, long threads on ES here about both trips if you look you can find them.

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The farthest distance I went in a single day (using one opportunity recharge) was 186.6 miles between Pioneer and Fresno California. The recharge period was about an hour long over breakfast in Angels Camp. That segment was far from level. Link to details of that day.

The farthest distance I went on a single charge on a single charge was 165.3 miles between San Rafael and Fort Bragg. Link to details of that page.

Both distances were accomphished using a 2WD ebike that I am still driving today.

I believe that EBikes.CA owner Justin has the overall distance record for a trip. On that note, I believe I have the farthest distance traveled over 28 days at 2515 miles, beating the world record by 600 miles – and have submitted my claim to the Guinness World Records; I didn’t pay the rush fee which is like 3-4 day answer for £490. The alternative is to wait 6 weeks. It’s been over 12, but then London had the Olympics, so I wait and wait.

I wanted to do it this year but ran out of time, but for next year I have a road trip planned to beat the world record distance for 7 days. It will be hilly! Got to be a challenge or it ain’t worth doing.

Anyway… back to eating carrots.
Cheers, KF

What is riding a 2wd like? Is it running off one battery? Is it more powerful? More efficient? I've thought of making one as I have an extra 9c motor and all the fixings.

MikeFairbanks said:

What is riding a 2wd like? Is it running off one battery? Is it more powerful? More efficient? I've thought of making one as I have an extra 9c motor and all the fixings.

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2WD (Two-Wheel Drive) FAQ
How about some light reading for a slow Sunday perhaps? :wink:

Enjoy, KF

Farfle said:

I may have the record for the shortest distance traveled on a charge...

186wh/mi for 6.1 miles. 12.62Ah taken from a 15Ah pack in less than 6 mins. Sustained high speed SUCKS power fast.

Click to expand...

Nope..I'm still claiming that one; 2.2mi on a 20ah SLA. :lol:

REdiculous said:

Farfle said:

I may have the record for the shortest distance traveled on a charge...

186wh/mi for 6.1 miles. 12.62Ah taken from a 15Ah pack in less than 6 mins. Sustained high speed SUCKS power fast.

Click to expand...

Nope..I'm still claiming that one; 2.2mi on a 20ah SLA. :lol:

Click to expand...

Wow!

Just in the interests of factual information, .. :wink:
Two ES guys from Sydney ( Voicecoils and Glowwormcycles) rode their Ebikes 288kms ( 186 miles) on one charge in 24 hrs last year.
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33269&start=30
BUT.. in reality this is a ridiculous question because you could ride 5000 miles or more on one charge depending on how much you pedal , how little you use E-assist, and what terrain you ride.
Also, battery pack size is a major factor ( both the Aussies and kingfish use "multiple" battery packs ), so really there is no limit to what is possible.
You really need to be considering Whr/mile without pedal input, to make any sensible comparison.

There is a ride in central California that allows ebikes at 20 watt hours per mile, so 2kwh for the 100 mile circuit. A number of folks have done this ride, with varying success. It has some good grades. 20 watt hours per mile requires a lot of pedaling and an efficient system (like a recumbent), plus about a 40 pound lipo battery. My EbikeE would weigh about 90 pounds equipped for the ride.

There is a link to it in my West Coast Events thread.

Gents -

I would agree to a Wh/mi limit. I like the idea, and it moves the focus back to slipstream, mechanics, and electronics. The one intangible is hills verse flats, and weather. Come up with a circuit/a loop, a pinnacle of triumph, and I shall enter my tiny steed. Fingers-crossed in hopes that I can get there

I’m OK with regional challenges. Be the best that you can be. Appreciate your competition. It’s how we learn.

With honor, KF

Hillhater said:

Just in the interests of factual information, .. :wink:
Two ES guys from Sydney ( Voicecoils and Glowwormcycles) rode their Ebikes 288kms ( 186 miles) on one charge in 24 hrs last year.
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33269&start=30
BUT.. in reality this is a ridiculous question because you could ride 5000 miles or more on one charge depending on how much you pedal , how little you use E-assist, and what terrain you ride.
Also, battery pack size is a major factor ( both the Aussies and kingfish use "multiple" battery packs ), so really there is no limit to what is possible.
You really need to be considering Whr/mile without pedal input, to make any sensible comparison.

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Thanks for the mention

Maurice & I have yet to attempt a similar ride, but it was a great experience and I've continued to think about a big 1 day single charge ride in the future.

Here were our condensed stats from the thread linked above:

Distance: 288 km (179 mi)
Total ascent: 3,538 meters (11,609 feet)
Total time: 16 hours, 12-13hrs in the saddle.
Battery usage: 1865 Wh (Abraham), 2088 Wh (Maurice)
Rate of energy use: 6.47 Wh/km (Abraham), 7.25 Wh/km (Maurice)

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We carried 16 kg of batteries each, plus a day's supply of water and clothing on standard 25kg rated racks. To push things farther, touring racks (front & rear) or a cargo bike like the Yuba would make it easier to carry more lithium.

I agree there are many variables comparing various people's efforts but at this point I think it's interesting to simply ask:

How far have you ridden on a single charge in 24hrs, how long did it take & how many watt-hours did you use?

Well if someone is keen I can build a 14s, 4p LiPo pack and we'll see how far that goes. It naturally limits the top speed but 20 Ah should be plenty enough. With some solid pedalling I reckon you could blow 100 km on a single charge, assuming 10 Wh/km (which would take some serious discipline I would think )

So who's got longest, steepest climb? That's more interesting to me than who road farthest in a day using one charge.

REdiculous said:

So who's got longest, steepest climb? That's more interesting to me than who road farthest in a day using one charge.

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I don't know the answer to that one; my first thoughts were the Pike's Peak contenders, but they already start above 1 mile, and the base of the road is about 9,000 ft.

My personal record is on Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 between Pioneer-Fresno, also the farthest distance in one day (+ one opportunity charge) with an elevation gain of 10,817 feet over 186.6 miles. Up and down, up and down, flat tire (oh the pain), dehydration, however it was a beautiful ride - and I'd do it again if possible. Coincidentally the runner-ups were the days preceding: Sunday, August 7th, 2011 Johnsville-Pioneer – 9567 feet over 177.1 miles, and Thursday, July 28th, 2011 Portland-Bend – 9206 feet over 162.7 miles. Long days in the saddle.

Oh man, I just checked my 2010 California Trip and the last day beats my 2011 best: Tuesday July 13th, 2010 Johnsville-Sacramento - 11,430.45 feet over 167.1 miles (according to Bikely.com). That was one mofo difficult ride... with zombies! Don’t want to do that one again – on that bike.

Monstrous! KF

After a morning ride I checked my watts/mile and it was up a watt or 2 to my normal. I knew that means to check tire pressure. Another variable that matters. I keep my pressure low for more comfort. I have no suspension. It helps. My watts per mile is as high as 18 and as low as 11. Usually around 16. Most every ride there is some full throttle to enjoy. I top out just about under 30. My low readings are when I'm social riding with non motorized riders. That gives me the 11 watts/mile. All numbers would be a little lower if I fully inflated my tires.

wow, KF, that's impressive! I can only imagine. Burl. 8)

In the context of records, sorry but pedaling is cheating, so take those chains off. Otherwise I feel compelled to point out Greg Kolodziejzyk, who set the land distance record at 647 miles (1,041 km) in 24 hours with leg power alone. It like DoctorBass talking speed records just above 100kph, but Sam Wittingham did 133kph with just his legs.

Short term pedaling, I can reduce motor consumption by 500 watts (in other words, provide 500 watts additional power). It is a significant change (and good for getting up to speed or up hills).

So pedaling changes everything.

Pedalling does change everything. That's the whole point of an ebike.

2 of the guys at my shop have ridden 350km+ (217 mi) on pedal power alone in a day but that doesn't deter me from trying to better my previous efforts by ebike, with pedalling!

voicecoils said:

...2 of the guys at my shop have ridden 350km+ (217 mi) on pedal power alone in a day!....

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Ahh, but i bet they had the unfair advantage of Lycra, caffeine, and years of training !!