Lost Sierra Races 2019, July 12-14

Looks like I should bring some warm clothes just in case. Watching the weather forecast for that area shows lows of 37F. That will be a welcome change from the near 100F stuff here lately.
 
just wait it will probably warm up, we're having unusually cooler weather right now which will probably change unfortunately, the cooler weather would be nice since this event is usually very toasty. Bring lots of water. I wasn't paying attention one year and my battery was at 50c before the race because it was in the sun, I always make sure my bike in the shade now
 
Right now, the National Weather Service predicts:

Friday Sunny, with a high near 88.
Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 46.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 85.
Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 45.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 84.

That should be pretty nice.

Do you need bug repellent there? I see some wetlands not too far away on the map.

So far I'm still on. It will be interesting to see if I can stuff two bikes in my minivan.
 
I've not noticed too many bugs in the past, but I usually have a nice layer of dust all over after my first practice lap that last the entire weekend. It's going to be hot, I usually feel like I'm melting most of the day. Bring lots of water and make sure you keep your batteries in the shade...See you there!
 
no idea but btwn Luna and HPC this is going to be a chest puffing geek fest that you don't want to miss. I hope you make it Paul I'd like to check out your middrive. Not sure how many people attending post here but they've all gained knowledge from this site and pretty sure the event wouldn't exist if it wasn't for ES. See you there!
 
spinningmagnets said:
Everyone who goes, please...PLEASE ...take lots of pics!

I'll try...

I did manage to get both the Sur-ron and my fat bike into the back of the minivan. Awesome.

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The Sur-ron was pretty easy. The fat bike was too tall, so I had to deflate the front fork to get enough clearance. Good to go.
 
Well, I survived the festival. Weather was a little hot, but really not bad. It was downright chilly at night but warmed up almost instantly when the sun came up in the morning.

There were more ebikes than you can shake a stick at. I estimate around 100 people showed up. All kinds of ebikes and many custom or high powered builds.

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There were a bunch of races for various classes of bikes from Class 1 to "unlimited". I wasn't going to race since I didn't have any armor and I'm getting too old to crash. But they talked me into entering the "Sur-ron" class race. I started second to last so I didn't slow down the faster riders. Out of 10 riders, I came in 8th. One guy dropped a chain and I passed him, otherwise I just took my time on the more technical parts of the course. My course time was 25:20.9. The winner was somewhere like 17 minutes. I hope they post all race times (and pictures) somewhere on their website.

The main course was something like 6.8 miles and they added a second loop of about a mile for this race. This was really the first time I've ridden my Sur-ron on dirt. With my trials tires and secondary battery, I was at a disadvantage. Another factor is it was my first time around the course, so had no idea what was up ahead. The course was very tight and winding with lots of switchback turns. Had a rock bed, water hazards and lots of jumps along the way. Really a nice course.

The rear battery held up amazingly well over all the jumps and bumps. No issues. After riding and racing for two days, the battery meter was showing 75% remaining! You get really good battery mileage when your average speed is low and the hills are not very tall. The trials tires worked quite well on the hard packed parts and were marginal on the really soft loose stuff. Knobbies would have been better for this terrain.

Below is my Sur-ron with a number plate. There were at least 5 Sur-rons there.

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The long jump contest was one of the more entertaining events. I did not sign up for that one. I think the final winner went something like 34 feet. One guy jumped so high his head made contact with the inflatable arch.

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Thanks for the write up Fetcher, it was great meeting you! I've gone to all four and this one was the best. I was up till 2am the night before trying to finish up my middrive. I hope this chain tensioner works.pic 1 (600 x 450).jpg. Charging through a phase wire,? My motor is now the charger! This nucular controller is awesome!pic 2 (450 x 600).jpgFinally here, only two hours later than I wanted. I wanted to get here in time to get some practice laps in. pic 3 (600 x 450).jpg Pulled up next to Nick Borgstrom, his titanium bbhd is a work of art. pic 4 (600 x 450).jpg. After a quick talk with Nick I was eager to get a lap in, I hopped on my trusty Vector lite and took an easy lap. I was stoked I swapped out my 2.1 front tire to a 2.8 the night before, very noticeable improvement in handling. After a year on this frame I wasn’t afraid to beat on it a little harder this year. This $300 frame just takes a beating and keeps on going. Hitting 45mph in some sections this course was fast and a little tackier than previous years, I think the big snow events last winter helped. After an easy lap it was time to try out the middrive.pic 5 (600 x 450).jpg. Nervous about the chains and sprockets, I restricted it to 2kw and off I went. It was running great and at 65 phase amps the qs1000 seemed happy at 8:1 reduction at 60v. One-third into my lap the bicycle chain fell off and a link got crunched and I started my walk of shame back to the car. The sun had set and I wanted one more practice lap so I hustled back, hopped on the hubbie and got one more lap in before dark. When I got back I could see some activity in the HPC tent so I went over to check it out. When I got there I could sense the tension in the air and I could instantly see why. The rear rim on their Revolution was completely destroyed. Pro rider Lance Nelson wasn’t quite sure what he hit, but whatever it was he must have been going really fast when he did. Then I noticed the motor was out of their Typhoon, so both of their fastest bikes were out of commission. I had my own problems with my middrive so I headed back my truck to try and fix it and make dinner. Lucky I brought another chain with master link so I popped it on and I was back in business. The next morning was hectic for me going for another practice lap on the middrive the 8 speed chain just kept popping off. These middrives are a pain in the ass! Lucky my friend Nick, that also lives in Tahoe, showed up and helped me out. With an improved chain line and a zip tied chain guard I was ready to sign up for the races. Cranking up the amps, I’m at 3500 watts and started the single lap throttle amateur racepic 6 (600 x 450).jpgThe bike is running great. At a little more than half the power of my hubbie the bike was lighter, handled better, and took less effort to ride. Everything was going great till around the half way point when my 219 primary chain just flew off. I managed to put it back on and went another half mile before it flew off again. Several more of these moments till a managed to get 100 yards to the finish line and just ran the bike across the finish line. Somehow I managed to get third, good enough for a podium spot so I was happy. pic 7 (600 x 450).jpg Now it was time for the final race, unlimited throttle open. With HPC's hub motor bike still out of commission they enter two Bafang ultra bike with PAS only. pic 8 (450 x 600).jpg.I felt great, and after nosing my front wheel into a bush trying pass a rider, the rest of the race went smooth, my second lap was actually the fastest and it was good enough for 3rd, those Bafang Ultra's beat me! Oh well, another podium spot!pic 9 (600 x 450).jpg. The awards ceremony was fun with a couple kegs after, it was great staying up late and chatting ebikes with like-minded folkspic 10 (600 x 450).jpg. I got all the racing in I wanted but I decided to race the surron’s on Sunday only because my friend Eli came and was adamant his surron was superior to my hubbie. Well the results speak for themselves, the HPC typhoon took the honors with surron’s taking 2nd-4th, then me. But a least I beat Eli😊 I had a blast and I can’t thank Chris, Kyle, HPC, and so many others for making this event so awesome.
 
We spend so much time talking about technology that we forget that winning a race is mostly about rider skill. After trying to keep up with you at race pace I realized how much skill it takes to rail a powered bike through a course. My Sur Ron has nearly twice as much power, along with bigger, meatier tires, and a robust single speed drivetrain that has been 100% reliable for 700+ miles. Despite that, I didn't have a prayer of catching you. You are unquestionably a far superior rider. The fact that you can land on the podium after facing riders with ready to ride bikes or time-prove kits with your homemade contraption is commendable.
 
Thanks for the kind words Eli, I'll gladly take the compliment but I was running the hubbie at 6kw, so I think we were roughly the same power? I have no drive train and it has been trouble free for thousands of miles. It has been time-proven by many on this forum, I just copied the formula that I learned here. What I find most exciting about this race is I don't think the perfect ebike has been created yet and we are all out there figuring out what works and what doesn't. I learn so much every time I'm out there and my head is spinning right now with new ideas for next year..........
 
I'm disappointed that I missed the drag race. That's one where rider skill is not as important and I would have had a good chance to place. I also seemed to miss the custom build competition. Oh well, riding around and having fun was more important.

Paddle fat tire! never seen one of those.

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This "handicap mobility scooter" was awesome. He was doing jumps off the ramp with that thing.

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My dual suspension fat bike.

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Ubco 2wd utility bike

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The BBQ dinner was great. I especially liked the beans, but they made me fart all night.
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My "hotel room" in the back of my van.

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Thanks for the pictures and write ups; wish it wasn't so far away, but maybe a road trip next year.
 
efMX Trials Electric Freeride said:
video posted has course map overlay..

Great, buddy, that's from one class and I infer from the times on the sheet that there are at least different number of laps if not different layouts among the different classes.
 
efMX Trials Electric Freeride said:
correct, now use google lol .. :bigthumb:

Touche. I have been a bad boy and found what I wanted in Rules.

Now if only everyone else could do this when told to use Google.
 
Those are some boner worthy machines. Thanks for taking pics fechter!
 
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