hey there all, another update:
with the new chain guide wheel on i went to a meeting about 2.5 miles away that included 2 hills listed between 10-18% grade on the SF bike map (i need to measure them!). it's usually about a 15 minute car drive, maybe a little less. i was excited and nervous to try it as i had to be at the meeting at a specific time and i was hoping that my chain wouldn't break or fall off as it had done the couple of days before in testing (my own shoddy chain building was at fault
). also, this was my first real outing on the bike that wasn't just fun or testing.
anyway, it went off without a hitch! 29.1 mph at one point and was even shadowed by a truck that must've realized how fast i was going on a bike, and not wearing spandex
i peddled up the hills and was able to maintain above 10mph on both of them, so i got some exercise but didn't show up to the meeting covered in sweat
i ate away a roughly 3Ah on the battery i think (i forgot to note the exact Ah on the CycleAnalyst before i left) and overall i was ecstatic since i got there in about 15 minutes and didn't use any gas.
On the way back to my home/office i actually think i was faster than i would have been while driving as i was able to take advantage of a bike trail. also, not having to climb two huge hills saved time, so i got back in about 10 minutes.
i watched the wattage reading on the CycleAnalyst from time to time on the ride and i was hitting the high 700s. i've heard that the Cyclone motors will shut off of you get too high, and that they will pull in the high 900s. not yet really sure how to deal with these numbers yet
my business partner was amazed and impressed and even took it for a spin - it convinced me and a few others that this really is a viable replacement for a lot of gas + car driving. anyway, thats the update. thanks again guys for the inspiration! gonna get some more parts to improve the ride and will post pics soon.