bowlofsalad
100 kW
spinningmagnets said:
*gulp*
Well, at least you can make it so you can use the same pack on multiple bikes.
Hidden costs of ebike
- Thread starter Supersleeper
- Start date
*gulp*
Well, at least you can make it so you can use the same pack on multiple bikes.
SamTexas
1 MW
+1. And this is not unique to ebikes. It's the same thing with all other toys.spinningmagnets said:
A low cost "hidden reward".
5. Rear-view mirror..(veloman)
Everything you listed is not specific to only ebikes. If you are bicycle commuting you need the same things. (amber) I use mirrors on pedal or ebike.
5. (You, me everyone else…Now you'll want to see behind you for lane changes and turns, and sharp dives to the right (and dumb cagers in back, and being able to take the middle of the road for a mile or so….(with little rise in BP/anxiety)especially at <20 mph, DIY or not.
5. Rear-view mirror..(veloman)
Everything you listed is not specific to only ebikes. If you are bicycle commuting you need the same things. (amber) I use mirrors on pedal or ebike.
5. (You, me everyone else…Now you'll want to see behind you for lane changes and turns, and sharp dives to the right (and dumb cagers in back, and being able to take the middle of the road for a mile or so….(with little rise in BP/anxiety)especially at <20 mph, DIY or not.
Kingfish
100 MW
Good point about research & time being a hidden cost: I cannot begin to estimate how much I’ve invested in searching for the best part, best features, best price, best delivery, best technology… and if I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for then how can I make it inexpensively? Sometimes I will purchase two or three or four components before finding the best match. A good example: Tires… I have a pile of them, some never used, and others with slight wear… and one of the many items in need of a new home.Of all the tools I’ve purchased to advance they electric dream, none have been more expensive than the industrial-grade walking-foot sewing machine. Then again – it’s like owning a welder, and the only limitations are the materials, skill, and patience.
I am also reminded about how to save on hidden costs by repurposing materials and assemblies. Impressionable young kid story: I read comic books back then …and Mad magazines. One I’ll never forget at the tender age of 7 was about a scientist who suffered a terrible accident at the hands of his foe. His head was alive but his body was spent, so he created a portable unit to house the brain and manufactured various bits of arsenal which could supplement his avenging desire. As the story evolves, each type of machine is employed using a universal plug-n-play like interface for his brain. He’s fighting underwater with a submarine, on land with a battle tank, superior in the air with a flying machine, boring through the ground on a drilling platform… each one though is cut down by the ruinous rival – although the brain, the intelligent crafty thinking scientist escapes and still has more up his sleeve. I forget now which design prevailed, but the concept of reuse was not lost upon me.
In that sense, I have spent a good deal of time trying to find components that could pay-it-forward with the next concept bike. So it comes as no surprise that when my FWD ebike died on New Year’s Eve weekend in 2010 that I was able to migrate many of those components straight over to the new Full-Suspension frame that would eventually become a 2WD. The Controllers and especially the Battery assemblies were direct swaps. Wheels, forks, shifters, electrical though all eventually had to be reworked or replaced. Fortunately I spent the previous year gathering parts.
After a year & ½ of use, last summer was spent doing rework and retrofit: The only items left after three years of evolution were the CAs, the Batteries, the DC-DC converter, and the Blinkies. More precisely, the CAs are all that remains from the initial investment in November-December 2009, when I purchased a traditional pair of 9C 2806 FWD & RWD kits from Justin, and my F/S bike frame which was meant to be my first ebike… as a 2WD.
The overall hidden cost since can be chalked up as Experience which is very difficult to quantify.
Crafting a PnP for my head, KF
borschelrh
10 W
The battery costs and tires etc. are all expected costs and should be part of the normal calculations for costs. I found used battery packs from pedelec bicycles that just need to be rebalanced and should last a year or more. At less than $100 for a 36V/10.5 Ah pack this seems reasonable. I can't see investing in a major battery pack when new technologies are on the near horizon.
I agree a cyclanalyst is a wise purchase but have put it off because of the major hidden cost. My wife being pissed about the expense which she doesn't get to share in (her choice). I have purchased a wattmeter in China for $20 which hopefully will tell me more or less the same thing the CA would. I want to get a handle on the actual consumption and what is happening when I overuse the motor. I don't need the extras. I wear a helmet and having done so has probably saved my life at least 3 times now. I worked many years in hospitals and not wearing a helmet for sports activities is just plain suicidal. But, I also believe in free choice. I watched one poor cyclist who had a major head injury and still lived. They surgically removed about 1/2 of his brain and I watched him die slowly over the next year and eventually his skull collapsed in on itself which was horrible to see. Anyway, that was enough for me. I wear a helmet when snowboarding for the same reasons.
I don't commute being retired and mostly I cycle off road in our local forests and hills. But, the ebike is opening up other uses such as towing my catamaran to the lake using a trailer I am building. That saves on wear and tear on the car. I can use the same trailer for major grocery shopping as well. Being Americans living in Europe we still do major shopping once a week which is very atypical in Europe. Anyway, I can't carry more than one bag on the bike itself but I can now carry 20 bags using the trailer. So, this will save on what little gas we use. We barely drive more than 3,000 miles a year now and most of that is for trips. In Europe you can easily live without a car at all. That is especially meaningful here as gasoline and diesel are over $8 a gallon.
I agree a cyclanalyst is a wise purchase but have put it off because of the major hidden cost. My wife being pissed about the expense which she doesn't get to share in (her choice). I have purchased a wattmeter in China for $20 which hopefully will tell me more or less the same thing the CA would. I want to get a handle on the actual consumption and what is happening when I overuse the motor. I don't need the extras. I wear a helmet and having done so has probably saved my life at least 3 times now. I worked many years in hospitals and not wearing a helmet for sports activities is just plain suicidal. But, I also believe in free choice. I watched one poor cyclist who had a major head injury and still lived. They surgically removed about 1/2 of his brain and I watched him die slowly over the next year and eventually his skull collapsed in on itself which was horrible to see. Anyway, that was enough for me. I wear a helmet when snowboarding for the same reasons.
I don't commute being retired and mostly I cycle off road in our local forests and hills. But, the ebike is opening up other uses such as towing my catamaran to the lake using a trailer I am building. That saves on wear and tear on the car. I can use the same trailer for major grocery shopping as well. Being Americans living in Europe we still do major shopping once a week which is very atypical in Europe. Anyway, I can't carry more than one bag on the bike itself but I can now carry 20 bags using the trailer. So, this will save on what little gas we use. We barely drive more than 3,000 miles a year now and most of that is for trips. In Europe you can easily live without a car at all. That is especially meaningful here as gasoline and diesel are over $8 a gallon.
I kept track of all my costs on an excel spreadsheet so I wouldn't lie to myself. It pays for itself within a year, when compared to what I've saved on my paid-off and personally maintained 13 year old economy car that gets 30+ mpg (fuel + insurance savings + oil changes). Things pencil out very well when you just buy a battery that has an extremely long life (A123 pack in my case).
