Hyper mileage motor management.

[Boyntonstu]

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/01/guy-can-get-59-mpg-plain-old-accord-beat-punk

After reading the car driving article, I am attempting to increase my battery mileage on my bike.

I like to go 15 with pedal assist.

Easy with a tail wind and impossible with 30-40 mph in my face.

If I go to 16 and back off the throttle until the speed drops below 15, I turn it back on and repeat.

I coast and/or pedal to stops and through turns.

It seems to be working but I need more data.

Have you had success with these techniques?

 

[The fingers]

My bike's max pedal speed for me is around 10 mph. At that speed by just giving enough throttle to make pedaling easier, it gets the most range out of it.

 

[Hillhater]

This is an often repeated , and totally pointless discussion.
With a pedal assist Ebike, the range can be infinite depending on how much pedalling you do and how little assist you use !
Generally , go slower, use less throttle (or none) , and you will maximise your range.
No two people will have the same bike/kit, road conditions, pedal power, speed requirements , etc etc, ..so it's impossible to replicate others results.

 

[Boyntonstu]

My bike's max pedal speed for me is around 10 mph. At that speed by just giving enough throttle to make pedaling easier, it gets the most range out of it.

I can pedal my 26" bike to 11-12 without assist and without a lot of headwind.

I really like 15 and my cadence can do that comfortably with mid gear crank and hi gear rear.

On my 20" MTN bike 14 is max cadence.

27" and 29" road bikes whiz by me pedaling at about 18.

For fun, I can hit 30 with the Walmart Boosters.

 

[dogman dan]

Other than the obvious shit, like coast when you have a stop coming up, or coasting down the hills, I never could see any benefit from pulse and glide on a bike. I think it may have to do with the low weight and the high drag. Just too light on the glide. A recumbent velomobile could have a much better glide though.

When I need to get there, crossing 60 miles of desert with no houses, no plugs, no water, I just ride slow and steady at about 15 mph. This gets me there with the best wh/mi. Pick your gear, churn out whatever effort you find comfortable for say, 4 hours, and then use as little throttle as you can to maintain 15 mph. Any slower, it's just too slow. And like pointed out, you might not need any motor for that unless there is wind. If I'm not pressed for range, then I tend to settle into 18 mph. Short trips, whatever speed the bike can be pedaled. I really rarely ride without pedaling these days, now that my health is back from zombie level. But I still never pedal hard, still can't pedal hard.

Speaking of wind, on one trip bucking a lot of wind I actually started sailing the bike. I had huge pannier boxes on that bike. After a bend in the road, the headwind became a 45 degree side wind. It was good for the same speed on 100w less. You said you need more data, I'd have never noticed how much the sail effect was helping me without a cycleanalyst on the bike. I started tacking back and forth across my lane, and got even more free energy.

 

[Boyntonstu]

Other than the obvious shit, like coast when you have a stop coming up, or coasting down the hills, I never could see any benefit from pulse and glide on a bike. I think it may have to do with the low weight and the high drag. Just too light on the glide. A recumbent velomobile could have a much better glide though.

When I need to get there, crossing 60 miles of desert with no houses, no plugs, no water, I just ride slow and steady at about 15 mph. This gets me there with the best wh/mi. Pick your gear, churn out whatever effort you find comfortable for say, 4 hours, and then use as little throttle as you can to maintain 15 mph. Any slower, it's just too slow. And like pointed out, you might not need any motor for that unless there is wind. If I'm not pressed for range, then I tend to settle into 18 mph. Short trips, whatever speed the bike can be pedaled. I really rarely ride without pedaling these days, now that my health is back from zombie level. But I still never pedal hard, still can't pedal hard.

Speaking of wind, on one trip bucking a lot of wind I actually started sailing the bike. I had huge pannier boxes on that bike. After a bend in the road, the headwind became a 45 degree side wind. It was good for the same speed on 100w less. You said you need more data, I'd have never noticed how much the sail effect was helping me without a cycleanalyst on the bike. I started tacking back and forth across my lane, and got even more free energy.

After 6 months of 6 miles per day, I lost 22 pounds (192>172) and my blood pressure went from hi normal to 114/62.

(In the past few weeks, I have had some 12 mile days.)

I was getting a little dizzy when quickly standing up .

Went to my doc and he reduced my BP medication to almost zero. I feel just the slightest effect now.

He said that he will probably take me off all the medication.

My stomach is almost flat and at 77 I am proud of my mirror image.

I love exercising with a bike.

 

[dogman dan]

Yeah man! I love to ride, but that's why I ride slow enough to pedal all I can. The health benefits.

Never killing myself pedaling, but pedaling what's comfortable. I feel like shit if I don't get in 10 miles a day average. Now that I don't commute, I'll ride in circles if that's what it takes.

No idea about the effect on my heart, since I don't have any heart or blood pressure problems. But it sure affects everything else, my weight, my allergies back off, and I have no doubt that I'd still be a lot sicker if I wasn't out riding all I can. Recovering from chronic fatigue syndrome ( from west nile virus) is very tricky. You have to get exercise, but never exercise hard. Perfect for the e bike. I can ride till I tire, then still get home without pedaling. Now I've reached the point I usually pedal the whole ride, even long ones.

 

[Boyntonstu]

Yeah man! I love to ride, but that's why I ride slow enough to pedal all I can. The health benefits.

Never killing myself pedaling, but pedaling what's comfortable. I feel like shit if I don't get in 10 miles a day average. Now that I don't commute, I'll ride in circles if that's what it takes.

No idea about the effect on my heart, since I don't have any heart or blood pressure problems. But it sure affects everything else, my weight, my allergies back off, and I have no doubt that I'd still be a lot sicker if I wasn't out riding all I can. Recovering from chronic fatigue syndrome ( from west nile virus) is very tricky. You have to get exercise, but never exercise hard. Perfect for the e bike. I can ride till I tire, then still get home without pedaling. Now I've reached the point I usually pedal the whole ride, even long ones.

Sorry about the WNV. You were unlucky to contract the disease. I wish you a full and speedy recovery.

Yeah man! back at you. You described my feelings exactly. I go a bit past my home to make the odometer reach my goal. Also, having the knowledge that the bike will get me home if I needed the motor gives me confidence. I ride a loop and here in Florida I can usually look at the clouds and predict rain. If I feel that the rain is going to be more than a few sprinkles, I can crank her up to 30 and go like hell for shelter or to my house. That happened one time.

Wear a helmet.

 

[ColinB]

I know this is an older thread, but other things you could try to lower your consumption would be:
- Bike maintenance! Check wheel hubs are adjusted and spin nicely. No brakes rubbing, etc. I actually balance my wheels also. My front wheel was so far off, I could see the heavy point in the tread wear!
- Tires. Properly inflated. (Harder isn't always better.) Maybe try a smoother tread pattern. Narrower can be more efficient also.
- Limit maximum amps. I use the Cycle Analyst, so it limits the current to my motor. (Prevents massive spikes when starting, etc.)
- Ride with "just enough" throttle. You'll find there is a point where increasing the throttle doesn't do anything other than making the current display go up. Back off, and find that sweet spot.
- Lower the motor assist speed.
- Snug fitting clothing that doesn't flap in the wind.
- Current / power display like the Cycle Analyst to show you how you are doing is a nice to have option.
Colin

 

[parajared]

I find 3-way toggles to be helpful to conserve energy.
-3way toggle for Cycle analyst:
mode 1: 200 watts
mode 2: 600 watts
mode 3: unlimited

-3way toggle for Lyen's speed controller
mode 1: 10mph
mode 2: 18mph
mode 3: unlimited

There are times when it's more beneficial to limit watt draw: climbing hills, harsh winds, mushy dirt and there are times when it is more beneficial to limit speed: flat ground, tail wind, downhills.

 

[dogman dan]

Yep. however you do your amp limiting, or speed limiting it really helps conserve the juice.

In other words, an amp limiter tends to make you take off slower, reducing the heat waste on starts. And, if you tend to let throttle creep up and increase your speed, riding in the lower level setting puts a hard limit on your top speed. Sometimes that throttle creep gets to to faux pedaling, vs pedaling and adding 100w or so to your total. So a top speed limit, by whatever means, can often lead to your pedaling helping more, instead of dropping to 25w of real effort.

With my E bike kit equipped bikes, I run 48v, and its easy to get trapped into faux pedaling if I ride in level 5. But in level 3 or 4, I tend to have to pedal harder to maintain an 18 mph cruise. The result is obvious when you check the wh/mi on the CA.

On a really long ride, where I must make range or run out in the middle of the desert, I depend on the CA to tell me my wh/mi is on the number I need to make it. Above 25 wh/mi, I better slow down.