So, time for a pirep - a Pilot Report! 8)
Yesterday, the butterfly emerged from her chrysalis, and today we went on our first adventure together.
Recall, her job is to replace an automobile, so, this was to test running errands, and try and "do it all."
We started by visiting the T-Mobile store and paying their monthly annuity, and showing the bike off to the store manager, a lovely friend of mine of some 7 years or more. Getting there wasn't far but did cover a very steep freeway overpass. Then, off to my bank, not far, nothing much to mention, but the bankers like me for some odd reason and are very accommodating, letting me bring my bike into their small space. I got very pleasant comments from my young, beautiful, female teller about my bike helmet - we're friends since she started working there some 5 years ago or so. I'm sure she says nice things to ALL her customers, but it felt nice. Then, to the post office where some employee snapped at me about my bike, that I couldn't bring it in with me, which REALLY pissed me off - I wasn't being a burden to ANYONE! Asshole. Oh well... So, I had to keep a sharp eye on it.
Then, off to PG&E to pay the utilities, which I prefer to do in person because you pay $0.5 less but it costs them more to have a person do it, and I like to harass them about it. The way there was a LOT further with a lot more obstacles, and various road conditions, including two large overpasses and for the first time I got that sucker up to some really high speed. It was VERY OBVIOUS what benefit it was for the two new aluminum rims, properly trued. Last time I went there (not power assisted), on the downhill it was downright scary when I had to brake, but this time, No Problem! And even the straight ahead was smoother, too. . . It was also the first time to user higher assist levels - perfectly quiet - silent even! - smooth, ZERO NOISE. I also got a few chances to check things out on the flats. Once I got there, again, no problem bringing it in the store, and it even prompted a conversation with a guy who is now interested in this model - he wants one so he can ride with his three children but has back and other issues and can't pedal hard, but doesn't want a moped for various reasons including not wanting to encourage his children to ride mopeds. I gave him my card and said that if he contacts me, I'll point him here, etc!
Then, I had a decision or three to make; how the hell was I going to go WAY up town, to the north-east of Lake Merritt area from basically the edge of San Leandro, but way up in the hill area, near I-580? Hmmm... I decided to go into the barely familiar residential region in the hills east of the flats by the bay, but downhill from I-580. This proved a good choice. LOTS of hills, few cars, mostly empty, but the roads were typical Oakland; maybe a 3 to 4 on a scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being great and 1 being "4 wheel drive only." I could NEVER have done what I did without assistance! And, this helped me develop a real pattern of use. I ALWAYS start out with it either turned on but with no assist, or in eco mode, then bump up help as I both need it and as I gain speed. Rise to the crest of a hill and lower the assist as I get there... NEVER start off with high assist - don't want to trash that blue gear!
At one point, I hit a bump so large it actually knocked the battery off the battery's mounting bracket! And, it was LOCKED! But, no apparent damage, I only lost a few miles of the odometer reading, which happens when you don't turn the TSDZ2 off before powering down / disconnecting the battery. I also, after that, had the unit cut out twice for unknown reason(s) and it was VERY disconcerting! If it happened at the wrong moment, it could be a safety issue, but I never found a cause - so far at least. This is my ONLY issue with the unit. It may turn out to be a fault battery connection where the stock TSDZ2 has crimped on bullet connectors that I'm still using.
Eventually I made it to the Lake Merritt area and on a way down one of the hills I started to realize that my brakes are wearing out! I'm glad I was prudent and put my speed in check early, it could have gotten dangerous.
And so it was that I got to "Cycle Sports" bicycle shop on Grand Ave, about a block and a half from the Grand Lake Theater. The odometer said I'd done 11 miles, but I lost a couple of miles when the battery popped off, so who knows, maybe 15? The whole point in going there was to pay back this business WITH some business for having set me on the right path when I called them for help electrifying my ride. For no money, they set me on a path that led fairly directly to the TSDZ2, and I wanted to buy some accessories from them to help show appreciation. However, they didn't have the fenders in stock that the guy on phone said they'd have. Rats! They DID have a seat, however, so I bought one the guy recommended - that'll help with these cratered streets. I learned a lot and was there a long time, chatting with first the sales guy, then other customers, looking at bikes, and this one technician, Calvin, was especially interested in my ride and spent some time going over the issues with me. He disagreed with the assessment that I don't have enough air in there... We went through all kinds of things we have gone through here, where some have been advising me to find a different frame, etc. It was nice to get a professional opinion, and he'd show me a bike and point out features, so it was a great way to learn. His short advice was enjoy it as it is, and look for an opportunity to get another steel frame that's younger and will have more features I might like. Go with disk brakes, he urges, and I can certainly see the point, but you can't realistically adapt them to the bike I have now, he says, because it's not designed for the stresses.
(While I agree, it's NOT designed for the stresses, that doesn't' mean the stresses will be an issue for it. It's steel, and the main rearward (horizontal) tubes have indentations in them which greatly strengthen them. I have a hard time believing the stresses of a brake would do much to them, even over time.)
One thing that rather annoyed me is that the sales guy, Chris, didn't want to sell me newer / better brake pads!
What?! ... I think maybe he doesn't want me to be happy with my bike so I'll "upgrade", since I did talk about maybe doing that eventually. Whatever the reason, there appeared to be new, modern shoes that would fit my calipers, but he said they wouldn't and didn't want to sell them to me, so all I ended up buying was a seat. ... He says there's no "frames" for the "replacement inserts" that fit my calipers. Maybe not refillable inserts, but I saw plenty of pad sets that were more modern than mine that looked like they'd work just fine. Instead, he wanted to sell me old-school types like I was already running - and which I can buy in bulk online if I wanted, and which, by the way, I have a few pairs of just laying around from disused bikes. ... I was profoundly disappointed! ESPECIALLY SO because I now realize that this new TSDZ2 is going to have me coming down LOTS of hills where I can't just coast and use the energy but have to stop due to cross traffic, bad roads, etc. Heck, I came down many dozens of significant hills on this ride, at least TEN I'd call very steep, and most none of them I could have ridden up without assistance! LOVE the TSDZ2, but it requires AWESOME BRAKES for this part of the world!
OK, done with that, now I was in busy down-town and I used the TSDZ2's power to get engaged in traffic as I never had before. I could now keep up! I had the power and used it! Woo Hoo! I got it up over 24 MPH on several occasions but never went for 6th gear for fear of ending up in 7th where it was popping out, and surely I never got to 7th, either, so who knows how fast she'll fly?! 8)
From there, met with a friend for a bit, then headed back, stopping off in the Fruitvale area at my local grocery and stocked up some 20 lbs or so of miscellaneous into my wire milk crate. Then, on my way out the parking lot, I caught a pedal on a curb and almost got knocked over, but I caught myself. Ouch! And embarrassing! But, no harm. So, on my way, now back down San Leandro Blvd, where I lost a wheel last Saturday, and I stopped in at the bike shop that helped me fix my trashed rim! They invited me to another party, tomorrow night!
And, they found something of mine I'd lost when I was there, and gave it back to me - very nice! And they were right, it was mine. So, good memory of them! The rest of the ride, I was delighted I'd gone all that distance and wasn't all worn out, and, as a kind of last hurrah, I pushed it HARD, got up some speed, and went UP the over-pass / on-ramp at Hegenberger Road full tilt and HALF WAY UP glanced at the speed and it was over 20 MPH! I passed two bicyclists walking their bikes up the overpass and said to one, "PEDAL IT, GIRL!
" I got a bewildered look! The car behind me didn't seem to mind because I was kicking ass! And on the downhill, I let it fly! IDK how fast I got it up to but it had to be up there - too many cars around to look at the speedo.
Finally home, it says 18 miles today - it was probably more like 22.
... I then put it on the charger. There's also a learning curve about this charger - recall, it's that ultra-expensive, super-high-tech charger, and I've only ever used it before to "top up" my brand new battery after shipping. When I plugged it in, I set it to "standard charge" which means 54.5v, what some might call "an 80% charge". According to the display, it took just over an hour and a half and loaded up 3.73 Ah and 200 watts into the battery. ...While I took the DZ2 out of the higher modes every chance I got and only used the heavier modes when needed, this was no standard day; I'd gone out of my way to take on long, steep hills just to see what would happen, and went WAY faster than I had to as opportunity permitted, for much the same reason - I want to learn the machine anew, as it is now in butterfly form! After the ride was done, I hit the button on the side of the battery that's supposed to show you pack charge level and it showed three green and one amber LED. It's a theoretical 12.76Ah battery, and with 3.73 Ah going into the battery, that's about 29%, so the one amber LED makes sense - not perfectly accurate, but then, it's not too bad given all the vagaries.
My take is that this was the perfect purchase for me, for what I want and need. I love it! It truly can replace a car in my scenario for very nearly 100% of what I need to do, and I can get exercise and run my errands and not spend crazy time doing it, either, nor will I arrive all sweaty (!!) - at least, not on a cooler day like today (70F). I also want to say, I never heard a peep out of my unit and I have pretty damned good ears. No Noise Trouble At All!
I'd say this unit's early days with issues of noise are now safely past. Continuous improvement has its place!
:lol: hahahaha
