JennyB
1 kW
Since I started logging my rides at the start of the year I've ridden over 3,600km on two bikes, both sometimes assisted, sometimes bare:
Trek FX7.1 (basic hybrid)
Bare 596 km. Ave 18.6 km/h
Assisted 497 km. Ave 21.9 km/h
Boardman Hybrid Comp (entry level performance flat bar road bike)
Bare 2383 km. Ave 19.8 km/h
Assisted 197 km. Ave 23.8 km/h
The difference in speed may not seem very much, but that's the way I ride, and it's clear that even the basic hybrid with a 350 watt gearhub got me round faster than the most expensive unassisted bike would have done. Even when average speed is similar, the ebike is a lot easier, because your work load is more even - a bit more on th e level, a lot less on the hills.
The average speed for the unassisted average for the Boardman would have been over 20 km/h but for the 400k Audax that I attempted two weeks ago. A lot went wrong that day, and I finally rode 354 km mostly on my own all day and all through the night, and walked up a lot of hills.
Energy used declined as my fitness increased through the year, from 11.4 wh/mi for a fast hilly run in January down to about 7 wh/mi. Then I experimented with raising the amp limit, to get faster up the hills where 15 amps wasn't quite enough. That was fun while it lasted, and didn't seem to affect the consumption much because I was using the power harder but less often. I'd just about decided that it wasn't a great strategy for distance and reliability when the clutch broke.
Now I have a BBS01 in the Boardman and it seems to be doing everything I need. If I leave it in the top assistance level it's just as fast as the unrestricted hub with about the same consumption and a lot less - drama. It's great just to keep your hands on the bars and ride; I haven't needed the throttle at all so far. As with cruise control on the hub, the motor takes about 17 watts to keep spinning when you pedal faster, but unlike cruise control, that power drops as soon as you stop pedalling; I don't feel the need for ebrakes. It may be slightly harder to pedal power-off, but it coasts better, and generally is a lot more like riding the bare bike.
Yesterday I did a relaxed 78 km shopping trip, and averaged 22.9 km/h at 3.5 wh/km. Next week, I shall be attempting to add another 1200 km in four days.
Wish me luck!
Trek FX7.1 (basic hybrid)
Bare 596 km. Ave 18.6 km/h
Assisted 497 km. Ave 21.9 km/h
Boardman Hybrid Comp (entry level performance flat bar road bike)
Bare 2383 km. Ave 19.8 km/h
Assisted 197 km. Ave 23.8 km/h
The difference in speed may not seem very much, but that's the way I ride, and it's clear that even the basic hybrid with a 350 watt gearhub got me round faster than the most expensive unassisted bike would have done. Even when average speed is similar, the ebike is a lot easier, because your work load is more even - a bit more on th e level, a lot less on the hills.
The average speed for the unassisted average for the Boardman would have been over 20 km/h but for the 400k Audax that I attempted two weeks ago. A lot went wrong that day, and I finally rode 354 km mostly on my own all day and all through the night, and walked up a lot of hills. Energy used declined as my fitness increased through the year, from 11.4 wh/mi for a fast hilly run in January down to about 7 wh/mi. Then I experimented with raising the amp limit, to get faster up the hills where 15 amps wasn't quite enough. That was fun while it lasted, and didn't seem to affect the consumption much because I was using the power harder but less often. I'd just about decided that it wasn't a great strategy for distance and reliability when the clutch broke.
Now I have a BBS01 in the Boardman and it seems to be doing everything I need. If I leave it in the top assistance level it's just as fast as the unrestricted hub with about the same consumption and a lot less - drama. It's great just to keep your hands on the bars and ride; I haven't needed the throttle at all so far. As with cruise control on the hub, the motor takes about 17 watts to keep spinning when you pedal faster, but unlike cruise control, that power drops as soon as you stop pedalling; I don't feel the need for ebrakes. It may be slightly harder to pedal power-off, but it coasts better, and generally is a lot more like riding the bare bike.
Yesterday I did a relaxed 78 km shopping trip, and averaged 22.9 km/h at 3.5 wh/km. Next week, I shall be attempting to add another 1200 km in four days.
Wish me luck!
