def215
10 kW
has anyone done it with success. i tried today in the blizzard im having and i just ate it or went nowhere. but i guess its because i dont have a mountain bike either...lol. also, im in some pretty deep stuff.
snow ebiking anyone?
- Thread starter def215
- Start date
torker
100 kW
Holy crap Batman ! 
I knew you guys were getting hammered. I'd say put away the ebike and get out the sled.. 
I knew you guys were getting hammered. I'd say put away the ebike and get out the sled.. 
TPA
10 kW
E-sled 
torker
100 kW
We're supposed to get 9 inches here tomorrow and Mon. Around here you have to sled off the freeway overpasses. no hills :x
def215
10 kW
the storm rolled through and the last time i checked, its around 2 feet. i guess im not going anywhere for a while...lol
haha. sounds like an good idea. i just need parts so i can put it together in under a few days before the snow is gone... :lol:
haha. around here i have no hills, its the urban jungle...lol. ill have to use the freeway overpasses also...lol. this was just too much snow to try to do anything in.
yeah, its a bmx bike. usually my neck of the woods wont get snow this bad. its that type of snow that you would use in a snowball fight, so the front tire couldnt even push through it. all i caught was wheelspin.
TPA said:E-sled
haha. sounds like an good idea. i just need parts so i can put it together in under a few days before the snow is gone... :lol:
torker said:
haha. around here i have no hills, its the urban jungle...lol. ill have to use the freeway overpasses also...lol. this was just too much snow to try to do anything in.
swbluto said:
yeah, its a bmx bike. usually my neck of the woods wont get snow this bad. its that type of snow that you would use in a snowball fight, so the front tire couldnt even push through it. all i caught was wheelspin.
liveforphysics
100 TW
Trade for one of these: Wouldn't make a bit of difference about no-snowmobile laws. They would never catch you.
Wouldn't make a bit of difference about no-snowmobile laws. They would never catch you.
dogman dan
1 PW
Nice pic. I'm getting a snow bike soon from my local used bike shop. A FS specialized, it has a frame big enough for the 2.7 inch tires it is coming with.
I'll have to stick to riding it in deep sand though, where I live. We have had 6 times the normal snow here this year. One storm It got 4" deep!
The St bernard loves it of course. My sister in Virginia spent all yesterday going out to clean off the tv dish. Unbeliveable what's going on this year. El Nino with bells on.
I'll have to stick to riding it in deep sand though, where I live. We have had 6 times the normal snow here this year. One storm It got 4" deep!
The St bernard loves it of course. My sister in Virginia spent all yesterday going out to clean off the tv dish. Unbeliveable what's going on this year. El Nino with bells on.
Matt?......MATT!!.....is recumpence around here today?
John in CR
100 TW
Spinmags, you beat me to it. I was just going to post a pic of the KTrack bike in its snow ready form.
def215
10 kW
yeah this weather is crazy. this was the 2nd major storm of this season. and i know what you mean about Va dogman, i heard they got around 3 feet. i live on a smaller side street, so the city doesnt plow them so my whole block is snowed in. i should really invest in a mountain bike for my next ebike build...
damn, i wish i had that yesterday...lol
i live on a smaller side street, so the city doesnt plow them so my whole block is snowed in. i should really invest in a mountain bike for my next ebike build... spinningmagnets said:
damn, i wish i had that yesterday...lol
Demosthenes
100 W
I'm just very glad you have a 9C what with the fact that it's basically submerged in the snow.
mwkeefer
1 MW
The 20" is a bit smallish but with studded and spiked (carbide) tires, I managed through up to about crank height snow without any problems, once the deep stuff came out... I flipped to the 26" specialized with some crappy, dollar discount deeply studded 2.1s, lowered the pressure to about 25lbs in each and didn't even bother to plow the walkway (i'll post pics), just rode right on out the door (snow was up to my seat) and suprisingly away I went with few issues.
The real problem was onroad, when they had plowed and salted which thawed a bit and formed multiple direction ice tire tracks beneath the drift blow (which makes it look fairy flat), in philadelphia the main drags were kept well salted and plowed and the side streets were crap like my walkway... basically best of luck getting through it...
In the end, once the plows hit (2-3" snow maximum, prefer no ice) the roads I really still prefer the folder 20" and hey it's light enough I could carry it above my head to the street = )_
The trax system looks like a great option but the main rear wheel is their own nylon mag, you would need to replace that with some other adaptable to either direct drive or a sealed hub motor for it to be functionally useful with an eBike.
-Mike
PS: def, change up those tires for nokian studdeds and also, drop your pressure and add a front low powered geared hub motor (your forks should be perfect for it) and you will have all wheel drive and that snow will do nothing more than get your feet wet and cold... it's only an L to a main road and what a few blocks, mush dog!
The real problem was onroad, when they had plowed and salted which thawed a bit and formed multiple direction ice tire tracks beneath the drift blow (which makes it look fairy flat), in philadelphia the main drags were kept well salted and plowed and the side streets were crap like my walkway... basically best of luck getting through it...
In the end, once the plows hit (2-3" snow maximum, prefer no ice) the roads I really still prefer the folder 20" and hey it's light enough I could carry it above my head to the street = )_
The trax system looks like a great option but the main rear wheel is their own nylon mag, you would need to replace that with some other adaptable to either direct drive or a sealed hub motor for it to be functionally useful with an eBike.
-Mike
PS: def, change up those tires for nokian studdeds and also, drop your pressure and add a front low powered geared hub motor (your forks should be perfect for it) and you will have all wheel drive and that snow will do nothing more than get your feet wet and cold... it's only an L to a main road and what a few blocks, mush dog!
def215
10 kW
i tried fitting some 20 inch mtb tires from my brothers bike but then they wouldnt fit because the motor is in the way. im not sure if its a good thing or bad thing, my motor being in the way making it impossible to put some offroad tires, but then its the motor that makes it an ebike...lol
heres a pic to give an idea of how much clearance i have.
its not much so ill have to stick with some onroad tires for now.now i feel like a sucker running only street tires.
heres a pic to give an idea of how much clearance i have.
its not much so ill have to stick with some onroad tires for now.now i feel like a sucker running only street tires.
mwkeefer
1 MW
Def - schwalbe marathon winter, 20x406 I think... Street tire height with carbide studs
-
Mike
-
Mike
My bike makes it around my house just fine, but I stay away from the deeper stuff, since I get stuck in anything deeper than about 5-6"... I need as far back as possible to put all the weight on the rear tire or else it just spins, but my bike is 160lbs, so it plows quite well usually.
def215
10 kW
i think i measured around a good 16-18 inches when i was in the snow. i think my setup weighs around a good 50-60 lbs(myself weighing about 120lbs) so it was probably a good 180 lbs trying to chug through the snow. im also a little underpowered i would say(250watt motor). im pretty sure all you other guys have way better setups than mines. i think ill sit this one out until the snow clears up...lol
i didnt think they made studded tires for road bikes. that might be a good investment because i do want a dirt-type tire in the rear.mwkeefer said:
mwkeefer
1 MW
It's not really much of a "studded" rubber appearance with the tread but the carbide studs work... i first found these on some site featuring nokians and these, they should fit for the clearance with the motor and gain you some good traction for mowing through the snow.
I've seen something new recently and sadly it wasn't in our community, a guy was riding his bike the other day in the snow like me but he had constructed some odd upside down V (more like an A without the cross) shaped front fender/rack attachment on the front of a 20" BMX (I have no idea the brand) and he had a spikey nokian (from a distance view) with studs on the rear... this guy literally was parting the snow in front of him or PLOWING through it...
His looked to be made of somthing like sheet steel and it was UGLY and he was pushing hard but he wasn't spinning his wheels and his course was true (his front end wasn't sliding all over the place).
Wonder if such a fender/fairing could be thought up simply enough and maybe a bit lighter and nicer looking?
It would not just break the snow in your path but would serve also to protect the front wheel and brake assemblies... I think ICE boats work in a similar fashion.
eBoat anyone (nevermine, Jermey Harris way beat me to that one Im sure)
-Mike
I've seen something new recently and sadly it wasn't in our community, a guy was riding his bike the other day in the snow like me but he had constructed some odd upside down V (more like an A without the cross) shaped front fender/rack attachment on the front of a 20" BMX (I have no idea the brand) and he had a spikey nokian (from a distance view) with studs on the rear... this guy literally was parting the snow in front of him or PLOWING through it...
His looked to be made of somthing like sheet steel and it was UGLY and he was pushing hard but he wasn't spinning his wheels and his course was true (his front end wasn't sliding all over the place).
Wonder if such a fender/fairing could be thought up simply enough and maybe a bit lighter and nicer looking?
It would not just break the snow in your path but would serve also to protect the front wheel and brake assemblies... I think ICE boats work in a similar fashion.
eBoat anyone (nevermine, Jermey Harris way beat me to that one Im sure)
-Mike
StevenR
100 W
I'll have to try the deep stuff. I have 26" Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro's on a disk brake motobecane front-suspension 5303 rear/48V35A Clyte controller/48V20aH Ping v3. I have put 200 miles+ (300? I have to look) with spikes but have not gone out on the roads when it was much deeper than three or four inches. Beyond that it was hard to keep from being thrown around at any speed. Traction was never much of an issue. We have ten inches of powder on top of an inch of crusty snow and ice and I can try it off road where failure is an option...
drewdiller
100 W
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2009
- Messages
- 172
Here's a story of misfortune, both unforeseen as well as self-inflicted.
I recently got my first e-bike set up and started breaking in the battery. Way too much fun.
I decided today would be the day I'd try riding it into work. On the way, I encountered almost every kind of snow I'm aware of. The worst is the traffic specific snow that has been gathering dirt and is more of a solid crusty mass than snow. Then, some pooled water that became a perfect sheet of ice skating quality ice. I fell once, and remembered thinking, "I shouldn't have gotten the less expensive ones with the smaller stud count."
Then my battery cut out just before the parking lot. At least I got to work. I started reading about Headway packs, and that maybe I could just reset the BMS by unplugging and replugging. Whatever, I'll just charge it. Oh, well, I @$*#ed up the positive lead for the Anderson contact on the charger, and it came out, so I couldn't charge.
So, on the way home, I had to pedal a heavier than normal single speed bike, and the ice from before was now the MN thaw special kind of ice: only a thin bit left at the top, and underneath is standing water with visible air bubbles. When you step on it, it might hold, then again you might be up to your knee in water. Try that with tires? Only a Pugsley could get through this crap, which I am now fully sold into building come next winter.
I did try to re-engage the electronics a few times... it would turn on, be willing to carry me 5 feet, then cut out again.
Now, this wasn't so bad if I eaten my wheaties so to speak. I skipped breakfast this morning because I was all "@*$# it! I have a motor! Someone can drive me to lunch, and I'll motor back home." Well, none of my project group showed up, so I didn't get lunch either.
I basically endured a 8 mile march on zero calories. I had to revert to my high school running training, and to go as slow as possible after a serious bonk in order to conserve enough energy to make it to my destination. Every once in a while, I'd text my wife to come rescue my lame excuse of a man... but we had a silent MMS outage!!
I recall more than once a moment where my field of vision became completely green tinted, which meant I needed to stop or sit down.
I showed up at the door finally, and she's all, "Hi honey! I missed-- you look like shit. Are you okay?!"
Yeah, I'm okay. Oh those texts just showed up? Awesome. You're driving, let's go get the biggest burrito known to man.
I recently got my first e-bike set up and started breaking in the battery. Way too much fun.
I decided today would be the day I'd try riding it into work. On the way, I encountered almost every kind of snow I'm aware of. The worst is the traffic specific snow that has been gathering dirt and is more of a solid crusty mass than snow. Then, some pooled water that became a perfect sheet of ice skating quality ice. I fell once, and remembered thinking, "I shouldn't have gotten the less expensive ones with the smaller stud count."
Then my battery cut out just before the parking lot. At least I got to work. I started reading about Headway packs, and that maybe I could just reset the BMS by unplugging and replugging. Whatever, I'll just charge it. Oh, well, I @$*#ed up the positive lead for the Anderson contact on the charger, and it came out, so I couldn't charge.
So, on the way home, I had to pedal a heavier than normal single speed bike, and the ice from before was now the MN thaw special kind of ice: only a thin bit left at the top, and underneath is standing water with visible air bubbles. When you step on it, it might hold, then again you might be up to your knee in water. Try that with tires? Only a Pugsley could get through this crap, which I am now fully sold into building come next winter.
I did try to re-engage the electronics a few times... it would turn on, be willing to carry me 5 feet, then cut out again.
Now, this wasn't so bad if I eaten my wheaties so to speak. I skipped breakfast this morning because I was all "@*$# it! I have a motor! Someone can drive me to lunch, and I'll motor back home." Well, none of my project group showed up, so I didn't get lunch either.
I basically endured a 8 mile march on zero calories. I had to revert to my high school running training, and to go as slow as possible after a serious bonk in order to conserve enough energy to make it to my destination. Every once in a while, I'd text my wife to come rescue my lame excuse of a man... but we had a silent MMS outage!!
I recall more than once a moment where my field of vision became completely green tinted, which meant I needed to stop or sit down.
I showed up at the door finally, and she's all, "Hi honey! I missed-- you look like shit. Are you okay?!"
Yeah, I'm okay. Oh those texts just showed up? Awesome. You're driving, let's go get the biggest burrito known to man.
Heres a somewhat poor attempt at some snow e-bike video... Battery is quite low, so im down on power in this video.
Maybe ill get a better camera mount so you can actually see whats going on. But for now, this is what I got.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU5Lsq0PNiw&fmt=22
Maybe ill get a better camera mount so you can actually see whats going on. But for now, this is what I got.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU5Lsq0PNiw&fmt=22
LI-ghtcycle
10 MW
Wow, that's some adventure, drewdiller!
Glad to hear you made it back with out the need of assistance. :wink: I'm envious of the chance to try out some snow riding, but at the same time I really know that it would be more of a pain than it's worth.
:lol:
Glad to hear you made it back with out the need of assistance. :wink: I'm envious of the chance to try out some snow riding, but at the same time I really know that it would be more of a pain than it's worth.
:lol:
joeworrall
100 mW
Not quite as deep but still pretty good
rguy56
100 W
Ahhh...the stuff of sweet memories. I don't know how you guys get through the deep stuff. Getting through even long drifts is a hell of a lot of work. Tire chains might help, but wouldn't be fun on cleared streets.
I've heard that dual drive is awesome in winter. I have a motor on the front, and peddle the back, but I would never expect to get through deep snow all the way to work on one charge. That's not even considering the effect of cold on the batteries.
Those German winter motocross machines look amazing!
I've heard that dual drive is awesome in winter. I have a motor on the front, and peddle the back, but I would never expect to get through deep snow all the way to work on one charge. That's not even considering the effect of cold on the batteries.
Those German winter motocross machines look amazing!
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