[83b]

To the guy on a blacked out fixie who (1) shoaled me on Penn at 14th and then couldn’t muster the torque to accelerate through the light, crowding me in the intersection, and then (2) split the lane on the 15th cycletrack and unnerved at least six riders with unsafe passes, I hope you were as uncomfortable as you seemed when you had to wait with me at the next light. I meant what I said, I’m wishing flat tires and thrown chains on you, [anatomy].

[83b]

@DaveK 49889 wrote:

Living in the District I’ve already lost this debate. On Sundays parking is permitted anywhere there’s enough physical space to put a car – sidewalks, left-hand travel lanes, in the middle of intersections, I’ve seen all these things and more. And nothing can or will ever be done about the significant danger to the public that results from this behavior.

My favorite DC Sunday Parking Shenanigans anecdote comes from Logan Circle a bunch of years back when doubled parking was still tolerated. It involved exasperated neighbors entering the offending church and interrupting services to announce that Make Model License# needed to come let them out. I heard that enough of these announcements eventually changed behavior.

[83b]

Wow! That does seem like a great price, and the 36V/250W electrics are a step up from whats offered on the Bakfiets.nl. But the bad reviews you’ve pointed out elsewhere would still give me pause. Has the shop sold any to vouch for the mfg quality?

Still, compared to some of the people in that discussion thread, I’d be comforted a bit by buying through a reputable local shop.

[83b]

Taking another look at the electric system that comes with the Rolling Orange model, it has some pros and cons.

Pro:

• Fully installed and no questions re: compatibility. Since most bakfiets use rollerbrakes, it’s a bit hard to find a hubmotor that matches.
• Peace of mind. You know it’s a setup that the manufacturer approves of. Seems much more valuable when hauling precious cargo rather than groceries.

Con:

• 24 Volt / 180 Watt system isn’t terribly powerful. Will probably only assist to around 10 mph and might be underpowered for any major hills or heavier loads.
• The $1,700 price difference would purchase a significantly better aftermarket system. But you’d have to navigate compatibility and installation. Becomes pretty easy if you’re opting for a model with brake bosses on the front fork.
• While I wouldn’t want to overpower a bakfiets, I think a 36 Volt 500 Watt motor would offer much more torque and, if you felt the need, could be speed limited with a Cycle Analyst below the 20 mph it would otherwise top out at.
• Small battery. The 10 Amp battery is going to drain pretty quickly, even on a lower-power system. I suspect you’d struggle to get 20 miles per charge.

In terms of good vendors, ebikes.ca and Emissions Free have been endorsed by forum members. If anyone wants to chat offline about doing an ebike conversion, just shoot me a PM.

[83b]

I added a Cycle Analyst and a set of their lights to my kit. I’ve been extremely pleased with both. The 1000 lumen front light (mounted low on the fork to prevent blinding people) is basically the equivalent of a motorcycle headlamp. I never worry about being seen or running into invisible potholes anymore!

[83b]

Probably not, though I’ll keep an eye out! I only switched over to an ebike full time after I moved to Capitol Hill and started at a new company that requires suits all summer long. The only other ebikes I regularly see are a family with a Giant TwistDX with a Burley trailer and an older guy commuting on a Pedego.

I put an eZee kit from ebike.ca on my commuter, which is an old mountain bike frame that I rebuilt (larger picture).

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2711[/ATTACH]

[83b]

It’s been closed since Monday evening. Most riders I’ve seen have waited at the corner to take a left via the crosswalk onto 15th. Officers I’ve chatted with haven’t had any indication about when things will open back up.

[83b]

@jabberwocky 49480 wrote:

Balancing that are things like the Stealth Bomber though, which is an e-bike capable of 50mph.

Bikes like the Stealth are always going to be one-off monster machines. They typically need to run upwards of 96 Volts through 1,000+ Watt motors, which requires a host of special wiring, motor controllers, and the like. There’s only one in DC that I’m aware of now. You can check out his YouTube stream here and read about his eBike build here.

The trend in the U.S. has been slowly moving away from the really low-powered 24Volt/100Watt systems that can only assist to about 10 mph. More aftermarket systems (but very few stock bikes) now come with 36Volt/500 Watt systems that will assist up to 20 mph. A few aftermarket kits accommodate 48 Volts and will push that to a max of 25 mph. I don’t think anything beyond these systems will be commercially available any time soon. Almost all of the eBike parts that are available in the U.S. are sourced from China, where they’re far more popular, and the more powerful stuff there is put directly into Vespa-style motor-scooters that would never show up on our trails.

I run a 36 Volt/500 Watt kit currently, and I don’t think a system of that power presents many challenges to a novice rider. My wife took to it right away, as it was easy to modulate and keep the speed at a level she was comfortable with. The only real conflict I regularly experience is ELITE (and not-so-ELITE) riders shoaling me a stop lights since I’m on a big upright bike. Its fairly annoying needing to pass them almost immediately.

[83b]

@mstone 49463 wrote:

I’d also argue that the need to use the trails is much less with an electric motorcycle–just take the lane instead.

Except you can’t take the lane if the adjacent road is a restricted access highway. I used to occasionally take an e-bike from Crystal City to downtown, and I don’t have a clue how you would navigate all of the restricted highways and bridges to make that trip without the MVT.

For what it’s worth, I’ve found that switching to an e-bike full-time has made me a better behaved cyclist. I fastidiously stop at every red light now and think ebikes might go a long way toward changing the culture surrounding stops.

[83b]

I’m not sure what the Daily Rider is selling it’s models for, but based on their prices for other stuff I suspect they’re comparable.

Rolling Orange looks like a great dealer and their Bakfiets.nl offering seems like a nice turn-key solution. Though when the battery conks in a couple of years it would probably be much more cost effective to replace it with an off brand battery from a vendor like Ping. A 24 Volt 10 Amp replacement would only set you back about $200, compared to the $500-700 I’ve seen for stock replacements.

Congrats on the decision! I’m envious.

[83b]

Also on the topic of bakfiets! The Daily Rider on H Street stocks the Larry v. Harry Bullit and the Gazelle Cabby. And last I checked BicycleSPACE near the convention center has a couple of Christiana Trikes (and maybe another brand of bakfiets?).

And installing the electrics shouldn’t be too difficult. Though I suppose a front hub-motor would need a longer run for the power and throttle connections. Mind if I ask what kind of build you’re looking at? I’ve been pining over an electric Metrofiets for a long while now.

[83b]

That’s what it looks like at that intersection basically every evening when I go through. 14th St is just as bad when it doesn’t have someone directing traffic, but is manageable when it does. If the city is going to focus enforcement efforts, those intersections are the low hanging fruit.

[83b]

Came within inches of death today when a cabbie pulled an illegal left turn onto 14th across the bike lane without even bothering to look or signal. It was right in front of the crossing guard and an MPD cruiser that was, incidentally, parked in and blocking the bike lane! The crossing guard was at least kind enough to nod in appreciation of my colorful language. The cop seemed more interested in ESPN on his laptop.

[83b]

When I’m in a lazy mood or the weather is particularly gross, I commute on the e-bike that I built for my wife. It would be great for someone with a longer commute than they want to tackle on pedals alone.

I built ours using an eZee motor and controller from http://www.ebike.ca. I can’t recommend them highly enough and they are very helpful in designing a kit that will meet your needs. The big downside is the up front price, but our bikes have kept us from needing to run a second car. Over time they’ve been a far more economical transportation option.

If you’re looking to bolt the kit onto an existing bike, I would recommend something sturdy with disk brakes, given the extra weight and fast speeds. I wouldn’t, for example, bolt it onto a carbon road bike with twitchy handling. If you need a complete bike, I would seriously consider the new Xtracycle model that the ebike.ca guys have put together with Clever Cycles. It comes assembled with an eZee kit and will be ready to transport you and whatever you need to bring along.

For your mileage requirements, I would skip their stock batteries and go with a 36V model from Ping Battery with at least 15 Amps (a 20 Amp battery would be much better). I routinely get 20-23 miles of heavy stop/start usage out of our smaller 14 Amp battery (that now holds maybe 12 Amps of effective discharge). Going with a 46V model would allow you to run the motor in excess of 20MPH and would provide a bit more torque up steep hills, but the speed isn’t really advisable if you’re going to be on mixed use trails and the torque won’t be necessary unless you’re hauling a ton of extra weight (like a ton of groceries on a cargo bike).

[83b]

I use the full length of the PA Ave lanes each weekday morning between 7:30-8:30 and evenings between 6:00-8:00.

It’s rare that I go a single trip without seeing at least one U-Turn or illegal left and I suspect the average is closer to 2 per trip. I don’t think I’ve ever gone a whole day without seeing an illegal turn/crossing.

As an aside, many jaywalking pedestrians seem to be completely oblivious to, or actively disdainful of, oncoming bike traffic. And they just loll about in the lane playing chicken with you if they got stopped in the median. At night it can be REALLY hard to see them against the contrast of the oncoming traffic.

[Author]

Posts