Show us your bicycles!

[oldmanhifi]

The Allez was very similar from what I remember (my Trek 2300 is from late 80s). I have two ti bikes, a custom Moots YBB mountain bike (which uses the flex/return characteristics of ti as part of the "suspension") and an relatively old TST road bike from the late 90s (they made bikes for a variety of brands and briefly sold direct). How do you like the Bafang conversion?

I like it a lot . . . BUT! The motor controller settings that come from the factory are not really optimized. The display connected to the motor controller allows 9 power settings ( or five, depending on how you set it up) but the lower settings still have too much power assist coming in at lower levels and then cutting off early just as your cadence picks up speed. The BBS02 does not have a torque sensor at the crank but rather a pedaling speed sensor. These motors like to work at high RPM so to have the power cut off when you hit a cadence of 50 or 60 doesn't make a lot of sense. Fortunately, the firmware can be reflashed with a program readily obtainable on line. You do need to purchase a special cable to hook up between your laptop and the cable going to the motor controller. There is a lot of information on the web about how to do it. Check out electricbike-blog.com. I have arrived at settings that work very well for me, with graduated power that tapers down as cadence goes up when you reach your shift point, and cuts off depending on how fast I want to go and the legal limits here in California. When I got it, there were no torque sensing units available as there are now. But the BBS02 does have a much greater power capability than the torque sensing units, so I guess it depends on how fast you want to be able to go and what your style of riding is. The other issue is that there is only one chainring and you have to choose your teeth wisely. I started with a 44 tooth

and have since gone down to a 42 tooth. With an 11-32 rear cassette you can still go pretty fast and there is less of a chance of overheating the motor and melting nylon gears or blowing the controller transistors on long steep uphills. I never had a problem with the 44 tooth, but I don't have a lot of steep hills. I just didn't want to worry about having to buy a new controller due to cooking it. Here's a photo of my DIY install. It also now has disc brakes.

 

[julian_hughes]

I was into road riding when younger and owned a few nice road bikes but from another era (Tour de France teams still rode aluminium and steel and carbon was for stems and posts and occasionally forks) But what I really learned to love was a bike that can go anywhere. This was my favourite. The frame was standard Giant 6061 aluminium. Custom built wheels on Royce hubs. Titanium handlebars. Headset bearings made to spec locally in UK. Drive train a mix of Shimano Deore LX 8 speed (great compromise between durability and utility) but with hard anodized chainrings and XT shifters for durability. Rear rack not aluminium but cromo steel for repairability. Seat post: big and heavy cos you can't deal with this breaking when a long way from anywhere. Saddle: steel rails, not pretty, lots of gel padding....lesson learned after three day Himalayan descent with expensive & cool but broken saddle supported by as much stuff as I could wedge underneath it on the rack....bouncy and comfy but worrying! Pedals: old Campagnolo pattern copies, totally user serviceable (again, lesson learned after a previous pedal disintegrated in use). Forks oversized super strong Orange rigid racing forks. I didn't want suspension but I also didn't want steel forks as sometimes I used this bike as a road machine on decent roads here in UK with big chainrings, slick tyres and I didn't like the flex in the steel forks. This machine did a lot of miles on every surface you can imagine. It got its wheels dipped in the sea in UK and in the Med and I rode it up to Badrinath in the Himalayas. Great bike. Even the non humans liked it.

 

[julian_hughes]

Schwalbe Marathon XR tyres btw. They feel awful unloaded. Then you load the bike and it all makes sense. I think I recall only three punctures between central India and the high Himalayas. One was a huge sharp piece of metal in the road I couldn't avoid without heading under a bus and the other was my own bloody stupid fault for being careless after stripping everything down for cleaning and inspection and not seating it properly when putting it back on the rim. The third one was just your usual annoyance except it was well over 40 degrees and there was no shade and I thought I might expire at the side of the road while fixing it.

 

[Chrispy]

I like it a lot . . . BUT! The motor controller settings that come from the factory are not really optimized. The display connected to the motor controller allows 9 power settings ( or five, depending on how you set it up) but the lower settings still have too much power assist coming in at lower levels and then cutting off early just as your cadence picks up speed. The BBS02 does not have a torque sensor at the crank but rather a pedaling speed sensor. These motors like to work at high RPM so to have the power cut off when you hit a cadence of 50 or 60 doesn't make a lot of sense. Fortunately, the firmware can be reflashed with a program readily obtainable on line. You do need to purchase a special cable to hook up between your laptop and the cable going to the motor controller. There is a lot of information on the web about how to do it. Check out electricbike-blog.com. I have arrived at settings that work very well for me, with graduated power that tapers down as cadence goes up when you reach your shift point, and cuts off depending on how fast I want to go and the legal limits here in California. When I got it, there were no torque sensing units available as there are now. But the BBS02 does have a much greater power capability than the torque sensing units, so I guess it depends on how fast you want to be able to go and what your style of riding is. The other issue is that there is only one chainring and you have to choose your teeth wisely. I started with a 44 toothView attachment 168444 and have since gone down to a 42 tooth. With an 11-32 rear cassette you can still go pretty fast and there is less of a chance of overheating the motor and melting nylon gears or blowing the controller transistors on long steep uphills. I never had a problem with the 44 tooth, but I don't have a lot of steep hills. I just didn't want to worry about having to buy a new controller due to cooking it. Here's a photo of my DIY install. It also now has disc brakes.

Haven't really thought too hard about using one of my bikes for such a conversion, maybe pickup an old frame someday and play around with one. I have one of these for my e-bike needs

 

[Chrispy]

A 2x clip of the top of Dead Mtn
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/650535913?h=4d1947b1af" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="

">GH010164 (2).mp4</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user1517763">Bikinfool</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

[pseudoid]

Anyone remember the 'bad' wheel-spokes from China episode, about a dozen years ago?

In SoCal, peeps were popping spokes... like opioid addicts. The red bike maker (German; Biria) actually sent us a whole new laced front wheel for no charge.

Some day, maybe I can convince myself to drop a mid-drive motor for this Nirve Cannibal. I really don't want to defeat the purpose of a beach cruiser (used for both transportation and exercise)!

 

[Chrispy]

Anyone remember the 'bad' wheel-spokes from China episode, about a dozen years ago?View attachment 171416
In SoCal, peeps were popping spokes... like opioid addicts. The red bike maker (German; Biria) actually sent us a whole new laced front wheel for no charge.
View attachment 171417
Some day, maybe I can convince myself to drop a mid-drive motor for this Nirve Cannibal. I really don't want to defeat the purpose of a beach cruiser (used for both transportation and exercise)!

My wheels likely cost a bit more than those bikes....especially when I build my own....if I got paid for labor LOL!

 

[pseudoid]

My wheels likely cost a bit more than those bikes....especially when I build my own....if I got paid for labor LOL!

Like the difference between a harley and a hayabusa, or a vette versus a van.
Our boardwalk speed limit is 8MPH and I can do that easily but only if the wind is gale force and from the behind.

 

[oboist]

Nice to see a bunch of recumbents on this thread. These are front wheel drive “moving bottom bracket” bikes from Cruzbikes. Q45 for dirt roads and V20 for speed.

 

[flyzipper]

I like my bike to be stationary...

... manufacturer's photo.​

 

[pseudoid]

I like my bike to be stationary...

Then, I am guessing, you must also have a similar but serious (mobility) problem with car audio gear too.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I like my bike to be stationary...

... manufacturer's photo.​

HISS BOOO
Stationary bikes are an abomination. Go against the whole beauty of biking. Moving along efficiently outdoors under your own power.

 

[flyzipper]

Then, I am guessing, you must also have a similar but serious (mobility) problem with car audio gear too.

I don't know what this means ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

HISS BOOO
Stationary bikes are an abomination. Go against the whole beauty of biking. Moving along efficiently outdoors under your own power.

You do you, but we all have different needs.
In terms of practical transportation, things I can't walk to in my rural small town need a car and a 30-minute drive to reach.
In terms of exercise, it's too cold for 7 months of the year, and I like to stay active year round.

 

[Chrispy]

I like my bike to be stationary...

... manufacturer's photo.​

Suum cuique. I can't stand using an indoor bike (or on a trainer or whatever). I sweat far too much, I gotta be outside plus indoor cycling is boring as hell! But if it works for ya.....

 

[pseudoid]

...Go against the whole beauty of biking...

Frankly, the 2 are not comparable. Like comparing oranges and... [ummmm...] orangutans:
Not that I have ever been on a 'stationary' leg/cardio exerciser or even inside of a gym!
NOTE1: To be fair, I intentionally did not call @flyzipper's apparatus what it really is not!
NOTE2: I liked his post and it got a few eyeballs.

 

[flyzipper]

Frankly, the 2 are not comparable.

This could be an interesting adjunct to this thread -- what is a bicycle, and why do you use it?

Horseback riding, for example, is the same thing mechanistically, but the reasons for doing it can vary.

• Mounted police - force-multiplier.
• Cowboys - herding.
• Show jumpers - competing.
• Trail riders - pleasure or communing with nature.
• Thoroughbreds on an oval track - racing.
• Trainers - to exercise the horse.

Part of the reason I frequent this forum is to hear how others enjoy their (primarily audio) passion, but in this case it's bicycles.

I actually enjoy it when views differ from mine, so those alternate views can be considered and evaluated against my own requirements.

 

[Chrispy]

This could be an interesting adjunct to this thread -- what is a bicycle, and why do you use it?

Horseback riding, for example, is the same thing mechanistically, but the reasons for doing it can vary.

• Mounted police - force-multiplier.
• Cowboys - herding.
• Show jumpers - competing.
• Trail riders - pleasure or communing with nature.
• Thoroughbreds on an oval track - racing.
• Trainers - to exercise the horse.

Part of the reason I frequent this forum is to hear how others enjoy their (primarily audio) passion, but in this case it's bicycles.

I actually enjoy it when views differ from mine, so those alternate views can be considered and evaluated against my own requirements.

Well to me it is a two wheel vehicle to take you on various adventures in the great outdoors as well as good exercise. I particularly like technical singletrack riding and fast flowy downhills on mountain bkes. Road bikes have to share the road with a lot of bad drivers especially in my previous locale, but where I live now we have some fairly deserted roads to enjoy now and then, too but the mountain biking here is far better.....helps when you're surrounded by a national forest for both, tho....

 

[pseudoid]

Road bikes have to share the road with a lot of bad drivers

I hope no one makes a new (similar) post about motorcycles.
I was forced to give up that passion, after an $81K surgery caused by a punk, in a truck, on the phone, late to work, made a left turn in front of me.
I was lucky that I was only doing 30MPH, w/high beams on, in daylight, and wearing 'full metal jacket', including kevlar jeans.
After 40+ years of 2-wheeling, I had to give it up as there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY to account for inattentive driving, especially since the invasion of smartphones.

 

[Chrispy]

I hope no one makes a new (similar) post about motorcycles.
I was forced to give up that passion, after an $81K surgery caused by a punk, in a truck, on the phone, late to work, made a left turn in front of me.
I was lucky that I was only doing 30MPH, w/high beams on, in daylight, and wearing 'full metal jacket', including kevlar jeans.
After 40+ years of 2-wheeling, I had to give it up as there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY to account for inattentive driving, especially since the invasion of smartphones.

I know what you mean, my brief use of a motorcycle on city streets where I avoided going down, but a lady making a left turn right in front of me with the headlight and everything just blew my mind....and scared the hell out of me. I've had enough issues on bicycles with drivers on roads to just want to avoid that, too....been forced off and had stuff thrown at me....and if one of these rolling coal clowns had tried that on me I'd probably find them and beat the sh*t out them.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I hope no one makes a new (similar) post about motorcycles.
I was forced to give up that passion, after an $81K surgery caused by a punk, in a truck, on the phone, late to work, made a left turn in front of me.
I was lucky that I was only doing 30MPH, w/high beams on, in daylight, and wearing 'full metal jacket', including kevlar jeans.
After 40+ years of 2-wheeling, I had to give it up as there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY to account for inattentive driving, especially since the invasion of smartphones.

Same reason I gave up motorcycling (minus the accident). One commonality with cycling is I just enjoy the sensations of two wheeled vehicles leaning in and out of turns etc. plus the open air aspect of it. Maybe before I die, self driving cars will become common enough I'll take the risk of riding powered cycles again.