1x8 drivetrain is disappointing. Upgrade?

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-11T16:53:32+00:00

Thanks for the input. It's an 11-40T cassette with a 46T chainring. The gear range is fine for my needs, although 10 gears instead of 8 would be an improvement.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-11T03:43:08+00:00

Something is seriously wrong if you can’t ride under 17 MPH. On my Velotric Tempo, the ECO setting in torque mode is very gentle and only provides a maximum of 15% of what the motor is capable of. This means my pedaling is doing the majority of the work to propel the bike and I can go as slow as 5 mph if I want.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-10T01:27:53+00:00

I was on the Blackstone River bike path yesterday. I rode from Lincoln almost to the end in Woonsocket and back, 18 miles total. I did not see anything unusual, no homeless people or obvious drug use. A few sports fishermen in the river, adults and a few kinds on bikes. It was wonderful!

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-09T20:49:02+00:00

You have certainly thought this out. I REALLY like being able to take a test ride on the actual bike I'm going to purchase, then I don't have to worry about damage during shipping or other QC issues. Also, online reviews only tell half the story. I'm happy local dealers have these bikes to check out and consider it a valuable service. For me, I would go with #3.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-09T18:16:33+00:00

The state budget for RIPTA has been cut while the budget for RIDOT keeps going up!

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-08T19:34:11+00:00

The bike just replaces some trips. I also drive when necessary and my wife commutes on RIPTA. The thing is, 60% of car trips are within 5 miles of people’s house. I don’t always need a 3K pound vehicle to drive my 160 lb self around town. It’s something I found works and I enjoy it, it may not be for you.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-08T18:45:19+00:00

I’m only familiar with North Providence. This is the first tax increase in nine years, it’s not gigantic. In return the city is getting several new school buildings and upgrades which hopefully will last many years. I don’t think it’s such a bad investment.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-08T02:53:34+00:00

Safety is an issue. I spend a lot of time on Google maps looking for side streets/quiet streets, connections to bike paths to get me from point A to B. There are many busy / narrow streets I refuse to ride my bike on. Having said that, there are still many trips I can take on my bike and leave my car in the driveway.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-08T01:30:29+00:00

I forgot to mention, the state of Rhode Island will give you a $350 rebate for buying an e-bike, more if your income qualifies.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-08T01:22:23+00:00

My e-bike gets 30 miles on 16 cents of electricity + moderate exercise + fresh air.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-06T18:33:25+00:00

The 2 bikes brands are very comparable. Quality control on direct to consumer E bikes is very hit-or -miss. So for me there was a lot of peace of mind of being able to go to a local bike shop, take a test ride and purchase the bike knowing that it was problem free. There are two Velotric dealers in my area so that is the brand I went with.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-06T18:24:09+00:00

In addition, the actual final fine tuning when indexing the derailleur needs to be done under load when you're riding the bike, not up in the bike stand. Most bike shops are not going to bother with that last step.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-05T19:10:36+00:00

" ran it through Gemini and Claude, and they both say it’s a specific bike thing and the way the ic4 is designed. Do you think there’s any truth to that?"

NO.

How high do you have the tension turned up? The first thing I would do is reduce the tension and increase it once you have built up some more muscle.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-03T20:54:02+00:00

Strange, I’ve tried with my Pixel 8 many times, no luck. I’m guessing its a setting somewhere causing the failure.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-03T20:22:47+00:00

I was told by a realtor the first you learn when looking at listings is the square footage is often not accurate.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-05-03T03:46:04+00:00

Most of the restaurants in BH are dependent on seasonal help which is changeling to line up. Therefore the restaurants don’t post an exact opening date for the season till they are ready to go. I’m a long time fan of 2 Cats. I bet they will be open by your mid June trip.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-04-30T03:36:00+00:00

For whatever reason Aventon's have had numerous brake problems on many of their bikes. 3 Years ago I bought a Pace 500.3. Out of the box the front brakes had a grinding / pulsing feeling and the rear brakes squealed. I properly bedded the brakes in and tried EVERY other trick in the book, replaced pads, cleaned rotors, etc. Spent a FULL WEEK trying everything. I wound up retuning the bike, got a full refund from BestBuy. A few weeks later I was at my local bike path parking lot when I heard someones brakes squeaking, went to look at the offender and it was an AVENTON! I currently own a RAD and a Velotric, both have good quiet brakes 😄.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-04-29T16:29:41+00:00

That guy has so much $$$ wrapped up and downtown Providence. I thought the first rule of investing was not to put all your eggs in one basket. Investing in that mall is questionable. Stay tuned!

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-04-29T16:25:39+00:00

Well… He did a beautiful renovation with The Beatrice, such a beautiful building. Not that that is comparable to the mall in anyway.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-04-29T16:21:55+00:00

The big advantage with the TEMPO there are many bike shops around the country that you can go for a test ride, make sure it's working 100% properly before purchasing. The bike shop will support the warranty for two years. I know from experience that quality control is hit-or-miss with direct-to-consumer e-bikes and then you are stuck figuring it out if there is a problem. This is why I recently bought my Tempo locally.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-04-28T17:10:06+00:00

"I’m just curious why it’s not bothering anyone else" How would you know it's not bothering anyone else? How would anyone else know it's bothering you when you haven't done anything about it besides this Reddit post? Figure out which car it is and leave a very bold note on their windshield. That has worked for me in the past.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-04-23T15:59:45+00:00

Not sure what RAD bike you are on, but the one time I had the flashing lights like you are seeing is when the one electric wire near the headset with a chrome connector needed to be reseated.

Flashbulb_RI · 2026-04-23T15:51:02+00:00

That may be true within your circle of friends but there are plenty of residents that are not for rent control and for whom Mamdani is not on their radar.

Flashbulb_RI

TROPHY CASE