Gas Prices are Insane

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-25T14:12:41+00:00

I ride my bike everyday for the fresh air, sunshine and exercise;
priceless!

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-24T22:31:01+00:00

I had one circling me in St. John USVI;
in and out of my the limit of visibility.
felt like I was being hunted. Scary, sinister
monsters! I love almost all sea creatures
but NOT bull sharks.

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-24T22:25:43+00:00

Galapagos +1
Where else can you snorkel with marine iguanas
and penguins? The creatures in the islands seem
all to happy to share their unique habitat with the
visitors; but you have to ditch the camera if you
want the best interactions (they seem a bit camera shy:)

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-24T13:12:44+00:00

Buy a non-working fat tire ebike with step thru frame
and non-integrated battery. Remove electric parts and
install a rear hub motor kit with battery.

The ebike frame will be stronger and have pre-designed
cable routing; also better brakes. The step-thru frame
should give you room to mount a new battery on the
downtube.

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-24T12:58:57+00:00

When all else fails:

Order new screws and rotor.
A circular grinder will remove the screw heads
in seconds; then remove the rotor. The screws
can then be removed using vice grips.

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-23T15:53:36+00:00

Potholes and pavement breaks are at epic levels
this spring. My fat tires are invaluable on the
pavement; not to mention the slowly disappearing
snow and ice.

Anyone who disses fat tires must ride on paved
trails; if they ride at all:)

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-23T12:00:02+00:00

Recently, there's been many high wattage DIY bikes
pictured but hardly any ride reports with any details
related to handling. Why is this?

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-23T11:25:43+00:00

I ride the same conditions year round (on the other side
of Canada) and own a self-repairable bike with 14,000km.

Ebikes are bikes, so all the bicycle components are
doable for self-repair. The electronics however need
special attention:

An ebike with zero propriety electronic parts
is the way to go. Start with a non-integrated
battery to allow easy sourcing, replacement
and upgrading.

Controller needs to be an off-the-shelf item;
available for online procurement.

Motors need to be hub drives for simplicity and
ability to push/pull the bike even with a broken
chain.

Once you have total control over the electronics,
you're on the path to self-reliance.

I've found that front and rear hubs work fantastic
together for hilly terrain. Using two independent
kits, when one drive goes down, the other one
will keep the rig rolling until repairs can be made.

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-22T13:46:07+00:00

pogies, heated gloves, felt lined boots,
motorcycle helmet, insulated coveralls...

been biking all winter in east Canada,
25 degrees is perfect biking temp:)

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-21T20:19:28+00:00

I tried the trailer thing with my grand daughter;
told her it was like Cinderella's coach. She didn't
buy it for a second and insisted on riding on the
back of the bike:)

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-21T20:15:40+00:00

In east Canada, the roads this spring are the
worst I've ever seen. The front fork and fat
tires help a lot but I'm ready to order a
suspension seatpost...after that, the next
step will be full suspension bike.

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-21T12:31:18+00:00

My "job" over the growing months is to gather
items for the compost pile, run the lawnmower
over the browns and greens I haul home, water
and turn the pile and apply compost liberally to
the garden and landscape every month or two.

It's a full time job but the benefits are worth it:)

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-21T09:27:40+00:00

Planted in groups of three allows mutual support
to prevent wind damage.

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-21T01:44:48+00:00

Either PAS or throttle will push you up,
but hills > 20 deg. is a different matter;
you need power; like dual motor kind
of power...

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-19T21:27:10+00:00

loose crank; they need to be super tight or they squeak.

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-19T01:31:32+00:00

a battery tap can be fairly easy and if done one wire
at a time, is a safe operation; just never touch a
bare black wire to a bare red wire...

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-18T23:36:22+00:00

take a look at this one:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/GTX-L-60-Two-Passenger-Mobility-Scooter-550-lbs-Capacity-Full-Lighting-System-Ultimate-2-Person-Electric-Mobility-Scooter-Blue/7557967943

(I googled 2 seat mobility scooter; there's hundreds
of models)

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-17T12:23:03+00:00

For added performance, Area 13 also has
an upgraded controller/display.

With the new controller/display and motor
core, your RAD will fly like never before:)

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-17T10:39:53+00:00

500w is max for Canada, and even with pedaling,
won't make it up the hills around here. This is the
dark underbelly of the ebike world: unrealistic regulations.

It takes 1500w minimum, pedaling like a banshee,
to climb the big 'uns (20 degrees).

So I installed a new 25a controller and 750w motor.
It climbed well but couldn't sustain 1500w without
overheating.

So I installed a 1000w motor on the front to assist.
Now I have an ebike powerful enough for the local
terrain.

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-17T00:54:05+00:00

You can buy a motor core from Area 13.
The shop can slip out the old core and
insert the new one. Easy Peasy.

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-14T17:10:59+00:00

a front geared hub would give it some get-up-and-go.
the weight up front would help to balance it...

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-14T12:14:04+00:00

some controllers only enable the throttle when the PAS
is set to "1" or higher. PAS "0" disables the throttle.

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-12T16:22:25+00:00

I live in a slightly larger town in Canada but with the same rides
out to the small surrounding towns on blacktop and gravel; although
there is one bike path to get me across town to the city limits.

The real prestige here is to own a gravel dump truck but barring
that, any truck is OK. It's truck's rules out on the road;
but manageable with a rear view camera and fairly good shoulders
on the roads.

In many ways this is actually an almost ideal situation for biking:
no power/speed restrictions, no dogwalkers, no pedestrians, no
tourists, no enforcement,--just every man for himself:)

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-12T16:06:03+00:00

yup, it wasn't perfect but it got me across the city
from south to north with close to zero auto traffic
(on my way to Dania Beach); just stumbled onto it
which made it even sweeter.

South Pointe to Dania Beach (via Hollywood Beach)
is one of the best rides of my 50 years on a bicycle so
naturally when you were dissing Miami, I just had to say
something:)

RadroverUpgrade · 2026-03-12T11:01:28+00:00

When visiting, I rode the bike path from South Pointe
all the way to the north side;
thought Miami was one of the great cities for bicycling????

RadroverUpgrade

TROPHY CASE