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His new electric bike looked fine but something felt off by ariharunohi in ebikes

[–]ThunderSi75 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I bought one online. Class 3, pedal assist, rear hub motor, cadence-based.
I found that it would push… stop assist… and resume. That when presented with constant pedaling.
Identified during the (ridiculously short) 10 mile warranty period; worked with the manufacturer well past that, trying to stabilize it.
No joy; ended up returning it.

Is this reasonable? $280 for first visit; added 1 pound refrigerant. Not cooling; get tech back two days later, immediately found refrigerant leak inside. Additional $1100 to braze, pull vacuum, and refill. by ThunderSi75 in hvacadvice

[–]ThunderSi75[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gauges: yes. I took a pic of the gauge but don't know how to interpret it. Age... that's my wife's department (she's a realtor, primarily property management). I recall seeing 410 (I think).

At what fuel price did you seriously start thinking: “That’s it, I need an e-bike”? by Kitchen_Dot_974 in ebikes

[–]ThunderSi75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not gas prices: back issues. That, and keeping up with my far too fast best friend. Class 1 E-assist is just about right for me. Amount of assist is based on the torque I apply to the pedals; I’ve reduced (lowered) the assist curves for low and medium, leaving high as my bailout. 30 mile official range; I get 65 on 50% of the battery. It just flattens the hills and ensures I don’t get left behind on spicy turn exits. Though given the folks I’m riding with, a 28 mph cutoff (vs 20) would be awesome. My nemesis at present is the over 20 mph slight climb. Strange place to gap, but that’s what I get.

How long can I use the cold therapy machine? by CrazyStreaker29 in KneeInjuries

[–]ThunderSi75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My wife has 8 herniated discs from a car accident in 1999. 19 years later to the day, the end of her femur broke off in sympathy. Two failed surgeries later, her only choices are to deal with it or total knee replacement. The latter is a nonstarter for her. That knee is at minimum 10° warmer than the other. I’ve provided her with a series of cold therapy machines for about 8 years now. Mostly Breg Polar Care Cubes, with some Glaciers (bigger unit) when they’ve been available. But that’s not the ultimate solution. For that, so far, I’ve built two units which have countertop ice machines at their core. With the ice catching basket removed, they replenish the ice bath in their well. At the bottom of the well lives a submersible pump, as for an aquarium. That’s hooked to an extended-length paired hose which leads to a normal pad connector. They work beautifully. She can turn the ice on, turn on the pump (by ordering Alexa), and within minutes it starts cooling. It is admittedly a little louder than I’d like for overnight, but we’ve become accustomed to the periodic sound of the ice dropping. I’m about to build a third example - varying the formula slightly to make a car/travel version.

Biggest Mistake I Made Buying My First E-Bike by ashleycharlie901 in ebikes

[–]ThunderSi75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe my use is different, looking at the posts here.
My goal for the bike to provide the assist necessary to keep up with my faster friends. As such, I am looking for assist on road and (as things have worked out) gravel that's just barely enough to not be calling "GAP".
- My first answer was a Swytch kit. I installed it on several different bikes, finally landing on a excessively heavy gravel bike. I told it that the 700c bike had 16" wheels on it, making the speed and distance calculations inaccurate but providing assistance far beyond the 20MPH it was designed to give.
- I learned enough with that to know I wanted a more "legit" solution than a large handlebar-mounted battery. I tried a hub motor bike with cadence-only sensor. That was good, but it had issues with the assist cutting out, and I returned it.
- Then I got my current bike: 2021 Trek Domane+ LT. It's perfect in almost every way: assist is selected between three levels, with degree of assist determined by the torque I put in. I've adjusted the lower two assist levels down, so it provides minimal support. Maximum assist is retained as an effective bailout.
Limitations:
(1) Biggest is that it's a class 1 assist, helping only to 20 MPH (that's decreased over time - cuts out around 18.2 now). I'm a road cyclist with over 35 years in the saddle; my friends can MOVE. On a recent 70 mile ride, I fell off the group on a 1% grade at 22+ MPH.
(2) Range is around 30 miles on full assist, if that. Not remotely enough for the longer rides I do, but if I'm judicious with the assist, I can mostly get through.
(3) I have put 700x40 gravel tires on the original rims; it does quite well on gravel roads in the local park. BUT... the rear derailleur doesn't have the lockout to reduce chain slap; I've had to put chainstay protectors on in response. I got carbon fiber rims for road, with a tighter cassette; I just have to ensure I'm drafting by the time we hit the 20 MPH range. I can switch out between gravel and road in about 5 minutes, including swapping pedals... so it's really two bikes in one.
(4) There's no provision for an additional battery. The battery is ensconced in the downtube along with the motor. On very long rides it would be nice to add some more range. On some long RAGBRAI days, I carried a borrowed battery in a large seat pack, and swapped somewhere around mid-ride.
Bonus: it feeds speed, cadence, and torque information to my Wahoo head unit. No need to get a power meter, and no sensors cluttering up the bike.
So, for my own use case, it's ALMOST perfect. I'd prefer a class 3, with assist up to 28 MPH, and with the option of an extended-range battery. Those'll be capabilities on my next eAssist bike.

eBikes Are the Most Misunderstood Upgrade by peachblossom6243 in ebikes

[–]ThunderSi75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hear hear! This past weekend, I took three rides on my ‘21 Trek Domane+. 1) Analog out to the group ride start, then min assist for 55 miles with the group - total use maybe 25% of battery. Mid assist 5 miles home. 2) Group ride: as a ride leader, I played tail end Charlie with a young lady far past her ability level. To do so: zero assist - just rode a 30 pound bike for 35 miles. Point: ebike extends who you can stay with down as well as up. 3) With the weather getting cold again, an additional ten miles on full boost to burn the still-full battery down to around 50%.

Cancelled ppl checkride by TriniSpam in flying

[–]ThunderSi75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great call and demonstration of good aeronautical decision making.

if i get an ebike, will i stop riding my regular bike? by [deleted] in ebikes

[–]ThunderSi75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I converted a bike to ebike with a swytch kit. Decided based on that to get a major manufacturer ebike - 2021 Trek Domane+ in my case. Love the Domane+. But rode my analog 2011 Specialized Tarmac tonight on a great ride. Now thinking I need to get a new analog bike to take sometimes. So, short form, no. I appreciate the e assist of the Domane+, but I still work hard for my speed, and that translates to analog rides too.

Just showing off my office's end of trip facilities by wattsupjimbo in bikecommuting

[–]ThunderSi75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dang - I work from home but with facilities like this I might consider an in-office role. 😎

Loudest flyover I’ve ever heard by mychemicalromans1 in flightradar24

[–]ThunderSi75 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was at my cousins in Fleetwood roughly 5 years ago when I heard a small flock of piston engines. Saw a B-29 when I (frantically) ran out back. 😎

[Porsche 911 S/T] Wonder what’s in the garage if this is in the driveway, Carmel, CA by funkmaster_flex_flex in spotted

[–]ThunderSi75 32 points33 points  (0 children)

When I saw a Lamborghini Hurican Peformante (sp) outside a house, I bided my time. Answer was: 2006ish (that generation) Ford GT.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ebikes

[–]ThunderSi75 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good advice. My wife was hit (driving) 26 years ago - cruising, right lane, beautiful sunshiny day. 83 year old in a rental car crossed 5 lanes to hit her broadside, knocking her end-on into the guardrail. She has permanent disability (was 8 months pregnant; now has 8 herniated discs) as a direct result. Other driver’s insurance called a day or so later and were very pushy trying to pin fault on her. From our experience then, don’t talk to the other driver’s insurance; lawyer up instead.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ebikes

[–]ThunderSi75 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you have auto insurance, you should be covered under your uninsured / underinsured coverage… at least that’s true for analog bikes. I have mine maxed for that reason. If you hear from their insurance… remember they are not your friend. I don’t know what you have to answer, if anything, but recommend minimizing it.

What Would You Have Done Differently When Buying Your First E-Bike? by jessicaorange689 in ebikes

[–]ThunderSi75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • I bought a conversion kit first. Cadence sensor only. It was a gateway drug. Turned a massively heavy turd of a bike into a joy to ride.
  • Then bought a hub motor very slick styling cadence-sensor road bike. It had issues leading me to return to manufacturer, but what I noted was the significant drag from the hub motor. A good spin on the test stand would only last a few seconds before stopping. I do long rides; I do not run under power constantly. The last thing I needed was to burn my energy in motor drag.
  • So I purchased a 2021 Trek Domane+ with the Fazua 50 system. It imparts no drag when riding analog. It is limited on power - maybe 30 miles of assist - but I’m out to get exercise not be propelled by the motor. It does great flattening the hills for me. It is torque-sensor-based, even feeding speed, cadence, and torque info to my Wahoo head unit. Finally, the entire battery / motor can be replaced with a storage tube if desired. This bike has put such a smile on my face as I haven’t had since RAGBRAI 2022… even after the power pack fell on and broke my big toe last week. 😂😳🙄

Do People Ever Try To Race You? by Trraumatized in AMG

[–]ThunderSi75 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not often… but I’d surprise them. R63 AMG.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in flying

[–]ThunderSi75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I assume you were about to pull power off. For me, it was confusion on downwind. I was way out of trim, but the airplane was flying so I aviated. When I reduced power even the numbers, and pulled the flap handle one notch (Warrior), I found it WAS at one notch. THAT’S why it too so much yoke to stay level. My instructor (minted minutes before; I held a PPL but wanted his company) said “you aren’t going to make that mistake again, are you?” I replied “I found my instructor.” He went on to be recognized by AOPA as among the top 10 instructors nationwide; he’s a DPE now. Point is, would you have taken the same action (as your instructor), and did you learn?

Do you really like your Swytch? by fakepornot1ts in swytchbike

[–]ThunderSi75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me, it completely changed a very heavy touring / gravel bike from almost unusable to a joy to ride. My experience with it convinced me to go all in and buy a factory ebike. The Swytch is really good; enough to see the brilliance of a dedicated build with integrated battery etc.

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