It's 2018 & it needs to be the year of the eBike Cruiser...

Well it is the 1st day of 2018 & what a year 2017 has been & one focus I have had to deal with is the ever changing disability where not just 1 leg is causing issues but now the other one has joined in & that has effected my cycling. End of 2017 & looks like I have more lifestyle changes to come in 2018. So having to make changes in my life to adapt to these changes, like buying a laptop to carry on doing the stuff I normally do on the PC but can't as it hurts too much sitting at the desk. Which I have to thank my family for helping me with with vouchers & cash for Christmas to afford this lovely inexpensive laptop & this is the first blog I am writing on the new laptop.

And as I couldn't cycle today (thanks to my knee), I couldn't go to work due to no bus services so instead I have been working on my newest bike which I recently bought to become the next ebike (the 2nd Electra Townie) by adding the perfect handlebars for me & that is with the addition of the side folding centre stand & rear rack done weeks ago.

 

But that is just the beginning of the many things I need to do to build the perfect ebike for me & that means I need more funds.

So for this to happen I am trying to save what I can & that is a very slow progress when you're working part time & have limited funds, it took well over 6 months to save up to buy the Townie & that was only possible partly coz it was in a sale. So to get the rest of the funds at the rate its going will mean it won't be until 2019/20 before I get a fully functional ebike Cruiser & quite honestly that is too long. I would like to have it fully complete & up & running in 2018, preferably in the Summer.

So in order that I can make this happen I need to sell some of my stuff, especially my existing eBike 'Dutchess' as I can no longer ride it due to my disability changing. It's a lovely bike & atm is just sitting gathering dust & it really shouldn't be, it needs to be ridden.

More about it can be found here: For Sale! One Awesome eBike, my Dutchess. I am looking for £750 & if you are interested then please make me a reasonable offer, if its a price I'm happy to accept then I be more than happy to sell the bike. Tho of course the more I get, the better chance I have to build & complete the next ebike to replace her.

I also have other stuff available to sell to which will help fund the work needed to be done but not enough to cover the whole process to convert the Townie.

A pair of Schwalbe Land Cruiser (reflex) 700x35 that were used on a bike I no longer have & salvaged them. £15/pair.

 

2 sets of Panniers, the all Black throw over one is Basil & the White panelled clip on roll top one is Bikemate. £10/pair

A bike rack/hanger that can hold 2 bikes & folds down when flat, does need some padding added back onto the area where the bikes sit but is in working order. I like £10 for this.

 

There's also a SKS Chainboard, suitable for upto 48 teeth front Chainwheel & was bought for a previous bike (I no longer have) but never got round to fitting it on the bottom bracket. So is still new & unused & would like £15 for it.

I also have a Proviz Nightrider 30l Rucksack, got it as a gift but it's not my sort of rucksack so stayed in its packaging. Would like £40 for this.

And lastly there's The Jawbreaker Multi-tool, another gift which I rather sell than use. New & unused & like £40.

So if you are interested then make me an offer & if reasonable I be happy to accept it. You can comment on this blog where I can read but not publish it or can contact me on Twitter @2_Wheeled_Wolf or just email me on wolfdragonrider@gmail.com. 

I'm sorry if you have read all of this before but I need to sell these to get the next ebike built. I could sell them online elsewhere but that would likely involve charges & less funds for the ebike conversion of the Townie & these are just some of the stuff I am looking to sell & when I get a chance to raid the attic, I will have more to sell to get the next eBike built.

And if you can, please share this blog & hopefully someone would be happy to purchase something to help fund this ebike project.

NOW SOLD! One Awesome eBike, my Dutchess. Updated with new lower price.

Note: Updates to the blog are at the bottom of the blog, scroll to this if you just want to read the update.

Yes that is right, my Dutchess is going up for sale.

So you're asking, if so awesome why is it going up for sale? Simply put my disability is getting worse & finding the shape of the bike isn't getting to be as comfortable to ride for my disability as it used to be. Shame really as I love riding the bike but I'm finding that riding my Cruiser bike without any pedal assistance is more comfortable, easier on my disability despite harder work to cycle.

So the plan is to save up for a new better ebike for my disability, so far I have put some money aside for a cruiser bike but need to sell (reluctantly) Dutchess to buy the conversion kit to make the E-Cruiser.

 

So if anyone is interested I better give the spiel on the bike herself...

Well the bike itself is originally a Momentum Upstart but I have made some additions when I bought her, more about the additions later. It has the road legal 250W front hub motor, 9Ah battery with a simple controller on the handlebar to turn on/off & select 1 of 3 power ratings to use. The Pedal Assisted sensor is attached to the bottom bracket. Bike itself is like basic bicycle frame with 700c wheels & with hub gears. Total weight of the eBike is under 18kg & is why I bought it. The total mileage I have managed on a full charge so far on a good day (with no wind, not to much luggage, legs not playing up, etc) is 45 miles & still had around 25% charge left. So I feel if used on minimum & lil resistance it is possible to get 60 miles on a full charge but not done it myself. To charge battery from flat takes around 6-8hrs.

The additions & upgrades are as follows, when I bought the bike it had no mudguards & generic tyres. So I added mudguards & Schwalbe Marathon tyres.

I also found the 2 gear SRAM Automatrix was a hindrance to the eBike's performance when cycling long distance, so I replaced it with a Sturmey Archer SRF3 hub kit & tidied up the chain & adjusters with new ones. The new hub is a dream to ride with & now sold on hub gears for my next ebike.

 

 

To get a better upright position I have added an adjustable stem & Dutch style handlebars. For luggage I have fitted an Axiom StreamLiner Road DLX Rear Rack which have a carrying capacity of 50kg with a removable USB chargable rear light with built in reflector. Also added a sidestand as I prefer to have one myself. This photo gives you an idea of what it looks like (panniers not included in sale).

Of course as I use the bike, parts wear out & I have so far replaced the headset bearings & both front & rear brakes (all in silver to look nice), as well as the brake levers which has a built in bell on left lever tho I have fitted a rotary bell on the RHS of handlebars.

So I think that is it but if you're interested then please ask any questions. And here's a most recent picture from May this year of the bike.

Now for the price, with all the additions described & the bike itself as well as what I need to get the next eBike I am looking for £750 £600 ono. Anything less & I am going to be without an ebike if sold for less until I can find the additional money & I rather not do that.

The bike has been great for me (especially for shopping) but I need to move onto one better suited for my disabilities.

Update 31st March 2018

It's been a fair few months now & still trying to sell Dutchess, in the meantime I have been working on getting the next eBike started & at the end of 2017 a brand new Electra Townie was selling from a reputable bike shop online for half the price so went for it. And now working on fitting the hub gear on it this month. 

  

So I am now lowering the price I like to sell Dutchess to £650 ono as this will cover the cost of the eBike conversion kit. And I like to sell it soon as like to get the next eBike up & running before the end of 2018.

So if you are interested then you can comment on this blog where I can read but not publish or you can contact me on Twitter @2_Wheeled_Wolf or just email me on wolfdragonrider@gmail.com. Ideally I like to sell locally (so I can keep seeing her around town) but if anyone like to travel & buy her I am happy to accommodate with a cuppa too. :D

Update 23rd August 2019

Well after over 2yrs of trying to sell Dutchess I can now say it is finally SOLD! So pleased it has been sold as I was going to remove it from sale next month & strip it down for parts to use on other cycles. An elderly couple have bought it & it's going to help the elderly gentleman back to cycling. :D

Breaking the skewed perception of cycling

As many who cycle will know & those who don't cycle will think, they see people who are cycling just Wiggins wannabes clad in Lycra cycling around in packs! They see cycling as a hobby or a sport so need to be clad in Lycra, helmets & shouldn't be on the road but in Velodromes.

Those who know me know I sure aint no Wiggins wannabe, I aint no sporting person to compete (not with my disability) & I definitely do NOT wear Lycra, I sure hell don't have the figure for it & if I did I would look more like the Michelin Man.

But I do cycle! And strange enough I get all the hatred & misconception claptrap mentioned above I get online coz I cycle but never in person & why is this? Well this photo says it all & yes that is what I wear when cycling at any distance!

Photo thanks to Peter Monk

Definitely don't fit the misconceptions & to be honest most do not...

 

  

 

And when I mention shopping by bike I often get the look of horror as if it is some feat that can only be done by car or possibly by bus. Again I blow this out of the window too...

 

 

But the best one is when I get asked if I went out cycling on my days off during the past few months & I go yeah I went to this place or that place & cycled 30 or 40 miles on my 20+kg Cruiser.

 

And its the OMG moment I get as if I am totally mad (like I had today), as if it is some impossible task & in some cases I've had been mentioned that cycling 5 miles is quite far (REALLY??), its something I can do in 30 mins easily & not break a sweat. And as I have said, I aint fit & I sure don't do those 100 mile rides on lightweight racing bikes (roadies) & go as quick as possible. Why bother? I go at a pace I like in clothes I feel comfortable in, I stop when I want or feel I need to & eat & drink whenever I like & do these rides with friends or alone.

I often get remarks on my feat of cycling on these long rides or when shopping which I just smile & shrug, often tho I get comments on my Cruiser as one person said last week as they went past its a 'Radical bike'. :D

To me it's just a bike that's comfortable to ride, easy to ride & very reliable. I think my limit so far is 50 miles (due to disability) but hope I can increase that in the future (depending on disability) but every time I am out cycling I am showing the world a bike is a mode of transport, nothing special needed to ride one & if you get the right bike for your body you can eventually build up the miles & do what you would never think possible. And I have 4 I can use, all different & all bought for a purpose in mind.

Photo thanks to Ashley Parmenter

Hell, when I got back to cycling I found 1 mile was an effort until I got cycling regularly & it is possible to do far more miles than what I am doing now on any bike. :D

But for now I am happy with how I am doing & smashing the skewed perception of cycling.

Meet my lil Foldie...

As I have already done a blog about my Roadrunner & how it evolved from an idea to reality (Project: Roadrunner, the evolution of a personal bike). I thought I should introduce my other bikes, so here is 'lil Foldie' & her story...

Back in November 2014 I had posted a photo of me cycling to Active Essex on twitter as they had requested followers to do so with Essex County Council to promote cycling & I do like posting pics to help promote cycling.

So I was surprised to get this tweet as I didn't realise it was actually a competition & no clue on the prize...

So obviously I was gobsmacked to read that & it turned out the prize was a new bike of my choice. So I decided to go for a folding bike as I haven't got one & could be useful when travelling across the country by train, bus & underground. So went for a Bickerton as it was within their prize budget.

 

Unfortunately  Active Essex decided to buy the bike from Halfords & things didn't go well. It took weeks to get Halfords to get the bike in after it was ordered & told it'll be a few days & it wasn't until January 2015 before I was told it was ready to collect from Active Essex which they wanted a photo of me collecting it. So I popped over on my lunch break to get a photo taken as I collect it & that's when I first saw the bike & knew something wasn't right.

Unfortunately Active Essex team weren't experienced in buying cycles & didn't notice the bike was damaged & missing the rack, wheel reflectors & bell, something Halfords meant to make sure was there & I spent months trying to get Halfords to get the missing parts & thus soured the experience of winning the wonderful prize which I wasn't able to use until it was complete.

 

So after months I finally got the missing parts & fitted it all myself as I will never let Halfords touch it or any other bike of mine ever, only to find the rack was damaged but usable & looked like it was the rack to this bike in the first place. So I put my panniers on the rack & found a problem, rack was too low & panniers were catching on the gears as well as my heels & this was the smaller pair of panniers I've got.

 

Thankfully I knew how to sort this as I have got a Axiom Streamliner Disc rack on other bikes which would do the job so started making the first of a few changes to make the bike better for me & easier to use my panniers on this bike by raising the panniers from the ground & further back from the pedals like this rack had done for Roadrunner when I had fitted one.

But even after sorting out the bike, it still didn't cycle right with the new build being a mess thanks to Halfords & after trying it out for a run to Brightlingsea in February & getting it on & off the bus proved it's worth it was put away in the corner. I did pull it out now & then to try get the bike to work right but in the end it didn't get used for another year as didn't need to & had other working bikes which were working OK.

So mid 2016 I needed to get to Hampshire & lil Foldie was now needed, so it was pulled out from its corner, dusted down & I got on with trying to get the bike to work correctly. And despite the bike still refusing to go into 7th gear, the bike was ready to travel with me on the train & underground.

And lil Foldie did OK, still didn't feel right but better than before & starting to wonder if I just can't get on with it coz it's been messed up by Halfords... Also found wheeling the bike across platforms & using the escalators on the underground with full panniers to be really difficult with seat post down as it is used to hold bike upright. So I had a look around to find a way around this & I discovered folding centre stand which I bought & fitted & also a new leather saddle for lil Foldie too.

 

It however did take a few months to find the right centre stand that folds & an affordable Brooks type leather saddle but it was worth the search, eventually I got the chance to take lil Foldie out for another trip to Hampshire via train & the underground at the beginning of 2017 with the new stand & saddle.

And this time it was a joy to ride lil Foldie, the centre stand & saddle was definitely something this lil bike needed & it was a joy to ride for the first time in 2yrs with the additions & gears that now finally work properly. The mess Halfords had done was slowly being eradicated & since then I have now added new brake levers onto the bike with built in bell so to declutter the handlebars & make easier to fold without the bell getting in the way.

So for now lil Foldie is how I like the bike atm, there are a few tweaks I still like to do but that's more coz of my preferences than issues with the bike. So next on the list it to get twist grip gear selector replaced with a rapidfire gear selector as I hate twist grip shifters & at the same time get some better grips which will be required when shifter is replaced.

So what started as a nightmare bike that was built badly by Halfords, lil Foldie has now grown into a lovely folding bike with the additions & fixing what was done by Halfords & no doubt will improve with more tweaks & improvements. And I have wondered why Bickerton haven't put racks & stands on their bikes like I have as it has made the bike even better.