Proof that e-bikes can rock

[chiangmaiexpat]

I was never much into e-bikes, neither here in Thailand where hardly anyone uses them anyway, nor in Europe. Recently, car maker Audi produced an e-bike prototype that appears to set new standards. It doesn't only look good, but it apparently drives like a mountain bike on steroids. Wish I could get my hands on one of these. Unfortunately, it's just a prototype.

Cheers, CM-Expat

[impulse]

Great video, and cool looking bike.

But I'd be a lot more impressed if he weren't pedaling to beat the band.

I loved my e-scooter in China and I like my e-scooter and e-bicycle here in Thailand. But they're not as practical here because there are no dedicated bike lanes like they have in China.

Riding a bike (e-bike included) is putting your life into the hands of local drivers. Nuff said.

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

pedalling to beat the band?

perhaps he was demonstrating for th purpose of the video that it could run powerd or be pedaled naturally. the thing is reported to do 80.

As for the dangers of biking i do 300 km per week in bkk half of it on road up and down sukhumvit, rama 4, wireless, silom, sukhumvit, petchuburi, phaonyothin, victory monument etc and i have no idea what you are on about. it is no more or less dangerous than urban riding in any city i have lived.

in fact it is a whole lot more fun than most.

I find thai drivers are actually quite considerate of bikes and bemused that you are often moving faster than they are.

if you want to stay in and make excuses you could do better than "its dangerous"

Edited August 17, 2013 by GirlDrinkDrunk

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

more info

http://www.electricbike.com/audi-ebike/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=edmH0Zx57JY

[chiangmaiexpat]

As for the dangers of biking i do 300 km per week in bkk half of it on road up and down sukhumvit, rama 4, wireless, silom, sukhumvit, petchuburi, phaonyothin, victory monument etc and i have no idea what you are on about. it is no more or less dangerous than urban riding in any city i have lived.

In this case you must have lived in countries with dangerous traffic. I don't want to start a discussion about this, but in most traffic accident statistics, Thailand is ranking quite high, for example: http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/ According, to these numbers there are more deadly traffic accidents only in Iraq, Iran, and some African countries. So, impulse might have a point.

Cheers, CM-Expat

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

Your statistic is of little relavance to cyclists in the urban centres

i would say thai drivers are more attuned to two wheel traffic than in most places.

Either way, you are right, it is hardly worth discussion. You and impulse stay home,

Im going for a ride.

Edited August 17, 2013 by GirlDrinkDrunk

[impulse]

Oh, to be young and bulletproof again.

[fabianfred]

I want one....

Sent from my GT-N8000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[ianf]

Great video, and cool looking bike.

But I'd be a lot more impressed if he weren't pedaling to beat the band.

I loved my e-scooter in China and I like my e-scooter and e-bicycle here in Thailand. But they're not as practical here because there are no dedicated bike lanes like they have in China.

Riding a bike (e-bike included) is putting your life into the hands of local drivers. Nuff said.

There are many committed expat cyclists here - this year I rode around 26000 kms. If you ride with awareness I would say that the poster is incorrect to say that you are putting you life in the hands of local drivers - well at least not more so than in any other part of the world. Personally I find the UK more nerve wracking as far as motorists go - here their antics are predictable and as long as you ride with due care and attention, then quite safe - as safe can be. This morning 117km, very pleasant and yesterday 133km also pleasant and completed in 4 and a half hours. No threats whatsoever. So the message is get out their and ride and enjoy!

[dingerbel]

I agree with GDD, I have found BKK no more dangerous than the UK for riding (a lot less road rage), stay safe, dont do anything reckless or unexpected and you are fine! I ride all over BKK, have cycled down to Phuket for a holiday no problems!

[StreetCowboy]

Your statistic is of little relavance to cyclists in the urban centres

i would say thai drivers are more attuned to two wheel traffic than in most places.

Either way, you are right, it is hardly worth discussion. You and impulse stay home,

Im going for a ride.

The biggest influence on road safety statistics in any city is the proportion of two-wheeled vehicles, especially cyclists. As a particularly vulnerable population, they will skew statistics. I was at a public safety seminar in HK in which one chap mentioned that the biggest improvement in road safety was the 'elimination' (I forget his word for it) of cyclists.

To determine whether one city or another was more safe for cylclists, we would first need an estimate of the population of cyclists - a notoriously unregulated and anarchistic breed

Personally, I think you'd be mad to cycle in urban Bangkok, but that;s not based on data, or even objective observation

SC

[wantan]

Meanwhile most Bangkogians accept and respect sport cyclists. If you avoid the dangerously crowded big streets and have found a good route you can have quite some fun.

But if you don't look like doing sport or like a fixi-hipster you can have problems. You then have to go slow and be prepared that scooters won't respect your right of way. And for cars/trucks you are invisible then. So better dress up and use a proper bicycle when cycling in Bangkok imo.

But this is a bit off-topic. I would like to have such e-bike, because it would extend the area i am able to explore. A bicycle is a nice way to explore the region you live in. I would like to know how dogs react when seeing such vehicle. I often thought that the movements of the pedals makes them go crazy. With an e-bike you can stop pedaling and still pass the dogs quickly. Hope there will be more (quality) e-bikes in future.

[wantan]

Just watched the video in the first post again and noticed that the rider wears a helmet but hasn't closed the strap. What a stupid idea. Was the video made for the young folks in thailand? They like to do this on their scooters too

[StreetCowboy]

back on topic,

Check out the Copenhagen Wheel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN7oLQezqqE

[impulse]

Meanwhile most Bangkogians accept and respect sport cyclists. If you avoid the dangerously crowded big streets and have found a good route you can have quite some fun.

But if you don't look like doing sport or like a fixi-hipster you can have problems. You then have to go slow and be prepared that scooters won't respect your right of way. And for cars/trucks you are invisible then. So better dress up and use a proper bicycle when cycling in Bangkok imo.

But this is a bit off-topic. I would like to have such e-bike, because it would extend the area i am able to explore. A bicycle is a nice way to explore the region you live in. I would like to know how dogs react when seeing such vehicle. I often thought that the movements of the pedals makes them go crazy. With an e-bike you can stop pedaling and still pass the dogs quickly. Hope there will be more (quality) e-bikes in future.

Can't speak for the zoomy bike in the OP, but dogs don't seem to differentiate when I'm on my LA Bikes E-Bike. They still give chase.

At a whopping 250 watts, I can't outrun them on the LA. In fact, I wish it had 350 watts because that seems to be the ideal compromise for my laid back style of chugging along at about 20 MPH.

Still, I've had a 450, a 350 and a 250 watt e-bikes and e-scooters and I love them. Especially in Bangkok where it's too fricking hot and humid for this old fart to pedal very far.

I, too, hope the selection and specification of the e-bikes improve here. In China, gasoline scooters without manual pedals aren't allowed in most city centers so there's a huge market for e-bikes and lots of models available. I've had 3 over there, and 2 of them were real gems. The first one I bought was my "live and learn" e-scooter and even it was better than what's mostly available here. I gave it away when I bought my 2nd one- loved it and used it for 5 or 6 years before moving to Bangkok.

Edited January 4, 2014 by impulse

[wantan]

back on topic,

Check out the Copenhagen Wheel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN7oLQezqqE

The concept sounds interesting, though i guess not really powerful. But certainly useful for daily commuting.

But i am not a fan of these smartphone blootooth gimmicks which are needed to fully use this "wheel" (changing gear, etc.). Imo cycling is such an relaxing simple task, i don't want to combine it with smartphone apps and facebook which are permanently collecting and sending data. But apart from these gimmicks its a nice idea.

[bobfish]

Go for a Stealth Bomber. 4.5kw.

Not for the faint of heart or thin wallet!

[impulse]

Go for a Stealth Bomber. 4.5kw.

Not for the faint of heart or thin wallet!

I have no specific knowledge of the Stealth Bomber, but have followed e-bikes for about 12 years now from China and the USA. As in many new and zoomy technologies, there's a lot of smoke and mirrors and marketing hype that need to be brushed aside to get a true performance picture.

High power bikes are probably a lot of fun, but the practical reality is battery limitations. The small, lightweight batteries used in plain Jane e-bikes are limited to about 10 amps before their internal resistance starts them heating up. Then the batteries don't come close to reaching their rated amp-hour performance. So you may get great jolts of acceleration, but very limited range.

For a 48V battery system, that means a 450-500 watt motor load will be about the best compromise between acceleration and longevity. A 350 watt motor will cruise me along at 20 MPH as long as terrain is flat. That requires a 36V system to stay under that 10 amp battery limit. Run that 350W motor on 48V and the range goes up because the batteries run cooler. (The motor controller also plays a part in how the power is fed to the motor, and whether the motor regenerates power when braking and slowing down.)

In addition, manufacturers play games with their motor rating. A 4.5kw motor may be rated for short bursts at that high power, but will overheat if you run it over a minute or so at that high load. Another manufacturer may rate that same motor at 1.5kw continuous power, or even lower. With no real industry standards for power ratings, it's largely caveat emptor.

Personally, I look at any e-bike over about 500 watts as "larger male member" marketing hype. But I'm an old fart, just looking to get from point A to point B on flat terrain. Someone living in a mountainside town, or a little more sporty than me may feel very differently.

Edited January 4, 2014 by impulse

[bobfish]

The Stealth Bomber has been around for a few years, and from memory [!!] , may run 72v lithium, but I could be wrong ....

I looked at one, but the price was US$10000ish, and the weight makes it a moto that you can pedal. Too much for the street?

I'm an old fart too but like my biking on the edgy side. Still plenty of life to be enjoyed!

I don't know how long it would stand the 4.5kW peak, but the 1.5kWh battery and regen braking [caveats noted] should give a reasonable range with pedalling. Lots of unsprung weight in that hub motor though....

Anyway, bottom line is that ebikes are here to stay and developing rapidly. Great!

[impulse]

The Stealth Bomber has been around for a few years, and from memory [!!] , may run 72v lithium, but I could be wrong ....

I looked at one, but the price was US$10000ish, and the weight makes it a moto that you can pedal. Too much for the street?

I'm an old fart too but like my biking on the edgy side. Still plenty of life to be enjoyed!

I don't know how long it would stand the 4.5kW peak, but the 1.5kWh battery and regen braking [caveats noted] should give a reasonable range with pedalling. Lots of unsprung weight in that hub motor though....

Anyway, bottom line is that ebikes are here to stay and developing rapidly. Great!

Agreed on that. I have an e-bike and an e-scooter here in Thailand and a matching set back in China. They were my main mode of transport in China and very useful in BKK. And I'm always looking for an upgrade because the technology is getting better every year. Sadly, the newest and zoomiest isn't making it to Thailand yet- AFAIK.

In fact, I'm looking for a tadpole type recumbent I can convert to electric if anyone knows where I can get a decent deal on a tadpole recumbent in Thailand. It's a "back pocket" project I've been holding onto for years- just like a solar electric boat. Seems I never have the time, the money, available parts and the space all at the same time. Today, I have the money, the space and a precious little bit of spare time to electrify a recumbent. Now I need the parts- a tadpole frame. Sadly, not enough space for the solar boat living in downtown BKK.

(I'd go with a tricycle type recumbent as a second choice, but no 2 wheelers)

Edited January 8, 2014 by impulse

[rebo]

Since my wife suffers from arthrosis her knees more and more hurt after hilly tours but she loves biking, and her upper end MTB. We would like to continue doing our 40 ... 60 km countryside morning tours, so I'm looking for a retrofit electric support motor to mount on her Merida.
Hundreds of solutions available in China (Alibaba), but anything in Thailand/Chiang Mai?
Thanks in advance for any recommendations, links or personal experiences re. purchasing/importing stuff like this in/to Thailand.

Sorry - now I used the advanced search function and found some links. But maybe someone knows a dealer in Chiang Mai?

Edited September 1, 2014 by rebo