Dec 30, 2009
Amped Motor on its way!
It looks as though my Amped Bikes motor has been shipped and is in the system. A big thanks to Lysa for sending via USPS in order to reduce my shipping costs (brokerage fees etc.). If all goes well I should have some photos posted of the unit sometime next week!
Dec 28, 2009
Amped Bikes Update - 700c Geared Kit Now Available!
It looks as though the new Amped Bikes geared motors are now available in a 700c versions! I've been dealing with Lysa at Amped and she just emailed to confirm that my recent order will in fact arrive as a 700c version - not the 26" I thought I was going to get. This is great news since I can now mount the new powered wheel to my Giant Seek 1, not my old Raleigh roadster as previously thought.
Dec 25, 2009
The Tire Debate!
In the summer I tend to stick to the park system for the majority of my commutes to work. Its paved, has little foot and bike traffic and most importantly keeps me away from cars. In the early morning it can be beautifully quiet. One morning in fact I had to come to a complete stop in order to let a young deer cross the path in front of me, and this is in the heart of downtown Toronto!
And this is where the debate begins. With my decision to ride through the winter I've been trying to determine if I want to stick to the bike paths or take to the streets. Fortunately we haven't had any snow yet this year but its inevitable and there is definitely lots of ice out there. First off its unlikely that the bike paths that riddle the park system will get plowed - the streets will, of course, but do I really want to risk mingling with traffic on snowy, icy roads? The paths however are more likely to form icy ruts (even if they're my own) which can be dangerous for standard mountain bike style tires. Regardless of my decision I need to get serious about my winter tire choice since the generic slicks that came with the Seek are definitely not going to cut it. Enter Peter White...
For those interested, Peter over at PeterWhiteCycles.com has a great section on winter tires and has gone to great lengths to explain the pro's and con's of studded tires along with an excellent breakdown of which tires suit which conditions. Reading the info on his site has helped me to determine the winter conditions I might encounter and how best to handle them. After reading through his site several times and contacting Peter by phone, I've decided to go with the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires based mainly on the number of studs and the placement of those studs. As Peter states on his site the Marathon's are "the perfect tire if you want one tire to do everything". And that's exactly what I need.
The 700c versions have 240 studs and come in two sizes; 40mm and 35mm. Since the Seek 1 has some minor clearance issues in the rear, I've opted for a 35mm rear and a 40mm front - a combination that happens quite frequently according to their staff. The studs to the side of the tread will help me in the icy ruts should I choose to stick to the bike paths, with the center studs helping out on the ice if I need to take to the roads. The only other option for me were the Hakkapeliitta W240's but I felt they were too aggressive for the type of riding I plan on doing.
I hope to have a detailed review of these tires once they arrive and I can get them on my rims.
Note: Shipping to Canada
Peter White seems to be very much aware of the issues Canadian customers face ordering products online. In order to keep costs low and brokerage fees to a minimum you can opt to ship via USPS (United States Parcel Service) as opposed to UPS. I'll follow up on this once the tires arrive in order to give people a better idea of the direct costs incurred.
And this is where the debate begins. With my decision to ride through the winter I've been trying to determine if I want to stick to the bike paths or take to the streets. Fortunately we haven't had any snow yet this year but its inevitable and there is definitely lots of ice out there. First off its unlikely that the bike paths that riddle the park system will get plowed - the streets will, of course, but do I really want to risk mingling with traffic on snowy, icy roads? The paths however are more likely to form icy ruts (even if they're my own) which can be dangerous for standard mountain bike style tires. Regardless of my decision I need to get serious about my winter tire choice since the generic slicks that came with the Seek are definitely not going to cut it. Enter Peter White...
For those interested, Peter over at PeterWhiteCycles.com has a great section on winter tires and has gone to great lengths to explain the pro's and con's of studded tires along with an excellent breakdown of which tires suit which conditions. Reading the info on his site has helped me to determine the winter conditions I might encounter and how best to handle them. After reading through his site several times and contacting Peter by phone, I've decided to go with the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires based mainly on the number of studs and the placement of those studs. As Peter states on his site the Marathon's are "the perfect tire if you want one tire to do everything". And that's exactly what I need.
The 700c versions have 240 studs and come in two sizes; 40mm and 35mm. Since the Seek 1 has some minor clearance issues in the rear, I've opted for a 35mm rear and a 40mm front - a combination that happens quite frequently according to their staff. The studs to the side of the tread will help me in the icy ruts should I choose to stick to the bike paths, with the center studs helping out on the ice if I need to take to the roads. The only other option for me were the Hakkapeliitta W240's but I felt they were too aggressive for the type of riding I plan on doing.
I hope to have a detailed review of these tires once they arrive and I can get them on my rims.
Note: Shipping to Canada
Peter White seems to be very much aware of the issues Canadian customers face ordering products online. In order to keep costs low and brokerage fees to a minimum you can opt to ship via USPS (United States Parcel Service) as opposed to UPS. I'll follow up on this once the tires arrive in order to give people a better idea of the direct costs incurred.
Dec 21, 2009
Electric Hub Ordered
I officially placed my pre-order for an AmpedBikes geared front disc motor. When it arrives I'll be sure to take some photos of the package etc. in order give everyone an idea of the product.
One thing to note - the geared motors only come on 26" rims. At this point I haven't decided if I'm going to re-lace it to a 700c rim for my Seek 1 or put a new fork on my old Raleigh (the original one doesn't offer enough clearance for the motor). I've asked about the possibility of a 700c wheel instead so we'll have to see.
Regardless the motor will eventually end up on my Seek, but for testing purposes (and budget) it may start its life on my Raleigh.
One thing to note - the geared motors only come on 26" rims. At this point I haven't decided if I'm going to re-lace it to a 700c rim for my Seek 1 or put a new fork on my old Raleigh (the original one doesn't offer enough clearance for the motor). I've asked about the possibility of a 700c wheel instead so we'll have to see.
Regardless the motor will eventually end up on my Seek, but for testing purposes (and budget) it may start its life on my Raleigh.
Dec 11, 2009
More links to come...
I'm trying to find the time to go through all of my bookmarks in order to add the important ones to my links section on the right.
Dec 10, 2009
New Amped Battery
Looks like a new battery is in the works. 36V 10Ah and only 4.14 lbs! I'll be ordering one for sure!!
AmpedBikes.com
AmpedBikes.com
Dec 9, 2009
Amped Bikes Geared Front Hub
I've been searching the web for some time now in the hunt for a well priced, well made internal electric hub. The folks at AmpedBikes.com seem to have put a lot of effort into their product while keeping the price within reach. They recently announced a high efficiency disc compatible geared hub making it the perfect match for my new Seek 1. Its a 350W-450W brush-less Geared motor weighing 9lbs and capable of 20 m/h (32 km/h) and a stated range of approx. 15 miles (2-3x that if you pedal as well).
On battery power alone I should be able to get to and from work on a single charge - of course this is the worst case scenario since I plan on pedaling my entire ride in order to stay fit. In fact I plan on using pedal power alone for the majority of my rides home.
What's nice about the geared motor is its ability to freewheel when not under power - their other 'direct drive' motors don't have this ability. This means I can ride my bike normally when the battery dies without fighting the motor or just leave the battery at home when I feel like a pleasure cruise. Another nice feature is the size. As you can see in the photo the disc is actually larger then the motor itself making it quite a bit more stealthy in appearance then its larger counterparts.
At this point it looks like this will be my motor of choice!
On battery power alone I should be able to get to and from work on a single charge - of course this is the worst case scenario since I plan on pedaling my entire ride in order to stay fit. In fact I plan on using pedal power alone for the majority of my rides home.
What's nice about the geared motor is its ability to freewheel when not under power - their other 'direct drive' motors don't have this ability. This means I can ride my bike normally when the battery dies without fighting the motor or just leave the battery at home when I feel like a pleasure cruise. Another nice feature is the size. As you can see in the photo the disc is actually larger then the motor itself making it quite a bit more stealthy in appearance then its larger counterparts.
Dec 2, 2009
Decision Made!
After 3 visits to my lbs I've decided to bite the bullet and pick up the Seek. It should be ready in a few days. Its a medium frame which is on the smaller side for me but it feels comfortable so I'm going for it.
Nov 22, 2009
Tackling the Commute
For the last 2 years I've being trying to make the commute into work regardless of the weather but have never really been successful in stringing together more then a few days in a row, and definitely not weeks. After my daughter was born in the summer of 2008 my cycling literally came to a halt (no sleep = no energy). When the 2009 season approached I decided to get more serious about my riding and purchased a brand new road bike to help speed up my commute feeling that a faster commute would motivate me to ride more frequently.
My commute is just over 13 km's each way and takes me through an extensive park system that runs the length of the city. It's a great ride (mostly) with the first half running a slight downhill grade. The remainder is slightly uphill with a very short but steep exit out of the valley, and depending on the day can feel like I'm pedaling through porridge. Coming home is an exact mirror of the ride in.
The bike was a 2007 Specialized Roubaix - a beautiful road bike set up with a complete Shimano 105 drive train. Previous to this I had been riding a Trek 7100 Hybrid bike but found the riding position hard on my hands, and on windy days the upright position was not the most aerodynamic. The Roubaix solved the hand position and numbness issues as well as the aerodynamics but in the end I realized I had purchased too much bike. Unfortunately I only ever put 700 km's on the specialized.
That same summer I also purchased a great pair of vintage SuperCycle cruisers (so vintage that they are actually English made Raliegh's) as a surprise for my wife. The plan was to ride them to the beach and around town during the summer months. The problem was I loved the upright riding position! From that point on I knew I wanted to sell my road bike and get back to more traditional ride.
Around the same time 2 other things occurred - I rediscovered the world of internal hubs, and also came across a great supplier of electric hub motors. This got me thinking about building a classic cruiser that had a) an internal rear hub to keep maintenance to a minimum, and b) an electric motor in order to reduce the energy required to get to and from work (my plan is to ride every day - last year that never happened because after 2 days in a row of riding I felt too exhausted to tackle a 3rd, 4th or 5th day). With a power assisted ride I should have no problem committing to a full week's worth of commuting, and during the hot summer months I won't arrive to work covered in sweat.
Needless to say I am officially on the hunt for the perfect bike that will fit all my future requirements
The bottom line is I can't. Either the bikes are too expensive or not readily available (I live in Toronto). But I came across a 2009 Giant Seek 1 for sale at my local bike shop that fits my budget, has an 8 speed Alfine rear hub and the bonus of 700c wheels and hydraulic disc brakes. The only issue is the modern compact geometry and the aluminum front fork - but it seems like a great deal (an Alfine hub can run you $300 easy and the disc brakes another $150+).
To buy or not to buy?
My commute is just over 13 km's each way and takes me through an extensive park system that runs the length of the city. It's a great ride (mostly) with the first half running a slight downhill grade. The remainder is slightly uphill with a very short but steep exit out of the valley, and depending on the day can feel like I'm pedaling through porridge. Coming home is an exact mirror of the ride in.
That same summer I also purchased a great pair of vintage SuperCycle cruisers (so vintage that they are actually English made Raliegh's) as a surprise for my wife. The plan was to ride them to the beach and around town during the summer months. The problem was I loved the upright riding position! From that point on I knew I wanted to sell my road bike and get back to more traditional ride.
Around the same time 2 other things occurred - I rediscovered the world of internal hubs, and also came across a great supplier of electric hub motors. This got me thinking about building a classic cruiser that had a) an internal rear hub to keep maintenance to a minimum, and b) an electric motor in order to reduce the energy required to get to and from work (my plan is to ride every day - last year that never happened because after 2 days in a row of riding I felt too exhausted to tackle a 3rd, 4th or 5th day). With a power assisted ride I should have no problem committing to a full week's worth of commuting, and during the hot summer months I won't arrive to work covered in sweat.
Needless to say I am officially on the hunt for the perfect bike that will fit all my future requirements
- Internal rear hub - preferably an 8 speed Alfine hub
- Steel or ChroMo front fork - the folks at AmpedBikes.com recommend a steel fork (you can read more here)
- All the necessary grommets to allow for fenders and racks
- Classic geometry
- Priced around the $900 mark (the cash I had from the sale of my Specialized Roubaix)
To buy or not to buy?
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