Today I had a riding experience which was probably 30% above anything I've previously had with this bike (or any bike for that matter!). This was due to a few things. Firstly, I had taken the bike in to Dolomiti eBikes to see if they could address the slipping 10th gear issue. They did. The issue was pretty much gone - only once did it slip - which was amazing considering that 10th gear had been unusable for a few months. Secondly, on my request (it's winter here now..) they removed my worn-out road tyres and fitted Continental Race Kings, which are a semi-off-road, knobby tread tyre, with 29 x 2.2 dimensions and anti-puncture design. I had been waiting for the Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres to come in from the US, but it seems that Schwalbe don't see Australia as a viable market, so after 4 months of waiting - I called it. These new tyres are amazing. Not only do they grip in the wet and muddy conditions of the grassy sections beside the bike path, but they also provide a much desired suspension effect due to their width. Finally I'm seeing why Gepida fitted fat tyres to this bike in the stock configuration - road tyres just don't give you that smooth ride that the fat tyres do so well. Thirdly, a headlight. Here in Melbourne, sunlight is completely gone after 5:20pm. My old light was a no-name brand with a rating of about 35 lumens. I bought a CatEye Volt 700 unit to get me home on the bike path, which has no lighting and is pitch dark. Let me tell you, the combination of a knobby tyre, a non-slipping chain, and a 700 lumen headlight made the ride home nothing less than orgasmic. You can take it from me, in those conditions, the 700 lumen Volt was absolutely satisfactory. Yes, I could have paid another $200 for something super super bright, but this light did the trick. I had ridden home down this same path on my no-name light, which, incidentally, had been low on battery, and it was hell. I couldn't see a thing. If there had been an obstacle on that ride - that would have been the end. So, fellow eBikers, if you are travelling at high speeds (like me), in pitch darkness, on a bike path, you need at least 700 lumens to light up the road ahead. I can vouch for that. Get a CatEye Volt 700 and enjoy the ride.... |
|
AuthorI live in Melbourne's hilly Eastern suburbs, and without this bike I'd be absolutely deterred from riding anywhere. Now I use it all the time, for errands and to ride to work - 22km away in South Yarra Archives
February 2016
Categories
All
Cool Links |