Land Dinghies -- Electric Bike?

[Dockhead]

I carry a Dahon Jetstream EX, high end folding bike with 20" wheels, full suspension, and 18 gears. I love to ride and it's great having a bike which is both folding and easily carried in the dinghy and yet I can put cleats on and knock out 50 miles in the country if I want to.


However, I am spending the summer in Helsinki working on one project, and I'm trying to get along without a car, and as I don't want to wear cleats to business meetings, or arrive sweaty, I'm considering an electric bike. I was amazed in China a couple of years ago to see that virtually the entire population gets around on electric bikes so I suppose there must be something to it.


Anybody using one of these?


I note that Tern are now making a couple of folders in similar format to my Jetstream (but unfortunately without the suspension ):


https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/472/vektron-s10


This looks nice, and note the protection for the front chainwheel -- lack of this has resulted in bending mine on my Jetstream several times, as the bike rests on the chainwheel while folded


This looks like it could be a very good thing to have on board, with proper racks making it possible to hump provisions and parts.

[poiu]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I carry a Dahon Jetstream EX, high end folding bike with 20" wheels, full suspension, and 18 gears. I love to ride and it's great having a bike which is both folding and easily carried in the dinghy and yet I can put cleats on and knock out 50 miles in the country if I want to.


However, I am spending the summer in Helsinki working on one project, and I'm trying to get along without a car, and as I don't want to wear cleats to business meetings, or arrive sweaty, I'm considering an electric bike. I was amazed in China a couple of years ago to see that virtually the entire population gets around on electric bikes so I suppose there must be something to it.


Anybody using one of these?


I note that Tern are now making a couple of folders in similar format to my Jetstream (but unfortunately without the suspension ):


https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/472/vektron-s10


This looks nice, and note the protection for the front chainwheel -- lack of this has resulted in bending mine on my Jetstream several times, as the bike rests on the chainwheel while folded


This looks like it could be a very good thing to have on board, with proper racks making it possible to hump provisions and parts.

$3700 for that. I'll bet the Chinese don't pay that for one. You can rent cars and in the time it takes for your electric bike to rust into dust you will have spent far less in rental costs I would guess. A much cheaper electric bike would be attractive.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by poiu

$3700 for that. I'll bet the Chinese don't pay that for one. You can rent cars and in the time it takes for your electric bike to rust into dust you will have spent far less in rental costs I would guess. A much cheaper electric bike would be attractive.

Renting cars and Uber has been my usual ground transportation already now for some years. Tube and tram where that works. I have kind of weaned myself off of individual car transportation and even sold the Range Rover at home recently because I just wasn't using it. My work is focused on 4 cities so I am traveling all the time.



But it would be nice to have some individual transport with a bit of range; it's not strictly an economic calculation. Some places, renting a car for a day is a fantastic solution. Car sharing is also something which works well in some cities. But Helsinki is a little different from other cities -- often the tram and tube are fine, but parking is a byatch and taxis, even Uber, are expensive and often unavailable. There is a wonderful network of bike roads and lanes. Summer time here cries out for some kind of solution like that.

[GordMay]

Do electric bicycles require license plates?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Do electric bicycles require license plates?

Not around here. They are not electric motorcycles; they only assist pedaling and assist is automatically turned off over a certain speed.


Might be different in different countries, but that's how it works in Europe.

[Rumpi]

Simple solution, electrify the existing Dahon. It's not like it has not been done before. Here a video about how to do it and with what.

https://youtu.be/G5cLAO47ADA

[singlespeed]

Most cruising boats that I have seen do not carry sufficient charging sources to allow for an electric bike. Also the electronic components on the majority of electric bikes are not corrosion protected for a salt rich atmosphere, simply moisture "proof".

If you primarily spend time at a dock, with access to electricity, the electric bike makes sense.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by singlespeed

Most cruising boats that I have seen do not carry sufficient charging sources to allow for an electric bike. Also the electronic components on the majority of electric bikes are not corrosion protected for a salt rich atmosphere, simply moisture "proof".

If you primarily spend time at a dock, with access to electricity, the electric bike makes sense.

Well, when you're not at a dock, you don't much need a bike at all, usually. This is more for extended port calls, so shore power will be available most of the time. But in any case, I have a heavy duty continuous rated generator on board, and a 2.5kW alternator on the main engine. Charge source would be not the slightest problem, in my case anyway, even at anchor. The battery is only 0.4kW/h; I could even charge that off my inverter.

[sparrowhawk1]

I sure would like one of these. Also with a 12-volt charger. I could charge the battery during the day when I'm at work on whatever boat I'm running Prodeco Technologies Mariner 7 Electric Folding Bicycle

https://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/bik...890887015.html

It's been kept in indoor storage but never ridden. Prodeco Technologies Mariner 7 Electric Folding Bicycle (36V, 300W) 36V 300W, 38.4V9A Electric Bicycle Folding Aluminum Alloy Frame 38.4V Lithium Ion Phosphate 2000 Charge Cycles Battery Front & ...

And note the battery is phosphate which is much safer

[roverhi]

Most any bike can have electric propulsion added via front hub motors. Takes some getting used to as front wheel drive changes the handling characteristics of the bike that can cause embarrassment. Rear drive motors are better but are more complicated to install.

BikeFriday has gotten into electric assist in a big way. Add it to one of their cargo bikes and you have a mini pickup. Prices are quite a bit less than the Tern as the motors are add ons.

https://www.bikefriday.com/folding-b...lectric-assist
https://www.bikefriday.com/folding-b...ystem-overview

Last but not least, you could ditch the clip ons and go back to pedal cages with regular shoes. Tried clip ons and didn't like them especially tipping over at a stop sign when the pedal didn't unclip.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I carry a Dahon Jetstream EX, high end folding bike with 20" wheels, full suspension, and 18 gears. I love to ride and it's great having a bike which is both folding and easily carried in the dinghy and yet I can put cleats on and knock out 50 miles in the country if I want to.


However, I am spending the summer in Helsinki working on one project, and I'm trying to get along without a car, and as I don't want to wear cleats to business meetings, or arrive sweaty, I'm considering an electric bike. I was amazed in China a couple of years ago to see that virtually the entire population gets around on electric bikes so I suppose there must be something to it.


Anybody using one of these?


I note that Tern are now making a couple of folders in similar format to my Jetstream (but unfortunately without the suspension ):


https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/472/vektron-s10


This looks nice, and note the protection for the front chainwheel -- lack of this has resulted in bending mine on my Jetstream several times, as the bike rests on the chainwheel while folded


This looks like it could be a very good thing to have on board, with proper racks making it possible to hump provisions and parts.

I have two Tern non-electric folding bikes and they are of great quality. I have not tried their electric versions as I need the exercise. I would recommend the Tern company and their products.

It all depends on what you can find localy, what features you want, how long you want to keep the bike and how much you want to spend. I prefer to spend more for quality.

A local good dealer is very important.

[NorthCoastJoe]

Have you looked into the copenhagen wheel. It is an electric that works with all bikes, you have to respoke your wheel to use it. Then you can keep your existing bike.

https://www.superpedestrian.com/en/tech

[Grattaway]

what about an electric scooter for getting around Helsinki instaed of an electric bike
they seem to be popping up everywhere, cheaper and more compact than a bike for on boat storage

Wayne

[a64pilot]

We have two URB-E’s in storage. Wife doesn’t like them, so I bought two Dahon Mariners.
Guess what? She doesn’t like them either.
The URB-E is actually US made, in California, it’s expensive but very well made, and very, very strong. I’m 250 and it carries me easily. It folds very small. So small you place the whole thing between your legs on a bus while standing.
Ours has the large battery and has a 20 mile range at about 16 MPH
https://urb-e.com

This is a video of our model, since then there are newer models of course
https://youtu.be/Fx-qQ7hEdn8

[dksail]

I added a mid drive Bfang 750W kit to my mountain bike 3 years ago and love it. Rumpi posted a video above on how it might be done to a smaller bike. The cost is about $1,000 for battery, motor, display. Takes about 4 hours to put together. The ONLY downside is weight. The motor and the battery are about 8 pounds each. I have about 2,000 miles on the motor with no issues. I can go about 28 mph on throttle only. It has a peddle assisted range of about 60 miles with the battery I selected.

We will eventually add electric bikes to our cruising equipment.