# RAB LEJOG on Ribble eroad bike



## youngoldbloke (7 Nov 2019)

_Laura Laker takes a Ribble CGR Al-e on a spin from one end of the country to the other_ - experiences of Ride Across Britain on a Ribble e-road bike, with range extender battery. EBM system as used on Orbea Gain.


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## confusedcyclist (7 Nov 2019)

Very impressive.


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## derrick (7 Nov 2019)

confusedcyclist said:


> Very impressive.


How


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## confusedcyclist (7 Nov 2019)

Should have elaborated... impressive that the range could be eked out and charging points could be accessed on such a long tour. A failure to do either would have resulted in much misery, or more realistically, a DNF.


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## steveindenmark (7 Nov 2019)

derrick said:


> How


Not particularly impressive but it must have been great fun.


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## G3CWI (7 Nov 2019)

Good story but truly bizarre end piece.


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## CXRAndy (7 Nov 2019)

It permitted a rider not confident (yet) to do an event beyond with a little help.

That's the whole premise of Ebikes. Im hoping my wife will one day cycle up Alpe d huez or Ventoux on her ebike. Something she would never dream of attempting un assisted


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## NickWi (8 Nov 2019)

It’s a bit disappointing that Threshold Sports Limited, organisers of the RAB aren’t going to allow e-bikes on their ride, especially considering who their charity partners are. These include the Alzheimer’s Society, Parkinson’s UK, Cancer Research UK, Prostate Cancer UK and MacMillan, all of which promote cycling as a healthy activity, and would particular advocate e-biking as a gently and efficient method of assisting physical & mental recovery.

You could also argue that their policy was discriminatory against both aged and disable people. I accept that having to provide recharging points* at the camps might be an extra job to organise, but every other organisation has to provide facilities to cope with less able bodied people, why should they be exempt?

Maybe a few well worded emails to their sponsors, partners and the Charities Commission may provide pressure to change their minds.

*Question. How do the hundreds of people who do this event recharge their Garmins and lights every day?


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## CXRAndy (8 Nov 2019)

NickWi said:


> How do the hundreds of people who do this event recharge their Garmins and lights every day?



Exactly, to charge an ebike is no more inconvenient than a nav device. They only draw 2 Amps for charging.


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## ColinJ (8 Nov 2019)

CXRAndy said:


> Exactly, to charge an ebike is no more inconvenient than a nav device. They only draw 2 Amps for charging.


50 Garmins could be charged from one power point if you had enough sockets to plug into. You would need at least 10 times as many power points to charge 50 e-bikes!


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## confusedcyclist (8 Nov 2019)

NickWi said:


> *Question. How do the hundreds of people who do this event recharge their Garmins and lights every day?



Pinch of salt, I've never done it but if they are camping its likely that they just don't. Someone properly equipped for long tours will make use of a proper dynamo setup and can charge their bits with a usb port in the headset.


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## derrick (8 Nov 2019)

Can you not connect a dynamo to charge an ebike? Iknow it will not keep it fully charged, but might extend the miles.


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## confusedcyclist (8 Nov 2019)

Hah, no for lots of reasons. You'll always burn more energy pushing the dynamo than you generate due to conversion losses, a.k.a. <100% efficiency (same reason perpetual motion machines don't work). Theortically you might be able to connect the dynamo to the battery of a moving ebike, but it defeats the point if you get a longer range without it! Also a typical hub dynamo couldn't power a 4 amp 230 volt charging unit, because they are designed to power 3W 6 volt LEDs, or about 0.5amps,m, which most scrawny people can manage*.

*Also, just because it's interesting:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4O5voOCqAQ


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## youngoldbloke (8 Nov 2019)

confusedcyclist said:


> *Also, just because it's interesting:
> 
> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4O5voOCqAQ



- but he could have toasted *2* slices! Wasted energy!


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## youngoldbloke (8 Nov 2019)

NickWi said:


> It’s a bit disappointing that Threshold Sports Limited, organisers of the RAB aren’t going to allow e-bikes on their ride, especially considering who their charity partners are. These include the Alzheimer’s Society, Parkinson’s UK, Cancer Research UK, Prostate Cancer UK and MacMillan, all of which promote cycling as a healthy activity, and would particular advocate e-biking as a gently and efficient method of assisting physical & mental recovery.
> 
> _You could also argue that their policy was discriminatory against both aged and disable people. I accept that having to provide recharging points* at the camps might be an extra job to organise, but every other organisation has to provide facilities to cope with less able bodied people, why should they be exempt?_
> 
> ...


You could argue that the cost of taking part discriminates against _most_ people. Seriously, I think making provision for charging larger numbers of ebikes and caring for those who would almost inevitably run out of power on a stage would pose a huge logistical challenge. I know a number of those involved in chaperoning on the event and it is a really tough challenge - both for the riders they are looking after and the chaperones themselves! A separate event maybe?


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## confusedcyclist (8 Nov 2019)

Any entrepreneurs in the room may have found a new niche to exploit. Organised E-bike Tours.


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## confusedcyclist (8 Nov 2019)

youngoldbloke said:


> - but he could have toasted *2* slices! Wasted energy!


A great way of looking at it. Bloke was knackered. If he was supplying energy to my house. He would have made only £0.00000336. Puts our fossil fuel dependence into perspective really!


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