Couple of questions?

[Saracenlad]

As some of you may know I am a very recent convert to E Biking. How often do you recommend charging the battery? I ran it down to 50% and then recharged it. We have been told that we must remove the batteries before we take them on our Thule Tow Bar rack. Is this so?
We have so much to learn. Did our favourite coffee ride this morning and were both laughing at the top of all the hills. Is this normal? Thanks in advance.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I charge mine when I need to to make sure I have enough for another ride

I know most of my rides are 20 miles (ish_or just under and I can get 2 rides outof a single charge on this battery if I ride in Eco mode
and then have a fair bit left

so if I have done one ride sone the last charge then I won't charge yet
when I have done a second ride then I will charge it unless I can see that I won;t ride for a few days

Technically I should run it down to 20% or so then charge up to 80% but that is too much hassle

I do avoid leaving it fully charged for long periods of time - such as over rainy period in winter or if we are going on holiday. I try to fully charge it then go for a ride of about 10 miles if that is possible

I also avoid leaving it in the shed if it is freezing and I never charge it when it is cold outside. I have only just started charging in the shed this year at all

As far as the tow bar is concerned I would take the battery off for 2 reasons
a) security - the bike with no battery is far less attractive to a thief - and if you still have the battery and the bike has been stolen then the insurance company might be more co-operative

b) it takes weight off the rack and puts it into the main part fo teh car

 

[wiggydiggy]

Is it Bosch? Mine is and I follow the advice on their site: https://help.bosch-ebike.com/en/help-center/ebw-powerpacksbes2-care/asset-ast-00046

Generally speaking the battery never has less than 20-40% in it, I only charge it before a ride so its not stored with a charge, and always in the house whilst I'm in and awake (in a room with Heat detectors) is case of disaster. I know many people favour outside charging but the temperature extremes prevent that for now.

I'm actually in the middle of getting towbars quoted for use with a Thule EasyFold XT, now the rack is 17.9kg and both the bikes about 25kg. So thats about 65kg which is close the capacity of the vertical load on the towbar (75kg). I think for the few minutes it will take I'll be taking the batteries off.

By the way why are towbars and racks so expensive now. 5 years ago it was £800ish for the rack and the towbar, fitted. Its now £800 for the rack and about the same again for a towbar so 100% more expensive!

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Charging before a ride is not very practical for the way I use my bike

basically when I decide I am going out then I leave within 10-20 minutes - not enough time for a charge

often, in good weather, I find we are out of some groceries and just get my bike out and ride off - so the bike needs to be ready and charged most of the time

I do try to make sure it is not left at 100% for many days without being ridden - but if I expect to be able to ride and it gets cancelled then that can happen

 

[wiggydiggy]

Charging before a ride is not very practical for the way I use my bike

basically when I decide I am going out then I leave within 10-20 minutes - not enough time for a charge

often, in good weather, I find we are out of some groceries and just get my bike out and ride off - so the bike needs to be ready and charged most of the time

I do try to make sure it is not left at 100% for many days without being ridden - but if I expect to be able to ride and it gets cancelled then that can happen

Ah sorry what I meant was say I'm going out tomorrow, the battery would be charged the night before (if it's cold a quick boost on the day). But for any unplanned rides there's normally 10-15 miles of power in there.

 

[Mike Ayling]

I charge mine when I need to to make sure I have enough for another ride

I know most of my rides are 20 miles (ish_or just under and I can get 2 rides outof a single charge on this battery if I ride in Eco mode
and then have a fair bit left

so if I have done one ride sone the last charge then I won't charge yet
when I have done a second ride then I will charge it unless I can see that I won;t ride for a few days

Technically I should run it down to 20% or so then charge up to 80% but that is too much hassle

I do avoid leaving it fully charged for long periods of time - such as over rainy period in winter or if we are going on holiday. I try to fully charge it then go for a ride of about 10 miles if that is possible

I also avoid leaving it in the shed if it is freezing and I never charge it when it is cold outside. I have only just started charging in the shed this year at all

As far as the tow bar is concerned I would take the battery off for 2 reasons
a) security - the bike with no battery is far less attractive to a thief - and if you still have the battery and the bike has been stolen then the insurance company might be more co-operative

b) it takes weight off the rack and puts it into the main part fo teh car

And the bike is easier to lift without the battery!

 

[Stul]

My bike has a max range in "Eco" mode of around 90 miles. My ride outes are normally arouns 20 / 30 miles, so I normally charge it up every 2nd ride, and try to turn it off around 80%, ie before it gets to "100%" full.
In the Winter months when I don't tend to ride I charge the battery up to around 80%, take it out the bike and store it in the house where it is warmer.
I have a bike rack that can take two 25kg bikes, but I always take the batteries out when transporting the bikes.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

My bike has a max range in "Eco" mode of around 90 miles. My ride outes are normally arouns 20 / 30 miles, so I normally charge it up every 2nd ride, and try to turn it off around 80%, ie before it gets to "100%" full.
In the Winter months when I don't tend to ride I charge the battery up to around 80%, take it out the bike and store it in the house where it is warmer.
I have a bike rack that can take two 25kg bikes, but I always take the batteries out when transporting the bikes.

Yes - the idea of teh extra weight hanging out at the back is not attractive to me
also - the battery is the most likely to be damaged in rain - although the connector could do with some help I suppose!

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Bit like with how I treat my newest mobile, I plan to recharge when down to 20-30% at the latest. If I have intensions of heading out on it in the next 30mins+ to next day, I'll charge to ~95%, longer break I'll limit charging to ~80%.

 

[CXRAndy]

As some of you may know I am a very recent convert to E Biking. How often do you recommend charging the battery? I ran it down to 50% and then recharged it. We have been told that we must remove the batteries before we take them on our Thule Tow Bar rack. Is this so?
We have so much to learn. Did our favourite coffee ride this morning and were both laughing at the top of all the hills. Is this normal? Thanks in advance.

If you're able to workout charging times to keep the battery between 20-80% the majority of the time.

When going for a big ride ,by all means charge to 100% but arrange the reaching of full charge just before you use the bike. Lithium batteries don't like being left for long periods at 100% and being very low charge less than 10%.

Keep the battery at an fairly even temperature, especially in winter, don't store in freezing conditions. Bring indoors and charge to 50%, this will likely see it through the winter stored at room temperature.

Charging time, you could run the battery down to 20% then put on charger and periodically check the level of charge. Once you know how long it takes to get back to 80% use a AC main timer controller to switch off the charger after (eg 5 hours).

Transport, take battery out to protect from excessive vibration and, though rare, being dislodged whilst being driven around..

Laughing or better description not gasping at the top of hills is very common. The real benefit for ebikes is keeping you in a zone of effort, regardless of terrain or wind conditions. You can get a great zone 2 workout. Me and the Mrs regularly use our ebikes for local cafe, pub, restaurants trips. We have ridden nearly 40 mile round trip to go to a restaurant, arrive non sweaty, burn a few calories off on the way home

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I could do with a timer to connect to the plug when I charge so I can set it to stop after a certain time

I can find ones that run from time A to time B
but not a simple one that you can set to run for 3 hours and stop

As I charge it in the shed in the summer it is kinda "out of sight out of mind" so I could easily leave it overnight

 

[Saracenlad]

Thanks very much for all the advice. Think I may be lucky as the bikes are stored in a substantial double garage. Thinking about a low wattage heater for the winter. Thanks again for the help.