[Toshi]

I just realized that a new frame and fork aren't actually necessary if my goal is merely front panniers and a mid drive. Rear eyelet absence doesn't matter if I'm not running a rack, and I discovered just now that Old Man Mountain makes a front rack that fits suspension forks!

It's the Sherpa, and, yes, it comes in a 29er fitment.

Sherpa + front panniers + mid drive + current 29er would make for a good setup. Fenders are conspicuously absent from this idea, but I'd be changing into and from riding clothes anyway given the length and dirt-flinging sections. I still have my Goretex over pants and other parts of my Seattle bike commuting clown suit.


Update: Potential fly in the ointment is the squashed front triangle on my current 29er. I have doubts that a battery would fit in that abbreviated triangle:

Battery pack with dimensions for comparison:

 

[Toshi]

First annual review is now done. It covered Jan 1-Dec 30, 2014, noting I wasn't employed here at UC Denver until July 15. It was quite positive. No concerns on their part, and I'm doing a good job of starting up my own research projects to keep the academic treadmill marching forward.



Looks like I'm in a safe place job-wise to move ahead with the house building process, once the builder opens up the lot block (in the summer?!).

 

[Toshi]

Another day, another goathead thorn, another flat--had one on Friday, too. At least it's nice weather to wait for the wife to rescue me.

(The supposedly flat-proof and accordingly heavy Schwalbes are to arrive tomorrow. 1100g for a 700 x 45!)

 

[Toshi]

Update: Potential fly in the ointment is the squashed front triangle on my current 29er. I have doubts that a battery would fit in that abbreviated triangle:

Battery pack with dimensions for comparison:

I bust out the measuring tape and confirmed that that frame pack is never going to fit in the squished-for-suspension-fork-clearance front triangle of my Jamis 29er.

I also completed Project 29er Emasculation:

Goofy looking thing now, isn't it?

The new meats. I ordered 45 mm width and got a 47 mm. Didn't know they made such a size, in fact. Close enough, and quite close indeed in spirit to the old Vittoria Randonneur Cross tires I had on my e-bike when it lived.

The tires know what's in store for them. The per hour part got left out. That mark signifies compliance with ECE-R75 regulations regarding performance at sustained high speeds and high loads. Good thing, since these tires are minor tanks, more akin in weight to downhill (or moped?!) rubber than anything.

 

[Toshi]

1) New tires are quite nice for my commute. They roll well enough on gravel/dirt and are fantastic on pavement. Silent and quick. I feel like I'm 2 or even 3 gears quicker.

2) New IIHS data covering 2009-2011 model years confirms what we already knew, that vehicle mass and fatality rate are inversely correlated if all else is hold equal:

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/sr/statusreport/article/50/1/1

See the 4 door sedan stats, for instance… As when I wrote about it before it's impossible to tease out the demographic differences between a Kia Rio and Audi A6 driver, but the Rio and its ilk are consistently much worse than other similarly cheap vehicles. I do not trust the Koreans yet.

 

[dump]

Cool, proper tires are key!

 

[Toshi]

Our LEAF lease isn't up until the beginning of August. Nissan is probably going to rape me for scratched cargo area plastics from my wife putting strollers in and the like. That's not the point but rather the timing... because I just put my money where my mouth is/typing fingers are, and paid to transfer a Toyota RAV4 EV from Sacramento to Denver. I departed from my own planned car purchase timeline because CarMax dropped their price on this particular unit by nearly 10% over the past few days, bringing them in line with if not a tiny bit under "normal" dealers with their sleazy tactics and inflated shipping, and I didn't want to let this car slip through my fingers.

Specifics: 2012, < 12k miles, single California owner, no accidents on the AutoCheck report, and blue paint. There were no options other than the choice of three (?) paint colors as new, thus this one has everything they all do: 41.8 kWh of Tesla lithium powering what's essentially a detained Model S motor that's located up front, a last-gen body shell with tweaked aerodynamics, and a fancy big Entune/navi screen along with capacitive touchscreen climate controls.

I haven't committed to buying the thing as of yet, but transferring it at my cost as I did will net me 72 hours once it arrives and is prepped during which I have right of first refusal. If I buy it I will definitely get the MaxCare extended warranty as a hedge against poor out-of-state Toyota support should its fragile gateway ECU give up the ghost. ETA in Denver is the first week of March, so I have plenty of time in which to get financing lined up: I'm thinking DCU's 1.24% rate for fuel efficient vehicles will be tough to beat.

 

[Toshi]

I found out that "my" RAV4 EV's pre-delivery inspection was in October 2012. This means the in service date was at least then if not later. This in turn may mean that I have other extended warranty options that are as comprehensive as that of CarMax's MaxCare and are cheaper.

In particular, being still under factory warranty (3 years or 36k miles, starting from the in service date) means that I could potentially buy a Toyota Extra Care Platinum Vehicle Service Agreement. That's a mouthful, but the net result is that it'd be a comprehensive warranty extension akin to MaxCare, only with possible longer terms (up to 8 years, mileage irrelevant given our low-mileage habits) and a lower cost.

This lower cost is a somewhat illusory benefit as Toyota forced their dealers to restrict sales of this nationwide, Toyota-backed product to in-state customers. Some dealers are still willing to play ball, +/- tactics like completing the transaction over the phone (so as not to be an "internet sale") or forcing mailing of the relevant documents to an in-state address.

This hassle may prove to be worth it, however. As a baseline, the easily available, known-quantity CarMax MaxCare warranty is $1,189 (quote for a 2013, close enough). That's for 60 months and 75k miles. The clock is from in service date, I believe, so this would be until October 2017.

The best pricing I've seen so far is from a dealer in Kansas that used to do a lot of internet business and is now reduced to only writing warranties for customers that march in their front door in person. They sell the Toyota ECP VSA for $734 for an 8 year 75k mile term (so until October 2020--much better).

As it is, I'm loathe to spend a day traveling to and from Kansas, so might have to compromise with a dealer with higher prices but easier policies. (The ultimate ease would be to pay asking price/retail, which shows the markups to be absolutely obscene. A Bellevue dealer quoted me $1,825 for a 7/100 VSA, which is a $924 item from the Kansas dealer. !!)


Update: See pricing below. I'll keep this updated every few days. Seattle of Toyota is banking on a 75%+ profit margin...

Can view here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14eNwTBz8_kN4Bc5HVFqa2lRztr2CWtAQSVJabiuy-Xc/edit?usp=sharing

Or screenshotted:

 

[Toshi]

All of these may be less than useful, though, as the basic powertrain warranty (5/60) is said to cover these components explicitly:

EV Charger
EV Gateway Control ECU
EV Traction Motor Assembly
Power Management Control ECU
Thermal Control ECU

That Gateway ECU is the one that has been breaking. Perhaps the sanest course of action is to just rely on the powertrain warranty...

 

[Toshi]

Several relevant updates to the above:

1) I verified with Toyota that the in service date of the RAV4 EV en route to me actually was February 2013 (I'd assumed it was closer to the pre-delivery inspection in October 2012). This means the 3/36 comprehensive warranty is good through February 2016.

2) I verified with a representative at my local CarMax store that MaxCare explicitly DOES cover the electric motor and transmission. The battery is not covered.

3) I verified with Toyota's Extra Care people that the Extra Care Platinum warranty DOES NOT cover the electric drivetrain components. (800-228-8559)

4) The Extra Care people mentioned that there is an unpublished warranty on the electric drivetrain components through Toyota Corporate. I called the latter and was told that there indeed exists an 8/80 warranty specifically for the drivetrain components. I asked if this is documented on their public web site, and was told that it is not. (800-331-4331)

Add 1-4 together and it seems that MaxCare would be more comprehensive, but its coverage would be redundant as the native Toyota 8/80 EV drivetrain warranty would already cover the expensive bits.

If one did want an extended warranty for the non drivetrain bits, which might be a good idea for the heater alone, then I concede that the Toyota Extra Care Platinum VSA product is a much better deal once one finds a dealer willing to, well, deal. (One of my local Colorado dealers agreed to match Jerry Johnson's $734 price for an 8/75 plan. Full pricing from all those I contacted is two posts above.)

 

[Toshi]

Shit's getting real: the RAV4 EV should arrive at my local Denver CarMax store on Friday! Too bad I'm not physically back in Denver until Monday. The car will wait. It'll just be a minor pain to get first my wife, then me, then both of us out there to verify that we like it, complete the purchase, and get it home, respectively.

 

[Toshi]

I test rode a Novara Gotham today at REI Seattle to check out a few things: whether a frame battery pack would fit; how the sizing runs; and how the NuVinci hub/Gates belt drive system feels.

First up, pack fitment. Here's what dimensions are required:

Here's what the L/XL frame's triangle looks like:

I think it'd work.

With regard to sizing, the L/XL didn't have a lot of standover clearance for me (not a surprise) but would certainly work for road riding. Reach actually felt too short, but that's probably an artifact of the narrow markedly pulled back handlebar setup. I certainly wouldn't want to go smaller, and slapping on my wide flat bars would probably make it nice and stretched out.

The NuVinci hub actually worked really well. The amount of slop in its freewheel is akin to that of a normal hub (but not a Chris King or modern XT), which is much better than the loosey goosey Alfine 8 that I had before. (Was it a Nexus 8? Can't recall. Shimano 8 speed internal geared in any case.)

I didn't sense an elastic feel from its innards when climbing, either, which was similarly a complain of mine with the old hub.

There seemed to be a wide gear spread, which is corroborated by this chart:

The absolute legend on the chart is inaccurate as this bike had 700c wheels and a 50t front chainring. Uh, toothring? Beltring? The correction factor should be 622/559 * 50/36 ~= 1.54, which in turn would imply a feel about the same as a double crankset road bike. That impression was pretty spot on--maybe a bit easier on the low end but the high end gears were ridiculously long. This would be perfect for e-bike conversion.

Here's that 50t beltring:

Partially obscured in the above photo is the name CenterTrack, which is evidenced by the ridge up the middle as pictured here:

Although this gave me brief hope that it'd have enough "chainline" tolerance for a mid drive setup to work +/- shimming the adapted beltwheel inwards, this guy has already tried exactly that on this same bike, unbeknownst to me (and he's from Seattle!):

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=65093&p=986793

Cliffs Notes are that it didn't work, due to chainline/beltline and eccentric BB issues alike.

The Gotham would still work fine with a front hub motor, probably a geared eZee since I haven't gone down that route before (other hub motors I've used were direct drive) and because they promise more torque. The bike itself is not compelling enough to warrant abandoning the mid drive concept, though, so perhaps it's back to the Surly Ogre idea.

 

[Westy]

Have you ridden a nice modern road bike? They are so damn fast you can cruise at a pretty clip with little to no effort.

 

[Toshi]

That's true, but skinny-ish (cross bike?) tires would require me to ride with cars. My up and down route along the Sand Creek Greenway is not quick as it has lots of dirt and gravel, but is sheltered.

Also detracting from the quickness are larger volume tires (such as my 700 x 47s) and the other detritus that is nice on commuter bikes: full fenders, racks/panniers, lighting.

 

[Westy]

Road bikes work surprisingly well on dirt and gravel as long as it is packed fairly well. Roadies are not immune to the every growing genres of riding styles so popular in mountainbiking. Take a look at "gravel grinders"

 

[Toshi]

I have been seeing a lot of these gravel road bikes on the path, usually with a roadie astride, grinding out miles so that they can hang with their upper middle class neighborhood peloton come spring.

 

[Toshi]

Besides, these gravel bikes are essentially drop bar versions of my 29er with a lighter wheelset. The slow link in the equation is clearly me... which is why I like the idea of a mid drive. It's an extra sprinter's worth of power at my beck and call.

 

[Toshi]

Shit's getting real: the RAV4 EV should arrive at my local Denver CarMax store on Friday! Too bad I'm not physically back in Denver until Monday. The car will wait. It'll just be a minor pain to get first my wife, then me, then both of us out there to verify that we like it, complete the purchase, and get it home, respectively.

The RAV4 EV has now been test driven by both the wife (last night) and me (tonight). I took home a signed purchase order for it: $30,998 + TTL. Oddly enough Denver taxes are higher than Colorado taxes. Go figure.

This purchase order then goes to my credit union, DCU, and hopefully I will have it in our garage by Friday, which is the first day that both Jessica and I could make it out there simultaneously due to Mariko-toting duties.

 

[Toshi]

It is pretty fun, for the record. In Sport mode and the 28 degree weather it'll spin the tires (a tire? surely open diff) while rolling on dry ground.

Some Nokian Hakkapeliita R2 SUV snow meats are in order for it ASAP, perhaps even Saturday.

 

[Westy]

It is pretty fun, for the record. In Sport mode and the 28 degree weather it'll spin the tires (a tire? surely open diff) while rolling on dry ground.

Some Nokian Hakkapeliita R2 SUV snow meats are in order for it ASAP, perhaps even Saturday.

Can it run a 3" Gazzaloddi?

 

[Toshi]

A few photos from the past weeks' road trippage:

Mariko + my mom

Sometimes depth of field is a pain in the ass. One eye in focus.

Happy baby is a happy baby. She's now 5th percentile weight, 50th height, 50th head circumference. She's the right size but has no meat on her little baby body. More butter and bacon for her!

 

[Toshi]

Can it run a 3" Gazzaloddi?

I was actually thinking that I could plan out a clean sheet e-bike based off of tire choice. Gazzaloddis, trials bike tires (little 16 x 3" rear meats all around?), moped tires, something odd…

All a mid drive needs is a standard threaded 68 mm BB shell, which unfortunately rules out fat bikes. A company does make an adapter kit, but it seems a bit labor intensive: https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/bbs02-fat-bike-conversion-kit/

 

[Toshi]

Mmm Nokians

255/65R18. Tall and skinny, unlike me.

 

[Toshi]

Brief drive of a 2014 Mazda 6 Sport 6 speed

Pros:

- still can get a mainstream JDM midsize sedan with a stick shift, as with the one I drove
- nice, low h-point
- looks nice
- 4 cylinder doesn't feel underpowered, and actually has a decent growl
- really long trunk, front to back, albeit not that tall
- didn't seem too loud on the freeway, contrary to what I expected given reviews that I had read

Cons:

- can't get a model with no sunroof and a stick + navi/rear view camera/any of the newfangled autobrake type features
- swoopy A-pillars and raked back windshield make for an overly cozy feeling for a sedan, IMO
- barely enough headroom up front for me sans sunroof (hair brushed headliner) and I frankly hit the roof in the rear
- 4th gear synchro felt wonky, although that might be a side effect of a car sitting frozen on the lot for a few weeks and awoken in 18 degree weather

Verdict: I'm glad Mazda sent me a $25 gift card offer in order to test drive any of their cars. The 6 is probably the most interesting to me, and for those without headroom issues it is available with a stick and the tech toys.

 

[Toshi]

I want to build a house, as well documented here. I know what lot I want (see scribbled red arrow). The builder opens up lot blocks for sale at a glacial rate, however--at this 3-per-release-in-each-section rate it may be several more months yet...

(We want one of the lots on the apex of the "boomerang", as it were, as they're bigger. The lot with the arrow is the only one that's slated for the floorplan that we want, in turn. Nothing to do but sit on my hands for now. Take my money, already!)

 

[Toshi]

The longtails and cargo bikes of the world have had some appeal to my non-conformist side, but they just look so awkward. See Kona Ute, Portland-approved bakfiets, Surly Long Haul Trucker, etc. Same complaint goes for recumbents--I don't care much about appearances usually, but they are super ungainly with their long, nasty chain runs.

The "midtail" Kona MinUte seems to split the difference between longtails and normal bikes quite nicely. I hope that that front triangle has just enough room to stash a frame-mounted battery pack. Assuming it did so, then the question would just be of what electrification method:

- powerful, wide-stator front hub motor (and deal with ugly wiring)
- mid-drive a la Bafang BBS02 of uncertain long-term reliability
- tried and true 9 Continent rear hub motor now that one can get a Shimano compatible cassette freehub (I last ran a freewheel circa 1994, on a crap Nuke Proof hub whose axle I later cracked, and don't plan to go back)

Hub motors are proven but heavy, plus I killed two of them (Crystalyte and 9C) in Seattle's rainy weather. Denver probably is a more forgiving clime, granted, but shoddy quality control and construction remains shoddy regardless.

 

[Toshi]

Said 3 setups priced out:

I've actually been sort of productive today before this two hour foray into price speculation, honest.

 

[Toshi]

We have used just 120V level 1 charging at home since we leased our LEAF in August 2013. It actually has worked out pretty well, as we don't drive much and the LEAF is efficient enough such that even recharging at a hair over 1 kW it almost always is charged by morning.

The RAV4 EV is a different story. It is much less efficient, with me often using 400 or 450 Wh/mile versus 300 or so for the LEAF, driving style constant. This means it's often not fully charged on days when one of us takes a trip longer than the usual preschool run. Furthermore, we can't charge both EVs simultaneously as the one free outlet block in the garage shares a 120V 15A breaker.

Therefore I think we are going to install 240V level 2 EVSE at long last, assuming our current landlord is ok with the idea. The RAV4 EV has a 10 kW onboard Tesla charger, so a 40A EVSE on a 50A dedicated circuit is indicated. (If we should go Tesla in the future up that to a 100A circuit and a hard wired 80A EVSE/"connector" in their terminology!) I have an appointment in a week or two for a local electrician to give a quote for a 50A circuit and 6-50 outlet, and we should hear back from the landlord before then. Since the breaker box is on the outside garage wall and the outlet for the EVSE could go on the inside wall basically directly inside I hope to minimize the wire run length and thus cost--6 or 8 gauge copper isn't cheap!

What has become relatively cheap is the EVSE itself. There's the option of a 40A continuous JuiceBox for $500, but I'm leery: for one, they've been claiming for at least a year that UL certification is around the corner yet it's still not there. I also read that its design is suboptimal when large gauge cable is run to it for high power applications. The safer option is the Leviton charger that Toyota recommends. It lists at $1600, sold at about $1200 at this point last year, and now can be picked up from Amazon for $700. Sounds good to me in exchange for 4 hour charges from "empty."

 

[Toshi]

I want to build a house, as well documented here. I know what lot I want (see scribbled red arrow). The builder opens up lot blocks for sale at a glacial rate, however--at this 3-per-release-in-each-section rate it may be several more months yet...

(We want one of the lots on the apex of the "boomerang", as it were, as they're bigger. The lot with the arrow is the only one that's slated for the floorplan that we want, in turn. Nothing to do but sit on my hands for now. Take my money, already!)

So we took my mother in law to see the model house yesterday and met up with a different sales guy (who replaced the one fired for slow sales in the fall). He sang a different tune, and said that he could draw up a promissory note, essentially, that would guarantee us right of first refusal on the lot in exchange for a $10k check. (Note different story and different amount: previously I'd been told $5k.)

The different sales person in today told our realtor yet another story, and that possibly this new guy was being overly enthusiastic in his promises. Nevertheless I will have a $10k cashier's check made out to the builder by the end of the week, just in case... (and if this whole thing falls through then I can return it to the bank and say it wasn't used for the intended purpose, or so I read)

Home buying should be more straightforward with a production builder. I want to give them money, but they won't let me, and that's just plain un-American, I do say.


Latest from our realtor:

Just spoke to [new sales guy]. It's basically a hold on that lot. And they don't know how much the house or lot will be, but it's basically you give them a check for the lot, and you get first right of refusal. If something changes for you guys, you can get out. [He] is emailing you and me a copy of the hold notice. Then you take him the signed note and the check and it's held for you. He is guessing it will be released soon-ish. That's the best estimate of time I could get.

 

[Toshi]

Alleyway ice from a week or two back:

'tis all melted now, of course, because I bought those Nokians. Our "driveway" is just the 6' or so from the garage threshold to the ice in the last photo.

 

[Toshi]

This seems very much like something I'd do: http://www.teslacost.com/

His assumptions are for 333 Wh/mile in the Tesla and 15,000 miles per year. Change that or change the depreciation and the equation changes. Point is that running costs matter given these assumptions, and a minivan is on the order of a P85 Model S (!).

 

[Toshi]

I want to build a house, as well documented here. I know what lot I want (see scribbled red arrow). The builder opens up lot blocks for sale at a glacial rate, however--at this 3-per-release-in-each-section rate it may be several more months yet...

(We want one of the lots on the apex of the "boomerang", as it were, as they're bigger. The lot with the arrow is the only one that's slated for the floorplan that we want, in turn. Nothing to do but sit on my hands for now. Take my money, already!)

So we took my mother in law to see the model house yesterday and met up with a different sales guy (who replaced the one fired for slow sales in the fall). He sang a different tune, and said that he could draw up a promissory note, essentially, that would guarantee us right of first refusal on the lot in exchange for a $10k check. (Note different story and different amount: previously I'd been told $5k.)

Earnest money is now in the builder's hands. We traded a refundable $10k for 72 hour-from-release right of first refusal for the lot with my pretty red arrow. Winning.



Now to get next year's work contract signed (I'm technically appointed for a year's term at a time) and get a contract for the house signed with all the structural options picked (like 2.5 car garage, finished basement, 50A 240V circuit in garage, etc.).

 

[Toshi]

Some unorganized thoughts as I spend this week at a conference in San Diego:

1) Traffic coming back to San Diego from Coronado is terrible. Thankfully on future days my conference activities will be done by mid day so I'll be able to jet before the rush, in theory.

2) Weather here is worlds different from Denver, mainly in the humidity. It's funny seeing natives all bundled up at 65 degrees, as that feels super balmy to me.

3) The appeal of the beach on Coronado is strongly tempered by the frequent overflights by military turboprops and helicopters.

4) Even coming from a first world city, Denver, the newness and flashiness of cars and houses is jarring. In this land of crazy property prices my guess is that much of this outward affluence is "bought" with debt.

5) Parking at Hotel del Coronado is absurdly expensive by all but perhaps Manhattan prices. Valet is $63/day (!) and self parking is $58/day (!!). Thankfully, the meeting that I'm attending subsidizes this parking fully (!!!) as part of its non-negligible registration fee.

6) I probably shouldn't cheap out in the future on hotels as much as I did on this trip, noting that I ran out of department-provided travel money earlier this year and am doing this trip on my own dime. My $40/night + tax hotel is not in a terrible location, but the presence of an off-duty San Diego PD officer in the lobby and the admonitions on the elevator signs to not engage in illegal activity lest one be evicted (prostitution? drugs?) reveal a shady history. The walls are thin, the towels are tiny and rough, the shampoo is in an industrial dispenser on the shower wall, the carpet encourages me to always wear socks, and the TV is before the era of HD and LCDs.

7) San Diego seems very much a car-centric place despite its light rail line, which rumbles away not a quarter mile from my hotel. I've made a few trips to get dinner, groceries, etc., all a few miles, and the Google Maps-recommended route takes me on the freeway each time. To cross this mess of train tracks and overpasses to get from the Hotel Circle area to that which contains retail seems like it'd be sketchy and very tortuous were I on foot or bike.

 

[Toshi]

Rental car review: 2015 Toyota Corolla. 10xx miles on odometer, rented from Fox Rent A Car SAN.

Pros:

- looks sharp, especially in the white that I picked
- great headlights (the fabled LEDs?)
- side bolstering on driver's seat fits me quite well
- certainly doesn't feel like a tippy-tall fishbowl, as is sometimes the sensation in, say, a Fit or Versa

Cons:

- really high cowl height and dashboard given that an I-4 is underhood
- not great greenhouse, which, when combined with small mirrors and no backup camera, makes me more leery than I should be in a compact
- rental spec gets the ancient 4 speed automatic and no cruise control
- I-4 sounds agricultural, even though it is acceptably powered for this application

Verdict: I've certainly had worse rental cars in the past, but I wouldn't buy this were I in the market due to the visibility and cowl height.

 

[Toshi]

1) Booyah: more snow coming to Denver to vindicate my cheap-ass decision to leave the Nokians on all summer on both the RAV4 EV and the Land Cruiser. 80 degrees one day, snow the next: welcome to Denver.

2) My precious 80,000 United miles are now safely ensconced in my frequent flyer account. These were to be used for a trip to Japan per my plan (75,000 miles == one international coach class ticket) but now it seems as if I won't go. My mother tells me that visiting my grandmother may be a futile gesture--she's declining in her (very!) old age and thus she may not appreciate my gesture of hauling kid 1 and still-gestating kid 2 out across the seas. This in turn will save me quite a pretty penny that'll go towards the house down payment fund.

3) We shelved our plan to add a 50A 240V circuit to this rental house after the electrician we got a quote from backed out. Apparently his insurance doesn't cover him for work on rental houses, regardless of whether or not the landlord gave his blessing (he had). Meh. Again, more cost savings now, and when I spec out the electrical layout for the to be built house I'm definitely having a 50A line put in, as well as 50A extra free on the panel for possible future 240V 100A Tesla twin onboard charger shenanigans.

4) Harkening back to post #5683 above, I think that tire/suspension choice may be worth more pondering for my off and on planned electric commuter bike. The dirt here is quite unforgiving without suspension when one has high pressure tires: it gets soggy when the snow melts, rutted from the bike traffic, then hardens up into unforgiving bricks once the day-star reemerges.

Given my desire for racks and the like I don't think suspension is the way to go. That leaves two choices: fat bike (or, as I speculated, trials bike/moped) style large volume tires, or perhaps creating a street only machine.

That in turn implies moar powerz. If I'm going to be running with street traffic in traffic lanes I think matching the speed of the cars more closely would be a good thing. I don't want a full on electric motorcycle a la Zero as that'd defeat the whole "pittance of exercise" aspect to this equation, but having something capable of a solid 30-35 mph would be nice for running on 35-40 mph limit roads. That also might open me up to some liability/getting pulled over for having essentially an unregistered motorcycle, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it (and will maintain my motorcycle license, of course). So later tonight or tomorrow you all shall see some options for 2-3 kW e-bike setups, probably still on that Kona MinUte until I figure out something else that strikes my fancy even more.

 

[Toshi]

My precious 80,000 United miles are now safely ensconced in my frequent flyer account. [Not going to Japan] will save me quite a pretty penny that'll go towards the house down payment fund.

One possible use for said miles + 10k more: two roundtrip tickets to Hawaii. There is a radiology conference there in March 2016. My travel would be paid for through my educational allowance at work, and two more tix could cover Jessica + Mariko, with Thing 2 still lap-baby eligible. Hmm. That could work. All I have to do is get something accepted for the conference, which is an easy enough game to play at this stage knowing the proper buzzwords, etc.

 

[Toshi]

2-3 kW e-bike options:

Crystalyte, the same Chinese outfit that made my original hub motor whose Hall sensors died a soggy death, has new options. One is The Crown, which will take up to 4.5 kW power input, I believe. It seems more suited to a true e-motorcycle build as its stator is so wide that it can only take a single cog when used with standard 135 mm dropouts:

Not being able to pedal along at a normal cadence would be stupid. There is a more sane option, though, especially since I appear to need about 2 kW, not 4 kW. That would be the Crystalyte H3540:

Yeah, that'd be fun... With a big chainring and a wide ratio cassette like my current XT 10-speed then there'd even be enough spread in the gear ratios to allow for pedaling along at speed while starting under pedal power. It has a 17 mm width axle so would have nice, big axle flats to interface with the dropouts, and a 35 mm width stator. As the simulator above shows it would overheat when 2 kW is pumped through it, but 14 minutes at 38 mph is longer than I'd need to get from home to work. Furthermore, that 14 minutes in the simulator is assuming that the motor is static.

Unlike the 9C motor that I posted about above (evolution of the second hub motor I had on my first e-bike, for those following along), this would only accept thread-on cassettes as it lacks a freehub of its own. Thankfully, 10 speed freewheels are apparently now a thing.

I have a huge thread full of good info to pore through but can price things out in the meantime. The pack is going to be a huge expense if I go the high power route... $3.5k looks like it'd buy a Kona MinUte with a 72V 15Ah pack, a 2 kW-capable motor, and the extra junk to build it up.

Hmph. That figure is only a few hundred more than the 750-1000W setups I priced out before, and much of that is in the battery. Put that way it's cheap. I could build myself a sweet single speed belt drive trail bike with that kind of money, though: drive myself home in my Land Cruiser, put the kids to bed, play some trumpet in the garage, and then spin around on the local trails just north of the new house's lot with my own lights before bed.

(The problem with this ride-at-night plan is that it probably wouldn't happen. I only have so much motivation in a day, and the motivation to get home from work is a strong one indeed, much stronger than that to exercise at 9 PM. Perhaps I should build this after all.)

 

[Toshi]

Ugh. In my sick for four days, semi-delirious state I read through the entirety of that thread on the Crystalyte HS/HT motors. It definitely sounds like quality control is no better now than when I ran my Crystalyte 407 (death by Hall sensor failure then rust) and 9C 2806 (2807? Death due to rust and then untraceable unreliability post-revival).

As much as I like the hobbyist aspect, I think I'm to the point where I should stick to things I can repair readily (pedal bikes) or have supported via warranty (cars). Days lost to refinishing stators, as I did in rainy Seattle, are not acceptable any more.

 

[Westy]

She's the right size but has no meat on her little baby body. More butter and bacon for her!

Are you sure she is your child?

 

[Toshi]

She must have gotten that gene from my wife. Actually, my mother is tiny, too, but definitely not my father. His toes have been in the shade for many years.