Land Dinghies -- Electric Bike?

[roverhi]

Don't know if it would save money but might consider buying a used BF off Ebay and adding BF's electrifying kit. Still not cheap but I love my BF. Have had it for over 10 years, prepped one boat for long distance sail to Hawaii and used it to get around before and after arrival. My full size hang on hooks in the garage as I exclusively ride the BF now.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Have you tried an electric scooter?


Rental ones are now scattered all over Nordic cities; unlock with your phone, ride whereever you want to, dump it wherever, and carry on your way. I've been using them on business trips. It's a neat concept -- enhanced pedestrianism --but they are horrible to ride compared to a bike. Very unstable -- almost no gyroscopic effect from the tiny wheels -- deal very badly with even the slightest irregularity in the road. A small pothole, handled with ease by a bike, can send you right over the handlebars.



I don't think they can be compared to bikes. Better compare to going by foot...

I rode one just today -- this rental system is terrific when you just need to get someplace quickly and don't want to wait for a taxi.


But God -- they are just about unrideable on a cobblestone street. The shaking is so violent that you think your fillings are going to fly out of your teeth; sometimes you can't even see because your skull is vibrating so much!


So you ride on the sidewalk and cause havoc with pedestrians


In general -- very unstable and unpleasant compared to a bike.

[a64pilot]

If your considering a bike Friday, give them a call, it’s not going to be inexpensive, but to some extent you get what you pay for.
You do need to be measured though, it’s unlikely you ride the size you think you do.
Most buy a bike that is actually too big for them, you may find a shop around that has a fit kit.
Talk to them about what your going to ride on too, cobblestones are usually avoided if you have a good bike, suspensions add weight and sap energy, they often compress when you ride and that takes energy of course.
Conditions that your going to ride on have a huge impact on wheels and tires.

[Rumpi]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I'd love a 20" full suspension bike with a Rohloff which could be disassembled and fit into a suitcase like that Ritchey. I'd pay good money for something like that.

Everything is possible in the land of custom. Take a look at the Rodriguez six pack to get an ideea about truly portable.

https://vimeo.com/138550076

The couplers used can also be retrofitted to existing frames as long as the bike is not aluminium. Available here Folding Travel Bikes using S and S Machine Bicycle Torque Couplings™ trough the local framebuilder (consult the list for UK). They are nothing exotic, just a Hirth joint with a collar.

I am sure you can find a builder that can fulfill your wishes.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

If your considering a bike Friday, give them a call, it’s not going to be inexpensive, but to some extent you get what you pay for.
You do need to be measured though, it’s unlikely you ride the size you think you do.
Most buy a bike that is actually too big for them, you may find a shop around that has a fit kit.
Talk to them about what your going to ride on too, cobblestones are usually avoided if you have a good bike, suspensions add weight and sap energy, they often compress when you ride and that takes energy of course.
Conditions that your going to ride on have a huge impact on wheels and tires.

I've been using a full suspension bike for about 6 years now and thousands of miles. My Jetstream EX has an alu frame and the suspension is all billet alu, and it weighs the same as the Bike Friday New World Tourist, 27 pounds. I LOVE the suspension. It does not noticeably "sap energy" -- I guess less energy is sapped by the suspension, than is gained from reduced air resistance of the smaller wheels, because it feels easier to drive than a good road bike. This is the Alex Moulton formula -- small wheels and suspension. It rides so well that I have ditched the idea of buying a normal bike to use at home.



The suspension just drinks up irregularities -- cobblestones (prevalent, unavoidable in this part of the world) are no problems, and I drive right onto or off of curbstones. I can even drive right down a flight of stairs. I bloody love it. The one big downside is that you can't fit a rack, and that is a big problem.


The Bike Friday without the suspension is definitely going to be a big step backwards in terms of ride, but I'm sick of stowing and unstowing the Jetsream on my boat, and I'm sick of unbending and readjusting the rear derailleur, and straightening out the chainwheel every time it gets bent in storage. The Bike Friday, with Rohloff hub and belt drive, in the hard case, is the killer app for a boat bike in my view, and worth a somewhat worse ride.


One could go even further and get a Brompton, which stows even better than the BF, and is 3x cheaper, but 16" wheel bikes are just a different ballgame in terms of ride, and three speeds -- that's not for the kind of riding I do.

[Dockhead]

It is possible to fit a Rohloff hub to a Brompton:


Stainless Rohloff Brompton – Kinetics


Rohloff Brompton Kit – Kinetics


£1700 with an integral rear rack, so still cheaper than BF even with the Rohloff.


But a Rohloff on a Brommie? Seems kind of overkill.


But my God, that fold:





Nothing, but nothing folds like a Brommie.

[Dockhead]

And then there's the Brommie electric:


https://www.brompton.com/brompton-gb.../c-1426/p-7586


It weighs only 17.4kg without the battery -- not much more than my Jetstream or a BF NWT.


Hmmmmmmm.

[cj88]

For those that might be interested, the Veer Split Belt pro allows a number of bikes with internal hubs to convert to a belt drive without needing a split frame.

https://www.veercycle.com/

Another option for carrying a load with or without a rack might be the Trenux trailer currently on Kickstarter. It weighs 7.5kg but it folds down and you could just put it on when needed.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...le/description

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I rode one just today -- this rental system is terrific when you just need to get someplace quickly and don't want to wait for a taxi.


But God -- they are just about unrideable on a cobblestone street. The shaking is so violent that you think your fillings are going to fly out of your teeth; sometimes you can't even see because your skull is vibrating so much!


So you ride on the sidewalk and cause havoc with pedestrians


In general -- very unstable and unpleasant compared to a bike.

works very well when you know how....
„unrideable on cobblestone street“... take the weight off your heals... problem instantly solved

[Fuss]

actually... it’s better than instantly solved... it’s like magic!!!!

[Dockhead]

I'll try that, but I suspect that this will be somewhat difficult over a 20 minute ride for those of us who are not ballet dancers.

Originally Posted by Fuss

actually... it’s better than instantly solved... it’s like magic!!!!

[singlerider]

Electric bicycles, even when folded still take up a lot of space on a boat. They'd be difficult to enclose to prevent rust because of that size. I've been interested in something like this:

https://onewheel.com/

I'd be able to build an enclosure and mount for something like this and hold it right in the cockpit without ruining the space available. The issue I'd face at this point is how to charge it via DC power.

Anyone else interested in going this route? It looks so easy to pick up and drop down to a dinghy.

[sparrowhawk1]

There are pluses and minuses to everything. I settled on a 20" fat wheel folding electric bike for the following reasons 1 the police don't even notice it. 2 I can drive in a bike lane at 25 miles an hour and feel safe. 3 I can carry heavy loads. I used to have a stand-up folding scooter and I loved it for its portability and it had the advantage of when you put stuff on the platform you stood on, it would get even more stable but everywhere I went the police were harassing me.
So to me the one wheel wouldn't be a good choice unless you just want to cruise around and have a lot of fun.
I'm looking into solar panel charge controllers that can boost a 12 volt panel to charge 48 volts which is what my bike battery is. They're people doing it on YouTube.

[lamadriver]

I have a SNS coupled Salsa Vaya, with a Rohloff and belt drive. That bike has been around the world with me working 3 x over.

One of the mechanics this summer had a RAD bike. It's awesome and scary fast. They have started making a folding version.

This model caught my eye:
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/produc...31655487963232

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

FWIW, I decided against trying to bring any electrified transport on the boat. I've been riding my Jetstream a lot, and I realized that I don't really need the electrification even going to business meetings. At the same time, I realized how important the weight is, for being able to manhandle and store the device, in the dinghy, in the lazarette, or up the stairwell in a land dwelling.

I will however follow with interest what other people do.

I think that is a good decision. It's just one more thing to own and deal with. Storing it, sailing with it, getting it off the boat and back on. And than look at the number of times, or the percentage of times when it is really better than a taxi uber, or rental. Maybe not too many.

I always took taxi's, public transportation (mostly elevated trains) or rented a car. Charging though the inner cities I took motorcycle taxies; fast and cheap and somewhat exciting.

For weekends or trips to the country or another city, I would rent a high end BMW. I thought, "If had an income like this back home I'd have a nice car, so why not have one now when I can afford it."

In fact the joke I had was, "I have a car, Avis keeps it for me. it's always clean and full of gas, and I can rent the cheap model and they give me the high end luxury car because they don't have the cheap model".

And at the end of the day, you just walk away.