Sticking to the right side

Sharrow

Sharrow : Wikipedia definition

I already talked about how some people who ride bikes don't know there hand gestures and then there are some people have no clue on how to ride on a bike lane.  They are slow riders, staying in the middle of the lane or left side of the lane (I'm guessing they don't understand there distance) which ends up hogging the lane.  I always try to stay to the right side, so people can pass with out making them veering off onto the road.  I would reference the picture on the right side, but imagine a pile of cars on the road.

Faded paint

I like "Sharrows" when they are implemented with some thought and part of the road and not just some random add on.  Sometimes I come across some sharrows and they just end for no reason. Sometimes the paint is so worn out, no one even knows there is a sharrows there. 

There are some sharrows that scare the crap out of me at times.. mostly when the sharrow is on the drivers side and the cars can park on the right side, setup perfectly for dooring. A friend of mine, got doored the other day, while on a sharrows path, front tire broken, lost a days worth of work, taking the bus to work and is still walking a bit funny a few days later.

There is a sharrow spot in Ottawa, where it's about a foot from the curb and the curb is so high that if you are pedaling, you will hit the sidewalk. So your forced to ride on the left side of the sharrow. Think just a little more thought needs to be put into these.

My Ideal Sharrow

I feel a lot safer when there is a sharrow on the right side and the cars park on the left. But those are far and few between. Even better, is the barrier. The barrier is overkill but it stops the cars from suddenly pulling into the Sharrow just to drop someone off or to pick up someone.

Lessons Learned:

• When on a sharrow with parked cars on the right side, SLOW DOWN, look for heads in the drivers seat and be very careful.
• If there is a safer but longer way to get somewhere, take the safer way.

Aylmer Car Show

In the town of Aylmer, Quebec. There is an annual car show that shows off big gas thirsty muscle cars, custom cars, etc. Just as I have every year, I went to look around.  I do appreciate the old cars.  This time I went by bike and not by car, never any parking anyways.

Walking from one side of the show to the other side, I must of been pulled over 20 times. People asking me about my e-bike, where did I get it, how much does it cost.  There were other e-bikes there, but not like mine.

Even had one person offer to buy it from me.  I said $3000, they thought about it and decided to pass.

I honestly felt like one of the exhibits.  People asked about the specifications, distance I can travel, speed, where did I get it, how did I put it together.  

I met someone with a Bionix modified hybrid mountain bike and they had over 100,000km on it.  Batteries were pretty much finished, so I explained to him how to replace them.  His motor looked in excellent condition, so I'm sure with new batteries his bike will be good as new.

Bike friendly areas

I've found myself on the skits of the bike culture, where certain areas of Ottawa have started to embrace the "biking" requirements, the festival "Blues Fest" had a huge place to park bikes, the new "Red Blacks" football games have a huge place to park bikes and now in the Westboro area has large bike parking and revived an award "welling west" for being bike friendly.

Ottawa has become a nice bike rider community but the bike paths are still incomplete at some places.  I've explored many different routes from one side of the city to another and now and then the bike lane just disappears for a few blocks..

I've driven, parked, shopped, ate in this area many times since this coral went up. 

Lessons Learned:

• Don't have to go down town to have a night out
• Explore the city, you'll be surprised what you find when you travel at 20km instead of 100km

Raised stem (again)

Old and new side by side

Decided that the handle bars need to come up just a little more and a little closer, my hand was still going a bit numb from the long drives into work.  Cost $10, which is worth the cost to avoid hand numbing!  I'm amazed at how easy the install is.  

So the new one is higher and shorter.


With the new configuration I can feel my back is straighter and the bike feels crazy tall.  This is going to take a few rides to get use to.

Making these minor changes is so easy and so worth it. Making the bike fit you is so important.  Since my bike has some electronics on the handle bars, I have to make sure that the wires can still move freely and not get pulled tight.

Installation Complete

At the same time I put some two way sticky Velcro under the bell clamp.  The screw won't hold onto the large size handle bars and I can't find a bell that fits this size.

Ride with the family and eating better

My kids wanted to go out for some ice cream and I decided they needed to earn it.  Not just by doing chores but working out.  So 15km bike ride to the ice cream store and 15km back.  My daughter opted to roller blade (slowed us down but she got a work out all the same) and my son, is in a orange shirt in the far distance.  By the time we got back home, both kids were exhausted!  More days like this, is in order..

After this ride, I converted my 2nd electric bike back into a generic hybrid mountain bike for my daughter to ride.  New seat, New pedals, tightened breaks, greased up the chain, took out the hub motor and all the electrical wires that goes with it. Almost as good as new bike just for her.

We also decided to toss out all the "pop" from the house, decided that it wasn't required in our home anymore. Down goes 2 Liters worth of Coca-Cola and it felt good.  No more crappy chips, etc.

Ebike vs. Escooter

When I mention that I ride an e-bike to work, people immediately assume I'm talking about a e-scooter.

For me, it's clear that these are two different things and provide two different modes of transportation.  I myself have no interest in owning a E-scooter, they don't achieve any of my personal goals but for many people they are ideal and they are popular in the city of Ottawa (Ontario, Canada).

Both are allow on the bike paths, both have batteries, both have two wheels (sometimes three), etc.  But one provides exercise and the other is just transportation which must be boring, since they aren't allowed to go faster then 32km either!

I went over to Ottwatt (e-scooter place in Ottawa) to try out why people use the e-scooter and I can tell you, I didn't like it at all.  The PAS had zero resistance, the bike felt slow and over all boring.  I can say, that compared to other e-scooter it was better but it just wasn't for me.

I tried to get a eBike riding group together in Ottawa but I've only received two responses so far and both are on E-Scooters riders.  Having a riding group for them, would feel more like a "E-Scooter Gang" more then a riding group :)  If I can get a e-riding group together, I won't exclude the E-scooter people.

Lessons Learned:

• I made the right choice.

Battery Power

I'm not an expert when it comes to chemistry but I have a fairly good understanding of lithium ion batteries.  This is my third e-bike. From my experience these types of batteries drop the first 20% and then hold at 80% for a long period of time, then do a sudden drop at the end of the battery cycle.

I put 54v worth of batteries in, instead of the recommended 48v worth, so I can get a little more out of the motor for a slightly longer period of time.  Most e-bike motors I've come across can do a lot more then what the manufacture says it can, (example: I've over charged a 350 watt to a 750 watt and it worked fine for a year.) 

Here's what my meter reads when I first turn it on. Once the battery is reading v48 I've already been on the road for over an hour.  I've yet to drain the battery completely from use, the more I pedal the less battery I use.  One of these days, my plan is to drive as far as I can until I can't pedal anymore and my battery is dead.  Then I'll call up my wife and come get me in the mini-van.

Lessons Learned:

• Don't be afraid to juice up your e-bike. Think it out, read about it and then do it.  Nothing more disappointing then buying a gimpy e-bike that does nothing for you, other then going from point A to point B.
• Don't use acid batteries for an Ebike.. I know LifeP01 batteries are better then Lithium Ion, but I can't justify the extra cost.  Maybe for my next bike...  Maybe I'll just go to a Nanowire battery configuration next! :)