Electric Bike Adventures – Volume 1
The two electric bikes I have been riding really are different. I am hoping to test some limits of the electric bikes during my commuter adventures. I typically ride from my office in Southeast Minneapolis to downtown. I’m not sure exactly how far this is but my next post will have some data on distance, speeds and power levels. I also often ride to Timberwolves games or now Twins games, so a lot of urban wear and tear.
The main ride for me the last 8 months has been the Schwinn Continental Electric Bike. It is a great ride and has held up well until now. Apparently I broke the battery, some kind of lithium polymer battery thing. I have heard of fuses blowing out but that was not the diagnosis here. The guys at Varsity Bike & Transit have ordered a special part to open the battery and see what is going on. Of course like any good bike doctors they asked some basic questions, like did I drop it, or did it get run over by a truck. I fessed up about some curbs, leaving it plugged in and charging for 10 hours at at time (they recommend only 6). Nothing seemed to interest them until I mentioned the stairs.
“What stairs?” they asked. I sensed concern and disappointment.
“Just some little stairs.”
“Anything else?”
“Maybe I remember hearing some new sounds maybe after going down the stairs” I confessed.
Now some parties are convinced the stairs some how damaged something inside the battery. Seems like a convenient solution to me, too convenient. Has anyone else had battery problems? Any stair riding incidents on record? I took a photo of the stairs I rode down so we can have a vote or something on this debate. They appear pretty harmless to me.
I rode my Schwinn electric bike down these tiny stairs and now some people believe this is related to the battery breakdown that occurred shortly afterwards.
The Schwinn Continental Electric Bike is still very cool. I have a replacement battery I’ll have to purchase if the controversial battery cannot be fixed. The shaft-driven Continental is a rare model it turns out. I loaned it back to Rob Dehoff at Varsity bike so a reporter could take a test drive and write about this and other electric bike models. I look forward to the article, keep an eye out for it coming from The St. Paul Pioneer Press.
A new electric bike, a demo model, was given to me to try out. To date I had not test riden any of the other bikes, I liked the style of the Schwinn so I never looked further. It’s the A2B METRO from Ultra Motor. Wow! What a ride. It looks like some NASA inspired bmx meets mountain bike hybrid. It has motorcycle style thick tires and probably weighs a million pounds.
The space age A2B Metro Electric Bike from Ultra Motor, super fun to ride and looks tough. Can it handle the battery breaking stairs?
The A2B METRO Electric Bike rides a lot more like a scooter or a moped. It has a throttle for immediate and continuous power and ramps up to top speed very quickly, 20 mph according to their web site, feels faster. I only pedal when going uphill and just when I start up, it does seem to assist in the power level at those times. This bike can really fly. Feels great on turns with the thick tires and is extremely quiet and quick. Incredible feeling for urban travel, with many stops and frequent turns. Does feel like cheating somehow…
I don’t have a computer on this yet but I will be doing that soon. Then I plan to do a series of tests on both bikes. Soon we will find out if the A2B Metro can handle the stairs. I’ll try to remember to wear my helmut.
Craig Baillie
