[Dewey]

@Crickey7 159349 wrote:

There have been heated debates about whether they are allowed…

I do sometimes feel e-bikes are the Rodney Dangerfield of the cycling community when it comes to safety legislation, take for instance the recent welcome change to DC Code repealing contributory negligence concerning fault in bicycle-car collisions and fairness to crash victims – there was no mention of “motorized bicycles” as an exception to the motor vehicle definition so that must mean e-bike cyclists remain subject to the unfair contributory negligence provision that is exploited by drivers lawyers. Then there is the DC DoT interpreting in the strictest sense the DC motor vehicle regulation prohibiting motorized bicycles from “bike routes” to mean e-bikes should not use protected bike lanes – why shouldn’t e-bikes be allowed in DC protected bike lanes when we are allowed to ride on PBL’s (and on sidewalks) in Virginia and Maryland? Why is the Park Service not listening to WABA advocating for on-street bike lanes on Memorial Bridge when at present there is no safe way for cyclists to cross the Potomac bridges except on sidewalks/paths, and even if the cash were found to build bike lanes the anti-ebike DCMR regulation would still not allow us to use them because DC’s remit extends all the way to the Virginia bank of the Potomac? These things need to change to provide safety for e-bike cyclists on the roads if the local jurisdictions want to encourage us off the sidewalks/paths/PBL’s.

[Dewey]

@DanB 159182 wrote:

Has anyone else seen these?

[Pun shield up] More power to him…no really he needs more power, the 24v LEED hub motors are similar to the 24v Clean Republic hill topper I tried last year for a week before returning it, got me(220lb) up to 15mph on the flat but could not pull me up hills, also it was a pain having to hold down the power button. To be fair Clean Republic and LEED both sell a 36v version, offer domestic shipping, and customer service, but for similar cost I’d suggest a BBS type bottom bracket mounted mid-drive motor with a cadence sensor pedal assist will climb most of the hills around here more efficiently, or if you wanted a cheap plug and play option a 48v geared front hub kit and battery can be had for $500 (plus international shipping) from some of the Chinese kit suppliers on the ebikes sub-reddit wiki (if you do this please fit a torque arm).

[Dewey]

There is broken pavement/concrete debris on the Roosevelt Bridge sidewalk on the Kennedy Center side, should this be reported to DDOT Street & Bridge Maintenance?

[Dewey]

The local laws and regulations are complicated by the many different state/city/county/federal agency jurisdictions that govern adjoining parts of the trails, sidewalks and bridges, combined with the fact there are no safe on-road crossings for <20mph ebikes over the Potomac, obliging you to use bridge sidewalks and trails where ebikes are prohibited, thankfully as these comments demonstrate showing common courtesy will mean you will be fine.

[Dewey]

First report of near miss near Logan Circle.

[Dewey]

The PR blurb from the operator Starship Technologies says it’s about reducing the fee for “last mile” deliveries, presumably this is achieved by replacing the cost of employing many delivery drivers and bicycle messengers with a smaller number of technicians driving about the city servicing/repairing/rescuing these storage box drones. Similar to how Uber/Lyft/delivery fleets would like to replace cabbies and truck drivers with autonomous cars/trucks but the software isn’t there yet so let’s start with something small and slow, after all what could go wrong…

[Dewey]

Only if they fail to notify the property owner or law enforcement when it is safe to do so (Source: DC Code § 50–2201.05c)

[Dewey]

Local news are reporting SafeTrack surge #11 beginning November 28 and the following 14 days will bring major disruption to the Orange/Silver Lines with 64% fewer trains running during rush hour, and shuttle buses running every 10 minutes from Ballston to Rosslyn. During a news conference Metro asked that half of Orange/Silver line commuters take alternative routes to work.

[Dewey]

@rcannon100 148859 wrote:

Any thoughts on conversion kits? If you do a conversion, front tire versus rear tire?

Neither, consider a mid-drive kit to leverage the bike gears to get up hills. Weight distribution is affected by motor and battery placement on the bike frame, bottom bracket mounted motor with a bottle cage or frame-bag mounted battery provide low and central weight distribution. A mid-drive motor can mean you lose the front derailleur how much does this matter or are you OK compensating with a wide range rear cassette and smaller front chain ring combo to narrow the gear range? If you want to keep your front derailleur gears a wheel hub motor will let you, motors are heavy though so if you’re seeking more power you might like to buy the motor, checking that it works with your bike disk or V brakes, and have a custom wheel built with eyeletted rims, 12 gauge stainless steel spokes and brass nipples. Don’t put a front wheel hub motor on aluminum or carbon forks as they can’t take the torque and will break, steel forks work best and add a torque arm (or two) to prevent the axle spinning out. This article is a couple of years old but the pros and cons advice about mid-drive motors hold true and it covers kits for the DIY ebike builder. Changing gears under load with a mid-drive motor will crunch and wear your chain and rear cassette so work arounds include a gear sensor or kill switch you can use like a clutch. This article by a UK writer describes mostly mid-drive motors used by ebike manufacturers that build a frame around the motor. How comfortable are you doing DIY electrical soldering, removing the bottom bracket, etc? I reccomend the excellent 3-part series about how to install a mid-drive kit on this website – in my case I had to teach myself to solder, it’s common in the DIY ebike world for owners to purchase kit from one manufacturer and battery from another which results in motors and batteries with different/incompatible connectors – there are local bike shops in the DC area who will do the conversion for you, however DIY feels great when it works plus you built it yourself so you can troubleshoot when things go wrong. You can use your local bike shop to do some of the harder tasks eg I had my LBS remove the bottom bracket and fit a new rear cassette.

Do you want throttle or pedelec-only control, or both? Cheaper pedelec kits use a pedal cadence sensor which works well enough. You can get a torque sensor that plugs into the Cycle Analyst bike computer, but as that goes in the bottom bracket you have to use a wheel hub kit. How much power do you want/need? Do you want an insurable ebike – your home/auto insurance will not extend liability, and Markel cover only manufactured ebikes or kit adapted bicycles that fall under the CPSC definition <750W peak power, <20mph that eliminates most but not all kits. Remember kit manufacturers only give out nominal power ratings - you need to calculate peak power using the formula battery voltage multiplied by the ampage of the motor controller e.g. for a 250W BBS01 kit peak power is 36V (battery) X 15A (controller amps) = 540 Watts, whereas for a 750W BBS02 kit peak power is 48V X 25A = 1200 Watts. You should preferably decide at the outset in advance of ordering any kit what you need/want because the cost of shipping a lithium battery yourself e.g. in case of return to seller is remarkably expensive if you later change your mind e.g. $80 via Fed-Ex ground hazardous material from Arlington, VA to California. Peruse this trusted vendors list, I’ve had good experiences with several US based vendors on this list.

Familiarise yourself with the byzantine world of ebike law, here’s a comparison of state laws but also consult the regulations’s for VA, DC, MD plus local jurisdiction bylaws e.g. Arlington, DC, etc.

A couple of ebike discussion forums I have found useful are Endless Sphere, and Pedelecs (UK). Ebike journalist Court Rye maintains a reviews website. An industry perspective is provided by Electric Bike Report.

All that said many ebike wheel hub conversion kits are plug and play like this Dillenger front wheel kit, so it’s only as complicated as you want to make it, but I hope this gives an overview if you go down the DIY route. Good luck with your build!

[Dewey]

Tried out the new protected bike lane on my way home from work tonight. What a hoot on an ebike. More direct route home, just 35 minutes from Foggy Bottom going up hill. Love it. More please.

[Dewey]

From this morning’s commute into work

Me: Cycling East on Arlington Blvd at the junction with Ft Myer Heights Park, closely followed by a MetroBus, we’re both going 20mph.
You & your buddy: Standing over your bikes on the sidewalk looking East then suddenly, without looking left, both of you enter the road and weave around at 3mph.
Me: Back wheel locking up, trying to steer my now out of control bike and remain upright so I don’t get crushed by the bus.

Please look behind you to see what’s coming when you enter the road.

[Dewey]

Just wanted to give a shout out to Doug Smith of WABA for the warm welcome to this ebike rider. I asked to attend a WABA City Cycling class and he assured me ebike riders are welcome to participate. He politely asked if I would turn off the motor during the drills portion of the class, and I was happy to comply, I found the class useful and would point new ebike commuters to the WABA class schedule.

For ebike riders who would like to take out insurance, my auto insurance provider USAA would not extend liability coverage to a motor adapted bicycle, I took out a separate policy with Markel.

For electric bicycle laws People for Bikes put together this summary of US/Canadian regulations.

A special shout out to the lovely people at my local bike shop Papillon cycles on Columbia Pike for removing the bottom bracket from my 20 year old bike so I could install a 250W motor, adjusting my brakes, and adding a wide range cassette to help me get up hills.

[Dewey]

Updated: The article published in mid July is innacurate Henry Gate to reopen August 1 to military pedestrians and bicyclists.

This article published in early August clarifies the change does not allow bicycle access through the Enhanced Security Pedestrian Gate (ESPG) booth next to Henry Gate, nor does the change permit access via the ESPG to non-DoD AIE pass holders. Henry Gate remains closed to bicycles.

[Dewey]

@lordofthemark 142771 wrote:

I swear, on the 4MRT I saw someone riding a bike (2 wheels, and human powered, I think) with an awning.

Was the awning a velotop?

[Dewey]

Was the awning a velotop?

[Author]

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