Spandies profile

Posted by: thaaad

The rack is a purpose built rack for a motorcycle from a company called 2x2 racks. It feels very burly and once the bike is mounted it feels super solid. The pic makes the bend look way drastic for some reason. In reality it's nearly flat. Scooting the bike mount forward in the rack also makes it flatter since the fork and pedal mount both slide independently back and forth within the actual mounted rack.

It does un-weight the fork and at low speed (parking lots, stop and go) it gets a little wandery unless I scoot up and hug the tank. If I do that it's totally fine, and once it's over 10kph that wandering feeling goes away completely. It does slow down the handling a bit due to both the physical added weight and the results of adding that weight (squatting suspension, leveraging the moto back and up). The rack is steel so it probably adds like 7+ pounds, the bike is mid 30s so it's probably close to an added like 43-45 pounds and none of that weight is low.

I will likely scoot it forwards another couple inches to bring the weight more central. I only did 1 test ride for like an hour and it will take some getting used to which is no surprise.

The bike is mainly used for commuting, some chill logging roads and now with the rack set up I will be using it to get to the local mountains.

If at any point I feel unsafe it's coming off.

Nice setup. Can't you just dial in a couple turns of preload on the rear shock to balance out the weight? Happy Riding!

Thank you so much for all the great advice. This is why I love forums. 

Another stupid question. Old me used to use a 2x4 and a mallet to carefully set them in; I was young and had no money. Would this be ill advised with today’s tight tolerances? 

Thanks again!

Hello always knowledgeable NSMB brethren, was wanting to tap into your expertise. 

I have a SRAM MTH746 rear hub on my bike and the bearings are shot. I’d love to try to tackle this myself, but I can’t seem to find a service manual. Any know what if there are proprietary tools that I need or can point me to a source? Is there a good place (ideally locally) where I can source the bearings? Any other tips and tricks? Thanks again!

Posted by: syncro

What do you hate dealing with more on a commute, hills or head winds?

Shitty cycling infrastructure. I’m in Spain currently, and the pedestrian, cycling, and public transport infrastructure is incredible. It’s seriously a joke thinking about what we have at home, and we’re already considered “progressive” with respect to the North American model.

Posted by: shoreboy

Theoretically RadPower bikes are limited to 32kph. Does this hack still work on them?

If so, id say there is an argument they aren't a class 1 bike anymore. That hack is/was built right into the software provided by the company.

Yes the hack works. No it doesn’t really go that much faster (500W in Canada, 750W motors in the US) unless you have some legs. Yes there is a throttle, and it’s soft as fuck. Given this, some of you guys are going to have a hard on about this so sharpen those pitchforks.

Understanding that experiencing outrage can be tiresome, I’ve included links below in the event you want to contact your political representative for a good old bitch. 

https://www.ourcommons.ca/en/contact-us

https://www.leg.bc.ca/content-committees/Pages/MLA-Contact-Information.aspx

https://vancouver.ca/your-government/contact-council.aspx

Yes, it’s a class 1, so limited to 30kph. I ride mine like a giant road bike, get a good workout if I want to hustle to get somewhere. Depending on your commute distance and the gas you would otherwise use, this bike pays itself off in months. The e-assist is rudimentary, but for a commuter it’s good enough. I’ve had a lot of bikes in my life, this has been one of my favourites not only for its practicality, but because it’s good fun to ride. Happy shopping!

Posted by: kavurider

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: kavurider

Trying to figure out the logistics for a 91km round trip commute.

I absolutely loathe sitting in traffic, the freeways here are logjam mess and gas is through the roof.

But still...thats a long way. I bike commuted for many years but I'm not sure it was that far before.

That sounds like a good scenario for an ebike. You can still get some exercise in, use more "boost" on days that you don't feel great, still get it done in a reasonable time and save money on gas. I wouldn't necessarily mind a longer distance ride, but the time becomes a factor like Vik said. A goal for me has been to keep my commutes to 30 minutes if I'm driving  and 45 if I'm pedaling.

Yes, I am leaning towards that solution.  Just because of the distance involved.

I have a Tazer eeb right now but it wouldn't be great for that kind of trip. Thinking of an urban type.

I used to use my Xtracycle for commuting and it worked pretty well. Thought about a cargo ebike but man, they are huge and so heavy.

I have a radwagon; best investment ever. Hardly drive except on weekends to get places, but otherwise I live on the bike. I have a giant box on the back for groceries/gear/dog, and just in the process of designing a bike mount for it so I can ride it to the trailhead. Do it, it’s cheap and cheerful for what it is: 7spd freewheel and chain means incidentals are dirt cheap. 

I’ve had zero problems with mine and I ride the shit out of it in all weather. Only cost are the amount of brake pads I go through, but that is the caveat of riding fast on a heavy bike. Seriously it’s a no brainer, especially in light of recent and ever increasing gas prices.

Gonna recommend something out of left field as I'm a cheap-ass when it comes to clothing: https://www.uniqlo.com/ca/en/products/E448595-000?colorCode=COL08

Cheap, light and stretchy, comfy and hard wearing.

Posted by: Lowcard

My first experience driving in Europe really opened my eyes as to how horribly selfish we North Americans are at driving.

I feel this is the most relevant point, the cultural differences between “fuck you I got mine” versus a general understanding of etiquette that will allow for the smooth functioning of society.

Was hoping to get some advice and guidance. Have a set of Guide T's on my bike, would like some more bite and fade resistance; modulation is reasonable with the setup right now and I'm ok with it. Brakes aren't bad, especially since swapping to sintered pads but I'd still like some more power and fade resistance. I'd like to optimize the setup without having to shell out for a new set of brakes, I'm of the opinion that proper maintenance and setup of my brakes should ideally yield 90% of the function I'd get with a higher grade set. 

So the plan:

1) MTX gold pads (on order, thanks to this article about their effectiveness: https://nsmb.com/articles/oem-alternative-brake-pads-one-month-later/)

2) Double bleed, piston seal clean, etc... 

3) Should I go with a 220 rotor FR? Currently running 200's. Thinking this will help with bite and fade resistance

4) I'd like pad contact point adjustment but given these are entry point brakes, they don't have it. Is there an aftermarket lever that I can throw on? Will an RSC lever and pivot help? Currently, the tool-required reach adjust concurrently changes the pad contact point, and if the reach is my ideal, the pad contact point puts the lever almost flush with the bar; I'd like some more play-room for fade. 

Thoughts, suggestions, or criticisms? Appreciate all the knowledge and wisdom on here!