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Machine sorting of packaging waste has improved dramatically over the last few years and is now really effective. For example the Steinert sorting machine in an Alba plant near Berlin. Its still quite expensive but the cost will come down over time.

I know of a municipality which started taxing disposable packaging for take-away food and drinks. Good idea because most of that packaging gets dumped in public trash bins which the municipality pays for.

Fwiw, ABUS has been making cutting edge road helmets for years now. Some of their stuff is pushing the envelope of what is possible in helmet construction and manufacturing.

So, while they might not have a long history of making mtb helmets, the certainly have very skilled engineers.

I’d imagine that motorbike crashes follow different rules (especially on the road). Because the speed is so much higher, finding a not too disastrous way for the rider to shed all this speed when hitting the ground  is tricky. Every little bit of extra mass is making this task even harder.

If you are just looking for something grippier than "speedgrip", you should easily be able to find the Hans Dampf (or preferably the Magic Mary) in "soft" compound and trail casing.

MoPo, Specialized T9 or Schwalbe "ultra soft" are one more step above that in terms of traction but also rolling resistance.

The Germans have made a list of accumulated tire weights: https://gewichte.mtb-news.de/category-45/reifen

The majority of tires are heavier than what the manufacturer claims. How much, depends on the company.

Continental is usually close to spec. As is Hutchinson. Maxxis is so-so. Schwalbe tires are often far above their claimed weights. When they introduced their new casings, the tires were often 10-15% heavier than claimed. Which could amount to 400g or more of extra weight. Not great, considering this is rotating, unsprung mass at the extremities of the bike.

Is the Grappler really available in Trail Casing? On the e thirteen website I could only find the Enduro and DH casings. 

And did you get a chance to weight the tires yourself? After my experience with Schwalbe, I’m quite suspicious about claimed weights.

Please, customers have somehow managed to navigate the byzantine madhouse that is Maxxis tyre specs and nomenclature. Compared to that mess, the Conti lineup is almost self-explanatory.

Previous generation Contis (i'm only counting the german-made black chili versions) had awesome rubber but the casings were finicky. For instance, they were really tough for their weight, incredibly so. But that came with stiff sidewalls which could feel harsh and made finding the right pressure really hard, especially for light riders.

I can think of only two tire brands who do things right in terms of nomenclature. With different approaches, mind.

There is WTB with high grip/fast rolling, light/tough which tells you exactly what you are getting in terms of technical properties.

And there is Michelin where you buy tires called "Enduro Front" and "Enduro Rear" which tells you nothing about their specs but which do exactly what it says on the label.

Protection from wind is usually more important than isolation after sweating. Throw on a wind-resistant or windproof jacket once you get to the top.

Mesh underlayers are great in cool or cold temperatures. I found them to work much better than anything merino for wicking moisture away from skin. Wear the merino stuff over the mesh if you like.

Posted by: Vikb

Putting the battery under the rear rack does open up the step-through area at the cost of a significant shift in CG back and up. Put panniers with groceries back there and a lighter/less confident rider can have handling issues. When I was living in Victoria I help a number of ladies who had e-bikes with the under the rack battery mounts. They had trouble getting started once stopped. The bikes tended to wobble and fall over side ways or get a very light front wheel with too much assist. 

You can get batteries integrated inside the DT which solves both issues, but they can be hard to remove and tend to cost a lot more.

Definitely another reason to buy from a LBS since some test riding can identify what is a problem and what is not an issue for a particular rider when dealing with a product that isn't well understood by them.

Good point. In my moms case, the weight of the rear mounted battery is not much of an issue because the bike has a middle motor, a smallish battery (300-400wh) and a derailer drivetrain.

I can see the rear battery placement being a problem if the motor is also in the rear or there is a heavy internal gear hub there (think Alfine 11-speed).

Speaking of battery size, for city use, a small, light pack is totally sufficient.

Posted by: niels@nsmb.com

Thanks Vik. That Envo could be a decent option. Canadian company, local dealer support. Black's will be our first stop once we are ready. 

Still in the research phase, trying to get a feel for what things are important. I have no idea. For example, I can imagine the motor puts more strain on (???), so need to pay special attention to.... (???). Maybe I'm overthinking it.

Not riding one myself, but i'm the one who keeps my moms city e-bike in working order, so i get to hear what works for her and what doesn't. For a step-through, consider a battery mounted on/in the rear rack. Makes actually stepping through easier.

When operating in below-zero temperatures, don't just keep the battery inside the house, take the display unit as well. There is a small battery in there which might not like drawing power in sub-zero.

Hydraulic disk-brakes are super helpful to the average city rider. Not for power, but for modulation. Expect high pad-wear. Buy basic Shimano.

Drivetrain wear is less of an issue than expected if riding sensibly.

Oh, and really good tires with proper modern flat-protection technologies are worth every penny!

Syntace makes 12° and 16° bars in carbon or aluminium. Pretty high-end, certainly no more budget friendly than SQlab, though.

Trickstuff Power pads work very well for me. Tested on long descents in the Alps, no complaints whatsoever.

However, I'm quite light and use powerful brakes, so I'm pretty sure most pads would have enough power. Will try the Trickstuff Standard pads next, as they are a bit cheaper and should last longer.

Moving to different areas has been the main driver of bike purchases for me.

I buy bikes depending on local terrain and on the type of riding done by the people I like to ride with.

No use buying a hot new XC race rig if everyone in the group is running Maxxgrip Assegais and tons of travel.

A good starting point are the seats that come stock on high-end bikes by large brands (e.g. Specialized Bridge, WTB Volt/Silverado, Selle Italia SLR). These usually are models which work well for many people. Measuring sitbones is helpful to get the correct width. Don't need a dealer for that, you can do it yourself with a piece of compressible cardboard.

The Baron equivalent in the new lineup is apparently the Argotal Enduro Soft (what a name downgrade! ).

If you get one of the Enduro-style FF helmets, you may end up using it more outside the Bikepark, increasing total safety by quite a bit.

And even the full fat Guide RSC isn't a terribly powerful brake. It's OK for lighter riders when using good pads, but I relegated mine to the XC bike where they fit much better than on the trailbike.