RAB LEJOG on Ribble eroad bike

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Very impressive. :okay:
 
Should have elaborated... impressive that the range could be eked out and charging points could be accessed on such a long tour. A failure to do either would have resulted in much misery, or more realistically, a DNF.
 
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NickWi

Guru
It’s a bit disappointing that Threshold Sports Limited, organisers of the RAB aren’t going to allow e-bikes on their ride, especially considering who their charity partners are. These include the Alzheimer’s Society, Parkinson’s UK, Cancer Research UK, Prostate Cancer UK and MacMillan, all of which promote cycling as a healthy activity, and would particular advocate e-biking as a gently and efficient method of assisting physical & mental recovery.

You could also argue that their policy was discriminatory against both aged and disable people. I accept that having to provide recharging points* at the camps might be an extra job to organise, but every other organisation has to provide facilities to cope with less able bodied people, why should they be exempt?

Maybe a few well worded emails to their sponsors, partners and the Charities Commission may provide pressure to change their minds.

*Question. How do the hundreds of people who do this event recharge their Garmins and lights every day?
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
How do the hundreds of people who do this event recharge their Garmins and lights every day?

Exactly, to charge an ebike is no more inconvenient than a nav device. They only draw 2 Amps for charging.
 
*Question. How do the hundreds of people who do this event recharge their Garmins and lights every day?

Pinch of salt, I've never done it but if they are camping its likely that they just don't. Someone properly equipped for long tours will make use of a proper dynamo setup and can charge their bits with a usb port in the headset.

Cinq5-Plug5-Plus-Dynamo-USB-Charger.jpg
 
Hah, no for lots of reasons. You'll always burn more energy pushing the dynamo than you generate due to conversion losses, a.k.a. <100% efficiency (same reason perpetual motion machines don't work). Theortically you might be able to connect the dynamo to the battery of a moving ebike, but it defeats the point if you get a longer range without it! Also a typical hub dynamo couldn't power a 4 amp 230 volt charging unit, because they are designed to power 3W 6 volt LEDs, or about 0.5amps,m, which most scrawny people can manage*.

*Also, just because it's interesting:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4O5voOCqAQ
 
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OP
OP
youngoldbloke

youngoldbloke

The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
It’s a bit disappointing that Threshold Sports Limited, organisers of the RAB aren’t going to allow e-bikes on their ride, especially considering who their charity partners are. These include the Alzheimer’s Society, Parkinson’s UK, Cancer Research UK, Prostate Cancer UK and MacMillan, all of which promote cycling as a healthy activity, and would particular advocate e-biking as a gently and efficient method of assisting physical & mental recovery.

You could also argue that their policy was discriminatory against both aged and disable people. I accept that having to provide recharging points* at the camps might be an extra job to organise, but every other organisation has to provide facilities to cope with less able bodied people, why should they be exempt?

Maybe a few well worded emails to their sponsors, partners and the Charities Commission may provide pressure to change their minds.

*Question. How do the hundreds of people who do this event recharge their Garmins and lights every day?
You could argue that the cost of taking part discriminates against most people. Seriously, I think making provision for charging larger numbers of ebikes and caring for those who would almost inevitably run out of power on a stage would pose a huge logistical challenge. I know a number of those involved in chaperoning on the event and it is a really tough challenge - both for the riders they are looking after and the chaperones themselves! A separate event maybe?
 
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