Team BKool CycleChat

[keithaitch]

Bkool just lost the Ant+ signal and zeroed out RPM,watts,HR etc. Annoying as my tablet and watch were fine unfortunately they don't report back to bkool so wouldn't give me a time. It reconnected a minute later so I figured being the 30th Nov it was the last chance to register a time for the team, restarted and took it out on the crank but second time round never as good as the first. Still I'm glad I did it, normally would have walked away. Technology... 🤦‍♂️

Huge kudos

 

[Goldwolfie]

Well I'm glad stage 5 is done and dusted. That was hard work, and I think it was Keith with the encouraging comments to keep me going over the last couple of miles, so thanks for that.

I obviously need to drop a few kgs to help me get over the climbs.

Onwards and upwards, but at every slow pace.

 

[keithaitch]

Well I'm glad stage 5 is done and dusted. That was hard work, and I think it was Keith with the encouraging comments to keep me going over the last couple of miles, so thanks for that.

I obviously need to drop a few kgs to help me get over the climbs.

Onwards and upwards, but at every slow pace.

It was me, you were phenomenal at the end.

 

[AndyMacca]

It was me, you were phenomenal at the end.

Ah I saw a few messages, something about 'steeper to come' and 'save yourself', was that you too? Sorry if I missed some others I didn't really know they were a thing. Very useful - I did back off before the last hills for a few mins after seeing them. 👍 Those hills at the end were mental, I remember seeing 34rpm at one stage.

 

[Mark68]

Bkool just lost the Ant+ signal and zeroed out RPM,watts,HR etc. Annoying as my tablet and watch were fine unfortunately they don't report back to bkool so wouldn't give me a time. It reconnected a minute later so I figured being the 30th Nov it was the last chance to register a time for the team, restarted and took it out on the crank but second time round never as good as the first. Still I'm glad I did it, normally would have walked away. Technology... 🤦‍♂️

Yes well done for not giving in to technology. It's hard sometimes, but feels great when you beat it

 

[keithaitch]

Ah I saw a few messages, something about 'steeper to come' and 'save yourself', was that you too? Sorry if I missed some others I didn't really know they were a thing. Very useful - I did back off before the last hills for a few mins after seeing them. 👍 Those hills at the end were mental, I remember seeing 34rpm at one stage.

Yes as a spectator you can paint in front of the rider you are following. Unfortunately at the moment it doesn't allow a space in the message so it's a little harder to be coherent.

 

[keithaitch]

Yes well done for not giving in to technology. It's hard sometimes, but feels great when you beat it

Yes I'd have gone for the reward beer early!

 

[Goldwolfie]

It was me, you were phenomenal at the end.

Thanks Keith - at one stage on the last climb I thought it was going to be the end, and I wouldn't have had to bother with the pain you have planned for December.

 

[Mark68]

Please bear with me on this as its a long post soory

Totally off topic re Bkool training app but i'm currently thinking about getting a E bike for commuting to work so I am asking what the thought's are on here? Nothing to rude though please.
My commute is 15 miles each way by the way. I do cycle one day a week when I am on a late which is great as I can have a nice ride in without any rush for an 11 am start. I get a nice quiet ride back in the evening. My route is on a B road and is generally ok to cycle on.
Only thing is I start work at 6.30 on the other 4 days so cycling in on those is tough. takes about 50-55 mins. I do have a 125cc scooter that I use but with the roads being gritted salt has taken its toll and needed a new disc and pads, and also a new caliper earlier in the year. Managed to get a second hand one for 90 quid fitted but 350 new. The salt has also started attacking the insides that I can't clean so I am thinking about selling while it's still ok. The scooter maintenance is not quite as cheap as I had hoped and working out hard to justify keeping.
We are thinking about getting a second car so I could possibly car to work and leave it there, cycle back then cycle in the next day, but what if we need the car and it's at work? Thing is with a second car is 2 lots of maintenance and they do need using. The cost of another car is a lot more than a bike. We could risk an older one, but we have just exchanged that for a newer car as the old one was turning into a money pit.
So that leads me to an E bike. No high servicing costs and it would get me to and from work on a charge. I could use the car if I was too tired some days and I wouldn't need to leave the car at work cos I could get the lift from the battery. I guess you can use it and hardly pedal.

Any ideas how these bikes motors and batteries are for extended use like i am thinking? I would probably look at a bosche motor.

And before anyone says anything No I won't use it on the sim.

There we go question asked and sorry for rambling on.

 

[Randyberlin]

Please bear with me on this as its a long post soory

Totally off topic re Bkool training app but i'm currently thinking about getting a E bike for commuting to work so I am asking what the thought's are on here? Nothing to rude though please.
My commute is 15 miles each way by the way. I do cycle one day a week when I am on a late which is great as I can have a nice ride in without any rush for an 11 am start. I get a nice quiet ride back in the evening. My route is on a B road and is generally ok to cycle on.
Only thing is I start work at 6.30 on the other 4 days so cycling in on those is tough. takes about 50-55 mins. I do have a 125cc scooter that I use but with the roads being gritted salt has taken its toll and needed a new disc and pads, and also a new caliper earlier in the year. Managed to get a second hand one for 90 quid fitted but 350 new. The salt has also started attacking the insides that I can't clean so I am thinking about selling while it's still ok. The scooter maintenance is not quite as cheap as I had hoped and working out hard to justify keeping.
We are thinking about getting a second car so I could possibly car to work and leave it there, cycle back then cycle in the next day, but what if we need the car and it's at work? Thing is with a second car is 2 lots of maintenance and they do need using. The cost of another car is a lot more than a bike. We could risk an older one, but we have just exchanged that for a newer car as the old one was turning into a money pit.
So that leads me to an E bike. No high servicing costs and it would get me to and from work on a charge. I could use the car if I was too tired some days and I wouldn't need to leave the car at work cos I could get the lift from the battery. I guess you can use it and hardly pedal.

Any ideas how these bikes motors and batteries are for extended use like i am thinking? I would probably look at a bosche motor.

And before anyone says anything No I won't use it on the sim.

There we go question asked and sorry for rambling on.

Check out the sweet sweet e bike @theboxers has. He did a lot of research.

 

[AndyMacca]

Please bear with me on this as its a long post soory

Totally off topic re Bkool training app but i'm currently thinking about getting a E bike for commuting to work so I am asking what the thought's are on here? Nothing to rude though please.
My commute is 15 miles each way by the way. I do cycle one day a week when I am on a late which is great as I can have a nice ride in without any rush for an 11 am start. I get a nice quiet ride back in the evening. My route is on a B road and is generally ok to cycle on.
Only thing is I start work at 6.30 on the other 4 days so cycling in on those is tough. takes about 50-55 mins. I do have a 125cc scooter that I use but with the roads being gritted salt has taken its toll and needed a new disc and pads, and also a new caliper earlier in the year. Managed to get a second hand one for 90 quid fitted but 350 new. The salt has also started attacking the insides that I can't clean so I am thinking about selling while it's still ok. The scooter maintenance is not quite as cheap as I had hoped and working out hard to justify keeping.
We are thinking about getting a second car so I could possibly car to work and leave it there, cycle back then cycle in the next day, but what if we need the car and it's at work? Thing is with a second car is 2 lots of maintenance and they do need using. The cost of another car is a lot more than a bike. We could risk an older one, but we have just exchanged that for a newer car as the old one was turning into a money pit.
So that leads me to an E bike. No high servicing costs and it would get me to and from work on a charge. I could use the car if I was too tired some days and I wouldn't need to leave the car at work cos I could get the lift from the battery. I guess you can use it and hardly pedal.

Any ideas how these bikes motors and batteries are for extended use like i am thinking? I would probably look at a bosche motor.

And before anyone says anything No I won't use it on the sim.

There we go question asked and sorry for rambling on.

Probably worth it's own topic, I'm sure it'll create some interesting discussions. I'm a big fan of E-bikes, I was never interested in pedal bikes until doing a charity ride earlier this year which led to getting hooked on the turbo during last winter training. I've had 5 E-bikes over the years but sold my last one in the summer, it was super cool though, a naughty amount of watts 20ah battery full suspension and very comfy. My wife's still got hers though a 250w 15ah/36v front suspension step through style bike, it's quite an old model and really heavy, having said that it'll do 30miles with minimal input from the rider (literally 'no sweat'). You shouldn't have issues with a 15ah battery unless it's really hilly, if you're going to put in say 75-100w then you're golden, worst case scenario you'll have to cycle a little and on the next journey be a little more frugal with the motor. Charge it overnight ready for the next day, a typical battery of this size (15ah,36v) is around £250 and will last 500 charge cycles, get branded cells though (wife's are Samsung). Power on the road is legally limted to 250w (strictly speaking in the UK it's 200w but we seem to have adopted the EU rules) and speed limited to 15.5mph. If you're going to buy a new bike I'd recommend keeping it simple, don't get one with a stylised battery that looks cool in the frame but'll cost you a fortune to replace. I've never used a Bosch motor but I'm sure they're great (and pricey), the weak spot on E-bikes I've found are the motor controllers, but if you get a Bosch/Bafung mid-drive (rather than the usual hub motor) then the controller is built in and probally more closely compatible to the motors needs. My favourite E-bike cost £500 to build including the 2nd hand mountain bike base,very satisfying to build yourself and lots of online communities for support. Climbed all over the outer Hebrides hills and across the beaches, peat bogs etc no problem. Huge fun sorry for rambling.🤞

 

[theboxers]

Please bear with me on this as its a long post soory

Totally off topic re Bkool training app but i'm currently thinking about getting a E bike for commuting to work so I am asking what the thought's are on here? Nothing to rude though please.
My commute is 15 miles each way by the way. I do cycle one day a week when I am on a late which is great as I can have a nice ride in without any rush for an 11 am start. I get a nice quiet ride back in the evening. My route is on a B road and is generally ok to cycle on.
Only thing is I start work at 6.30 on the other 4 days so cycling in on those is tough. takes about 50-55 mins. I do have a 125cc scooter that I use but with the roads being gritted salt has taken its toll and needed a new disc and pads, and also a new caliper earlier in the year. Managed to get a second hand one for 90 quid fitted but 350 new. The salt has also started attacking the insides that I can't clean so I am thinking about selling while it's still ok. The scooter maintenance is not quite as cheap as I had hoped and working out hard to justify keeping.
We are thinking about getting a second car so I could possibly car to work and leave it there, cycle back then cycle in the next day, but what if we need the car and it's at work? Thing is with a second car is 2 lots of maintenance and they do need using. The cost of another car is a lot more than a bike. We could risk an older one, but we have just exchanged that for a newer car as the old one was turning into a money pit.
So that leads me to an E bike. No high servicing costs and it would get me to and from work on a charge. I could use the car if I was too tired some days and I wouldn't need to leave the car at work cos I could get the lift from the battery. I guess you can use it and hardly pedal.

Any ideas how these bikes motors and batteries are for extended use like i am thinking? I would probably look at a bosche motor.

And before anyone says anything No I won't use it on the sim.

There we go question asked and sorry for rambling on.

E-bikes are well worth the money if you get the right one for you needs.

I have a Cube agree sl hybrid. I upgraded to a di2 setup after purchase. The bike does exactly what I want it to do. I've had 60 miles on a charge including a fair amount at max power and still had a fair bit of power left.

Not cheap but there are many options out there.

For road bikes, which I went looking for due to the generally lighter weight (easier to complete a journey if you run out of power), I'd consider an Orbea gain of some description. They can be had for as little as £1200 or less iirc. They may be even lower now. The same drive system, ebikemotion, can be found on Wilier bikes and iirc ribble use the same as well.

Pinarello, factor, cube and several others use the Fazua system. Slightly more torque than the ebikemotion system but the ebikemotion system is after the drivetrain so it is slightly easier on the drive train.

I did not look at mountain or xc bike or even commuter hybrid style bikes. I wanted a road bike. Also the newer road bikes can be difficult to distinguish as an e-bike even from relatively close.

I'd recommend a test ride as they nature of the power delivery can be a little off putting especially around the 25kmh/15mph assist cutoff, although there can be had parts to defeat this limitation, damhik . Also they are assist bikes, no pedalling no assistance

Enjoy your hunt for an e-bike there are now plenty of good ones around as long as you accept the prices 🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑

 

[Randyberlin]

E-bikes are well worth the money if you get the right one for you needs.

I have a Cube agree sl hybrid. I upgraded to a di2 setup after purchase. The bike does exactly what I want it to do. I've had 60 miles on a charge including a fair amount at max power and still had a fair bit of power left.

Not cheap but there are many options out there.

For road bikes, which I went looking for due to the generally lighter weight (easier to complete a journey if you run out of power), I'd consider an Orbea gain of some description. They can be had for as little as £1200 or less iirc. They may be even lower now. The same drive system, ebikemotion, can be found on Wilier bikes and iirc ribble use the same as well.

Pinarello, factor, cube and several others use the Fazua system. Slightly more torque than the ebikemotion system but the ebikemotion system is after the drivetrain so it is slightly easier on the drive train.

I did not look at mountain or xc bike or even commuter hybrid style bikes. I wanted a road bike. Also the newer road bikes can be difficult to distinguish as an e-bike even from relatively close.

I'd recommend a test ride as they nature of the power delivery can be a little off putting especially around the 25kmh/15mph assist cutoff, although there can be had parts to defeat this limitation, damhik . Also they are assist bikes, no pedalling no assistance

Enjoy your hunt for an e-bike there are now plenty of good ones around as long as you accept the prices 🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑

Dude, where’s the pictures?
Edit: I don’t care about the performance I just like the looks.

 

[Randyberlin]

Please bear with me on this as its a long post soory

Totally off topic re Bkool training app but i'm currently thinking about getting a E bike for commuting to work so I am asking what the thought's are on here? Nothing to rude though please.
My commute is 15 miles each way by the way. I do cycle one day a week when I am on a late which is great as I can have a nice ride in without any rush for an 11 am start. I get a nice quiet ride back in the evening. My route is on a B road and is generally ok to cycle on.
Only thing is I start work at 6.30 on the other 4 days so cycling in on those is tough. takes about 50-55 mins. I do have a 125cc scooter that I use but with the roads being gritted salt has taken its toll and needed a new disc and pads, and also a new caliper earlier in the year. Managed to get a second hand one for 90 quid fitted but 350 new. The salt has also started attacking the insides that I can't clean so I am thinking about selling while it's still ok. The scooter maintenance is not quite as cheap as I had hoped and working out hard to justify keeping.
We are thinking about getting a second car so I could possibly car to work and leave it there, cycle back then cycle in the next day, but what if we need the car and it's at work? Thing is with a second car is 2 lots of maintenance and they do need using. The cost of another car is a lot more than a bike. We could risk an older one, but we have just exchanged that for a newer car as the old one was turning into a money pit.
So that leads me to an E bike. No high servicing costs and it would get me to and from work on a charge. I could use the car if I was too tired some days and I wouldn't need to leave the car at work cos I could get the lift from the battery. I guess you can use it and hardly pedal.

Any ideas how these bikes motors and batteries are for extended use like i am thinking? I would probably look at a bosche motor.

And before anyone says anything No I won't use it on the sim.

There we go question asked and sorry for rambling on.

I have a coworker in our Haines clinic who has a sister who has a bike shop in Haxby. I think it is near you. And to show this is a small world - Haines Alaska is where Keith has a cousin who owns a shop and hotel and rental car company.

 

[keithaitch]

I used to be anti ebikes, just as I was anti mountain bikes, until I got one and loved it! Just call me narrow minded! I now think ebikes are great, not for me... Yet, though I was in awe of the new cannondale super six ebike, if only it hadn't cost 9 grand! I now love to see people out riding who wouldn't do it other wise. Good on them. It also gives me something to train against on my ride to work, nobody who comes past me doesn't get caught, even if they have got a little help. I do of course have my own assisted ride. She sits on the back of the tandem and kicks in just when I need it towards the end of a climb.