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+--- Thread: Cycling in Waterloo Region (/showthread.php?tid=186)
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RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - ijmorlan - 03-03-2018
(02-25-2018, 03:39 PM)timc Wrote: I've been wondering lately when the trail is going to be open again. The signage says six months from the start, which would put it in late March, but I'm not so sure from the look of things...
I think the construction schedule was always a fantasy. They’ve just recently started working on the new bridge abutments, after tweeting a couple of months back about the specific crane that was going to be used to lift the new bridge into location “in mid-January” if I recall correctly. It was pretty obvious even then that no such thing was going to happen and sure enough it hasn’t.
If we assume that this whole “winter” thing was a completely unexpected interruption then the advertised schedule makes much more sense. 6 months of disruption (possibly more on the actual bridge site, without disrupting anything except the new bridge site itself) is a reasonable maximum time for a project of this nature, but as soon as you lose several months to weather then obviously that goes out the window.
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Canard - 03-03-2018
(03-03-2018, 03:53 PM)Bob_McBob Wrote: Anyone missing an Opus bike?
https://www.reddit.com/r/kitchener/comments/81sdmf/possible_stolen_bike/
Ugh, that's awful - but glad the owner was found! Hopefully the story has a happy ending.
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Canard - 03-04-2018
Had a good time at the Toronto Spring Bicycle Show today. Subway, CLRV and Flexity ride, and lots of bike test rides. I finally got to ride a $15k Riese & Müller with a Bosch middrive - I'm in love.
A bit disappointed at the lack of parts from vendors, though - I went in with a grocery list of stuff I had been holding off buying over the last few months anticipating I'd pick it all up at the show, and came up completely empty handed! When I asked one place about the Shimano brake levers I was looking for, he said "Oh, sorry, we only bring our high-end components to the show..."
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Masala - 03-05-2018
So I'm thinking about an electric conversion for my commuter bike.
I'd like to try cycling to work a few days a week, but the distance is beyond what my legs are going to do reliably, at least at the start. And we don't have showers at work so i can't arrive all sweaty.
In a former life (5 years ago) I had a co-worker who rode a regular bike with an electric motor front hub every day, all year round. He charged the batteries at work during the day. I admired his dedication, and it worked well for him. But I haven't heard about such conversions lately.
While a purpose built electric bike might be a better ride, I'm ok with a battery and controller on a rack on the back, along with the panniers. And wires tie-wrapped o the frame. My bike is an acceptable commuter bike as is, just my sorry ass late middle age legs that aren't decent. And the budget won't sustain a new bike anyway.
Does a front hub conversion make sense here?
I've not yet started going in to shops with my prospective project, which will be education in itself. Any guidance as to which shops to see? Or some offline DM if you've had a negative experience?
Thanks!
Masala
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - plam - 03-06-2018
(03-05-2018, 11:04 PM)Masala Wrote: While a purpose built electric bike might be a better ride, I'm ok with a battery and controller on a rack on the back, along with the panniers. And wires tie-wrapped o the frame. My bike is an acceptable commuter bike as is, just my sorry ass late middle age legs that aren't decent. And the budget won't sustain a new bike anyway.
Does a front hub conversion make sense here?
I've not yet started going in to shops with my prospective project, which will be education in itself. Any guidance as to which shops to see? Or some offline DM if you've had a negative experience?
I did a conversion myself with parts from ebikes.ca. The bike is pretty nifty. It's a rear wheel hub motor which I bought mounted into the wheel from them (along with a controller and battery). The first one I got was bogus and it took me a while to figure out what was wrong, but when I did they were helpful. But if you need someone to do the conversion for you, I have no experience with that.
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Canard - 03-06-2018
Awesome question!
I’d steer clear of front-mounted hub drives. You lose a lot of stability. Rear hub drive is better, and a middrive at the crank is best.
I had the same thought as you about conversion, but decided the pricing worked out more favourably to just get a second bicycle with assist already included. Middrive is awesome - Bosch and Shimano make amazing systems. I wish you’d posted a few days earlier - I would have said you should go to the Bike Show in Toronto, where half the bikes this year were pedelecs!
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Canard - 03-06-2018
I’d also suggest visiting Cycle Electic in Waterloo, on King just North of Northfield. The owner (Adrian) is very friendly and you can try out all different styles of drives.
One other thing to remember about kits, is you get what you pay for. I know the allure of a sub-1k system from China is nice, but... they’re really crappy. For a little more, you can get a perfectly engineered system from giants like Shimano, Bosch, Yamaha or Brose who have been doing this for more than a decade.
Torque sensing that you get with a middrive is also a huge plus over the cheap cadence sensing that most kits use. You feel like the assist isn’t even there - it’s invisible and just feels like always having a little tailwind, because the output of the drive is directly proportional to your pedal input.
We bought a Pedego City Commuter for my husband from Cycle Electric a year ago when he was interested in going on long bike rides with me. I rode it a few times to work (25-30 km each way), and decided I wanted one with Shimano’s STePS system, and settled on a Trek Lift+ after many test rides at the bike show last year.
If you really are stuck on kits, look at Bafang if you’re thinking of middrives, or BionX if you’re thinking hub motors. They’re Canadian and make some really nice stuff - again Cycle Electric sells BionX stuff.
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Masala - 03-06-2018
Thanks Plam and Canard for the advice. If I'm successful with the conversion I'll let you know. I will be at least a month or two, for unrelated reasons.
Thanks
Masala
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - danbrotherston - 03-06-2018
I tweeted at the region yesterday in the hopes of understanding when street sweeping will be done on bike lanes.
This morning I got a flat tire from glass I picked up in a bike lane, but didn't get an answer from the region.
Suggestions on how to engage better so I can get a response.
I can't even begin to question policy if I can't even figure out what it is.
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Canard - 03-06-2018
I hear you. Have you been by the new island on Weber on the Laurel Trail? It is a graveyard of car parts. Completely coated. I always cynically want to kick all that stuff back onto the road...
The road through the North side of R&T Park is particularly awful, and I’ve tweeted about it several times. No response.
I spotted broken glass several times in Cambridge. I tweeted and they said they’d clean it up. They did, a week later, and only cleaned about half of it up. I gave up after that.
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Pheidippides - 03-06-2018
File a claim like motor vehicles do against pothole inflicted damage. That should get a response.
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - jamincan - 03-07-2018
It doesn't solve the problem of the city ignoring the issue, but tubeless tires/wheels could help you deal with the punctures at least.
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - timc - 03-07-2018
(03-06-2018, 09:43 PM)Canard Wrote: The road through the North side of R&T Park is particularly awful, and I’ve tweeted about it several times. No response.
Assuming you are talking about Hagey near Bearinger, that road is perpetually dirty and muddy, and has been for years, due to the trucks that haul loads of dirt there. Sweeping that road doesn't even seem worth the bother.
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Canard - 03-07-2018
They do sweep - and they just sweep the road, and all the junk from the road goes in the bike lane.
RE: Cycling in Waterloo Region - Canard - 03-10-2018
A couple of coworkers highly recommended Chain Reaction Cycles for parts, saying pricing was great.
After coming up short at the bike show I ordered some stuff - but it’s taking forever to get here and tracking is awful - is this typical?
Maybe I’m just used to Amazon’s “14 days” always being 2
