In a statement that's sure to stir a bit of conversation among America's cycling community, Friends of Big Bend Ranch State Park wrote "E-bikes may sound like a good idea
I have an e-bike I use for commuting and groceries.
It’s very very heavy when not powered and it has a ton of drag (because of the regenerative braking). It’s brutal to pedal without assist even though I’m an avid cyclist who spends most of my time on non-e-bikes.
Depending on the kind of bike it was - and her level of fitness - there could be multiple problems or issues that resulted in her being stranded.
There’s an easy answer here, that e-bikes used in the outback/wilderness should have adequate bail-out gearing.
Regen braking shouldn’t be on all the time though, that sounds odd.
Definitely heavy enough that even with gears it can be a lot to pedal without assist, I can say from personal experience with a ~70 lb first-gen RadCity
Regen isn’t on all the time, but the regen gearing causes very high drag. It’s a side effect of how the motor is designed. In order to cruise as if it could freewheel with no drag, the motor controller has to feed it a low amount of power when not pedalling. About 20W-30W depending on the speed.
But the motor is also much larger than most e-bike motors (1200W continuous with a much higher peak) - additionally the battery is double the size of most e-bike batteries (also ~1200W/hr).
So in addition to the drag - lots of extra weight.
I have an e-bike I use for commuting and groceries.
It’s very very heavy when not powered and it has a ton of drag (because of the regenerative braking). It’s brutal to pedal without assist even though I’m an avid cyclist who spends most of my time on non-e-bikes.
Depending on the kind of bike it was - and her level of fitness - there could be multiple problems or issues that resulted in her being stranded.
There’s an easy answer here, that e-bikes used in the outback/wilderness should have adequate bail-out gearing.
Regen braking shouldn’t be on all the time though, that sounds odd.
Definitely heavy enough that even with gears it can be a lot to pedal without assist, I can say from personal experience with a ~70 lb first-gen RadCity
Regen isn’t on all the time, but the regen gearing causes very high drag. It’s a side effect of how the motor is designed. In order to cruise as if it could freewheel with no drag, the motor controller has to feed it a low amount of power when not pedalling. About 20W-30W depending on the speed.
But the motor is also much larger than most e-bike motors (1200W continuous with a much higher peak) - additionally the battery is double the size of most e-bike batteries (also ~1200W/hr).
So in addition to the drag - lots of extra weight.
Oh I see, is that a permanent magnet motor that’s ultimately responsible for the drag?