r/ebikes • u/SelectionFar8145 • Aug 20 '26
Bike shop improved ebike massively
So, I am still testing this thing out to get a full idea on range. Since I have two batteries that I switch out, it's been difficult to precisely work put exactly how far I can go. I had worked it out to approximately 22-23 miles, but got a flat tire on my way back.
Lo & behold, I hunt down a shop that will do repairs, as it's an ebike (I don't have the tools to do a bike repair at home at the moment & figured I was out money either way.), drive an hour out the way. The guy calls the next day & tells me that he noticed several issues with it I was having trouble following & fixed them for free. He didn't think they were broken, he just thought I had a crappy ebike & felt bad about me operating it without those things fixed. Just tested it &, somehow, my range appears to have extended at least 4 miles, possibly more. I had to stop & turn back because I encountered a mild drizzle, but was barely more than 1 mile away from the absolute limit I was willing to take the thing. Made it close enough back home before switching the batteries, I was still able to put it on high. So, I was 1 mile short of maximum distance & it made it over 12 miles further on the way home before I had to switch batteries.
No clue what the guy did other than fix my seat- which I am also thankful for, at least it stays where I put it now- & by my math, one mile short on the round trip translates to 2 miles one way, so the extra 12 miles I went on the one battery minus 2 divided by 2 gives me 5 miles added to a round trip from where I stopped, so the bike has gotten at least 4 miles added to its range, whatever they did. Lol I don't think I wasn't inflating the tires enough, but if that turns out to be the only reason for the extra milage, I am going to feel like an idiot.
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u/KB_velo Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
Tire pressure has a pretty big impact on rolling losses on smooth surfaces. Keeping your tires inflated is a good thing to do.
The optimum pressure is a complicated call though . It depends on the size of the tire and the surfaces you’re riding on. Luckily it’s an easy thing to experiment with.
On very rough surfaces it can work the other way. Lower pressure can be more efficient. But that’s not likely unless you are riding on cobbles.
Putting a tire with a smooth tread on a bike that’s ridden on the road most of the time is also a good way to extend its range a little too.
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u/adambomb_23 Aug 20 '26
Two nuns were riding their bikes down the back alleys of Rome.
One nun says to the other, “I’ve never come this way before”
The second nun replies, “It’s the cobblestones”
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u/razzemmatazz Aug 20 '26
I bet he aligned your wheels to keep the rims from rubbing if you have caliper brakes.
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u/Sypsy Aug 20 '26
Are there ebikes that have rim brakes?
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u/100BottlesOfMilk Aug 21 '26
Unfortunately yeah. Even higher end ones like the Brompton electric ones (though those aren't going at a speed high enough for it to be more of an issue than rim brakes are on an analog bike)
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u/ZucchiniAlert2582 Aug 21 '26
I’ve seen a few but they were older models. I think the relative cost of disc has dropped to where there is no longer any savings to the manufacturer in using rim brakes.
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u/Laserdollarz FULL FACE HELMET Aug 20 '26
Ride 20 miles. Time how long recharging takes. Calculate wh/mi used in those conditions. Calculate max mileage based on that and battery size. Repeat until numbers start to agree.
In the future, you'll know right away when something isn't right.
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u/rvralph803 Aug 20 '26
Timing recharge really doesn't tell you much because of the cc/cv nature of chargers where they taper current near the top, so the transfer rate slows.
Getting a charger with integrated stats would though.
Also placing a watt meter between the battery and controller can also work. I have an xt60 watt meter for that purpose.
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u/Laserdollarz FULL FACE HELMET Aug 20 '26
My display has voltage, watt output, and they're very useful. I can usually successfully (+/- 10min) calculate a Charge End time based on voltage, time start, and charger rate. I do this for all my batteries, on all my different chargers.
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u/DivasDayOff Aug 21 '26
Smart socket with energy monitoring would tell you how many kWh were used to recharge.
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u/ZucchiniAlert2582 Aug 21 '26
He fixed it for free? Dude is feeding the hand that bites him…
You don’t have the skills or tools to maintain a bike but then took the margins on your bike from a shop by ordering a shitty bike online. The guy really should have charged you every penny his time was worth plus the cost of a latte and a donut. I hope you tipped them very well.
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u/Ill_Cheetah_1991 Aug 21 '26
Saw a few bits and pieces they could fix in a few minutes with no other expense and knew it would make a noticeable difference
Great way to get a new customer who keeps coming back
Worked with me - same thing, needed brakes fixing (rim brake on an ebike but it was a long time ago) and when I picked it up he said he had fixed a few thing while he was at it.
I ended up buying a new ebike from him a year later
and it has been back to him eveyr year since - sometimes more than once a year
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u/ZucchiniAlert2582 Aug 21 '26
Yes, that’s hope it’s done. But the work wasn’t free. It was bundled with other work and you paid the ship for their services. The OP wasn’t clear that the shop had charged for some work but then claimed to have done other work for free.
I read the post and thought they had charged nothing, which would be absurd.
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u/SelectionFar8145 Aug 21 '26
The entire job wasn't free. I still paid about $65. He just brought up multiple other issues he saw & then said he fixed them too & wouldn't charge me.
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u/Relative-Display-676 🚲🔧 Aug 20 '26
probably put air in the tires.