Riding the Mississippi by Electric Bike
by Bonnie Alter, London on 09.15.06
There is something about the Mississippi River that attracts and fascinates adventurers. First Treehugger reported on two intrepid inventors travelling down the river on a water bike. Now we have Quentin van Marle--a Brit who is riding along it on an electric bike—the Torq from eZeebike—chosen because it is lightweight and rugged. He is travelling the length of the river, 2,000 miles, from its source in Minnesota to the delta in New Orleans. This is the longest journey ever made on such a bike and it is being sponsored by Ecover detergent. Van Marle's goal is to assess the viability of eco-electric bikes as a legitimate mode of daily transport. The emphasis will be on the ecological condition of the river itself as it is such a huge and strong force, both as a drainage system and a transport waterway. So far he is into week two of his adventure and has reached St. Paul, Minnesota safe and sound. Along the road he will be visiting 58 different towns and collecting anecdotes which he relays in his weekly radio broadcasts, or you can follow his travels by reading his weekly web diary. :: Big River Ride via :: The Guardian
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How is he recharging it? Must need to stay in motels or electrified campsites every night.
Does he have a support team?
Doh, of course they thought of a way to recharge the batteries. I would imagine it's being done in a support vehicle. I quickly scanned the web diary but did not see any mention. I'm very interested in electric bikes. The bike he's riding, the Torq, is hub motor powered. While I understand that this is the most convenient method of adding electric power to a bike I also understand it's inherent flaw. Ideally the crank or chain should be powered, that way you can most fully utilize the bikes gearing and the motors power. The chain stays on the Torq are very long to make space for the battery. This is a custom made frame. There's plenty of space between the wheel and the seat tube for a motor that could power the crank. Mount another crank on the left side and power it with the motor using a chain.
That way you would still be able to use all three chainrings on the right side crank and all the gears in the back. Have the motor shut down as soon as pedaling stops so that the cranks don't whack the riders legs.
lol, support vehicle???? What are you like! If you read Quentin's site diary you'll see he does'nt have a support vehicle and there's plenty of mentions of him stopping at one place or another and recharging the battery.
The F-series are the latest bikes to superceed the very popular Torq and have just been launched in the UK this week.
F-SERIES ELECTRIC BIKES STAMP OUT CARBON FOOTPRINTS
50cycles.com is in the race to stamp out travellers Carbon footprints by introducing a new, forward-thinking style of electric bike. Aimed at the next generation of pioneering cyclists who seek the most efficient, viable way to make it cool to save fuel and beat the rush hour traffic, the new F-series electric bikes boast an impressive range of 30 miles with traffic-beating power all the way.
This bike is so powerful it has been limited to 15mph for legal road use but this can be derestricted for off-road use to achieve a cracking pace of 22 mph. The F-series are also fully loaded with high-end components that mark a new level of style and function in this growing sector. Looking very much like cool conventional bikes, they pack a hidden punch and have moved the market into a new era, bringing style and character where once were clunky dinosaurs with unwieldy lead acid batteries. Tim Snaith, director of 50cycles Ltd, says “In my experience, a high performance electric bike is the quickest way to get around London.”
The launch comes less than a fortnight before the secret army of electric bike converts are set to gather in the charming border village of Presteigne, Powys, to strategise and test the the latest technology the electric bike underground has hatched. The event, on May 13th 2007 will include a race to decide the year’s best performing electric bike on the market. Experts would tip 50cycles to pull a win out of the bag again. But, who knows? A new world-beating contraption may roll out of some innovator’s shed and take the prize.
50cycles will unveil two new F-Series electric bikes, the Forza (pictured above) and Forte, at the event and free test rides will be available to anyone who dares to try their power for themselves.