Replace Your Stock Bafang Chainring with the Lekkie Bling Ring

The Lekkie Bling Ring is by far the most effective upgrade you can make to your Bafang Mid-Drive (BBS02 or BBSHD). Miles lighter than the stock 46T chainring, it cuts ounces (not grams) in one of the most significant ways, that is by reducing rotational inertia. When you are considering places to reduce weight from your bicycle, focus on the moving parts (hubs, spokes, rim, tires, crankset). In this way, you will reduce not only the absolute weight of the bike, but also the energy required to propel the parts of the bicycle which must rotate continuously around an axle, that is the wheel parts and drive components. Over thousands of revolutions, the weight savings really does add up in a much more significant way than by simply spending hundreds of $$ for a lighter seatpost or handlebar.

Sizes include the 28T, 36T, 42T, 46T, and 52T. Order today and get free USPS shipping.

How to Get Your E-bike Worked on at a Traditional LBS

  1. Remove the battery before bringing it in. This offers the courtesy of lightening the bike so they can lift it onto a work stand, and it lets them know you don't expect them to work on the electric components or store the battery.

  2. Rather than asking for a "full tune-up" it is much better to be specific about what you want. Asking them instead to check the derailleur & brakes (for example) tells them the bike has an attentive owner, limits the potential scope of the work, and reduces the shop's liability. After they've worked on your bike once, they will be more comfortable working on it in the future.

  3. Some shops just do not work on e-bikes. This is a perfectly reasonable policy; say thanks and head on to the next shop. No need to call ahead: they will need to see the bike to know if it's something they can do.

Advanced Urban Bicycle Riding

Here are some tips I’ve put together from years of safe & comfortable riding in LA traffic. With the power of electric bikes, John Forester’s notion of “vehicular cycling” is actually possible. I borrow my basic rules on bike safety from the world of motorcycling, in which collisions are considered intolerable. Their number one rule: ride like you’re invisible.

  1. Beat the cars off the line at stoplights. Establish your lane position well ahead, and the following driver will have an easier time coordinating their pass. Give drivers what they crave: certainty and order.

  2. Cross large intersections abreast of a car traveling in the same direction, keeping him in between you and the traffic waiting in the left turn lane. Let this car shield you from the all-too-common SMIDSY left-turn (Sorry mate, I didn’t see you).

  3. If a car is creeping out of a side street looking for a hole to turn, never assume he sees you just because he seems to be looking in your direction. Drivers often point their eyes at one spot and their attention at another. This is not a minor collision: avoid it completely by slowing and crossing his path at minimum speed.

  4. If you’re riding in heavy traffic on a bad road, try to be the very last one through the yellow light. You’ll get a minute or two of the road to yourself. I call this technique “pinching it off” (crudely). Never ever run reds since a perpendicular driver could be timing himself to hit the fresh green at full speed.

  5. Don’t accept direction or signals from drivers (or from anyone). Waves, gestures, and “all-clear” signs are well-meaning, but your eyes are the only ones you can trust with your life.

  6. Use lights in the day, if you have them. Some drivers are good at seeing bicyclists, and some are not. Almost no drivers can spot bicyclists with the sun in their eyes so be aware of where the sun is.

  7. Don’t outride your vision. If you don’t know what’s happening ahead of you, slow down until you do. This is the fundamental rule of safe motorcycling and it applies just as well to bike riding.

  8. Try to arrive at 4-way stops in a way that makes your position in the order obvious. That is, arrive clearly ahead of or clearly behind the driver. Otherwise drivers are prone to waving you through, which you might not have wanted.

Have some good rules of your own? Send them my way!

Happy May Day

Our company supports the international labor movement. We join our friends in the LA activist community by calling on banks & lenders to forgive and cancel mortgage debt during the emergency period, so that residential and commercial landlords can halt collection of rent (and not simply defer it), until tenants are able to return to work. Under the current moratorium on eviction, many tens of thousands of businesses, individuals, and families will be at high risk of eviction 6 months after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. And this is unacceptable in our wealthy and growing city.

"In a Global Health Emergency, the Bicycle Shines"

In this article, journalist and bike advocate Laura Laker writes about one way that the world’s cities have been adapting to the COVID pandemic. In some cities like New York, cycling trips are up 50% as the virus made the close confines of the subway particularly undesirable. In the US, the main roadways tend to be at least three lanes, which makes maintaining six feet far easier than it is on the sidewalk.

You can find her article at CityLab here.

https://www.citylab.com/perspective/2020/03/coronavirus-bike-lane-emergency-transportation-covid-19/608725/

California e-Bike Law

California has adopted the most progressive electric bike regulations in the nation, setting the groundwork for a potential revolution in transportation. Crucially, they establish workable power limits, and they maintain access to most existing bicycle infrastructure. State bills are also in the works to create incentive programs for electric bike purchases similar to those available for electric vehicles.

The reasons that this is a big deal is something I will go into more in a later post. Electric bicycles have incredible practical advantages over both pedal-bikes and automobiles. They address most of the disadvantages of pedaling a bicycle, such as sweat, hills & fitness, and excessively hot weather. They have finally declined in cost enough for reliable and fast bikes to be available to nearly all. And so they have potential to proliferate in our cities, suburbs, and rural areas, creating relief from oppressive transportation costs and promoting a more active and peaceful urban streetscape.

See link for the complete rundown on the CA regulations.

People For Bikes

Insuring electric bicycles

Renter’s insurance often covers electric bicycles, even if they are lost or damaged outside of the home.

Amica Insurance of Rhode Island, in particular, is known to offer theft protection to electric bicycles of significant value. Other companies that might provide coverage include Lemonade, or your existing homeowner’s policy. Sometimes the items are not covered outside the home until the policyholder calls and adds the bikes to their policy.

https://www.amica.com

1 (800) 242-6422

Silver Lake Electric Bikes has no relationship to Amica and this information is not sponsored in any way.

Urban bike locking strategies

  1. Bear rules apply. You don’t need to run the fastest to escape the bear (bike thief), you just need not to be the slowest (or flashiest and most poorly locked).

  2. Never lock a bike by its front wheel only (or rear). Try to get the lock through one of the bike’s two geometric triangles. The exception is if you use the Sheldon Brown locking strategy (which effectively passes through the rear triangle).

  3. Consider taking your battery with you when you park. The battery is the most valuable component of the bike, and on our bikes it is the only major part which can be stolen, as the motor needs several special tools to remove.

  4. If you use a U-lock, try to fill most of its interior space with the bike and bike rack, which will protect it against the bottle-jack method.

  5. Locks higher from the ground will be vulnerable to fewer attacks, as the ground can’t be used for leverage.

  6. For e-bikes more than $1,500 in value, we recommend a hardened steel chain lock above all others. It can be supplemented by a U-lock but there are few U-locks which will convey much theft protection to a $1,500-$3,000 bike.

  7. When parking overnight, it is difficult to protect a bicycle from theft, since a thief can expect much time and relief from prying eyes. Bring your bicycle into your home at night. Garages are one of the most-reported theft locations.

  8. Location: You don’t need to lock up as well in front of a police station as you do in an industrial park. Some citizens or authorities can be counted on to interfere with a theft in progress: park it in front of these people.

  9. Timing: Thieves often target places where there is a good chance the bike owner will be gone all day. This includes transit stops and train stations. In addition, parking at the same time in the same place every weekday lets a thief predict the whereabouts of both you and your bike. Mix it up.

  10. By practicing these tips, I have never had a bike stolen. But don’t worry! Just add your electric bicycle to your renter’s insurance policy, relax and ride on.

Tips for comfortable riding in the city

Some basic tips from 12 years of safe urban riding:

  • The faster you ride, the more space you need on either side of you. Rather than hug the parked cars, drift to the left as you accelerate. The bike lane is sometimes not the safest place for an e-bike.

  • Some riders choose to ride often in the center of the traffic lane, in theory preventing drivers from passing unsafely. This is a personal choice, and in some situations an appropriate one. Other riders prefer the rightmost third of the traffic lane, or on top of the left line of the striped bike lane.

  • If you ride in a striped bike lane, avoid the door-zone. Car doors opening without warning is one of the leading causes of injury to urban cyclists. Use special caution around taxis and Ubers as any door can open once the car stops moving (and sometimes before).

    • To this effect, if you must cut a path between stopped cars and moving ones, you are usually safer hugging the moving ones since they will nearly never open their doors.

  • To know if a driver is about to pull away from the curb, watch their front tires.

  • Always scan ahead. Evidenced by collision statistics, road hazard is almost always ahead of us rather than coming up from behind. Riders are rarely hit from behind, so don’t preoccupy yourself with the overtaking traffic.

    • Look for possible points of conflict ahead and brake if something is fishy. Don’t outride your vision and visibility.

  • Sunburn is probably the biggest hazard a bike rider faces. Even on a 20 minute ride, it is a good idea to put on some sunscreen.

  • Ride peacefully. Always be prepared to give up the right-of-way to an errant driver. They are often uninformed or inexperienced in dealing with bicyclists, and you will both appreciate skipping the confrontation and going on with your day.

  • Stop at stop lights. Riding courteously helps the e-bike community maintain positive relations with law enforcement. Rolling slowly through stop signs is usually considered acceptable, if there is no other traffic present (this is known as the Idaho Stop).

  • Remember that if you’ll be exceeding 20 mph on an e-bike, a helmet is required in California. It is also good practice to wear one.

  • Eye protection can be advisable at high speeds, where a pebble, insect, or other bit of debris can disable the rider and force him/her into making an unsafe stop. At speeds approaching 28 mph, wind can also be a distraction which earplugs can help with.

  • The most important piece of safety gear on scooters, motorcycles, and e-bikes alike are protective gloves. Leather, mesh, or synthetics are all okay. Along with your feet, your hands are your most likely parts to be injured in a fall. Fingerless or full-fingered gloves are okay.

Ready to go beyond the basics? Check out Advanced Urban Bicycle Riding.

Flying with e-bikes and shipment of batteries

Regulations surrounding the shipment of large lithium batteries has changed significantly in the past few years. Not only are passenger air carriers prohibiting large lithium-chemistry batteries, but domestic air freight companies are as well (UPS, FedEx, USPS). Customers seeking to ship large batteries by ground service might also run into red tape, as freight companies are increasingly requiring hazardous materials training.

At the present-time, traveling by air with your e-bike is fairly unfeasible, unless you have a spare battery on the other end of your trip. The motor alone tends not to add appreciably to the weight of the bike, so it can go in a bike box in the regular fashion. In addition, retail shipment of these batteries is also increasingly difficult (or expensive).

On the bright side, it is still easy to travel by domestic rail (Amtrak) with your e-bike and battery. You can even charge your batteries on the train if you are electric touring.

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