Flyer E-Bike Battery in Bitterly Cold Weather

In my last posting I said that the weather had been relatively mild this winther.  This is no longer true.
Yesterday the country experienced one of the coldest nights in years.  Here in Bonn, the temperature was down at 14 degrees centigrade below zero.
Would you have left the Flyer`s battery pack at your bike in the garage?  I did not dare to do so.
The experts are saying that temperatures way below zero may damage the battery.  On the internet I found the following tips:  Avoid extreme temperatures and don`t reload the battery when it is frosty.  Ideally,  recharge at room temperature.
That is why I removed it from my bike and carried it inside the house where I have stowed it away on the basement.
Last Sunday morning I went by bike to the neighbouring village to the baker`s for fresh rolls.  So I got the battery from the basement, inserted it as usual in the middle of my bike and off I went. - The low temperature of minus 8 centigrade did not affect the functioning of my e-bike, as far as I could notice.

Riding my e-bike "Flyer" in the cold

This year`s winter has been relatively mild in Germany:  no snow so far in the Bonn area.
On my recent trips I did both the city and hiking paths in the country.  Consequently, I can  tell you of a new riding experience.


If you have read my previous blog entries, you will remember what  I wrote about roads and curbsides:  "bumpy" and "dangerous".  I had become aware of  these conditions of cycling lanes in Bonn because my e-bike has Schwalbe Balloon tires that were inflated to the utmost for the sake of less rolling resistance..


Now in January, with temperatures around 5 and 8 degrees centigrade during the day, the feeling for the road was entirely different.  Thanks to the low temperature, the air pressure in my Schwalbe ballon tires had decreased and my rides had become rather comfortable.  Granted, there are still a lot of places with dirt and gravel and traditionally cobbled pavements. My Swiss made e-bike "Flyer", model "i:sy" has proved to be sturdy enough to take anything, from cobbles in the city to dirt and gravel in the mountains.  Thanks to a saddle post with a suspension and the cold weather that taught me to appreciate the use of the balloon tires with less pressure than the instruction manual suggests, I have been enjoying comfortable and smooth rides.
My new formula is:  take a little more rolling resistance but enjoy the full comfort of balloon tires plus more grip.

First 500 km Performance of my e-bike "Flyer", the pedelec model "i:sy"

After three months of riding my e-bike "Flyer", model "i:sy", a Swiss made pedelec, I have finished the 500 km mark.  Now it`s time to return to the dealer and ask him to perform the first maintenance work as requested in the instruction manual. 
My daily rides were often about 15 km.  I have ridden the bike during good and bad weather, several times in a drizzle of rain.  Every time I returned home, I had to make it climb a steep hill.  And a number of trips I did in the near by Siebengebirge, which is a mountain region of mixed altitudes between 100 and 360  meters.
How did the bike perform?
It performed very well, to just one exception.  After a few days of rest in the garage, I took the bike out for a ride and when I had just mounted it and started pedalling,  the chain came off.  Upon a qick inspection,I found that it looked rusty and needed greasing.  Presumably the dealer had not noticed the state of the chain when he delivered the bike.
I greased the chain and my bike went on smoothly as ever. I went on riding it to my great joy and perfect satisfaction.

Enough "juice"? - Battery Charge Almost Running Out

PanasonicLithium Mangan Battery in Adapter for Charging

Today I went on a Sunday-morning-before-lunch trip into the Rhine valley, to Bonn and to Bad Godesberg where I visited a small Christmas market in the famous and traditional family owned hotel "Dreesen".


I rode along the riverside, and I noticed that my ride was smoother than on previous days.  Evidently the tires had lost a bit of  pressure, probably because the temperature had decreased. 


As I approached  the former parliament building in Bonn, I was confronted by a police barrier.  They were keeping the area around the World Congress Center closed because of the the international  conference on Afghanistan to be held on Dec. 5 with 85 nations participating. 

On my way around the enclosure and to Bad Godesberg I saw a group of  about 100 protesters, Afghans of Indian origin who were trying to tell the world about their religious suppression by the government of Afghanistan.


After my visit to the Christmas market with nice stands and traditional craftwork from Germany`s Erzgebirge in Thuringa, I took the ferry across the Rhine in order to go home, up the mountain via Oberdollendorf and Vinxel. A look at my  bike`s computer display showed me that only two fifth of my battery charge was left.


Would I make it up hill and all the way  back home?
When I was at one of the last steep slopes, the display showed that only one fifth was left.  I was getting nervous.  Then the indicator`s bar line had become very small, and it started to flicker.


Okay, I got home all right enjoying the full support of my little electric assistant.  I had done 32 kilometers, and when I took the battery out to be recharged, the bar indicator was still flickering.

My Flyer Model "i:sy" and the Handlebar "Speedlifter"

My Flyer Model "i:sy" and the Handlebar "Speedlifter"

The micro-computer screen mounted on my Flyer electric bike tells me that I have travelled over 300 kilometers in the past three weeks on my daily trips to town for shopping and in the area around the house for recreation.
I am using my bicycle more often since I have had the Flyer with its Panasonic battery powered support system.  The car stays in then garage when a trip of 15 kilometers is to be made because I do not shun the elevation parts of my bicycle rides any more.  I do not arrive at home out of breath and needing a shower after climbing the hills on my way back from a trip into the Rhine valley.  There is a simple formula:  Less hard pedalling work means more fun and more frequent use of the bicycle.

My joy starts when I take the bike out of the garage where it is parked in a space saving manner thanks to the convenient adjustable handlebar "Speedlifter".  This unique and new handlebar system enables me to set the handelbar in seconds to my height and out of the space saving parking position for which it is turned 90 degrees and into a straight line with the frame.
The "Speedlifter" has been invented by Markus Schulz, a bicycle expert with a large record of extreme tours, and by his company here in Germany. On their web-site I learnt that they are cooperating with the the Swiss bicycle maker Flyer.  Without my new electric Flyer bike I probably  would not have got to know this extremely convienient handlebar system which is still a world novelty.

Eingestellt von Gunther Miklitz um 10:17 AM

Bumpy Roads and Dangerous Curbsides

Right from the beginning of my pedelec riding experiences,  I noticed that high pressure tires on bumpy roads are a bit uncomfortable.


My Swiss made bike "Flyer", model  "i:sy light" has 20´` wheels with Schwalbe Big Apple balloon tires.
In order to keep the rolling resistance low, which enables the rider to make distance with relatively little energy,
the tires have to be pumped up to 4.5 bar,  according to the instruction manual.


Yesterday I went out for a ride, and as usual, I wanted to cross over a sidewalk in order to reach the bicycle lane. I had done this many times before on my other bikes, and I had always taken the curbside successfully, cautious and well aware of the risk of slipping out.  But this time I did not make it.  The high pressure tire slipped off the edge and I fell.  Bike and driver were on the pavement.  Luckily, this happened at a very low speed and no harm was done.


I learnt my lesson, though, and I want to advise other riders:  Beware of  the hard, high pressure tires when crossing curbsides or the rails of the tram. They may be slippier than you would imagine.
My "Flyer i:sy light" has a seatpost with suspension which absorbs nicely the bumps on the road.  I wished I had also a front fork suspension.

Ten Good Reasons for Riding an Electric Bicycle

The following ten reasons for using an electric bicycle I found on a  British website.  Here is the list with my comments: 

Faster Travel    -  Yes, I agree,  No Sweat!  -  Right so, no more urgent need to take a shower when coming back from my ride. Safety -  That is a problem.  Higher cycling speed means higher risks of having an accident. Hill Climbing - Wonderful! Running Costs - One electric charge costs about 20 cents.  The battery about 500 Euros after three years. Motorised, but no Red Tape -  Yes, no insurance, no licensing. Personal Fitness - Yes, improving every day without sweat. Fuel Consumption - Only muscle power plus some electricity from the power grid. Sustainable - It would be perfect to have photovoltaic electricity. High Resale Value -  I doubt that.

(British Site: Electric Bike Advantages)