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Bikes, boating


Matt&Jo

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Hi guys and gals,

I am just looking into getting 2 e-bikes that fold up and can store away nicely but simply put where is the best place on boats to store bike out of the way but clear of the elements.... ive seen them on roofs but at £900 aprox each this is nottttt an option. We are going wide beam but slimline wide beam so have u any ingeniouse solutions to bike storage or should i get 2 crappers and roof them?

Also charging will be done when a 240v option is available ie work, pub or generaly out and about and if i run out well shantseys pony on pure pedals it is.

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We had two folding Bromptons on our boat which both fitted comfortably into a 60 cm x 60cm x 60cm cupboard located below a fitted wardrobe. Bromptons are not the best bike for universal cycling, but served well for lock wheeling and shopping etc. and they are undoubtably the most compact folding bike available.

 

 

 

Edited by David Schweizer
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7 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

We had two folding Bromptons on our boat which both fitted comfortably into a 60 cm x 60cm x 60cm cupboard located below a fitted wardrobe. Bromptons are not the best bike for universal cycling, but served well for lock wheeling and shipping etc. and they are undoubtably the most compact folding bike available.

 

 

 

I didn't realise they would float :P

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I have 2 electric bikes and keep both inside the boat. Would not consider leaving them outside for 2 reasons

1.theft temptation 

2. unecesary exposure to moisture. Although they are rated waterproof overnight mist could eventually  wick into the electrics. 

I recharge them after every run even if only a Mile or 2. Charged through 240v charger. I have 590w of solar panels, which seems sufficient for the job. 

INSURANCE and CYCLE RECOVERY

Have just insured they most expensive bike with ETA. This includes bike recovery also , which is available separately. Whilst the insurance is for the named/registered bike/s the recovery is for the named user and therefore covers any bike I may be using. 

https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/cycle/what-we-cover/

Hope this helps

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Under the front deck? Our old boat was tiny but had a very useful amount of space there; the step up to the deck was attached to a panel that you just pulled out from the wall to give access from inside the cabin. Not sure whether boats typically have a similar space or if there's usually a whacking great water tank taking up the whole area, but it made an ideal 'shed' for bulky outdoorsy items. You could ask for something similar if you're planning a boat from scratch.

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12 hours ago, Matt&Jo said:

Also charging will be done when a 240v option is available ie work, pub or generaly out and about and if i run out well shantseys pony on pure pedals it is.

At this time of year solar is your friend in the afternoon you have loads of power available, and of course whilst cruising after the first couple of hours the alternator has got spare power for charging as the batteries will no longer take the full amps.

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All great stuff thanks guys. Will also be getting a geny for when living aboard to boost power run washing machine etc ao can charge off those in winter. So consensus is either in a storage cupboard or under the well deck..... what about a lockable roof box.....anybody tried this.....altho moisture may still be an issue i guess.... 

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51 minutes ago, Matt&Jo said:

All great stuff thanks guys. Will also be getting a geny for when living aboard to boost power run washing machine etc ao can charge off those in winter. So consensus is either in a storage cupboard or under the well deck..... what about a lockable roof box.....anybody tried this.....altho moisture may still be an issue i guess.... 

Although I haven't taken any real notes or collected real data I would say that for about 20 miles of cycling using the motor  I need to recharge for approx 2 to 3 hours. If you were to use the genny for recharging you would get about 10 miles for a hours worth of genny  time. 

Full recharge could take between 5 to 6 hours of genny time. 

I recharge even after a short run e.g 4 to 5 miles, this can take about a hour to recharge. This is possibly due to smart recharging, whatever the reason it will still be a hours worth of genny time. 

I would suggest that you look into a decent solar array rather than using the genny. Just a suggestion. 

 

Note if anyone has any more detailed real world data on charging times I would be interested to hear about it. Bit of a minefield trying to do Google research on this subject. 

ETA

Just found this link to a decent article on E-Bike charging

https://www.electricbike.com/ebike-battery-math-volts-amps-amp-hours-watt-hours/ 

A relevant sentence from the article with regards to genny running time is

".. When you charge your battery fast, all the time it will greatly reduce your batteries life expectancy. We recommend you stick to slow charging (4 hours or more).... "

It also explains why the end of cycle charging times, using a smart charger, take so long. Which answers my own question above. 

In summary, and to save you having to read the full article if you don't want to , I would conclude  it's not the best plan economicaly to recharge from the genny on a regular basis. 

Hope this helps

 

Edited by reg
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Ahhhhhh okay thats really interesting reg thankyou for your info. During the summer i would charge via solar and at work when we settle down in the area we want to be and find some. But its the winter that has me wanting....we will have a car tho and still look to cc when we find an area we want to live so we have to make it work regardless. Great bits of kit and popular on the cut by the looks of it. Any recommendations on bikes....i like the idea of a throttle tho should the chain ever break or drop over pure pedal assist and also i will fit a trailer (yes ill be one of those........)

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1 hour ago, Ssscrudddy said:

I keep mine in bow under the cratch cover, there is a point I can chain it to. Mines a narrowboat, so if mine fits (full size mountain bike), then you should be able to do it on a widebeam.

Is yours electric? they may be fatter.

 

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4 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Is yours electric? they may be fatter.

 

No alot of electric bikes especialy folding are tiny with little wheels but slightly fatter frames depending on battery location so if full size bikes fit a foldable e bike will deffo fit......dunno if were having a cratch or not tho.......

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Don't even consider a folding electric bike. 

folding by all means

electric by all means

but not the two combined.

I had one and it didnt do what I wanted it to do.  And as for trying to cycle it without the battery it is like cycling through treacle.  My ancient cheap heavy bike was actually faster then the folding one.  The problem with them is the limiter to 15mph.  On cheaper ebikes they basically limit it to 15mph completely so even going downhill you have to pedal like crazy to keep up with someone on a normal bike. 

 

Plus it says they can do up to 30miles on a single charge but they can't.  I now this for a fact as it gave up on me 7 miles from home and I had to flag down a passing farmer in an landrover to take me the last 3 miles home as cycling 4 miles  without power after 20 plus miles at eco level nearly killed me.  I now have a very expensive ebike that you can ride like a normal bike withut the battery and if you are pedalling faster than 15mph then the electric motor simply stops assisting and you can go as fast as you dare.  OH has clocked 30+mph on it going downhill, a figure I am never going to be able to achieve!

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