Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

Archive for the tag “Aurora”

26 Sep 2015
13 Comments

Evelo Explorations

High over Green River, Wyoming are loose strings of trails that are great to explore on a suitable bike.

High over Green River, Wyoming are loose strings of trails that are great to explore on a suitable bike.

Given some delightful weather and a mild breeze, it looked like a good a time as any to discover an alternate way to get to town, other than Wild Horse Canyon Road, also referred to as White Mountain Road on some devices. I figured that an alternate would probably be preferable, since passing vehicles produce huge plumes of enveloping dust on the main dirt road in. A recent pass by a grader on the nicely-graveled top section has made the surface so loose that biking it takes considerable care and power – you’re better off riding the wide dirt ditch on either side.

At this elevation, that look leftward is quite a treat.

At this elevation, that look leftward is quite a treat.

My online map of the area showed that there was a trail branch that dropped right into the middle of town. The Defiant is encamped right at a trail intersection leading to it. Considering that a vehicle occasionally turns in to head down it or return, it seemed like a possibility. But it wasn’t a certainty. Both GPS and online map accuracy is Read more…

Posted in E-Bike Pack Mule and tagged , , ,
04 Jul 2015
8 Comments

Pack Mule Conquers Rockford’s Rugged Roads

It came, it saw, it conquered! Well, it dodged potholes, anyway.

It came, it saw, it conquered! Well, it dodged potholes, anyway.

I’ve been walking for exercise lately, since the presentable nature of the Blackhawk Valley Campground has been making for a pleasant enough little hike. But with all the recent rain, mosquito hatching has taken place, and a grunt up the steep forested entrance drive makes for an unpleasant enough little hike. Indeed, with the river just a few yards away, an evening stroll anywhere in camp is beginning to become an exercise in priorities.

Evelo Aurora to the rescue. Rockford is a rather gritty, sprawling burg, so there’s no “distance to town”, per se. You pass little pockets of businesses until you find one with the type of store you want, and there you are. My self-assigned mission was to Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule and tagged , , ,
13 Jul 2014
9 Comments

The Evelo Aurora, Part 2

This post is a literal continuation of “The Evelo Aurora, Part I” and is incomplete as a standalone article. You will want to read that first to get a more balanced view, if you have not already done so.

The Evelo Aurora, suitably optioned.

The Evelo Aurora, suitably optioned.

There are only two cautions with the Aurora, traits shared by many e-bikes of this type. First, when you stop pedaling, it will take one second for the sensors to detect this and cut power. I mentioned this earlier. There may be some situations where this may briefly surprise you, until you get used to it. That’s easy.

A second trait is more important, and can be more difficult to get used to. It’s common with a normal bike to coast into a slow, tight turn when maneuvering into a confined area or around obstacles. Then you decide to give it half a pedal just to maintain momentum or help it up a sidewalk ramp, or to take a change in paths. On a pedal-assisted e-bike, this ingrained effort to keep things just right is a bad idea, because the motor will dutifully kick back in at whatever assist level you left it set at. This can be exciting, especially if you are carefully balanced in a tight, slow turn. The unexpected surge of power will put some wobble in that balance. The good news is that instinctively tapping either brake will instantly cut power, rescuing the situation, however clumsily. If you have a lot of seat time on a conventional bicycle, it can take awhile to “unlearn” this habit and substitute a touch of throttle in place of pedaling. The throttle feel is fairly mushy, so learning to feed it in is pretty easy.

if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that no major frame component is going to snap off anytime soon. The ample welds are of good quality.

If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that no major frame component is going to snap off anytime soon. The ample welds are of good quality.

Fit and finish are very good for its price level, and I didn’t have to correct or adjust anything, which surprised me. Weld quality is excellent, and so is paintwork. The only two pouty moments I had involve Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, The Defiant and tagged , ,
10 Jul 2014
22 Comments

The Evelo Aurora Arrives, Part 1

The Evelo Aurora, BC. (Before Change.)

The Evelo Aurora, BC. (Before Change.)

Even with the momentary hitch in ordering my Evelo Aurora due to a frame color change, the bike arrived via FedEx six days after ordering – not all that bad. It shipped partially disassembled in one carton, a carton which showed signs of manhandling. It was punched through in a non-critical area, but I was still understandably concerned that something might be bent by the lack of finesse in handling the 70-pound monster. Evelo added my comment to the roster, and told me that they are already in the process of upgrading their packaging to thwart the gorillas. It’s obviously in their own best interests to limit the risk of damage.

Off to a worrysome start.

Off to a worrysome start.

But my concern was groundless, as the only damage was elsewhere, a few minor paint scuffs in the bike’s shiny black rear rack frame. I’d be doing worse to it, in time. The bike comes almost ready to go, and all you need to do is mount the front wheel, stick the handlebars on, and screw in the pedals. There are no tedious adjustments that involve functionality. The needed tools are supplied with the bike, along with a basic assembly and user manual. For those who dislike following printed instructions, Evelo promotes viewing their online assembly video for each model.

Although I spent a college summer assembling cheap bikes in a sweatshop decades ago, I took Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, The Defiant and tagged , , , , ,
30 Jun 2014
11 Comments

The E-bike Dilemma

Nope, I didn't choose this one. It's a home-brewed, bike-based electric motorcycle with pedals that's been clocked at 66 MPH. What - do you want to live forever?

Nope, I didn’t choose this one. It’s a home-brewed, bike-based electric motorcycle with pedals that’s been clocked at 66 MPH. What – do you want to live forever?

Choosing an e-bike is normally easy. You know how you want to use it, then pick something that will do the job for you, hop on, and go. But when you need to chop, blend, baste, puree, knead, bake, and broil, you’re forced to prioritize for the base features that can’t be changed, and then alter what you can change to come as close as possible to what you need.

I’ve already outlined a rather tedious and overly-long list of tasks, must-haves and wants in my previous article. I won’t dupe that here, thank your lucky stars. I’ll only mention Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, Mod Squad, Navel Gazing, The Defiant and tagged , , ,

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