26 Jan - 8 Feb 2009: eZeebike Katima to Cape Ride
The Torqs proved to be incredibly reliable. They had ridden through several thunderstorms, been subject to almost impossible heat, run at maximum power for hours on end, almost rallted to death on corrugations and even in Ching's case crashed a couple of times, yet they ran to the finish as smoothly and quietly as they had started. All we did was oil the chains and lower the tyre pressure for the dirt. We had ventured into true 4x4 territory and covered distances that would be impossible on a normal bike.
Looking at the stats, my lowest Wh/Km figure was on the first day. Although this was the longest, I knew that the overnight stop had limited generator power, so I'ld used a lot of leg effort to keep some batteries for the next day. The average of 42 km per battery across varied terrain was very good, considering we were not riding for economy. Back at home with a single battery and no luggage, I averaged between 60 and 70km when ridden economically. And the best part of all, adding a 20% loss through the charger, the "fuel" bill for my bike was R15.98 at Eskom rates of 56c/kWh. The rates vary, but even if you double that, it surely makes electri bikes the most efficient way of getting around.
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Bike Radar News - 1800 miles across the Namib Desert on electric bikes.
Press Release 27 Jan - 3000 kms across Africa... On electric bikes?
