I am back and here is what I am going to do this year again.

Joined
Sep 16, 2018
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I was a while away from the forum, but that was mainly because I was bissy with many things.

But I am back and I have big plans for after the summer.
I upgraded my trike with an other rear wheel and better brakes that I hot from Mario.
I added a battery mount and went back to the tsdz2 250w, after using the bafang 350w.
The reason I went back to the tsdz2 250w is, because I personally find it riding better. Also do I get way more range from my battery. With my bafang I got 60km and then I had to safe battery to reach that distance. With the tsdz2 250w I reach 90+ km and when riding normal, easily 80km. This without having the feeling that I lost power. I also got a better top speed and I now can ride a lit better in cities.
Now it will be easier to ride longer distances and I need the range.
The trike still needs a luggage rack, but other than that, it is finished.

This year I am planning to hi to Germany again with my bicycle caravan. It will be more extreme than last year, because the trip will be way longer.
Last year I went to Hamburg and went back along the sea to the Netherlands and then back down to the south where I lif.
This year I go back to where I was last year and there I meet up with the person I visited last year. From there we go to east Germany, under Berlin. There will be a bicycle caravan meeting.
The way back will also not be straight home. I want to travel a bit more south, to visit more people.
To do this all, I need to improve my caravan and upgrade it.
Last year I went without any preparation and run into some problems. I learned from that and even with the problems solved, I will make some changes.

I got new wheels, tires and wheel mounts. The tires have now puncture protection and the wheels are lighter. The mounts will race the caravan a bit. This so I get a bit more grount clearance for the 4 stands and it makes that I can get easier in and out my caravan. I am not that flexible anymore.
I also mount the arm a bit different, change the electrics in the caravan and take other lighter stuff with me. Also will I mount more on my trike.
With the tsdz2 250w will I also be able to ride easier long distances and don't need to be afraid to run out of battery. I still want a second 1kw battery, but that will come next year. Than can I ride 2 days without needing to charge my batteries.

Last year was great. This year I hope to have again a great time with no problems.
The Caravan gives me way more freedom than I ever imagined. I can park and sleep where I want, because they see it as sleeping in your car. With a tent you aren't allowed to do that everywhere. Also setting up and leaving is just so easy and fast. Just connect the caravan to the trike, put 2 boxes in the caravan, lift the stands and you are ready to go.
The 2 fans make that even in the summer, it stays cool and you always lay on a nice surface.
As it is cold or wet, you stay dry, no condensation in the caravan and it is not ad cold as a tent.
USB connections to chage your phone/tablet and you can sit against the back and watch a movie.
I don't need to use a chair, because I can dig in the door opening.
It is just great and I love it.
One other thing I love, is the reactions you get. I travel alone, but I can tell you, you will kot feel lonely ad all. People will come over and talk with you. Park the trike with caravan in front of a store and people will come over to watch what is standing there. I never got a negative reaction.
People of all ages react positive and great you.
That is why I am going again this year.
In Germany the caravan group us growing very fast and they are all very helpful as you need help along the way. I know most of them trough the wattsapp group and I hope to meet them along the way.

I go again with my trike. Last year I was thinking of using my Koga miyata that I fixed and made better than it already was. That bike is just great. It is very fast and I use it to go to Eindhoven, to visit friends. But the trike is something special. I don't need to go fast and I ride long days. Start 7am and often stop around 9pm. In between I will have eaten and have kept several breaks. But by then I will have 110 to 120km traveled. I can do it faster, but I want to see things and not race.

So that is shat I was what I did and what I am going to do.
I will try to be more ob the forum again. Always loved it here and I hope to meat some of you as you come to the Netherlands.
 
Joined
Feb 7, 2008
Messages
4,575
Location
Nottinghamshire England
Emiel

Nice to see you back , I often wondered about the power of the Bafang if you are truly using it as assist only and then only 2 bars of power then surely it is to powerful for the application ?

John Tetz had a very lower powered E-Assist ? Here

keep us informed of your progress and trips

Paul
 
Joined
May 31, 2013
Messages
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Location
South Benfleet, Essex, England, UK
Nice to hear from you again Emiel :)
Many people prefer the Tongsheng TSDZ2 because of its "Torque Sensing". The distance obtained from a given battery capacity is a real conundrum.
I knew someone who used the "Watts" measure on his controller display to manage his gearing etc. etc. but I think he spent more time managing his batteries than enjoying the ride and the scenery. :(
That attention to/worry about battery life is not my idea of fun. :(
I too have a BAFANG 350W unit and I am happy to balance the CVT of the N380 hub to a point where I can feel I am certainly adding to the ride but not to a point where my bad knee is compromised.
My batteries may be as old & tired as me and I seem to be able to get about 32Km/20Miles for an indicated 50% usage from a 10AH pack. I could run the packs down further I am sure, but with 2 packs available that's a minimum of 64Km/40Miles per day. The recharge time is about 5 Hours (overnight) but of course with your on-board Solar charging you can use one battery while charging another I expect and just keep going forever. :D
I look forward to your progress reports. Take care. Dan.
 
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
1,359
Location
Netherlands
Hi Paul and Dan,

It is that Dan, the torque sensing. The way it rides feels way more natural and I don't need to watch ad my display to see how much it pulls from the motor.
In time I learned that the bafang gives you the distance on the way you ride. On the same bike with the same settings, gearing and weight, 2 people can get a completely different range out of it.
Both moties are good, but the tsdz2 fits better with me. I didn't watch ad the display as much as I did on the bafang.

As I didn't try to go fast and we didn't go parts as fast as we did, the range would be easily up to 100km. I noticed that the tsdz just as the bafang, uses his battery the same as I go for power and speed. That makes a very big difference.

I made a small box with 2 connections for batteries. This so I can connect 2 batteries.
I also added a small display that shows the voltage. With a switch I can choose the battery I want to use or turn it off completely. This makes that I can switch from battery, while I don't have to play with xt60 connectors anymore.

Now I start working on my caravan. I love that thing. It is camping like with a tent, but without all the work you have with a tent.
 
Joined
Feb 7, 2008
Messages
4,575
Location
Nottinghamshire England
Emiel

Forgot to say I am totally envious of you having the freedom to do that.
I have commitments at home [ so much for being retired :( ] where any talk of more than 2 weeks is met with some hostility.
No sense of adventure some people !
Oh and the dog is not much better ;) complete change of character when I am gone !

When do you plan on leaving ? how long do you think it will take ?

Paul
 
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
1,359
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Netherlands
Paul,

I have 2 cats and I need to arrange some care for them. But that isn't that hard.
My cats miss me as I am gone. Well I hope so that they do. 😂

Last year I went 2 weeks. I was planning for 2 weeks again, but with the meeting and the longer route I take, I will probably go longer.
Most caravan builders and owners, only do a weekend. Just a few go for a week and for what I know, I am one of a few that really travels for 2 or more weeks. Some go to a camping and stay there for a few days and go home.
Others ride to a place in nature and stay there for the night and travel back home or go for an other day.
There are some that take their dog with them.
They have a window low ad the bottom, where the dog can put his head trough and can look around.

It gives a lot of freedom and I know that you would love it, even as it is for a few days.
 
Joined
Jan 16, 2011
Messages
712
Location
Vilvoorde / Flanders / Belgium
That low power assist. I just finished a simular setup with a powerfull inrunner for our Robot Wars machines. Wanna have the equivalent of a Nitrous Oxide boost on your bike? Can deliver up to 4 kw for a minute or 2.
 
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
1,359
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Netherlands
Not needed, need long time power.

For the ones that have komoot.
This is a trip that I will do next week.
Komoot
Not with the caravan, but with my trike.

Going to print tonight the feet for the caravan. Then I don't need to put anything under the feet as I camp on grass or sand.

The gorilla tape made that the door is a bit out of shape. Going to remove that, so it is back to normal again.

Now I am working on it again, I can't wait till I can go travel again.
 
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
1,359
Location
Netherlands
Work on my caravan and it is almost finished. As soon as that is done, I will start work g on my trike again.
I will try to post some pictures tomorrow of my caravan and what I changed and improved.

The more I work on it, the more I want to go traveling with it again.
This year I will go 3 weeks. From August 22 to September 11 probably.
But I think that I will test camp it for a weekend before that. I am thinking to make a trip to Belgium and stay there for one night and then ride back. Just to see what my caravan does with the changes and his my other motor will hold up with the battery. I hope to get more range with it.
 
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