Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
250 Watt motor? Might as well pedal at that point and not muck about with a battery and motor. If you're pedaling, you'd want a conventional bike because they are lightweight, cheap, efficient, and ubiquitous.
750 watt is the minimum motor power I would install on anything meant to move people meaningful distances, otherwise just pedal.
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A healthy commuter will put out about 100 Watts, with occasional sprints at 3 or 4 times that, so 250 w is quite effective where it isn't larded down with heavier tires, etc.
The only excuse for pedals is for exercise on the go, since food production and use is less efficient than a solar-battery system. If you put in 250 Watts on a hand control, there is no incentive to pedal. However, if you make motor torque proportional to pedal torque, suddenly you feel like Bionic Superman, and are highly motivated and thoroughly encouraged. Commuters can use high boost on the way to work to avoid sweating, and then turn it down to burn off all the day's adrenalin on the way home.