Bicycle Wheel

Newton's 3rd Law, and the Conservation of Energy Rant


The the question that everyone asks is,
will it re-charge while I pedal?

The simple answer is NO

Most of the Hub-Motors don't do it,
and, the Mid-Drives can't.

... OK, ... the slightly more
complicated answer is ...

the extremely low drag
from your free-wheel,
is far more valuable
than the tiny bit of energy
from a reGen-HUB-motor
while coasting downhill.

but for the sake of the discussion, ... consider the following,

Do you really think that you should
be able to re-charge your battery,
while pedaling, .... FOR FREE...?
( if you actually believe this,
then you probably also think that
global warming and climate change
trully are fake news )



Newton's Third Law of Motion states, ' Every Action has an
Equal and Opposite Re-Action '
reCharging power into the battery,
...will reduce your speed,
...make it harder to pedal,
It's called
'Re-Generative Braking'
for a reason.
...OH, and BTW ... it wastes
energy by producing HEAT.

There are only a small number of e-Bike motors that have the ability to perform Re-Gen-Braking.
They are all Hub-Motors, and they are larger, heavier, and, have significantly
increased drag co-efficient as opposed to non-regen motors, however they can slightly reduce the wear on your brake pads, and might be able to push up to 5-10% of downhill rolling energy back into your battery.
Both Dis-charging and Re-charging your battery produces heat.
The more you heat-up your battery the shorter the battery's life.


Now then ...
When it comes to
CONSERVING ENERGY,
( and this is what bicycles are good at )
Mid-Drives give you the ability to coast effortlessly using your freewheel, and typically have less than 5% drag coefficient while pedaling.


And, BTW, ...
Do you really think you should be able to ride your e-Bike at 50kms/hr, ..up the hill, ..with 40lbs of groceries in your paniers while pulling a trailer with 2 kids and the dog....?
I'm Sorry, but you are deluding youself into thinking that you can turn your e-Bike into an electric
☺ Sport Utility Vehicle ☺

Yes, ... this can be done, but you will need to upgrade to a cargo-bike with a
heavy-duty frame and
heavy-duty wheels with
heavy-duty spokes and
heavy-duty brakes
to handle the extra load
without tearing itself apart.
... Oh, and btw, ...
you'll also need a larger motor and more battery.


Just remember, ...
An e-Bike is still a BICYCLE

If you abuse your e-Bike,
you will break it.

Now, ... having said all that, ...
they really are
an awful lot of fun!



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