E-BikeTouring

 300 miles RANS Fusion E-Bike conversion

RANS Fusion E-Bike 

300 mile report

After 300 miles the bicycle is performing perfectly.   
The riding is becoming normalized and very comfortable.  I have had many people stop me and ask "what kind of a bicycle is that? ... it looks like is what be so much easier to ride".

And it is easier to ride.  Much easier to stop and put both feet on the ground while remaining in the saddle.  Stop signs and traffic lights are more manageable then with the tradition bicycles.  

Safety when mounting, dismounting and stopping was the primary reason  the RANS Fusion Crank forward was selected for riding.  Having a thumb throttle to assist on 'take-offs' is an extremely good option, but after a while, just normal take-offs are becoming easy, and without thinking or using the throttle.

The Garmin 530 and the Garmin Varia Radar are working great on the bike.  The Varia Radar / tail light flasher is attached to the rear rack.  The height of the Varia seems to be fine and within the specifications.  

The grocery runs with the RANS have been great. The RANS Fusion did not seem too large for the grocery store bicycle rack.   The load distribution on the rear rack/panniers worked fine.  The bicycle seemed very stable with a low center of gravity.  The Bafang BBS02 made the hill climbs with the load with no issue. The small battery is doing great for the distances that I am traveling.  And if I need to go a little farther that 'normal', I just put another battery in a pannier to double the distance.   I think that has always been the best solution to 'range anxiety' instead of getting a huge battery.  Having a e-bike system like the Bafang BBS02 that does not have proprietary batteries is a huge PLUS.  

Muscles:  (note... the crank forward bicycle does use different body muscles. Coming from a traditional bike where your muscles are conditioned and in good shape, you will experience some new leg, arm and back soreness in your muscles when riding. The riding position lets you power into hills pulling back on the handlebar while pushing with your legs.  A perfectly natural feeling (kind of like rowing machine).  Personally I think it is a better workout for the body ... but expect a little soreness!  

RANS Fusion E-Bike