Seba Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Hello! I've just managed to test the KS-18XL range at low temperature. This is not a real winter range test, because there was no snow and the temperature (about 2 °C / 36 °F) was quite high for winter in February. Nevertheless, it was cold enough to make the test a challenge for myself At first I planned a route of about 87 km in length. It led in the vast majority on bikepaths and sidewalks. I used Komoot to calculate the route, and Komoot mobile app to navigate the route. Most of the ride took place on flat terrain. Here are the key test conditions: rider weighing 82 kg + 10 kg of equipment ambient temperature of 2 °C (36 °F) wind approximately 5 m/s (11 mph) tire pressure 2.5 bar (36 psi) speed on the route 25 - 35 km/h (15 - 21 mph) I will not go into the details of the ride. A lot has already been written about riding on the KS-18XL, I will only confirm the observations of @Lutalo - XL accelerates and brakes slightly worse than L. The reason is probably the higher mass of XL, which requires more force applied to the pedals. But it's also as pleasant to ride as the ordinary L, both wheels are very similar in their riding characteristics and manoeuvrability. Short ride summary After about 66 kilometers (41 miles) I encountered first tiltback. It was when I was starting from the streetlight and accelerated quickly. At about 70 kilometer (43 mile) the wheel started to throttle speed, kindly asking me to decelerate... I was able to continue my ride with limited speed. At about 72 kilometer (45 mile) I had to limit my speed to about 20 km/h (12 mph) to avoid constant "Please decelerate" warnings. At 75 kilometer (47 mile) speed was limited to walking speed and finally, at 77 km (48 mile) wheel became unrideable. All distances have been measured using GPS. The wheel inflates the speed and the distance travelled by 20 %, just like the KS-18L. According to the wheel measurements I rode 93 km (58 miles). Conclusions I find the result satisfactory. I drove all the way without any breaks to rest, trying to maintain constant speed at about 30 km/h (19 mph). I also accelerated fast, so my ride was rather far from being conservative and "eco" Nevertheless, the temperature of the battery has fallen to about 10 °C (50 °F) just after about 20 kilometers (12 miles) of ride. This means a decrease in capacity of about 10 %. In addition, you have to remember that I was warmly and thickly dressed. This means an enlarged front surface and therefore greater air resistance. Cold air is also denser, which further increases the air resistance. So I expect to get about 90 kilometers (56 miles) of range in similar conditions, but at ambient temperature of 20 °C (68 °F). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 You’ve gotta be happy with that Fantastic result! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 How long before you could feel your feet and hands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seba Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 8 minutes ago, Smoother said: How long before you could feel your feet and hands? Fortunately, it wasn't so bad, although I must honestly admit that I didn't expect that I would go the whole route without a break Winter is not the time to drive long distances, so I limit myself to daily commuting to work - usually 20 kilometres a day. I assumed that my muscles are not as well trained and prepared as in summer. Nevertheless, it turned out that it is not as bad with them as I thought. Daily riding, however, keeps them fit. Finally I returned home without painful legs and other unpleasant consequences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lutalo Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 5 hours ago, Seba said: Hello! I've just managed to test the KS-18XL range at low temperature. This is not a real winter range test, because there was no snow and the temperature (about 2 °C / 36 °F) was quite high for winter in February. Nevertheless, it was cold enough to make the test a challenge for myself At first I planned a route of about 87 km in length. It led in the vast majority on bikepaths and sidewalks. I used Komoot to calculate the route, and Komoot mobile app to navigate the route. Most of the ride took place on flat terrain. Here are the key test conditions: rider weighing 82 kg + 10 kg of equipment ambient temperature of 2 °C (36 °F) wind approximately 5 m/s (11 mph) tire pressure 2.5 bar (36 psi) speed on the route 25 - 35 km/h (15 - 21 mph) I will not go into the details of the ride. A lot has already been written about riding on the KS-18XL, I will only confirm the observations of @Lutalo - XL accelerates and brakes slightly worse than L. The reason is probably the higher mass of XL, which requires more force applied to the pedals. But it's also as pleasant to ride as the ordinary L, both wheels are very similar in their riding characteristics and manoeuvrability. Short ride summary After about 66 kilometers (41 miles) I encountered first tiltback. It was when I was starting from the streetlight and accelerated quickly. At about 70 kilometer (43 mile) the wheel started to throttle speed, kindly asking me to decelerate... I was able to continue my ride with limited speed. At about 72 kilometer (45 mile) I had to limit my speed to about 20 km/h (12 mph) to avoid constant "Please decelerate" warnings. At 75 kilometer (47 mile) speed was limited to walking speed and finally, at 77 km (48 mile) wheel became unrideable. All distances have been measured using GPS. The wheel inflates the speed and the distance travelled by 20 %, just like the KS-18L. According to the wheel measurements I rode 93 km (58 miles). Conclusions I find the result satisfactory. I drove all the way without any breaks to rest, trying to maintain constant speed at about 30 km/h (19 mph). I also accelerated fast, so my ride was rather far from being conservative and "eco" Nevertheless, the temperature of the battery has fallen to about 10 °C (50 °F) just after about 20 kilometers (12 miles) of ride. This means a decrease in capacity of about 10 %. In addition, you have to remember that I was warmly and thickly dressed. This means an enlarged front surface and therefore greater air resistance. Cold air is also denser, which further increases the air resistance. So I expect to get about 90 kilometers (56 miles) of range in similar conditions, but at ambient temperature of 20 °C (68 °F). That's a nice one trip. I will link with you on Komoot; I don't think we are currently. The L definitely feels quicker off the line, but I do think the XL just feels more powerful and relentless when accelerating and just riding in general. But yes, for sure because they have the same motor lighter weight version is going to feel quicker and brake faster. Apparently, five pounds is pretty significant in the EUC universe because I can certainly feel the weight difference dynamically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lutalo Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 3 hours ago, Seba said: Fortunately, it wasn't so bad, although I must honestly admit that I didn't expect that I would go the whole route without a break Winter is not the time to drive long distances, so I limit myself to daily commuting to work - usually 20 kilometres a day. I assumed that my muscles are not as well trained and prepared as in summer. Nevertheless, it turned out that it is not as bad with them as I thought. Daily riding, however, keeps them fit. Finally I returned home without painful legs and other unpleasant consequences I recently took a 35 mile round-trip with our group; the DC Glydiators. We took breaks, but I feel confident that I could have taken the entire tour without one. I completed the tour with I'm estimating 60% of my battery life remaining; incredible. I basically don't have many places to ride around DC that would really challenge the range capabilities of the XL; that's awesome. I think that it will be a very long time before I actually want to replace my beloved 18XL 😍😍😍😍. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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