Here are a few more pictures from the Electric Sociability Run.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
The ELF encounters a rain storm
Here's a video clip from Tuesday's ride home. When I left my house there were some very dark clouds in the sky so I suspected the ride would get interesting at some point. Just as I pulled off the trail into my neighborhood the rain started coming down in torrents. Here's a video of that part of my ride. Note the lawn guys running for shelter.
I stayed relatively dry inside the ELF even though the rain was splashing in a bit from the sides. However, compared to riding a traditional bike I was really dry. My shoes didn't even fill with water!
Actually, I got really wet once I parked the ELF and carried my bags into the house. I should have just left everything in the trunk until the rain stopped but I didn't know how dry the storage compartment would be.
Now I'm thinking of storing an umbrella in the ELF!
I stayed relatively dry inside the ELF even though the rain was splashing in a bit from the sides. However, compared to riding a traditional bike I was really dry. My shoes didn't even fill with water!
Actually, I got really wet once I parked the ELF and carried my bags into the house. I should have just left everything in the trunk until the rain stopped but I didn't know how dry the storage compartment would be.
Now I'm thinking of storing an umbrella in the ELF!
Monday, May 27, 2013
Electric Sociability Run
Drivers and fans of plug-in electric vehicles gathered in Washington, DC to celebrate the 99th anniversary of the Electric Sociability Run of 1914.
There were lots of Teslas, Volts, Leaves, electric motorcycles, and even an electric skateboard. But only two ELFs. Next year I expect there will be more!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Phone Mount and Maryland Tag
This morning I rode the ELF over to the Giant to get eggs for breakfast (we use a lot of eggs in our house). I took the Georgetown Branch trail over to Bethesda Avenue and parked in a car parking space adjacent to the cart return port to which I locked the ELF using the cable lock. Some folks asked about the ELF just as I was entering the trail and an elderly couple asked about it just as I was getting ready to leave from the Giant. I also got several thumbs up, waves, and "I like your bike" shouts along Bethesda Ave.
When I arrived back home I decided to use the solar panel to recharge and see how it does. After a few hours of charging in the bright sun I took the battery out and plugged it into the wall charger. To my surprise, the green lite came on indicating that the battery was already fully charged. I was happy to have confirmation that the solar panel really does charge the battery!
The videos and some pictures I've been posting are recorded on my iPhone which is mounted on the steering column using the Topeak iPhone mount. I've also been listening to tunes on the iPhone but the volume is a bit too soft when riding or near traffic. I'm hoping to get some speakers to mount on the top bar.
Maryland classifies the ELF as a moped. As of October 2012 mopeds require title, tag, and liability insurance as outlined here. Use the online system here to obtain proof of ownership (and pay excise tax) and order your tag. Click on the "Titles/Decals – Special Vehicles" menu on the left side to get started.
The insurance was the hard part. After calling several insurance companies and agents I googled and found this article on Bentrider from my friend Charlie who put me in contact with an agent in Texas who writes electric moped insurance for Progressive. Here's his contact information for those states that require it:
Allen Lescure
Insgroup/Elton Porter
(800) 759-2628, ext 219
I ordered the tag on Monday and it arrived in the mail today (Saturday).
Day 5 - first ride in the rain, Friday May 24th
![]() |
Parked at work. Nice sunny spot. |
When I got up this morning there were no eggs in the fridge so I rode the ELF over to the CVS. It had been raining over night so the windshield was fogged up. I hadn't had any coffee yet so I just squinted through it and made my way up the hill. The eggs fit nicely in the shelf and they survived the bumpy ride without any breakage. |
![]() | |||||||
Twist ties hold the saddle bags on the cleats |
![]() |
Water bottle mount on the steering column |
![]() |
Kryptonite lock through the frame |
![]() | |
Charging Station in the office |
As you can see from the end of the last video segment, due to a large light pole with a cement block base the sidewalk is impassible by the ELF. I had to put one wheel of the ELF on the road and ride along the sidewalk to the crosswalk over Route 29 bypassing the blockage on the sidewalk and crossing route 29
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Day Four, Thursday May 23rd
Check out this video of part of this morning's commute: The ELF meets a Barrier
Problem Solved: |
With a little help from Dave. I've always relied on the kindness of strangers. |
Now it fits! |
These are the temporary barriers that I moved yesterday. |
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Birth of an ELF - Saturday May 18th
In the shop, waiting for a Seat |
![]() |
Here's my ELF in the shop ready to be delivered. |
![]() |
Loaded onto the truck in Durham, ready to go! |
![]() |
Pulling out of the truck, all shiny and new. |
![]() |
Crowning, like a baby :) |
Day 3, Wednesday May 22, 2013
All bets are off. I’m
going with the standard commute, no alterations. I left the house at 7:30, stopped at the bank
to deposit my paycheck, and still arrived at 8:20. Almost exactly the same time it takes on the
bike. The ELF is clearly faster on the
uphill climbs but I have to go slower on the trail and sidewalks to keep from
causing problems with pedestrians and bikes.
I also have to get off the ELF at the bottom of the hill on Old Columbia
Pike to hold the barrier back while pushing the ELF through. I’ve got this down to only a few minute
delay, but it’s still a delay. Maybe I’ll remember the rope to pull it back
permanently tomorrow.
The ride in this morning was lovely. Not many people on the trail so I went pretty
fast there and drove up Brookville Road without anyone too hot on my tail. The high point of the ride was when I pulled
up the to intersection of Lockwood and New Hampshire Ave. There was a car in the turn lane to my right
and the lady driving it rolled her window down and said “Thanks for the
inspiration”. She also said “you just
made my day”, which made my day. I think
she wants to get an ELF or at least start riding her bike to work. If that’s the case, I’ve done more than just
take myself off the gas grid, I’ve inspired others to do the same.
At lunch I let Gene take the ELF for a spin around the
parking lot. He came back winded, which
is pretty funny, considering he doesn’t ride a bike much. Andy keeps ribbing me about the ELF getting
run over in the parking lot which is also pretty funny since he’s the one that
was driving too fast in the parking lot yesterday and we had a bit of a
scare. After Gene’s test ride, I drove
the ELF over to the Panera on Tech Road and parked on the sidewalk right in
front of the store. Several people stopped
by and asked about it right away. After
I got my lunch and was getting ready to hop in and go, a man came running up to
me with a concerned look on his face. I
thought he was about to yell at me for parking on the sidewalk (although I
wasn’t blocking anything since I was between two poles). Instead, he was excited to see the ELF and
said “I’m going to put this on my Vine.
Nobody will believe it.” He took
my picture and then a few more pics as I drove off. Nice.
When I got back to the office I decided to let the sun
recharge the battery from the short trip to lunch. I sure wish I could get more information
about the charge level. The Organic
Transit guys say they will need to add some hardware to the controller to
support the blue tooth interface for this. In the meantime, I wonder if there is another
way to measure the charge level. I’ve
got to ask them the question a different way.
The drive home went pretty smoothly. I noticed that the metal barrier left temporary indentations
in my hand after I went through. Also, when
I apply the brakes at high speed, it’s pulling to the left. Sometimes the right brake makes a loud
rumbling screech. Tomorrow is Thursday
and City Bikes on Connecticut is open late on Thursdays so I’ll probably stop
by and ask them how to adjust the brakes.
I’m still not too happy about having to drop one of the
front wheels onto the road at 29 and Southwood.
However, I did that again today rather than driving over the hill to
avoid it. It wasn’t too bad and it
doesn’t seem to be scraping the bottom. There were lots of runners and a good many
bikers on the Georgetown Branch today so I had to take it easy for much of that
ride. I was able to open up on one of
the longer stretches though and that helped me get home in under an hour.
When I arrived the driveway was full of cars so I had to
park it on the neighbor’s apron while I moved cars. One of my neighbors came by and said she
thought it was cool. My neighbor across the street said she was hoping I’d put
a trailer or jump seat on it so I could drive people around. She said I could sell tickets and just retire
on that. What an interesting idea…
Second Day – Tuesday May 20th
I spent some time looking at maps last night so I could
avoid the route 29 section over Paint Branch stream where I almost got run over
by the semi-truck yesterday. I decided
to try riding through the FDA since it would take me from New Hampshire Ave to
Cherry Hill Road.
The ride from Bethesda to Silver Spring on the path is a
delight in the morning. There are a few
joggers and bikes but not very many and the path is nice and wide. Driving on Brookville road requires going up
the one lane road full speed which is probably a little slower than most cars
would like but there is a speed camera on that section of road so I’m really
doing them a favor by going slow.
Coming up Lockwood I took a right onto Northwest Drive which
took me directly onto the FDA property.
There was a security gate but nobody was manning it so I just continued
onward. There was a lot of traffic on the road and I
was a bit uncertain about which way I was going so I pulled off to the side to
check the map. Sure enough I needed to
turn left at the intersection Bowditch Road.
They were doing construction so only one lane was open and there were
some gravelly spots but I was able to get past that. I rode along Dahlgren and suddenly in the
middle of the road there was another security gate. This time a man came out and asked me to show
my badge. I told him I wasn’t an FDA
employee and he said that I was going to have to turn around. “Shit”, I said. “Couldn’t you make an exception, just this
time? I’m afraid my battery is going to
run out on this thing”. “No”, he
said. “If someone found out, it would be
my job.” “Shit”, I said. “I don’t know how I’m going to avoid route
29”. “Damn!”. Then I turned around and rode along the bike
path back past the construction and out to New Hampshire Ave.
I turned right onto the sidewalk along New Hampshire Ave and
stayed on the sidewalk even though there actually is a nice bike lane
there. Then I turned on the road on
Lockwood and cut through White Oak onto Old Columbia Pike. I was really pissed and didn’t want to repeat
yesterday’s semi-truck problem so I took the entire lane on 29 over Paint Branch
and up the hill (slowly) to Industrial.
The cars went around me (fast) but nobody honked and I wasn’t in fear
for my life (any more than usual). I was
still pissed about the FDA experience when I flew down Tech Road full speed
taking the entire lane until I got to the office. I finally cooled down in the shower and was
able to focus on work for most of the day.
Lunch
I decided to take the ELF over to the local strip mall for
some Mexican food at Qdoba. Usually I
order the naked salad but I was concerned about spillage from the bumpy road so I went for the
burrito, which fits nicely in the storage bin in the trunk of the ELF. I didn’t get a lot of people asking about the
ELF but certainly people were looking and the lady at the Qdoba said she
liked it.
The ride home
I spent a good amount of time looking at alternative routes
to avoid Route 29. The problem is
getting across Paint Branch and Northwest Branch rivers. I talked with one of my office colleagues and
we looked at the map to see if there was a way to go through Kemp Mill and end
up back on Sligo Creek Trail. It looks like
you have to use the bridge on Randolph Road to cross Paint Branch. There are some trails that include a crossing
over Northwest Branch but they look like dirt trails. After studying the possible routes for a
while I decided that it wasn’t worth taking the chance on getting stuck or
having to ride on Randolph road.
I decided to go the normal way on Old Columbia Pike. When I got to the first Barrier, I found that
it was completely blocked again so I was prepared to lift the ELF over the curb
onto the grass. Before doing that, I
thought to try moving the temporary barrier and found it really wasn’t that
heavy after all. With a few quick
pushes, I was able to open it up enough to get the ELF through without any
problem. Whew!
When I got to the steel barrier I pulled up carefully and
got out of the ELF. As with yesterday,
I was able to bend the metal enough to clear the fender and front wheel and
push the ELF through. The indian lady
walking by didn’t seem to take much notice.
I was kind of hoping she would offer to help or at least ask questions.
I rode down the hill at Lockwood and turned left onto the
sidewalk along 29. There was a guy
walking who didn’t hear me ringing my bell incessantly until I finally honked
the horn. Then he stepped aside so I
could get past and continue up the sidewalk along 29. In order to avoid the light pole in the middle
of the sidewalk at Southwood Drive, I turned left onto Crestmoor Drive, up,
over the hill to Lorain and then down the hill back to 29. Then turned right on the sidewalk and back
down to the same intersection to the crosswalk at Southwood. There was a pedestrian waiting there so I let
him cross first and then made my way up the hill on Eastwood to Dennis, and
over the hill at University and down the hill to Sligo Creek Trail. The rest of the ride through the park was
without incident and I went pretty slowly behind several runners. The only surprise was that as I exited the trail
onto Newdale road, I looked in my rearview mirror to see a runner right on my
tail. I don’t know why he decided to get
so close but I really was surprised and wondered if he was mad at me.
Anyway, I'd much rather piss off a runner than anyone in a Car or Truck!
Anyway, I'd much rather piss off a runner than anyone in a Car or Truck!
Monday, May 20, 2013
First Commute - Monday May 20, 2013
Home to Work
Left the house and rode on the Georgetown Branch to Brookville
Road. At the top of Brookville turned
left onto Seminary Road down the hill over the Beltway and turned right onto
Forest Glen road. This took me out of
the way by around ½ mile and added a down and up hill leg that could have been
avoided. If I want to take Forest Glen
it would have made more sense to get onto it from Newcastle Road by the Pagoda. Followed Forest Glen past Georgia Ave and
Down the hill to Sligo Creek Road.
Turned left on Sligo Creek Road and Followed it up to Dennis. Sligo Creek only has a narrow shoulder so it
wasn’t easy for cars to get past me and I wasn’t going fast enough for them
since it was slightly uphill.
Drove up Dennis without any problem and followed my usual
route down to Edgewood and over Southwood to 29.
The ride down 29 wasn’t any worse than usual given that I was going
downhill at speed. Right onto Lockwood
and then up that hill without any problems.
I took the left behind White Oak and followed around to Old Columbia
Pike. I decided to try crossing Paint
Branch on 29 rather than Old Columbia Pike since I knew that there was a chance
of not being able to get through Old Columbia’s bridge.
The shoulder on 29 was nice and wide going down the hill but
then as I started up the hill I saw ahead that the shoulder was going to get
narrow. So I signaled and tried to start
moving over to the lane but the cars were pretty thick so I stayed on the
shoulder until all the cars cleared and then all that was left was a Semi
Truck. I signaled again and started
moving over but he was staying in the lane.
Finally at the last minute he moved over to let me have some of the lane
and honked at me as he passed. No fun!
The ride onto Industrial is very bumpy and Tech Road also
has a lot of pot holes so I wasn’t able to go very fast there either.
Arriving at work
As I drove into the parking lot I realized that the pedestal
we had talked about parking on was blocked so I couldn’t just pull in I turned around and rode over to see if I
could pull the ELF up onto the patio under the pergola but there isn’t a ramp
there so I looped back over to the end of the driveway. At that point Cindy, Brian, and Beverly came
out the back door and were happy to see me.
Then I noticed Noreen was taking pictures from the second floor windows
and she started texting me that my turn signal was on and it was driving
Michele crazy. With some discussion we
agreed that the best location to park the ELF is in the last parking
space. I might park near one of the
light poles and get a long cable to secure it in the future. But in the meantime I just locked it to itself
with the Kryptonite lock.
Once I unloaded I realized that it was a lot to carry. Two big saddle bags plus the battery in a
canvas bag, and water bottle. I walked
up the stairs with all this and arrived in my office a bit exhausted and
overwhelmed.
After showering and having some lunch I decided to drive the
ELF over to the MVA to get the paperwork finalized. I printed up my insurance info and faxed it
back to them. I was wearing my work
clothes with a pant leg protector. When I got to the MVA I found parking in a
motorcycle space (just the right size!) and locked the back wheel to itself
with the kryptonite lock. Turned off
the power switch and left the ELF in the sun to charge the battery. A police woman and man came over to ask about
the ELF and wondered what it was classified as.
Several others looked interested and one asked about it as I walked into
the MVA.
When I got into the MVA I was not thinking very straight
(and really was convinced it would take a long time) so I got into the
information line which turned out to be the wrong information line. After about ten minutes the information man
sent me to the second information line which was much longer. I waited in that one for about 15 or 20
minutes. The woman at the desk said I could
get my license online but when I asked about getting a temporary tag she gave
me a number and motioned me to the waiting area that was completely full of
others waiting for help. Luckily I found
a seat and was able to catch up on some rest and reading while I waited the 1
and ½ hours for my turn. When my number
finally came up the woman taking care of me said she was going to need some
help from her supervisor who was walking by at that moment. The supervisor came right away and said that I could have done the
transaction online. Then she used the
website and had me type my information into the forms. After paying the $240 excise tax and the $25
title and license I was on my way. The
sticker will be coming in the mail.
However, I wasted a good 2 hours since I could have done the whole thing
online. At least I got a bit of a nap in
the waiting room.
The ride home
Since I got to the office so late and spent most of the day
at the MVA, I decided to wait to leave until after rush hour would be mostly
over, around 6:30. I suited up and
carried the 2 saddlebags, canvas bag with the battery and charger, and the
water bottle back down the stairs and outside to the ELF. After loading everything up and unlocking I
decided to go ahead and apply the two extra mirrors which only took a minute. Then I was on my way. When I got to the road Gene pulled up next to
me in the Suburu and asked me to try going full speed so he could clock
me. I was able to get it up to about 22
but the road is pretty bumpy so I didn’t pedal very hard.
I turned left onto Industrial and then left onto Old
Columbia Pike. A couple of cars passed
me before I started down the big hill.
As I reached the bottom of the hill I could see that the barriers were
going to block my way. In fact they were
almost completely across the opening. I
decided it was worth it to avoid 29 so I got out and lifted the elf over the
curb and onto the grass to get around the barrier. Then I rolled down to the bridge and across
the bridge. When I got to the other side
it looked like I might just be able to get through the second barrier. However, as I pulled up it became clear that
it was just a few inches too narrow. I
got out of the ELF and played with the barrier a bit and noticed that one side
was uncurled more then the other side and that side has some flex. With a push I was able to bend it enough to
get the ELF through but I came close to damaging the fender and wheel on the
left side.
Finally free of the barriers I made my way under power up
the steep hill and past the stop signs along Old Columbia Pike. I turned left behind White Oak and took the
access road to avoid Lockwood until the very end. Then I pulled onto Lockwood and waited in the
traffic lane for the light at New Hampshire Ave. When the light changed I had no problem
keeping up with traffic down the hill on Lockwood and then turned left onto the
sidewalk at the bottom of the hill. I
wasn’t in any mood after the morning incident to try to ride on 29 up the hill
in traffic. The sidewalk wasn’t bad and
I only encountered a few pedestrians who had to step off the sidewalk to let me
through. I tooled up the hill on the
sidewalk and was feeling pretty good about the result. But, alas, when I got to the top of the hill
I saw that the last power pole is right in the middle of the sidewalk and I
wasn’t going to be able to get around it without going onto the road. So I sat there until the light changed and
then drove over the curb and rode with one wheel on the sidewalk and the other
wheel on the road until I got to the crosswalk.
Then I turned and crossed the street and drove to the other side where I
waited for the light to change. Then I
drove up Southwood to Edgewood and down to Dennis without any problem. I rode on Dennis over University and down the
hill, slowing to let the cars pass before taking the lane.
I turned left onto Sligo Creek Trail and took it very slowly
as there were a good number of runners and walkers about. I crossed Forest Glen without problem and
rode over Flora Lane to the trail. The
ELF did fine on the little trail connecting Flora to Columbia, until the end
when I had to put one wheel on the ground and the other on the path. When I got to Dale Drive the traffic wasn’t
bad and I was able to pull up in the lane behind a car. Then I tooled over Georgia Avenue and turned
left onto Brookville Road. There were
some cars behind me but I was going pretty fast so they didn’t seem to mind
me.
I got onto the Georgetown Branch at the usual second
entrance and rode along quite easily. I
had to slow down a bunch of times on the trail and ring the bell to make sure
people knew I was coming past. But
nobody seemed too annoyed with the big bike on the trail and I even got a wave
from a recumbent bike rider. When I got
to Connecticut I waited for the light and then crossed to the little road in
front of the cleaners. The rest of the
trail ride wasn’t bad but I had to go slow since there were a lot of runners
and a few bikers.
The ELF did fine going up the ramp into our neighborhood
even though some of the root vines are huge.
The good news is that the battery didn’t seem to have any
problem with the distance. The brakes
seem to be in need of some adjustment since they are squeaking and vibrating
and there is a bit of a pull to the left.
I also need to confirm that the
front wheels are still in alignment after having them fall off the path and
riding in un-ideal situations. The
potholes bounced things around a lot and the saddlebag on the right eroded the
rubber on top of the storage shelf. But
everything survived the trip (including this macbook pro).
The two big problems to solve are both on Route 29. So I’m considering staying on Sligo Creek
Trail up to Kemp Mill. I think I could
also stay on 29 for the ride up Lockwood and turn right on Northwest Drive to
avoid Old Columbia by riding on Perimeter Road, Left on FDA Blvd, Left onto Cherry
Hill Road to Palm Orchard Drive and back on Broadbirch.
For the ride home I’m also thinking of avoiding the power
pole in the middle of the sidewalk by turning right onto Crestmoor, right on
Lorain, and then crossing 29 on Lorain and turning right onto Edgewood.
Tomorrow is another day…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)