E8000 38t Chainring

Up to now I never worried about an electronic failure with my Shimano E8000. I know I could call my beautiful wife to come bail me out. Over the years of using e-assist I had to be bailed out only once when I ran out of battery power to the assist drive on a steep long climb. The integrated headlight was to blame for the loss of assist (post here). At that time my lowest gear was 26.5 gear inches. 

Things are a little different now. I'm riding off road a bit more and will be spending more time off road when the rainy season is over. I have to be able to bail myself out if I have an electrical failure to the assist system. That means being able to have gears that I can reasonably use to pedal without power. Right now my low gear is 24.2 gear inches. With the trike weight I can expect a bit of a struggle getting up hills. So I felt a lower gear option would be the smart thing do. I switched out the 44t chainring for a 38t chainring which gives me a manageable 20.9 gear inch ratio with my 11t/46t cassette. I'm giving up some of the high end gear inches which is fine off road but it will slow me down a little on pavement. 

Also there is a long 12 degree grade on one of the off road trails I'll be riding. The 38t chainring will be appreciated.

If I feel I need a even lower gear a 36t or 34t chainring is also available for the E8000.

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Original Configuration - 44t Chainring (Shimano), 11t/42t Cassette, Gear inch range - 101.0 to 26.5

Current Configuration - 44t Chainring (Shimano), 11t/46t Cassette, Gear inch range - 101.0 to 24.2

New Configuration - 38t Chainring (E-Thirteen), 11t/46t Cassette, Gear inch range - 87.2 to 20.9

Other available chainrings (Shimano or compatible) for the E8000.  

Possible Configuration - 36t Chainring, 11t/46t Cassette, Gear inch range - 82.6 to 19.8

Possible Configuration - 34t Chainring, 11t/46t Cassette, Gear inch range -  78.0 to 18.7

The old 44t Shimano chainring with the integrated bash guard.

The new 38t E-Thirteen chainring. 
No integrated bash guards are available on smaller chainrings.

NOTE: I would normally remove 1 chain link per each tooth less on the new smaller chainring, that would be 6 links. But when I put the ICE Ergo Luxe sit on awhile back and pushed the boom out I maxed out the chain when on the largest cassette cog. So I only took 2 links off the chain giving the chain a little play when on the large or small cog.

Caring a Cane on My Trike

 

I resolved the problem of caring a cane without it protruding awkwardly out from my trike.

Up until recently I carried a folding cane in my pannier for my wonky legs (post here "Cane"). There are times when I want to ride without panniers but still have my cane with me. When I'm off the trike a cane keeps me balanced, especially on uneven dirt or gravel. I can manage reasonably well without a cane but I probably look like I've started my day off with a couple of Tequila shots. 

I have three Leki collapsible (not folding) canes that are tall enough for me when extended. The Black Carbon, Makalu and the High Fives. All with a trekking basket at the tip.The High Fives handle is not as comfortable as the the other two but the pack size is just over one inch (3cm) shorter than the other two. It's the cane that fits nicely under my seat.

I'm a big fan of DiNotte lights and I have a bunch of spare fasteners that I incorporated into putting a carrying system together.

Cane tip inserts into fixed clamp. 

The trekking basket on the cane helps 

to keep the cane in place.

Shimano Di2 - Again

On  September 21, 2021 I ditched the Shimano Di2 (post here). The main reason for the change to cable was the shift buttons were wearing out fast. 

After studying the compatibly of other Shimano switches with my e-assist system I bought a Shimano SW-E7000-R switch. I'm giving it a try to see if it holds up longer than the SW-E6000 switch. At least the SW-E7000-R switch is easy to find in the States whereas I had to buy the SW-6000 switch internationally.

The Shimano compatibility chart can be found at Shimano.com (here). On the chart scroll down to the sixth page for the E8000 system.

The top SW-E6000 switch is used for the assist which gets 
far less use than the shift switch.
The bottom new SW-E7000-R switch is used for shifting the Di2.

Back On the Road with Schwalbe GT 365

Now that I'm starting to get back out on the road after my crash I've decided to try and spend a little more time off road and less time on the pavement.

I’ve been trying Schwalbe GT 365 tires. They make a good choice for when a ride includes both dirt and pavement. They’ve made my ICE Sprint FS E8000 a worthy gravel and dirt road trike.

GT 365 - 55/559 (26" x 2.15") rear.

GT 365 - 40/406 (20" x 1.5") front