Stargazer95050's photos

It's the red one -- and I love it. It is a typical american bike with a muscular motor and a comfy seat -- much different from the sporty european models. A large tank also provides good range, especially when you're cruising and avoid racing at top speeds. Some of the tech specs : -) The motor's peak power is 1450W, possibly more. It is rated to sustain 750W. -) The 52V, 19.2Ah (1000Wh) battery provides at least 30mi range when driving at speeds close to 25mph. Slow down to 20mph, and range greatly increases. EU regulations often limit bikes to 25km/h (16mph) -) The torque- & cadence sensor combination adjusts the motor's power very intuitively, avoiding unexpected accelerations found in cheap eBikes -) eBikes imported from the EU do not include a manual throttle -- the US bike has one and I find it very useful. You can ride with pedal assist and get up to speeds of 28mph ("Class 3"). Using the throttle and no pedal assist, the max speed it limited to 20mph ("Class 2"). Both are much higher than the 16mph (25km/h) limit imposed in the EU. -) Having a throttle also is useful to add a quick boost to accelerate at intersections and keep up with traffic on city streets with a 25mph speed limit. -) This eBike is tailored for use on a road and aimed at higher speeds -- very different from many eMTB mountain eBike designs. It has large-diameter rims, narrower tires and a gear shift with large transmission ratio allowing for a slower, more comfortable cadence to reach the speeds of 20...25mph on paved surfaces With all these extras, it is more expensive than the cheap, no-name eBikes sold on Amazon. Compared to imported EU sports bikes it has twice the performance and costs only about half. It makes biking convenient, fast & fun and I use it now most of the time, leaving the car at home (until the rains move in). . IMG 20220922 bib

During my vacation, I had the chance to rent & ride a really nice eBike -- Riese & Müller is among the more expensive german brands and this model's configuration (with "Vario"gear & larger battery) currently retails for approx $7000 in the USA. : propelbikes.com/product/riese-muller-nevo . Their "entry-level" models costs more than $5500. All prices are without S&H and sales tax. This can add $700...$900. On the right is a stark contrast : - it costs less than $1500 (taxes & S&H included) - it has a throttle to allow lazy cyclist to cruise around -- EU regulations prohibit that. - It can go 20mph (32km/h) with and without pedaling, EU limits speed to 25km/h Admittedly the R&M eBike has a really sophisticated motor control and it works seamlessly. Push harder on the pedal and the motor will proportionally increase power without surprises or jerky change of power. Pedal-assist settings allow to add between 50...370% power to yours. The US (or should I say Chinese) eBike can accelerate very unexpectedly. For example, with "PAS 5", once you exceed 8mph, the motor will suddenly kick in and attempt to accelerate up to 20mph, regardless of how strong you push the pedals. Apparently, PAS sets the intended speed. You have to use PAS like a gear shift and start low and gradually increase setting to your desired speed. This eBike also has a throttle and that is legal in the US ("Class 2"). A throttle is convenient to give you a boost without changing PAS or shifting gears, e.g. at intersections or inclines. And "Class 2" bikes are allowed to drive even without any pedal assist, solely controlled by the throttle. To make the most given the strict regulations, european manufacturers equipped their bikes with a combination of 250W mid-drive motor plus a gearshift and custom-designed frame to fit motor + battery. This has many advantages -- but increase in cost is a serious disadvantage. The chinese eBike places the 500...750W motor inside the rear hub (sorry, you can't see it in the photo) and such a motor is less complex/expensive. Manufacturers can use existing bike frames and just bolt on the battery and swap the rear wheel for one with a hub motor. Given lower manufacturing costs, it is no surprise these bikes cost a lot less. IMO when cruising on mostly flat roads, both solutions work efficiently -- and the hub-drive beats the mid-drive in terms of costs and convenience. If you want, you can be lazy and drive with minimal effort and very little shifting . Mid-drive bikes typically cost $3000 or more (plus tax & SH) and only if you frequently have to face hills, the mid-drive will win over a hub-drive. . eBikes EU vs US

If you want a lot of calories for little money, this is one option. And for good measure, I've added a sugary drink to make it a "complete lunch". It isn't the most healthy option but it is very tasty and I enjoy it from time to time. In this case, there likely was a mistake -- I got charged a mere 2.50EUR for all of this incl. the soda. I think I paid for the soda and got the food for free. . Curry Pommes

A regular Big Mac already has plenty of fat, salt, sodium & calories. Now McDonalds ups the ante and puts on two more slices in an attempt to add more inches to the waistline of those skinny Germans. It sells this burger for 3.50EUR (approx. 3.70USD). Where I live, they sell the regular Big Mac for $6.60 USD, includes tax and 3.50EUR buys you just a McDouble. In other parts of the US, they may sell for less. This Double Big Mac is not available in the USA -- seems the waistline there already is large enough to meet McD's goals. . Screenshot from www_mcdonalds_de

Whenever you travel through Germany and stay in a hotel, I strongly recommend, you add the option to have breakfast there . The added price is reasonable, especially given the great variety of foods you can sample at their buffet. The ingredients of the buffet vary by region. You find commonalities and each region adds their local type of bread, pastries, cheese, sausage and other cold-cuts. Fruit & veggies vary by season. Those german buffets put the breakfasts you get at a typical hotel in the US to shame. They dare to call them "Continental Breakfast". In contrast, the breakfast Lufthansa served after the long flight before arriving at SFO was an utter disappointment. It was a decidedly "german" breakfast with dark, multi-grain bread instead of bland white toast common in the US. . This page has a very fitting description of a typical german breakfast at home. "How Germans Eat" : en.bab.la/germany/eating-germany . IMG 20220529 bib

The weather was clear and you can see and sometimes even hear the many jets flying high, leaving their contrails behind. My flights to and from FRA went further east and didn't cross the Frisian Islands -- instead they went over the big UK island :-) . N70 0121 bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

Maybe this should be an example of "Castles in the Sky". . N70 0003 bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

Coal mining & steel production were at the heart of the Ruhrgebiet. Other regions started to produce the materials cheaper and over the course of decades, the coal and later the steel production declined. In 2008, the last (underground) coal mine in Germany was closed. Some open pit lignite mining continues to this day and into the future. As part of the cleanup & revitalization effort, many areas were landscaped and often are now parks. Some industrial building will be preserved as examples of their architecture and plans are underway to turn them into museums, art & concert venues, workspace for new enterprises. Shown here is "Zeche Ewald" . IMG 7655 bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

Mining coal is only the 1st step -- to make steel the fire has to burn at much higher temperature and that is accomplished by refining the raw coal into charcoal. And that was done in this cokery. There are several guided tours leading visitors through the fenced-off area and inside the ovens and machine halls. It is a great tour for anyone interested in the part of the industrial history. It isn't so great if you want to capture great photos as all visitors are chaperoned along that path. One some occasions, like the "Extraschicht", the building are lit up at night . IMG 7664 bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

Budweiser is a popular brand in America and I was surprised to see this sign. It turns out, in the Czech Republic, there is a different Budweiser brand and the two are feuding over the name en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_Budvar_Brewery In hindsight, I should have stayed there and taste that beer -- but it was very early in the day and I didn't have a 2nd driver. . IMG 7404 bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

In Bad Schandau, not far from Koenigstein, at the bank of the river Elbe. . IMG 7380 bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

In front you see the towers of the gigantic excavators peeking out of the pit where they are digging for coal. In the background is a windpark -- built on land that decades ago had been a similar coal pit. . IMG_7687_bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

Everything we do leaves a trace behind and rarely can we see it in such a drastic fashion. This is an open-pit coal mining operation near the german town of Garzweiler. That town no longer exists and more towns are going to be razed & swallowed by these gigantic excavators. As a reference you can see a tiny white dot at the bottom floor -- that's a large pickup truck. This pit is ~150m deep The english description : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garzweiler_surface_mine and a NPR report : www.npr.org/2021/06/28/1010956116/a-coal-mining-monster-is-threatening-to-swallow-a-small-town-in-germany . IMG 7688 bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

Making a statement . IMG_20220519_bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

It was time for a short trip on the Rhine and the most iconic portion is the valley between Koblenz & Rüdesheim. In the middle of the river you see the castle Pfalzgrafenstein. It is open to visitors. Not far from there, is the famous Loreley and it is best seen from one of the boats that regularly travel up & down the river. . Kaub am Rhein © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

Here is another way to eat Nordsee Krabben (maybe Crevette is the suitable translation) . Fisherman's Breakfast © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved - Post a link, do not copy or embed. Contact me, if you want to use it in your blog or publication or if you want a print

Riese & Müller make excellent bikes -- and I was stunned when I saw the retail price for this model. It has a few add-ons, the larger battery and the variable belt-drive ==> ~$7200 USD. LINK : www.r-m.de/en-us/bikes/nevo In this sandy & salty environment the belt drive and internal gear shift save a lot on maintenance. My used car was only a little more expensive than this (new) bike. Thankfully you can RENT bikes like this for 25 EUR per day and it was well worth it. . IMG 7513 bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved . Do not copy or otherwise reuse my photos. See TOS on how to link back to a photo. Contact me if you want a print or e-copy.

Eine 2CV Ente so zu erhalten erfordert viel Zeit & Liebe (und ist auch nicht billig). Dieses ist ein besonders schoenes Exemplar dass in Norden, nahe der Nordsee, zwischengelandet ist . IMG 7463 bib © Copyright 2022, All rights reserved . Do not copy or otherwise reuse my photos. See TOS on how to link back to a photo. Contact me if you want a print or e-copy.