We have a system that reads certain csv files to create HTML Lists of Appointments.
So far this CSV was created manually. I wanted to replace this by a script that is able to read this information directly from Outlook.
The script I came up with supports a mustache-like syntax to build templates which are then filled by the program.
This allows to generate almost arbitrary text files.
Here is an example of such a template:
"{{FormatDateTime(currentday,2)}}, {{oAppt.Subject}}"
Mittwoch, 7. August 2013
Dienstag, 6. August 2013
Test of the Grace Easy S-Pedelec
Thanks to the nice guys at Stromvelo.ch, I can test a Grace Easy S-Pedelec for the next few days.
(Image by electricbikemag.co.uk)
First of all, the bike looks marvelous. As you can see in the nice shot above, there is no ordinary chain on this E-Bike, rather you find a belt as a means of transmission. This means no greasing and reduced maintenance. This is further accentuated by the bionx-motor that directly encapsulates a 3-shift S-RAM hub.
First of all, the bike looks marvelous. As you can see in the nice shot above, there is no ordinary chain on this E-Bike, rather you find a belt as a means of transmission. This means no greasing and reduced maintenance. This is further accentuated by the bionx-motor that directly encapsulates a 3-shift S-RAM hub.
First Ride (From Shop Home, Urban-Suburban)
My initial reaction to the bike was that it feels really sturdy and stable. The double kick stand folds easily and keeps the bike steady when parked. The support by the motor can be adjusted using a total of nine positions, four of them "negative" (varying degrees of recuperation), a neutral setting and four "positive" settings to control the amount of support given. The support comes smoothly and without overpowering the driver. My biggest concern was that there are only three gears available. My first ride did not include very steep inclines (although I live in Switzerland, its not very hilly terrain), but the small I had to climb was a piece of cake even in gear three. However, the alignment of the first gear seems to be somewhat off, I will let the technician have a look at this tomorrow.
Second Ride (Around the Block, Nighttime)
In this small nighttime test I wanted to check how safe I feel about the lighting system. When pressing the power button for about 2 seconds, the light starts (as well as the backlight of the LCD). One has to be careful to press no too short, because this switches off the bike (which does not matter much, tough, since the bike rides on nicely).
It is a bit surprising that the light cone is more of a light pyramid, in the sense that the shape of the headlight is rectangular. The cone is also not very large - this is no match for my regular battery light from Philips. Still, there is sufficient light to be comfortable (for night rides through the woods, it is probably a good idea to mount an additional headlight).
It is a bit surprising that the light cone is more of a light pyramid, in the sense that the shape of the headlight is rectangular. The cone is also not very large - this is no match for my regular battery light from Philips. Still, there is sufficient light to be comfortable (for night rides through the woods, it is probably a good idea to mount an additional headlight).
Third Ride (To the Office in the rain)
My primary reason to consider an E-Bike is my commute to the office, which is 15 km (one way). The total altitude to climb is roughly 160 m.
To test how much I gain from the smallest support level, I ran on this low level. To my surprise, this allowed me to ride at an average speed of around 30 km/h, so that I completed the ride in half an hour. This is 30% faster than my typical ride without support! After this ride, roughly 25% of the capacity of the battery was used. Note that during this ride, I did not use the recuperation feature at all - this would extend the range somewhat (we can assume recuperation around 1%/km).
The bike runs very stable and smooth, the support of the motor is very subtle and unobtrusive (as we will see, this is different in a stromer). Because of the 3-shift gear, the bike must be ridden in a sportive way. If you cannot sustain the cadence needed to run at high speed, you will not be able to run fast.
In my humble opinion, this is an advantage - I want a bicycle, not a motorbike. In other words: even with this Ebike, I will train my body, but I can run faster than before, which in my case saves me at least 30 Minutes a day of travelling.
The Magura brakes worked excellently in the rain and gave me a safe feeling. However, one needs to consider the inevitable prolongation of the braking way at the higher speeds.
To test how much I gain from the smallest support level, I ran on this low level. To my surprise, this allowed me to ride at an average speed of around 30 km/h, so that I completed the ride in half an hour. This is 30% faster than my typical ride without support! After this ride, roughly 25% of the capacity of the battery was used. Note that during this ride, I did not use the recuperation feature at all - this would extend the range somewhat (we can assume recuperation around 1%/km).
The bike runs very stable and smooth, the support of the motor is very subtle and unobtrusive (as we will see, this is different in a stromer). Because of the 3-shift gear, the bike must be ridden in a sportive way. If you cannot sustain the cadence needed to run at high speed, you will not be able to run fast.
In my humble opinion, this is an advantage - I want a bicycle, not a motorbike. In other words: even with this Ebike, I will train my body, but I can run faster than before, which in my case saves me at least 30 Minutes a day of travelling.
The Magura brakes worked excellently in the rain and gave me a safe feeling. However, one needs to consider the inevitable prolongation of the braking way at the higher speeds.
Fourth Ride (Back home in the rain)
Getting back from work was the primary motivation to consider an Ebike. After a day of work, and often against the wind, my average speed typically drops almost 2 km/h.
Now I wanted to know how full support feels like and set the power level to maximum. It was a revelation - I was even faster than in the morning. Having said that, I also needed to work more, so it is not really a relaxation program. But true to the first law of thermodynamics ("there is no free lunch") - this is only fair.
Fifth Ride (To the Office)
Now with a bit more routine, I was able to use all the modes well, including the four recuperation modes. This is amazing: you can brake on very steep hills using just the motor and you know that this pumps back a bit of energy to the battery.
What was annoying is the lack of mud guards on my test-bike (they are available for 170 CHF together with a pannier rack.
Seventh Ride (Back to shop and up the hill)
Before returning the bike to the shop (buhu!), I wanted to test if I can climb a rather steep hill in Baden without motor support. Of course, it is not a very nice experience, but it is possible (albeit it's much more work than doing this with a Stromer with a 27-shift gear).
Turing on the motor is really cool. Going up a steep hill with 35 km/h is simply a good feeling. I overtook a public bus on the way - hurray! Going down with full recuperation even returned enough energy to fill all battery bars again (there must be some measurement error, tough).
When I again mounted my "old" bike, it constantly felt as if I ran in recuperation mode - one is so much less agile...
A small comparative ride with a stromer Power 48
For comparison, I was able to do a quick ride with a stromer Power 48, which was equipped with the 27-shift gear.
First of all, the motor feels much more aggressive and pushes a lot. The 500 W feel quite different than the 350 W of the Grace. But I miss the grace - I do not like to be pushed around. For me, this did not feel like a bicycle anymore.
I also went uphill with the Stromer and I was surprised that I could not match the speed of the grace. The dealer later told me that the speed range of 10-15 km/h is a bit of a weakness of the Stromer.
Also, the two Recuperation Modes do not offer much, I had to brake a lot downhill with the stromer.
Finally, the handling of the controls is more cumbersome with the Stromer and the Display less clear than the one from Grace.
For me personally, the case is clear: Grace it is.
Conclusion
To make a long story short: I have ordered the bike now. I plan to use it almost daily, so I will do roughly 6000 km a year on it. I guess I will have to say more about it soon.
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