Take It Easy: Jackson Browne Trivia and a Dead E-Bike Battery

I succeeded in running down the battery the Hebb ElectroCruiser 700 until it wouldn’t go anymore. I was right in front of The Route 66 Dog Haus.

The three-LED power indicator went permanently red after 20.4 miles on a single charge. The last five or more miles were no picnic. And given the hills, headwinds, and sloth in my riding over the last few days, I’m not sure whether to be impressed or disappointed. (More J.O.Y.B.A.G.â„¢ research is required.)

I plan on running all of the e-bikes we’re testing until they are empty. The Hebb is only the first.

Hebb Bike at the Route 66 Dog Haus

Even on red, this bike gave me a tiny push for another mile–right until the bottom of the steepest hill of my commute home.

I started up the hill, goosed the throttle, and the motor just stopped.

Nope. Sorry. Let’s talk after you feed me again.

Climbing the hill with a 60 pound bike, I averaged just over six miles-per-hour. When the battery was fully charged, I could take this hill at about 15 miles-per-hour.

But I really just want to write about this freak coincidence:

Jackson Browne Interview
Click to see the entire excerpt from the drive-through window
  • My first post about the Hebb’s battery and range was, “Running on Empty: Power Anxiety and e-Bikes.” Running on Empty, of course is a well-known song by Jackson Browne. (Really it is. Ask your parents.)
  • The Route 66 Dog Haus used to be a Wienerschnitzel location. You may have recognized the building. Well, when it was a Weinerschnitzel, it was the site of a lyric inspiration for Jackson Browne’s song Take It Easy. That’s right, “…standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona..” was inspired by, looking at a drive-through in Flagstaff, Arizona… If you don’t believe me, take a look at the excerpt from an interview with Browne that they have laminated and taped in the drive-through window. It’s laminated; it must be true.
  • When I started typing this post, Take It Easy played on a co-worker’s Pandora station.

Explain that, Skeptical Inquirer!

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