Woosh Crank Bike review

[Deleted member 4366]

It arrived today and I just had a chance to ride it up our test hill and round the block a few times today.

First impressions are good. I need to go on a long ride (hopefully tomorrow) to properly figure out it's performance, especially up my favourite hills.

As far as I can tell it uses a pedal movement sensor to sense when you're pedalling similar to the Tonaro, and the levels of assist seem to affect the speed of the crank, so the power cuts off at varying cadences.

The manual says that the power cuts off at 15mph, but a no-load test by lifting the back wheel showed 24mph on the meter; however, there isn't enough power on the road to get that speed. I could just feel some assistance at 18mph in top gear.

Hill-climbing is better than your average 250w hub-motor, but it's difficult to say by how much. The throttle doesn't give full power, so on throttle only, It couldn't drag my 100kg up our 14% test hill in first gear without pedalling, but as soon as I started pedalling, I was able to go up without any effort. I tried again in second gear, but it took a bit more effort and I would say that third gear needs about equivalent effort to a 250w hub-motor with 14 amp controller. By unfair comparison, my 500w CST motor will blitz it in a hill-climb race, and the GNG Gen 2 is also a lot more powerful, which isn't surprising as it has a 22 amp controller. Also, I'd say that the Bosch and 36v Panasonic have more power.

The motor is smooth and nice and quiet - about the same as a 26v Panasonic. The throttle and PAS both have a nice ramp on the power and a small delay, so there's no kick or jump as it starts, and neither can you feel any cut-off point for the power.

The only negative point so far is the gear-changing. I need to find the best technique. My GNG bikes don't have PAS, so I just blip the throttle downwards when I change gear, but on this one, the PAS keeps the power on, so I'll have to do something with my feet to get smooth gear-changing. This is the same as the Tonaro, but it isn't such a problem on bikes with a torque sensor because you only have to reduce pedal force to unload the gears, but this one needs pedal speed reduction, which isn't so easy going up a hill

All this is just first impressions. I''ll give more details after a longer ride when I'm used to it. Also I'll post some photos and say a bit more about what you get.

 

[jackhandy]

Does it have a brake cutout, d8veh?

If so, will blipping a brake momentarily cut power for a gear-change?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Does it have a brake cutout, d8veh?

If so, will blipping a brake momentarily cut power for a gear-change?

Good point. I didn't think of that. I'll try it tomorrow.

 

[muckymits]

So have you found out about controller, speed sensor etc? as Ive had nothing back from Hatti yet.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

So have you found out about controller, speed sensor etc? as Ive had nothing back from Hatti yet.

I'm trying to figure it out at the moment. There's a magnet on the back wheel and an LCD display. The manual doesn't explain how to get at the settings in the meter, so I can't see what it's set to, but I got a no-load speed of 24 mph, so the 15mph limit must be off unless it takes a long time to adjust itself (overshoot). The thing on the end of the crank seems to be a pedal-speed sensor. It must come as part of the motor kit because it's quite wide and would leave a lot of bare BB spindle exposed if not there. It's held on by screws in the axial direction, so there must be a special threaded part to hold the BB on that side. So, as far as I can see, it works just like a hub-motor system except that it controls crank speed and power instead of wheel speed and power. The whole system is very soft, so it's difficult to figure out what's going on. By soft, I mean smooth transitions.

My guess at the moment is that the motor unit could be used with any battery and controller. It would be interesting to try one at about 18 to 20 amps and throttle only. You want want any more power with the PAS operational because it could damage your gears during gear-changing. Anybody with a hot-rodded Tonaro want to explain how they get round that.

 

[Geebee]

You don't need a hot rodded Tonaro to know how to get around that, just tap the brake lever and shift like any unpowered bike.
Once you have done it for a day or 2 it becomes automatic, I usually just touch the left lever with my little finger, shift and then the power starts to reassert its self.

 

[Old_Dave]

The pdf instructions in German are here

Here's the translation wot goes with the pictures (sorry didnt have the time to combine it into 1 doc)

User manual
5 Levels J-LCD display
Note: use of the J-LCD display and the corresponding controller is
the connection of the engine Hall sensor wires redundant. These can be without
remain more insulation in the controller box or bag. The
Speedometer sensor is connected to the white connector on the controller.Table of contents
1. Preface...18
2. Appearance and size...19
2.1 Material and size...19
2.2 Display dimensions and mounting dimensions... 19
3. Function summary and
Switch assignment... 20
3.1 Pre-release and Standart settings... 20
3.2 Display display...20
3.3 Switch assignment...21
4. Installation A n w ice u n g..........22
5. Set up......22
5.1 Preparation of the display start...22
5.2 Start and input setting...... 22
5.3 Time set up...22
5.4 Endgeschwindigkeits set up......23
5.5 Choice km/h or mph... 23
5.6 Wheel sizes set up...... 24
5.7 Backlight contrast...... 24
5.8 Saving of settings......24
6. Standart
Features 25...
6.1 Power a /...25
6.2 Speedometer display (current / average
/ Maximum speed)....25
6.3 Switch support level... 26
6.4 6 Km / h collision help...26
6.5 A background light / off...27
6.6 Range display (trip distance/total
16Kilometer)..... 27
6.7 Battery level indicator......28
6.8 Error display...28
7 Battery change LCD Display....29
8 frequently asked questions...30
9. Warranty 30...
10 Wiring diagram...31
171. Preface
Dear user
To ensure the best function of your e-bikes
read this manual well previously.Here
are you the most important Infor information
m use put together. This is supposed
help avoid mistakes in advance, or later.
182、Material and size
2.1 Material and colour
J LCD mater t grey black: PC.
Operating temperature:-20℃-+ 60 ℃,
The material may long for normal use
Lifetime guarantee.
2.2 Display and Montagemaße（Einheit：mm）
193、Funktions summary and
Switch assignment
3.1 Advance-standard settings
J LCD allows users the following settings
Plush: time; max speed; （MPH
or km / H，Meilen or KM）Reifendurchmesser（18-28
Zoll）; LCD backlight contrast.
3.2 Display display
J LCD battery status (battery indicator), time (time)
, Motor support stages (power level), tacho (riding)
speed), total kilometres (riding distance), 6 km / h
Function (6 km/h walking cruise), Fehlercodeanzeige3. 3 buttons assignment
J LCD is equipped with a special switch.
This switch is suitable for left / right Assembly.,.
This switching unit is equipped with a cable with the display
connected.
In the following instructions, the buttons are as follows
mark button as
"MODE".Button up as an "UP" button down
as "DOWN".
214 、 Installation
Instruction
Attach the display and the switch unit safely and
clearly visible on the handlebars
5、Set up
5.1 Preparation before display home
Make really sure that the display plug with the
Controller is connected (speedometer cable on white plug)
5.2 Start and initial setting
Press the MODE button and start
the display.
After the start, hold both buttons UP and DOWN,
at the same for 3 seconds, the LCD dispaly jumps into the
Setting mode.
5.3 Time set up
First you have the hours set by pressing the
UP and DOWN keys. Press the MODE button for
Confirmation of the minutes dananch by UP and DOWN.
Press the MODE button to confirm.
Setting hours setting minutes
225.4 Adjust of the max speed
25 Km / h is preset at the factory. Please note that
local laws for the regulation of "Pedelec" and "ebike"
Speed option: 10-35 km/h, setting
Press the UP or DOWN, then with fashion
confirm.
Set up max speed interface
5.5 Choice km/h or mph
(Metric system / English system)
Press UP or DOWN to choose from, with fashion
confirm.
Imperial unit metric unit
235.6 Tire diameter set up
UP or DOWN to the correct diameter
Their wheel to choose. 26 Is preset ".
Press MODE to confirm, followed by the
Background light set up
5.7 Backlight
Press UP or DOWN to adjust. You can
Choose from level 1 to level 3 by default when the J-
LCD display is level 1.
5.8 End of set up
Press MODE longer than 2 seconds: confirmed
the entry, then press MODE longer than 2
The new set up stores seconds.
246、Standard operation
6.1 On / off
Press MODE and the display is switched on, and
the power to the controller, press the
MODE button switches the power off and display
and controller use any battery power.
Proposal ： take off the battery from the bike.
If you drive more than 4 hours

 

[jackhandy]

Evens says d8veh doesn't read to the end of that little lot, before he starts twiddling - After all he Is a Teacher

 

[Woosh]

Old Dave forgot to say that once you have memorised these instructions either eat the paper they're written on or burn it....
Hatti

 

[Kudoscycles]

Old Dave forgot to say that once you have memorised these instructions either eat the paper they're written on or burn it....
Hatti

Too late.....sold to Moscow already!
KudosDave

 

[Old_Dave]

Too late.....sold to Moscow already!
KudosDave

Yep.. not best pleased with the sale though, they paid me with a credit note for some bank in Cyprus

 

[muckymits]

Hatti you do realise DaveH was the worst person to give the bike to. Its now stripped and laid out on his kitchen table, all parts measured and photographed. Then all this distributed in the Pedlec share and support scheme.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Hatti you do realise DaveH was the worst person to give the bike to. Its now stripped and laid out on his kitchen table, all parts measured and photographed. Then all this distributed in the Pedlec share and support scheme.

It saves Woosh having to do it!

 

[Old_Dave]

And 50v 'ish stuck up it to see what happens..

 

[shemozzle999]

Re: the king j-lcd meter/controller Efairy website shows these items as not meeting EC rules as they allow speeds up to 35kph.

Can Hatti confirm this bike meets approval.

http://shop.efairy.eu/E-Bike-Speed-Limiters/LCD-Display-for-E-Bike-Controller-Small-Screen-35-km-h::95.html?XTCsid=93a80eb270bc6c2f7f550f2d911c9e30

 

[muckymits]

And 50v 'ish stuck up it to see what happens..

Getting a fair and proper test then

 

[jackhandy]

The new Woosh-Bang crank bike

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I went out for a pleasant 29 mile ride today. It was a very hilly route with lots of long hills and some fairly steep shorter ones. The bike managed them all and I didn't get puffed out once, nor did I need to stand on the pedals. Remember that I'm 100kg and the bike will have an easier time with lighter riders. The battery indicator was showing half-full when I got home, although it was sagging down to the last segment on the final steep hills. I think I detected a slight loss of power, which is natural with the now lower voltage, but it still got me up the final 14% hill even though I was a bit tired because this is only my second ride since Xmas and I'm still recovering from my lung problem. On a normal ride with some flat bits, I can see 50 miles would be achievable- even with me on it.

With the speed limit off, I could feel a bit of assistance pedalling at 18mph. Top gear on the free-wheel set has only 14 teeth. so maximum comfortable pedal speed for me is only about 20 mph. This is a bit of a missed opportunity. If it were my bike, I'd change the back wheel to a cassette one with 11T top gear and a much bigger lower gear for even better climbing torque, so that I could go up steeper hills without pedalling and have a maximum pedalling speed of about 26 mph. When your tired and your bum's aching, it's nice to take a break and stand up on the pedals while the throttle does the work. You can get wheels with cassettes on Ebay for about £20.

The controller definitely works on speed control of the crank and the different PAS levels affect both the speed and power of the crank. The current increases the further you're away from the PAS max crank speed, so that if level 5 equates to 60 rpm max, then at 60 rpm you get no power, at 55 rpm you might get half the maximum current and at 50 rpm you get maximum amps. At level 3 everything might happen at 5 rpm lower. It's difficult to get any real data without a watt-meter.

The throttle will override the PAS setting, so that if you're on level 3 PAS, you can get a significant boost by applying the throttle, but on level 5, there's no difference. I don't know whether the the throttle gives more power when you're pedalling. Certainly, on level 5 on a steep hill, if you were using throttle only, when you start to pedal it feels like you get more power from the motor, but I don't know whether this is just a false perception. Again, it's not possible to say without a watt-meter.

OK that's enough of the technical stuff. Sorry for boring some of you. So what's it like to ride? Like the Woosh Sport that I reviewed before, it's very pleasant. The seat's very comfortable when you first get on it, but after two hours it was hurting a bit because it didn't fit my bum. The riding position has a lot of adjustment: You can raise/lower the stem and adjust its angle so that you can move the handlebars closer or further away. It didn't have the tautness of £2000 mtb, but was more than adequate for normal riding. It has big Kenda small-block tyres (26 x 2.1) which seemed to roll really well and loads of grip too. I managed to get the bike into the 40 mph club on its first proper outing. If it had been dry, I think I could have cracked 45 mph, but there's a bend on the entry to the fast bit that was wet and full of gravel, so I had to start with a lower speed than normal.

The suspension works really well even with only 2" of travel. The underpass next to my house has too drainage troughs across it at the bottom, which you hit at full speed, All the bikes with the normal Suntour forks crash over those troughs, but the Woosh took it just like my Giant with air suspension.

The gear-changing seemed to have settled a bit today and was much better. I tried the blipping the brake technique, which worked up to a point. Unfortunately there's a 2 second delay in the power after you hit the brakes, so the technique when approaching a steep hill was to hold the back brake slightly to cut the power, change right down to first or second gear pedalling air for a bit, and then just as you need it, the power comes in.This gives crunch free gear-changing, but later I got lazy, so I just changed like on a normal bike and got an occasional bang as the gears changed. Changing up was no problem.

The only other thing that I didn't personally like was the throttle. I don't like the grip moving under my hand, so I have thumb throttles on all my bikes, which I'm used to now. It probably wouldn't bother anyone else.

I weighed the bike at 26.8 kg.

In summary, if this was the only bike I could have, I'd be happy with it. If it were my own, I'd swap the throttle and rear gear cluster. I think that this bike would make a very good general work-horse/commuter. It's makes a good job of off-road cycle paths, but wouldn't cope with serious off-road stuff with jumps etc. Obviously it climbs better than the bikes with 250w Bafang hub-motors and has the potential (with limit off) to go faster than them too. If you don't have significant hills on your rides, then the hub-motor would be better because it's a bit easier with gear-changing and cheaper, but for me, this bike is miles ahead and a bargain at its price and a 15aH battery.

I'd love to have a go at soldering the shunt, which could make it much faster, I'm sure a few more amps wouldn't do any harm.

 

[Zebb]

Which, Woosh Crank Bike is it you have been playing with, have I missed a thread that this is based on.?
Is it one you have bought or just giving a review off.

Thanks

 

[oigoi]

Likewise interested to know which model it is and the normal price. Good review, thanks