2nd time round

[nigel]

Well folks
my torq has arrived its good to be back on the road again i will be double locking this bike everywhere i go i dont want to go through all that worry again. First impressionns very different to the giant twist perhaps the style not so good but it is more of a racer built for speed the saddle is massive it could fit two of me i think i will have to go for a streamlined one also will change tyres to marathon plus i am not sure which wire i need to disconnect to the speed limiter there are three wires all wrapped in black tape i will check fleccs link nigel

 

[electric.mike]

every cloud has a silver lining, pleased for you.
mike

 

[flecc]

Congratulations on your bike Nigel, hope you get lots of pleasure from it.

With the bike upside down, you'll see some wiring under the bottom bracket. Dig it out, you may have to cut a tiewrap, and you'll see that one part is a stub sticking out from the rest and going nowhere. In the end of that there's a connector, unplug it and you're derestricted. Insulate those connections afterwards though, to keep damp out.
.

 

[rsscott]

Unfortunately I need to state the obvious here folks and that is to be aware that the bike as supplied by 50Cycles complies with the UK/EU leglislation. Any modification is done at your own risk and if it allows you to exceed the 15.5mph speed limit then you should ensure you are only riding the bike 'off-road' i.e. on private land with the permission of the owner and not on a public highway.

*disclaimer off* !

cheers
Russ.

 

[nigel]

nigel

thanx flecc
i am not sure which one it is there is a grey wire going to hub then a red that connects to yellow then a red that goes to battery from controller nigel

 

[flecc]

If the red to yellow is a connector Nigel, I think that's it. Unplug it and try it on the road. The forecasters say it will be dry round your area for Wednesday and Thursday, so ok for checking it.

 

[nigel]

nigel

Hi flecc
if i dissconect red from yellow there is nowhere for yellow to go i dont think that can be right if only they could have marked or colour coded the wire nigel

 

[flecc]

That's the way the limiter is Nigel, The wires go nowhere, they stay disconnected so the limiter circuit is disabled. Mine's the same, two wire ends insulated separately now.

You can check it without going anywhere. Switch on, lift the handlebars so the wheel is clear of the ground, then very slowly open the throttle until the speed on the speedo runs to about 26 mph (off load speed). Squeeze the front brake to stop the wheel and cut the motor. If the limiter was connected, it would cut at about 15 mph.

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

That's the way the limiter is Nigel, The wires go nowhere, they stay disconnected so the limiter circuit is disabled. Mine's the same, two wire ends insulated separately now.

You can check it without going anywhere. Switch on, lift the handlebars so the wheel is clear of the ground, then very slowly open the throttle until the speed on the speedo runs to about 26 mph (off load speed). Squeeze the front brake to stop the wheel and cut the motor. If the limiter was connected, it would cut at about 15 mph.

If you try the same test with the limiter set, the front wheel will go round at about 18.8 mph. I tried this when my Torq was on a workstand to see if the computer was accurate. On a level road with me up it will not exceed 15.5 mph. Funny that - there is probably a good scientific reason - one of the many laws of sod.
Peter

 

[nigel]

Nigel

yes he has a lot to answer for law of sod still no diet for me i take whatever the torq will give me and be greatfull 22mph i wonder if they will bring any other electric bikes out in the future with speed limiters maybe its a way to get past the stupid 15mph law NIGEL

 

[coops]

law of sod?

Congratulations on your new bike Nigel: I hope it gives you many miles of happy cycling .

If you try the same test with the limiter set, the front wheel will go round at about 18.8 mph. I tried this when my Torq was on a workstand to see if the computer was accurate. On a level road with me up it will not exceed 15.5 mph. Funny that - there is probably a good scientific reason - one of the many laws of sod.

When you are riding the bike, the motor usually has to work against forces (mainly wind resistance & road friction) which reduce the power available for forward motion, hence slowing you down (even on a level road & in still air).

If the bike isn't moving i.e. the wheel spins freely & the motor isn't "loaded", its power is not reduced & so can spin the wheel faster.

It would seem the Torq limiter is set up to allow for such a "load" put on the motor while riding, so that the top speed under load is ~15mph.

If that's the case, one curious side-effect would be a possible (limited) motor-powered speed of ~18mph with a (moderately strong) tailwind?

As Flecc said, the delimited motor unloaded spins the wheel at ~26mph, so while such speeds could similarly be reached (albeit with a stronger tailwind of about that speed - quite windy conditions ), usually I'd expect top speed would be at least several mph less than 26mph.

Edit: the 18mph unloaded speed when limited may also help explain the lack of a "coarse" 15mph power cut-off, since clearly the motor power could run up to 18mph (? - not sure though, as I don't know if the power output is same for loaded 15mph as unloaded 18mph, and that could be a factor in the speed limiter's operation...?)

Mostly academic though, since Torq owner's seem to mostly use them delimited (off-road, of course ;-) )
Stuart.

 

[nigel]

Nigel

Hi everyone
went for my first ride on the torq today and it was excellent wizzing by traffic at over 20mph as other torq owners have all said not so good on those hills but if you keep pedels moving its fine marks out of 10 a good niner i have bought a new saddle which is a bit more streamlined and a mirror also have taken the rack and mudgards of to give the bike a nice sporty look a happy torq owner nigel

 

[coops]

I'm really happy your new bike is working well for you Nigel also a bit envious - I can't wait to get ebiking myself, just want to be sure that I make a good choice for my needs & wallet - I can't afford to buy twice. If my latest idea pans out, I'm there, - I hope!

happy & speedy (but safe) cycling,

Stuart.

 

[nigel]

Nigel

Hi coops
as you say the waiting is the worst but it will be worth it its best to take your time and make sure your 1st choice is the right one i wish i had done that my first 2 bikes were from ebay both powabykes which were ok but to heavy with power of and not the best of quality..if you can afford it £600 will buy you a fair bike NIGEL

 

[coops]

Thanks Nigel .

By the way, since you have experience of heavier bikes (Powabyke) do you think the Currie Izip (50cycles) is too heavy at around 37kg - that's with about 7kg of SLA which could be weight-reduced by several kg with a NiMH upgrade (around 35kg & 30mile+ range or 33.5kg & 22.5mile+ range ): I have my reasons to prefer it to the Liv/Powacycle alternatives - its a good powered & geared bike, with easier pedalling at higher speeds than most hub motor bikes... & think what weight of battery & range it could carry with that very strong steel frame & SLA case refitted with NiMH, or even Li... (in the future! )

 

[nigel]

Nigel

HI coops
to me anything over 25 kilos is to much even the torq is fairly heavy to ride without power the best was the giant lite twist coming in at 20 kilos and was a joy to ride with or without power to me that is always the most important factor weight there will always come a time when the battery goes flat thats when you dont want a heavy bike the curry izip is a good price and would make a intresting project but for me its to heavy remember the old saying you pay for what you get that applies to electric bikes nigel

 

[coops]

Cheers Nigel

Guess I'll keep weighing up my options then (no pun intended ), I'm warming to the Currie (even if just so I can say I joined the Currie club ) though you're right, you get what you pay for & it seems on a budget of ~£600 you must try to balance the quality of all components - motor, frame, battery type & capacity, gearing etc. for a good buy... not easy.

Hope your Torq keeps you going strong & fast Nigel: maybe I'll just keep saving

Stuart.