My mind likes standout numbers, like a round thousand, ten thousand and so on. Yesterday as I nearly missed a train, my Shimano E5000 Ridgeback X2 passed 33,333km. I knew you'd be thrilled, too.
But it nearly didn't get there. About 100 miles ago, over a couple of short shopping trips, the assistance began to not kick in each time I started pedalling. There was no error code on the display, which suggested the system itself was not 'seeing' the cause.
I have long had a bit of a worry about the narrow, annular space between the (inner) pedal shaft and the (outer) hollow chain wheel driving shaft that make up the crank. It is not badly exposed, but it is hard to get at and keep clean, and likely to receive small amounts of water, and in my case the almost daily use regardless of weather means dirty or gritty water.
On this motor there is no freewheel or clutch between those concentric shafts, so no significant movement. Just the small amount of relative twist that the torque sensor measures. No twist, no torque measured, no assistance. It all looked like a degree of seizure between the shafts.
Happily I seem to have cured it. Off with drive side pedal, then off with chain wheel nut to reveal the annular space, then filled it with WD40 and exercised it a bit, before refilling with bike leaning well to the left and leaving overnight. Then in the morning, tip out remaining WD40 and refill with oil instead.
Initial test riding on my sloping road had the assistance patchy, but always there if I stop/started pedalling repeatedly and firmly (not brutally).
A routine 10 mile shopping trip in that state had it working properly by the time I got home.
It is now halfway to the 67,000km I have heard of from another E5000, but I won't be surprised if it doesn't make it!
But it nearly didn't get there. About 100 miles ago, over a couple of short shopping trips, the assistance began to not kick in each time I started pedalling. There was no error code on the display, which suggested the system itself was not 'seeing' the cause.
I have long had a bit of a worry about the narrow, annular space between the (inner) pedal shaft and the (outer) hollow chain wheel driving shaft that make up the crank. It is not badly exposed, but it is hard to get at and keep clean, and likely to receive small amounts of water, and in my case the almost daily use regardless of weather means dirty or gritty water.
On this motor there is no freewheel or clutch between those concentric shafts, so no significant movement. Just the small amount of relative twist that the torque sensor measures. No twist, no torque measured, no assistance. It all looked like a degree of seizure between the shafts.
Happily I seem to have cured it. Off with drive side pedal, then off with chain wheel nut to reveal the annular space, then filled it with WD40 and exercised it a bit, before refilling with bike leaning well to the left and leaving overnight. Then in the morning, tip out remaining WD40 and refill with oil instead.
Initial test riding on my sloping road had the assistance patchy, but always there if I stop/started pedalling repeatedly and firmly (not brutally).
A routine 10 mile shopping trip in that state had it working properly by the time I got home.
It is now halfway to the 67,000km I have heard of from another E5000, but I won't be surprised if it doesn't make it!
