Battery care and chainring size

[Andrew Brown]

Hello

I am enjoying my mint condition used Cyclotricity Revolver which came with a 14 amp hour battery. I keep it locked up in a small brick built shed which is under a set of stone steps and I should think it is very cold in there on winter nights. I would ask is there any tips user might have as regards protecting the battery ? I don't know if they are adversely affected in cold conditions ( for now I'm covering the battery at night with an old sweatshirt) I also would be keen to know whether there is any advice (generally) to help prolong the battery life ? I have noticed the teeth on the bottom of the battery are plastic and I fear that charging off bike means putting pressure on those joints each time one has to forcefully disengage the battery from the holder. For that reason I will mostly charge on bike

As regards the chainwheel. Its pretty large and on the flat up to speed fine but gearing is limited for hills and cadence would only be sustained with ( likely) highest power setting Would the better option be to

(a) put up with it and leave well alone
(b) fit a smaller chainring
(c) Go for a different cassette with more gears ( which would also need a new gear selector to match that number of gears.

The smaller chainring maybe the better and simplest option as regards changing anything ?

I must say this bike is good value for money and ideal for normal road use. I find in eco mode I can still get good exercise but still enjoy the assistance.

Many thanks

 

[anotherkiwi]

What size is the chainwheel? Is that a cassette or a freewheel? In general 6 speed is a freewheel.

 

[Andrew Brown]

Tha nk you Its a 46 teeth according to the review here

http://ebiketips.road.cc/content/reviews/electric-city-bikes/cyclotricity-revolver-598

hopefully from this review and its photos you might have all the info you need

 

[anotherkiwi]

"The other thing that's wrong, rather than bad, is the gearing. The huge 46T chainring gives you a couple of time trialling gears, which you don't need, and no climbing gears, which you do. A simple swap out to a much smaller chainring (about 38T) would give a much better range of ratios for general use."

They say it better than I do... If you are in a reasonably flat area you might prefer a 42 tooth.

It is a freewheel and you don't want to muck about changing that. A better option would be to swap the wheel out for a wheel with a cassette hub and up your gears to 8 or 9 which would involve changing the shifter.

 

[Andrew Brown]

Thank you, Thats really helpful. While I think the bike is very good its just the climbing gears aspect and its a simple DIY friendly upgrade by the look of it

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Before changing the gearing, you might find that your legs get stronger once you start using the bike, so it might be an idea to wait a while, especially if you use the bike a lot.

Cold is good for the battery. It gives it long life. Heat is bad. It'll have lower capacity and slightly lower performance while it's cold, but that's nothing to worry about unless you can't go as far as you need to. The battery has self-heating, so as soon as you start using it, it warms itself up.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I agree but... it only has 6 gears and the Tourney freewheels don't have a fabulous gear range - OK for the flat and slight rolling hills. I under geared my 700C bike with a 42 and would rather have a 44 top gear much better than the stock 46 TBH and I guess I am in the pretty fit category of +60 yr olds.

If I was building another 700C bike for round town and relaxed riding making the most of a motor I would probably mount a single 38 and a wide range 11-40 cassette. Living near mountains I get to use my granny gear more often than most I guess.