Correct/easy way to remove rear wheel on I-Zip??

[c_4]

New to the forums- I've browsed the old threads and someone claimed that the Currie I-Zip (Comfort bike model with outboard chain-driven gear motor) rear wheel was easy to remove as a standard hub.. I think they must have been talking about some other model (as they mention that there's a quick-release, which does not exist on my bike), or I'm just not getting it..

Can someone please explain the proper way to remove the rear wheel on a current-model I-Zip that makes it that easy?? I recently had to remove the wheel to repair a flat and I found it incredibly difficult..

With this model of bike, removing the hub nuts does not result in the wheel just dropping out because the electric motor bracket holds the wheel up.. Again, there's no "quick release" and this bracket seems to be (permanently?) attached to the hub bolt with some sort of sliding nut arrangement, so even after removing the adjuster/tensioner, it wouldn't come off and I ended up having to unbolt the motor from the bracket, free the motor drive chain and then take the wheel plus the motor bracket off as an assembly, which was not a fast nor pleasant experience.. Likewise, re-assembly was a pain- put the wheel back in, put the chains back on, line up the motor bracket and re-attach to the frame, then bolt the motor back in and re-tension everything..

 

[flecc]

With the kit Currie motors it was generally just a matter of the wheel nuts and the torque arm bolt to remove the wheel and motor as a complete unit. I'm not familiar with the Izip version, but you could mail or phone Jim, the technical manager at 50cycles for advice on that if necessary.

However, were you changing the tube or was this just for a puncture? If it was only repairing the puncture, I'd suggest that it's easily done with the wheel still in the bike, as long as the tube is extracted on the non-chain side.
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[c_4]

I originally wanted to patch the tube, but the hole turned out to be quite a big one with tears and the tube was the OEM low-quality, thin rubber job, so I decided to just replace it with a new good-quality heavy-duty tube.. (BTW, there is no "non-chain" side on an I-zip.. The pedal chain is on the right, and the motor chain is on the left; the motor chain is smaller, but the motor and bracket are kind of in the way, so take your pick of which side you want to extract the tube from)..

Anyways, little did I realize how difficult it would be to get the wheel off.. In retrospect, because it's so difficult to get the wheel off, it's probably a good thing I replaced the tube with a heavy duty version vs. patching.. Hopefully it's not a job that I'll have to do again anytime soon, but it would still be nice to know if there's a recommended method for removing the wheel.. The manual is next to useless- it is adapted from a regular bike manual with a few pages added to cover the electric operation and they tell you that both the front and rear wheels just fall out of the drop-outs when you undo the nuts- NOT!!

 

[flecc]

I knew the two chain situation of course, but if it were me I'd choose the motor side for in situ repair. Your Izip does seem to be a bit different in some way from the kit versions judging ro the difficulties. In your position I'd definitely splash out on a Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyre for the rear wheel, reducing the chance of a puncture to practically nil, I've never seen a puncture on one.

They are expensive, but they last a very long time and have unbeatable protection. You can get one through any cycle dealer or direct from some suppliers online. Normally about £26, Wiggle are doing a special offer at £21.99 currently, shown on this page.
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