Credit where it's due...

[halfmedley]

My charger for my Mistral packed up the other night, so I rang Synergie the next day to report this and they said they'd send a replacement straight away. It arrived by courier the following morning. That's what I call good service.

There was enough charge left in the battery on the days when I was charger-less to get me to and from work, so I wasn't inconvenienced in any way. Also it allowed me to get an idea of range for the Lithium battery on the Mistral, as I'd never run it so low before - I reckon it's good for about 35 miles (depending on hills of course).

The replacement charger seems more robust than my earlier model too. Only four hundred more miles to go and the bike will have paid for itself in saved bus fares!

 

[Grizzly Bear]

Hi Halfmedley
should we start the Chinese e-bike appreciation society?
My Missus Mistral is fab too. I think your not far off the mark with the 35 mile range, ours has done 28 in one go, and had loads left. What I like is that the performance doesn't drop off as it discharges either. I'm pleased to find out that the back up service is great too.

Griz

 

[halfmedley]

Hi Griz, glad your enjoying your Mistral too. If we started a Chinese e-bike appreciation society I think that'd include pretty much everyone on this forum (Panasonic motors excepted) as I reckon most e-bike parts are sourced from China these days. In fact isn't everything "Made in China" now?

I've read stuff on this site about cheap imports and their poor performance, but so far I don't think the Mistral comes into that category. Okay, it may not be 'state of the art', but it works for me (12 mile daily commute), at a price I could afford, and will have paid for itself in ten months. With good backup too, who could ask for more?

Cheers,
Halfmedley

PS Am I right in thinking that Synergie/Sustain are one and the same?

 

[flecc]

PS Am I right in thinking that Synergie/Sustain are one and the same?

The Halley certainly is. I'm not sure about the folder, which is a standard bike design with the electrics an add-on, not designed as an e-bike.
.

 

[halfmedley]

Hi Flecc, done a bit of research and it seems that:

Sustain Halley = Synergie Avanti
Sustain Edison = Synergie Vivace
Sustain Newton = Synergie Mistral

The motor looks the same on all the bikes, but with the Newton/Mistral it's a 36v battery instead of 24v.

 

[flecc]

Thanks Halfmedley. I thought most might be but wasn't sure.

There's so many e-bikes under more than one name that it's difficult to keep trace of all of them.
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[UrbanPuma]

Hi Halfmedley,

I was wondering what battery type does your bike use?

 

[flecc]

It's a 36 volt Li-ion on the Mistral, UrbanPuma, of a similar type and case seen on a variety of Chinese bikes, so all from the same manufacturer no doubt.
.

 

[UrbanPuma]

Cheers Flecc

 

[Grizzly Bear]

Hi Halfmedley
sorry about the delay in replying to you. I agree, my missus loves her Mistral, I bought her it because she couldn't keep up with me when we were out cycling. I then found that I couldn't keep up with her, going up hill anyway. this prompted me to convert my bike. It's like Flecc has said about the Japanese bikes in the sixties, China is the new Japan. I think the Mistral is a brilliant bike, it ticks all the boxes, and is very hard to beat at the price. I've had 20 mph out of it without pedalling, by the way!

Regards Griz

 

[halfmedley]

32mph is the best I've got out of it (downhill admittedly)! Not something I'd want to do too often, didn't fancy falling off at that speed.

But here's something wierd, perhaps Flecc might be able to explain: up to about 22mph (coasting downhill) there is a distinct drag occuring through the motor, but then above that it's suddenly as if something releases and the bike coasts freely - feels a bit similar to engine braking on a car, then if you depress the clutch you really begin to roll...what causes that (on the bike that is, not the car)?

 

[flecc]

It'a likely to be electro-magnetic drag halfmedley.

The rotor magnets passing the stator coils will generate a current in the coils which can give a magnetic braking action. Since there is no free energy, any generation has to be paid for, in this instance by drag. Once the speed of rotation passes a certain point, the time interval between generation on a coil and generation in the next coil could be close enough to provide a counteracting/cancelling force, since the stator coils are connected in series, so the generation sequence can get out of synch. In addition, at higher speeds the amount generated in each coil will reduce anyway, so reducing any braking action.
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