Cyclamatic Power Plus Owners club

[flecc]

To be honest Tony having both the folder and the MTB cyclamatics I haven`t seen them in any other name.

Yes, I didn't mean in the clone sense at all, just in the sense of being the usual budget Chinese bikes which use generic electrical components seen on other e-bikes, like batteries and controllers for example. The upper end companies normally have their own exclusive designs for things like that.
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[Powerfull]

I have my cyclamatic MBT bike for almost 2 months now.

I'm not very pleased with it.

I've been trying to email sportsHQ, and they usually take more than a week to reply to me, and have asked me 3 times for my order number already, one while chatting, and 2 times on email.

The battery reports being at half charge in less than 2km while riding. When I stop, it shows full again. Same thing, but with empty and half at about 8-15km. Now, I understand the 40km mentioned in the specs were probably an overestimation, but I was expecting at least 25km out of it, not 10. I don't know if this is a battery conditioning issue or something, because there is no mention of something like that in the manual, and sportsHQ keeps replying to me once a week and asking me for my order number again and again, but lithium batteries should have very little need of conditioning. The only thing they told me so far is to check the fuses (twice), which I did, and they look fine.

The power assist seems to be very weak. Unassisted by pedal, the bike won't move in any but the smallest barely noticeable inclines. It is helpful in pulling you from a stop when the light turns green, and it's mildly helpful when going straight (although the assistance speed limit makes it useful just for faster acceleration) , but that's about it. Even with the assistance on, I have to pedal very hard to climb any real incline, and usually this is where assistance is actually needed, with the lack of very low gears and all.

Any ideas? Does the assistance decrease when they battery is low? Does the battery need some specific procedure to be fully functional?

 

[NRG]

You may have a dead cell, can you measure the battery voltage after a full charge?

While Lithium doesn't need conditioning as such the BMS 'fuel guage' may if fitted...this is what controls the LED status lights and its advisable to fully charge the battery and then run it completley down ignoring what the LEDs tell you untill the motor will not turn anymore. A full charge after this should have the fuel guage reset to the correct capacity of the battery....

 

[Old Timer]

I have my cyclamatic MBT bike for almost 2 months now.

I'm not very pleased with it.

I've been trying to email sportsHQ, and they usually take more than a week to reply to me, and have asked me 3 times for my order number already, one while chatting, and 2 times on email.

The battery reports being at half charge in less than 2km while riding. When I stop, it shows full again. Same thing, but with empty and half at about 8-15km. Now, I understand the 40km mentioned in the specs were probably an overestimation, but I was expecting at least 25km out of it, not 10. I don't know if this is a battery conditioning issue or something, because there is no mention of something like that in the manual, and sportsHQ keeps replying to me once a week and asking me for my order number again and again, but lithium batteries should have very little need of conditioning. The only thing they told me so far is to check the fuses (twice), which I did, and they look fine.

The power assist seems to be very weak. Unassisted by pedal, the bike won't move in any but the smallest barely noticeable inclines. It is helpful in pulling you from a stop when the light turns green, and it's mildly helpful when going straight (although the assistance speed limit makes it useful just for faster acceleration) , but that's about it. Even with the assistance on, I have to pedal very hard to climb any real incline, and usually this is where assistance is actually needed, with the lack of very low gears and all.

Any ideas? Does the assistance decrease when they battery is low? Does the battery need some specific procedure to be fully functional?

Sounds like what NRG is saying, probably a dodgy cell. My wifes Cyclamatic plus is actually a very decent powerful bike( considering it`s 24V) she doesn`t have any problems moving off from standstill even on slight inclines and the bike( with help) will climb a fairly steepish hill and she is by no means fit.

Hope you get it sorted out though cos they aren`t bad when working right.

 

[Powerfull]

We'll see. I discharged it so much that it was barely able to move the wheel with the bike lifted in the air. I'm charging it now...

 

[Fordulike]

Powerfull, sorry to hear that you're not happy with your Cyclamatic MTB, as it really is quite a good beginner's bike.
Firstly, SportsHQ are normally pretty good at communication. After the initial contact with them using thier website contact form, use the reply facility in your email client.
Make sure that you always use the same reference number on further correspondences with them.
Here are my experiences with the bike, so that you may compare and decide if you have a dodgy battery.
Remember not to expect a full on throttle ride everywhere ability with this bike. It has only been designed to assist pedaling.
Battery charge to green light from empty - 6 hours.
Around the 4 hour mark at half discharge.
Remember that the throttle LED guage is useless at predicting the juice left in the battery. Although it can be good at showing you how hard you are working the motor and ultimately the battery.
Once you have conditioned the battery fuel guage, to check it properly you need to have stopped and not used the motor for a minute or two.
Checking it straight after a motor assist will give a false reading.
Also, do not rely heavily on an accurate indication with the guage. As it only has 3 LED's, it's pretty poor at best for giving you info on the state of your battery charge. Full/half and empty, that's it
Saying that, i start heading home on the guage half way mark. Wouldn't want to pedal this unassisted.
Will take off from standstill with throttle only to 15MPH on flat, but takes a long time to reach terminal velocity
Will take off from standstill on slight inclines but will struggle to reach a good speed. Not good for battery
The pedelec sensor is actually pretty good at detecting how much assistance you need.
To get the max assistance on hills, your legs need to be turning the crank pretty fast to get full assistance. I think you have already found that the lowest gear doesn't turn the crank fast enough on a hill, hence less power assistance and the feeling that it's not working.
In this case use the throttle as it maxes the assistance. Not good for battery with prolonged use, but i found that the motor runs fairly cool under these conditions.
In top gear, once around 17MPH is reached, pedaling faster tends to induce a feeling of resistance. This might lead a rider to think that the system isn't working properly.
It is, just the motor creating drag and assistance peaking off.
With no motor assistance this bike does not pedal and feel like a normal non electric MTB.
Plenty of drag from the motor. Sometimes, if you don't keep the pedals turning smoothly, motor assistance cuts for a moment and you get a feeling that something is wrong. Perfectly normal.
Although almost impossible to indicate a working mileage in your case, i get around 15 miles until i suspect there's very little juice left.
This is with the following mixture of road riding:
70% flat (half of this using full throttle assist)
20% moderate hills (pedelec assist)
10% severe hills (pedelec assist)
Hope this helps

 

[Eddie F]

All i can say is what fordulike says is exactly what i am experiencing but am not eloquent enough to do.
One thing i have done is slacken off the rear servo brake A LITTLE and found the bike did travel easier. and a little more life out of the battery. I am just starting to venture out and put the bike through its paces.

 

[Fordulike]

Nice info Eddie F.
I never even thought of checking that the rear servo brake might be dragging.
Unfortunately, because the brake gubbins are all hidden away internally, it's difficult to check clearances unlike the front V brake.
Not gonna mess about with it too much though, in case a shed load of springs pop out of the mechanism
Although i have heard a rumour that servo brakes work by magic!

 

[flecc]

By servo brakes, do you mean a band brake, i.e. a metal strip that wraps around a steel drum, or an encased roller brake which acts through rollers riding up ramps?

P.S. I've just enlarged a photo of the rear hub and in appearance it's like either a band brake, a drum brake or a roller brake. A pity they don't specify, rather than just saying servo which could be various types.
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[Fordulike]

Sorry flecc, no idea

 

[flecc]

Thanks, no problem, just would have been nice to know.
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[Eddie F]

Nonooo noo dont take the servo apart.

All i did was adjust the screw adjuster on the leaver and on the gold arm on the servo drum. i have ajusted it so the front brake needs fully applying for the back to lock up. but without the front brake the back wont lock up. Apply both and it comes to a stop rearly quickly from over 30 mph.

Thats what the lighty up sign said any way.

 

[Fordulike]

Way to go Eddie F.
Is it possible to get done for speeding on an electric bike?

 

[flecc]

Is it possible to get done for speeding on an electric bike?

UK national road speed limits are motor vehicle law which doesn't apply to bicycles or e-bikes.

Various bye-laws do apply though, cyclists at Bournemouth stopped recently and warned about their breaking the 10 mph speed limit on the seafront roadway there.
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[ManchesterMan]

Help my Cyclamatic has broken....

Hi,
My cyclamatic cuts out when I use the power, twist grip or pedal assist.
I believe it is the controller for the brushless motor, but Sports PLC don't sell them.
Any ideas would be welcome.
Thanks

 

[Mussels]

Hi,
My cyclamatic cuts out when I use the power, twist grip or pedal assist.
I believe it is the controller for the brushless motor, but Sports PLC don't sell them.
Any ideas would be welcome.
Thanks

Does it start to power the motor and then cut out? Does it still do it with the wheel off the ground?

 

[Fordulike]

Does it start to power the motor and then cut out? Does it still do it with the wheel off the ground?

Further to the question from Mussels.
What's the voltage of the battery hot off a full charge?

The Cyclamatic controller is really robust, so unlikely to be that, unless one of the connectors to the controller is a bit loose.
The controller housing at the bottom of the crank isn't protected from the elements very well, so check that water hasn't ingressed into the housing.
You can take the plastic cover for the controller housing off and check for the above two points, by removing the four screws.

If the battery is showing a nice healthy 29.6v or there-abouts, then check the contacts at the bottom of the battery.
If the battery is put on and taken off a lot, then the battery contacts can prise apart and create a poor connection.
Doing one at a time, bend the contacts in the battery slot inwards with something plastic, to allow it to grip the prong on the bike better. Using something plastic is safer, as there is no chance of shorting anything out.
Also clean the two prongs on the bike with a rag to remove any oily residue, which can prevent a good electrical contact.

 

[Fordulike]

ManchesterMan, did you manage to find the problem with your Cyclamatic?

 

[ManchesterMan]

Not sorted yet, but I'll take your advice...

Thank you for the advice.... much appreciated.

I've tried to use the motor when it is off the ground, but it doesn't work and the battery was fully charged.
I took the casing off the controller and applied my PhD in wire waggling, but no luck.
I cleaned the terminals which fit into the battery, and changed the two fuses.

I forgot to bend the terminals, as advised, but will do so tomorrow.

M

 

[lessped]

here here it aint got nowt to do with being a snob you gets what you pay for and as it happens i have just purchased a new bike well in excess of the price a paid for the last one and there is just no comparison its like a piece of silk to ride .