Cyclotricity Stealth

[aardvark5]

Reviewer:
aardvark5 (age 56)
Also own a Forme Longcliffe v3 road bike & Carrera Subway MTB/Hybrid

Purchased From:
eBike Shed, Leek Road, Stoke on Trent

Purchase Price:
£799

Time Owned:
9 weeks = 10 miles a day x 5 days = 450 miles+

Local Terrain: Flat / Moderate Hills / Very Hilly


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Strengths:
Looks great and doesn't look like an eBike.
Quite light for an eBike at 19kg.
Can be very easily de-restricted with the computer but I haven't bothered.
Very comfortable to ride (both my other bikes have given me botty ache).
It easily gets me up hills with little effort and quite fast with a lot of effort.
I can get an easy 2 days commuting out of it.
There are 5 pedal assists and a throttle so if I need a fast getaway I've got no problem.
This has also cut down the left hooking problems I had every day in a couple of places to zero.
The Cylotricity support has been amazing - more details below.

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Weaknesses:
I personally don't like the twist Shimano gears and there are only seven gears.
When I'm on the flat at about 25 mph I really could do with a smaller gear so my
legs aren't spinning around really fast.
I would like a removeable computer display because I can see some thief in the
future trying to prise it off.
I didn't like the tyres so I swopped them for Schwalbe Silento Kevlar based tyres.

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Summary:
This bike has changed my life because of my advancing arthritis in my spine, hips & knees.
Even with all the bad weather every day this bike has been a joy to ride and I use it like a gym exercise
bike, so I basically put effort in where I want to and everybody has noticed I've lost more weight
with this bike than my two other bikes.

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Overall Rating (out of 10) : 8/10 but only because I need another gear.


More info about Cyclotricity support:
On my second week I broke my chain and Zak at Cyclotricity sent me a new one.
From the first week my back brake (disc brakes) didn't seem right and kept giving way so
virtually every day I had to keep adjusting them but it finally got to a point where I felt unsafe
but with no arguments Zak from Cyclotricity sent me a new back brake assembly and
everything is now OK.
He also kept in touch via phone & email.

 

[gryffe1974]

Had one of these for six months, reasonable choice for an entry level ebike but wasn't without its problems which consisted of rattly battery holder(drove me crazy), bottom bracket kept slackening off, brakes and gears not the best constantly seemed to need adjustment.

Good looking bike but unfortunatly low quality components let it down.

 

[aardvark5]

I had to replace the back brake but they sent a replacement without hassle. The only other problem is that no matter what I do I can't set the gears up correctly but that could be my inexperience. To be honest I've thought about putting better components on it because the bike as a whole is OK.

 

[dread]

Any further updates on the bike? How are you finding it a few months on now? Just purchased one myself... Any mods carried out

 

[aardvark5]

I've got to be honest so here goes:

On the 2nd day I got 3 punctures 3 days on the trot and had to replace the faulty tyres and then:
Broke chain - I was sent a new one
Front shock seized - I was sent a new one
Back brakes nearly killed me - I was sent a new one
New back brake failed - I went and bought some Avid BB7's
Arrived at work one day with 5 broken rear spokes so had to phone the wife to pick me up - I was sent a new back wheel
Pedal assist stopped working - It was the magnet on the left pedal that had become very loose so it's now held in place with an elastic band.
Latest problem two weeks ago - my left pedal arm fell off and I have to carry a socket around with me to tighten it up at least 3 times per 5 mile commute.
The bottom bracket is useless and the new parts came today.

Tomorrow I'm seeing about buying a Trek 7.5 and having the electric bits put on that and the bike will be taken to the incinerator.

I'm not a happy man.

 

[trex]

Most of us using an e-bike for commuting will have one problem or another.
With a little preparation, most of these hassles can be kept away. The two things that cause most hassles are: water and vibrations.
These are my recommendations, other members may want to add theirs.
- Must have puncture proof or puncture resist tyres and a good two hand pump with pressure gauge.
- Must have cartridge type bottom bracket, less easy for grit to get inside.
- Must upgrade pedals to something made entirely with steel and spins very smoothly.
- make sure all the pedals, cranks, handlebars, bolts and nuts are tightened as soon as, threadlock with blue loctite anything that you don't need to undo.
- Avoid exposed pedelec sensor. If you must have one of those discs, keep it on the chain side to save it from being kicked accidentally, silicon glue the disc to the chainring for extra safety.
- if you must have rear hub motor (they are the only type of propulsion liable to broken spokes), invest in a £2 spoke key and make sure you know how to keep your rear wheel true and spokes tightened and evenly tensioned.
- Keep your bike out of the rain. If you have to park your bike outdoors, invest in some plastic covers for your handlebars and battery.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I've got to be honest so here goes:

On the 2nd day I got 3 punctures 3 days on the trot and had to replace the faulty tyres and then:
Broke chain - I was sent a new one
Front shock seized - I was sent a new one
Back brakes nearly killed me - I was sent a new one
New back brake failed - I went and bought some Avid BB7's
Arrived at work one day with 5 broken rear spokes so had to phone the wife to pick me up - I was sent a new back wheel
Pedal assist stopped working - It was the magnet on the left pedal that had become very loose so it's now held in place with an elastic band.
Latest problem two weeks ago - my left pedal arm fell off and I have to carry a socket around with me to tighten it up at least 3 times per 5 mile commute.
The bottom bracket is useless and the new parts came today.

Tomorrow I'm seeing about buying a Trek 7.5 and having the electric bits put on that and the bike will be taken to the incinerator.

I'm not a happy man.

I've heard of all those faults before, but not on one bike. I think you need to help a few more old ladies across the road.

 

[amigafan2003]

Tomorrow I'm seeing about buying a Trek 7.5 and having the electric bits put on that and the bike will be taken to the incinerator.

I'm not a happy man.

I converted a Trek FX 7.5 (see here) and commuted 5k miles on it in 18 months - through wind, rain, snow, sand and salt (sea front commute) loaded with pannier bags and laptops and it's held up brilliantly with just the normal chain and cassette replacement required which is normal wear and tear. I also upgraded the brakes to Magura HS33 hydraulics but only because they came up cheap and the bikes was, shall we say, slightly faster than the legal limit!

I've just converted it back to electric as it makes such a nice platform for an ebike - see the last page on the build thread.

 

[aardvark5]

I'm just off to the shop now..
I'm going to offer him my Stealth if he puts a motor on a Trek 7.5 and he should make a lot more money out of that deal.
He could easily sell it for £600 on his site with all the upgraded parts and all he has to do is put a £500 Cyclotricity conversion on which probably costs him about £300.
If not I'll have the Trek with motor and then I will take all the electrics over to my spare Carrera Subway which for £279 is a far superior bike which has caused me no hassle.

 

[aardvark5]

He wouldn't have the Stealth off me so plan B.
He buys the bikes from another shop so I went there and had it on 36 months interest free and can pay it in full anytime I like. I now have the money for the conversion.

This should be here on Thursday and I'll convert it a couple of weeks later - http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/town/recreation/fx/7_5_fx/

I'll then put the Stealth parts onto my Carrera Subway.

 

[aardvark5]

So do I go rear, front or crank?
It's a 5 mile commute on cycle lanes & a bit of road with a climb that the Stealth handles easily with a bit of help.
I do want a throttle for quick starts.

Any help appreciated.

 

[trex]

crank is easiest, fastest if derestricted and most expensive (£550 10AH bottle). Rear (£500) is stealthy, you know the cons already. Front (£500) is easy, sensible but not good traction on wet roads. I am partial to crank because I ride one. Totally maintenance free (well, nearly).

 

[aardvark5]

Can you put a throttle with a crank motor?

 

[trex]

the crank kits come with thumb throttle.

 

[aardvark5]

Decisions decisions - now to find a thread Crank v Front motor.

 

[amigafan2003]

Just figuired out who you are

You need to check the bottom bracket width on the Trek first before decding on cranks drive - it needs to be 68mm wide.

Personally, on that bike, I'd be fitting a rear hub motor - something small, light and stealthy. It has a 10spd cassette so the Q100 CST would be ideal:-

http://www.greenbikekit.com/e-bike-cassette-freewheel-hub-motor-36v-250w-light-weight-high-speed.html

I wouldn't buy that motor in one of thier prebuilt wheels for use on a quality bike like the Trek - I'd get it built into a good rim - something like a Mavic A319 with good DT Swiss DB spokes ( you need 262mm and 264mm spokes for a 2 cross build on that motor/rim).

Controller:- http://www.greenbikekit.com/motor-controller/250w-36v-electric-bicycle-hub-motor-controller.html
Three speed switch:- http://www.greenbikekit.com/3-speed-switch.html
Brake Sensor:- http://www.greenbikekit.com/hidden-wire-brake-sensor.html

I've got a thumb throttle and PAS sensor I can pop in the post for a small fee

Battery:- http://www.custom-ebikes.com/48v-11-6ah-frame-mount-black-samsung-cells/ (dont forget to order the charger as well).

That set up should get you a shade over 20mph - go for 36v battery if you want to stay legal.

 

[aardvark5]

Amiga you are giving me too much to think about.
I must confess the Cyclotricity kit has been decent and through all my misfortune has been the only thing that has got me to work & back so £500 for a front wheel kit will be more than adequate.
I went into the shop to look at the 1000 watt motor and the thought of riding without electric worried me because of the weight.
I do realise I'm buying an excellent bike and immediately swapping the front wheel for something a lot inferior but your suggestion about building a new rear one sounds great but I wouldn't have the capabilities when it comes to tensioning.

Now you've put the idea in my head and you don't live that far away, if I ordered the parts above from you and you pre-built the better wheel how long would it take to put it all together if I drove up one day?

 

[Wicky]

The Trek 7.5 FX - DuoTrap S linked to in post no. 10 is specced for "Bontrager Nebula, carbon forks" - Not sure if they're recommended for squeezing in a front wheel motor.

 

[amigafan2003]

The Trek 7.5 FX - DuoTrap S linked to in post no. 10 is specced for "Bontrager Nebula, carbon forks" - Not sure if they're recommended for squeezing in a front wheel motor.

It'll be fine if you keep the watts down (so programmable controller needed) to around 600watts or below and a good torque arm used.

 

[amigafan2003]

Amiga you are giving me too much to think about.
I must confess the Cyclotricity kit has been decent and through all my misfortune has been the only thing that has got me to work & back so £500 for a front wheel kit will be more than adequate.
I went into the shop to look at the 1000 watt motor and the thought of riding without electric worried me because of the weight.
I do realise I'm buying an excellent bike and immediately swapping the front wheel for something a lot inferior but your suggestion about building a new rear one sounds great but I wouldn't have the capabilities when it comes to tensioning.

Now you've put the idea in my head and you don't live that far away, if I ordered the parts above from you and you pre-built the better wheel how long would it take to put it all together if I drove up one day?

I'm knocking the selling/building on the head as I'm preparing to start Uni soon. But here's an offer - if you order the parts, get the motor, rim and spokes to me I'll build you the wheel. Then a week later come up one morning with the bike and we'll fit the kit together.