Cytronex kit or alternative?

[BertYardbrush]

I've been mulling over the idea of adding some assist to my Dahon Cadenza 26" wheel folder just to help out when, like today, it's fairly windy and to enable me to extend my Sunday ride out.
I think Cytronex is probably the best option. I've put myself on their email list for when the kit comes out sometime this summer.
Recent postings on this forum have suggested the the motor they use is not the strongest and has reliability issues. I would appreciate it if members could please set out the advantages and the drawbacks of the Cytronex system.
Are there any other kits out there that would just take the sting out of hills and windy conditions?
I don't like the idea of a pannier battery and I am not wealthy.

 

[AndyOfTheSouth]

A Cytronex kit sounds sensible. Meanwhile, you might look at the Electric Wheel Company who also use Tongxin motors (which they brand as Nano.)

Their conversion kit costs £649 (I think) and they actually sell it ready fitted in another 26" Dahon, folder, the Espresso.

Conversion kits - Products

As people have pointed out, the Tongxin is not the most robust motor, but it is otherwise possibly just what you seem to need.

 

[BertYardbrush]

A Cytronex kit sounds sensible. Meanwhile, you might look at the Electric Wheel Company who also use Tongxin motors (which they brand as Nano.)

Their conversion kit costs £649 (I think) and they actually sell it ready fitted in another 26" Dahon, folder, the Espresso.

Conversion kits - Products

As people have pointed out, the Tongxin is not the most robust motor, but it is otherwise possibly just what you seem to need.

Looks a good setup but I don't like the battery on the seatpost which I have to lower for folding. Thanks - I will give it due consideration.

 

[AndyOfTheSouth]

You'd probably slide the battery off before folding in order to reduce the weight to make the bike more manageable. This would reduce the obstruction by about a half.

It may also be possible to put the battery base lower down the seat tube. It might be worth asking them - it must be an issue which has been raised before.

 

[kitchenman]

... is not the strongest and has reliability issues.

I too am waiting for the kit and am going to install on my Street Machine and probably on a Spirit. I am a customer of Cytronex and have a CX700 which has now done over 3,000 miles since I bought it last July. No motor reliablilty issues and the 180 watt version is ideal for me. My 15.2 mile route has three hills which normally reduce me to 4 or 5 mph when I ride unassisted. Assisted its 9 or 10 mph. The route is ALton to Basingstoke in Hants on cycle route 23 - I have just had an unexpected battery failure but Cytronex gave me a discount on a new one to compensate for my loss of miles! ... Depending on the route and the conditions the battery will provide assistance for up to 20 miles. On very windy days the battery starts to fade towards the end of my commute at about 15 miles....

 

[jerrysimon]

I don't like the idea of a pannier battery and I am not wealthy.

My guess is the kit will not cheap

Plenty of other kits out there but the Tongxin based kits are the lightest and quietest. If these attributes are not so important, then you should be able to pick up another kit for around £400 incl battery in the UK. The alternative is to go the DIY route. I have done this for my Brompton using a Tongxin motor i.e. the same as Cytronex use. I also use a small DIY battery.

See Here

Regards

Jerry

 

[BertYardbrush]

Thank you all for the input. Very impressive Simon, good to hear Kitchenman's actual experience with Cytronex I think I will probably play safe and wait for the kit. I know it will be pricey but having sacrificed my trip to the International Jew's Harp Convention is Yakustk, Siberia I might be able to scrape together the readies.

 

[eTim]

Have no-hills confirmed that a kit will be released this summer, it was due for release over a year ago, then last summer, now this summer ...

 

[CyclingMadeEasy]

I spoke with Cytronex about 2 weeks ago and they said that due to 'things taking longer than expected' to bring the product to market the kit will not be available till 'later this year'.

Hopefullt it will be out soon as we're keen to get our hands on it.

Cheers

Jonathon
Cycling Made Easy
020 8667 8823

 

[BertYardbrush]

I spoke to them at the back end of last year and they said 'summer' rather than 'spring'. I wonder how many are on the waiting list - enough to instil a sense of drive & urgency?

 

[kitchenman]

"never rush a good thing" ... based on their current solutions my expectations are high. How are Bosch, Shimano, and the other big players getting on with their kits? Also take a look at the HPVelotechnic/Bionix solution. Would I want am upside down giant white dildo on my bike? umm.. hell yes! .. if it was cheap enough, not Canadian, and they got rid of the regen braking - why would I not want to pedal down hill? I am, as you may have guessed very disappointed in HPV (which is why I'm going to get a Spirit and put a Cytronex kit on it! - one day ..)
Sorry for the rant ... couldn't sleep ...

 

[Oiseaux]

AndyOfTheSouth...............A Cytronex kit sounds sensible. Meanwhile, you might look at the Electric Wheel Company who also use Tongxin motors (which they brand as Nano.)

Their conversion kit costs £649 (I think) and they actually sell it ready fitted in another 26" Dahon, folder, the Espresso.

And if you manage to get a reply from them can you let us know how because I have contacted them twice now and am still waiting.

 

[Mark/Cytronex]

Cytronex kit

I don't usually post on the forum because when I did in the past I found I had the knack for killing any thread stone dead!

However, I heard about this thread so I thought I should at least say something to apologise for the delays in launching our kit. So I would like to say sorry to the very long list of people waiting (including enquiries from 32 different countries last time we counted). I can assure you we are working very long hours to get the product finished.

I am afraid the delays are down to me, because after designing one solution I kept seeing a better way of doing it and I also kept adding features. I guess others would have got something out earlier but the truth is I wanted it to be just right and we are delighted with the prototypes now being tested. The new battery looks stunning (of course I would say that, but you’ll be able to judge for yourself before too long) and I can say that the solution is designed to be very easy to fit and very aesthetic. We have had the benefit of learning a great deal over the last 3 years by manufacturing, selling and maintaining our own bikes and these lessons have been incorporated into the kit. For example, should any part get damaged it can easily be removed and mailed to us.

There will be features in the new kit that have never been seen in electric bikes before and there will also be a choice of NiMh and lithium battery. The former has performed very well and proved very reliable and the latter will contain a brand new lithium cell and will follow later in the year.

Also regarding the motor, we try every new motor that comes along and have several boxes full here. The motor has seen many changes over the last couple of years and whilst we still do not recommend it for rough off road, for enjoying the pure experience of cycling we believe it is still peerless. By the way, if forum members are interested, we do have 4 Dapush motors to sell.

I am afraid I cannot say more about the kit at this point but we are currently expecting late summer availability. All I can say is it will be worth the wait!

Regards,

Mark Searles

 

[Rab C Nesbitt]

I don't usually post on the forum because when I did in the past I found I had the knack for killing any thread stone dead!

Mark
Just so you don't get too paranoid, I thought I'd post. There are indeed a lot of people awaiting the second coming of the Cytronex with interest

Rab

 

[Mark/Cytronex]

Thanks for that Rab, the therapy was getting expensive!

Mark

 

[kitchenman]

working very long hours to get the product finished.
... we do have 4 Dapush motors to sell.

Hi Mark. Its great to have an update. I know your working hard thats why I stopped phoning you and popping in have spooks fix! ... keep going! ...

You know about my recumbent well I got 2 now! Would a Dapush motor go into a 16" wheel? I need a project over easter and would like to have a go at a self build? Or if you got anything else you think I could use... a motor , some cabling .... I already have a battery ... a little Easter package for me (note I'm not using the K word! )

 

[Mark/Cytronex]

Hello Alan (I presume)

We should be able to get spokes to build into a 16 inch rim. Not sure if all the Dapush motors are the same number of spokes but the one I have just looked at is 36 holes.

The motors are nicely built and should be fine in a 16 inch wheel (they are a bit heavier though) but the main downside is they are noisy. This discounted them straight away for us. We built two bikes with their full system because we thought there was a problem with the first due to the noise. But when we had a look inside we found the planetary gear construction was toothed plastic which has been noisy in many other motors we have tried. If you are not bothered about that then it could be a good solution. We can put a motor on a bike if you want to test first?

We also have the Dapush controller and Dapush display (see attached image). If you have the battery this is pretty much all you need.

Regards,

Mark

 

[eddieo]

what kind of price will the kit be and what size battery please.......

 

[Mark/Cytronex]

Hello Eddie

All I can say at the moment it the system is likely to be similar pricing to the current Cytronex system (without the bike of course). There will initially be two pricing levels one for the NiMh system and one for the lithium battery. The only thing I can currently say about the lithium battery is in tests we have been getting almost double the current range (we have been testing lithium batteries for a long time and this is the first time we have found the right combination of power delivery and range in our battery size).

Regards,

Mark

 

[eddieo]

It was a simple question requiring a simple answer.... Instead I get no idea at all