Giant Lafree problem

[Eyesteel]

Hi all,

I bought a 2nd hand Giant Lafree a month or so ago (it's a few years old, with lead-acid battery). Was going great until the other day the power became intermittent and then died altogether. No sign of life since then, despite copious wire-wiggling. I'm gutted!
Anyway, I was wondering if there are any "known issues" with these bikes that I should check for before resorting to a repairer's.
NB The bike did get very wet a few days before this happened, BTW.

I'd be v grateful if anyone can offer any suggestions.

 

[flecc]

There's very few people who know anything about that particular model which was launched quite a few years ago and dropped quickly as it wasn't highly regarded.

Giant went back to the drawing board with Panasonics help and designed a very diffferent completely new and much improved Lafree series with NiMh batteries, the Twist models onwards.

The only mention I've ever seen of your one in use was from A to B magazine, though they didn't comment kindly. An email to them might bring some help though.

atob@onetel.com

 

[rsscott]

Hi Eyesteel,

welcome to the forum! This may be an obvious question but have you checked the battery still has a charge ?

Flecc, was this particular model sold outside the UK? I'm wondering if there any owner groups out there on the net somewhere.

cheers
Russ.

 

[flecc]

It was Giant's original and would have been sold elsewhere. I've been having a look but the web is dominated by the Twist Lite onwards.

Eyesteel's model was called the Lafree E-Trans, and the only record of it I know of so far is an A to B magazine test in April 2001. The issue is out of print, but it's available as a photocopy from A to B at £1.20.

This original Lafree was launched into a situation where the Yamaha reigned supreme and the Giant model couldn't compete with it. Perversely, Yamaha later discontinued their bike. Seems to be the fate of all the best electrics, to be discontinued when they are most in demand!

That Giant cost circa £1400 in 2001 according to a website, but the A to B test showed it at about half that! It weighed almost exactly double the later Twist model.

Still looking.

 

[flecc]

Eyesteel

I don't know whereabouts you are, but if you click on this Google Link, you'll see a variety of sites where there's knowledge of that original Lafree in the past. The forums are all foreign language though, mostly Dutch.

 

[Eyesteel]

Thanks for the replies. I did spray all the electrics with WD40 and the bike did sputter into life briefly the following morning, so I guess it's just a bad contact somewhere. Now it seems to have died again. I must admit I don't have much faith in a bike shop being able to sort the problem...

 

[flecc]

As it occurred after you rode in rain and the WD 40 helped, I think it may just be damp, which can be stubborn to get out, especially at this time of the year. Some of the eZee models have suffered from this.

I've found this is the best way of dealing with it if you have the facilities:

Bring the bike indoors into a small room. Place a fan heater about 2 feet away from the likely electrical area affected, running on 1 kilowatt. Two feet away on the other side, place a dehumidifier drawing air away from the bike. Then close the door on it. That sets up a loop of warm air which is progressively getting more and more dry, and I've found about half to one hour usually does the trick.

If you haven't got a dehumidifier it could be worth you hiring one from a hire centre.