I may never bother to pedal again ;-)

So my kit arrived from Woosh today as promised. Its a 48v mid drive that is now pretty much 'on' my Marin Eldrige grade MTB.

 

Its 'on' enough to have had a quick ride round on it but there is still a fair bit to do. The BB is offset about 5mm so I had to spend an hour on the lathe making a spacer to put the chainline right but I kind of anticipated that.

 

To do list will have to involve making a couple of spacers and I reckon a small grove is needed in the motor fixing block to clear the rear shifter cable it only rubs on it a fraction so relieving the block will be better than changing the route.

 

Front mech is removed and I might stick with a single front ring but if so it needs to be a bit smaller than the one supplied so again.. on the to do list.

 

So whats it like.... well blimey its great, quiet and plenty power.

 

I think I made a mistake with the rack battery cos the weight distribution feels odd at the back and I'd hoped to bracket the camera stuff and tripod to the carrier but I think the photo gear is still going to end up in my backpack which is a nuisance. Maybe I will have a think about that when I've ridden it more than a couple of miles. I also think the rack frame is a hopeless fit on my bike and will need a bit of sorting. The rear stays are sort of S shaped so they dont line up at all with the rack, nothing that can't be done fairly easily with a few bits of aluminium.

 

Photo's if anyone cares will be along when the cables aren't just wrapped round the tubes ;-)

 

Paul.

Yes show us pics.

So rather than continue to clutter up somebody else’s post on rack battery matters I thought I’d better continue here.

 

The temporary arrangement that I’d used to attach the battery rack to the frame meant that it ended up to the rear of the axle and probably 3 inches above the tire, that meant the weight was very high and the bike felt quite unstable. Today I made some small aluminium brackets that allowed the rack to fit very close to the seat tube and only An inch and a half above the tire, even pushing the bike around the workshop it feels far better.

 

So I went outside, here on Anglesey it’s currently blowing a southwesterly at 70 mph and horizontal rain ..... I noticed the wheelie bin was now at the bottom of my field so I went back inside and put the kettle on!

 

Paul

A bit less temporary, not quite finished but getting closer.

 

Just stop raining and blowing!

For better handling move the battery rack as low as you can get it above the wheel/tyre.

For better handling move the battery rack as low as you can get it above the wheel/tyre.

I need to get the mudguards on first and then it can be adjusted finally but to be honest it’s fine as it is, certainly better than it was

well it certainly isnt as clean now, today I put another 15 miles on it. I'm circa 14st and averagely fit and managed a comfortable 15mph over that route. Its a heavy steel frame with fat knobly tyres so any concerns I had about the motor lacking power are gone now.

 

Makes mental note, warmer gloves would have been better than track mitts.

 

It was all brought to an end by a hawthorne clipping and the inevitable hiss of defeat.

 

So the green slime did its stuff after a few minutes and after just 25,693 cycles of my micro pump I was under way again. I did say to myself that the co2 pump on the back of Ellens bike would have been slightly more use on the back of mine.

Edited January 17, 20206 yr by gw8izr

20 miles today which dropped the batter indicator by two bars, I suspect tomorrow will be the first (second really) charge up so it will be interesting to see how far I get.

 

No drama so far and thankfully my inguinal hernia hasn’t noticed the increase in exercise efforts.

 

I had to wash it.......

I get back from a ride looking like I’ve been pot holing.

 

Absolutely no major issues so far.

 

 

Eagle eyed ones may notice the bits of Karimat jammed into the rack frame to stop the battery rattling, I’ll do something more elegant than that now I know it works.

 

Battery capacity is great, this is 50 miles into the second charge. The indicator drops quite quickly once it drops one bar but I’d estimate dragging my fat ass round on these knobbly tyres 60 + miles should be possible.

 

 

not much more to add to this thread now, I just completed 60 miles on the second charge and to be honest I hooned about a bit to flatten the battery so I could get it on charge again. It would have done another five miles I reckon but there we go.

 

Fitted some Marathon plus tyres today and at long last mudguards. As expected the tyres have made a big difference. Also fashioned a mud flap out of a Walls ice cream container and life is a bit more comfortable on the filthy country roads here.

 

Now in another thread someone was saying that they wouldn't use tyre slime. I've been using it for donkeys years and its got me home countless times - he was concerned about the tyres after the slime has deployed so I took some pictures of the tyre and tube where a big hawthorne had done its stuff. Suffice to say that I'm not intending to ever stop using my slime ;-)

 

 

Today’s little training circuit involved about a mile on the flat with a massive tail wind, I managed to sustain just short of 40 miles an hour for a little while which means my knackered old legs can still spin for a few minutes at 130 rpm. But in reality the gears are far too tall on this bike now, at speed and high cadence I was bouncing about on the front suspension which isn’t very sensible at my time of life. So I’m going to stick the 32 on the front and see how it goes.

 

When I had to come back the other way into the now significant headwind I certainly needed the motor to keep the pace up :-)

I’m not sure that people realise the self-sacrifice that we have to go to to find the raw materials needed……

 

 

A whole pack!

 

 

 

Nicely made and impressive attention to detail keeping the lettering layout straight.

Dave.

Nicely made and impressive attention to detail keeping the lettering layout straight.

Dave.

 

It’s part of my sponsorship deal that I have with Walls ice cream :-)

 

Apparently a fat old bloke on a bike hits their market sector.

It’s part of my sponsorship deal that I have with Walls ice cream

In that case I'm going to make mine out of a Balvenie Doublewood label.

Retirement is hard going, today I had to decide between fish and chips or steak pudding and chips. Decisions decisions decisions ......

You've got an electric bike to get you home, have both.

So five years on and the TZD kit is still running well. Battery range has hardly changed. The rather useless thumb throttle went intermittent after a few months but as I never used it I just removed it and everything was back to normal. It's been a great kit and still has life in it. The power is just right, I can spin away in a low gear and it will drag my fat backside up the side of a house, but.....

 

The geometry of the bike is not great. Its my 1999 steel frame MTB and hard cornering in the wet will guarantee soreness. The ancient V-brakes will stop me eventually but if I needed to stop in a hurry it would probably be too late.

 

My dilemma is that whatever comes next still has to be mid drive. I don't really need an MTB, a strong easy to ride flat bar gravel bike would be suitable. I often carry 25Kg in a camera backpack so it needs to be fairly strong and I would be really aggrieved if the power and torque was not as good as my TZD. Brakes.. yeah that would be an advantage this time.

//////

My dilemma is that whatever comes next still has to be mid drive. I don't really need an MTB, a strong easy to ride flat bar gravel bike would be suitable.

tsdz8 !

If its just a comfort issue and better braking thats throwing a damper on your ride? May i suggest a suspension seatpost (#1 still on my wish list..) And a front disk brake might be worth the investment even if it requires new forks and a wheel.. (also on my wishlist ) .

 

Then again when you want a 'new' bike' and you deserve one. sometimes you just gotta get one ..

25kg in a backpack would be the end of me! Most of my stuff goes in panniers or a trailer, only the most delicate stuff on my back.

How nice to see a many years later update!

 

As for your next bike. If you want move away from the an mtb then a hybrid frame will generally have more relaxed geometry than a gravel designed for drop bars.

 

I always like the look of the Genesis Smithfield with twin toptube as good candidate (but I do love a IGH)

 

You could have a down tube battery and have some weight on the rack, some in a backpack for better over all balence

 

Also a surtout ncx suspension seatpost is a game changer, come is 27.2 for hybrids as well

Edited March 11, 20251 yr by spanos

You could change the rear brake to a disc-affair: You'd need:

 

A replacement disk wheel

Frame disk adaptor

Cable-operated disc brake and rotor

 

You could add the suspension seat post (already suggested)

 

You could also get a new disk-compatible air-shock front fork.

 

This'd keep your original bicycle frame, drive-train, etc, etc.

 

Or purchase a second-hand replacement and rob your existing bike for the motor and parts (mudguards, rack, handle-bar widgets, etc)

If its just a comfort issue and better braking thats throwing a damper on your ride? May i suggest a suspension seatpost (#1 still on my wish list..)

I'm of an age where prostate comfort and potential damage is a consideration :-) having said that my 'saddle with a hole' does a pretty good job.

 

Its not really a comfort issue but stability is certainly a concern.

 

 

And a front disk brake might be worth the investment even if it requires new forks and a wheel.. (also on my wishlist ) .

 

I could replace the front wheel and upgrade to disk as the fork has the lugs already.

 

 

Then again when you want a 'new' bike' and you deserve one. sometimes you just gotta get one ..

 

That's the key issue.. I've lived with this bike for about twenty five years and whilst it's been better than OK I 'think' its time for a new bike.

How nice to see a many years later update!

 

As for your next bike. If you want move away from the an mtb then a hybrid frame will generally have more relaxed geometry than a gravel designed for drop bars.

 

I always like the look of the Genesis Smithfield with twin toptube as good candidate (but I do love a IGH)

 

I'll take a look at those, living here on Anglesey Island its a bit of a hassle getting to see stuff in the flesh but there we go. I'm nipping across the Chester on Friday to look at a friends bike with a Mid drive and Rohloff Hub which he absolutely raves about. At least I can ascertain the power difference as his motor is supposed to have 65n/m torque compared to my TZD which supposedly has 90n/m. This will be the first chance to ride a bike that I haven't ̶l̶o̶v̶i̶n̶g̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶s̶s̶e̶m̶b̶l̶e̶d̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶e̶l̶e̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶f̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶s̶ built myself...

 

You could have a down tube battery and have some weight on the rack, some in a backpack for better over all balence

 

I did a 15K walk on the coastal path today and was thinking about this comment a lot. It would be reasonably easy to fabricate a tray to take the existing battery and mount it where you (and others) have suggested, mainly as a trial but with effort I could make it look nice enough to use 'til the battery goes TU which is only a matter of time of course.

 

If it does make a significant difference to the handling then its an (almost) zero cost improvement.

 

The camera gear needs to stay on my back really, I wouldn't like to subject what is fairly precision gear to the vibration - and - when I get where I'm going I always have to abandon the bike and walk/scramble the last bit of the journey.

 

Also a surtout ncx suspension seatpost is a game changer, come is 27.2 for hybrids as well

 

Ellen has one of those spring loaded seat posts on her hybrid and she rates it.. I think its awful so had dismissed them .. however having looked at this Suntour post it looks like a much more impressive affair and I'll certainly take a closer look Thank you.