Kalkhoff speed sensor problems

[gordonmx]

@JohnCade I received the first set - the Batavus Chain Tensioner Short Stainless. I've got to tell you I can't see whether they might fit or not. I can say that the Nuvinci hub on my bike and the way the frame/dropouts are designed does not make it look easy to fit the tensioner in on the drive side. I wish someone who has fitted these things could write a bit about how they are fitted and show some pictures. Below I've posted some of mine. In picture 3 you can see me holding the chain tensioner near where I imagine it goes. The thing occupying the acrew directly behind the wheel bolt is the anchor for some cargo straps I have over my carrier rack. They used to fit differently on my previous Kalkhoff. Picture 4 gives you the lay of the land. Any comments?

Thanks for the info on the new dropouts. I can't see whether mine are different, because the automatic shifting stuff covers part of the dropout. I think they are different from the 2012 Agattu, because the way the baggage carrier and any possible straps fit on is different.

 

[JohnCade]

Your dropouts don't look the same as the latest ones. I'm not a hundred percent sure but I don't think they're using chains at all now except on the derailleur bikes. It's all Gates belts now on the hub gears. Or perhaps they haven't changed all the bikes over yet.

I posted this youtube vid on another thread which you posted on too.

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/bad-experience-with-kalkhoff-agattu-xxl.19130/page-3#post-238545

That bolt which you say the straps are attached to is not the same as mine or your old one. The pull can probable be made to miss it but whatever it's attached to might have to be moved.

 

[gordonmx]

@JohnCade Success! I got the short chain tensioners installed. They fit and now my wheel seems to run true. All good so far. The other ones arrived a couple of days later and now I have quite a collection. Two of the types sold by the HollandBikeShop.com seem to be identical:

Bicycle Chain Tensioner Batavus Stainless 104484 2 € 2,25 21.00% €4,50
Batavus Chain Tensioner 45Mm Bolt 30 mm 142471 2 € 1,95 21.00% €3,90

The Batavus Chain Tensioner 62 Mm Bolt 45 mm version is clearly overkill, and pricey at
€19,80 for 2.

I wonder whether the larger versions might provide more strength for holding the wheel in place.

Some pictures of the installation:

 

[JohnCade]

Glad it seems to be working. I find mine has stopped any wheel movement. I didn't need the longer one though, the shorter one would have done. I thought they did all seem to be the same but the descriptions such as they are were different...

The P&P wasn't exactly cheap either. I expect someone would take one or two off your hands if you post an ad here. I might have one myself.

Just noticed that he seems to have put them on with the adjustment bolt facing inwards. How can the wheel be adjusted like that?

 

[gordonmx]

@JohnCade

Just noticed that he seems to have put them on with the adjustment bolt facing inwards. How can the wheel be adjusted like that?

Okay. That's interesting. However, if you look at the picture from my earlier post on Dec. 4, when I'd just received the short Batavus chain tensioners, you can see that the bolt was shipped installed like that. My mechanic said I'd need some kind of Allen key to adjust the wheel (there is an indentation that could fit an Allen key). I didn't realise at that point because I hadn't seen the others with an adjustment bolt. But then if I go on the Holland Bike Shop site, you can see in the image there's supposed to be a adjustment bolt at the rear end of a chain tensioner. Strange. Is it even possible it was installed wrong by the manufacturer? Could the bolt even be installed backwards? Wouldn't the reversed adjustment bolt prevent proper installation? Oh well, I could always ask them to swap in one of the larger ones with an adjustment bolt head in the right place, next time I have time to spend time on this.

 

[gordonmx]

@JohnCade Mystery solved! I emailed the Holland Bike Shop and described your observation. They replied thusly:

"Thank you for your e-mail. This is a new model, and this is normal. You can adjust it with a hexagonal wrench on the bolt head."

Which is pretty much what my bike mechanic observed when he took the part from me. By the way, the other three versions I ordered did have the adjustment bolt, as you can see from the picture.

 

[JohnCade]

Right, so the bolt is the same as the old type but has an Allen key recess so it can be fitted with the nut head against the frame? Or there is no nut head at all on this new one? If it's the former I suppose there would be more contact area. But the bolt dia is about the same as the dropout width so as long as it lines up maybe not.

Think I prefer adjusting with a nut. But I did think about finding a way to make the frame contact end a bit bigger to spread the load at first. Then I thought it wasn't really necessary.

Anyway as long as it does the job and there is some way of adjusting it that's all the matters. I'm having to adjust for chain wear every few hundred miles. So I don't suppose you are going to get the bike shop to do it every time.

 

[gordonmx]

@JohnCade It's the latter. There is no nut head/adjustment bolt on the bolt/screw, so none that that is tightened against the dropout to spread the load. However, the bolt is nowhere near as wide as the dropout. I'm attaching some pictures of how the bolt is contacting the dropout - on each side. You can also see the indentation for the Allen key.

This issue of the bolt thickness is part of why I wondered whether the larger chain tensioners might be a better solution, as their bolts might be more substantial. However, from a quick look, all the sizes seem to use a common bolt thickness.

On the issue of future adjustments, I have no experience doing this. When do you tighten the tensioners and by how much? No, I don't suppose I'd want to get the bike shop to do it every time, but I'd like to know what I'm doing, given my history of problems with Kalkhoff e-bikes.

On an earlier point, yes, I agree, the P&P was extortionate (9 euros 50 as I recall) if you were only ordering something small. But you could save by ordering more.

 

[JohnCade]

@JohnCade

On the issue of future adjustments, I have no experience doing this. When do you tighten the tensioners and by how much? No, I don't suppose I'd want to get the bike shop to do it every time, but I'd like to know what I'm doing, given my history of problems with Kalkhoff e-bikes.

On an earlier point, yes, I agree, the P&P was extortionate (9 euros 50 as I recall) if you were only ordering something small. But you could save by ordering more.

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You just need to slacken off the wheel nuts and turn both the adjusters clockwise an eighth of a turn at a time to move the axle backwards evenly until the chain is at the right tension. 1 to 1.5 cm vertical movement in the middle of the bottom run at the chain's tightest position on the sprockets. Then tighten the wheel nuts.

Since the wheel is also being held by the tensioners as well as the nuts the torque is not so crucial. So as you don't have a torque wrench just pull them up tight but not as hard as you can. I tighten to 25 ft/lbs and the way I always used to judge torque years ago before I bought a T/W was to estimate the length of the spanner, and if its say 6" and you want 25 ft/lbs then imagine you are pulling 50 lbs. Ideally you want a foot long one and can then imagine 25 lbs. If you pick something weighing that up you can judge it fairly well.

But as long as you pinch them up well and don't over tighten it will be fine.