Kudos King owners beware

[Iffy]

I have held off with this post as I have sent a PM to Dave at Kudos but he does not seem to be around at he moment since I have not received a response at the time of writing.

On the way home from work on Thursday evening I suffered with my first puncture in over 1000 miles of commuting and of course it was in the rear tyre. It is not the fact that I got a puncture in a new tyre after only 70KMs that has prompted me to post, it could happen at any time. No, what's got my goat is that I could not see a way to completely remove the wheel since I was unable to disconnect the electic cable to the motor, also the tube was holed on the inside where there is no rim tape. I haven't changed a tyre in years and they are different now with the double rim, I had to hope that I did not nick the tube when fitting it with the wheel in situ. I ran insulating tape around the rim as I do not have any tape and all was fine for my Friday commute.

I have asked Dave whether it is possible to disconnect the motor to facilitate the removal of the back wheel also if the absence of rim tape is normal or an oversight in this instance. I wanted to share my experience with other owners who may want to check their own bikes and take any remedial action that they feel necessary.

I hope that this information helps somebody else and prevents an unwelcome flat.

 

[kitchenman]

I think the title of you post could be "Rear hub owners beware!". I have just bought a UM fast4ward and it has a rear hub. If I had had a puncture in the rear tyre today I would have been on to the AA! ... I'll be chasing Ultra Motor for instructions on how to remove the rear wheel of their bike.

 

[Iffy]

I think the title of you post could be "Rear hub owners beware!". I have just bought a UM fast4ward and it has a rear hub. If I had had a puncture in the rear tyre today I would have been on to the AA! ... I'll be chasing Ultra Motor for instructions on how to remove the rear wheel of their bike.

Hi Alan

I used that title more to highlight the lack of rim tape than the inability to disconnect the electrics to the motor although the latter did make the tube change rather difficult! I am a bit out of touch with cycling having only got back into it as recently as 6 months ago but the general consensus around the internet seems to be that rim tape should be used.

 

[banbury frank]

Hi

I would Check the front wheel as well and fit rim tape to front and rear with new tubes as the damage has been done The E bikers worst nightmare Punchers

Please let the forum know on how Kudos Deal with this mater as there are members looking at buying there bikes and if support is a problem they should know about it

No connector on the motor cable sounds a big problem there will be one but probably it is inside the black box that holds the controller and should be described in the services Manual If there is a service manual




If this was one off the company's like wisper or ultra motor response is very prompt

Thanks on other members behalf for letting us Know about potential problems with Kudos bikes as this is what the forum is about


Frank

 

[NRG]

Agreed, lack of a quick release connector close to the motor is unacceptable and the lack of rim tape completely unforgivable, lets hope its just a one off.

Use a good quality tape like the Jante fabric tape and you shouldn't have any problems. Also, check for burrs around the spoke holes and don't use the 'elastic' band rim tape...it moves when you refit the tube and tyre...

 

[Jimod]

I have a Kudos tourer and after reading this post I went out and took my front tyre and tube off. I took it off and replaced it in about 5 minutes, which worried me. Mine has rim tape. My rear wheel has what appears to be a joint/plug in the motor cable about 6" from the wheel. It looks like it's wrapped in a rubber seal so I didn't want to disturb it.

In my dealings with Kudos, they've been prompt and great.

 

[flecc]

The inline motor cable connectors are often bound with insulation and it's usually easy to undo a tie wrap to lift out a wheel without disconnecting.

However, why remove a wheel, especially a back wheel, to repair a puncture? That's completely unnecessary on any bike, punctures can easily be repaired in situ.

 

[lemmy]

That's what I was thinking but presumably iffy wants to change the tube(?)

 

[Cyclezee]

I agree with you Tony about repairing a puncture with the wheel in situ, but replacing a tube or rim tape without removing the wheel is slightly more tricky.

Have you got a technique

 

[flecc]

Even for changing a tube or tyre it's only necessary to lift the wheel out slightly to pass in the tube or tyre, so full disconnection isn't essential.

Years ago we used to use rear frame expanders in the trade to pass in tyres and tubes, this to overcome the problem of full oilbath chaincases since dismantling those to remove a wheel would make customer charges too high.

I've often used a variation of this by using my foot, a fist and some strength to insert a new tube or tyre and have even fitted a Marathon Plus this way. Photo of this method below:



This was expanding the rear towing attachment as well.

 

[Cyclezee]

I'm impressed with your technique Tony, quite a bit of strenghth required though.

If I am ever fortunate to meet you in the flesh, remind me not to shake your hand

 

[Iffy]

The inline motor cable connectors are often bound with insulation and it's usually easy to undo a tie wrap to lift out a wheel without disconnecting.

However, why remove a wheel, especially a back wheel, to repair a puncture? That's completely unnecessary on any bike, punctures can easily be repaired in situ.

The motor seems to have a connector part way along the swinging arm but it is encased in one of those heat shrink rubber protective sleeves and I did not want to cut that off to find out.

The reason that I wanted to remove the wheel to replace the tube is that I had not previously encountered double rims and I did not feel confident that I would be able to complete the job sucessfully. Having now changed the tube with the wheel in situ and knowing that it has to be done this way in the future I am sure that I will be able to do it at the roadside should the need arise, hopefully that won't be for a long time yet.