Mistrals Arrival

[SEATALTEA]

My Synergie Mistral arrived yesterday in a large cardboard box.

It took a couple of hours to put it together including changing both tyres and inner tubes for these Continental Cycle Tyres UK £21 each but they have a years swap out warranty if I pick up a puncture.

I managed to fit the rear without cutting any wires although couldn't actually remove the tyre from the frame.

I haven't fitted the front mud guard or supplied lights

I'm waiting for LED front and rear lights from Hong Kong.

Aldi cycle computer still to fit.

The battery went from no charge to fully charged in 2 hrs.

Only ridden it briefly as I can't get the direct pull V brake front set up properly
at the moment.

I'll pop into the local bike shop tomorrow for a little help.

What little riding I did seemed promising, it doesn't seem heavy when on the move and whizzes along nicely with E - S mode pedal assist or under its own steam.

Further update and some pics tomorrow maybe.

 

[Kal]

SEATALTEA- Congratulations on receiving your Synergie Mistral. I've had 900 trouble free miles out of mine so far. Apart from the useless dynamo I can't fault it. Other Mistral owners have also changed the tyres which puzzles me. The tyres appear to be well made and are not knobbly but have a smooth road pattern. Had no punctures so would fit the same again.
.

 

[SEATALTEA]

Out of the Box

SEATALTEA's slideshow on Flickr

I'll post a few shots now it's together and running well tomorrow.

 

[Rod Tibbs]

Hi There

I have had my Mistral for about a couple of weeks and I am delighted with it. But I was puzzled by your post where you say "I managed to fit the rear without cutting any wires although couldn't actually remove the tyre from the frame."

If you could not remove the tyre from the frame how did you fit it? I am considering changing tyres because I have already had a puncture and would welcome any advice you could give on changing them.

Thanks

Rod

 

[SEATALTEA]

To replace the rear tyre you first need to lengthen the cable from the battery to the motor. Do this by cutting the cable ties which hold the wires against the rear frame and you will get an extra inch of play.

Deflate the tyre and break half the tyre away from the rim as usual, pull the inner tube out.

Loosen the rear wheel and slide it out of the frame, it will only come out an inch or two and cannot actually be fully removed due to the motor cable.

There will be enough space to slide the inner tube and old tyre out from in between the wheel and frame.

Repeat to install, it's fiddly and having another person to assist would be a benefit.

I used the puncture proof Conti's so I hope it's something I don't have to do too often.

Kal the standard Mistral tyres were nobbly and the Conti's are a great improvement, I guess that the bikes come with a variety of tyres from the factory.

Flickr Photo Download: P1010817

 

[Kal]

To clarify.. the tyres on my Mistral are named "Cheng Shin Tire". The width of the tyre is 55mm with a middle "road tread pattern" 40mm wide which is only 1.5mm deep. Some mountain bike tyre I've seen in shops have a knobbly tread pattern all over and I can well understand someone wanting to change those for road use.

Nice slide show.. I noticed the position of the battery gauge is different to mine. Mine is fixed next to the bell.

To change the rear tyre on the Mistral I read that someone had disconnected the wires at the control box whilst others have cut the wires leading from the motor and reconnected using a terminal block.
.

 

[flecc]

To clarify.. the tyres on my Mistral are named "Cheng Shin Tire". The width of the tyre is 55mm with a middle "road tread pattern" 40mm wide which is only 1.5mm deep.
.

They seem to have changed them, they used to be the knobbly variety.

Those Cheng Shins seem to be the ones that the Lafree bikes used to have as standard. If so, they have low rolling resistance up to the Western tyre companies standards, but their puncture resistance wasn't as good. I've had over 4000 miles on them with them still not worn out.
.

 

[Kal]

Thanks Flecc. I've had 950 miles out of my Cheng Shins and no sign of wear. Fortunately despite me riding along country lanes and coastal paths I have not had puncture problems like so many on here, but if I did I would then be looking into changing the tyres no doubt. About 3 years ago I bought a new road bike and had a puncture after only riding the bike for around 5 miles. I was paranoid at first and thought of getting puncture proof tyres but as luck would have it I haven't had a puncture since. Law of average must mean I'm due for one very soon though .
.

 

[rooel]

I changed the tyres on our Mistrals to Marathon Plus as soon as we bought them. I did the front wheel myself but had the rear wheel done by the bike shop as I wanted a Shimano Megarange fitted at the same time.

To make it easy for the shop, (and for me too perhaps if the Marathon Plus is not as resistant to punctures as the manufacturers claim), I cut the power cable (only two thin wires) and fitted connectors as shown in the photo:

 

[Rod Tibbs]

Many thanks Seataltea for the info on fitting new rear tyres and tubes. Some sort of spreading device used gently sounds like a good idea to me. I wonder if anyone actually makes something like that?

Rod

 

[flecc]

They used to Rod, frame spreaders were used by the cycle trade half a century and more ago and I always relied on them, but that was in the days of steel frames which are naturally springy. The introduction of alloy frames ended their use as it was considered to risky to spread the comparatively brittle alloy.

I still hand spread even alloy frames at times to fit tyres and tubes, and showed a photo of me doing this to a Lafree frame only the other day. In case you missed it, here it is again:

 

[nikon201]

To replace the rear tyre you first need to lengthen the cable from the battery to the motor. Do this by cutting the cable ties which hold the wires against the rear frame and you will get an extra inch of play.

Deflate the tyre and break half the tyre away from the rim as usual, pull the inner tube out.

Loosen the rear wheel and slide it out of the frame, it will only come out an inch or two and cannot actually be fully removed due to the motor cable.

There will be enough space to slide the inner tube and old tyre out from in between the wheel and frame.

Repeat to install, it's fiddly and having another person to assist would be a benefit.

I used the puncture proof Conti's so I hope it's something I don't have to do too often.

Kal the standard Mistral tyres were nobbly and the Conti's are a great improvement, I guess that the bikes come with a variety of tyres from the factory.

Flickr Photo Download: P1010817

SEATALTEA you mention puncture proof Conti's, can you send a link for those?

 

[flecc]

Here's a link to a dealer with a good price for them nikon201:

Continental Security tyre
.

 

[SEATALTEA]

Just a brief update prior to a short break (without a bike ).

Since the bike arrived it has been used everyday, infact in addition to commuting and local trips to the shops on the Mistral I'm now doing a daily 5 mile muddy green lane route on my old Halfords MTB.

I'm loving the open air, time for contemplation and endorphins.

For Mistral commuting however I've pretty much settled on using the roads more than the tow paths, mainly due to the mud and water after recent heavy rain. On the flat tarmac road surface in pedal assist 'S' mode the bike tops out at 19-20mph, peddling with any more vigour is pointless as it feels as if I'm fighting the motor.

Travelling downhill the bike will not exceed 30mph, there is no doubt the motor holds it back, 30mph is enough however.

I'm impressed with the hill climbing ability of the bike, the climb prior to home is a 14% gradient, in 1st and seated I climb it at between 6 and 8mph in S mode, at least one of the battery lights goes out when climbing but returns back on the level. I'm 15st, solid and carry luggage comprising of a change of clothes, wash bag and towel, together we are not exactly featherweights.

Battery capacity has been amazing, after a 15mile return commute there has never been fewer than four lights remaining. My best time door to door for my outward commute of 7.5 miles is 31 minutes with sweat, 40mins with a glow.

Problems have been small, the battery rattles around and is very annoying, I have ended up binding it to the frame but am still considering alternatives. Having commuted in the rain some of the Allen Bolts have shown signs of rust but they are easy to replace. I think I may replace the mudguards with long crud catchers, the originals wobble and rattle, they are a bit Miss Marple although they do a reasonable job.

So that's it for now, off for a week in the sea on the Jurassic Coast, fingers crossed for good weather if not I'll have to pee in my wetsuit

 

[nikon201]

Seataltea I'm experiencing pretty much the same with my Mistral, I'm currently compiling my own review which I will post in due course

 

[Kal]

SEATALTEA:

Battery Rattle Cure...

Taken from from my review on here of the Synergie G2 Mistral.

...this was easily fixed by fitting a rubber plumbing seal I had by me (like a rubber "o" ring) over the saddle tube to cushion the battery. Works a treat.. no more rattles.

Login to Yahoo and see a photo here:

http://sports.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/synergieusergroup/photos/view/cd8c?b=3

.

 

[derrick7]

New fasteners for SEATALTEA

Quote from SEATALTEA.

"Having commuted in the rain some of the Allen Bolts have shown signs of rust but they are easy to replace."

Here is the place to get St.steel fasteners from, I have used them a couple of times & their service is excellent.
Stagonset Stainless Nuts and Bolts, Screws and Fasteners

Derrick - Llanberis

 

[SEATALTEA]

Lots of hills by me and having established that the rear motor restricts the downhill speed to 29mph when the system is turned on I decided to turn it off and freewheel down the steepest.

Upon hitting 43mph the rear wheel tried to part company with the frame, it was saved by the brakes but I slipped and skidded to and ungainly halt with no damage to the bike, motor or electrical system.

Stupid Boy Pike sprung to mind.

After a little work and a few more Nm I was rolling again, further checks/tinkering the next day saw the removal of the rear bike rack which I hadn't really used and was only adding weight.

My average commuting speed is now between 15 and 20 mph, always ridden in Sport (S) mode or on the throttle, two weeks after filling the car up it is still almost full

In a devilish moment on Sunday morning at 0630 I spotted two pricey full susp MTB on my commute in the distance being ridden by two chaps in all the gear.

Both were pedalling away and having discovered that by rolling the throttle on while in pedelec S mode I can get 23mph and greater assistance than in one or other of the modes alone I quickly caught up, waved a cheery morning and vanished into the distance.

It was silly and childish but it gave me a huge smile.

On a different note I'm sure that rolling down hills charges the battery when the system is turned on, I need to ride some more to confirm it though.

The price is rising rapidly as well, there are now non on Ebay and through a retailer the price has risen from £599 to £699 to £749 and soon to £799 in Sept.

 

[flecc]

This is the problem with Oriental prices now Seataltea, they've all been rapidly rising with many makes suffering the effects. It's been this as much as anything which has made it much easier for the continental e-bikes to establish themselves here now.
.

 

[Rod Tibbs]

I share Seataltea's view that rolling downhill charges the battery on the Mistral. Often I have been down to three lights, rolled down a long hill and immediately got up to four lights and even five. There is clearly some charging going on because when the bike is wheeled along one LED definitely lights and remains lit for as long as you are moving.