My first e-bike: how to maintain it? tips and advice [Kudos K16]

[Floorfilla]

Hi all,

Thanks to your advice I have finally received my Kudos K16, which is the first e-bike ever owned.

I must say they should have marketed the bike a lot better as it looks so much better than the pictures.

Also it can be fold in two different ways, which was a very pleasant surprise as I was worried about the 'trolley' mode only.

It's lightweight and I have no issue carrying it thanks to the handle on the frame.

I would like your advice on:

How to maintain the bike to ensure it lasts for a long period?

• Chain: It's a single speed so I don't have to worry about the gears. II have been told that once a month I should clean the chain and grease it again. I also got WD40, which components should I lube and how often?

• Battery: I have done a full cycle as first charge. I might be looking to only charge 4 out of 5 bars and have a full-cycle once a week or fortnight. I believe this should be correct.

• Tyres: have ordered a bike pump with gauge; I assume every couple days I should check the optimal pressure. Luckily I'll keep the bike in my flat so that shouldn't be an issue.

• V-Brakes: well, have no clue here, don't have a long history with bike before this. Please advise.

• Electric system, wires and cables: as above, no idea.

Thank you all for your advice!

Here some picture of the K16:

 

[Trevormonty]

See youtube videos on chain and lube types typically wet or dry..

Avoid hosing bike down, better to wipe down with damp cloth. If you do use hose, use in gentle shower mode. Never aim jets of water at bearing locations.

If you use degreaser on chain best take it off bike, degreaser dripping into motor bearings is not a good thing.

Clean top of your forks with lightly oiled cloth, will stop them rusting. Don't spray with oil products as it will get on rims and brake pads.

 

[Benjahmin]

Chains have grease in their rollers, I would never go near a chain with WD40 - it's a de-greaser! Having said that a new chain isn't going to break the bank.

Anything over about 10 miles, I'd charge the battery. Leave it to finish the charge as this is when cell balancing happens. If the bike is being left for a longer period, say over winter, charge the battery then go out and put 5-10 miles on it to knock the edge of it. Then store indoors in a cooler room, not in the shed or garage - too cold. Other than that, use it and charge it and have fun.
V brakes can be a bit of a pain. Each caliper has an adjustable release spring. Getting them to release centrally is more of an art and can need doing often to stop one side binding. I've found that more expensive v brakes are slightly better in this respect. There will be you tube videos on adjustment, I'm sure. Keep the cables lightly oiled.

 

[Trevormonty]

Magura HS11 or HS22 are good hydraulic rim brakes, definitely worth upgrading to if you feel Vbrakes aren't good enough.

 

[GLJoe]

Chains have grease in their rollers,

Sure about that?

 

[soundwave]

i use wd40 and de-greaser to clean my chains and its fine as long as you wash it of and re grease it after.

 

[GLJoe]

i use wd40 and de-greaser to clean my chains and its fine as long as you wash it of and re grease it after.

Do you actually 'grease' it? or do you mean 'oil' it ?

 

[soundwave]

i use muck off chain lube

 

[Floorfilla]

Anything over about 10 miles, I'd charge the battery. Leave it to finish the charge as this is when cell balancing happens.

So you'd recommend to always fully charge it?

It is my knowledge that lithium battery's life is enhanced by charging cycles never beyond 99%.

 

[anon4]

You can clean with wd40 just don't use it as lube. A good dry lube works best, wet attracts more muck in my experience. Wet may work better when it's really cold though. Just fully charge your battery, this 99% nonsense isn't going to make a real world difference, and a full charge balances the cells which is important. Tbh though modern lithium batteries are pretty hard-wearing, I thought winter killed mine but range went back to normal after it warmed up. Keeping the tyres inflated is important on any bike to avoid pinch flats, avoid narrow tyres as they are rubbish on the rear of a heavy e bike too easy to pinch flat and feel like crap at proper pressures. Electronics don't touch unless something stops working they are usually pretty trouble free unless they get wet or something works loose. Oh and check the spoke tensions every so often especially if it's a hub motor as these tend to work loose and if left unchecked you end up with a wobbly wheel that breaks a spoke every time you hit a bump. Not fun

 

[Floorfilla]

. Oh and check the spoke tensions every so often especially if it's a hub motor as these tend to work loose and if left unchecked you end up with a wobbly wheel that breaks a spoke every time you hit a bump. Not fun

What is the spoke tension and how do i check it?

 

[soundwave]

What is the spoke tension and how do i check it?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/park-tool-spoke-tension-meter-tm-1/rp-prod7131?gs=1&sku=sku22368&pgrid=60711843058&ptaid=pla-426318456448&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=PLA+All+Products&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid|sk5COdjXx_dc|pcrid|294922111655|pkw||pmt||prd|22368UK

bit expensive tho for what it is.

 

[Jason P]

What is the spoke tension and how do i check it?

A quick and dirty way...

Ping the spokes like you would a harp string. You're looking for a similar, bright ringing sound across all spokes - any that sound dull, or much lower in tone, are probably loose (certainly in comparison to others) and could do with a tighten. It's not scientific, but seems to work...

 

[Floorfilla]

A quick and dirty way...

Ping the spokes like you would a harp string. You're looking for a similar, bright ringing sound across all spokes - any that sound dull, or much lower in tone, are probably loose (certainly in comparison to others) and could do with a tighten. It's not scientific, but seems to work...

That's interesting, I'm gonna give it a try.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/park-tool-spoke-tension-meter-tm-1/rp-prod7131?gs=1&sku=sku22368&pgrid=60711843058&ptaid=pla-426318456448&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=PLA+All+Products&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid|sk5COdjXx_dc|pcrid|294922111655|pkw||pmt||prd|22368UK

bit expensive tho for what it is.

Yeah definitely too much!

 

[soundwave]

 

[anon4]

Just to add any adjustment to the spokes is likely to throw the wheel out of true (buckled). Go slow and then look up how to true a wheel to keep it in good shape. I just tightened and trued mine it's not so hard with practice, but patience is a must of the adjustments are to last. It's much better than leaving it till they start snapping like I did though, if unsure a good shop can do all this for a reasonable price, but as e bikes need it far more frequently it's worth learning the basics

 

[Floorfilla]

how often do you guys check the spokes?

 

[Benjahmin]

Depends on mileage. I'd say, if you're commuting, once or twice a month. I use the ping test, works fine. Remember that rear wheels are dished, so one side will have a higher tension than the other. So long as all spokes on one side are the same, no problem. Also spoke mounted reflecros kill the ring, but you can still do the same, it's just that you get a dead note.