New Bike - update

[Suseka]

Well, it's been a few weeks now and I just thought I'd pop back on to say how pleased I am with my purchase (Wisper 705se). I'm getting to grips with the peddle assist and gears, tending to ride with assist on 2 or 3 and in mid gear -which gets me around my local roads with ease.

What I love is that little 'woosh' you get when the pedal assist kicks in -and the little bit of extra help it gives against a headwind, or on an incline -but I also dial the assist down when on flats so that I'm putting more effort into the ride; I'm trying to improve my fitness level as well.

One question I do have is that the brakes have developed a bit of a squeal and I guess that's down to have I've been riding and braking -so is there a way to stop this now? When I had a car that did the same thing, my hubby took it off for a drive and did a few hard brakes at speed, which got ride of it -but I don't think I'll be able to do that with the bike - eek!

That aside - I'm absolutely loving this bike and really pleased I dipped my toe into the electric bike world, it's really brought the fun and joy back into getting out and about on two wheels

 

[Alan Quay]

The squeeling sounds like glazed pads, probably because they weren't bedded in correctly to start with.
You will need to remove the pads, rough them up a bit with sandpaper and clean the disks thoroughly, perhaps even a light sanding.

Ensure that there is no oily stuff anywhere near the discs/pads. If there is the pads are probably toast.

When it's all back together you need to bed them in by performing several hard stops in a row to get it all hot and transfer some pad material to the rotors.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[Angelnorth]

Good to hear it's working out well for you! I'm due to try a 705 Torque tomorrow and possibly the SE while I'm there, as well. I guess Norfolk's a bit flatter than Northumberland so it's good to hear you're "down the scale" on both assistance and gears as it means there's extra help still available!

On the brakes issue - does the dealer you bought from offer a post-purchase check-up? I think quite a lot do so they can check on all the stuff that "beds in" with a bit of use and make any adjustments that might be necessary. I suspect David from Amps will be along on this thread and able to offer suggestions otherwise (or contact Amps by e-mail or phone, they have a reputation for being really helpful).

 

[Suseka]

Helpful responses - as always, thanks. I guessed I hadn't 'bedded them in' properly - hmm. The dealer I bought from does offer very good after sales service, so I will get in touch with them and see what they say. My bike is waiting to have a very minor paint touch-up, so maybe when that's done they can have a look at it for me.

Anglenorth- it's good to try both versions. I did and initially was going to go for the Torque, but after some further research, and advice from the good folks on this forum, I changed my mind and went for the SE. What swung it for me was that the peddle assist suits my general (un)fitness level and requires less effort for output (if that makes sense). Sometime in the future I may look into getting a Torque version - but that's way down the road (no pun intended)

 

[Angelnorth]

I may be wrong but I'm guessing that the Torque might have the edge on hill climbing ability - one of the key reasons my bike languished unused when we moved here is that there's a significant hill up to our house so even though it's only a mile or so to the village shop it's a mile that's a bit daunting on the way home! I had a look on one of the bike routing apps and it reckons it would be five minutes down the hill and almost 13 back up it - maybe not something that would seem that steep or sustained to a conditioned cyclist but I'm far from being one of those! I'll be picking the brains of the shop folk as well as having the opportunity to see them side by side.

Are you leisure riding on yours or using it to commute?

 

[Suseka]

At the moment it's leisure but the aim is to commute. Just trying to get my 'bike legs' ready.

I'm sure someone more knowledgable can advise whether a torque bike gives you that extra power on a steep hill or not, but my understanding is that on a torque you only get out what you put in. Whereas on a pedal assist, as long as you pedal the 'assist' you get is simply equal to the level you've chosen.

So, in my case, when my legs have got a little tired (or my asthma is bad) I can ride along with not too much effort.

Any ways it's best to try both and see what works for you. Also the dealer should be able to help with your choice

 

[Angelnorth]

So, in my case, when my legs have got a little tired (or my asthma is bad) I can ride along with not too much effort.

I think you should be able to do even better than that if you get really tired or breathless - although it's not "twist and go" (it can't be with current legislation) my understanding is that with both the Torque and the SE, you can open up the throttle and as long as you keep the pedals turning forwards, the motor will basically do the work. Here's what the Amps site says (on this page):

Throttle

The throttle, when twisted and held open, will override both torque and cadence sensors. The throttle is fully operational up to 15.5mph as long as the pedals are being turned forward regardless of the amount of pressure being put onto the pedals.
​

Probably worth experimenting if you haven't already!

 

[Suseka]

Haven't tried the throttle, no, but didn't think it was 15mph -more like 4mph. Will have a read - thanks.

Am going to get in touch with my dealer because, today, my bike has developed a sort of scraping sound when I peddle not sure what's happening -guess it might need a few tweaks. Still loving it though

 

[Angelnorth]

Haven't tried the throttle, no, but didn't think it was 15mph -more like 4mph. Will have a read - thanks.

I think you'll get the 4mph when you're off the bike - it's a "walk assist" function to make it easier to wheel the bike up kerbs etc even though it's heavy. Obviously you can't be turning the pedals if you're walking alongside the bike (not that you want 15mph under those circumstances unless you're Usain Bolt!).

Hope you get the various squeaks and groans sorted without too much hassle!

 

[Suseka]

Thanks Angelnorth - could you imagine that I have used the throttle as a walk assist; on one of my rides there's a short, but very steep, tunnel that I'm not confident enough to ride up -so I use it to help push the bike to the other side. It is heavy, as you say, so the walk assist really helps with that.

I hope you have fun on your test rides and that you'll soon be out and about on your new chosen ride.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Hi Suseka and Angelnorth,

Re the squeaky brakes. Before you touch the pads, first try cleaning the disc rotors with a spirit, vinegar or a clear spray on window cleaner. It could be there is a little grease on them and it needs cleaning off.

If it's convenient, pop your bike back into the shop and David Wood will sort it out in a couple of seconds. I'm not sure what the other noise is but again David will be able to sort it out very quickly for you.

Regarding the power settings.

On both the Wisper SE and the Torque bikes.

The throttle, will override both torque and cadence sensors. It is fully operational up to 15.5mph as long as the pedals are being turned forward.

Regarding the power from both SE and Torque motors.

The Torque motor is smaller, but more efficient and has about 20% more torque than the SE model. The Torque bike is better for hill climbing.

Cadence sensor on Wisper SE and Torque bikes.

SE Bike

Only the cadence sensor is used on the SE bike. This means that the bike power is regulated by the assistance level chosen on the handle bar display or the throttle. This also means you need to turn the pedals at least 1/4 of a revolution before the power is activated when you start off. It also means if you stop pedaling the power will turn off and you will need to pedal 1/4 of a revolution again to turn the power back on.

Torque Bike

We use both cadence sensor AND torque sensor on the Wisper Torque bikes to give the bike the ultra smooth feel.

The default setting is torque sensor, this means you have to push down on either pedal to start the power. The harder you push down on the pedals the higher the power from the motor. The big advantage is that to turn the power on you simply press in the pedal, the power will come on immediately. Great on start off, and if you stop pedalling and start again whilst riding, the power will come back as soon as you put pressure onto the pedal.

As with the SE bike the throttle will over ride the torque sensor settings, and give you immediate extra power without having to press on the pedals. You simply have to keep the pedals turning forward.

The torque bikes also have an F setting on the handle bar display. The sequence on the LCD is 0,1,2,3,4,F. The F setting turns off the torque sensor and gives the bike maximum power as long as the pedals are turning forward. This setting is almost unique on the Wisper Torque bikes and offers the best of both worlds.

I hope that all makes sense!?

All the best, David

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Hi Suseka,

Apologies for the delay I have been on leave. Please let us know if you do not stop the squeak. We did bed the brakes in but occasionally squeak can develop due to contamination of the pads or disc. Happy to have a look when we touch up your bike (with pain that is). All our bikes go through a comprehensive PDI prior to delivery. I will give you a call when the paint is in and arrange a mutually convenient time to fix any issues.

Do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of further assistance.

Kind regards,
David

 

[Suseka]

Thanks David (Amps), that summarises it all very neatly and, for me, proves the SE was the right choice. I must admit I hadn't realised that the throttle could be used when pedaling (until Angelnorth mentioned it) and I'll definitely have a go with that the next time my asthma decides to play up.

Also, thanks David (EC) -I think you may have spoken to my hubby earlier, so no doubt he'll follow whatever advice you offered to remedy my problems, or, as you say, it can be looked at when we arrange the minor re-paint.

As I said - regardless of the few 'minor' niggles I'm really enjoying the bike -love the colour too -and its such fun to get out and about in the sunshine.

 

[Angelnorth]

I must admit I hadn't realised that the throttle could be used when pedaling (until Angelnorth mentioned it) and I'll definitely have a go with that the next time my asthma decides to play up.

Having now test ridden both I can confirm this feature works a treat: no matter what level of assist you have selected, just open the throttle and keep pedalling and the motor will basically do the work for you - you can feel that you're not putting any real effort in, you're basically just turning the pedals round.

Thanks for the details David (Amps), extra confirmation never goes amiss!

For logistics reasons (I won't bore you with the details) I didn't walk away with the bike today but I did buy it so it's just a matter of getting it here now. I rode both and chose the Torque - looking forward to making friends with it!

 

[Wisper Bikes]

That's great news Angelnorth!

Thanks for investing in a Wisper, please let me know how you get on.

Best regards, David

 

[Suseka]

Good news, Angelnorth; will have a go next time I'm out on it. Good choice too -have lots of fun when you get your bike