Oxygen E mate MTB13AH

[Andy Bluenoes]

OK, I have just had a fantastic ride home in the sunshine on the eMate. I took the long way home from work along some quiet country roads and even risked a bridleway. The latter was a bit muddy, so I just slowed down. Even so, I did 11.7 miles in 37 minutes - 18.9MPH average speed. I had it on Normal mode, PAS level 6. I was tempted to put it into Power mode, but there are some twisty corners on the roads I used and I was going quite fast enough anyway.

Sounds like an impressive bike!

Do you have any idea how much battery you used to do those 11.7 miles at that speed?

 

[Warwick]

Not that it's an accurate gauge, but I still had all the battery life bars on the display. I've had 35+ miles out of it in the past at similar speeds.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

Impressive

I like the look and sound of the spec, Im no expert in components, but it looks a bit better than what I have on mine, and hydraulic brakes.
Not quite sure what I would do with all those gears though


I cant actually find that one for sale anywhere now, it looks like it may have been replaced with a newer model?


The SCross MTB

http://www.oxygenbicycles.com/e-bikes/s-cross-mtb

 

[Warwick]

Yes, it's an old model now. I wish the wheels weren't 27.5", but that's me being picky.

I use the large front chainring 90% of the time - more this time of year, but the smaller rings are useful when I go off road. Having 9 gears to choose from means the jumps between gears are small and help keep up the ideal cadence.

If you go for the SCross, be sure to go for the larger battery. The extra £50 is well worth it.

Should you be tempted, I think someone is selling an eMate on the classifieds board. Nowt to do with me, I hasten to add.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

Thanks Warwick

Definitely something I will be considering. Will trey and find somewhere reasonably local to try out before spending.

I just looked at the one in the classified section....sounds like a good deal, but I cant spend the money just yet as we are putting the last bits of our house deposit together.
If its still available in a month or two, I may contact the seller.

 

[Warwick]

The bike is still running very well, I'm pleased to say. The issues I had with it have been resolved, but I'm not sure what was done to fix it! I suspect a new controller was fitted. Anyhoo, it's sailing along fine.

Last week, because of the very dry April, I took it along some bridleways and it coped admirably. After yesterday's rain, I'll avoid those for a while! It's currently running on the Schwalbe Land Cruisers which coped well on the bumpy, dry paths, and it's fitted with the short mudguards and the Suntour NCX seatpost. I've kept the dynohub on the front, as car drivers need all the help they can get to spot cyclists - especially quick ones!

I've had a quote from Jimmy at BGA for a recelled battery. I'm in two minds: 1) the battery level indicator seems to be more accurate these days & it doesn't seem to fizzle out as quickly once one bar disappears; 2) I'd really like a spare battery that would fit the same mounting, as I think the Oxygen one isn't all that bad. Jimmy's not sure he can supply that.

The one minor point that irks me is that the odometer seems to have reset itself at some stage. It's on c.300 miles and I've done plenty more than that, seeing as I've commuted on it over the winter on average four times a week with a return journey of at least 17 miles.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

Good to hear
The 17 mile trip...do you charge battery again before you do that? Probably asked you before I know....

 

[footpump]

glad you like the oxygen they always seem to get good reviews.
I asked about the similar model to yours but there was no stock only the superceeded model at £1500
I too have the nx seatpost ,think I bought the middle vertion but find regardless of adjustment most of the time it does not raise and lower or move forward I'm 80kilos.
if recelled by jimmy what ah would you get from the oxygen battery?
I have looked but there never seem to be any ex demo vertions of the oxygen bikes,

 

[Warwick]

Some days I'll do 20+ miles on the two trips. I always put it on charge after I get home, but I've now tried to get into the habit of waiting 20+ mins to allow the battery to recover. Read that somewhere. In the coldest winter, I lost a lot more charge, but then I was riding well below zero much of the time & it never ran out on me.

Jimmy can get at least 17Ah out of the case, maybe 21. I'd prefer the latter, but I'm leaning towards not bothering unless he can supply a ready-to-fit spare rather than recell the case I have. I suspect it's in reasonable nick and a recell would waste that potential.

 

[footpump]

thanks might be a good idea to get new battery in future with a spare mounting plate so you can swap between more than one bike.

 

[ricoghardforth]

My oxygen MTB 13AH also keeps resetting the odometer have to rely on strata to log miles I've done over 600miles and it back to 0 miles.

Sent from my Hudl 2 using Tapatalk

 

[Warwick]

I've no idea how many miles I've done, as I vary my route so much to and from work. At a guess; eight months ownership = ~35 weeks - 5 of which the bike & I have been off the road, so 30 weeks at a conservative guess of 3 commutes per week at ~18 miles return = ~1600 miles, plus the 130 already on the clock when I bought it, plus my recreational rides. Easily 2000 miles. The odo is still under 300. Handy if I were dishonest and flogging it; which I am not & not.

 

[PhilYerBoots]

+1 for the odo resetting itself...must be a quirk of the earlier models.

Mind you, when it comes to selling on its only done a low mileage...

 

[Warwick]

The bike is still performing well, although there were some battery connector issues now ironed out. Since the fix, I seem to have more power available which is good, although I sometimes feel like I should be doing more of the work! I run it on Eco setting 5 on the road, 2 or 3 on bridleways. I'm still averaging 18-19mph on a 8-11-mile each way commute.

The only upgrade I'm considering now is to replace the front light to a Busch & Muller one. I have a couple in the parts bin, but some wiring fettling is needed before I can fit the likeliest one.

One thing I really want to do is to ride it as far as possible on a full charge to see how far I can get & then get the train back. I'm blessed with the Chiltern Railways service minutes away & I'm aiming for Banbury or Bicester before it cuts out. Hopefully the latter or as near as possible.

I didn't get BGA to make me a battery for this bike. Instead I bought a Panda Pro FWD kit and Jimmy has made me a 17Ah battery for that kit. It'll go on a hybrid I have earmarked as my tourer for my summer jaunts.

 

[Warwick]

I looked at the weather forecast on Tuesday & reckoned I could get away with a ride there and back in the dry. I was wrong!

On the way home it was raining persistently, if not heavily, but half an hour later when I got nearer home, it was well and truly hammering down. Nothing adverse to report; the bike didn't miss a beat and all was well. I wouldn't have any qualms about riding it in the wet now, whereas I was rather wary before.

 

[Warwick]

I couldn't resist the temptation to fit some On-One Mary bars to the eMate.

They fit fine and make the riding position comfortable, but the bends on the bars mean the throttle wouldn't fit and work, so it's off for the time being. If I stay with the bars, I may have to get a twist grip one or just do without.

The Busch & Muller front light has also been fitted to replace the Axa one that didn't work.

Anyway, it was really hammering down today & I set off with some trepidation. I was wet within 100 metres! I set the power to maximum and just went for it.

The bars are comfortable - although the cables are at their maximum length - BUT I'd forgotten to fit the bell. Seeing as a lot of my route is shared paths, this was a silly mistake. Luckily the rain had kept all the dog walkers off the tracks and all I encountered was some fellow, hardy cyclists.

Although I literally had to pour water out of my shoes on arrival & wring my socks out, the bike didn't miss a beat. I think I can safely say that if it could withstand all the weather threw at it today, it can survive anything.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

Good to hear you got the water problem solved now. The bars sound like an intersting addition that I might look into for the future. I have loads of stuff attached to my bars, will have to check if it will all fit

 

[Warwick]

The main issue with the bars is that they aren't straight & they are MTB thickness in the middle (31.6mm?). The throttle would fit on the crown of the bend, but the paddle wouldn't spring back. I couldn't move it round the bend of the bars, as the bars get thicker as they go from 22mm to 31.6mm.

I rarely used the throttle, but it would be nice to have the option. Panda sell a twist one that would fit the Oxygen's yellow connector at £25. There are lots on eBay, but not with the right connector, as far as I can see.

Given the improved riding position the bars offer, I'll make do without for the time being.

 

[Warwick]

And the power feed issue has returned today, half way through my commute. That is the third time & I am fed up now. Oxygen have had it twice to fix it and it still persists.

I'm asking on another thread if I can replace the controller and/or battery to see if that fixes it.

 

[Warwick]

So, the issue was Oxygen's choice of the Das-Kit battery/controller combination and their seeming inability to resolve its power connector issue that has plagued the bike. Basically, the female metal connectors kept 'creeping' inside their housing meaning that a connection became impossible over time. Usually mid-ride on the way to work!

I have wired the battery to the connector directly, without replacing the latter, and used a Tamiya connector to join the two. I hope this resolves the problem so I can get on with my commute.

Oh, and the odometer has decided to reset itself again.