Oxygen E mate MTB13AH

[Warwick]

That's well worth knowing for when the battery gives up the ghost, thanks.

 

[trex]

how much did you pay for your Oxygen if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Warwick]

I don't mind, but I won't put the price here. If you look in the Classifieds thread you'll see RonnyUK's ad. That's the bike and I paid a little under his asking price, plus he very generously delivered it. It equates very nicely to the current price of a new 13AH Karoo.

 

[trex]

that's an excellent price, the bike is practically new.

 

[Warwick]

Yes, I'm pleased with the deal, but the bike is good value at list price too, IMO.

 

[Warwick]

I swapped the brake pads today. The Tektro OEM ones were swapped for some Clarks. Wow, what a difference! I'd got used to having to really grab the levers, but once the new pads were bedded in the stopping power was phenomenal with just a subtle squeeze.

I went for a pootle along some country lanes with the bike in its highest power setting and cruised along at 20MPH knowing I could stop in time if need be.

 

[Warwick]

Another update: The brakes are still working fine and inspire a lot of confidence now. I haven't had to do an emergency stop, but the power is there, if need be.

The Beavertails are OK, but the rear one deposits clag onto the rear mech because it's too short. I could move the bracket to the next stop, but that would mean my back would get sprayed. I've bought some full-length 'guards and I'll have to fettle them to fit the disc mounts, but I relish a challenge.

I've had 'flu the last couple of weeks, so I notched up the power on my return to riding to work proper today. I went from Eco to Normal. The jump in speed is significant and the bike was rather too fast for the murky conditions I was riding in. It also felt a bit too quick on the shared paths I use. I was able to speed along at 23MPH without too much effort uphill. I shall crank it back down to Eco. The speed setting must make it faster still and I wouldn't feel safe on it on paths or urban roads, though there are plenty of rural roads nearby & I could set it free on those in speed.

Next week I'm having a dynohub wheel built for it. I'm going to fit a Busch & Muller light to the front fork bracket. The battery lighting I have now dazzles pedestrians, which isn't good for them or me. The B&M light has a directed beam far more suited to on-road riding.

I did buy a Suntour NCX seatpost for it. However, I assumed a 31.6mm one would fit. It doesn't! I'll try putting it on the classifieds here. Once Christmas is out of the way, I'll buy a 27.2mm one & a shim to fit it with.

And that is about it. I did assume that the battery would be ready for use yesterday after 2 weeks of inaction. It had, however, lost quite a lot of its charge. Maybe it was because I left it switched on. I made it to work & back, but only on eco setting with a low PAS setting.

It is a very accomplished ride and I'm looking forward to the spring when I can take it off road again. In the New Year, the Ice Spiker tyres will be fitted in case of frost and that, except for the suspension seatpost, is about all the tweaking I'll do once the mudguards and dynohub are fitted.

Still very highly recommended.

 

[rob.nic29]

I'm enjoying reading all the threads regarding your newish purchase of an Oxygen. You're passionate about it and that's great to here.
I'm looking to buy soon and my local dealer sells Oxygen so it's interesting to hear you singing its praises.....

 

[Warwick]

Thanks. I can compare it to a (much cheaper) Woosh and two converted bikes and it is a massive step up in quality and performance over all of those machines.

Since the last update, I've fitted the Suntour NCX seatpost with a shim and the Schwalbe Ice Spiker tyres. The guys at work said it looks like something out of Mad Max! The studded tyres do look very aggressive. They are very noisy on the road, but it was -7.7C here last night, so I'll put up with the noise. The seatpost is a work in progress. I think I need to tweak the spring setting to give it a bit more travel. It smooths out some ruts nicely, but I think it could be made softer.

If pushed to give a negative, I wish it was a couple of Kg lighter, but then I'd be in Haibike territory and the price premium that would entail. It is a very good machine.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I think that if you go too soft it will feel bouncy like those pogo stick seat posts. I left mine stock because I am about (before the feasts in any case... ) the average weight for the factory setting. Most of the time it doesn't move but any bump is smoothed and coming down off the footpath onto the road it gets a full workout. Any softer there would be not very reassuring I feel. Mine squeaks which annoys me but at least you know that it is working. And my back and backside thank me every day for buying it!

 

[Warwick]

You're probably right, but I'll still have a tinker. Two things bug me about the seatpost, neither of which relate to the quality of the item:
1) I wish the supplier had told me that it came with the neoprene cover as standard. I bought one at the same time & whilst it was only about 4 Euros, it's going to sit there unused! 2) St John Street cycles charged me £9 for a flimsy bit of plastic, sorry, shim. No, SJS Cycles, I don't want to review my purchase.

 

[anotherkiwi]

All the shims on bike-discount.de are aluminum and most cost less than 4€, lucky me my free frame was the right size

I am using the neoprene cover after reading about @Nealh's bushing problems but am worried that it will in fact keep the damp salty sea air in there...

 

[Nealh]

Both of mine have the neoprene cover in place, however only one has suffered from worn bushes. The one that had worn bushes did have a softer setting as it is my town /commute bike so prefer a softer ride, my Oxy Boardman for riding further a field has a harder stiffer setting with a comfy saddle so the ride is good and only compresses on bumpy roadoff road sections.

 

[anotherkiwi]

So more movement = faster wear of the bushes it would seem? I left the cover on because of sand and salt charged air.

 

[Nealh]

So more movement = faster wear of the bushes it would seem? I left the cover on because of sand and salt charged air.

Yes that is correct in my opinion, though eventually in time could be years or months one or two will eventually start to wear. Spares not available and haven't yet found anything close to match up.

 

[Planemo]

On ECO setting 5 I did 9.7 miles in 33 minutes today. That's an average speed I'm very happy with.

Once the Land Cruisers are fitted I should be able to be even more efficient. The battery conked out on the way home today, but only after 35 miles of similarly rapid riding.

I just bought 2 land cruiser plus' from CR, came today. £12.50 each and free postage!

 

[Trevormonty]

I think that if you go too soft it will feel bouncy like those pogo stick seat posts. I left mine stock because I am about (before the feasts in any case... ) the average weight for the factory setting. Most of the time it doesn't move but any bump is smoothed and coming down off the footpath onto the road it gets a full workout. Any softer there would be not very reassuring I feel. Mine squeaks which annoys me but at least you know that it is working. And my back and backside thank me every day for buying it!

To stop the squeak lube the bushes.

 

[Warwick]

In the end I didn't adjust the seatpost. It seems to iron out the worst of bumps without actually appearing to do anything. My rear end certainly appreciates it!

The Ice Spiker tyres are great, if noisy. They are bigger than the Land Cruisers though, so I removed the F&R mudguards. That meant I was getting splattered with mud being thrown up by the front wheel that I was riding into! I fitted a mini front 'guard and squeezed a rear one on. The rear is a very tight fit, but there is a small clearance.

The battery doesn't like these cold rides and the spiked tyres use more energy for a given speed too. I'm still getting along nicely and the bike is a very accomplished commuter. I'm looking forward to the spring when I can start using some off-road routes back home.

 

[Warwick]

I have now fitted the dynohub and light & am trying it out this evening. The Spiker tyres have been usurped by the Land Cruisers. I have taken a cross country route home, but I'll put any further trips off until the bridleways have dried out more.

There will be a more detailed update once I have resolved the issues I am currently experiencing.

 

[Warwick]

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.

I'd say I have the bike in its perfect configuration now (save the short mudguards); it has the Suntour NCX seatpost, dynohub and front light. The Schwalbe Land Cruisers offer decent off-road grip, but low rolling resistance, so efficiency is improved. The only tweak I can think of is to wire in a rear light from the dynohub, but I already have a really good rear light powered by rechargable AAs, so I can't see the point.

After the recent power issues (see the Technical/FAQ board), I'll be more careful about taking it out in heavy rain (the downpour it experienced was severe!), but the odd shower won't hurt. I've got some Clarks brake pads on order, as the winter grime may have taken its toll on the current ones. If they're not too worn I'll put them in the spares bag.

So, it's seen me safely and swiftly through a winter. The battery didn't like the cold, for sure. It really ran down fast when I took it on a -5.5C trip to work in January. I'm hoping I can squeeze a lot more miles on it on my planned summer tour. I'll see if I can set the speed limit to the legal 15.5MPH and thus get more range. Once I have the panniers fitted it'll be a heavy beast and I won't be in a great hurry. I'll report back on that as and when.