Oxygen Scross MTB ongoing review

[Deleted member 4366]

Looks like a classic tyre sidewall failure on a hub motor bike.

You make it sound like that happens regularly on hub-motored bikes. What type of motor you have, would no bearing on that fault whatsoever, I've been on this and other forums nearly every day in seven years and I've never seen any tyre fail like that in all that time, even though some guys run 10 times the power Andy has on his bike, so I'm not sure where you get "classic" from. Can you show me some examples?

 

[Warwick]

The only time I've seen anything vaguely similar was when I hadn't put a tyre onto the rim correctly. As I pumped up the pressure the inner tube escaped from under the tyre and exploded quite dramatically. They tyre didn't tear like that though. Assuming no outside interference, it looks like a build flaw.

Marathon Plusses are great tyres. I have them on my tourer. Heavy thobut, which is why I like the Land Cruisers on my MTB.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

The only time I've seen anything vaguely similar was when I hadn't put a tyre onto the rim correctly. As I pumped up the pressure the inner tube escaped from under the tyre and exploded quite dramatically. They tyre didn't tear like that though. Assuming no outside interference, it looks like a build flaw.

Marathon Plusses are great tyres. I have them on my tourer. Heavy thobut, which is why I like the Land Cruisers on my MTB.

Tyres arrived nice and early...great service from wiggle again...

They still fit nicely under the mudguards.

Sent from my BUSH SPIRA D3 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

My tyres are looking a bit thin on tread. Maybe I should treat myself. What ones did you get Andy.?

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

I got the Schwalbe Marathon Plus

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-marathon-plus-smartguard-rigid-mtb-tyre/

 

[georgehenry]

That happened to me on my rear scwalbe smart sam plus tyre. It split at the tyre junction with the rim of the wheel like yours. I think there is a design weakness at this point with this tyre though hopefully not other scwalbe's that everyone seems to love.

The first time it happened the rear tyre in question had done a huge milage (3800 miles) when it failed and I put it down to wear and tear, and that I should have changed it sooner. I put on another smart sam plus but kept an eye on it and could see that it was weakening in the same place, though had not failed at 1700 miles.

I decided to change brands as a result and am now using specialized crossroads 650b armadillo tyres that are working well after 1100 miles of commuting including a lot of off road tracks with no punctures and little wear showing. They are more road orientated than the smart sams and 1.9 ", so not as wide. I have used specialized armadillo tyres previously and found them to be well nigh indestructible, just the way I like my tyres!

I rang evans cycles who said that I could special order the specialized fast track mountain bike tyre with armadillo protection that is 2" and looks like it would be better tyre for off road.

However at the rate they are wearing it might take some time to wear the crossroads tyres out.

I am sure that scwalbe will know about this problem and do something about it. This sort of failure at the wrong moment would be very dangerous.

 

[Mal69]

I have been meaning to ask, when it rains, does anyone go out on their Oxygen bike, I am worried about rain getting into the battery or the console, I mean the console is i think IP65 protection, that's protection against dust and water nozzle jets but with British weather and wind heavy rainfall could come at it from many angles.

Can rain get into the battery, what do people do if they want to go out cycling in the rain, is there anything to buy that can cover the battery or console and do I also have to worry about the cabling?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The battery is very waterproof. The bits I'd be concerned about on any bike are the throttle and the LCD - easily protected with a couple of freezer bags and rubber bands.

You can protect your whole bike and yourself if you wear a cape. You can also use the cape as a bike cover if you need to park it in the rain.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

I have no concerns about taking mine out in the rain. For the first couple of days it hammered it down, no ill effects. The water just bounces off the LCD. Way better than any others I have had where they steam up after a few minutes in the rain.
There are only a couple of cable connections that are exposed with all the rest inside the frame...I may put some self amalgamating tape on those before winter as a precaution.

The mudguards I have fitted will also add a lot of protection to the battery/controller area I think.

 

[KirstinS]

I cycle commute all year round in all weather

Been doing so for about 6 years, it's a 15 mile round trip.

Only issues I have ever had are with ingress into the LCD (and even an LED on one occasion)

And collar style thumb throttles. The metal parts inside get rusty. They have never lasted me more than around 6 months

But, I'm trying a new type that is supposed to be much better according to the forum. Too early for me to comment personally

I keep a hotel issue shower cap in my on road toolkit. Just for the LCD in torrential downpour

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

Hit the 500 mile mark now, getting that figure off Strava as the bike reset itself after 100 mile or so.

Very pleased with it. Rode it in the dry and wet, and performs faultlessly.
Had the couple of hiccups with the brake hose popping off and the exploding tyre. I think I can take both of those as a bit out of the ordinary. Easy enough to fix and didnt keep me off road for long.

My commute is regularly taking me 1hr and 6 minutes which is about as long as I would want to spend riding into work. Ive found a good route now too, which is about 80% on nice made for bike cycling paths. The remainder is unfortunately battling with cars on main roads, some with 18" wide cycle lanes which car drivers dont even acknowledge.

I am slowly getting used to the seat now, it works a lot better with the Suntour seat post than without, but still not convinced I wont end up changing it at some point.

A couple of niggly little rattles have developed. One Im pretty sure is the kickstand. Will try and find something absorbent to go between the stand and the bracket where it hits. The other I think is coming from the battery/frame. In my mind, its not quite a tight enough fit, so it does rattle a bit on unsmooth surfaces. I know I may be being picky, but I dont like rattles I may try some thin padding in between the battery and frame to see if that cures that one. Its nothing like the similar problem I had with the greenedge CS 2 bottle battery where the battery would jump off the electrical pins and cause the motor to cut out. It would be nice if the battery was somehow locked tighter in the frame though.

The gears are still running silky smooth, not needed any adjustment as yet. The breaks are really good, and I feel confident at higher speeds being able to stop.

I have calculated that my average week will cover around 150 miles, so racking up the best part of 600 miles a month. I think this will be a really good test for the bikes reliability over the coming months.

Its saving me a fortune in either train fares or diesel and parking costs to get to work, never mind the stress you see all over drivers faces as I tootle past them on that little cycle lane in the City centre

 

[DBye]

My battery rattles badly in the frame too. I wouldn't recommend padding the battery out against the frame as this may reduce the contact between the battery and the terminals.

I've taken to wrapping a velco strap around the battery and frame to hold everything down and that seems to keep it tight.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

My battery rattles badly in the frame too. I wouldn't recommend padding the battery out against the frame as this may reduce the contact between the battery and the terminals.

I've taken to wrapping a velco strap around the battery and frame to hold everything down and that seems to keep it tight.

Good shout. will have a look about for something suitable to do the job. If only the kick stand was as simple....the point where the rattling occurs is so small and awkward to put anything between.

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

Someone on here uses a self made neoprene batter cover . Can't remember who. But they will lol.

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

Also. For info. They aren't all the same. My battery is a very snug fit. I can recommend a petrol tank style luggage that has 3 zip pulls that rattle so much you won't notice anything else.

 

[Suitgirl]

I have the extra wide ergonomic grips on one of my bikes. They're much more comfortable than the regular ergo grips.

View attachment 20217 View attachment 20218 View attachment 20219 View attachment 20220 View attachment 20221View attachment 20222 View attachment 20223 View attachment 20224

Click to view in different colours.

Features:

• Minimum vibrations
• Lock-on clamps
• Fits any flatbar bike
• Comfortable and practical

Specification:

• Width: 139mm
• Weight: 232g per pair

Hiya,
Thanks for this, was getting a really sore wrist ( its full of metalwork already thanks to a run in with tram tracks!) with the original grips. Have ordered these, hope they do the trick!

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

Hiya,
Thanks for this, was getting a really sore wrist ( its full of metalwork already thanks to a run in with tram tracks!) with the original grips. Have ordered these, hope they do the trick!

They didn't fit on my oxygen suitgirl. Well they fit. And they stay on. But I can't push the last inch of the grip onto the handlebar.

 

[Mal69]

Also. For info. They aren't all the same. My battery is a very snug fit.

My battery is also a nice fit, no rattling at all, I charge my battery in the frame, I think that constantly taking it out might have long term issues with something breaking so just charge it on the frame.

 

[Suitgirl]

They didn't fit on my oxygen suitgirl. Well they fit. And they stay on. But I can't push the last inch of the grip onto the handlebar.

Ouch thats a shame, the handlebars are wide enough, don't want them any wider. Could they be trimmed to fit do you think? I will have a look at them when they arrive and if not they can go back!
Drat!

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

My battery is also a nice fit, no rattling at all, I charge my battery in the frame, I think that constantly taking it out might have long term issues with something breaking so just charge it on the frame.

I didnt know you would be safe doing that while its connected to the bike. Would still have to take it off every day at work to charge it anyway though.