Quando-tastic...21 miles power only !!!!!

[keithhazel]

first trip out today on Quando, today was first battery conditioning so had to run it till red light flickered on the flat.....there was to be no pedaling just power to see how far i can go, also quickest way to flatten......the terrain for first 10 miles was flat with breeze in one direction and on back in other..at end of first ten miles i was aware that it had lost the "kick" when setting off but the speed was still up there..13 miles and the amber started to show, more when under minor gradient and breeze but back to green when other direction and no strain at all,keeping eye out for red now....as soon as 13 miles marker i was wanting to finish so was concentrateing on longer gradients, not hills just the sort that would knock you 1 maybe 2 miles per hour...18 miles and red appeared......the last five although was still up to speed had lost a little more of the kick and from a standing start didnt speed straight to 14 but not bad...at 21 it was still red and no flicker but it dies..oooops....so pedal home a mile, not the best of bikes for pedaling, especially if you are not fit, but if you ok with a 8mph dawdle then ok....they say after the first 2-3 conditioning runs the battery will be better..WOW.....if 21 miles on power alone then how many on pedal assist ?......

POTHOLES..!!!! never knew so many existed and the yellow zig zags on the road what a bumpy ride..my bum is definatly bruised... ..i am used to bouncing along like im sat in my settee but no suspension and rock hard wheels..lol...what a change....but then the Quando is not the bike if you want a comfortable journey, the Quando is if you want to use bus'es and trains and cars while still useing the bike...handle bars are too close together too, and my hands covered with gloves left no room to stick a catey mirror on so thats going to have to be thought about....but they are minor points and the 21 miles has really shocked me as didnt expect it...with a bit of pedal assist i guess im in the 30 mile range....

thanks for you advice up to now Flecc and a justifyable recommendation is the Quando...once i get my fitted hold-all made all i have to do is take battery out and the seat and it will go on the bus looking no more then a suitcase so adding more options to me...

question for Flecc......
on pedal assist mode on my synergy as soon as you pedalled the power came on, it does not on this bike, i had to feather the throttle to the amount of assist i wanted, if i stopped pedalling the power stopped even if i was still throttled...is this how the pedal assist works on these ?....
also no red flicker so in future will i just take it as a warning i have 2-3 miles power alone left ?


as for 50 CYCLES.....i asked for a speedo to be fitted and they have done so in a literally perfect way,all wires hidden out of the way with the others in the plastic coil,and plastic clipped it in other places, a truley top professional job..it may be like shelling pea's for them to put one on but it still takes time to do it proper, i had one put on my other bike by a bike shop and they just left the loose cable dangling.

 

[flecc]

On the ride, check the tyre pressures Keith, the Quando II is normally very comfortable on those 1.95 tyres. Set them to the lower of the two pressures shown on the tyre wall.

Agreed on the handlebars as I said before, wider ones improves it.

Yes, the throttle operates at all times. That's because of the motor's power, If it was like your last bike, the snatch take off when you pedalled would be embarrassing and even dangerous in traffic.

On the red light, once it stays on red with the throttle closed and no pedalling, you know that you only have around 2 to 3 miles left. I find it best to learn it's range and just use the speedo trip distance for that purpose. Set zero when charged, then ride to the mileage you know it can do.

Glad you enjoyed the transformation from the old bike. As you can see, there's no comparison.
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[keithhazel]

thanks Flecc thats set my mind at rest about having to throttle in pedalec mode, did not want to send back....is a handle bar change a DIY job like you did or a straightforward go and buy a new one and screw it on ?...will any brand do or does it have to be a Quando compatable one ?
was my 21 miles very good or just the normal you would expect from first time with a brand new battery ?
keith

 

[flecc]

That range was very good. In my hilly area I only got 15 miles, and A to B in their original Quando test also only got 15 miles in a quite flat area.

I bought some riser handlebars which I mounted upside down because I found the Quando's handlebar stem too high for me. These are no longer available at SJS where I got them. All you need to do is specify the centre clamp point size, which is 25.4".

To fit them you need to cut the ties wraps on the cables to allow enough slack to slide off the throttle and brake levers etc from the old ones. You'll need the three allen keys involved, for the stem, brake lever and throttle sizes. The first two are standard bike sizes, the tiny one for the twistgrip you'll find in any cheap set of small keys.

Re: your PM query on panniers. I looked up the invoice and the Dutch Bike Company pannier model is the Mirage, appropriate as it can't be seen on their site any more.
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