Replace the gear cassette on an e-Bike?

[Sander_Koop]

Update on this... I've had the freewheel fitted now. Bit pointless, as it looks like the PAS on my bike works on cadence, so I still have to pedal just as fast to get assistance, which means I now ride in a lower gear, as I can't pedal that fast on the smallest rear cog (weakling, I am).

And I think the shop that fitted it aren't the greatest of bike mechanics, as now my gear shifts don't work very well any more...

I need to find a bike shop that really knows what they're doing with mountain bike gears (the electric bit is irrelevant to this).

Anybody know one around Wandsworth/Battersea (London)?

I'm starting to regret buying this bike, it's slowly falling apart and I've only had it about a year!

 

[jokskot]

I bought a few DNP 11T-34T 8-speed freewheels recently and paid about £3 per unit in EU's anti dumping duty.
Previously, I sold them for £12 each, now £18.
That's why you don't see much DNP with 11T on the net.

An old post I know, but do you still have some (though I only want one!) of these available?

 

[Nealh]

Update on this... I've had the freewheel fitted now. Bit pointless, as it looks like the PAS on my bike works on cadence, so I still have to pedal just as fast to get assistance, which means I now ride in a lower gear, as I can't pedal that fast on the smallest rear cog (weakling, I am).

And I think the shop that fitted it aren't the greatest of bike mechanics, as now my gear shifts don't work very well any more...

I need to find a bike shop that really knows what they're doing with mountain bike gears (the electric bit is irrelevant to this).

Anybody know one around Wandsworth/Battersea (London)?

I'm starting to regret buying this bike, it's slowly falling apart and I've only had it about a year!

A pretty crappy LBS if they can't adjust/set up the gears rightly, look to see if there is a local bike workshop where like minded folks help each other with repairs and advice. Covid will have put a stop to them though now they might reappear again.

 

[Sander_Koop]

A pretty crappy LBS if they can't adjust/set up the gears rightly, look to see if there is a local bike workshop where like minded folks help each other with repairs and advice. Covid will have put a stop to them though now they might reappear again.

Agreed. I was not impressed. It's a shame I don't have the space or the tools to do everything myself, as I used to be pretty handy at fixing bikes back when I were a yoof.

It's really annoying; normal bike shops don't want to touch e-bikes, e-bike shops only really sell & work on their "own" products - literally been told that "We don't sell these so we don't have the knowledge of them". It's a bicycle, FFS. Not an F1 car.

I'm contemplating my next course of action; keep upgrading this cheap bike, or invest in a better bike. Or, replace the motor on this one for a 1000W as well as upgrading the rest.

I'd love to fit 29er wheels as well, but ALL e-bike kits seem to come with 26" wheels?

 

[Deleted member 33385]

It's really annoying; normal bike shops don't want to touch e-bikes, e-bike shops only really sell & work on their "own" products - literally been told that "We don't sell these so we don't have the knowledge of them". It's a bicycle, FFS. Not an F1 car.

It's probably an insurance thing - customers electrocuted by ebikes, may require additional cover. I managed to replace my rear cassette, chain, brake and gear cables, etc. etc. etc. and I wouldn't say that I'm all that handy with bikes - I'd only ever previously (in the 80s) replaced a brake block or two, a few inner tubes, and installed a chain badly (then chipped one of my teeth on a hill when it broke and I faceplanted on the tarmac - nobody wore jawguard helmets in the 80s on the roads). There's loads of space outside, the tools are cheap (if they're cheapo tools), and overall it's a better solution to do it all yourself - particularly if you were good with all that, as a yoof... it'll all come rushing back into your current brain's working memory, or something.

 

[Sander_Koop]

It's probably an insurance thing - customers electrocuted by ebikes, may require additional cover. I managed to replace my rear cassette, chain, brake and gear cables, etc. etc. etc. and I wouldn't say that I'm all that handy with bikes - I'd only ever previously (in the 80s) replaced a brake block or two, a few inner tubes, and installed a chain badly (then chipped one of my teeth on a hill when it broke and I faceplanted on the tarmac - nobody wore jawguard helmets in the 80s on the roads). There's loads of space outside, the tools are cheap (if they're cheapo tools), and overall it's a better solution to do it all yourself - particularly if you were good with all that, as a yoof... it'll all come rushing back into your current brain's working memory, or something.

I'm leaning closer to that every day. The tools are indeed not too expensive. It's a lack of confidence, mainly - afraid I'll break ****!

 

[soundwave]

you could take the back wheel off and take that to a lbs then there should be no problems as thats what i did when my xd driver got stuck on the axle.

all you need is a chain whip and cassette socket to remove the lock ring so a 5 min job and loads of vids on you tube.

 

[vfr400]

Bit pointless, as it looks like the PAS on my bike works on cadence, so I still have to pedal just as fast to get assistance,

The second part of your statement might be true, but your reason fo it isn't. Pedal sensors work at any rotation speed. If yours only works when you pedal fast, something is wrong. Maybe it got knocked too far away from the sensor. Have a look at it. If the gap is more than 1mm, wiggle the magnet disc closer.

 

[Sander_Koop]

The second part of your statement might be true, but your reason fo it isn't. Pedal sensors work at any rotation speed. If yours only works when you pedal fast, something is wrong. Maybe it got knocked too far away from the sensor. Have a look at it. If the gap is more than 1mm, wiggle the magnet disc closer.

Maybe I phrased it wrong. What I mean is, the PAS doesn't kick in until I pedal at a certain rate, so I still have to pedal my *rse off to get it to kick in. If I shift to a lighter gear, and therefore have to put less effort in to pedal faster, it works just fine.

 

[vfr400]

Maybe I phrased it wrong. What I mean is, the PAS doesn't kick in until I pedal at a certain rate, so I still have to pedal my *rse off to get it to kick in. If I shift to a lighter gear, and therefore have to put less effort in to pedal faster, it works just fine.

I fully undersood that. Did you check the sensor or are you happy to carry on complaining?

 

[Sander_Koop]

I fully undersood that. Did you check the sensor or are you happy to carry on complaining?

Woah there, buddy. Wind your neck in.

You really don't seem to get what I mean either.

I'd rather you refrained from "helping" any further. I shall refrain from calling you what I'd like to call you.

 

[Jodel]

What vfr400 has stated is correct in terms of how the PAS operates on my kit. My (12 magnet) PAS only needs a 90 degree rotation of the cranks to start working and it will keep the motor engaged even if the cranks are being rotated at a very slow rpm.

I'm far from being an expert on e-bikes, but if you are having to pedal at a high rate to get the motor to engage, then it sounds like there is an issue with the PAS or the controller.

 

[Brian Zion]

 

[Brian Zion]

 

[Brian Zion]

 

[Deleted member 33385]

I shall refrain from calling you what I'd like to call you.

Do you want to call VFR400 a taxi? Having to pedal fast on for a cadence PAS, for it to start assisting seems awry - I'd be horribly disappointed with a PA system, that only provided assistance when I pedalled fast! Who designs a PAS system to operate like that? Mine takes two turns of the rear wheel to kick in - but if you're happy with how your bike currently works, there's nothing more to be said about your PAS.

 

[Nealh]

Decent controllers like the KT and a correctly mounted and set up pedal sensor is very responsive /instant in operation.

 

[WheezyRider]

I quite often find that the magnet disc can get knocked on things and get twisted as it is quite exposed, so turn the crank a full revolution and see that it is the same distance away throughout and try and get the gap to the sensor to be as small as possible without touching.

On my controller there is an "aggressiveness setting" which controls how quickly the power is ramped when the PAS rotates. Could be something similar on your controller if the magnet disc/sensor are in order.

 

[daltonbourne]

To change a bike cassette, you can easily remove the rear wheel or the bike wheel with the cassette with the following steps: Start by turning your bicycle gear to its hardest gear or the smallest cog. This will help the wheel come off easily since the chain won’t get caught when pulling the wheel out. You may also want to loosen your brakes slightly to allow more room during the removal, giving you more leverage to work with.

 

[jimriley]

To change a bike cassette, you can easily remove the rear wheel or the bike wheel with the cassette with the following steps: Start by turning your bicycle gear to its hardest gear or the smallest cog. This will help the wheel come off easily since the chain won’t get caught when pulling the wheel out. You may also want to loosen your brakes slightly to allow more room during the removal, giving you more leverage to work with.

You should be able to release the brake cable enough by popping it out of the adjustment screw at the lever end. Screw the adjuster fully in, line up the slot, put brake hard on, as you release pull the cable out and out of the slot in the adjuster. Presuming you have rim brakes.