Switzerland Will

[mcfeeson]

Hi gang!

I'm Will from Scotland but living in Switzerland (plenty hills here). I ride the Kudos Tourer (Nexus). Got it for £695 in the sale late last year.

Can anyone recommend an E-bike that can also operate like a conventional bike. The Kudos Tourer is so heavy when not using assistance. Any touring e-bikes that are a pleasure to ride with or without assistance?

Thanks

WIll

 

[martin@onbike]

Hi Will...you could try Scott bikes as they're produced for Europe in Switzerland...good quality bikes!
I'll send you a link to Onbike's selection in a PM.

 

[oldtom]

Can anyone recommend an E-bike that can also operate like a conventional bike. Any touring e-bikes that are a pleasure to ride with or without assistance?

Hi Will.

Of many factors which help to make ebikes easy to ride when unpowered, light weight is possibly the most most significant one.

At one end of the spectrum, (keeping things affordable) Cytronex produce a range of very light bikes from several manufacturers. I wouldn't call their products touring ebikes on account of the limited range afforded by the battery they use but they are all easy to propel with the battery switched off.

Essentially, they are commuting bikes but, that said, with judicious use of the power, distances in excess of 20 miles are fairly easily achieved. Cytronex bikes are not hugely expensive but most other lightweight machines, around 20kgs shall we say, tend to cost north of £2000 and in some cases, considerably more.

You pays your money!

Tom

 

[Wicky]

I've had this bookmarked - Claimed 13.5Kg

http://www.powabikes.co.uk/light-electric-bike/light-ghost-electric-road-speedline.html

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I've had this bookmarked - Claimed 13.5Kg

http://www.powabikes.co.uk/light-electric-bike/light-ghost-electric-road-speedline.html

That's just a light bike with a Keyde kit fitted. Save your money and make your own:
http://www.keyde.com/?do=product&lang=en&event=view&ids=117

 

[Arbol]

That's just a light bike with a Keyde kit fitted. Save your money and make your own:
http://www.keyde.com/?do=product&lang=en&event=view&ids=117

From keyde webpage, for the rear motor it says:

The motor is internally installed controller and speed sensor, so it will be able to work just adding an external battery.

http://www.keyde.com/?do=product&lang=en&event=view&ids=12

If this is true, one does not need neither a controller or a PAS. Is that true?

In fact, this is true: why is the PAS installed in the BB, which is a problem, instead of being installed inside the motor, when the motor is a rear one? Freewheel means the motor / controller could in principle find out when the biker is pedalling.

Then, a biker only needs to take the battery with himself, and the bike is stealthy.

Why isn't this being done with more motors?

 

[trex]

yes, it's true.
Some of XOFO motors have built into motor PAS & speed sensors too, like the one on the Woosh Sport TS. Why isn't this being done with more motors? These motors are made for the export market, so in comparatively quite small number. The other reason is reliability. There is always a suspicion that motor vibration and heat may kill the controller. Eggs and basket.

 

[Arbol]

Which XOFO motor? The one with the torque sensor:

http://www.xofomotor.com/display.asp?id=782

Or another one?

It would not be such a big problem not to have the controller inside the motor. But having the PAS there (and not having to open the BB) would be a big plus for the installation, with no apparent drawback.

 

[bmc]

That's just a light bike with a Keyde kit fitted. Save your money and make your own:
http://www.keyde.com/?do=product&lang=en&event=view&ids=117

Very true Dave. They're asking £780 for the electric kit. I just paid for mine on Tuesday. £328 including shipping and paypal fee. Just received tracking number this morning, and it's in transit via DHL.

Mine's only the 6.2 Ahr battery, but still a big difference.

I'm fitting mine to a Merida 4 cx bike which weighs 10.1 Kg. so hopefully sub 13.5 Kgs.

Will let you know how it turns out.

 

[trex]

Which XOFO motor? The one with the torque sensor:

http://www.xofomotor.com/display.asp?id=782

Or another one?

It would not be such a big problem not to have the controller inside the motor. But having the PAS there (and not having to open the BB) would be a big plus for the installation, with no apparent drawback.

if you only want throttle, you don't need to fit PAS sensor. On the XOFO with torque sensor, the torque output is plugged into the throttle, just pedal. You can create in the LCD as many assistance level as you like for fine-tuning.
If you have hydraulic brakes, you don't even need to fit brake sensors.

 

[Arbol]

Very true Dave. They're asking £780 for the electric kit. I just paid for mine on Tuesday. £328 including shipping and paypal fee. Just received tracking number this morning, and it's in transit via DHL.

Mine's only the 6.2 Ahr battery, but still a big difference.

I'm fitting mine to a Merida 4 cx bike which weighs 10.1 Kg. so hopefully sub 13.5 Kgs.

Will let you know how it turns out.

Are ciclocross rear dropouts' OLD of 135mm? Or is your kit a front one?

 

[Arbol]

if you only want throttle, you don't need to fit PAS sensor. On the XOFO with torque sensor, the torque output is plugged into the throttle, just pedal. You can create in the LCD as many assistance level as you like for fine-tuning.
If you have hydraulic brakes, you don't even need to fit brake sensors.

I do not fully understand: a torque sensor should measure how much effort I am making while pedaling. Where is the sensor? At the rear axis? or at the BB?

For this reason, I do not understand your comment "the torque output is plugged into the throttle": do I need to use the throttle in order to get assistance with the torque sensor? Intuitively, the torque sensor should be independent from the throttle and only depend on my pedaling, right?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I thought that the Keyde kit doesn't have a throttle.

 

[bmc]

Are ciclocross rear dropouts' OLD of 135mm? Or is your kit a front one?

Yes....the rear dropouts are 135mm.....mine's the rear drive hub.

 

[bmc]

I thought that the Keyse kit doesn't have a throttle.

Your right Dave.....no throttle. Mine's the rear drive hub with sine wave controller, pas and speed sensor built in.

It's also includes a brake cut-out switch. Sky sent me this photo :-

I'm assuming the cable with the green end is it, but have no idea how it connects or works !! Hope it comes with instructions

 

[trex]

I do not fully understand: a torque sensor should measure how much effort I am making while pedaling. Where is the sensor? At the rear axis? or at the BB?

For this reason, I do not understand your comment "the torque output is plugged into the throttle": do I need to use the throttle in order to get assistance with the torque sensor? Intuitively, the torque sensor should be independent from the throttle and only depend on my pedaling, right?

Check out the Woosh Sport TS here: http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?sport-ts

The torque sensor is built into the motor. The pressure on the pedal turns a spring loaded disc inside the motor, the harder you pedal, the more the disc rotates. The output measures your pedalling effort.
The Woosh TS uses the torque output as a throttle. The torque output is connected to the throttle input of the controller. The Sport TS does not have a throttle mounted on the handlebars.

 

[Arbol]

Your right Dave.....no throttle. Mine's the rear drive hub with sine wave controller, pas and speed sensor built in.

It's also includes a brake cut-out switch. Sky sent me this photo :-

I'm assuming the cable with the green end is it, but have no idea how it connects or works !! Hope it comes with instructions

I assume the two top cables are the connections to the e-brakes, and the long cable is the one connecting to the motor in order to let the motor know it has to stop once the brakes are applied.

What I do not know is what the third cable is for.

It seems a quite interesting approach: when you park your bike, you take the LCD with you, disconnecting three / four cables, and that's it, the bike is stealthy. Even one could do a 4-pin connector to only disconnect one plug.

 

[bmc]

I assume the two top cables are the connections to the e-brakes, and the long cable is the one connecting to the motor in order to let the motor know it has to stop once the brakes are applied.

What I do not know is what the third cable is for.

It seems a quite interesting approach: when you park your bike, you take the LCD with you, disconnecting three / four cables, and that's it, the bike is stealthy. Even one could do a 4-pin connector to only disconnect one plug.

Kit arrived today, and you're right Arbol. Long cable connects to battery and motor. the 3rd cable you referred to connects to computer.

No instructions, but everything's pretty obvious, but what I can't figure out is where the top two cables go. Do I need e-brake switches for these to plug into ?
Help anybody PLEASE !!

Bill

 

[trex]

have you downloaded the assembly instructions from their website?
http://www.keyde.com/upload/en/AssemblyInstruction.zip
The asembly manual does not show brake levers but I assume that the long lead with the turquoise connector plugs into the motor lead, the medium length lead with the black connector goes to the bike computer, the two small jacks go to the brake levers. It does not matter for now if you have not ordered the brake levers, you can still test the bike and get brake levers elsewhere.

 

[bmc]

have you downloaded the assembly instructions from their website?
http://www.keyde.com/upload/en/AssemblyInstruction.zip
The asembly manual does not show brake levers but I assume that the long lead with the turquoise connector plugs into the motor lead, the medium length lead with the black connector goes to the bike computer, the two small jacks go to the brake levers. It does not matter for now if you have not ordered the brake levers, you can still test the bike and get brake levers elsewhere.

Thanks Trex.......yes, I did download the instructions, but they only refer to the motor with BB pas sensor.

If the two jack plugs are for plugging into brake levers, then there're no use to me as I'm fitting this kit to a cx bike with STI levers.