Hi cwah,
I’ve covered about 350 miles since adding the YTW-06 motor. In terms of noise, I’d say with ‘power on’ it’s about the same as when it was new, no real change. Although to be honest, it’s not really that noticeable. I’d say it’s a little noisier in assist levels 1 and 3 (no idea why). The noise in a ‘power off’ condition sounds a little like the brake disc is rubbing (it’s not though, it’s from the motor internals). Again, no big issue. My motor is the earlier square wave version with LS controller.
I’ve found that the rotational resistance has reduced over time such that a reasonable spin of the wheel gives about 3 revolutions going forwards and about half that going backwards. The bike rolls OK when riding, though not surprisingly it doesn’t roll as freely as my mates Cannondale Slate gravel bike that I use a reference.
I’ve also tried to find the limit in terms of hill climbing with this motor. My local challenge is Rose Hill in the Lickey Hills area of Birmingham. At it’s steepest it’s 1 in 8 (12.5%). There is no way I could ride up this without assistance. It managed OK, but speed was down to about 8 mph at the steepest point, but still not too bad considering a 90 kg rider. The motor temperature was fine (barely warm), but the controller got very hot, too hot to touch. Not sure what the max temp these controllers can run at, but I feel that I was pushing my luck a little. Ambient air temperature was 25 degrees C, and my controller is tucked away in a saddle bag with no ventilation. No real surprise it got so hot.
I feel that this motor could take more current without doing any harm, but to be honest what I’d really value is just a little more speed. Mine is geared for 15.5 mph on a 700c wheel. I guess more speed would mean more volts, so new battery and a new controller required. Might save that thought for my next build...
