questions on using my el.bike

[nichosi]

Hi, new here & hope you can answer some questions to assist me ride my el.bike.
I cannot ride my normal bike due to age.
Now I have an alloy 20", 250 Watt brushless motor, 36v, 10A Lithium Ion Battery.
1. When do you use the throttle & when pedalling?
2. Is it normal that when I pedal along on the flat there is no load on the pedals, my feed are pedalling in thin air just to get the motor going.?
3. How does one use the Shimano 7 gears in relation to the pedal assist gear selections?
4. There is no comprehensive manual or spare parts catalog, can you give me an idea of what periotic maintenance I should carry out?
5. What does it mean "Servo Assist Rear Brakes" ?

Thank you, Nick

 

[MikeW-71]

I can't help with all of them, but I'll have a go at a few

1. Whenever you need the assist.
2. This is a legal requirement. The motor can only assist if you are pedalling, otherwise it would be a Motor Vehicle. This is also why they are speed restricted.
3. The gears will affect the load on the motor. Using lower gears will extend the battery life and should be favoured if you are going uphill.
4. Don't know this one, but brushless motors don't really need any, so other than normal lubrication and replacing brakes etc. I don't think there's a lot.
5. Not sure, but it could refer to using the motor to assist braking. Unless it's using hydraulic discs.

 

[I like Skol]

This sounds a lot like the electro-bike I have just been given by my father.

If the bumpf that came with the bike is correct then 250W and 15mph are the maximum allowed under current regulations. There should be 3 settings 0/E/A
0 = no assistance at all
E = throttle assistance on demand
A = pedal assist where the motor will automatically supplement the pedalling action upto a maximum of 15mph

MikeW isn't quite right with his suggestion that the gear affects the motors effectiveness. The motor is built into the rear hub and is totally independent of the shimano gears. The gears only change the effort required to pedal the bike.

Maintenance is restricted to just brakes, gears and tyres. If you need to ask about maint requirements then anything more than the aforementioned will require specialist attention.

My wife is using our e-bike and on a 10 mile ride last week proclaimed her love of the 'magic switch' and wonders why we didn't buy her such a machine years ago. She claims not to have used the throttle much, only on the steep bits

 

[Supersuperleeds]

The ultimate electric bike.

 

[nichos]

Thanx all,

1. Yes but, why mine has throttle if not legal not to pedal? perhaps because is German?
Any way I found the throttle usefull just for starting off some times, & isolated it with a bracket + lever which when flicked down throttling is blocked & when up I can throttle (fotos 7& 8).
Foto 10 shows "+" & "-" for the three red speed setings.

5. No hydraulics involved & the agent in Nothampton did not know if the motor helps stopping.

 

[nichos]

Hi again,

My bike is very similar to Skol's, seems a frame company stamps a customer's name & dishes them around.

Bad back forced replacement of the straight handlebar with one of Releigh's curved, & the Pound shop suplied the bric-a-brac I loaded it with but, are not deco, are very useful.

Lighting is its own plus an extra rear flasher, & cables I shrowded with split rap round. The sprang sadle's cover is filled with 3 layer's of cilicon inplants!! as dispide the sprang post & shock absorbers the local roads are very bad.

I hope I learned how to attach properly now, if the thumbnails can enlarge ..............nick