Recent content by Richard Stallard

We have a Verve+ as well, which my wife rode for a while before the Fx+. The Bosch motor is very smooth and quiet. I am actually riding the Verve now as my second e-bike, as the wider tires work well on gravel rail trails near Denmark - that is Denmark the small town on the south coast of...

Bear in mind a lot of cheaper e-bikes don't have a torque sensor, just a cadence sensor, so motor assist is applied whenever the pedals are turning. So, you can "cheat" and get motor assist just by turning the pedals over without applying any effort. Bikes like the Vado give very smooth motor...

I have a Vado SL 4.0 and my wife has a Trek Fx+, which we purchased after giving up waiting for another Vado in Australia mid 2022. If it was up to me, I would have returned the Fx+ as the drive is nothing like the Vado, despite it having a torque sensor. The main problem is that the control...

I regularly use Vaude panniers on my Vado SL 4.0 EQ. I previously posted some photos at Post in thread 'Panniers for Turbo Vado SL EQ 5.0' https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/panniers-for-turbo-vado-sl-eq-5-0.47935/post-519033 Compared to many other panniers they sit quite high...

The main problem isn’t the delay. It is that the motor power is constant and not in proportion to rider power. The bottom bracket torque sensor also measures cadence so it should perform better than it does. Ignoring start-up, once the bike is moving the controller should be able to compare...

Removing the rear wheel is certainly a little more complicated than usual, but not too bad once you know what to do. The rear hub has hex head bolts either side, with bushes to match the frame dropouts which prevent the axle from rotating under motor torque. These bolts require a long 5 mm hex...

That is my conclusion. It could also be that the control system is “proportional” but the “gain” associated with the torque sensor input is way too high so that a small torque value results in close to full motor response. The Hyena web site indicates that their torque sensors do produce an...

That could well be the case as most people would naturally pedal and apply some torque, whereas I deliberately pedalled with zero torque to test the effect.

I found that simply turning the pedals was not sufficient to engage the motor. Bikes with cadence sensor only typically apply motor power whenever pedal rotation is detected even if no force (torque) is applied. I had to apply some torque but just a small amount of torque would engage virtually...

What is the source of your information? Trek spare parts listing indicates a torque sensor in the bottom bracket.

There is an accompanying video review as well and the reviewer made a similar comment.

There is a very recent review of the Fx+ Stagger (mid step) version on EBR. Unfortunately, the reviewer doesn’t comment on the smoothness of the motor boost in terms of effectiveness of torque sensor.

Giant make some very similar ones. https://www.pushys.com.au/giant-ergo-max-plus-lock-on-grips-black-grey.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhZWY2YXm-gIVTw4rCh2qTgdaEAQYAyABEgIxGPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds I have Giant grips, but not bar ends, on my Vado SL which I transferred from my Giant Toughroad because they...

This looks like them. Model is Targa. https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/97143/products/specialized-bg-contour-targa-gripbar-end-black.aspx Might be tricky to find any: https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bicycles/1143306-struggling-specialized-bar-ends-grips-availability.html

Trek’s strategy of having different platforms for Entry Level and Top End models seems quite reasonable to me. While I don’t disagree with the quality and design of Specialised SL bikes, the price puts them out of reach for many people, so having an entry level option with the backing of a...