Recent content by RickBradford

As it is a torque-sensor motor, you can begin pedaling without too much power to avoid any lurch on starting off. The motor simply multiplies your own effort, so you can be as smooth as you like. You can adjust the number of levels to 3, 5 or 9, if you are using the 500c display. For me, 3...

I'm interested to know what forum members consider to be a good lifetime for an e-bike, and particularly for an e-bike kit motor. How many miles for a given price would you consider acceptable? This question was suggested to me by a YouTuber who was expressing some dissatisfaction with his CYC...

You may well be right. I'll try the gear thing first, and if that doesn't do it, well, I'll have to do more investigation. Is it possible to tell which version I have from the look of the white gear? (pic attached)

I'm really not sure which version was shipped to me. The gear I ordered was described as being compatible with both the original and the "B" version.

I have ordered a replacement part from AliExpress which includes the bearing together with the gear ring. Cost was $30.

I also wanted to junk my TSDZ2 early on and go back to my old hub motor, but I made two changes that turned it into a motor I like. First, I changed to the 500c display which is much more flexible than the clunky VLCD5. Second, I got a larger battery so that I could use higher power modes...

It could be that the motor's power output is limited to a narrow RPM (pedal cadence) range. Sometimes I feel that I am not getting enough power at a particular juncture, I change gear, and suddenly the power seems to surge. I did read some information about this, but the accounts were...

Not a bad idea, simple drop-in replacement, only about $300, but I must admit I am tempted by the CYC Photon. I tend to do a lot of energetic pedaling, with the motor just to keep a good 17mph average, hence my low battery consumption. What and where is the 'sprag clutch', so I can take a look?

I have a Tongsheng TSDZ2 with about 5000km on the clock, and I have posted before about various noises which are coming from the motor, without having fully solved the problem. Now I have another issue, which may even be the key to the problem. When I begin pedaling from a standstill, whether...

I didn't use any special lubricant - that sort of thing is rather hard to find round here. I think my best bet is to do regular inspections and maintenance, say every 500km or 1000km, especially if I have been riding through rain (and the rain here can be of the tropical monsoon variety).

I replaced the initially supplied Tongsheng display with a 500c, and that made all the difference for me. The 500c can be tweaked to have either 3, 5 or 9 levels of assist, and I find 5 levels to be ideal for the somewhat hilly terrain I ride on. Fine-grained enough, but not so much that I...

UPDATE: Well, having taken the thing apart, I greased everything in sight and put it all back together again. Miraculously, it worked fine and - no noise! So, whatever was causing the problem seems to have been fixed. Trouble is, I've no idea what or where the problem was, so I've no way to...

It obviously shows signs of use, some water ingress and rust, but the internals look, well, functional. So, all in all, I'm not sure what's going on.

Update: I finally got the right tools and after a certain amount of marination in oil, I got the thing apart. The plastic gear doesn't look, to my amateur eyes, to be too bad - certainly not stripped, but maybe a bit worn at the edges. It seemed to mesh and rotate with the metal helical gear...

I like the motor, especially with my 500C display, but I am concerned at how easily water got inside the motor and caused such corrosion. While I'm trying to fix the Tongsheng, I had to rebuild my old hub drive cadence sensor bike. It feels completely alien to ride, the complete motorized...