Been working on it, replaced the cables and housing and it was running better but still having some issues with skipping or not holding a gear, so I will have to open it up and clean it. I finally raised the bars too with a stem riser and put in an adjustable neck. Also ordered another suspension seatpost. Feels so much better, much roomier for sure, nice since I have 36" inseam. So hopefully I can service it myself and I think this will be a great back up bike. Speed is good, cleaning really helped
Fixing up 2004 Electric Bike - Charger!
- Thread starter hoboin
- Start date
Been working on it, replaced the cables and housing and it was running better but still having some issues with skipping or not holding a gear, so I will have to open it up and clean it. I finally raised the bars too with a stem riser and put in an adjustable neck. Also ordered another suspension seatpost. Feels so much better, much roomier for sure, nice since I have 36" inseam. So hopefully I can service it myself and I think this will be a great back up bike. Speed is good, cleaning really helped
Hello, you are really providing a wealth of information on this bike here! I'm grateful for that as I have one of these I hope to start using. I got some new batteries and went on a test ride and it seems to be working. I then took the battery thing off and plugged it in to top it up. It was very likely fully charged but was wondering if the all lights blinking and then off is the pattern it would give if charged. What I read in the manual says that charging it should just have some number of lights on continuously until they all are and then it is full. I got this years ago and used it for a little while. I don't remember why I stopped using it. Was is some problem or just that I needed new batteries and my other non-electric bike served my needs just fine.
Last edited:
Here is my Charger bike. Went out on a longer test ride today and I'm liking the way it's working. I do like those higher swept back handles mod and see how it would be more comfortable now. The battery is only down one light but it does not seem to be charging. I paid just over 100 dollars for the batteries so if I don't figure out how to charge them it will be a very expensive 2-3 rides. There must be way to charge two 12v 12ah batteries. So fix or mod or discover its just some trick I'm missing are my options.
Attachments
Hello there, awesome to see someone with the bike! i posted in this thread to keep a kind of tab on everything i had to do to get it working.
How long ago did you buy the bike and when did you get the batteries and from who? The original batteries from the bike came with Lead Acid Batteries that are very heavy and over 20 years old now and would most likely not be working. I tried swapping the batteries myself with 2 batteries i bought on amazon and it kind of worked for a little bit but it had a lot of problems. I ended up talking to the person who currently sells all the Charger bikes, Sam, and he sells new Lead Acid batteries and also newer versions that are lighter (i bought them from him for about $300 i think lead acid was $200. You can read back in the thread to find out the price.)
When i bought the new batteries from Sam, i had to replace the original charger that came with the battery that pulls out and plugs into the wall. Sam sent detailed instructions and my friend with electrical knowledge helped me swapped the batteries out and install the new plug.
I originally paid $150 for my amazon batteries but had to take them out and now they are sitting unused sadly. Let me know if i can provide you any more info.
My charger is actually not doing good. I think the motor may have died or maybe something in the battery case. About a month ago, a day after i took those fancy photos, i was on a ride and after a huge hill i smelt burning plastic and the bike died, giving all blinking error. I haven't had time to look into whats wrong with it. I have a 750 watt electric bike that i use in place of this bike because i needed a stronger motor for my very large hills. I road the charger for about 1500 miles and i honestly loved it and it introduced me to electric biking, i went 6 months without owning a car and only driving 2 times in that period.
How long ago did you buy the bike and when did you get the batteries and from who? The original batteries from the bike came with Lead Acid Batteries that are very heavy and over 20 years old now and would most likely not be working. I tried swapping the batteries myself with 2 batteries i bought on amazon and it kind of worked for a little bit but it had a lot of problems. I ended up talking to the person who currently sells all the Charger bikes, Sam, and he sells new Lead Acid batteries and also newer versions that are lighter (i bought them from him for about $300 i think lead acid was $200. You can read back in the thread to find out the price.)
When i bought the new batteries from Sam, i had to replace the original charger that came with the battery that pulls out and plugs into the wall. Sam sent detailed instructions and my friend with electrical knowledge helped me swapped the batteries out and install the new plug.
I originally paid $150 for my amazon batteries but had to take them out and now they are sitting unused sadly. Let me know if i can provide you any more info.
My charger is actually not doing good. I think the motor may have died or maybe something in the battery case. About a month ago, a day after i took those fancy photos, i was on a ride and after a huge hill i smelt burning plastic and the bike died, giving all blinking error. I haven't had time to look into whats wrong with it. I have a 750 watt electric bike that i use in place of this bike because i needed a stronger motor for my very large hills. I road the charger for about 1500 miles and i honestly loved it and it introduced me to electric biking, i went 6 months without owning a car and only driving 2 times in that period.
by the way your bike looks to be in amazing condition. Looks awesome! Swept back handlebars make a huge difference, i was getting cyclers palsy in my wrists when using straight bars. My fingers were curling, or clawing, after a few weeks of use and that was one of the first things i changed.
I am pretty bummed about my bike dying, i just haven't had time to look into what's wrong. It is a really fun bike because it's a unique mid drive motor which is a more expensive type of motor, my 750watt is a hub gear meaning the motor is in the back wheel hub and they act differently than the mid drive like the charger.
If the motor is dead i might consider putting a stronger motor in but it will change the bike completely.
I am pretty bummed about my bike dying, i just haven't had time to look into what's wrong. It is a really fun bike because it's a unique mid drive motor which is a more expensive type of motor, my 750watt is a hub gear meaning the motor is in the back wheel hub and they act differently than the mid drive like the charger.
If the motor is dead i might consider putting a stronger motor in but it will change the bike completely.
The bike was bought in late 2007 but I got it second hand a year or two after that(I got the original receipt and papers from the original owner). I used it for a while, I don't remember how long, a couple of months maybe. I do remember some trouble getting the motor drive chain back on one time it came off on the ride home from work one time. I don't remember exactly why I stopped riding it but low batteries seem likely. I know now you have to baby lead acid batteries a bit. Never leave them in a discharged state. I have stored it in a closet in a space saving vertical position since I stopped using it. So it being stored inside it has not had to deal with the harsher environment of a garage or shed(or completely outside). I bought new battery just days ago at a local retail store Batteries Plus Bulbs. They are Duracell branded 12v 12 ah and were 50 each. I did send an email to Sam and he suggested tightening connectors, considering battery quality and the possibility of corrosion under the number buttons. I don't think it is any of those things but luckily he also can sell me an external charger and I think I am going to get that. If it keeps working for me I will get the the li-ion batteries from him. I expect the lead acid batteries will only last a year(ish).
That is sad to hear that yours is not currently working. If the motor failed I can see it melting the plastic cover. The fact that it failed on a hill when the motor is working hard points in that direction. It seems like the motor could be a replaceable part like maybe could could figure what would work like you did with the chain. If the electronics were damaged then it would seem like the only thing to do is replace the controller and that would mean losing the power assist aspect of the bike and it would kinda be a different bike.
I did do a mod to override the assist speed limit. I put a flat button type magnet on the inner side of the left pedal and moved the sensor to near that rather than the magnet on the faster moving spokes. I didn't remember doing this until I saw the magnet and it came back to me.
Attachments
yes i tried that too, right before my batteries had a lot of problems. I road this bike with batteries i bought off amazon for a good number of miles, they worked pretty good but i was getting pretty unusual battery shut downs due to unknown reasons. I presume it was because it was the middle of the summer and too hot. Anyways right before my batteries pretty much stopped working completely i did the magnet trick to get it going faster but i had problems right after and just thought i should not overload the system and make it run faster.
I think when changing out the batteries from lead acid, the charger needs to be replaced to something else. The biggest problem with the lead acid is the size of the battery, it is pretty heavy. If that doesn't matter to you, you might want to consider just getting the Lead Acid from Sam and keeping the built in charger in place, that is pretty cool charger. I used to just bike to work and bring the bike in the office and charger it while i was working. The new charger provided by Sam needs a battery pack like most other computers and bike chargers, so it's not built into the bike.
I think when changing out the batteries from lead acid, the charger needs to be replaced to something else. The biggest problem with the lead acid is the size of the battery, it is pretty heavy. If that doesn't matter to you, you might want to consider just getting the Lead Acid from Sam and keeping the built in charger in place, that is pretty cool charger. I used to just bike to work and bring the bike in the office and charger it while i was working. The new charger provided by Sam needs a battery pack like most other computers and bike chargers, so it's not built into the bike.
I really loved the bike, but after having a 750watt hub motor and seeing how a "modern" electric bike runs with out needing the motor chain is pretty nice. The chains on the charger are the only thing that really annoyed me. They would pop off like you said, and as you know the tension of the chains is important. The other annoying thing was having to adjust the backwheel as it would get pulled closer to the middle of the bike and that loosens the chains. I am sure if i had adjusted the chain sizes it could have been much better and with fewer problems. But those 2 things are pretty annoying and i wouldn't be totally sad gutting the bike and getting a modern motor. If i could keep the current batteries (if the batteries didn't go instead of the motor) that would be amazing and would be nice to keep the look of the bike if possible but all the plastics might have to be removed. I did see one other guy online a few years back documenting his upgrades and conversion, it looked very DIY and exposed though, not that i care.
But the problem I am having is that that on board charger is not working. It's strange because battery chargers(like for cordless tools) do not tend to break. So I'm surprised this is an issue. I have the new LA batteries but I don't like that they are heavy because if something goes wrong I would like to be able to ride
Well I do have the new "Duracell Ultra" lead acid batteries but my idea for it when it was in storage was to figure out how to have lithium-ion batteries in it for less weight and possible more amp hours for more miles. I like the idea of having a still ride-able and not heavy bike if something goes wrong. I have sent Sam an email about a outboard charger he said he had.
Shutting down for unknown reasons. I wonder if there was a sensor for overheating that was shutting it off but then later fail for got unstuck from the motor. Just speculating.
The tension of the chain must have been an issue for the guy you posted with the modded Charger because he put an idler-wheel-tensioner on his that kept tension/took up slack. I think he said he got it off a tractor in the post where he was offering it for sale.
I rode the Charger without the battery and electronics today. Had to pump up the back tire, it's got a slow leak, but putting some Slime in the tire should fix that. I'm waiting to hear from the local bike shop will honor the lifetime frame warranty on my Giant Halfway folding bike as the aluminum frame cracked.
I have done a couple of longer rides the past few days and am really enjoying it. For now I have a correct 12v battery charger so I am opening up the case and charging each of the two batteries individually. Sam did not get back to me about a new charged(but to be fair I did not send a follow up email either). I have a 24v mobility scooter charger on order from eBay so hopefully I will be able to wire that up after some testing. 5 screws and 4 hex screws to take apart the case to charge it at this point. But I do get to check the exact voltages of the batteries so that is nice. I took off the plug wire. It was not soldered to the board, there were actual connectors, such nice build quality.
I was thinking about your motor failure and wondering it is the issue was the higher discharge or "C rate" of lithium batteries that was at issue. That or the corrosion/rust on the outside of the bike was an issue in the motor as well. Or perhaps a combination of the two factors. I wonder if you could just pop the motor out and see the specs and find a replacement. Maybe it is an off the shelf component. It would be good design for it to be that so maybe they did it that way.
I when to see what your new bike was and I noticed that you are local in the Fairfax area. I am down here in eastern Prince William County. I was thinking that maybe I could get the info on the bike repair guy that help you when you were trying to get the gears working after re-assembling from the motor chain replacement(maybe your contact info as well). Someone how has seen this bike before would have a much easier time with it than someone with no experience. It is not like I need anything at the moment but I was thinking it would be a good resource so have. I am at Parker_ on twittr since I do not see a DM option here
I am having to think about more emergency tools and such going longer distances. Riding my folding bike I was almost never so far that I could not walk a couple miles or so back home(plus it can be put in just about any car if someone picks me up). But now I think I need to get a bike multi tool, a patch kit, extra inner tubes and such. I would like to be prepared just in case I am further away and something happens.
Oh wow it's a small world... Wouldn't it be something if i got my bike up and running and we got together on a ride? That would be wild! Sam can sometimes take a very long time to reply via email, and it may take a second, i imagine he is very busy. I am going to try to take apart the bike today and see if i can see what went wrong. I'm not sure if i can recommend the local bike guy that fixed my bike, i can tell you more details later.
I haven't spent too much time in your area before, i bet there are some nice places to ride huh? I have lived mostly in fairfax county around the Reston area and currently ride mostly on the W&OD trail but i am looking for longer trails in the area, maybe there are some around you?
I haven't spent too much time in your area before, i bet there are some nice places to ride huh? I have lived mostly in fairfax county around the Reston area and currently ride mostly on the W&OD trail but i am looking for longer trails in the area, maybe there are some around you?
Oh yeah! The bike infrastructure in PWC is not as good as Fairfax I don't think. There is like a nice multi-use trail for a while on the side of the and then nothing but maybe a tiny worn path in the dirt between the road and the guard rail. So it's spotty/intermittent. One nice thing that is pretty new and bikeable is the Neabsco boardwalk. It is pretty long for a wildlife boardwalk but short if you are just chugging through on a bike. There is Leesylvania State park right close to there that is nice, it does have an entrance fee and for biking it's along the road. There is a fishing pier at the end that has a sign on it halfway out that says Maryland because the border of Maryland runs right along the Virginia side of the Potomac. The national park Prince William Forest park has a nice loop road in it. Half of the road is for bikes/walking and the other is for one way vehicle traffic. Problem is the entrance to the park it on the south side. I can ride to the border of the north side but you can't get in that way. For my first ride I went down to the historic town of Occoquan. There are nice asphalt multi-use paths along the Prince William Parkway between Woodbridge and Manassas and on 234 between Dumfries and Manassas but they are also large roads so a lot of tire noise. I'm thinking of riding to the Lorton Workhouse Arts center where the Lorton Prison once was. Riding up 123 would be easy in terms of having a trail by the road. The W&OD trail is a nice trail so it's kinda a high bar to beat I'm thinking.
This is interesting. A guy who owns one of these Chargers who worked for Aerovironment, the company that originally made the bike.
Hey there, i found out what is wrong with the Charger. I finally opened up the battery case and saw that a wire going from the board to one of the battery melted at the fuse, and that is why i could smell the burning plastic. I haven't emailed Sam yet, i will try to do that today. Hopefully it's an easy fix by just replacing the wire and put in a new fuse line.
Yeah i have seen that link, nice find it's a good one. There is one other guy who made a lot of posts, he heavily modified his charger and was sharing a lot of info on it.
I am going to contact Sam about the battery issue and i am going to work on the other issue i am having with the Charger, that is i feel like it takes too much effort to pedal, as in there is a lot of resistance pedaling forward. Pedaling backwards i can move the pedals with the slightest movement of my pinky, but to pedal forward there just seems like resistance. I am not sure if there is something wrong with my crankset maybe or if it is just how it is setup with the 2 chains but i just feel mine is way too slow compared to the 750w motor of my new bike. I am thinking about, once i get the battery situation figured out, to bring the bike to someone that can look it over and see what's wrong with it.
Sorry for not replying in awhile, i have been really busy with other things and the poor weather in the area prevented me from riding for most of January. I have been riding my Ariel Rider Rideal bike for the last 2 weeks and it's just such an awesome bike. I just hit 2500 miles and i am replacing the chain and brake pads for the second time, and doing a major cleaning, it's up on the bike stand now and outside, took the day off. I also need to order new tires, the back tire is balding. But i love the Rideal, i ride it 16 to 20 miles a day and i have it modified with an eggrider to push the motor even further, i can go up to 25mph past the normal 20mph limit.
Right, thats what i want to know. I can get this fixed, possibly by myself, but why did it happen? I will have to talk to Sam who sent me the batteries.
Wow that is melted. I would be wary about putting in li-on batteries after seeing this. It looks like there is some parameter that is different even if they are nominally the same as the lead acid. Here is my set up I use to charge with the 12v charger. And to see another from the inside.
Attachments
On my Charger bike I went through the procedure to repair the back inner tube. This involved unhooking the adjustment wires to the internal geared hub, the roller/drum brake and both chains, for motor and pedals. When I got it back together I found the that chains were more loose and the motor chain kept coming off. Taking off the cover and looking at it I see there is an adjustment on the motor that allows me to loosen a bolt, turn an allen wrench and adjust the tightness of the motor chain a little. Yay for good engineering I thought. So I tightened it up. When I tested it out I got a blinking light error of standby and 1, the red and the first green. This indicated a problem with the torque sensor. I don't know why what I did effected the torque sensor but I loosened it up and it seemed to work for a while. I then took it to my local bike shop because the brake was clicking. They fixed it but now my torque sensor error is back. I wonder if the torque sensor is bad or if there is something I am missing.
Attachments
Similar threads
