Cameron Newland
Well-Known Member
I rode over a thorn last night and got a tiny puncture flat, so I pulled to the side of the road with a good amount of air still left in my tires, unfastened the quick release and power connector, safely removed the wheel from the dropouts and from the clutches of the chain/derailleur, removed the tire and tire tube, patched the tire tube, mounted the tire/tube and inflated it, and safely re-mounted the wheel on the frame dropouts and reconnected the power connector and fastened the quick release.
For some reason, once I'd put my bike back together just as it was beforehand, I could no longer pedal, nor could I roll the bike backwards without experiencing some kind of chain suck. I took everything apart again and the chain and derailleur were fine. The culprit was the wheel hub/freewheel/cassette. I noticed some metal shavings near the cassette. It appears that the cassette's locking disc was rubbing up against the frame dropout area, metal-on-metal, and this friction was what prevented me from pedaling the bike. Perhaps there's some kind of freewheel spacer/cassette spacer that is normally there, and that allows the bike to perform normally?
I don't understand how it could have come off of the freewheel hub, since I carefully removed the wheel and and put it back just as it was beforehand. I used some very bright flashlights to explore the area where I had removed and reinstalled the wheel, and didn't find any metal spacers or anything on the ground that might've fallen off. So where did my spacer go (assuming that a freewheel/cassette spacer is what caused the issue)? My bike was operating just fine before I repaired the tire tube puncture, so I doubt it would have fallen off before the tire tube puncture. Do freewheel spacers easily come loose and disappear like this?
Luckily, the rear wheel could still freewheel and coast downhill, and also, I could use the throttle mode to motor around at up to 20mph, and neither of these would cause the metal-on-metal rub between the dropout and the cassette/freewheel, so I was able to limp the bike home without damaging it.
What I'm really concerned about is the warranty...would it cover something like this? I mean, I did everything by-the-book when I fixed the flat tire, and yet now the bike is somehow non-operable. I think the motor and frame and sometimes the battery are covered by retail purchase warranties, but it tends to be the case that things like derailleurs and brakes aren't covered. Considering that this spacer or freewheel issue I'm experiencing is part of the rear wheel and hence sort of connected to the hub motor, does that mean that my warranty would cover the parts and labor for repair?
I'm not trying to complain about IZIP's design or quality control here, but just thought I'd post this up in case others have experienced the same problem. My Dash has been pretty reliable, though I have gotten 5 flats in under 1,400 miles, which seems a little high to me. I could probably solve that by buying better, more puncture-resistant tires, though. It's not necessarily the fault of IZIP/Currie. The tires that came on my Dash seem fine.
For some reason, once I'd put my bike back together just as it was beforehand, I could no longer pedal, nor could I roll the bike backwards without experiencing some kind of chain suck. I took everything apart again and the chain and derailleur were fine. The culprit was the wheel hub/freewheel/cassette. I noticed some metal shavings near the cassette. It appears that the cassette's locking disc was rubbing up against the frame dropout area, metal-on-metal, and this friction was what prevented me from pedaling the bike. Perhaps there's some kind of freewheel spacer/cassette spacer that is normally there, and that allows the bike to perform normally?
I don't understand how it could have come off of the freewheel hub, since I carefully removed the wheel and and put it back just as it was beforehand. I used some very bright flashlights to explore the area where I had removed and reinstalled the wheel, and didn't find any metal spacers or anything on the ground that might've fallen off. So where did my spacer go (assuming that a freewheel/cassette spacer is what caused the issue)? My bike was operating just fine before I repaired the tire tube puncture, so I doubt it would have fallen off before the tire tube puncture. Do freewheel spacers easily come loose and disappear like this?
Luckily, the rear wheel could still freewheel and coast downhill, and also, I could use the throttle mode to motor around at up to 20mph, and neither of these would cause the metal-on-metal rub between the dropout and the cassette/freewheel, so I was able to limp the bike home without damaging it.
What I'm really concerned about is the warranty...would it cover something like this? I mean, I did everything by-the-book when I fixed the flat tire, and yet now the bike is somehow non-operable. I think the motor and frame and sometimes the battery are covered by retail purchase warranties, but it tends to be the case that things like derailleurs and brakes aren't covered. Considering that this spacer or freewheel issue I'm experiencing is part of the rear wheel and hence sort of connected to the hub motor, does that mean that my warranty would cover the parts and labor for repair?
I'm not trying to complain about IZIP's design or quality control here, but just thought I'd post this up in case others have experienced the same problem. My Dash has been pretty reliable, though I have gotten 5 flats in under 1,400 miles, which seems a little high to me. I could probably solve that by buying better, more puncture-resistant tires, though. It's not necessarily the fault of IZIP/Currie. The tires that came on my Dash seem fine.
