T
Terry777
Guest
Great news you got your bike buddy.
My gear cable ended up snapping, I posted about it a few posts back. I think because this part was a dud. Funny there are more like mine.
The bike is a blast!! Enjoy!!
Generic MD 1000 and HD 750 ebike model discussion
- Thread starter RMK!
- Start date
My gear cable ended up snapping, I posted about it a few posts back. I think because this part was a dud. Funny there are more like mine.
The bike is a blast!! Enjoy!!
tykoehn1
Active Member
I sent them a video of the gear indicator not moving when i change gears. Honestly I haven't open the package yet. I'll be working on the bike tomorrow so I'll let you know.
tykoehn1
Active Member
Pretty! What state is that?
5'8"? Wow, you must have log legs for your height. I highly recommend a dropper post. The one Biktrix put on mine is a Kindshock Exaform 861. It's pretty basic, but does the job. It has a cable but they routed it through the tube; not sure how hard that is DIY.
So I think I found my regular exercise run, 30-mile loop, up a steep mile (12%+) to start where I'll use a lot of battery because of car traffic, then gradual climb against prevailing wind through some gorgeous scenery with hardly any traffic where I'll get the actual workout, then a winding road back down that goes in stages, steep drops followed by modest rises that I can get up mostly just with momementum, then most of the run home is high on the valley slope overlooking the town. Takes an hour and a half, and I have just enough light when I get off work, so I'll finally start catching up to RMK. I got home yesterday saying, "What a blast, I love this bike!" Just had to share because I've had so much frustration getting to this point, and if anyone can understand, it's you all.
RMK!
Well-Known Member
"A mans got to know his limitations" …
Found a great “old school” bike shop in a University town nearby (tons of positive customer reviews). I had ordered the Tannus Armor Inserts from them and decided to let them install them and work on the IGH. The cable started fraying last week and despite my adjustments it seems to have intermittent problems with all gears except high (5th) gear. I could get it shifting all gears reliably on the stand but once I start riding the mis/phantom shifts and clunking sounds from the lower gears would return.
They spent a few hours on the bike installing the Tannus and replacing my fraying shift cable and cable cover which were too short and too long respectively causing binding and that's the reason for the "extra stiff" trigger shifter. All 3 mechanics test rode the bike and reported shifting was good in all gears, praised the smooth application of PAS, the motors power (it was in ECO mode) and how great the MD 1000 handled for such a big bike. It was interesting how much attention the bike got during the day by customers and the stores other employees (it's also a ski/snowboard shop). One guy there having some work done on his 20" fat tire folder ebike was really taken with the look of the MD1000. He was hard selling his wife on his getting one as I was loading up outside the store.
It was late so I only got in a quick ride around the neighborhood after getting home last night but will take a long ride today to confirm all systems are a go. I had planned on installing new Maxxis tires with the inserts but the orig tires are in near new condition so that seemed unnecessary. I expect I will get double the life out of the front vs rear (ex my fat tire folding bike is on its 3rd rear tire in 2500 miles while the original front is still usable. I think you can expect most ebikes to consume tires similarly but the Maxxis tires are something special in terms of handling and treadwear. Note, the Maxxis Minion 4.8" comes in FBR (rear) and FBF (front) versions.
So, it appears I’m all sorted out and now have ebike super powers with a solid drive train and the Tannus Armor Inserts. Just in time for Spring and looking forward to many fun riding miles this year.
Found a great “old school” bike shop in a University town nearby (tons of positive customer reviews). I had ordered the Tannus Armor Inserts from them and decided to let them install them and work on the IGH. The cable started fraying last week and despite my adjustments it seems to have intermittent problems with all gears except high (5th) gear. I could get it shifting all gears reliably on the stand but once I start riding the mis/phantom shifts and clunking sounds from the lower gears would return.
They spent a few hours on the bike installing the Tannus and replacing my fraying shift cable and cable cover which were too short and too long respectively causing binding and that's the reason for the "extra stiff" trigger shifter. All 3 mechanics test rode the bike and reported shifting was good in all gears, praised the smooth application of PAS, the motors power (it was in ECO mode) and how great the MD 1000 handled for such a big bike. It was interesting how much attention the bike got during the day by customers and the stores other employees (it's also a ski/snowboard shop). One guy there having some work done on his 20" fat tire folder ebike was really taken with the look of the MD1000. He was hard selling his wife on his getting one as I was loading up outside the store.
It was late so I only got in a quick ride around the neighborhood after getting home last night but will take a long ride today to confirm all systems are a go. I had planned on installing new Maxxis tires with the inserts but the orig tires are in near new condition so that seemed unnecessary. I expect I will get double the life out of the front vs rear (ex my fat tire folding bike is on its 3rd rear tire in 2500 miles while the original front is still usable. I think you can expect most ebikes to consume tires similarly but the Maxxis tires are something special in terms of handling and treadwear. Note, the Maxxis Minion 4.8" comes in FBR (rear) and FBF (front) versions.
So, it appears I’m all sorted out and now have ebike super powers with a solid drive train and the Tannus Armor Inserts. Just in time for Spring and looking forward to many fun riding miles this year.
Last edited:
tykoehn1
Active Member
Interesting note of the cable cover length"A mans got to know his limitations" …
Found a great “old school” bike shop in a University town nearby (tons of positive customer reviews). I had ordered the Tannus Armor Inserts from them and decided to let them install them and work on the IGH. The cable started fraying last week and despite my adjustments it seems to have intermittent problems with all gears except high (5th) gear. I could get it shifting all gears reliably on the stand but once I start riding the mis/phantom shifts and clunking sounds from the lower gears would return.
They spent a few hours on the bike installing the Tannus and replacing my fraying shift cable and cable cover which too short and too long respectively causing binding and that's the reason for the "extra stiff" trigger shifter. All 3 mechanics test rode the bike and reported shifting was good in all gears, praised the smooth application of PAS, the motors power (it was in ECO mode) and how great the MD 1000 handled for such a big bike. It was interesting how much attention the bike got during the day by customers and the stores other employees (it's also a ski/snowboard shop). One guy there having some work done on his 20" fat tire folder ebike was really taken with the look of the MD1000. He was hard selling his wife on his getting one as I was loading up outside the store.
It was late so I only got in a quick ride around the neighborhood after getting home last night but will take a long ride today to confirm all systems are a go. I had planned on installing new Maxxis tires with the inserts but the orig tires are in near new condition so that seemed unnecessary. I expect I will get double the life out of the front vs rear (ex my fat tire folding bike is on its 3rd rear tire in 2500 miles while the original front is still usable. I think you can expect most ebikes to consume tires similarly but the Maxxis tires are something special in terms of handling and treadwear. Note, the Maxxis Minion 4.8" comes in FBR (rear) and FBF (front) versions.
So, it appears I’m all sorted out and now have ebike super powers with a solid drive train and the Tannus Armor Inserts. Just in time for Spring and looking forward to many fun riding miles this year.
RMK!
Well-Known Member
Yeah, with the XL frame size these bikes need longer cables/covers. They are probably a precut bulk item and a bit too long for the tight tolerance routing. The yellow index marks lineup for the first time (see photo) and it's reassuring to have that sorted out. I did some off road riding yesterday looking for some climbs to test the low gears and they worked great. There were a couple clunks and mis-shifts in 4th and 5th but I think those are due to initial cable stretch. The tension adjustment is annoyingly sensitive but very easy to do with the reference marks finally aligned. The lower thumb shifter pressure was a welcome change. Picking a nit, I wish the adjustment marks could be viewed from above like in the Biktrix SA IGH adjustment video. I'm pushing 70 and not as agile as I used to be.
Attachments
RMK!
Well-Known Member
I received and installed these battery retention straps. Look good on the flat black MD's, easy on/off and pretty cheap insurance for bottom battery preservation ...
Attachments
tykoehn1
Active Member
One of my bikes really likes the movable line to be slightly on the high side of the yellow mark. Haven't experience a single skip. I also run a little higher belt tension on that. I just started to dabble with programming. Ill make a separate thread for that too. Mainly wanted to make the throttle more usable and easier on the IGH. I also made the motor shut off quicker after I stop pedaling. I havent really ridden the bikes much cause the weather has been horrible. Finally getting weather in the 50s.
RMK!
Well-Known Member
It's good to hear the IGH can perform well when properly tuned and I think you may be onto something with the increased belt tension. These powerful motors may well benefit from higher belt tension. It's apparent that you have some skills and can use the poor weather time for tweaking the bikes. My case is just the opposite. The weather has been good (as usual) so I'm riding much more than tending to bike tweaking. If I was locked down due to weather, I would have tackled the IGH project myself. Problem is lacking good documentation, I would have used the frustrating and painful trial and error method. Finding a good experienced bike mechanic was very helpful. They're rare as hens teeth.
Last edited:
"A mans got to know his limitations" …
So, it appears I’m all sorted out and now have ebike super powers with a solid drive train and the Tannus Armor Inserts. Just in time for Spring and looking forward to many fun riding miles this year.
Glad to hear it - glad you found a good shop. While I was waiting for inserts I took my bike to a shop in Palm Springs to figure out the thrown chain. Had to drop off and pick up while the mechanic wasn't there so I didn't get to talk to him, but he gets a lot of practice on their rental fleet. Since I've been riding a couple hundred miles now it hasn't thrown the chain, so he must have spotted something that was beyond my limitations to find.
When pedaling hard in high gear with a lot of power (either level 5 or adding throttle), I do here an occasional kthunk like the bike's trying to shift, but keeping in penultimate gear I don't have that problem. Since I mainly need extra power for hills, I'm usually in less than max gear anyway, and also I find that the motor doesn't like high gear even on gently rolling hills once half the juice is gone.
RMK!
Well-Known Member
Yeah, as fun as PAS 5 in Sport mode is, it comes at a great cost in terms of watts. I mostly ride in 5th gear, ECO mode using level 3-4 PAS and am able to maintain a good +/- 20mph clip on flatish trails/roads. That gets me 40+ miles on 2 batteries and I bring along the 3rd if I'm planning on going 50+ miles. I could do better mileage by riding slower but then it's going to take much longer to make the ride. My wife would say, what's the hurry? I guess if I have to explain, she won't get it anyway ...
The Ultra motor will eat any drive train if your shifting under load. Getting that derailleur cassette or IGH adjusted so the gear changes are smooth is job1. Once that's done, not shifting under load will avoid a lot of trouble.
RMK!
Well-Known Member
I rode 58 miles today and could have used that C9 seat but not sure how it would work with my forward leaning riding position. Burned through 3 batteries (7% remained) and climbed over 2000' in the process. Honestly the last miles were not much fun but it was good to see what kind of range is possible. Bike performed well and even resorted to the granny gear for the last short climb. Tracked the ride with Strava on my phone using ECO mode and 4th & 5th gears with PAS 4.
tykoehn1
Active Member
What would say your average cadence is in 4th and 5th
Last edited:
RMK!
Well-Known Member
Strava with my Specialized ebike interfaces with the bikes computer and provides everything including cadence. With the MD it does not provide cadence. My guess is it was fairly slow (50-60rpm) due to the distance traveled and I was pretty gassed at the end. Strava has my average speed @ 17.6 mph and my average power was 164W over the 58.23 miles. Max speed was 41.8mph
. I did stop for about 30 minutes near a river at the halfway point.
Last edited:
Good for you! That had to have been a workout. Thanks for the report on extra battery; I want one but wife says bike budget is maxed out for now. I like my cloud 9 seat, but I got Biktrix' swept-back "A-bars" so my posture's not that forward.
I only rode half as far as you today but I was exploring dirt roads and non-roads, including a gulch where I did see a track left by a dirtbike but mostly impressions I think were left by hooves. My hands are still numb - maybe I should adjust my fork. I found out this bike is too big for me after all, even with the seat all the way down, at least when I'm riding in quicksand. Beach sand is coarse and moist, but desert sand is fine and dry, almost viscous when it accumulates in a gulch. Too slow or too fast both make the bike unstable in different ways, fat tires notwithstanding, and the sweet spot is narrow and constantly changing, so really my only choice was to ride with my feet on the ground while feathering the throttle. I tried walking the bike but that was a slog. I think I could tilt the seat forward to lower the horn, but that'd make it uncomfortable for normal conditions. Maybe I should just ride in cowboy boots with a thick heel to give me an extra inch of reach.
One cool side effect of this bike is that I made 2 new friends, one the proud new owner of a Subaru exploring the same trails to see if his car could handle it, one the owner of a property way back in God's country.
I crested one ridge that took me out of sight of town, nothing in view but Joshua Trees and pinion pine and a jack rabbit that let me get mighty close. Wish I'd had a camera to show y'all but I'm not sure it'd convey a sense of how special the moment felt. I don't have to ride far to get there, just need a bike that can handle the terrain. That includes the tire inserts. I know I ran over lots of cactus thorns today, but the tires are fine. I'm really a Tannus Armour convert now.
GEF
Last edited:
Similar threads
- Locked
