How Hot Should The Rear Hub/Motor Get?

[Pappy]

My Diamondback Lindau EXC we just bought for only $1350.00 is the new love of my life Being badly disabled, this is the FIRST smile on my face in 15 months since I survived 4 major surgeries in a 5 month nightmare back then. Today is just the third time I have been able to ride it. I replaced the stock seat with a much larger Cruiser style seat with LOTS of Memory/Gel as well as 2 springs on the seat itself and kept the factory shock post. WHAT a difference!

Anyway, after a 10.5 mile ride at setting #4 assist and FULL speed of 19.5 MPH-21.8 MPH the entire way I notice that warm "smell" and felt the rear hub. VERY warm/hot but not scalding or anything. I suspect this is normal? Since my dealer is brain dead on eBikes I won't even waste my time asking them sadly....I was only a couple miles short of making it to the beach to be able to relax awhile but figured I maybe ought to tun around in case? Being too disabled to even stand on my own much less walk without a walker etc, I need a bench to sit on or a chair wherever I "land". The harbor I planned to visit would have been the perfect outing but figure I will check here first to see if it is normal to expect a really VERY warm hub after 10-11 miles of full speed riding? Also, is this BAD for the bike? I found no "break in" directions to speak of in my paperwork.

Thanks so much for ANY tips. I am SO IN LOVE with this new bike. I still also love my new Electra Townie but wonder if I will ever want to honestly ride it again after riding Electric? I do constantly have little panic attacks however wondering how much a tow truck will cost me if I bread down or get a flat etc.....Being crippled and reaching old age is freakin my old self out!

 

[opimax]

they have break down insurance for ebikes, includes 5 "tows" year and other stuff, search here for Velo insurance I think that is the correct name

I also never go out w/o knowing who will come get me if i have an issue, 99% it is my wife, sometimes friends when she is out of town. I know where the keys are to the truck w/the rack that always is mounted and they have access to my house

I hate to say this but it isnt if you will have a problem but when

 

[Pappy]

Thank you so MUCH for that! I honestly never even heard of that before.

 

[CJDub]

Hey Pappy - it's great to hear you love your bike and are getting out and riding it. It sounds like you got a great deal on your bike.

I have the Diamondback Trace EXC and I noticed a hot smell the first time I rode mine. I didn't check the motor to see if it was warm though. Maybe it's just the paint on the motor. Anyway it's running fine. You are an inspiration to us all after all you have been through. Most people in your situation would just sit in a chair and watch TV.

Maybe you need a buddy to ride with in case you have a problem. Hang in there, and I admire your courage!

 

[Pappy]

Hey Pappy - it's great to hear you love your bike and are getting out and riding it. It sounds like you got a great deal on your bike.

I have the Diamondback Trace EXC and I noticed a hot smell the first time I rode mine. I didn't check the motor to see if it was warm though. Maybe it's just the paint on the motor. Anyway it's running fine. You are an inspiration to us all after all you have been through. Most people in your situation would just sit in a chair and watch TV.

Maybe you need a buddy to ride with in case you have a problem. Hang in there, and I admire your courage!

Thanks so much,
I noticed that smell as well. And even the battery a bit but similar to my electric wheelchair so never worried too much on that. I have made a friend when I try physical therapy walking using trekking poles. He too is an old goat but HE is o over 70 and has a home made electric bike. trouble is he just had cancer surgery and haven't seen him since. He always rode next to me for awhile cheering me on. Now I am worried about HIM but only met him in the park across the street so only a casual "friend. Hopefully he will resurface soon and off we will go

 

[J.R.]

There shouldn't be any paint on the motor, it should be black or silver anodized aluminum. The smell is very likely the glue that holds all the magnets in the motor, it'll gas off and the smell will diminish in time. If you are concerned about excessive heat, you can purchase a multi tester with temperature for $30+/-. Likely everything is fine though.

 

[Pappy]

Thank you JR,

Can you tell me if it i abusive of me to ride 10 miles at a time with assist at level 4 at at 18-21 MPH the entire time? I know of course that this does draw FAR more juice from the battery from fighting the wind at higher speed alone. My problem is I can only endure the physical pain for a very brief period then need to get off the bike to rest in a more natural position someplace for 15+ minutes.

My second big question is about "break in". I have found NO info saying that is required on the motor or drive train. I have just tried my best to be VERY easy on the disc brakes to allow everything to seat properly. I dearly LOVE this bike after over a year in bed....I want to care for it properly and not do anything that causes undue stress on ANY of it's components.

I also assumed the smells I notice are the same as the ones on my 4 wheel electric Pride Victory Sport Mobility scooter when we bought that 18 months ago. Like anything, it just takes some hours to do what its gonna do off gassing. But I know nothing about what it is that most contributes to early failures on eBikes. I would honestly prefer to learn the do's & don't before I do something I can't afford to fix. I never dreamed I would even have an electric bike till late next year. Then we just accidentally stumbled upon this and found it impossible to pass up at $1350.00. I admit I was told to ONLY by the Pedigo brand for reliability and with their stellar dealer nearby was all for it. But I fell SO in love with THIS at first sight and may not even live till next year. Choice was obvious. I have now had more fun in the past 5 days than in the past 10 years of becoming crippled & paralyzed. I have NO regrets just worry about how to best care for this new bike,
Mike/AKA "Pappy" (who can't figure out HOW to fix the spelling on my name!

 

[J.R.]

Hi Pappy,

I don't think it's likely you are smelling the motor at all. In the summer sun and heat there are many parts of your new bike that will gas off and the biggest will be your replacement saddle. I think you said you installed a large, foam saddle and the memory foam and vinyl cover will give off a lot of odor when new in the heat.

As for abuse? Think of your hub motor like you would a new house fan. You buy a new fan from the home center in early summer, take it home, plug it in and never give it a second thought. There is no break-in for your hub motor, it's essentially no different than a fan motor. When your dealing with a new ebike, you are most concerned with treating the battery as good as possible and charging it frequently. More charges doesn't equal abuse, deep discharging can have a negative impact on lifespan. I charge my battery after every ride in a climate controlled space (air conditioning in summer and heat in winter). Also if time permits I let the battery rest an hour or so in a climate controlled space, prior to charging.

The bike components need to be looked at more frequently when new. Keep a close eye to make sure all fasteners are torqued properly, derailleurs, brakes and chain are properly lubricated and adjusted. Spokes are very important, especially on hub motor ebikes, make sure they are properly tensioned and the wheels remain true. Spend some time reading Sheldon Brown's bike maintenance articles. You did the research and reading to purchase an ebike, now's the time to research how to keep it rolling for years to come!

Good luck!
JR

Edit: You may need to ask Admin to change your name (if even possible?), start a private conversation and include Court, Ann and Tara. You could also start a new membership and let the pAPPY one fade away, a few here have done that.

 

[Pappy]

Thanks again JR,
Luckily I also read the exactly info on the battery maintenance on some YouTube video from ebike review (as a subscriber) long ago and do the exact same with my electric mobility scooter. I did not know about the site/link you gave me. That is a wonderful place for me to learn. Sadly, I will never be able to do anything beyond possibly chain lube given my disabilities. If I were married to anyone other than my amazing wife, NOBODY would even ever dream of buying me ANY kind of bike when I can't even stand up on my own. But we both grew up together Surfing together and she knows just how determined I am. Being a 4 times wounded USMC Combat Veteran, now with 6 new spine fusions and even a Mastectomy (yep, guys need em too sometimes), as well as having a massive grapefruit sized tumor removed from my spine that paralyzed me....well, SHE just knew that if anyone could come back to like with a very fast bicycle, it was me. She saw how selling off my surfboards and bicycles destroyed what was left of my spirit but with no chance of ever using them again, seeing them everyday didn't do any good either. It did help to pay off some medical bill by selling however.

There is something, about climbing onto this bike and getting onto a city bike trail (paved but bumpy in places) that runs almost from my front door to the Oceanside Harbor and beach, cranking out about 10 miles at 20 MPH on a nice bike that REALLY clears the head, makes all the disability simply vanish. Nobody SEES that you are crippled on this bike. All disabilities vanish. Along with all the emotional stress and worry, depression, fear....it brings this tiny moment back to your spirit & soul where you become whole again. This bike is no longer about how much it cost. It has become about how PRICELESS it is for this old blown up Veteran, and the beautiful wife who somehow had the wisdom & insight into how to "bring me home" and rediscover that I was NOT really dead yet like I had begun to think. Beautiful woman. Beautiful bike. A beautiful life. All brought back to me by a simple ride that changed EVERYTHING. I feel like the luckiest guy alive in some ways.

Now, since I simply can not do any common maintenance myself and we knew in advance that ebikes do require more, I will call the Carlsbad Pedego dealer and BEG him for mercy. He has been wonderful as we shopped his store the past months trying in vain to afford one (then two) and clearly understood my physical plight. He also educated us (whether I liked it or NOT!) about why HE thought bikes with 12 gauge spokes were insane etc. He even showed us 5 or 6 bikes in his shop (you guessed it- Curries!) with the blown spokes. He was willing to convert our new Electra Townies to ebikes but ONLY after showing us how & why it was a bad plan with all the other components simply not built to honestly survive well with all the new weight, torque loads etc. He really IS a pioneer in eikes in our area and I am sure he will "understand" why I couldn't pass up the price on this bike. But every ride I get in my wheelchair with a helmet light (SUPER bright) and touch & feel for spoke damage he has me SO scared to death they are gonna all blow out. Heaven help me with flat tires. I carry a credit card to call a tow truck when that happens.

At least it sounds to me that the motor will stand up to 1 10 mile ride at 18-20 MPH? I am sure I will slow it down to 15 MPH to save battery range once the excitement phase is over too. It's just that I am like a 6 year old with my first new bike.

 

[Pappy]

On another note I had emailed John the owner of the Pedego Shop In neighboring Carlsbad ( I live in Inland Oceanside at the back gate of USMC Base Camp Pendleton) and explained that I was sorry to have not waited to afford my Pedego and was literally seduced by this DiamondBack and the price. I figured he would blow me off and tell me "good luck sucker". But nope, just as his reputation in all of San Diego would suggest he just emailed me the following which solved ALL my issues, worries, everything. I can now relax, ride as far as I feel good enough to ride and if ANYTHING happens to me, I can know that someone can help me out so my disabilities OR any mechanical failure will no longer limit my riding choices. I would rather pay someone to do repairs and maintenance RIGHT than to deal with my "free lifetime service on NON ELECTRICAL" parts by Performance Bikes who delivered a bike with flat tires and covered in grime and with no fuse.... And who also said they can't and do not know HOW to do ANY repairs on anything electrical. That they would have to ship it back to Currie and have them deal with it? SO sad. So, the below letter eases my mind a whole bunch

No worries, I can fix your bike going forward. If you brake down locally you can always try calling our store. We may be able to help if were not busy.

Pick up and drop off fee from your house would be $35 dollars.

I would recommend getting a tune up between 100 and 200 miles you'll know when your gears fail to shift correctly and your brakes start to feel spongy.