How reliable is the e-rad gear sensor?

[jdash]

The e-rad kit looks really great! I'm wondering how reliable the gear sensor is. Do you have any failure rate or something like that? If it fails even in a very small chance, it may not be good because people would not do the current practice of power cut-off with brake.

 

[pocomo]

I've been riding my new e-Rad conversion for just a couple of weeks. I have an IGH hub (Shimano Nexus 7) and the sensor. It seems to be a relatively simple mechanism and should be just as reliable as any other wired component, such as the wheel speed sensor. I would not see this as a great area of concern; it's not like your drivetrain will explode if you try to shift under power. I often stop pedaling for a second when I shift but that's more of an IGH vs. derailer thing.

As a side note, if you are riding on the street you could save some money by going for the 500W setup. I have the 750 and it's really too powerful for me to 'max out' safely on the street. There is a watt meter on the display and I basically never go over 500W draw in PAS level 3, even on quite steep hills (which I spin up easily in a lowish gear at 10 - 12 mph).

 

[jdash]

Thanks for the reply.

By the way, your bike is the most beautiful ebike that I've ever seen! I have a hub-motor bike that is mostly fine for my commute but not strong enough for hills around my area. My dream bike is aesthetically something like yours plus a belt drive and NuVinci continuous IGH, though the current NuVinci does not support a strong motor like 750W. Bike lights integrated with the battery and controller would also be great.

Bike lights can be integrated in the e-Rad system? Judging from your bike pictures, probably not?

 

[pocomo]

Thanks for the compliment. I like my bike better than any of the 'prebuilt' models I tried out - it's both more powerful and more comfortable, plus it was at least $1K cheaper than quality integrated bikes like the Stromer. It's still pretty expensive, but that's just the state of the nascent US ebike market.

I also like that I picked my bike model based on how it rode just as a bicycle first, then looked into whether a kit could fit well. I feel that many of the lower-end ebikes are pretty crappy bicycles, which is not good when you are often exceeding 20 MPH.

I would have preferred a belt drive too, like the Faraday, but I'm concerned about how the required 'opening' affects the strength of the frame.

There's no plug-and-play way to wire in lights but I am sure it has been done, I just haven't researched it yet. My local dealer includes a light set as a gift on all new bike purchases, and they're fine for the city/suburban riding I do. That said, I'm sure next year I'll be looking for something to do with all the extra battery capacity I bought and am not using regularly

 

[sal]

Hey jdash, I just got my 750w, 48v, 13amp, fat tire bike from lectriccycles.com, the sensor works great so far, 2 weeks old. I guess I breaking what's possible with IGH, I have the NuVinci setup, works fine so far, will see how long it will last ( feels fine going up steep hills). The motor shuts off beautiful with sensor, no mid drive chain grid. Pocomo has great looking bike too. Just need to unlock the its true power, u will enjoy going 28 mph, and 12 mph up steep hills....

 

[jdash]

I saw your posting but didn't realize you had fitted a Nuvinci. Looks great! Thanks!

 

[pocomo]

Yeah, I didn't know about the NuVinci either Sal. That's cool, esp. on a fat bike!

 

[sal]

Thanks guys, it really nice and fun.... : )