Well, at 54 this is the first time I’ve taken the wheels off a bicycle and changed the tires. It’s also the first time I changed a front sprocket for that matter. I went from the original 34tooth sprocket that came on the bike for off road hunting and hauling purposes to 46tooth (which the archery shop changed for me) and now to 52t.
This is also the first time I had to “break” and add links to a bicycle chain. It all went back together smoothly so I headed out for a test ride.
And I realized I hadn’t been paying attention when I put the crank arm back on; it wasn’t opposite the other crank arm.
D’oh!
Five minutes later I had that fixed and headed back out for a test ride. The magnetic pick up for the motor controller must have gotten out of whack during the process too, so my screen wasn’t recording speed or distance.
But the Origin8 Supercells tires were awesome. I actually pumped them up to 22lbs while breaking them in, and slow turns were still a bit squirrelly. Otherwise the ride is immensely improved, faster and with obviously much lower rolling resistance.
And it’s a lot easier to pedal the bike now with the motor off completely, which was my primary goal in all of this.
Changing out the front sprocket to 52t was also very beneficial as my pedaling cadence can better keep up with first and second gear, and it’s a better cadence at road speeds with the Sturmey Archer IGH in third gear.
Overall I’m really pleased with my first “real” attempt at bicycle mechanics, the new tires, and the bigger front sprocket.
It’s never been my goal to have a “cool” looking e bike, and I never would have picked camo, but I have to admit this e bike is growing on me! I might have to name it.
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