My perfect Vado 5.0 IGH

[GuruUno]

My "perfect" Vado is no longer perfect. It's going to the shop tomorrow for a weird "dead spot" in the pedal. I started noticing a little noise and skip for lack of a better description a couple days ago. I am not one to worry about every little thing so I blew it off. Howver, on last night's ride it was much more frequent. It almost feels like when a pedal bearing goes bad and you get the rythmic catch. I had just put Chester pedals on so I put the stock ones back on and it still does it. I have a Park bike stand so I got it on the stand and clamped down, which by myself was no easy feat!

I pedaled by hand and there is definite dead spot from 1 oclock to 3 if on the right side. I called the LBS and they told me to bring it in and they will troubleshoot it and get it fixed. I really hope this doesn't turn into a ongoing issue......

My "noise" was a clicking sound which drove me crazy. I took off the Kinekt seat post on Friday and put back the OEM post to verify the Kinekt was the culprit. For over a week, I checked every component, but in the end it was the Kinekt. I can actually take the nose of the saddle when it is mounted on the bike with the Kinekt and it has a slight movement when I push/pull it ever so slightly.
Last night I disassembled it, cleaned it, and changed the springs.
I put back a Redshift Shock Stop post to experiment with for a few days and then I'm going to try out the Kinekt again.
If memory serves me, a while back I had a worn part that KInekt provided (pin popped through the side), but this being my 3rd or 4th post since the day the were made, I did like it better than the Redshift.
I'm going to experiment again.

 

[TonyB6255]

I dropped the bike off yesterday and they just called about an hour ago and said it was fixed. The belt tension was much too tight so they loosened it and they said it's cured. Two different techs rode it before and after and both agreed that it is not making the noise or"slipping" now. One of the techs rode it a mile and the other did 2 miles and no issues. I can only hope that was the problem.

 

[TonyB6255]

I just got back from a 10 mile ride and the bike seems better than ever. When I was at the shop on Saturday, he used a gauge that was supposed to test the belt tension and it was reading good. Another tech on Sunday checked it just by pressing down and told them the belt was much too tight. They adjusted out 2.5 turns and now it is so much smoother with none of the issues I was experiencing. I am going to measure how far down it pushes and use that as a guide to check and adjust going forward.

I am wondering if this could be causing issues that others are having with motors and hubs on the IGH. On my race car we run a alternator and vaccum pump and if the belts are too tight, it will kill those bearings fairly quickly.

 

[TonyB6255]

After doing some research I've found out some good info on belt tension and how to check it. The gauge that the shop was using was a Gates Krikit gauge. I am wondering if he had the wrong info on the belt tension because this along with a Gates Frequency app is the standard tool for determining the belt tension. I don't have a Krikit gauge but I did download the free app and checked frequency. If the reading I am getting is correct, my belt is still too tight. The recommended setting is 50 Hz and mine is at 68 although I am going to order a $20 Krikit gauge to double check the tension. I added links to a Gates Youtube video showing how to do both and another link with the guidleines for tension using both methods.

Handling & Tension Gates Carbon Drive™ | Gates Carbon Drive™

Learn proper belt handing and tension with Gates Carbon Drive™ manuals, tensioners and instructional videos.

www.gatescarbondrive.com

 

[dynamic]

After doing some research I've found out some good info on belt tension and how to check it. The gauge that the shop was using was a Gates Krikit gauge. I am wondering if he had the wrong info on the belt tension because this along with a Gates Frequency app is the standard tool for determining the belt tension. I don't have a Krikit gauge but I did download the free app and checked frequency. If the reading I am getting is correct, my belt is still too tight. The recommended setting is 50 Hz and mine is at 68 although I am going to order a $20 Krikit gauge to double check the tension. I added links to a Gates Youtube video showing how to do both and another link with the guidleines for tension using both methods.

Handling & Tension Gates Carbon Drive™ | Gates Carbon Drive™

Learn proper belt handing and tension with Gates Carbon Drive™ manuals, tensioners and instructional videos.

www.gatescarbondrive.com

I went through this with the current. The app seems great. I didn’t end up getting the tool. Need to remember to check the tension occasionally. I haven’t adjusted it on the vado yet, but it was easy on the current.

 

[TonyB6255]

I went through this with the current. The app seems great. I didn’t end up getting the tool. Need to remember to check the tension occasionally. I haven’t adjusted it on the vado yet, but it was easy on the current.

The tech basically showed me how the adjustment procedure. There is a couple of allen heads and a cover needs to be removed to get to the lock down bolts. I'm going out of town tomorrow morning until Sunday but will be ordering the Krikit from Amazon to double check the App reading and then adjust if needed.

 

[opimax]

I was shopping for the gauge and see there are different model numbers and different color center pieces, does anyone know the difference and the best one for this bike?

 

[TonyB6255]

I was shopping for the gauge and see there are different model numbers and different color center pieces, does anyone know the difference and the best one for this bike?

This is the one that they are using in the video. There are cheaper ones but not sure how accurate they would be so I am ordering this one.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UP6AH4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1TYOE2YKIHA0H&psc=1

 

[Onimaru]

Mine was loose at first. The screw or belt loosened a bit from where it was set up day one. But then we retightened it to spec with the app (was around 50-55 Hz). So too tight was not my issue. But correct belt tension is important.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Mine was loose at first. The screw or belt loosened a bit from where it was set up day one. But then we retightened it to spec with the app (was around 50-55 Hz). So too tight was not my issue. But correct belt tension is important.

It is so good that the LBS could solve the mystery! Very helpful info for future owners of Vado 5.0 IGH!

 

[Onimaru]

It is so good that the LBS could solve the mystery! Very helpful info for future owners of Vado 5.0 IGH!

Fasteners loosening from vibration is definitely a thing and worth checking occasionally. I like the belt tensioners starting to appear on some bikes instead. Better design imo.

 

[Allan47.7339]

I have a touring bike with a Rohloff hub and Gates CDX belt. It is a custom bike with sliding adjustable dropouts. I did not want a tensioner pulley due to the extra drag and fiddling with it when fixing flats. The belts need to be tight enough so they cannot slip off the rear cog but not so tight it destroys the bearings in the rear hub or bottom bracket. Also if it's too tight it makes it harder to insert the wheel in the drop outs. I have a Krikit but I found it was much easier just to push in the center of the center of the belt and / or give the belt a slight twist to check the tension. If there is not enough tension the belt can slip during hard acceleration which usually means removing and reinserting the wheel to recenter the belt. If it happens too often it will damage the belt. The longest I heard of a belt lasting was about 20,000 miles before it broke due to the rear cog wearing down to a sharp edge and cutting the belt. IGH and Gates belts are great feature for a general purpose e-bike where you don't need to worry about the slight extra drag and want to avoid any chain maintenance.