Notes and Thoughts about the 2016 SDURO Trekking RC

[Nova Haibike]

I took delivery of a Trekking RC on Friday, and assembled it that day. The company I got it from, Random Bike Parts (through their eBay store) did a good job of packing it, putting in extra cardboard to protect it during shipping. The first thing I always do is insert the seatpost so I can put the bike into the repair stand. The inside of the seat tube was lubed, but unfortunately there was a burr that scratched up the post. Should have run a Flex Hone down the tube first. Fortunately I have to run the post all the way down to where the end hits the bend in the seat tube, so the scratches are not visible.

I never trust any factory assembly, so I tend to take many if not most things apart and reassemble and readjust. I find that wheels bearing are always too tight and lacking grease. The wire for the front headlight was very long, so I took the motor off so I could pull the excess into the down tube. The bolts holding the plastic motor shield were incredibly tight, to the point I was afraid I might strip out the 3mm hex heads. I did finally manage to get them loose. They did not appear to have any kind of threadlock on them, but if they did, it certainly worked almost too well. I used anti-sieze to reassemble. On that note, I replaced as many of the 3mm hex bolts on the bike as I could, in favor of 4mm ones; I just hate tiny hex bolts.

I read elsewhere that the front light tends to fall off; IMO the supplied plastic bracket is not very well designed, using screws that just bite into the plastic, instead of bolts that mate with nuts. I put threadlock on the screws. I am not crazy about the lights front or rear; eventually I will replace both with much brighter units. I've glanced at some options by Supernova and Lupine, if I want to continue to run lights off the bike's battery. But I may just use my Fenix BC30R (which is a great self-contained rechargeable LED light).

I am not tall at 5'6"-5'7". I was afraid the 19" I ordered might be a bit too small, but if anything it could be smaller. That said, with my road bike background, the cockpit is too upright and cramped for me. I flipped the stem over to lower the bars some. I could lower the bars more by putting the headset spacers on top, but I hate the way that looks. LOL. The bars feel ridiculously wide to me. I may replace the riser bars with narrower flat bars, and get a longer stem as well. I may even go to a trekking bar, or some other alternative like the Jones H-bar. So far the only thing I have changed is the pedals. I did not go clipless though, which is something I have always used. I opted for Race Face Chester platforms. Too bad the blue isn't quite the same shade as the Cyan accents on the bike.

The battery rattles a bit in its mount. I tried to see if I could adjust the lock cylinder bracket to some degree. I removed the plastic housing, but the two 3mm hex bolts holding the metal plate underneath were...like the motor shield...very tight. Unfortuntely, even using a new-ish 3mm hex tool, one of them got rounded out. I will eventually fix that, but for now I just replaced the other with a 4mm hex bolt. I bought some automotive rubber weather sealing to stick to the frame and fill the gap between it and the battery to keep the battery from rattling, but alas it is not quite thick enough. I will return it and get some large gap foam weatherstrip instead.

So far I have ridden the bike just 33 miles. I wish it was a Class 3 pedelec, and that the PW motor supported high cadences. As fat as I am (240 lbs. ), I can still go past 20mph quite easily. But I knew the limitations when I bought it, and I am happy not to have spent an extra $2-3K more just to get a higher performance motor. I still want speed though, so I'd appreciate feedback on Yamaha tuning kits such as the Blueped, Speedbox 2, etc. if anyone has experience with those.

 

[Manu]

Hello, when loosening or screwing and especially when replacing screws, check the length and thread diameter. Certain screws like those that hold the engine are determined to tighten to 20 or 26 newtomn.

Secure the wheel clip and check that when turning ,you do not hear a friction noise with the brake disc.

If you think the screws are easily unscrewed, use loctite 222 by impregnating the thread head slightly.

The pw delivers electrically for lights .5v and 0.5 amps.
Much more limited to put lights of high lumens.

My advice take an independent lighting and leave the one that brings.

The pw delivers a good newtom from 0 to 85 rpm (useful range) and then drops quickly at 100 rpm, to climb is enough but the trek does not have a cassette of 11-40 and plate of 32, it has a cassette of 11- 30 and a plate of 36 teeth, climbing is more difficult depending on the gradient.



The modifications that you can bring for your comfort.
Gloves, seat, seat post,etc.

The fenders protect enough except the feet, look for the right thing to protect your feet from the water that comes off the front wheel.

you have a guarantee for x years.

The engine is an expensive part and....... I would not use a de-limiter or unloked that was permanently incorporated.

A de-limiter or unloked is not to operate 24 hours / 7 days week / 365 days.

That produces a very important overheating in the engine , shortening the life of the electronic components.


To more heat environment,worst thermal transfer and cause of failure, it is not an engine designed to operate at more than 25km / h.


The more assistance and more speed unlock, less autonomy.

I would use something external badass type.

25 to 35km/h.


The trekking is low maintenance and low cost, it does not have front or rear hydraulic suspension.

These limit the total weight ... 108kg and 23kg pedelec = 131kg.

The wheels are for 130kg, you need the wheel pressure to be at 5/6 bar 80 to 86 psi.(michelin protek cross).

Be informed of the air pressures of your wheel mark.

Do not buy a cheap inflator because you need a minimum high pressure inflator in manual version to carry or use another method.

If you buy a basic inflator you will lose a lot of time in the inflation and you need a lot of strength in the arms, your struggle to put 6 kilograms of air in the wheel.


In a few weeks I will relate the blueped result.

Regards

 

[Nova Haibike]

Thank you, Manu. I have been a professional bicycle technician for decades, so I am familiar with the in's and out's of bicycle components and accessories. I am definitely not worried about the gearing; I have yet to touch the 30T cog in the back. As for the suspension, I may be one of the few who kind of wishes it did not have any at all.

I am not well-versed on the motorized end of e-bikes, so I very much appreciate your feedback about the potential problems of introducing a third party dongle to the motor. I do realize there is no free lunch, so-to-speak. I still might try one though.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I assume you have the Chromoplastic fenders. Does the front one by any chance wobble? It's starting to drive me nuts...

Yes,
Mine does. It is very annoying. I'm seriously thinking about upgrading tire and the fender. I have the Big Bens ready. I'll see if the rattle can be minimized by changing the attachment hardware.

 

[Nova Haibike]

Yes, it has the SKS fenders. The rear one has a tiny bit of wobble at the rear stay mounting point; the front is okay. My main complaint is that the fenders are too short; they should extend further down.

 

[hurricane56]

A couple of points that you mentioned are true about the trekking platform from Haibike. I have a 2016 with Bosch. The stock front light is not bright enough for speeds beyond 15mph in very dark conditions. I went to a Supernova m99 which is worth it given the number of miles I ride annually. The big difference is the beam projection from the light vs other lights that broadly reflect the light into oncoming traffic.

Also, if your looking for a tuning chip look at BikespeedRS. It’s a top speed unlocking unit. So it won’t make you accelerate faster just be able to get to an assisted speed higher than 20mph.

 

[Nova Haibike]

I read elsewhere that the front light tends to fall off; IMO the supplied plastic bracket is not very well designed, using screws that just bite into the plastic, instead of bolts that mate with nuts. I put threadlock on the screws.

I was out for ride 15 mile this afternoon and just about half-way into the ride, the screws fell out, leaving the light and bracket dangling by the wire. I did not bother to stop and try and look for the screws; I kinda soft pedaled my way back to the shop (I was working at the bicycle co-op today), hoping not to jar it too much or damage the wire. As soon as I got back I replaced the the screws. It also occurred to me that even though the plastic cover was held on by two screws (the cover that gets replaced with the light bracket), the light bracket should be installed with four, which I did not do originally. Even with the four screws, I will be checking them often. I also installed my Fenix BC30R headlight, which is much brighter than the stock unit, and has a digital OLED display and a remote switch for the 1800 lumen burst.

This week I also received the XLC cargo box I ordered, which makes use of the rack's Carry More system. The mounting plate that bayonets into the rack has a bit of play to it. The box seems secure enough and I don't think it will accidentally eject, but it's also one more thing that adds another source of noise/rattling to the bike. At least I like the way it looks. Lastly, I replaced the stock alloy quill style pedals with Race Face Chesters.