PLANET3 - mechanical e-bike derestriction device. https://planet3.bike/

[willnottellyou]

Hello,

Decided to bump this up instead of starting another thread.

Has anyone in the UK got in trouble because of riding derestricted bike? Not counting riding like a moron as Alex says, but just cycling sensibly and paying attention to surroundings/ traffic/ pedestrians and so on.

I've have some experience with BadassBox (on a private road of course) and found it great, especially the ability to just slide it off and restore bike to a road legal condition but this is at the cost of not being able to have the kick stand installed. Battery drains faster as well but that should be expected.

Planet3 looks like a neat solution and kickstand could be retained, so kind of sitting on a fence...

Cheers,

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Will,
You decidedly write an e-mail to [email protected], describe your e-bike, and ask for the right chip for you. Also, ask for the instruction manual prior making your order. Installing a chip could be complex but then you're enjoy all benefits of derestricting/restricting your e-bike on the fly, true speed and distance, etc.

I cannot say anything about the UK but my rule is riding responsibly.

 

[willnottellyou]

Thanks Stefan. I've decided to give the planet3 gizmo a go- should arrive in few days. I think it is a neat solution, with only few minor drawbacks- i don't think this bike is capable of doing 45MPH, so this is going to be an interesting test. On a closed airstrip, that my friend owns- obvs...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thanks Stefan. I've decided to give the planet3 gizmo a go- should arrive in few days. I think it is a neat solution, with only few minor drawbacks- i don't think this bike is capable of doing 45MPH, so this is going to be an interesting test. On a closed airstrip, that my friend owns- obvs...

45 but km/h is doable if you really try. Ride downwind.

 

[willnottellyou]

45KM/H= 28MPH- I can do this on a stock Vado without any derestrictors. Planet3 should allow Vado to get to 45MPH (just over 70KM/H)- not that I'd ever want to go that fast, just interested if it is capable of getting to that speed...

 

[willnottellyou]

Couldn't get the bear skin on short notice- this will have to do...
BTW- took less than 48 hours from placing the order to having it delivered to Brexitstan- not bad at all.
Soooo, will this enable the bike to do ~45MPH? Place your bets now...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

45KM/H= 28MPH- I can do this on a stock Vado without any derestrictors.

How so? Vado is limited to 15.5 mph in the UK. Are you telling me you can do 28 mph on the flat, riding a heavy e-bike, on your muscle power?!

I doubt you could ride at 45 MPH. The power demand grows in third power with speed because of air drag.

 

[willnottellyou]

Yes, but only for few seconds- as you pointed out, heavy bike, lots of drag. But it is doable.
With badassbox it was relatively easy to maintain 25MPH, either on flat, or small incline.
I'm really curious how planet 3 compares.

 

[willnottellyou]

I've watched almost all videos Alex put up on the tube- my understanding is that planet3 tricks the computer into thinking it is only doing 1/3 of the speed it is actually doing, thus practically removing the speed restriction.
Main issue will be gearing- stock Vado takes literally less than 4 full crank rotations to get to 16MPH- less than 3 seconds...
BTW- I'm slowly warming up to this less powerful motor- only did just under 100 miles but it is not as bad as I thought it would be...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Planet3 won't give you any edge over Badass Box. Don't think the derestrictor would magically add any watts to your motor.

 

[willnottellyou]

I understand that, but- multipliers between badass and planet are different, so there will be a difference. Motor is 250W nominal, in theory 400W peak.
Worst case is that I'll have something similar to badass but will be able to also retain kickstand, which will be really handy on my private race track...
You know what Stefan- I'm half tempted to install that thing now and just go for a ride. Could also test this doggy lights at the same time...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I understand that, but- multipliers between badass and planet are different, so there will be a difference.

The speed limit for PearTune is 99 km/h, and that's why I went for it for Vado SL: The speedometer and daily trip meter report correct values. Not that it matters with Vado SL. I max out the motor at 160 W leg input, and the SL adds 240 W. Good enough to get at 34 km/h )))

 

[willnottellyou]

I would not even remotely consider going 60MPH on a bike. all i need is to be able to do 20-30 with relative ease. Because on my private race track speed limits still apply.

 

[willnottellyou]

The speed limit for PearTune is 99 km/h, and that's why I went for it for Vado SL: The speedometer and daily trip meter report correct values. Not that it matters with Vado SL. I max out the motor at 160 W leg input, and the SL adds 240 W. Good enough to get at 34 km/h )))

Just realized you have Vado SL now- well done- I was siting on the fence for a while because lighter bike appeals to me and I like the way they resolved the motor drag issue, such a shame they can't be bothered to put this funky clutch/ decupling into other bikes... Looks bit bare without fenders and rack.
Planet3 in, performance on pair with badassbox as you said, although badass had a tendency to work imminently which I found really annoying, Bike will do 30MPH with a push- raced a chap on a bike that weighs less than battery in my bike and managed to keep up with him to his bemusement ROFL...
And most importantly, kickstand doesn't need to be removed. The hardest part of installation was putting the wheel back on.
All in all really happy.
Cheers

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Looks bit bare without fenders and rack.

Mine is "equipped". The one in my avatar is a demo e-bike.

 

[Dallant]

Mine is "equipped". The one in my avatar is a demo e-bike.

Ah, now we know!

 

[Cyklefanatic]

Thanks Stefan. I've decided to give the planet3 gizmo a go- should arrive in few days. I think it is a neat solution, with only few minor drawbacks- i don't think this bike is capable of doing 45MPH, so this is going to be an interesting test. On a closed airstrip, that my friend owns- obvs...

I have been running the Planet3 on my Vado 4 for about 2,000km. I modified mine by sanding all of the artifacts from the 3D print off of the moving parts and then used silicone lubricant. Works perfectly and smoothly. I had to remove it to replace a cracked rim and there was no visible wear. High speeds are no problem but they use up the battery very fast. After the initial rush of being derestricted I only use the extra speed on down hill sections where the Vado felt like hitting a wall once it hit 32km/hr. Pictures show before and after sanding.

 

[willnottellyou]

Mine didn't require any sanding down, perhaps manufacturing process and quality control has been improved...
It is fairly smooth out of the box.
As Stefan said already- this will not bend the rules of physics but it enables the bike to do what it was designed to do, go about 20- 25mph smoothly.
I feel the lack of torque on 1.2rx street tuned, but it isn't as bad as I feared. And it is much quieter and smoother than my deceased 2019 Vado...

 

[willnottellyou]

A wee little update...

So, bike has covered just about 666 miles (ominous sounds playing- oh that's the chain)... Unable to work out what replacement chain I should buy for this- any recommendations? Pretty please with a cherry on top...

No issues with planet gear- works just fine. I do miss the torque of 2019 Vado and had to play with the mission control settings to get it just about right.

Speed wise- with underpowered motor, it takes a bit to get to 30MPH- staying at 30 for prolonged durations hardly possible, half a mile, up to a mile but that's about it- but, it happily and effortlessly cruises at around 20MPH which was what I wanted.

Someone mention that this bike would benefit from having gear 5 and half- I agree.

Underpowered 1.2e motor is just as power hungry as 1.3 in my old Vado was- same route, same user, same conditions, same settings- 1% of battery is used to cover about 0.4 mile, so total range in real world conditions is in region of 40 miles. My daily commute is 30, so I top up the battery to just under 90% and that covers all bases.

I still think components used are really bottom of the bargain bucket- fenders must be made out of tinfoil as they bend and twist when wind blows. I still miss the funky rack mounted rear lightbar- it was cool.

Other than that, it is ok, but I wouldn't pay £2800 they sell them for for it- realistically, it should be priced at £1999- tops.

Cheers all

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Unable to work out what replacement chain I should buy for this- any recommendations?

Remind me how many gears you have on your e-bike. It is also necessary for you to count the links in your chain and tell me the number.

P.S. Will, you are probably not aware how good e-bike you've got. Any doubt? Go and buy a Bosch e-bike