Quick-E+

[roguex]

OK worked out what was happening, the display keeps switching back to TRIP_DISTANCE after a couple of seconds. Seems like this is a 'feature' of the new firmware and nothing to do with the App.

On another note, got a new chain (Shimano Ebike specific) which just showed up that I'd worn out the second smallest cog (13 tooth) as it was jumping. With the 48T Chainring on the front, I'm not getting into the 11 tooth bottom gear - so I changed the cassette from the original 11-36 10 speed to 12-28 10 speed. For the type of riding (mainly bike path) I'm doing this suits me much better. The original cassette had a noticeable jump changing down from the 13 to the 11 but the 12 obviously sits in the middle which is just right.

I checked my chain yesterday and wow it was completely gone! I had no issues with gear jumping though, everything was going ok. I did have to replace my brake pads though. I'd only done 1700kms. At that rate I'm looking at a new chain every month or two as I do 1000km every month. I was using the 50T chainring and i'm mainly 11 - 17 tooth gears.

Which chainring cassette combo will generally give less wear to the chain? A bigger one like a 50T to 52T or going to the 42-44-48T ones?

I'm wondering if I should have gone with a gates belt drive and internal hub instead. Otherwise I could look into changing my 10 speed setup to a 7 or 8 speed one with a 7/8 speed chain so as to give me more life per chain as they are thicker?

A 10 speed kmc e10 chain will cost me around $50-$60aud, plus a new cassette every other chain adds another $60.

 

[roguex]

Try this, much cheaper when logging big mileage.

EX1 Chain - CN-EX-1-A1 - SRAM

EX1 Chain, CN-EX-1-A1, SRAM. The high torque loads of E-MTBs require tough components. The straighter chain line EX1 offers allows the use of a chain that is wider and more robust...

www.sram.com

Is that chain compatible with a Shimano 10 speed cassette?

 

[kBrews]

Thought I'd report on my experiences after about 8 weeks of commuting on a 2019 Quick E+ (US)....
First of all I love the ride!!, nice and smooth and with the e-help no worries about strong winds (common where I live) or hills (not many on my route). I am able to make a 10-mile commute through the college town where I live in about 40 minutes; this would have taken over an hour on my mountain bike, just too much time to even consider

Some "infant mortality" problems cropped up, Giant needs to use more lock washers! The headlight pivot came loose right away, before I got to work not only had the screw come loose, it fell out. Replaced with some spare hardware I had in the garage including some lock washers. Also ran a cable tie around the pivot point nearest the light around the head tube to make sure it didn't pivot down. Also added a small cable tie to the wire to keep it from touching the wheel (I think to got pulled out of position carrying the bike in a car). Similarly the front fender bolt got loose.

Got a flat once, so I got a thorn-proof replacement tube and California Bike Gear Stop Flats 2 tire liners at my LBS - belt and suspenders - no flats since.

The biggest problem I had was once the chain jumped off the crank gear and got stuck between the gear and the frame, an issue also reported by @Peter the unicycle guy. The cowling for the motor, a wire and a bolt down there all were conspiring to keep it from coming out the way it went in. This happened while going over a speed hump (our city loves these "traffic calming" devices) at about 20 mph in high gear. Had to take it to the LBS -- couldn't get it out on the side of the road doing all kinds of pulling while levering with my tire tools-- not a happy day. The LBS mechanic said he had to take the chain apart to get it out, so I asked to have a speed link put in. He installed a KMC Missing Link 10R and I bought a chain pliers in order to open and close it on the road if it gets stuck again. He also pointed out the switch on the derailleur which was supposed to be in the "ON" position to keep the chain tension high in order to prevent slack that could lead to the chain jumping on bumps. Will keep an eye on that; I am old school bike guy who's not used to these new-fangled deraillers, hydraulic disk brakes, etc.

Bottom line, I love the bike and the "multi-tasking" exercise on my commute while not needing to be a bicycle he-man on windy days, and being able to take it a bit easier on hot days so I don't arrive drenched in sweat. With daylight-savings-time coming to an end here in the US, the days getting shorter and mornings colder, it will be a bit more difficult to ride with my typical work schedule, but will see how many winter rides I can get in.

 

[deetwo]

Hi all, I recently bought a 2019 Quick-E. Absolutely love it. My wife and I (she has an explore-e) have been doing weekend camping tours with the bikes. We tow the dog around with us. These bikes really open up heavy touring to us, and we're thrilled about it. But we'd like to put front racks on. I'm considering installing baryak mules and racks on those but they aren't cheap. Anyone try putting front racks on? We have no eyelets so it's not as straight forward as I was hoping it might be. Any suggestions would be great.

 

[kBrews]

Saddle...
What kind of saddle are people using on their Quick-E? The stock one is a bit hard and uncomfortable, though I only seem to notice when getting underway. Considering getting a Planet Bike ARS Standard Mens saddle.

 

[Berserker26]

Saddle...
What kind of saddle are people using on their Quick-E? The stock one is a bit hard and uncomfortable, though I only seem to notice when getting underway. Considering getting a Planet Bike ARS Standard Mens saddle.

Specialzed Roman. Unfortunalty even harder than stock. But that's the point. You need your sit bones in the right spot and then all is good.

 

[gorse]

Thought I'd report on my experiences after about 8 weeks of commuting on a 2019 Quick E+ (US)....

The biggest problem I had was once the chain jumped off the crank gear and got stuck between the gear and the frame, an issue also reported by @Peter the unicycle guy. The cowling for the motor, a wire and a bolt down there all were conspiring to keep it from coming out the way it went in. This happened while going over a speed hump (our city loves these "traffic calming" devices) at about 20 mph in high gear. Had to take it to the LBS -- couldn't get it out on the side of the road doing all kinds of pulling while levering with my tire tools-- not a happy day. The LBS mechanic said he had to take the chain apart to get it out, so I asked to have a speed link put in. He installed a KMC Missing Link 10R and I bought a chain pliers in order to open and close it on the road if it gets stuck again. He also pointed out the switch on the derailleur which was supposed to be in the "ON" position to keep the chain tension high in order to prevent slack that could lead to the chain jumping on bumps. Will keep an eye on that; I am old school bike guy who's not used to these new-fangled deraillers, hydraulic disk brakes, etc.

My Quick E, and another co-worker's, started dropping the chain after a few hundred km. It seems to happen when the chain is slack, often when changing gears quickly from a stand-still, never when under load, regardless of whether the derailleur clutch is on or off. As you noted it's a TOTAL ARSE getting the chain back up from around the crank axle due to the a hump in the motor cover and the splash guard/shroud. The first time it happened it took about ten min of wrestling and I got covered in grease - couldn't believe how hard it was to retrieve a simple dropped chain; on any other bike it takes 5 seconds and a little grease on two fingers.
The second time (in a week) I had nitrile gloves in my tool bottle so I didn't end up looking like Justin Trudeau doing karaoke, but it was enough to make me look for a solution.
Options:

1. Replace the pressed steel chainring with a "narrow-wide" aluminium ring. Narrow wide rings have revolutionised moutain biking. The teeth profiles are alternately narrow and wide which help retain the chain. Many mtb'ers don't use chainguides any more as the NW chainring together with a clutch rear derailleur provide enough chain security. (Some still do, myself included, as a chain drop can be disastrous in a race run or when approaching a jump). 42 teeth (and bigger) NW chainrings are rare as mountain bikes don't use such large rings, but they are available on Aliexpress in 7075 aluminium.
2. Install an old high clamp (aka bottom swing) front derailleur in fixed position (using the limit screws). It will act as a chain guide and should prevent upper ring deraillments. Bike shops usually have a box of old take-off front derailleurs as people have upgraded to a more modern single NW chainring arrangement. Just make sure the clamp size suits the Quick E seat post diameter.
3. Bodge up a chain guide.

I chose option 3 as the drivetrain is still new and doesn't need replacing and I'm tight, so zero cost solutions appeal. I looked at the lovely simplicity of the One-Up guide on my mountain bike (pic below) and decided to make something like the old Third Eye Chain Catcher (also pictured), that people used before the advent of NW rings, using two motor cover screws as mounts.
Basically I took the front reflector that came with the Quick E, and cut it in half. Shaped each half with a file and counter-sunk the screw holes a little. Shaped each guide with a heat gun and tested the fit to ensure the chain was not rubbing. Used a little blue thread locker on the screws. The material is perfect as it retains it's shape and isn't brittle.
Been running it for the last three weeks and haven't had another chain issue. Hope this helps others suffering the same frustration.

 

[kBrews]

Thanks, that's an interesting solution. I did find that Race Face makes a N-W chainring up to 44T.

 

[BurnStar]

I chose option 3 as the drivetrain is still new and doesn't need replacing and I'm tight, so zero cost solutions appeal. I looked at the lovely simplicity of the One-Up guide on my mountain bike (pic below) and decided to make something like the old Third Eye Chain Catcher (also pictured), that people used before the advent of NW rings, using two motor cover screws as mounts.
Basically I took the front reflector that came with the Quick E, and cut it in half. Shaped each half with a file and counter-sunk the screw holes a little. Shaped each guide with a heat gun and tested the fit to ensure the chain was not rubbing. Used a little blue thread locker on the screws. The material is perfect as it retains it's shape and isn't brittle.
Been running it for the last three weeks and haven't had another chain issue. Hope this helps others suffering the same frustration.

Thanks, 2nd time my chain has come off in the past month, today I was in the middle lane of 3 lanes of traffic, lights turned green, took off and about 3 pedal strokes later the chain came off, lucky I had just enough speed to coast to the kerb. after 15 minutes of struggling (knowing there was a very slim chance of un-jamming the chain) I gave up and got on the train to get home.

I will be trying your fix for sure !

 

[gorse]

Thanks, 2nd time my chain has come off in the past month, today I was in the middle lane of 3 lanes of traffic, lights turned green, took off and about 3 pedal strokes later the chain came off, lucky I had just enough speed to coast to the kerb. after 15 minutes of struggling (knowing there was a very slim chance of un-jamming the chain) I gave up and got on the train to get home.

I will be trying your fix for sure !

I feel your pain... My fix works great - sometimes when changing a bunch of gears I hear the chain reseat on the chainring after trying to drop and I'm so glad it works. Bugger wrestling with a jammed chain on the side of the road.

 

[JohnRC]

I am seriously considering this bike but I need it to be more comfortable for my 73 year old body. Pressure on my hands and the bend of my neck just do not work for me anymore. I have the Kinekt seat post on another bike and will move it to this one. I really like it.

I would like to raise the bars quite a bit. I am thinking of the extension for the steering post and/or bars that have more sweep to them. Of course a lot will depend on the length of all the cables and brake tubes.

Has anyone raised the bars and found it to be ok in terms of handling? I know some bikes just to do not work out when you go changing these types of things.

Ideas and thoughts on this are welcomed.
Thanks, John

 

[2019QuickE]

Has anyone raised the bars and found it to be ok in terms of handling?

Hi John,

I think raising the bars will be fine, I have a 140mm stem on my QuickE and the handing is fine. I think the massive tyres give quite a bit of stability and help to make it feel planted.

Having said that, I’m not sure I’d recommend a QuickE if comfort is what you are after. The lack of front suspension combined with the aluminium frame mean that you feel every little bump in the road. I have a thudbuster seatpost, and while it certainly eases the impact on your bottom, it does nothing to soften thehandlebar impact. I have Ergon grips and bar end on mine, which do help a little, but honestly I would recommend something with front suspension. It is still a great bike, but I’d probably lean towards an Explore E if I was you.

 

[BurnStar]

I think you are better off with another more upright bike with front suspension. I changed my stem to an adjustable angle one but you still lean on the handlebars instead on sitting upright. Shop for a bike that fits better instead of making it fit.

 

[Peter the unicycle guy]

He installed a KMC Missing Link 10R and I bought a chain pliers in order to open and close it on the road if it gets stuck again.

Thanks for the idea of installing a chain link that can be opened to free the chain when it gets stuck between the frame and the front cog - that would be significantly faster than my current approach!

On a related note, the last time my chain came off and got stuck I was so annoyed that after fixing it I took my bike in for a full service (I had prepaid for one but had planned on waiting until around the 2000km mark but did it at 1400km instead). This turned out to be a great decision and since then I have had problem free cycling (except for punctures but that's par for the course on my commute, even with good tyres).

I got a new chain as part of my service and also adopted a slightly more conservative riding style. I think the more conservative riding style is a key factor. When I first started riding my Quick E+ I tended to stay in the hardest gear with the highest level of assist all the time. I'm a lot more careful with shifting now, changing to easier gears for hills and aslo when approaching a stop (so that I can start from an easier gear). I also tend to use the normal mode most of the time now. I'll still resort to the highest level of assist for really steep hills or crazy head winds but sticking in normal mode most of the time hasn't made too much of a difference to my commute time. It probably costs me a minute or two of time but I'm happy with trading a couple of minutes for problem free riding and less wear on my drive train (I could see replacing a chain every few months getting pricey, hopefully I can reduce the number of chains required each year by thrashing my bike a bit less).

 

[Veloandy]

I've had my Quick-E for 3 months now and been loving the ride. 20km each way for my commute and it's so nice at the end of the day not to have to bust a gut into the head wind that always seems to blow. Caught up on this site the other day and interesting to see the common issues. Had my first puncture the other day and when I lifted the frame to put the back wheel back in the cranks slowly rotated backwards and yup, the chain dropped between the frame and the chain ring. I figured if it fell in there surely it could be pulled out. But no, after much effort and puzzlement I just resorted to brute force. I hope that doesn't bite me in the bum with a broken chain in the near future.

That said, still loving the ride and as others have noticed, as time goes by you can run a lower power setting and not lose time. Love having some battery in reserve!

 

[kBrews]

I got a new chain as part of my service and also adopted a slightly more conservative riding style. I think the more conservative riding style is a key factor. When I first started riding my Quick E+ I tended to stay in the hardest gear with the highest level of assist all the time. I'm a lot more careful with shifting now, changing to easier gears for hills and aslo when approaching a stop (so that I can start from an easier gear). I also tend to use the normal mode most of the time now

Same here, I am trying to avoid the highest gear more, run with a higher cadence and lower torque. At one time I was trying to beat my best time on my commute but I realize net travel time is affected as much by timing of traffic lights and various other traffic issues around the college campus where I work than my speed on wide-open roads or bike paths.

 

[Alan111S]

In case anyone is still interested, I had to take the bike into the shop, so got the software sorted out.

Had a really bad creaking sound coming from the bottom crank / pedal area which forced me to get the bike looked at. Taking apart and regreasing fixed that but I never spoke to the mechanic so don't know the exact issue. They also noticed the headrace was a little loose. Anyhow now it's riding so smooth it seems almost too quiet.

I had emailed Giant who informed the shop that they had used the wrong firmware update. The printout has the same Software version, but this firmware does not have the issue where it continually changes back to Trip Distance.

It also has a Sat Nav feature which I never noticed before..... You can pick a spot on Google Maps or enter an address I believe and the directions will come up on the display.

Haven't had a chance to try it out properly yet.

I'm also in need of new tyres soon. Trying to source the original Schwalbe G One tyres here in Australia is quite difficult.

Liked the look of the Schwalbe Energizer Plus ..... They come in 27.5 x 2 - which is only a little narrower, but might be better for commuting. I also like the puncture resistant Greengard tech.

Anybody tried these out ?

 

[Berserker26]

Liked the look of the Schwalbe Energizer Plus ..... They come in 27.5 x 2 - which is only a little narrower, but might be better for commuting. I also like the puncture resistant Greengard tech.

Anybody tried these out ?

Nice Alan - Will have to take mine in and get the update.

My G-One's lasted 500km then died. I put the Energizer Plus on, much better for commuting, feel faster, are much quieter. Only gripe is they are a bit of a b!tch to get to seat correctly all the way around on the rims. Mine are both a bit wobbly but not unsafe, checked with a bike shop on my way home one day. Did everything (Soap, water, dish washing liquid) other than air compressor. Will ask them to have another go at it when I take it in. Other than that, no complaints, will get them again, have about 600km on them, no signs of wear at all. And they are cheap from Chain Reaction!

 

[Alan111S]

Nice Alan - Will have to take mine in and get the update.

My G-One's lasted 500km then died. I put the Energizer Plus on, much better for commuting, feel faster, are much quieter. Only gripe is they are a bit of a b!tch to get to seat correctly all the way around on the rims. Mine are both a bit wobbly but not unsafe, checked with a bike shop on my way home one day. Did everything (Soap, water, dish washing liquid) other than air compressor. Will ask them to have another go at it when I take it in. Other than that, no complaints, will get them again, have about 600km on them, no signs of wear at all. And they are cheap from Chain Reaction!

Thanks for that - yep $35 AUD ! Maybe it's the fact they are slightly narrower?

 

[Berserker26]

Thanks for that - yep $35 AUD ! Maybe it's the fact they are slightly narrower?

And no knobs, I noticed the same going from Cyclocross tires to slicks on my old cross bike. I think that they make no noise gives the illusion you're going quicker