R.I.P. RipCurrent S? Pulse/Stutter when pedaling, ~50 miles brand new. Please help.

[PDTX]

I purchased a RipCurrent S (2019) about a week ago. It’s a beautiful bike and was fun while it lasted. I rode it about 50 miles last week on a 2 short rides. The assist modes were awesome with the instant power the moment you push the pedal down, and consistent power throughout each pedal stroke.

This past Monday, I received some new tires, and replaced them. I’ve always wrenched my own bikes down from the naked frame, so I generally know what I’m doing. After putting the wheels back on and going for a test ride I’m noticing a pulsing or stutter in the assist. Instead of receiving continuous power through the pedal stroke, it only gives a short burst then stops, then another and stops. It pretty much kills the ride (imaging someone tapping the accelerator in a car twice a second). It seems to only detect the peak torque of my pedaling (maybe?) and no longer provides continuous power throughout my pedal stroke. And of course it’s not a smooth pulse, more like a blink of acceleration then off.

I tested various scenarios and it happens in each:

• Low Cadence / Low Gear
• Low Cadence / High Gear
• High Cadence / Low Gear
• High Cadence / High Gear (as fast as I could)

I don’t see any damage to the sensor, plugs are tightly connected, I turned torque sensor off/on in the LCD. Throttle mode works fine, and powers up fully with no issues, but I rarely use the throttle. For me, the main selling point was the torque sensor assist.

I am still within my warranty period and seriously considering returning the bike if I can’t get this figured out. As you all may know, support is slow going, and the back and forth emails make for an inefficient solution process.
Anyone have an idea, or seen this problem before?

Thanks for any help or comments.

 

[youth]

Check your battery connections & then maybe tape it down to the frame just to rule out temporary power loss from a bad connection.

 

[Luis Mtz]

Hi! As a rule of thumb the items removed can be the ones at fault due to misalignment . Please sen us an email to [email protected] with a couple of pics of your tires and the torque/cadence sensor area

 

[Luis Mtz]

The team will help you inspecting the rear wheel assembly based on the following ( and recommend to do the test with a fully charged pack)

1-Items properly located ( spacers)
2-Items properly seated
3- Cadence sensor spacing ( Nickel test )

While you take the pics and send to them here is a handy video https://www.dropbox.com/s/3v3o5m0waw0uqhe/02 torque sensor.MOV?dl=0

 

[PDTX]

I was able to get it to work now by changing the order of the washers on the drive side of the bike. When I removed the wheel I did not notice nor jot down the order the spacers were in, so I may have placed them back in the wrong order, which changes the distance of the sensor from the cassette cog. Here are the different orders I tried for future reference for anyone having this problem.

Going from the hub outwards on the drive side:

1. Small washer --> Small washer --> Dropout --> Tab washer facing in --> Hex bolt
This caused a slight tick and creaking once every rotation. It was pretty annoying and difficult to source at first. I asked Juiced Support for a picture of the drive side order, and they sent me a link to the rear wheel removal guide on youtube.

2. Small washer --> Tab washer facing out --> Dropout --> Small washer --> Hex bolt
This fixed the ticking/creaking sound, but left me with the pulsing/stutter on the torque. This was the order recommended by the youtube video, which is filmed with a CrossCurrent X. Not sure if the same install applies to the Rip?

3. Tab washer facing out --> Dropout --> Small Washer --> Small Washer --> Hex Bolt (*** WORKED FOR ME ***)
This fixed the torque sensor pulse/stutter AND the ticking/creaking once per revolution. I am still not sure if this is the original washer order the bike came in, but it worked for me. This placed the torque sensor just a tad closer to the cassette and the bike is as smooth as when I first rode it.

Does anyone else have a different washer order on theirs? I'm glad I got the bike working, and I'm kinda happy I had some serious wheel removal practice as I've removed it about 5 times now. I feel pretty confident about handling any issues while I'm out and about far from home. Wish support/documentation was better though.

 

[Chris Hammond]

I would remove the rear wheel again and make sure everything is undamaged/ installed correctly. These bikes are heavy so make sure the rear wheel is sitting straight and flush in the dropouts when reinstalling, and get the torque arm installed correctly. Then make sure the electrical connection pins are all straight and none were loosened or damaged when you removed the wheel the first time. You also may want to use an electrical silicone spray on the connectors. https://express.google.com/u/0/prod...6yoYkOTABCIDVVNEKJCp0N0F&utm_campaign=7472660

 

[Luis Mtz]

We dont recommend any chemicals on connectors, for this use we only recommend using a can of compressed air to clean them

Chemicals build up and affect the resistance and mechanical shape of the connector cup

 

[ebikemom]

I'm glad to see that things are looking up! I hate that sinking "why isn't my bike working" feeling. I hope this all is resolved soon and you can enjoy your bike!

 

[tcombest]

I bet you got the washers out of order when you removed the wheel. The torque sensor must be very close to the outside cog. If a nickel will fit between the cog and sensor then your washer is too thick. This happened on my HyperFat 1100.

 

[PDTX]

That's exactly what happened. The interesting thing is that the original washer order (according to Juiced Bikes) did not solve the problem (see my reply from Sep 21 above). I had to use the following washer order:
Tab Washer facing out --> Dropout --> Small Washer --> Small Washer --> Hex Bolt

I'm not sure how/why changing the tire would require a change in the washer order, but hey, it fixed my problem and the bike is back to normal.