townie ebike extra speed
- Thread starter Alsbikes
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Dewey
Well-Known Member
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- USA
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- Arlington, Virginia
https://www.ebiketuning.com/shop/bosch-gen2/asa-espeed-b32-14.html but they don't ship to the US or Canada, requires you to remove the crank using special tools, it reportedly disables shift detection, it voids your warranty, and you would probably need to fit a bigger sprocket. Read this thread.
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tomjasz
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- Minnesnowta
Not a great idea. You bought a 20MPH bike. There are always some workarounds but you best be prepared for the consequences and the pitfalls. Believe me. I've been there. Best to save you nickels and do a total upgrade. I'm not sure what Dewey is on about, sorry Dewey, but it may have nothing to do with your bike. There are several versions of motors used for the Townie. If you have the Bosch his link is relevant but IMO not a good idea unless you want to play mechanic. If you have a hub motor version you ned to upgrade the motor and battery. I love the Townie as a base for a build. I build exclusively on crank forward townie frames. Using kits the townie can easily be a 30MPH bike. Sadly trying to upgrade from a slower motor, and less powerful battery, is not a great success.
Dewey
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Agree this won't work with an earlier model year, I assumed because OP stated he has a "new" bike that meant he has a >2016 Townie Go! with the Bosch motor. Also agree about the upgrades, at the least if you're modifying a stock Townie Go! for speed you will want to replace the Shimano roller brakes with the hydraulic disc brakes from the 2017 Townie Commute Go! I agree OP would be better off trading in for a purpose built speed pedelec.
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emco5
Active Member
Ride down hills.
Alsbikes
New Member
thanks for thanks for the reply I would like to learn more about the upgrade you're talking about I bought this for my wife so she could go on longer rides with me I raced bicycles and it's easy for me to keep a 22 to 24 mile an hour average she does great on Hills uphill but it would be nice for her to be able to go a bit faster
Trail Cruiser
Well-Known Member
You have to specify if it has the older hub motor or the mid drive. If you have the older hub motor then you are out of luck. If it is the newer model with Gen 2 Bosch Performance Cruise, then you can try this very easy trick.
Here's the website:
https://www.badassebikes.com/en/badass-box/bosch/typ3-4-bosch/a-114/
Greg and Jackie
New Member
I also agree , I own a Townie Go! - the top speed is terrible. I was wondering if the motor can be swapped for a performance speed ?
Great bike but definitely needs to be faster.
Great bike but definitely needs to be faster.
Larry Ganz
Active Member
I think it would drive me nuts to have the trip computer reporting the wrong number of miles traveled just because I used a box to muck with the speed readings and fool the bike into letting me get assist at higher speeds.
Trail Cruiser
Well-Known Member
If you are concerned about correct real time speed reading, that is possible with the use of a piggyback microprocessor but you have to open the mid drive casing in order to install it. Of course, your warranty is already void by that time.
Or you can simply overlay a separate cycle computer on top of the intuvia that can also provide additional information such as cadence.
Either way, you must be desperate to have higher speed capability just to do all the hassle.
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Larry Ganz
Active Member
I went on a ride by myself today where I spent a good amount of time between 22-27mph on some flat or slight downhill sections, and I was keeping up with the cars with no help from the motor at those speeds, only to come upon a mild hill that would cause me to gradually loose speed until I dropped below 20mph. Then the pedal assist would finally kick back in around 19.5mph.
But by that time I'd lost a lot of momentum and I would have to stand on the pedals to maintain even 15-18mph in Turbo mode. Then frustrated drivers would start to pass me. Sometimes I'd have to downshift 1-3 gears to get my cadence back up; because my Bosche motor makes more power when my cadence is higher (over 60), where lugging it at a lower cadence in top gear at 15-18mph won't result in full power pedal assist.
So, this is basically the only instance when I'd like to override the 20mph limiter, and since it's not often that I'm not riding with my wife and that I'm trying to keep up with traffic at 25mph. It's probably not worth it to me.
The first leg of this ride was 8 miles of downhill and level ground, with an 800 foot actual elevation drop over the first 3-4 miles, but there was about 300 feet of total climbing involved during that ride (5-6 climbs needing assist). I averaged 19.4 mph according to my Bosche trip computer. I met up with my wife for dinner at that point, who had ridden her bike to work today (same trip in 45 minutes). After dinner we rode back a little over 10 miles, with about 1000 feet of total climbing, and we averaged 8.1 mph. At no point riding with my wife setting the pace did we go fast enough to have the 20mph limiter kick in.
So, I might do the mod chip someday, but not during the 2 year warranty period.
But by that time I'd lost a lot of momentum and I would have to stand on the pedals to maintain even 15-18mph in Turbo mode. Then frustrated drivers would start to pass me. Sometimes I'd have to downshift 1-3 gears to get my cadence back up; because my Bosche motor makes more power when my cadence is higher (over 60), where lugging it at a lower cadence in top gear at 15-18mph won't result in full power pedal assist.
So, this is basically the only instance when I'd like to override the 20mph limiter, and since it's not often that I'm not riding with my wife and that I'm trying to keep up with traffic at 25mph. It's probably not worth it to me.
The first leg of this ride was 8 miles of downhill and level ground, with an 800 foot actual elevation drop over the first 3-4 miles, but there was about 300 feet of total climbing involved during that ride (5-6 climbs needing assist). I averaged 19.4 mph according to my Bosche trip computer. I met up with my wife for dinner at that point, who had ridden her bike to work today (same trip in 45 minutes). After dinner we rode back a little over 10 miles, with about 1000 feet of total climbing, and we averaged 8.1 mph. At no point riding with my wife setting the pace did we go fast enough to have the 20mph limiter kick in.
So, I might do the mod chip someday, but not during the 2 year warranty period.
tomjasz
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- Minnesnowta
Not to be rude, but why do people buy bikes that are slower than they want to ride and who in the world expects an eBike to ride at scooter speeds. Seriously. Put a front hub motor on for 2WD. That'll get the speed up. BTW the faster you go the farther out of spec the brakes are, also the more dangerous riding becomes when traffic expects you to be coming at them at bike speeds. At 30-32MPH I get far more left turns in front of me. Also try you bike out with panic stops at 15MPH and then at 20. You'll see a huge difference. Sadly most riders have NO IDEA of their braking ability until in a panic situation, and that may be to late. I do the same drills that the Motorcycle Safety Foundation does, I do the drills with every bike I own. The fastest bikes are the most dangerous. PERIOD. These bikes were engineered to be bikes not scooter and mopeds.
Larry Ganz
Active Member
Yes, definitely a good idea to test your brakes to see how well they can stop at different speeds, and you definitely get longer stopping distances when going 20+mph vs 10-15mph.
While my Powerfly 7 has bigger hydraulic brakes than the XM700+ (203mm vs 180mm) the sticky knobby tires still don't have as much contact patch/grip for emergency stopping as the XM700+ that I test rode (and almost bought but didn't suit my needs for off road).
While my Powerfly 7 has bigger hydraulic brakes than the XM700+ (203mm vs 180mm) the sticky knobby tires still don't have as much contact patch/grip for emergency stopping as the XM700+ that I test rode (and almost bought but didn't suit my needs for off road).
I ride 2,000 miles a year usually. not a lot compared to some people but more than a weekend crusier. I don't think very many people are prepared for a problem at 30mph as it's not a controlled situation. The tires and brakes become very sketchy at high speeds regardless of the quality. What feels very smooth and stable and ok in normal situations becomes down on your ass in a millisecond (seemingly) when oil or an animal or a pothole cross our path that we can't avoid. I ride motorcycles and have no problem going much faster than I do on my ebikes, where I'm really pretty cautious. Riding always has to be shaped by the capabilities of the bike you are on. Bicycles aren't meant (mostly) to cruise safely at 30mph+.
My trike with Falco hub motor is 28mph and I next to never go above 20 and then only in wide open areas. But I ride multi use bike paths and not on the street. I understand going faster to keep up traffic, but I still think too much bad happens when people run 30mph on streets with cars. JMO!! I'm spoiled by our 90 miles of paths and streets scare the heck out of me now. (cell phones.....)
My trike with Falco hub motor is 28mph and I next to never go above 20 and then only in wide open areas. But I ride multi use bike paths and not on the street. I understand going faster to keep up traffic, but I still think too much bad happens when people run 30mph on streets with cars. JMO!! I'm spoiled by our 90 miles of paths and streets scare the heck out of me now. (cell phones.....)
jasond1979
New Member
I have the Townie go and I can definately say that it is a 20MPH bike. I put the cadence dongle around the magnetic pickup to half the registered speed. And even with that on I found that above 20 say even 22 or 23 the gearing of the internal hub just didn't allow me to comfortably hold that speed, unless I was spinning like the Roadrunner.
Bottom line if you want a faster bike, buy a faster bike
Bottom line if you want a faster bike, buy a faster bike
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