WattWagon Ultimate Commuter Pro (UCP) in depth review

[Deacon Blues]

Around 80 rpm is my usually cadence for the UC Pro.
On most bikes a smaller chainring would be fine, but the chain cross in the smallest cogs (11 & 13) is horrendous, so I'm trying to get my cruising speed (20mph) with the chain sitting in the 4th or 5th rear cog.
To do this I have to move to a much larger front chainring.

 

[Deacon Blues]

My new 56t chainring arrived today and it's massive. Here's a size comparison (42t, 48t & 56t)

 

[opimax]

I have a 52 waiting for 1 of my WW, currently 44, It is a longer frame cargo bike . I think the longer distance helps with the chain line .I am going to larger ring so I am not in the small gear for 28mph cruising and wear it out and start with the jumping . I get about 800-1200 before chain replacement and the smaller 2 gears. I do long distance on smooth trails

 

[Deacon Blues]

I also ordered a 3mm chainring spacer which should be arriving soon. As I mentioned in a previous post, my goal is to reduce the cross chaining as much as possible at my cruising speed, which is around 20mph.

130 BCD SPACER RING

Fits 130 BCD bolt pattern. Great for keeping all your chainrings and adding a bashguard on the outside. Raw silver. Thickness: 1/8 or 3mm Weight: 5 grams

bbgbashguard.com

Opimax, what chain are you using?
I've ordered KMC X11 EPT chains. They're not cheap, but hopefully they'll give me a longer chain life.

 

[opimax]

i rely on shops I deal with. I mention what little I know about things like chains and leave the conversation with “will it work when you are done“ and let them make the choice. On chains I know things like narrow/wide , harden steel or similar, lesser number of gears means more strength to a certain degree , KMC is mentioned most what I read.

they can do anything they want as long as it works including ignore me.

i do not work on my bikes…much

i tend to try expensive parts hoping the quality is there

i look forward to hearing your saga. Currently running on the original sized gear train until it wears out then off to shop with new front gear I already have and they can do whatever they want to make it fly smoothly

ps I would give up some gears if the chain wouldn’t skip and last . The thought being the chain line doesn’t have to move as far

 

[Deacon Blues]

56t chainring is installed, along with a 3mm spacer. Now I'm waiting for my new chain to arrive. Interestingly enough, the best price I could find is from a German online bike company.
It takes considerably longer for the chain to arrive, compared to driving down to my local bike store and buying one (if they have one in stock), but the savings is substantial.
Here's a photo of the spacer/56t chainring/longer chainring bolts installed:

For anyone wondering (is anyone still coming to this WW forum?) I still have a ton of frame clearance with this 56t ring. Using a fat bike spider helps.

 

[Merlin]

I posted this elsewhere, My UC Pro now has the new 3x3 Nine IGH with a belt drive, and it is performing extremely well! The first three gears are so low that in power level one and a quick downstroke of the pedal, the front comes off the ground, and with a 42T front sprocket, it easily goes over 28mph with a 60 cadence. It shifts at a stop or under power, but I find it shifts better with a pause in pedaling when down shifting. It handles 250 nm of torque, and requires no annual maintenance. My Kindernay failed, and the chain option is not really an option, which leaves this the only road to follow.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Did you have any problems lining up the front ring with the rear cog? I imagine if the 'chain line' isn't perfectly straight the belt will not stay centered.

 

[Merlin]

Did you have any problems lining up the front ring with the rear cog? I imagine if the 'chain line' isn't perfectly straight the belt will not stay centered.

No problems at all. I had a local bike shop do the wheel build. All parts were supplied by VPL.bike in Colorado. I did make the mistake of ordering the wrong brake adapater, but VPL sent the right one out right away. Everything lined up perfectly. It has a new 32T rear cog and a 42T front sprocket which came with the bike from WW. I originally had a Kindernay which failed shortly after purchase, so I had the sprocket already.

 

[opimax]

Why is the chain option not really an option?

 

[El_Binco]

I posted this elsewhere, My UC Pro now has the new 3x3 Nine IGH with a belt drive, and it is performing extremely well! The first three gears are so low that in power level one and a quick downstroke of the pedal, the front comes off the ground, and with a 42T front sprocket, it easily goes over 28mph with a 60 cadence. It shifts at a stop or under power, but I find it shifts better with a pause in pedaling when down shifting. It handles 250 nm of torque, and requires no annual maintenance. My Kindernay failed, and the chain option is not really an option, which leaves this the only road to follow.

Looks great are you having any belt slippage, Where did you purchase the 3x3 hub?

 

[opimax]

2 bikes have belt slippage and belt pop off issues, something needs to change or they are paper weights. I have 1 watt wagon with a chain where the bike has no power and batteries are good , stopped in the middle of use. It is no a UC but a cargo bike

 

[Merlin]

2 bikes have belt slippage and belt pop off issues, something needs to change or they are paper weights. I have 1 watt wagon with a chain where the bike has no power and batteries are good , stopped in the middle of use. It is no a UC but a cargo bike

I have over 500 miles on the 3x3 Nine and no issues. The belt has never popped off, and operates as intended. I have found the first three very low gears useful for trails and riding around and with pedestrians. Gears 8 and 9 are so high geared that I seldom use them unless I want to go 30 mph plus (up to 38.) I suggest anyone with a UC Pro to go to the VPL.bike website and look at the 3x3 Nine.

 

[ak907]

I have over 500 miles on the 3x3 Nine and no issues. The belt has never popped off, and operates as intended. I have found the first three very low gears useful for trails and riding around and with pedestrians. Gears 8 and 9 are so high geared that I seldom use them unless I want to go 30 mph plus (up to 38.) I suggest anyone with a UC Pro to go to the VPL.bike website and look at the 3x3 Nine.

My rohloff speedhub, has done well for me so far for about ~8000+ miles of high speed stop and go commuting (worn through 1 belt so far around 7500 mi). The oil maintenance is a bit annoying, the twist grip and the amount of force it requires even more so (I would love a paddle shifter, and electronic one even better). I like all the gears for when I am manually pedaling, pulling a heavy trailer, grinding hills. The lower number of gears for the 3x3 Nine is the only real downside I can see, it looks pretty interesting. If my Rohloff does fail in the future and they are compatible across the same wheel it looks like a great option. I am skeptical of something that does not require/allow for any oil changes or maintenance, but if it works out, truly amazing! I wish there was a more open connectivity effort in the ebike community for things like electronic shifting, its always only Bosh, and they make sure to take their profits in battery costs.