What's You're Plan For Major Breakdown?

[Nomad]

What are you using for filtration?

yeah about that filtration is a good idea. I short of due but would recommend checking with someone else about filtration.

 

[PSm]

p.s. - I carry some duct tape with me, in case I get a big puncture in the tire, as a “band-aid” for the tire to help me get by & be able to replace and pump up the tube. This happened to me once before. And carry a few spokes too, since I’ve had them break once in while.

These are really infrequent concerns, and only come into play for me on those 80-100 mile rides out in the country and mountains, where I’m pretty far away from everything I need including stores for food and water. Just a fact of life you’re riding 4-5000 miles a year and do gran fondos.

 

[PDoz]

, I waved a $50 bill at about 20 pickup trucks. Nobody slowed down.

That sounds like a scene from pretty woman !

 

[Code54]

Added towing to my insurance (about $5 more a year).

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

My plan is to not have one.

 

[Nvreloader]

Here is an UPDATE for the single gear emergency use,
Remember there is NO DERAILLIER, it has been destroyed and can't be used,
this is single gear EMERGENCY fix/use to get home.

When using the 15T rear cassette gear to the 44T main drive gear,
I need 116 links of chain,
Going up to the 20T gear, I need 118-119 links of chain,
Stepping up to the 26T gear, I need 121-122 links,
At the largest 34T gear, I need 125-126 links.

The difference between the 34T to 15T gear is about 10 links,
or about 5"- 7" of chain length.
Remembering that the thick and thin chain links only fit in certain spots
of the front drive gear, to mesh properly.

I wish there was half links available for this #9 chain, as 2 of the gear selections
could get by with half links, instead of a full links.
I haven't found any half links that fit this 9 spd - 11/128 chain size, so far,
still prowling around.

Now, I have to find a chain tensioner to fit the square type bike frame.
The ordinary bike tensioners only fit round/oval fames.

Tia,
Don

 

[Rexlion]

Major breakdown? Strait jacket.

 

[PCeBiker]

Right now on my bike there is no adjustment possible as both of the locking bolts are out of space and at the end of the slot, just like the picture shows.
So this means I have no adjustment possible for the chain?

You can't tighten your chain, but you can loosen it.

When using the 15T rear cassette gear to the 44T main drive gear,
I need 116 links of chain,
Going up to the 20T gear, I need 118-119 links of chain,
Stepping up to the 26T gear, I need 121-122 links,
At the largest 34T gear, I need 125-126 links.

The difference between the 34T to 15T gear is about 10 links,
or about 5"- 7" of chain length.

If you carry a spare chain (or a chain breaker) cut to 116 links (or maybe 115 or 114 links), you could loosen those adjustment bolts to make it fit and snug it up so you don't need an Idler wheel.

And if you carry a short piece or two of chain length (1"-7") you could use two quick links to join a piece to your ~115 link chain to make it fit whatever sprocket you need and snug it up with your adjusters so you won't need an Idler wheel.


That is an odd frame you've got.
It looks like you can remove the chain from the frame without breaking the chain.

You could carry three or four complete chains for whatever gear you want.

Just remove those 4 bolts. Remove the original chain, and install whatever speed/chain you need.
Loosen the adjusters to make it snug.

That's kinda cool actually!!

Edit: I just realized that you've got a mid drive motor.

1 chain is all you really need. Pick a lower speed gear for the chain and just go slower. Help the bike as much as you can and try not bog it or over rev it and you'll be fine for an emergency.
It will be just like my hub drive motor.
It only has one gear.

 

[Nvreloader]

Rome
I am not worried about a break down to my bike, I keep it in top condition.
I carry limited tools/equipment, survival gear for cold/hot weather conditions etc.

It is the break down DUE TO the riding conditions, like tearing off/breaking the back derailleur because of sage brush/rocks strikes etc, that I am concerned about.

With that piece of equipment out of order, you are very limited on what you can do, the motor or pedal power still work, so the choices you are left with are limited.

Depending on where you are at, around here it may be anywhere from 10 to 50+ miles to the nearest help, and there is VERY limited/spotty cell phone access.

1. Leave the bike and walk out to the nearest road and hope someone comes by,
you'll be lucky to see 3-4 vehicles per day on the county roads, except during hunting season, then it's like the LA 405 during rush hour.......LOL

2. Remove the broken derailleur and change to a single speed option, for getting home, (my first choice), and the reasons for these posts.
I have tested these chain options out and it works, with the minor problem on how to fix the chain looseness slop etc.

Tia,
Don

A well maintained and well built ebike one should not have to worry about breakdown.
Now I carry light a multi tool, tire plugs and mini pump. I'm planning on adding co2 tire inflator to my kit. Any breakdown other than a flat tire I'm calling for rescue.

 

[PSm]

Time for an IGH bike, and maybe with a Gates belt drive

 

[Nvreloader]

PC
You are correct, in that I can loosen the adjustments, at this time I haven't messed with that option, as everything is running/working so good.
Being new to this Ebike, got it last Dec, I am in a steep learning curve
about how this bike and it equipment operates etc.

If or when this derailleur goes down, (just a matter of time before it happens),
I'll break the chain and remove the derailleur, (1 bolt), then go to the 1 chain length option.

If possible I would like or wanted the choice of other gears options due to my riding conditions, which can range from rock crawling thru a boulder field/garden, to riding in soft sand washes, or along a Cow/horse trail on the steep side hills, all in the same ride/trip, and or riding on the gravel county roads, I use pedal power over 95% of the time, very little thumb power.

I am hoping I can find a way to change into other gear option to best fit the conditions I am riding in via a hand changed gear/chain length change,
without having to stop and add or remove chain lengths due to prevailing conditions, if possible, in other words = KISS = for me etc.

The big concern I have, is the sloppiness of the extra links, when hand changing between the gear options I may need of the 34T down to the 15T gearing.
There is approximately 3/4" of adjustment for the chain adjustment, at the rear end as close as I can measure it, (just like the photo shows).

The big headache is finding a adjustable chain tensioner device that fit the square frame of my Wart Hog bike, I am researching motor cycle chain tensioners.
I may have to build one to fit etc.

Your thoughts and suggestions.........
Tia,
Don

You can't tighten your chain, but you can loosen it.
If you carry a spare chain (or a chain breaker) cut to 116 links (or maybe 115 or 114 links), you could loosen those adjustment bolts to make it fit and snug it up so you don't need an Idler wheel.

And if you carry a short piece or two of chain length (1"-7") you could use two quick links to join a piece to your ~115 link chain to make it fit whatever sprocket you need and snug it up with your adjusters so you won't need an Idler wheel.

That is an odd frame you've got.
It looks like you can remove the chain from the frame without breaking the chain.


View attachment 146019

You could carry three or four complete chains for whatever gear you want.

Just remove those 4 bolts. Remove the original chain, and install whatever speed/chain you need.
Loosen the adjusters to make it snug.

That's kinda cool actually!!

Edit: I just realized that you've got a mid drive motor.

1 chain is all you really need. Pick a lower speed gear for the chain and just go slower. Help the bike as much as you can and try not bog it or over rev it and you'll be fine for an emergency.
It will be just like my hub drive motor.
It only has one gear.

 

[indianajo]

Being new to this Ebike, got it last Dec, I am in a steep learning curve
about how this bike and it equipment operates etc.
If or when this derailleur goes down, (just a matter of time before it happens),

I find chain tools weigh more than a spare derailleur. I've never broken a chain, so I don't carry them. I can't unsnap/snap the master link without a chain stretcher/compressor plier. The cotter pin master links do not work on deraileurs. Measuring the chain for stretch every 2000 miles seems to predict possibility of chain failure. I carry the spare derailleur in a peanut butter plastic jar, since my pannier fills up with a couple of inches of water sometimes.
I've ended up pushing the bike for miles, in addition to a bent derailleur takeup for 1 consumed 3 tubes on one 60 mile round trip and only had two. 2 tire sidewall blew out (good looking used tire > 5 years old) 3 balls fell out of 7 speed shimano rear freewheel. 4 seat bracket broke. 5 steering column slipping in clamp (poor assembly by bike shop). 6 Broke a 6 speed shimano rear axle. Don't buy those, they only have a 8 mm shaft. I broke a frame in 1957 which stabbed me on my stomach. The lesson in that is don't buy the cheapest bike sold.
I carry a spare foldup tire now (not the schwinn, they fall off the rim), a pill bottle of spare balls, and 3 tubes with 2 more spares at my destination 30 miles out. I check tightness of nuts & bolts twice a year.
From your riding style I would suggest you carry a garmin inreachmini satellite link . You are probably at least as likely to suffer a snakebite or a broken limb or pelvis or a concussion as break a chain. I'm in cellphone range as long as I buy the $30 a month verizon service, and the fire department does serve my entire route & destination. But when I was walking down the cliff path at Mesa Verde Natl Park, I was very aware I had no cell phone coverage. They only way the rangers would know I was laying down in the bush after I slipped would be my car would still be in the parking lot at dusk. Canyon of the Ancients Monument was worse, there were no rangers at the parking lot and people can camp out there.
I carry 80 oz water in summer biking or hiking, 4 20 oz pop bottles. The time I blew the rear tire it was 96 deg and I had 40-50 lb groceries to push 7 miles. The extra water was under the groceries, and I elected to drink sunkist diet soda instead of putting the groceries on the ground to reach the other 3 water bottles. Bad move: sugar free soda is not the problem sugar soda is, but it had caffein in it. My heart started racing about 130-140 just pushing the bike, and I had to stop and sit under a tree for half an hour.

 

[PCeBiker]

2. Remove the broken derailleur and change to a single speed option, for getting home, (my first choice), and the reasons for these posts.
I have tested these chain options out and it works, with the minor problem on how to fix the chain looseness slop etc.

Your frame is designed for a single speed chain, with adjustment for slack so there is no slop in the chain.
AND, your frame is also designed to get your original chain off the bike and the single speed chain installed WITHOUT breaking either chain or using master links.

Pick a low speed gear (1,2 or 3) because you may need to go slow with lots of torque to get up a hill or through something slow.

You can always pedal along going slow, but if you pick a high speed gear, your pedaling cadence will be really slow at slow speed.

Loosen the two bolts marked with red arrows on both sides of your frame and slide the bolts to just past the middle of the slider slots.
Figure out how many links you need for 1st, 2nd or 3rd gear.
You can slide the adjustment all the way to get the chain on the sprocket, then slide it back to snug up the chain and eliminate slop.

Then have that emergency chain connected properly as one piece by pressing in a proper pin, or have a chain made that is complete and joined, to avoid any master link/quick link issues, and keep that emergency chain on your ebike.

When your derailleur eventually gets smashed (it appears that your entire derailleur is sacrificial on your ebike? lol), you remove the derailleur and remove the four bolts (circled in yellow), then remove your original chain IN ONE PIECE , through the slot that is created in your frame by removing those four bolts.

Then you install your pre-built one piece/fully connected emergency chain through the slot in the frame and on to your front chain ring and rear sprocket using the adjuster slots to snug up the chain.

No chain breaking, or quick links, or Idler wheels necessary.

Having a proper fully connected chain built with the correct number of links is probably your best bet.

 

[PCeBiker]

Maybe contact BIKONIT and see if they have a one speed emergency chain available.
Thier ebike is designed for the easy installation of an emergency chain.

They can also verify if my suspicions are correct.

 

[jabberwocky]

Generally my toolkit for riding is:
-A fully charged cellphone.
-A spare tube and a glueless patch kit, stored in a small saddle bag kept on the bike. All my bikes are tubeless these days, so my plan for a flat that the sealant doesn't seal is to just pull the valve stem and put a tube in there.
-A multitool for general tasks. Topeak Alien II on the MTBs and various smaller ones on the road/gravel bikes.
-A pedros tire lever.
-A quicklink still in its blister pack.
-A topeak mini morph (attached to the frame) or mountain morph (in the camelbak).
My camelbak I wear on the MTB also has a small bottle of tire sealant and a shock pump for adjusting suspension. Also a small medical kit. And a derailleur hanger for both my YT Decoy ebike and Ibis Mojo.

Generally my mindset is to be able to handle the common basic issues (flat tires, basic adjustments, broken chain) and if anything more major happens I'm just calling my wife or a friend to come get me. Unless you're bike touring or something where you can't count on any assistance I don't see the need to carry much beyond that.

It is the break down DUE TO the riding conditions, like tearing off/breaking the back derailleur because of sage brush/rocks strikes etc, that I am concerned about.

With that piece of equipment out of order, you are very limited on what you can do, the motor or pedal power still work, so the choices you are left with are limited.

Many years ago, I tore a derailleur off riding some remote trail on my old Turner FS MTB when a rock kicked up and tore the cage open. I inflated the rear shock to max pressure (to limit suspension movement) and shortened the chain until I found a gear combo that kinda worked. It wasn't perfect, if I didn't have the top of the chain under tension when riding on bumpy terrain it would kick the chain off and I'd have to manually reseat it but I rode ~15 miles like that and it was only a little annoying. Pretty much destroyed the chain though.

Most of the time a smack to the derailleur will break the hanger, which is easily replaceable (by design, since hangers are much cheaper than derailleurs). I keep a spare hanger in my camelbak for all my MTBs. I don't bother with road and gravel bikes.

Chains, I just keep a quicklink of the appropriate speed in my pack/saddle bag. If something breaks, pop the broken link off and replace with a quick link. I can't see carrying an entire chain unless I was doing a multi-week tour with long stretches between bike shops or something. Quick links are tiny and an easy fix for the occasional break.

 

[m@Robertson]

That frame break is for a belt drive, which is an option on that bike. The last thing you want to be doing is disassembling the structural integrity of the frame in the field; especially with limited tools and less than stellar conditions.

Doing the chainbreaker thing is easy. Vastly easier than breaking the frame and then being sure to torque it back to spec in the field.

 

[PCeBiker]

That frame break is for a belt drive, which is an option on that bike. The last thing you want to be doing is disassembling the structural integrity of the frame in the field; especially with limited tools and less than stellar conditions.

Doing the chainbreaker thing is easy. Vastly easier than breaking the frame and then being sure to torque it back to spec in the field.

This is my KMC chain that I separated using what I think is a chain breaker.
There was a black master pin in the chain that I managed to remove.

I struggled getting the master pin out (mostly because I was pushing it the wrong way at first. lol) but the other links look peened and really difficult to remove.

I was thinking that I would need to grind off the top of the pin to remove it if I had to.

Is there a different chain breaker that I can get that will remove those peened pins?
Was I only struggling because I was using a cheap Walmart chain breaker?

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

Lemme tell you something about that chain breaker. Had one just like it. It's an aluminum body and a steel bolt. Eventually, the threads in the aluminum body are going to completely strip out, because it's just too soft with the force of the bolt pushing against those threads. I think I used mine 3 times before it was useless.

 

[PCeBiker]

Lemme tell you something about that chain breaker. Had one just like it. It's an aluminum body and a steel bolt. Eventually, the threads in the aluminum body are going to completely strip out, because it's just too soft with the force of the bolt pushing against those threads. I think I used mine 3 times before it was useless.

OK, thanks.

Any recommendations for something that isn't crap? lol

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

OK, thanks.

Any recommendations for something that isn't crap? lol

I think at some point I got an all steel one, don't know if it came from Amazon or Ebay. I haven't seen it for a while.