Bighit arrives - First impressions

[PJM]

Well Phil was as good as his word. The Bighit arrived today and he had taken the trouble to email me last night to let me know that he had charged the battery and pumped up the tyres. I got it home and it did not take long to put together. Someone has previously described the build quality as 'industrial' and that is a most appropriate description. The quality of the cycle parts is basic but would appear adequate for the job. I swopped over a gel saddle that I had for a bit more comfort and off the first challenge the delightful and ever steeper Sanderstead Hill. It took it in its stride. I was still having to make an effort but it was never going to stall. It would not climb on throttle alone. There is a bit of a delay if you switch from throttle to pedal or visa versa. You notice a clear cut off at 15 or so mph. I came back home down the very poor surface and it felt safe and secure. I might have to tweak the breaks a little as they do not seem to bite but more of a steady braking. I would rather have a bit more bite but it might take a little while for them to bed in. I quickly put on the Cateye Velo and then went out again and the power goes at 15 mph. I think I will have to calm myself down and just get used to cruising at the cut off power envelope. Overall I think it is great value for money and a poor mans Haibike. I know I have triggered a storm over the 'kettle' plug issue. However I now see where the risk arises. It is a shame they could not have made the battery side male with a female side to the BMS etc. The problem could then not happen. PS Is there a fixative product to secure the handlebar grips as they slip around a little?

 

[flecc]

PS Is there a fixative product to secure the handlebar grips as they slip around a little?

Just use our old trade trick. Smear a little rubber solution from your repair outfit around the inside of the grip and slide it on in one quick action. Don't stop half way or it might stick at that. Then leave the grip to set for a while, overnight is best.

It will then stay firmly in place, but can be removed if needs be at a later date.

the first challenge the delightful and ever steeper Sanderstead Hill. It took it in its stride. - - - - - - - It would not climb on throttle alone.

Interesting, not as powerful as the impression I'd gained from the postings about it then. My eZee Quando based Q-bike can climb Sanderstead Hill without pedalling.
.

 

[Blew it]

PJM,

As I mentioned on another thread.

"There's no need to worry about the kettle plug on the Tonaro Bighit, the ground pin is at 90 degrees to the other pins. Only those most determined to be the next recipient of 'The Darwin Award' could possibly plug a 230 volt kettle lead into the battery."

 

[banbury frank]

Hi PJM

Don't worry about the plug as it has the earth pin inverted so it is NOT a IEC kettle lead

Please enjoy your new bike you will find that after charging and fully discharging the battery about 6 times performance will improve as the battery cells balance out this apples to all e bike battery's


Frank

 

[scarrabri]

Hi PJM

Don't worry about the plug as it has the earth pin inverted so it is NOT a IEC kettle lead

Please enjoy your new bike you will find that after charging and fully discharging the battery about 6 times performance will improve as the battery cells balance out this apples to all e bike battery's


Frank

Hi i too have just bought the Tonaro Bighit,do i need to charge and discharge mine too ,and is there a quick way of discharging the battery or is it a case of just riding it untill the battery is flat,very best wishes Brian.

 

[PJM]

Just did another 5 miles. Tried going around some of the local hills. It gets up them although I might be down to about 7mph in first gear. The throttle will not seem to do it on its own. To be honest I always planned to pedal so its no big deal. Is it simply a matter of removing the magnet on the rear spoke to by pass the max speed? I must resist the temptation. I have put the battery on charge and will pop out again tomorrow as a another training run before the 'golf' commute on Saturday.

 

[scarrabri]

Just did another 5 miles. Tried going around some of the local hills. It gets up them although I might be down to about 7mph in first gear. The throttle will not seem to do it on its own. To be honest I always planned to pedal so its no big deal. Is it simply a matter of removing the magnet on the rear spoke to by pass the max speed? I must resist the temptation. I have put the battery on charge and will pop out again tomorrow as a another training run before the 'golf' commute on Saturday.

Hi PJM ,CONGRATULATIONS,on your new bike, i found mine got better when i got used to being in the correct gear,at the right time ,is the magnet on the spokes that you spoke of for controling the speed ,very best wishes Brian.

 

[flecc]

Hi i too have just bought the Tonaro Bighit,do i need to charge and discharge mine too ,and is there a quick way of discharging the battery or is it a case of just riding it untill the battery is flat,very best wishes Brian.

No, don't try any quick discharge method as it could damage the battery. Just ride until the battery is low, and this doesn't have to be in one go, the discharging can be in several trips if that's more convenient.

 

[scarrabri]

No, don't try any quick discharge method as it could damage the battery. Just ride until the battery is low, and this doesn't have to be in one go, the discharging can be in several trips if that's more convenient.

Hi flecc thanks again for your help my friend,its just in the manual it states charge it up after every journey,and it reads as if it does not want you to let it get too low,a little confusing,best wishes Brian.

 

[flecc]

That's correct for once it's conditioned Brian, giving the longest life. It's only when new that it needs a full discharge or two to ensure the full capacity is reached at the outset. If the battery has a built in meter, discharging it fully also sets the meter's zero point so it reads accurately in future.

 

[PJM]

So I should just run it down to say one green light left before I charge it?

 

[flecc]

Yes, or even to cut out point, though you probably wouldn't want to that any distance from home. The main thing is to get it low, and one LED is ok for that

 

[scarrabri]

Yes, or even to cut out point, though you probably wouldn't want to that any distance from home. The main thing is to get it low, and one LED is ok for that

Thanks flecc ,thats a lot clearer now.best wishes Brian.

 

[Jon]

I was advised to do 3 or 4 full discharges to condition the battery on my Race. I just kept going until the resistance was unbearable and it was too much effort to keep goign lol. At 36 miles of lots of hills i was throttling at 7mph is and it would build to 10 if i was lucky so thats what i now use as my limit. I anticipate 45 miles even 50 if i dont mind the work but i think it will cut out at that point. If your crank drive is what im thinking you wont have the drag at cut out as you can just turn it off and ride it back like a normal bike

I have now passed my conditioning as im up to about 170 miles or so. Its nice to have a constant fully charged bike now.

 

[steveindenmark]

With regards to your grips. A quick squirt inside with hairspray or shaving foam will do the trick.

It allows you to get the grips on but then dries tacky.

Steve

 

[PJM]

Day two

Thanks for all the tips. Woke up this morning to find that my feet were killing me. I had been riding around last night in deck shoes and the pedals on the Bighit are quite fierce in their design. I bit the bullet and bought a pair of Shimano PD-M324 SPD one side flat the other. I have never had SPD before but splashed out on a pair of MTB shoes and gave it a whirl. It is a bit intimidating but I will be able to practice getting in and out if I feel like it or just the platform side if not. I read a review on the Bighit suppliers site. Removing the magnet off the rear wheel increases top speed by a couple of miles an hour. Might give it a try just so I can bob along under the envelope at about 15.5mph. I neatened up the cables coming out of the frame with a bit of cable tidy spiral. Only had grey to hand but will swap for black in due course. In addition I took the stand off and packed it out with a bit of foam pipe lagging as it was rattling. It is now all quiet. I have a little rattle from the battery but will probably play around with a bit of high density foam here and there to sort it. I have added a Mirracycle. That is a very high quality piece of kit and a possible life saver. Just had a quick spin and it is all good. Pedals feel superb. Off to golf tomorrow and the 6 mile hill climb course. Fingers crossed.

 

[eTim]

Day two

Thanks for all the tips. Woke up this morning to find that my feet were killing me. I had been riding around last night in deck shoes and the pedals on the Bighit are quite fierce in their design. I bit the bullet and bought a pair of Shimano PD-M324 SPD one side flat the other. I have never had SPD before but splashed out on a pair of MTB shoes and gave it a whirl. It is a bit intimidating but I will be able to practice getting in and out if I feel like it or just the platform side if not. I read a review on the Bighit suppliers site. Removing the magnet off the rear wheel increases top speed by a couple of miles an hour. Might give it a try just so I can bob along under the envelope at about 15.5mph. I neatened up the cables coming out of the frame with a bit of cable tidy spiral. Only had grey to hand but will swap for black in due course. In addition I took the stand off and packed it out with a bit of foam pipe lagging as it was rattling. It is now all quiet. I have a little rattle from the battery but will probably play around with a bit of high density foam here and there to sort it. I have added a Mirracycle. That is a very high quality piece of kit and a possible life saver. Just had a quick spin and it is all good. Pedals feel superb. Off to golf tomorrow and the 6 mile hill climb course. Fingers crossed.

Once you've used SPD's you might never go back, those pedals are great and you quickly get used to clipping in and out, my advice would be to loosen the spring tension so you don't need as much effort to clip out quickly otherwise you could end up on your side still clipped in, not good especially when you land in a hawthorn bush

 

[PJM]

First real test, Cyclist Weight, Brakes, Saddles and gear ratios plus off topic nostaligia

Set off at 07:15 for golf. I leave my clubs etc at the golf club. The new pedal/shoe set up was working well and enabled me to create the pedaling 'disc' feeling that I remember from my teens. It certainly helped. After about 5 miles I got to the real test of a very long and ever steeper hill. I made it but I would not say it was easy. I arrived at the club in one piece and the 6 odd miles had taken me just over 30 minutes. I wish I could say I was not sweating but that was not the case and I was dripping. I think the jacket I was wearing did not help as it does not seem to breathe very well. Bike was fine and remarkably I won the competition and got my handicap cut !! I have noticed on the three occasions when I have cycled to golf I do not ache as much the next day. I wonder whether the ride there warms me up and the ride home warms me down. The ride home was much easier but against a very strong prevailing wind. Average speed 12.8 mph Top speed 35mph (Down Sanderstead Hill). A minor niggle in that the gear change mechanism on the handlebar, a SRAM, seems to drift apart slightly ie the twist grip has drifted slightly left away from the fixed fitting. I pushed it back together and it was changing fine but I will have to have a look to see if it has not been fitted properly or if there is some form of clip that has broken. I am still not 100% happy with the brakes. They are a bit 'soft' and if I really brake hard the front makes a very unpleasant barking sound. This brings me on to my next issue. Looking at the manual it advises all up total weight as not more than 100Kgs. With my lithe 97Kgs and the bike being 30Kgs I obviously exceed the all up weight figure by 27Kgs. Is this why the brakes feel a little soft? I know with a lot of effort I might get down to 88Kgs but I am never going to get down to 70Kgs. Is the alternative to upgrade the front brake to take the extra load? Can anyone advise and recommend a good disc brake. Ideally I want to keep the original brake lever as it has the cut out switch in. I put on another saddle that I had off an old MTB. It was more comfortable but I still suffered with a bit of numbness and would like any recommendations for a quality saddle designed for a larger male. Last but not least as my journey is very hilly and as a high top speed is not my priority would it be an idea to change the cassette to a setup with a really low first gear ratio so I can up the hill climbing ability. Again any recommendations or do I have to just grin and bear it until my legs begin to regain a bit of power.

Still loving the bike and it is bringing back the memories of my youth. I noted with some sadness Flecc's comment on a whole generation that have never cycled. This is very true and goes to a much deeper issue of a whole generation who probably don't even know how to fit a plug. As a kid there was no money for such luxuries as new bikes. The old people at the church would often give my brother and I bikes that had a lovely orange hue of rust. However by cobbling them together we managed to get a bike of sorts together and to be able to ride out was very liberating. People always seem amazed that I can 'fix anything'. This is not strictly true of course but the skills learned all started with fiddling with bikes, the mopeds, motorbikes, the Reliant three wheeler, and all my early cars. Of course nowadays you don't even touch under the bonnet. With wanting to give our children a 'better life' and not making them have to get their hands dirty perhaps we have taken away from them something that has taught me a lot and despite grubby paws a lot of satisfaction from 'fixing' it.

 

[scarrabri]

Hi PJM,stay with it my friend, did you put the bike into 1st gear,when you hit the steep hill, because i have been up some killer hills ,and you had to peddle a bit ,but no sweat,
i also put another seat on,it was a gel seat ,but it made it so i could not touch the road ,so i put the original one back on and got used to it lol, i did 40 miles on my Tonaro bighit yesterday ,but it was on the canal and i loved every min,my brakes are a little soft,but pull up very well ,you have good fun my friend,very best wishes Brian.

 

[PJM]

Hi PJM,stay with it my friend, did you put the bike into 1st gear,when you hit the steep hill, because i have been up some killer hills ,and you had to peddle a bit ,but no sweat,
i also put another seat on,it was a gel seat ,but it made it so i could not touch the road ,so i put the original one back on and got used to it lol, i did 40 miles on my Tonaro bighit yesterday ,but it was on the canal and i loved every min,my brakes are a little soft,but pull up very well ,you have good fun my friend,very best wishes Brian.

I was in first. How much do you weigh?