Cyclotricity Stealth

[Ross_Dr]

I have had my Cyclotricity Stealth for some time now and done around 3000 miles on it so I thought it was high time I made a review of what I think and what its capable of

I started off with the standard stealth 1000w 12Ah 20 inch frame. It was getting about 10 miles from the 1000w mode which was ok for my commute and when on 250w mode I could get about 25 miles. Overall it was a very comfy ride and made my commute loads better than my previous bikes have been. good top speed from the direct drive motor hub, but I was more interested in just generally having a good smooth ride for work. I have used it off road a good few times now and its very fun on light trails but would benefit from some better suspension in this situation which I may well invest in yet.

A good few months ago now, maybe even back in summer I cant quite remember I upgraded a few bits on the stealth. Bought one of the first few 16AH batteries Cyclotricity had and it increased my range on 1000w mode to 16 miles give or take and 250w mode to 30-35 miles I think. I also swapped out my 6 inch mechanical brakes for 7 inch hydraulic brakes which made a huge improvement to the braking, stops extremely fast no matter what speed I manage to get to on it, these weren't provided by Cyclotricity but they have advised in the near future they will be able to provide these as an extra. I bought the Tektro E-350. Last upgrade I have made that has stuck so far is a KT-LCD-3 which has a lot more information that the previous one I had and it sits nicely over the top of the handlebars where the stem is instead of off to the side. I have had a lot of different sets of pedals and cant quite settle on a set yet also.

I have changed my saddle and post to an old race face and Bontrager combo which has made the seating feel a tad more familiar too.

Overall I would say its a very good bike especially for the price which was nears as makes no difference 1200 from new, the service I have gotten every time I needed some advice has been very good also, quick turn around on my parts when I had a faulty wheel.

Some pictures from the end of summer time:



Hope this review is useful to anyone considering a new ebike for commuting or just having some fun!

Ross

 

[Wheel-E]

It's great to see one customised with the red accents. My 500W is quick enough but I do often wonder wonder about the fun I could be having with the 1000W!

Does anyone know what motors these are? I don't think I've seen any others with the extended bits where the spokes are threaded.

 

[Ross_Dr]

It's great to see one customised with the red accents. My 500W is quick enough but I do often wonder wonder about the fun I could be having with the 1000W!

Does anyone know what motors these are? I don't think I've seen any others with the extended bits where the spokes are threaded.

I had a go of the 500w before i bought my 1000w and i enjoyed it but i was a bit of a sucker for the extra power! its so much fun at high speed. Its really good for a day out on some mild trails with an extra battery. I think the motors are just a standard direct drive motor hub, seen quite a few of them around. Oh yeah i cant seem to own a bike without adding shiny bits i like it to have a little character

Ross

 

[Wheel-E]

After adding extra bits and upgrades I've bit the bullet and transferred it all to a new frame - something I haven't done before. I'm most happy about squeezing the controller between the seat tube and rear wheel (in a smaller box) and routing the wires internally.

New black pedals are on their way!

 

[Ross_Dr]

After adding extra bits and upgrades I've bit the bullet and transferred it all to a new frame - something I haven't done before. I'm most happy about squeezing the controller between the seat tube and rear wheel (in a smaller box) and routing the wires internally.

New black pedals are on their way!

View attachment 22469

That's looking a bit different! But at least you still have all the cyclotricity gear on there, been looking at doing a conversion on a bike of mine as well as having my stealth, see what usage I can get from it sort of thing, maybe a bit more of a project

Ross

 

[topographer]

I have had my Cyclotricity Stealth for some time now and done around 3000 miles on it so I thought it was high time I made a review of what I think and what its capable of

How does it go up hills, especially off-road?

 

[Ross_Dr]

How does it go up hills, especially off-road?

I have found it to be quite good a pulling up hills to be honest! I recently went out to a local trail place and the conditions were pretty sloppy, it didnt really bog down too much in the slop and i found it to pull uphill quite well still even doing the odd wheel spin when it got very steep

Ross

 

[RoverT]

I was following this thread haha. this convinced me to pull the trigger on one but I'm still waiting on delivery. Question for you stealth owners? How is the bike performance without assistance? Any tips for reducing the overall weight or improving the bikes performance?

 

[Wheel-E]

I was following this thread haha. this convinced me to pull the trigger on one but I'm still waiting on delivery. Question for you stealth owners? How is the bike performance without assistance? Any tips for reducing the overall weight or improving the bikes performance?

It's not great without assistance as the direct drive motor is so heavy. It feels like carrying a couple of sacks of spuds... or three.

Check out my posts about reducing weight. I bought cheap carbon seat post and handlebar. The suspension forks are heavy so changing to any rigid forks will help. I used cheap chinese carbon forks which made a huge difference!

Improving the performance for me meant adding mudguards, a comfy saddle, puncture resistant tyres, better brakes on the front, better gears and trigger shifter, making it lighter, deristricting it and doing the "shunt mod" for a bit more power. Everyone's different but those things really improved enjoyment of the bike for me.

 

[Ross_Dr]

It's not great without assistance as the direct drive motor is so heavy. It feels like carrying a couple of sacks of spuds... or three.

Check out my posts about reducing weight. I bought cheap carbon seat post and handlebar. The suspension forks are heavy so changing to any rigid forks will help. I used cheap chinese carbon forks which made a huge difference!

Improving the performance for me meant adding mudguards, a comfy saddle, puncture resistant tyres, better brakes on the front, better gears and trigger shifter, making it lighter, deristricting it and doing the "shunt mod" for a bit more power. Everyone's different but those things really improved enjoyment of the bike for me.

Yeah I agree with you there, its not fantastic without the assistance but then again it is designed to have that assistance there! even riding mine without the battery isn't great but its better than when I have ran it flat and just kept on going.

I have seen all the upgrades you have made to yours and very much approve! looking to do some more myself once I'm done with the Christmas season and have a little extra cash. Brakes were the best upgrade I have purchased so far.


Ross

 

[Wheel-E]

Cyclotricity have just created a Cyclotricity Stealth Owners Facebook page.

 

[Wheel-E]

I've swapped from the original KT-LCD1 to KT-LCD5 and very pleased so far. The LCD5 is smaller, allows cruise control, shows realtime voltage (in numbers) and you can adjust the brightness level. A minor thing really, but I always felt like the LCD1 was too bright at night. Early days but I'm really pleased with the upgrade so far and looking forward to delving deeper into the settings. I'm not sure why it didn't come with cruise control enabled in the first place.

Size comparison:

 

[Wheel-E]

And if anyone is as annoyed as I am by the hole in the side of the frame where the cable enters - I have a few rubber grommets that fit perfectly. Happy to send them on for free to anyone who'd like to try one.

These are the ones I bought: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12x-Motorcycle-Rubber-Grommet-Fairing-Washer-for-Honda-CB-CL-XL-100-CG125/401269857401?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

[RoverT]

It's not great without assistance as the direct drive motor is so heavy. It feels like carrying a couple of sacks of spuds... or three.

Check out my posts about reducing weight. I bought cheap carbon seat post and handlebar. The suspension forks are heavy so changing to any rigid forks will help. I used cheap chinese carbon forks which made a huge difference!

Improving the performance for me meant adding mudguards, a comfy saddle, puncture resistant tyres, better brakes on the front, better gears and trigger shifter, making it lighter, deristricting it and doing the "shunt mod" for a bit more power. Everyone's different but those things really improved enjoyment of the bike for me.

Thanks. Are you using it off road? The forks on this have been changed, i'll post some screenies when/if i have it. It's already been upgraded with disc brakes etc which is why I wanted to get it. First thing i though of whas the battery. it's the 1000w which may be overkill for me so I might change for the 500w for the extra battery life. I'll check the batt life on a smaller battery as well but first thing is to get it. I read the range can be about 35 miles but I initially wanted to get a bike with about 50 and with the weight, i doubt I'd be able to ride it unassisted.

Curious which gears and shifter and was it straightforward to perform the mods? Not heard of the shunt mod, will check it out...

 

[Wheel-E]

Thanks. Are you using it off road? The forks on this have been changed, i'll post some screenies when/if i have it. It's already been upgraded with disc brakes etc which is why I wanted to get it. First thing i though of whas the battery. it's the 1000w which may be overkill for me so I might change for the 500w for the extra battery life. I'll check the batt life on a smaller battery as well but first thing is to get it. I read the range can be about 35 miles but I initially wanted to get a bike with about 50 and with the weight, i doubt I'd be able to ride it unassisted.

Curious which gears and shifter and was it straightforward to perform the mods? Not heard of the shunt mod, will check it out...

No, not using it ofroad at the moment. I did when I first got it but the controller literally banged around in it's box which didn't inspire confidence. That was soon sorted with a bit of padding though. I mainly used the bike for commuting so made mods to increase speed (better rolling tyres, higher gearing), mudguards and reducing weight. The Stealth comes with mechanical disc brakes as standard but changing to Avid BB7 on the front was very worthwhile.

Regarding gears, I changed the shifter to Shimano Deore I think but any 7 speed shimano trigger shifter will be good. I'm currently using an Acera derailleur which works with 7 speeds. It made a big diifference! I've just picked up a Deore Shadow (£28) and will be fitting that. It's a 9 speed but can apparently work with 7. It's the 7 speed compatability that limits your choices. Chaningin the gears was quite straightforward but took some fiddling to get them spot on - but once you know how to do that, you'll always have fast shifting gears.

The shunt mod increases the current through the controller into the motor, so it's important to read up on it and take it easy so as not to overheat anything. Mine's been fine though, with vents and small heatsinks added.

I think you're confusing your battery and motor with the 500w/1000w thing. If you have the 1000W motor, your battery will be 48V and if you have the 500W you will have a 36V battery so they're not really interchangeable.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Thanks. Are you using it off road? The forks on this have been changed, i'll post some screenies when/if i have it. It's already been upgraded with disc brakes etc which is why I wanted to get it. First thing i though of whas the battery. it's the 1000w which may be overkill for me so I might change for the 500w for the extra battery life. I'll check the batt life on a smaller battery as well but first thing is to get it. I read the range can be about 35 miles but I initially wanted to get a bike with about 50 and with the weight, i doubt I'd be able to ride it unassisted.

Curious which gears and shifter and was it straightforward to perform the mods? Not heard of the shunt mod, will check it out...

[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure, but I think the only difference between the 500w and the 1000w is the controller's maximum current. The KT controllers use current control on the pedal assist, so if you want to get more range, use level 4 instead of level 5, then the power is similar to the 500w.

Unfortunately, these motors become less efficient as you reduce the power, so if you want a step change in range, you should change the motor to a geared one.

 

[Wheel-E]

I'm not sure, but I think the only difference between the 500w and the 1000w is the controller's maximum current. The KT controllers use current control on the pedal assist, so if you want to get more range, use level 4 instead of level 5, then the power is similar to the 500w.[/QUOTE]

Makes sense as the motors look identically massive. My 500W 36V fresh off the charger without load sits at 27.5MPH so on 48V unloaded would be around 35.75 MPH which fits with the claimed 30MPH riding speed of the 1000W. The also list both bikes as 24KG.

It is possible to change the settings of the stock setup to use speed rather than current control - although having tried it I much prefer the current control. or 'immitation torque' as they call it.

Despite trawling the internet I still don't know who makes the motor in the stealth. Most of their images show the old motor. This page shows the same motor as mine with the prominent bits where the spokes attach: https://www.cyclotricity.com/uk/dual-power-bikes-29/stealth-1000w-n.html

 

[Deleted member 4366]

They used to use MXUS motors, but all those ones are much of a muchness and cloned from a number of different factories. I'm not sure about that latest one. I have seen it somewhere else, but I can't think where.

 

[Wheel-E]

They used to use MXUS motors, but all those ones are much of a muchness and cloned from a number of different factories. I'm not sure about that latest one. I have seen it somewhere else, but I can't think where.

I've searched everywhere and the closest in style at least is the MAC motors with the individual lugs for the spokes - whereas this has two spokes per lug. It's a heavy beastie and I would have expected to see a performance version (1kw or more) around the web but no luck so far. I would open it up but it needs to be delaced first as the side panels are both attached to the spokes.

 

[Wheel-E]

Found it!

https://greenpedel.en.alibaba.com/product/60721014217-805031946/Greenpedel_1000w_electric_bicycle_hub_motor_48v_ebike_motor.html