Unusual fault on Cyclamatic Power Plus

[Old Timer]

My wife has been complaining on the last couple of rides that her power plus had a jerky delivery. So, with time to spare on my hands I took it out for a test ride and sure enough it was delivering the power in a jerky fashion (sort of on-off-on-off)
Thinking about it I went straight to the problem, the plastic ring with the 5 magnets that is on the crank shaft(pedelec control) had broken in two places and one of the magnets had displaced which was fooling the micro switch into thinking that she was not actually turning the crank once every revolution that was causing a gap in power output. Fitted a new magnetic ring and then noticed that something had hit the micro switch and was causing the ring to rub on it. Whether the rubbing caused the breakage(doubtful) or the impact from what ever dislodged the switch is not known. I would say that what ever broke the plastic disk must have done it on a very cold day maybe when the plastic was brittle. Anyway! just test rode the bike and all is up and running again.
My wife loves the Cyclamatic Power Plus and I must say that having tested the bike just now I really can see where she is coming from. The battery is starting to drop in performance now and I`m considering either a new 24V 10Amp battery made up custom flat for the rear rack from China (the same place where I purchased my 36V 15Amp battery from) or even fitting a front wheel conversion 36V system that would really put the bike on the map.
We shall see.

Whilst on the subject of bikes and although quite a heavy beast I find myself reaching for that Aurora 9 times out of ten. With the rear battery removed and my 13Amp Li-Polymer battery (Oxygen) slung under the crossbar the balance is much better that the rear heavy standard set up.

Hope everyone is keeping fit and well.

Dave

 

[NRG]

Hi OT, good to see you posting again. Hope you're looking after the 'ole ticker...

 

[eddieo]

Hope everyone is keeping fit and well.

Dave

No they are not! lol

Just had a lovely week up in Brecon and on the Gower peninsular in new camper though and feeling very refreshed....

 

[Willin']

Hi OT!,
When you say the battery is starting to drop in performance could you give me some idea of what mileage you are getting from a charge. It's just that mine - only three months old - has never got more than 17.5 miles and has now dropped to 12 to 14 miles on a charge (this is a typical route - 7 or 8 miles of gentle ascent up a cycle trail (C2C) only using pedal assist and then back down again). I know my weight (13.5 stones - don't know what that is in those funny kilo thingies) and the fact that I am going steadily up for 7 or 8 miles will affect the range but 12- 14 miles seems a bit feeble.

 

[Old Timer]

Nice One Eddio

 

[Old Timer]

Willin

Not really sure of the mileage but yesterday her first light( green) went out and stayed out after probably just 5 miles

Hi OT!,
When you say the battery is starting to drop in performance could you give me some idea of what mileage you are getting from a charge. It's just that mine - only three months old - has never got more than 17.5 miles and has now dropped to 12 to 14 miles on a charge (this is a typical route - 7 or 8 miles of gentle ascent up a cycle trail (C2C) only using pedal assist and then back down again). I know my weight (13.5 stones - don't know what that is in those funny kilo thingies) and the fact that I am going steadily up for 7 or 8 miles will affect the range but 12- 14 miles seems a bit feeble.

 

[Willin']

OT,

Thanks for that but it seems that my battery may not be 100% as my green light goes off immediately I start cycling. I'm going to monitor the range on a full charge for a month or so to see if things improve/worsen then take it from there. In any case 12 to 14 miles on a charge is useless to me.

 

[flecc]

Can you say what the battery capacity is, SportsUk only give the 24 volts in the spec?

I've known the odd model with that short a range, but they've mostly been very high powered ones. The supplier's claim is "up to" 45 km (28 miles), so half that is a bit disappointing. If you find that things don't get markedly worse and they are low enough cost, perhaps a second battery carried is an option, since they are light.

 

[Willin']

Hi Flecc,

As far as I know it's a 24volt 10 amp battery and I have contacted the supplier who have suggested they will arrange for an inspection of the battery and charger - it's only 3 months old so still under warranty if there is a fault. I had thought the range would improve after a few charges but it is going the other way. I would be happy with 20 miles and see anything else as a bonus.

 

[flecc]

In that case with a 10 Ah battery and a moderate power motor you should definitely claim, it should easily be good for much more despite that initial climb you have to do.

Some years ago we did have cases of e-bike lithium batteries starting to fail as early as 3 months, but that's not acceptable now.

 

[Willin']

Thanks for that Flecc. I am on the case already as posted earlier so I will keep this up and see if the supplier has good customer services (though they have been good so far!).

Apologies to OT for hijacking his thread!

Right, off to pub now!

 

[Fordulike]

Hi Willin'
The Cyclamatic battery is 9Ah. It's inked faintly on the side of the battery.
As for the range you are getting out of a battery only 3 months old, it appears to be poor.
In perspective, mine's a year old, i've carried out a shunt mod on the controller (draws more amps than standard), I throttle permanently, even from standstill, and I ride up the odd nasty hill.
I do pedal I must add, just to keep the flow going and up the steeper hills.
Range approximately 15 miles from a full charge.
SportsHq are usually very good at collecting your battery, testing it and providing a solution if found faulty.

 

[Willin']

Thanks for the info. SportsHQ have already said they will inspect the battery so I am giving it a month or so to ascertain if this poor range is consistent before sending it back.

 

[Old Timer]

I think the lack of someone topping the batteries up now and then might be partly to blame. We purchased my wifes bike sort of early on in the Cyclamatic saga so might have gotten a neglected one. I made enquiries with my Chinese supplier and he can do a 24V 10Amp battery for £121 delivered with a fan assisted charger and BMS, I asked about what configuration he could do for me so that I could lay it flat on the rear rack and he came up with 215mm x110mm x70mm which I think will be nice and flat( I could even fit her small rear rack bag on top of it) with the inclusion of a small project box and double pole switch like I`ve done on my other bikes I could leave the original in place to give her a bit more range.

The other thing I`m thinking is I could also use the new battery on one of our folders because quite frankly although the batteries are fine for just running around the seaside towns there are times when I would like to throw it in my car and go further afield without having to take my 30mpg van.(my car does 55mpg)

Dave

 

[Tsakis]

Wow, who is your supplier btw? Seems awesome.. What will be the chemistry of the 24v bat?

 

[Old Timer]

Wow, who is your supplier btw? Seems awesome.. What will be the chemistry of the 24v bat?

24V 10AH LIFEPO4 Lithium Battery electric bicycle bike | eBay UK
This is the one I`m looking at and where my 36V15amp came from

 

[Willin']

Well I've not been out as much as I thought I would - rubbish weather and having been away have curtailed my cycling a bit. Anyway I've just had a ride along the banks of the Tyne from Swalwell up to Wylam and back on pretty level terrain and without using any throttle at all I only managed 15.5 miles before the battery gave up. I suspect the controller may be involved as well as I was constantly whizzing along at 17 mph for most of the journey.

Anyway I think it's reasonable to return the battery as it is under warranty still for an inspection to see if it's a duff one.