lordvincent

I've always been treated very well by 50c and I'm sorry to see them go under, although I recognise that others may not have had as positive an experience. I hope that they will still be able to supply parts for the impulse 1 bikes like the front sprocket, and also I have found it very useful to periodically reload the firmware for my impulse 1 agattu which seemed to solve certain small clicking issues when they arose - to do this 50c very helpfully sent out a device with a specific memory card installed, and I wonder if this will still be available from the new company..

Thanks for the replies. So an ebike battery cannot safely produce enough current for this purpose, but what it might be able to do is charge the car's battery enough to enable it the start the car. Agree/disagree?

As the title suggests, I would like to repurpose an old ebike battery (36v) to be a supplementary car starter, which is a 12v system, but I would like the voltage at the car battery terminals to be 14v. Is this doable? I would also like to have the battery as a backup ebike battery, so prefer not to make any permanent changes internally. Any ideas about this are appreciated!

Thanks for the tips. I did the job today and it was mostly successful, but I did break 2 of the 4 internal plastic attachments which help keep the casing together (there are also 4 screws). There was actually no glue holding the cell pack to the casing, so it all came out in a big convenient lump.

I have 2 Kalkhoff 17Ah batteries, one is significantly more worn than the other, but the worn one is the original coloured casing with its graphics etc, while the better one is a plain black. So as you've probably guessed, I propose to open both up and swap the cells and all the gubbins so I can use the better battery with the original casing. Is this a fairly straightforward task, and are there any pitfalls or anything that I should be aware of before doing this?

You're correct, the link is from the Xion section, but the graph is the same as the impulse one. Hopefully this is from the correct section: http://www.derby-cycle.com/fileadmin/Media/Downloads/Bedienungsanleitungsportal/2_Impulse/1_Impulse_1.0/Version_1_Pedelec_Impulse_1.0_DE_EN_06_2011.pdf#page=39&zoom=auto,-466,37 To me, it wasn't so much a reduction in power, but rather an initial boost followed by normal assistance.

Btw, you don't need a dongle for that bike - just change the wheel size in the system. To do this you will need the special device, but 50C will usually send it out to you for a firmware check/update etc., at which time you can adjust the wheel size..

I actually quite liked that software 'quirk'. It sort of gave you a push start, magnifying your effort more in that first stage, then settled down to the regular power assistance. It was particularly welcome on hill starts. The graph is here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/766110/Kalkhoff-Pedelec-Impulse.html?page=173#manual It's a bit like, when regular cycling, one needs to initially put it more effort to get started, then enter a regular pedalling stroke. I missed it for a while when the firmware was 'upgraded', and the reason given to me was that the new software 'protected the motor', the implication being that the initial burst of power was potentially doing some damage. The new software also had three internal 'profile' options, which can only be changed with the use of a special device, and when this was changed to the highest setting the power was consistently better than the original software (except for the initial start-up period).

There were actually no clear answers up to and including your finger-wagging and uninformative reply.

Thanks for the clear answer with reference, much appreciated.

Lol, that is a good point. However the resticted mode might not be a maximum output of 250w but rather an output mapping similar to an actual '250w' motor which gives more peak power. Also I believe they are making a model which can be configured as a set nominal 250w motor but is switchable between having the assist cut off at 25kph or 45kph. http://www.stealthelectricbikes.com/stealth-p-7/ So the question I have is whether any sort of user-switchability between something which behaves like an EPAC and one which behaves like a non-road legal ebike would render the bike illegal for road use..

A friend is interested in buying a Stealth ebike such as this one: http://stealthbikeuk.co.uk/ According to the description, some of these bikes have a 1000w motor but can be switched between a resticted 'road legal' mode and an unrestricted off-road mode. I was wondering whether a dual mode setup like this is road legal to ride as an EPAC (in restricted mode) in the UK..?

What about the loss of resistance in the pedals? I'd be very interested if anyone else had that symptom and had found out what it was. I have heard a muted version of the noise when riding without power, so suspected the hub but would be interested if anyone had similar.

When I had a problem with my battery (mine was showing reduced capacity after very little use), someone from 50 cycles said that placing the battery in the table top charger reset something in the battery and was different to plugging in the cable. I don't know whether this is true or not, and it did not solve my issue (they replaced the battery), but maybe it's worth a try for your problem. Other than that, I know that 50c can 're-calibrate' batteries which might solve the problem.

My bike cleaning routine is to wait until I ride in the rain (which I try not to do very often) then wipe it down afterward.