Bosch Performance - Cleaning & Protection

[mab13]

A couple of questions if anyone can help please...

1. When looking behind the 'chainwheel' guard, I can see some mud down there. How should I clean this? Should I remove the crank and do it properly, hose it down, something else?

2. The 'chainwheel' guard on the Cube is crap. It's a bendy plastic which offers little in the form of protection and the bendiness has meant the chain has caught it a couple of times. Not a big deal but I'd like to replace it with something a little better (think I saw a metal version on a high end Haibike) at some point. Anyone have any suggestions?

3. When cleaning the bike with a hose pipe, what should I do with the battery? I removed it yesterday and put a cover over the battery connectors on the bike, but that was a bit of a faff. Any suggestions on this one?

Thanks
Mark

 

[EddiePJ]

The standard Bosch covers are pretty naff for off road use. You can buy the flat piece that you are talking about separately, but it isn't worth bothering with. I've got through several now.
Better to just cut out your own from a stiff plastic, or better still and if looks don't matter, resin both sides of the cover and overlay with fibreglass matting, bonding both sides.

I haven't had to time to get onto it yet, but the below has inspired me to make a full cover set in carbon fibre.

Ref the cleaning. It's straight forward enough to remove the crank arms, sprocket and covers to clean behind. The motor cases have zero finish for protection, and you might be shocked at the level of corrosion. I note that this has been remedied for 2016, with black motor cases.
Cleaning of the motor cases is easily carried out by hand, so no hose required.

The battery bracket/housing is a magnet for both water and dirt, and is of very poor design, but covering it for washing down is easy enough. If you don't already own some, buy a box of latex gloves. A latex glove easily slips over and stays in place. I guess that a condom would do the same job, but my days of requiring a condom, have long since passed me by.

 

[soundwave]

I haven't had to time to get onto it yet, but the below has inspired me to make a full cover set in carbon fibre.


ill have 1 of those how much?

 

[EddiePJ]

No idea, I haven't made any yet.

 

[soundwave]

ill keep a look out when you got a prototype ready

was your arm fractured ? done mine in 2 places first time i crashed n still not right ;(

 

[mab13]

The standard Bosch covers are pretty naff for off road use. You can buy the flat piece that you are talking about separately, but it isn't worth bothering with. I've got through several now.
Better to just cut out your own from a stiff plastic, or better still and if looks don't matter, resin both sides of the cover and overlay with fibreglass matting, bonding both sides.

I haven't had to time to get onto it yet, but the below has inspired me to make a full cover set in carbon fibre.

Ref the cleaning. It's straight forward enough to remove the crank arms, sprocket and covers to clean behind. The motor cases have zero finish for protection, and you might be shocked at the level of corrosion. I note that this has been remedied for 2016, with black motor cases.
Cleaning of the motor cases is easily carried out by hand, so no hose required.

The battery bracket/housing is a magnet for both water and dirt, and is of very poor design, but covering it for washing down is easy enough. If you don't already own some, buy a box of latex gloves. A latex glove easily slips over and stays in place. I guess that a condom would do the same job, but my days of requiring a condom, have long since passed me by.

Great reply - informative and humorous.

You can see below the plastic protector on the Cube where the crank arm connects to the motor vs the metal protector on the Haibike:

The photos you posted above have neither, so do you / others ride without the (probably useless) plastic protector? You've got me thinking I may remove it and not bother replacing it - also makes cleaning and maintenance easier.

Those carbon fibre housing covers look rather nice, don't they. Very interested in a few tweaks in the coming months to personalise my bike's looks if I can. The decals / stickers on my Bosch battery are coming away at the edges a little too so that's something I'd like to replace in due course.

 

[soundwave]

eds pics is a bike with dual front sprockets 14t and 18t tho you can just have 1 with out that guard.

 

[soundwave]

 

[mab13]

eds pics is a bike with dual front sprockets 14t and 18t tho you can just have 1 with out that guard.

Oh yes - thanks - I thought the chain had come off!

 

[mab13]

Also, what's the purpose of that smaller 'guide' wheel?

 

[soundwave]

it works like a chain tensioner i think like a down hill bike but but in reverse.

can get sprockets from here cheap
http://www.pro-cycling-golla.de/E-Bike_Teile/Bosch_Active_Performance_Line.html

will need the tool to take of the lock ring tho

http://speedup.altervista.org/buy.html

 

[Croxden]

Also, what's the purpose of that smaller 'guide' wheel?

It's to annoy me, to let you know when you are in a low gear by making a noise and in honour of the old designer Mr Heath Robinson.

 

[SRS]

Also, what's the purpose of that smaller 'guide' wheel?

I think you will find that it raises the chain line high enough to pass through the rear triangle.
Depending on the design of the triangle / suspension, many bikes don't need this wheel.

 

[mab13]

Thanks chaps.

I'm assuming that Cube know a thing or two about bikes and decided I didn't need one, so I'll remain guide-wheel-less for now.

*scratches head thinking about what bits and bobs to get to personalise the bike*

 

[soundwave]

http://lumilor.com/

hope ur rich

 

[soundwave]

hole bike frame in that will cost 10k look like a bike from tron tho

 

[mab13]

hole bike frame in that will cost 10k look like a bike from tron tho

Could get an xDuro FullCarbon Ultimate for that!!

 

[soundwave]

Could get an xDuro FullCarbon Ultimate for that!!

trust you dont want 1 of them cf fine in all that but crash it with that extra weight n crack that frame be v expensive crash.

haibike will sell a new frame at half price tho not that i ever got a reply of said cost of it.

ask a car rap company to do the motor casing in cf rap should be cheap n custom look

 

[soundwave]

ed could you make them in this .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbotanium

 

[row]

Hi Guys, does anyone know where to get a replacement (discussed in this post) 'chainwheel' guard for the Bosch?