Help Removing a powerbyke front wheel

Alex728 · Feb 25, 2009

I've only done this for the back wheel on a Powacycle Salisbury but the basic techniques are very similar

if it has v-brakes first spring the release on them so the brake arms are out of the way of the wheel

the issue with the wheel nuts is they tend to be larger than the non-motored wheel (perhaps due to the holllow axle?) and bigger than most bike spanners. (this is certainly the case on the Powacycle although this is rear-motored so its the rear wheel with the big nuts). Having two sizes of wheel nuts is an obvious source of confusion, it certainly initially confused me...

I think from memory 15mm are used on the non-motored wheel and 17mm on the motored wheel.

From that point it may be possible to remove the wheel without having to disconnect the motor cable from the controller. If however you do need to do this, you will need to gain access to the controller - and hope that the cables are connected by removable connectors rather than being soldered!

I think (would be grateful for clarification) the Powabyke uses a bog-standard DC brushed motor so there are only two connections. If you do have to disconnect them, make sure you get them round the right way when you reconnect them or your wheel will spin backwards. if it is a brushless motor on this model there will be three thick wires (usually on separate connectors) and about 6 thin ones (often on one big multiconnector). In any case all these must be reconnected up in exactly the right order.

PS: What did you mean by "flat as yesterdays teal"? Even if there is a credit crunch and you have taken to finding alternative food sources you shouldn't run over the poor ducks with your powacycle; there are more humane ways of bagging wild game birds

Phil the drill · Feb 26, 2009

Hi Rad

Are you sure you actually need to remove the wheel? Most punctures can be repaired with the wheel on. Just invert the bike, slip one side of the tyre off the rim and pull the tube out. It can then be repaired at the roadside, slipped back into the tyre which can then be replaced on the rim.
I had a Powabyke Euro for several years, although it is different from the X-bike, they use the same motor in the front, so I expect come apart similarly. You should see a small silver coloured plastic box attached to the forks, into which the power cables form the controller pass, and the cables to the motor emerge. The cover is simply removed (a couple of screws) and then the wires can be readily disconnected (they are joined by a couple of screw terminals). With the front brake cable noodle released from the calipers you can now remove the wheel easily. You really need either an open ended spanner or ring spanner to undo the nuts. Incidentally they used to be 18mm nuts - a rather unusual size (most socket sets and spanners are sized 17mm, 19mm, etc.), so be aware....If you've got a local tool store you can usually pick one up cheap enough (£! -00 from my local market).

Good luck.

fcurran · Feb 26, 2009

Rad said:
The thing I most dreaded has occurred. A front wheel puncture, just as I was leaving work too. I can't believe my luck these last few days. I had a rear wheel puncture last week. Got road raged last night, and now the front's as flat as yesterdays teal

I was all up for having a go at getting the wheel off, bearing in mind that I've never had to tackle anything as complicated as a hub motored wheel and all the connections. So imagine my further joy when I discovered that none of my bike spanners fit the wheel nuts! That's alright I thought, we've a socket set in the store room. Except the sockets are fairly short reach and the axle thread was hitting the wrench meaning I couldn't get the socket over the nut!

Luckily one of the lads at work was going past my village so offered me a lift home. Bike's been left at work overnight. I've got my socket set ready for tomorrow, as well as a few likely looking spanners and as a last resort an effing gret adjustable, but... I'm really not looking forward to tackling this job. Can anyone tell me the best way of going about getting the wheel off and back on safely and without knackering it or the motor (or wires) up?

Your advice will be much appreciated.

Hi Rad, 1st disconnect the brake callipers by squeezing the arms together and releasing the arm.
2nd get a cross head screw driver and undo the 3 screws of the small motor connection box on the left hand side of the fork. This will expose the motor connections. Get some white chalk or some insulating tape so as to mark the cable from the wheel to the cable from the wireloom so to make sure you connect up the correct wires when putting the wheel back on the bike. Then undo the 2 screws connecting the wires together inside the motor connection box.
3rd undo the 2 wheel nuts using a 17mm spanner (enough to loosen the wheel)
4th using a small spanner (7-8mm I think) and hex set (4-5mm I think) undo the anti rotation bracket on the right hand fork (this stops the spindle from spinning when the wheel is not). This should allow removal of the wheel from the forks to allow you to fix the puncture.

Just reverse the process to put the wheel back on again. If you forget which of the 2 wires go where, just remember red to red. If you get it the wrong way, you won't damage the bike, all you will get is the sound of the motor driving but with no movement from the wheel.

I am away until Monday so if you have any problems, contact Paul at Velo Cycles for advice or email kpalmer@powabyke.com for further instructions.

Regards

Frank
Powabyke Ltd

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Help Removing a powerbyke front wheel

Rad

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