Lafree Twist problem

saddlecrazy

Just Joined
Mar 7, 2008
2
0
The motor on my Lafree Twist lost power recently after cycling through several deep puddles during the very wet period. It still responds in the usual way, but very feebly. As I live near Bridgwater I took the bike into The Bicycle Chain (where I had bought it) and they wanted £400 to replace the whole drive unit. My brother in law and his work colleagues are electronics engineers. Is it worth asking them to have a look at it? Is there a wiring/circuit diagram available? It is the 7 speed version and I have two batteries in reasonable condition, so it would be a shame to write it all off. Ultimately is it worth paying the £400 to repair an obsolete bike? I suppose it will be a collectors item before long. What does Flecc think?
 

aaannndddyyy

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2007
304
9
62
Norwich Norfolk
Hi Saddlecrazy, 400 is a lot to replace a drive unit, I have a Giant lafree and was looking for replacements parts for when I need them, there is a drive unit on EBay at the moment which I have been bidding on, but the price has gone over what I am willing two pay as it is sold as untested?
Item No 310027541978 ends9/3/08 19:31
could be a life saver for you:) or more money down the drain:mad:
 
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saddlecrazy

Just Joined
Mar 7, 2008
2
0
Thanks for the information. I need to know what is wrong with it and what needs replacing before I buy anything. I suppose I was hoping that someone would have had the same problem.
 

fishingpaul

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 24, 2007
871
86
Try having a look on fleccs lafree information(myweb tiscali.co.uk/flecc),this includes a stripdown of a lafree motor,but also mentions water in the handlebar switch causing problems,the motors units are usually regarded as pretty watertight.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
This is a new problem in connection with water, as these units are very well sealed, so I'm wondering if the deep puddles and the fault are just a coincidence.

There's a well known problem of a failure in the mainboard electronics which cuts out the normal mode leaving only Eco power in both switch positions, and this sounds very much like that. Unfortunately it's unrepairable if so, leaving only the new unit option.

You need to be careful in buying a unit elsewhere. A large batch of bikes were made with this fault at point of manufacture, and they were sent out to dealers with new units and instructions to swap then over and scrap the old ones since Giant had no repair facility. Not all of the old units were scrapped and they still surface sometimes. I've learnt of two more recently, the last only this morning in Cornwall.

It's very much personal choice on replacing a unit, that £400 sounding a very low quote as it's usually £450 or £500 fitted. Personally I'd be inclined to upgrade to one of the newer models with triple power mode and very long range battery like the Kalkhoffs as they are so much more capable and do away with the odd weaknesses that the old bikes had. But of course that's a big expenditure.

If you are convinced the damp is connected with the problem, keeping the bike in the dry will dry out the connectors over time, especially if you could get it into a room with some warmth. There's no chance of water getting into the unit though, it's too well sealed with face sealed bearings in neoprene sealing rings, multi ribbed tight fitting cable grommets etc.

Heres the link to the switch start point for checking that Paul mentions:

Lafree Repair
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prState

Pedelecer
Jun 14, 2007
244
0
Las Vegas, Nevada
There's no chance of water getting into the unit though, it's too well sealed with face sealed bearings in neoprene sealing rings, multi ribbed tight fitting cable grommets etc.
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I just wondered if this is true when one (might be me!) has taken the case off a few times and not really got it together properly? I don't have too many worries about rain though. But there are gaps along the casing where it's not fitting together as well.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
I just wondered if this is true when one (might be me!) has taken the case off a few times and not really got it together properly? I don't have too many worries about rain though. But there are gaps along the casing where it's not fitting together as well.
Naturally I'm speaking of a factory assembled unit. However, there should never be any gap of the slightest size between the case halves, and if there is one it hasn't been refitted properly. Either one of the electrical cables is sitting in between, or a bearing isn't fully onto it's shaft or into it's housing. It's important to work the two halves against each other until they mate perfectly without any gap of any sort before replacing the bolts. Then it's waterproof as they are precision machined faces. A trace of sealant added is also a good idea, but it's not essential.

If you look at this photo you'll see there are inner walls that mate together, and it's possible a cable might be trapped between them. That also has the potential to short circuit.
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