Lumpy Crank action

[lemmy]

I'm new here! I had a Kalkhoff Agattu delivered last Tuesday.

Unfortunately, the lights don't work, though all connection seem OK but the main problem is that when pedalling, power on or off, when I take up the drive from stopping pedalling, ie go from free-wheel to pedalling, there is a feeling of a 'lump' or 'slip' or 'lurch' in the crank before the pedal takes up. Also, on pulling away from stop, occasionally, there is a sharp 'crack' noise from the transmission.

I've spoken to the workshop at 50 Cycles twice but the guy there (very knowledgeable and helpful) appears to be a one man band who prepares and repairs the bikes and answers all the emails. He tells me he's often up until midnight going through them!

I'm not getting any reply to emails and no-one calls me back so I suppose I'm going to have to get the bike repaired somewhere local around New Malden, west London. Does anyone know of a bike shop who can cope with unusual bikes?

By the way, I went in my local shop, Bright Cycles in New Malden and the bloke there was so rude about electric bikes (he doesn't see the point, he informs me) I left. So they're out :-(

 

[Bikerbob]

I'd persist with 50cycles. If they sold you a faulty bike they are obviously the people to sort it out. They usually seem to be obliging when responding to problems experienced by other members of this forum.

 

[eddieo]

I would keep on 50 cycles case it is there responsibility....and unacceptable in a new bike. did you try one before you bought it?

regards LBS he will change his tune in time or his buisness will suffer. my local shop are hard core racers and initially just laughed...... a year later they will undertake any e bike work and have started selling Giant e bikes as well

Nice to see you on the forum Lemmy! we had a beer many moons ago in a west end club, you were with steve jones the sex pistols guitarist...happy days! keep on rocking lol

 

[flecc]

Definitely persist with 50cycles on your new Agattu. Although not one of their tech men, Tim is a director of 50cycles and often based at Kingston upon Thames alongside you, so I'm sure some arrangement could be made to fix the bike. I'm sure neither are serious problems, the transmission noise problem likely to be a chain adjustment error causing the chain to jump the motor sprocket due the wrapper/tensioner adjustment being wrong in consequence. Although the connections superficially look ok, the lighting problem is probably a connection one somewhere.

Please keep us informed on how you progress with this.
.

 

[lemmy]

Blimey I'm feeling better now! Thanks, I was feeling a bit neglected. I will persist with 50 Cycles. I wish companies realised how important communication was, just a mail or quick call to say, really busy but we know you're there. Just psychology, really.

Eddie, they were great days. I still see live bands, at a blues club in Sutton these days but I no longer drink in west end clubs with rock stars. That bloody Neil Young's always asking me but I just can't be bothered.

No, I didn't try before I bought, I was pretty sure what I wanted to achive and the Panasonic system and Kalkhoff quality looked ideal. Flecc's site influenced me greatly, too. I was impressed by the all round thoroughness and quality of the bike's design.

I'll keep you informed. Meantime, I took it out for a spin today New Malden, round Richmond Park, Putney, Hammersmith, Barnes and back round the park, finishing with Broomfield Hill and the trip home. Brilliant. I arrived home in the same state of tiredness as I would normally have after half the distance. And I wouldn't willingly have climbed the hill in the park last thing, I'd have gone the flat way. Still some charge in the battery too.

My feeling is that the gearing does need raising. The motor is running out of assistance far too soon. Instinct tells me that an 18 tooth cog, as seems popular, would be ideal. Given LBS's unwillingness to assist, where would be my best place to get one to fit myself?

I went in to Evans in Kingston, by the way, and the young lady in there was very helpful - just sorry it'd take a while to get the cog. Very few places seem to know about the Shimano hub gear systems or stock parts, it seems.

 

[JamesC]

My feeling is that the gearing does need raising. The motor is running out of assistance far too soon. Instinct tells me that an 18 tooth cog, as seems popular, would be ideal. Given LBS's unwillingness to assist, where would be my best place to get one to fit myself?

Petra Cycles are an effective source of Shimano parts - search their store for "Nexus Sprocket" and you will see the range.

James

 

[eddieo]

Its interesting that you did not try a Panasonic bike before purchasing, you can demo them for free in Richmond park I believe. What you are experiencing may well be a feature of the Panasonic system get it checked out though!

 

[tillson]

It’s difficult to say what is happening from the description that you give. The Panasonic system does give the feeling that the power is being delivered in surges when in a very low gear pedalling at low cadence on a slight incline. This soon disappears as you change up the gears and pick up speed.

The cracking sound could be from the hub gear if the cable isn’t adjusted correctly. My bike made some terrible banging noises from the rear hub accompanied by what felt like a slip on the chain. This was from new and it turned out to be a badly adjusted gear cable. I think the new Agattus are fitted with the 8 speed hub, so all you need to do to check the cable adjustment is to put the bike in 4th gear and look vertically down at the rear sprocket. You should see a little window adjacent to it with two yellow line visible. If those lines aren’t in line, the cable isn’t correctly adjusted. You then just twiddle the adjuster on the gear changer until they do line up.

I hope this helps and that you enjoy your bike.

 

[lemmy]

Scott, I just got an email from Simon in the workshop to say the bike would be replaced which is excellent service.

The 'lumpiness' is definitely seems to be from the crank, as is the occasional 'crack' noise. From experience of other bikes (I've been cycling regularly since I was a kid, like most of us), it has a similar feel to when a bearing is broken in the bottom bracket. I'm not diagnosing it as that, though. Likely Flecc is right, I would guess.The crack noise is occasional, maybe twice in an hour's run but very disconcerting.

The lights I've taken off and cleaned all the connectors except in the rear mudguard but inspection with a torch shows these to be ok and I've wiggled them a bit, to use the technical term. I've tried to get a meter across the dynamo hub terminals but it's very dificult without special connectors. There appears to be some output but because of the tiny terminals its hard to be sure. The bulb checks out OK.

I wasn't going to use it just in case I made the crank worse but took it out for a good but gentle spin so as not to hurt anything. Basically, I couldn't resist it.

Re the power delivery, Eddie, yes, I've noticed how it comes in and out - very smoothly - that all feels OK.

The reason I didn't bother with a test is that I want the power assistance whatever and from the mass of tests and opinion I read the Kalkhoff seemed to have the development and quality plus good dealer that I wanted.

There was one other bike that interested me but the dealer's web site was semi-literate and full of spelling mistakes which rings warning bells in people as old as me!

Interestingly, my son came over, took one look at the bike and is highly impressed, muttering about Highgate Hill which he cycles up on his way to work most days. I suppose he'll ask me to lend him the money!

 

[FatMog]

If you're still after changing the sprocket, the Littlehampton Dutch Bike shop may be able to help you.

I visited them recently and will probably soon purchase a (non-electric) Batavus from them, they're very helpful and offer sprocket-changing as a service so I'm sure they could source you a part. At least they seem know about hub-gears, when I mentioned this process to a couple of LBS which stocked hub-geared bikes they just went '?????'

 

[Tim]

I'm not getting any reply to emails and no-one calls me back so I suppose I'm going to have to get the bike repaired somewhere local around New Malden, west London. Does anyone know of a bike shop who can cope with unusual bikes?

Hello! Please check your email, I'm able to help you out with this.

 

[lemmy]

Hi Lemmy,

Sorry for any inconvenience caused, we will get you on the road very soon.
Not sure whats happened with that one.

Sometimes if the pedal is put on mis-threaded it can feel like the crank is lumpy, maybe you can double check this for me?

Yes, I've checked that but both pedals screwed in smoothly with little effort and spin freely.