Pro Connect Rear Wheel.

[burncycle]

Just to let anyone know and for reference.
Just got back from 50cycles after having my rear wheel replaced.
Last week a spoke sheered off at the hub and the whole rear wheel then buckled.
Took it in today and Lloyd did a fine job of replacing it for a 32 spoke wheel with an alfine hub.
I also had my original 22 tooth spockets put back on from the 18 tooth.

Here's why....

18 tooth spocket mod REVIEW for the Pro Connect.

I originally upgraded the 22 tooth spocket to an 18 tooth 1 month after owning the Pro Connect, so I have been using the 18 tooth mod for the last
6 months on the bike.
Originally, I felt the Pro Connect was a little undergeared for a commuting bike and I really wanted some speed on the whole.
I found myself freewheeling quite alot with the 22 tooth and not really getting into any sort of pace in my riding to work and back.
Also I had the bike mainly in high power, only using medium power occaisionally.
These are the main effects of a spocket change from 22 tooth to the 18 tooth....
1. The 18tooth mod had the effect of gaining 2 upper gears, or losing the 2 lower gears on the whole when cycling.
2. A loss of up to 1/5th of the range.
3. Constant assist. You have to be going pretty fast the lose the assist from the motor. I'm usually flying down hill and dont notice it anyway.
4. It can be very difficult to pedal your bike up a moderate hill on low power, even in 1st gear.
5. Forget even trying to pedal the bike without any power, again even in 1st gear.
6. On flats and down hill the bike is much more faster and you can really get into your pedalling.

These are the reasons I have returned to the 22 tooth sprocket after 6months of use.............

1. With 1/5th range reduced, this has always been an issue for me since the mod. On the 22 tooth I would average 27-29 miles on a full charge.
With the 18 tooth I never pushed it past 22 niles and my cummute is 21.6 miles. If I took any sort of diversion which extended my commute, the battery would be dying on the last hill home and as stated earlier, it wont pedal without power.

2. Im finding myself doing more and more leisure riding in the peak district.
Again the range is limiting me and I find myself having to plan my route and check the overall mileage. This kills the pleasure rides.

3. As my fitness is increasing, I'm using high power less and less.
I want to use low power to increase my own fitness, though the bike is over geared now and low power wont really work on anything but flats or downhill with the 18 tooth mod.

On reflection I should have taken the good advise of Flecc, who told me to fully get to know the bike before deciding on this mod, and maybe get a bit fitter also.

MY ADVISE BEFORE GETTING ANOTHER SPOCKET FITTED.
1. Completley stay off high power, as this can create a false impression of the bike, and a false impression of your own ability. Keep high power ONLY for high hills.
2. Dont make any plans for a mod on the sprocket until your much fitter (if unfit before). Its amazing how much better you and the bike can perform in just a few months.
3. Be prepared for a drop in range if you drop the teeth.
Its worth range testing your current 22 tooth sprocket and bike.

Check out this formula and its pretty close to what you may get.
Example 30 miles on the 22 tooth.

30 div 22 =1.3636363 X 18 = 24.54 miles.

18 tooth spocket mod would probably have a range of 24.5 miles.

For me this is spot on to what I got following the mod.

Please Note. I live in a very hilly area (Sheffield), with lots of ups and downs.
My commute of 21.6 miles has over 2000 feet of climb built into it.

Please take this into consideration. Your terrain may be different.
The outcomes could also be better or worse.

I hope this may help anyone in the forum.

Regards Bob.

 

[flecc]

Thanks for the information Bob.

I don't have a problem with the Panasonic powered bikes with their standard gearing since I am happy with high cadences (pedalling speeds) and know how they protect my knees. With my former Lafree and the Kalkhoff Agattu I tested I had no trouble in pedalling up to around 26 mph in short bursts on very slightly downhill stretches and cruising at up to 20 mph continuously when the going was easy.

The latter speed is a cadence comfortably below the optimum 90, and using higher cadences is just a matter of practice. The more they are used, the more the benefits are realised. As with you, I'd always recommend these bikes are used as standard for some while to see if gearing up really is needed.
.

 

[tillson]

I have left my Pro C rear wheel as standard, but I think it has 23 teeth, not 22 as yours does. I briefly went for an 18 tooth sprocket for about a week, but changed back.

I didn't have any problems with range as I like to do some work and always use the bike in low power mode. I do wonder about the effect of reducing the size of the rear sprocket in relation to battery life. If you commute say 20miles per day, doing that with an 18 tooth sprocket will involve a deeper discharge cycle on the battery, so won't this have an effect on its life? Also if people are using the motor in high power mode to compensate for the additional effort required when using a smaller sprocket, won't this too place additional stress on the battery.

Having said this and used mainly low power setting with a standard sprocket, I am on my third battery in 1500 miles, so perhaps I have answered my own question. Also 50C seem to promote the fitting of smaller sprockets to some extent, so perhaps it isn't an issue after all.