Quando Questions

[cocoabeans]

Well, it looks like I'm getting me a Quando II I'll hopefully be picking it up from my friend in the next few days. Just have a few questions, and a good idea of who might be able to answer them...

Firstly, the battery has been unused for about 6 months, but before that it was fairly new- I'm pretty sure it's the NiHM one. What sort of state do you think it'll be in? We're going to test it out at some point but it'll be a while before I get an idea of what distance I can get out of it...if any!

I'm also looking to add a couple of things to the bike for safety/comfort. I'd definitely like to get a mirror and I notice from your site that you've fitted one flecc- could you tell me which one and how it was fitted?

Also, I'd quite like to make the saddle more comfy- I don't think it's the most recent model from what I've read in 50cycles' posts. I know it's got a built in light and that it flips up for battery access- does this make replacement impossible? (Was having a squidge of some gel ones the other day, wow!) Failing that I might get one of those gel saddle covers (are they any good?) and make a window for the light.

I'm so excited
Thanks, Cocoa

 

[flecc]

The battery has a question mark if it hasn't been charged for six months Cocoa. In theory it's not going to accept and maintain a charge, but I've found in practice they often do survive after a long no charge period. Just fully charge it and see what the range is. When new expect around 15 miles, at about 2 to 3 years old, 8 to 10 miles. If it's dud, a new one will cost you £175.

It sounds like you have the saddle that went on the Torq for a while, is it a light grey colour? Let me know what condition it's in, as I may have a solution for you. The later Quandos have a well padded wide Velo saddle which is very comfortable. You can fit other saddles, but if you replace the whole thing you lose the easy battery access. Alternatively, if you replace the saddle with one having the same thick wire fore/aft struts, you can clamp the new one on from those and retain the tilt mechanism.

The mirror is a Cateye from Halfords and very effective, cost about £5.99. Like most of these, the bung that goes into the handlebar end is too big, so it has to be filed around until it fits in. Once plugged in, a screw at the end tightens it in place and locks the mirror position by clamping it's ball joint at the same time. If you find you'd like the mirror to tilt more out, you can file out the side where it's clamped to allow it's support arm to angle out a bit more, so you don't have to stare at your sleeve.

You'll love the Quando, enjoy! Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.
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[cocoabeans]

Flecc, you are so helpful, thank you! I'm not confident about the battery and will be quite happy to replace it if necessary, but if it's got some life left in it that would be a nice bonus!

Yes, the saddle is light grey/silver, and I imagine it's in excellent condition, but won't be able to check until I've got the bike. I don't mind about the built in light, but it would be good to keep the tilting action. I'll take a closer look when I can

Thanks also for the mirror advice- sounds simple enough for me to fit
Cocoa

 

[flecc]

Let me know if the saddle is in good condition when you get the bike Cocoa, because if it is I'd be happy to swap it for the saddle on my much newer (6 months and not many miles) Quando which is the much more comfortable wider padded type. I prefer the thinner Torq type saddle for my use. I can show a photo of my Quando one if you wish.
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[cocoabeans]

That sounds like it could work out really well for both of us Once I get the bike I'll send you a photo of the saddle. If you could supply a photo of yours that would be great- whenever's convenient. Thank you for the offer!
Cocoa

 

[flecc]

Here's a picture I've just taken of it Cocoa:

The transfer name Velo wears away quickly, but the saddle is perfect.
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[cocoabeans]

That looks great, thanks flecc I'll get you a photo of mine as soon as I can. Looks like it still has a built-in light, is that correct?

Are we able to remove the saddles from the posts and just swap those over? I'm thinking that would make for a much smaller parcel as posting them to each other might prove the best option- let me know if you have a better plan though!

If you think best we can transfer to PM-ing rather than boring everyone else with the details! I'll leave to you to decide as the guru

 

[flecc]

There's no light on this saddle I'm afraid, just a plain plastic rear surround strip, I wasn't bothered about having a light. You can add a normal cycle light on the seat pillar of course.

The best way to send them is to take off the two nuts either side of the crossbolt just below the saddle so that the horizontal wires are released. That way we both keep the heavy hinged post mount, sending just the saddle and base wires, much lighter.

I've posted this here as the world is waiting agog for the next exciting phase in this unfolding drama , but we can do everything by PM from now on if that suits.

If you want to email the saddle picture once you've taken it, here's the address:

flecc@tinyworld.co.uk
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[cocoabeans]

Ok, the light issue shouldn't really be a problem.

Do you know how the saddle compares to one of those gel ones? I was very tempted by those but if this offers comparable comfort then great Any idea how much they'd cost to post? Not having mine to hand I can't weigh it, but I shouldn't think it'd set us back all that much.

Also, would I be able to pass a slim cable through somewhere on the saddle for locking purposes? It may be that the parts concerned would be bits we're not swapping so that may be a pointless question! I may be a bit paranoid but I'd like to lock the saddle if possible as it's quick release.

Thanks, Cocoa

 

[flecc]

They wouldn't cost much to post as they are surprisingly light once detached, even first class would probably be under £5.

This one is extremely comfortable and seems to be the same as the gel ones. As well as the deep rubber padding that you see in the photo, the rear of the horizontal support wires couple via rubber "doughnut" springs which also absorb shocks.

Locking the saddle is far from paranoid, it's a good idea. You can easily pass a lock cable over a support wire at the rear of this one, which you can't on the Torq type due to that light case.
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[cocoabeans]

This all sounds very promising I'll get you that photo ASAP! I'm seeing my friend this evening and we should be making final arrangements.

Cocoa

 

[flecc]

P.S. to the above:

I've weighed the Quando saddle and it's 710 grams. Allowing for packaging, the Royal Mail charge the following for 1000 grams:

First Class . - - - £2.70

Second Class - - £2.12

Parcel Post - - - £3.85

I'll use first class if we go ahead to ensure it doesn't kick around in the system.
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[cocoabeans]

I've been spending this afternoon tinkering with my Quando and taking it for a spin Overall I'm absolutely delighted. This thing is indeed an amazing hill climber!

The chain is definitely a problem, having fallen off once. It also makes a clicking sound as I pedal- will have to examine it as you suggested, flecc.

The new saddle is wonderful, thank you flecc I hope you're enjoying yours too. The only thing I find a bit uncomfortable is the lack of front suspension- my arms are taking all the bumps and they're not very grateful. Does anyone else find this problem or have any suggestions? I know one can buy replacement forks but I don't know if it would be feasible to put a sprung one on the Quando.

 

[flecc]

Hello Cocoa. It sounds as if your arms are having to take some weight perhaps through to having to lean forward a bit due to short stature. Experiencing shocks through the handlebars isn't normally experienced with the Quando.

Suspension forks for the Quando are not an option, but there's two things you could do about this. If you're having to lean forward instead of sitting upright, riser handlebars will improve this for you. These at £24.99 that are on the St Johns Cycles site will suit the Quando for example, and any cycle dealer can supply and fit similar ones for you:

A much more expensive option is to fit a Pantour suspension hub if they do a suitable one, I believe they do a narrow one for folder bikes. These hubs have rubber internal springs that absorb road shocks. However at £135 plus the cost of building a new front wheel bringing it to about £180 it's a very costly solution.

I think that handlebars that enable you to sit upright and hold the handlebars more lightly just for steering purposes will be sufficient, I find that so.
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[cocoabeans]

Hi flecc, thank you for the advice. I think you're right- I am putting too much weight onto my hands. Although I am only 5'2" I think I could probably make matters better by adopting a better riding posture, and it may be back weakness that is causing me to lean forwards.

That reminds me- I'm not sure whether I'm interpreting the insertion markers on the seat post correctly. There's a hatched area which says "minimum insertion" above it, but this is high up the post, so I'm a bit confused. I'm currently interpreting it as "maximum insertion" and have the post entering the frame within this hatched area. The instruction manual is not completely clear but appears to agree with my assumption. If I'm wrong I could lower the saddle which would help. Apologies if I'm being dense about this!

Anyway, it's good to hear that handlebar shocks aren't usually a problem, and hopefully can be avoided. Thank you

 

[flecc]

As far as lowering the saddle is concerned you can ignore the marks Cocoa, set it as low as you like, and this will help a lot in getting weight off your hands. That's the thing to avoid on this bike if you get discomfort of this sort. It's the narrowness of the handlebars on the Quando that can exacerbate the problem of a lean forward position, since the arms tend to sit in a straight ahead position.

That then sends road shocks straight up the arm through wrist, elbow and shoulder. Non-folding bikes have wider bars like the ones I illustrated and the arms are then splayed out slightly and more able to flex and absorb the bumps.

One other thing to check is tyre size. Current Quandos have 20" x 2.125" balloon tyres which can absorb a lot of road shocks, and it may be that your earlier one has smaller tyres. The size is on the tyre side if you check. I have a spare Quando tyre that's only done 100 miles which you're welcome to if yours are a smaller size.
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[flecc]

To oh5rm

Sorry I missed your question earlier. Those bikes you highlighted aren't in the same class as the Quando. The first is a 24 volt system and the second also with a very small motor.

The 36 volt Quando is quite unique in it's power and performance, probably the best hillclimbing production full speed Euro legal bike anywhere. See here.
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