The Tonaro`s weakest part/point..............

atheo

Pedelecer
Jul 10, 2011
102
12
Beds..
I`d say has to be the clutch bearing in the outer drive sprocket housing.Apart from making sure the gear going up hill is not too high to put a strain upon it,what else could cause me to break 3 of these.I`ve now had a replacement bike since Christmas and have just had to replace another(making a total of 4 now).The bike,an Enduro,gets used every day for a 12 mile round trip in all weathers.
Rgds.....atheo
 

hech

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 29, 2011
352
27
argyll
Hi atheo, you sound like an intellectual type of guy and may I say that you have hit the nail on the head and pierced achilles heel in one fell blow, well done. What you so lugubriously state understandably so has been a regular pain in the butt for generations of Tonaro athletes. Your experience is all too common and this component has plagued numerous owners from all parts of the planet. You are clearly a heavy user but this sort of thing is inexcuseable. I have had two such failures and have heard of others with similar misfortune. Catic's third and latest attempt to make a freewheel clutch is supposedly more reliable and indeed mine has held up well for the last year or so despite being overvolted and repeatedly stressed by regular and often inadvertent offroad forays ! I really hope this latest part holds up for you and should say that many seem to have had no problems at all with their bikes. By in large the Tonaro system seems to be pretty robust and efficient even at higher voltages. Your experience speaks for itself though and I honestly couldn't recommend an alternative at this price level.
 

StuntmanBob

Pedelecer
Feb 14, 2013
30
0
Having put in 4500km in 7 months on my Tonaro, I'm pleased to say nothing has broken yet. However under heavy load (too high a gear) 'something' slips - I thought it was the crank but I'm actually starting to think its the rear hub slipping. It happens that infrequently that I am going to wait until I get my NuVinci hub laced up and fitted to see if it keeps doing it. Then I'll know if its the crank or not 100%...

But in the interim, its manageable - I just don't try and power up hills in too high a gear. As can be seen in a photo I posted in another Tonaro thread yesterday, it has no problems in towing a 40kg trailer.
 

mike killay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 17, 2011
3,012
1,627
A number of times I have had a problem in 8th gear when there was a sudden bang from the back and then the bike was normal. Eventually, I used a camera on a stick to observe this.
It was the derailleur cable being too tight. What happened was that the bike tried momentarily to change down to 7th gear and the bang was caused as it went back into top.
 

StuntmanBob

Pedelecer
Feb 14, 2013
30
0
Thanks Mike, that may be what mine is doing then. I forced it to jump last night, and my riding buddy seems to think it looked like the rear that was jumping. With a NuVinci hub and single gear on the back, that should eliminate that issue I hope! Time will tell....
 

atheo

Pedelecer
Jul 10, 2011
102
12
Beds..
I think the upgrade thats been made is a second keyway ground into the outter ring of the clutch bearing.
The first failure I had was when this part of the bearing casing actualy cracked through at the keyway!
 

mike killay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 17, 2011
3,012
1,627
Bob,
The odd thing was that I perfectly adjusted the inner and outer stops, checked the alignments etc. Nothing went wrong without power, but when I put power on, bang!!
Also, it was fine in gears 1 to 7, just top that was the problem.
I fitted a new set of gear wheels and chain to no avail. Eventually, in desparation, I slackened the derailleur cable a few turns and everything was fine.
Problem is, I cannot explain why. The cable seemed loose enough before, the frame is not flexing so why it happened I do not know.
 

alban

Pedelecer
May 25, 2011
110
0
Wonder if a better-made bearing - i.e. German! - might stop this sprag? clutch? bearing failure? I've got Version 1 and carry a spare with me (+ BB tool and spanner - how's that for being prepared!). There really is only a thinnish bit of metal left at the bearing cutaway so the metal strength is key.
Blimey I'm beginning to sound like an engineer.... (only 'sound' like one, mind).
 

Scimitar

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 31, 2010
1,772
40
Ireland
Toyo are the bearings of choice for me. I spent some time making bearings and it surprised me how tight the tolerances were for Toyo, and how crap the tolerances were for certain others. Suffice to say, it's put me right off buying certain makes and the cars they got fitted to.
 

alban

Pedelecer
May 25, 2011
110
0
Interesting... trouble is I suppose, if the bearing is too strong then the helical gear surrounding it goes! (Mind you my gear ring broke with the bearing). Dilemma. Maybe the weak bearing is to be regarded as a safety valve that's not too expensive to replace?
 

StuntmanBob

Pedelecer
Feb 14, 2013
30
0
The sprag clutch broke on my mates Aseako during the week (Aseako is identical to the Tonaro but the rigid frame version). I've not pulled mine apart yet, so good opportunity to see whats involved! I know some of you have already done this operation, but here's a couple of pics for those who haven't. Here it is with the assembly removed from the bike, which was pretty easy:



And the broken sprag clutch:



I fired off emails last night to Aseako in Australia, as well as Juvy at Catic. To my surprise, Juvy replied within half an hour and told me the bits I'd need, along with the advice to replace the shaft and nut as this newer version will help the sprag from breaking. I didn't ask, but I assume this is what is in the '2013 version Reducer'. This is the photo of the newer shaft/nut he sent me:

Ver.4 shaft-nut.JPG

The guys at Aseako got back to me this morning, and after a quick phone call to discuss what Juvy had told me, ascertained that they had the pieces and would only be $20 per set more expensive than China direct ($60 vs $80, both including postage). So I got two sets on the way, one will be a spare for me although I might put the new shaft in now..

Great service from both Aseako and Catic!
 

mike killay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 17, 2011
3,012
1,627
Has anyone in the Uk experienced these problems with their Tonaros?
Mine is getting on for two years old now without any hint of this problem.
 

wd0021089

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jun 21, 2011
15
0
Newcastle upon Tyne
Hi Mike,

The drive system on the Tonaro bikes was "upgraded" to make the crank assembly easier to access. The previous version, as on your bike, required special tools to remove the one way bearing at the back of the assembly. The new version used a splined bearing which could be held in place by a simple circlip. The new version 2 was a push fit into the aluminium housing and held by a single woodruff key. This meant there was a considerable loading at that one point of the bearing. A v3 bearing with two keyways has now been made to spread the loading more evenly. Anyone with an original Tonaro that is one made prior to the recent mods should be okay.
 

mike killay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 17, 2011
3,012
1,627
Hi Mike,

The drive system on the Tonaro bikes was "upgraded" to make the crank assembly easier to access. The previous version, as on your bike, required special tools to remove the one way bearing at the back of the assembly. The new version used a splined bearing which could be held in place by a simple circlip. The new version 2 was a push fit into the aluminium housing and held by a single woodruff key. This meant there was a considerable loading at that one point of the bearing. A v3 bearing with two keyways has now been made to spread the loading more evenly. Anyone with an original Tonaro that is one made prior to the recent mods should be okay.
Thanks,
I wonder about my son's 250 watt Bighit, he doesn't seem to have had trouble, perhaps time will tell.