DBye

What bike do you reckon is he riding in the article?

By day I'm a trainee patent attorney and trade mark attorney. Rummaging through the patent databases I think I've found the earliest patent for a hub motor (6 coil, brushed, 100A, 10V) on a bike -US552271A, attached, from 1895. There are no cranks though, so it appears to be more akin to a motorcycle. The earliest reference I can find to a peddle assist electric bike is US656323A (also attached) from 1900. It shows both a belt/chain drive and friction drive and states that it has a battery and motor that can be actuated when hill climbing via a rider operated clutch to readily cut in the assistance when required. Anyone know of anything earlier? US552271A.pdf US656323A.pdf

Should I ever wish to downgrade, it will probably easier to buy 3 new R002's (size 2152 again). Would something like these be suitable that are rated to 3W?

[uSER=4366]@d8veh[/uSER] -thanks, not as simple as I'd hoped, but will bear in mind. The contact cleaner appears to have done the trick for now, but there is clear pitting on the -ve contact, so will see how long I can get away with it for. [mention=17077]Mal69[/mention] -not sure. Full details here. I was using a Suntour NCX post at the time and current thoughts are that the frame couldn't take the rocking motion. According to Oxygen the seat tube has been beefed up in later frames "for asthetic reasons".

That makes sense. I can only imagine it being exacerbated if the battery is rattling about too. This has got me wondering if I could incorporate a switch if I were to replace the connector. I had thought of replacing the 30A blade fuse with one with a manual circuit breaker but I think it would be hard to keep dry. Is there such a thing as a Deans connector with switch or would i be looking to add in some in-line thing?

Sorry I should say that I remove the battery every day to charge as there is no power where I keep the bike. I'll give the contacts a clean and see how I go. I've put a watch on these on ebay: AMASS T PLUG AMASS T PLUG INSULATED CAP

I agree with you. I'm not impressed by this connector at all. The socket on the bike is connected to the controller with a Deans connector (irony?). I did pop the cover off the battery to see if I could easily replace the socket as I have noticed a lip of plastic building up around the -ve terminal on the battery. But it appears to be soldered on (I need to do some more digging).

Thank you both. I had it apart yesterday for a good clean, I used emery cloth and a small needle file. I removed the fuse from the battery to start! -Made working on it much easier as far less fear of getting a shock. Anyway, I'm pleased to report I've made it worse -which is good! It now seems clear that the battery it is struggling to maintain contact with the terminals on the bike. If I tape the battery tightly down in place it makes OK contact, but if I don't then the slightest bump results in disconnection. The socket on the battery looks like one of these. I'm finding it difficult to get the negative pin nice and clean. Any suggestions? Looking at the socket my cleaning efforts don't seem to have touched it, so I've got some contact cleaner to see if I can remove some of the residue better.

I've recently upgraded the calipers on my Oxygen S-Cross. I've bought a pair of these following some good review and wanting to try something knew/being wooed by the dual piston design: https://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php?catid=206&productid=1199 Can't comment on their operation. Sat at work, having dove in in the car with a can of contact cleaner sat on my desk itching to get home, sort out a dodgy electrical connection/other bug, and get the bike back on the road! Should say I was impressed the TRP's came with a rubber gasket/shoe that fits over the exposed cable end. I'm hoping this will reduce ingress of dirt and water. When I swapped the calipers over I had to take a trip to buy some new cable housing as the rear break housing was blocked. See here to see what I mean, I'd be interested to know if other calipers also come with a similar gasket/shoe.

That'd be these resistors to the shunt.

[mention=9614]Nealh[/mention] -Thanks, I was under the impression that the warranty was 2 years for mechanical components and the battery (just checked my manual and it is as stated). So I assumed the electrics was statutory 1 year. But Looking on the Oxygen website it says 2 years for electronics too. I'll take it back but first I need to remove my "additions" to the controller... also it doesn't seem like 5 mins since I was last on the phone to them about that crack in the frame. The -ve battery electrode seems a bit mucky/corroded -any suggestions on how to safely clean this? I suspect this is not the fault though as I can read 41.7V on the multimeter: 1. Across the terminals themselves easily (I don't need to dig through the muck for the probe to take a reading). 2. Across the connector from the battery to the controller, when the connector is plugged into the battery. 3. With the battery unplugged I've plugged the connector into the controller and using the continuity setting on the multimeter I can tell that both the +ve and -ve connections are continuous from the connector to the controller. The connector is shrink wrapped so I can't inspect the solder joints without further deconstruction, however there is continuity there. Looking at the controller I can't see any dry joints, although I have spotted a surface mount LED which is flashing red when the battery is plugged in. Of course, now it is sat in my office at work everything appears to be fine but the ride in to work, wasn't

What could be causing this: When cycling the display initially shows full battery charge (41.5V, the battery has been charged earlier in the day), initially all seems normal, assisting as it should. Then the assist stops, display remains on, but the display suddenly shows anything between 33v and 23v. Power off and restart sometimes fixes it. Removing the battery and plugging it back in fixes it. Sometimes, on cut out, the display slowly creeps back up to normal operating range (above 37v) and the assist kicks back in. Sometimes the assist kicks in when the display is showing less than 25v. Pressing the charge indicator on the battery itself shows 4/4 lights i.e. close to full. Reading the battery terminals with a multimeter when home shows 37.8v after intermittent ride home. I'll check the battery again when it is hot off the charger, I suspect it will be fine as I checked it last weekend and it read 41.7v.

Looking at the specs the rear cassettes are different on the S-Cross MTB (11-32) and the CB/ST (14/28). So that's probably why I'm not hitting 25mph.

[mention=14606]Clare the Rear[/mention] -paid attention on the way home today, I agree with you that when on road the assist falls off at 22mph. I think the gearing is too low to go much above that, I find myself spinning out.

I agree with [mention=9614]Nealh[/mention] -I felt an increase in torque on the hills.

I really recommend the NCX seatpost, but my S-Cross CB didn't (see here). They gave me a pogo stick style one and that's been ok so far. If I completely derestrict mine (I normally like it set at around 18mph so I feel it kick in on the hills) the LCD reads 24.2mph under no load. [mention=15049]Andy Bluenoes[/mention] I'm surprised you didn't notice a difference in power mode, it was light night and day for me. Could be my imagination I suppose!

Reention make the battery, I think its this one: http://reention.com/product/detail/47 I could contact them and see if they would send a replacement. Or I could contact Oxygen, but I'm just a bit fed up of arguing every point with them. I don't want the bike taken away (again), I just want to get it fixed and ride on. At the moment I can fit the parts together and lock holds it all in place, so it is ride-able. I'll check out the JB cold weld - thanks.

Thinking about it, and having closer look at the pictures, could be the mount was not screwed down properly when transferred to the new frame. No screw popped out on removal, could just have been binding from movement of the battery mount. -That seems more straightforward, and as there is a nice big screw hole on the broken part and a corresponding hold on the frame I should be able to screw it back down tightly this time and see if that cures the problem. Sorry- thinking out loud.

Opinions please, araldite?! Back story: I got home last night, used the key to unlock the battery, tugged on battery, it wouldn't budge. Looked closes at the battery & mount as I turned the key, I could see the locking pin disengage from the receiver on the battery -i.e. the lock could be fully opened and was not hindering removal of the battery. So I tried again, and the battery mount came away with the battery. Oops. Looking at the battery terminals and the corresponding socket on the frame, the plastic around the terminals appears to have been close to melting point, there is also some mess on the battery terminals (look closely at left pin in the photo). On removal the terminals were rather warm. I'm guessing something has caused the battery to heat up more than normal and the plastic parts stuck together. The only think I did differently last night was that I took a slightly shorter route home (on busier roads) with some less aggressive hill climbs.

[mention=17077]Mal69[/mention] I bought this 3 years ago: http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Avenir-Waterproof-Rear-Pannier-Bag_32894.htm Its been fantastic for my needs, but you cant lock it to the frame and I don't think they make them anymore -sorry I also get the impression that my frame was an earlier design so you should get a thicker seat post.

[uSER=4366]@d8veh[/uSER] -Ouch! Hope that didn't occur when you were on it. I've added some more photos to give a better view, -you can see the colour change where the upper part of the pin NCX was outside the frame. Your thoughts that it could be related to the fore and aft motion seem sensible. The new one supplied by Oxygen (silver in the photos) appears to be in line with the stays. Any recommendations for an extra long suspension (or not!) seat post?

I'm 5ft 11", I've taken out the seat post they've supplied and photographed it next to the NCX and ruler for scale. The one they have supplied is shorter than the NCX. I agree it is excellent service. I just wish they didn't make me feel like I was bothering them! Just for clarity, my work place if ~5 miles from Oxygen.

Got into work a couple of days ago, was chatting to a work colleague when I noticed a major crack in the seat tube of my S-Cross CB. -Please see first two attached images. I contacted Oxygen bicycles to alert them and ask if it was under warranty. The next day the came out and picked the bike up from my work place and back to their workshop. 24 hrs later they have replaced the frame. The new frame is of a slightly different design, apparently the seat tube is slightly thicker so that it blends in better with the rest of the bike (the old frame having a slightly thinner tube, according to Oxygen, cannot possibly have had anything to do with the failure -but this begs the question why make such a aesthetically minor amendment for the sake of aesthetics?). The new frame has fractionally shorter seat stays, so my Schwable big apple tyres now no longer fit, they just catch the fixing for the mudguard nearest the bottom bracket. -No problem 2x Marathon Plus Tours are on order. Oxygen did offer to fit a pair of stock tyres FOC, but the roads of Sheffield seem lined with glass shards at the moment so I declined. I trust the marathons more. Oxygen seem to think it is related to my use of the Suntour NCX seatpost, they kindly provided an alternative suspension seat post. The NCX seat post had been well inserted into the old frame (photos also attached) and was set appropriately for my height. One of the reasons I bought the NCX seat post was because the stock seat post would just not lock in place, I would sit on it and the saddle would move, poking me in a very sensitive place. I cannot knock them for service, but they did make me feel like a naughty school kid, why had I changed the tyres, why was I using a suspension seat post... At one point they commented that I had ridden the bike many miles. Of course I have, it is sold as a commuter and I ride ~100 miles a week. I would not have bought it if it wasn't meant for this purpose -to which they agreed. Oxygen's reputation is good, I watch someone ride one of their older style bikes to work everyday (has a battery behind the seat tube), I've no doubt they can be reliable. However, I'm still left with the feeling that I'll be glad when my warranty expires so that I don't need to justify every minor change I make to the bike. I do feel I've had a run of bad luck with the bike with spokes popping, loose battery, bad punctures early on, and cracked frame. I should be grateful, fast turn around, and the issue was sorted promptly. But I'm not! Grump over!

I would be interested to know if the passwords change from the 1st to 2nd times the menu is accessed. I swear mine did. From a manufactures perspective I'm unsure how you could effectively prevent people from modifying their settings/components. I wonder if it is better to let it be easily cracked so people are less tempted to go further, the effect of which may effect safe operation of the kit.

*cough* Hold set and + for a few seconds, screen flashes 5 - use -/+ and SET keys to set 2-digit code (trial and error, mine was 12, though I could swear it was in the 90's fist time I did it -possible way for Oxygen to check if this menu accessed or my paranoia?) Access magic menu, use -/+ & SET keys to adjust speed settings, -two sections, think one is peddle assist max and the second is throttle assist max. Press & hold SET when finished to return to normal screen mode. Excuse me, not sure where that came from...