Andy-Mat

I only buy wine in screw cap bottles, as it has been tested that these wines are far less likely to go off due to bacteria invasion. And I have several cork screws, that work well and were very reasonably priced, but I haven't used one in years! Also, cork sealed wines need to be kept at an angle that keeps the cork wet, or it dries out and the wine may become undrinkable. Whereas Screw Cap bottles can be stored at any angle, provided they have at least been hand tightened. Also, what I like, is that I can drink a glass or three, seal the screw cap, and the wine keeps good for several days, but getting a cork back in is sometimes a lot of work, so I tend to finish the bottle! See here:- https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7893406/wine-corks-vs-screw-caps/ regards to all Andy

Someone has a switched on brain! That appears to me to be an excellent way to "fix the problem!" I wonder if the chain wear is seriously reduced or not, does anyone have some facts? Theoretically, chain wear should be about the same as a hub bike..... regards Andy

Clever. I really don't feel that I need it, but when I need to repace the chain/Cassette, I may well try it out, as old Scots try anything to save a few Bob!! Many thanks. Andy

Great post! I was fairly sure that someone here would show the Dunning Kruger effect in action! -and they did! Many thanks Andy

Its what I am as I have always stood up for myself and for anyone weaker, at all times in my 76 year old life. Its how others treat me, other people with no intelligence and no basic good manners. Also seen far too often here on pedelec..... But I have always allowed people who look for a physical fight with me, to have the first punch, not that it did them any good, as my Father, an electrical Engineer, started teaching me boxing when I first started school at age 5, as some other badly brought up little pig, punched me on my first day at school in passing, with no conversation! Just a thump in the stomache....a cowards blow in my book, as we had never even met till he hit me!!! It was a revelation Iabout bad people that I have never ever forgotten. Dad afterwards taught me well, as he was a school boxing champion in his youth, he was the one who trained me to never hit anyone first, but I never fought in a ring, as I have a so called "glass nose", which bleeds at the tiniest provocation, and looks far worse than it really is!! I did discover that Bleeding on an opponent, when you are sitting on him and he's getting a red shower, usually stops most school time fights!! Not Navy ones though!! Two years later the same little pig picked on me again, and got taken to hospital after about 30 seconds, with a badly damaged nose (that was never right afterwards...), again I allowed him the first punch, but I still got a telling off till I mentioned my first day experience, and he also later admitted it. A dumb school bully, I still remember his name, Les Cope!! Its important to remember, that all bullies are dumb (Trump?), as they cannot win verbal fights! Its the socalled "Dunning Kruger effect"! The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias whereby people with low ability, expertise, or experience regarding a certain type of task or area of knowledge tend to overestimate their ability or knowledge. Wikipedia Trump is used as an example, by a US University Professor, David Dunning, teaching the "Dunning-Kruger effect" to Psychology students! See here:- You may like this one too:- and this:- In the Royal Navy (1963 to 1973), there are occasional fist fights (sad to say!), around one a year for me, of which I can honestly say, I never lost one, but several times I was (correctly) pulled off someone who was being half murdered (red mist?), but they then tried to get in a punch or two on me as I was being held back and unable to dodge! Now Navy Guys don't like that and I was immediately freed to finish my aggressive attacker as I saw fit. I was never charged with fighting! But I always gave them the first punch, as I never ever punched anyone first! Navy rules and regs that whoever starts a fight will get the full blame....NOT ME!! My last really serious fight, was many years ago, in my own dining room, when a girlfriend of my first wife, brought her drunken boyfriend to our party, who challenged me to go outside IMMEDIATELY (village idiot), who was so drunk he could hardly stand up, but had muscles on places where most people did not, except for his very thin legs! I dodged his first attempt at a hit (I was still sober) and he got the "shoe in the face" treatment, street fighting as learned in Trinidad and similar places, as I could imagine that he was far stronger than me in the upper body. He had very long hair, I always have very short hair even as a boy (today about 6mm, my COVID CUT!), as long hair puts you at a huge disadvantage in any sort of a fight, as he found out! He actually apologised to me (suddenly sober) when the Police arrived (called by my ex wife, the Police wanted to cart him off!), and the next day he was all the colours of the rainbow!! I sometimes wonder if he ever found out why.......he was SO drunk, he may have thought that I used my fists!!! A subject that I have as good as forgotten today, only an old man's memories......So sorry to take up so much of your e-bike time on Pedelec..... I liked the rest of your comments below, they showed good common sense....

How true! regards Andy

Thanks for the reply (assuming that you are replying to my question of course), but none of these are specific to a hub bike, as I asked. In fact they are applicable to any bike, electric or not, except the last one...... The very specific "single point of failure" I tend to mention, to fully inform e-bike newbies, on mid motor e-bikes with chain drive systems, is, as far as I can see, specific only to mid motor chain drive systems..... Though there are a couple of mid motor systems with drive shafts, but tend to be even more expensive than the usual chain drive mid motor bikes......sadly!!! If an e-bike company managed to produce a drive shaft version, priced below that of the chain drive mid motor systems, and kept nasty firmware away from the design, they really do have the chance to make some big money.....and have happy customers. With the present mid motor designs with chains, due to the way the torque is transmitted to the rear wheel, I do not see much of a possible improvement in wear characteristic, in the forseeable future. Now that statement will really get the mid motor "fans" up and shouting again, because they don't want it to be true. But physics, as einstein would say, rarely change as we might wish them to! A possible "kwik-fix", might be with really heavy duty chains, running on fully hardened sprockets, all at least twice as wide as the present versions, plus instensive cleaning and lubrication as least once a month, or possibly an old fashioned, fully enclosed, chain guard, to prevent dust/mud/water getting on the chain. My first bike had one a great many years ago!! https://picclick.co.uk/Vintage-Rudge-Raleigh-26%E2%80%9D-Wheel%C2%A0-Oil-Bath-Bicycle-125439872240.html Or:- https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/enclosed-chain-guard-removal.132552/ A modern design, in a lightweight material, might reduce the need for chain cleaning and re-lubing! regards Andy

Best wishes, I hope that you manage to get it working again, one way or another. At least you now have some good help here on Pedelec. Regards Andy

That is what generally happens when the cells go below the set minimum for the battery, and charging is blocked. Usually, the use of a "0 volt recivery charger "(strange name), will recover the cells back to normal. I only know of one company selling them, for 36 volt batteries only, here:- https://starkdrive.bike/accessories/0v-recovery-charger/ No guarantee that it will fix your problems though.... regards Andy

You are comparing a human, who in fine fettle can supply about 100 watts continuously, to a 750 watt motor? Where are you getting your facts from??? See here:- https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/12/08/504790589/could-you-power-your-home-with-a-bike Where you can read and hear (with no wind resistance!!!):- Pedaling a bike at a reasonable pace generates about 100 watts of power. That's the same energy-per-time used by a 100-watt lightbulb. If you doubled that for a fully fit bike racer, the facts still do not fit your thoughts! If your aim is to put someone new off buying a hub bike, I can only say you need verifiable facts, not made up stories, with no meat in them! Which is what I see each and hear every time from the people who bought a mid motor e-bike, and do not understand why it wrecks chain components, in comparison to simple hub motors..... To me personally its MOST obvious why, but not for everyone apparently, hence the obsession to inform people fully and accurately that I apparently have.... regards Andy

Actually, my obsession is designed more to inform people, particularly newbies, of the pros and cons of the different styles and designs of e-bikes. I learned via friends who bought Bosch bikes, around the time that I bought my first e-bike (2nd hand) of the awful problems some were having getting problems fixed by Bosch representatives. For anyone who can read German, there are plenty of problems from these bikes still around on some websites here, hair raising at its best!!!... So I just did a very quick search, and even if you don't read German, the titles make it obvious I feel, these are all Bosch problems, some VERY recent, you should get an idea of just how unhappy some customers are:- https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=German+Bosch+e-bike+probleme%3F Apparently they do not expect Bosch motors to live much beyond 10,000 Kms, even today!! My first cheapo exceed that by a factor of three, just with my riding! It was just good luck that I bought a hub, as a friend of mine wanted to get rid of one, and it appealed to me suddenly, and a test ride convinced me....and to an old Scot, the price was VERY appealing. :) Plus, I simply did not even know of mid motor designs at that time (luckily for me!) Ridden hard, I would guess that is simply par for the course, and has to be expected from both the illegal motor wattage, and the usage. Driven less hard would maybe reduce usage, but by how much? A single point of failure on mid motors only, not on a hub. Reminder, losing the chain on a dark night, when its just starting to rain, is far less problemetic on a hub, as you get to ride home if you still have battery power.... Also I take my second battery if I am of the opinion that I may run out of power, and on my bike, as battery wap takes only 30 seconds to a minute at the most. What other single point of failure are you talking about, between Hubs and Mids, I would be most interested to hear about them! from you, as all the ones I can think about, apply to BOTH styles of motor!! Sad problem, where some manufacturers feel its good to screw the customer base to make more money. Maybe you have only expereinced far less than perfect hub e-bikes (what makes and models please, to help our newbies to avoid them?), and I have been lucky with both of mine, but I have yet to see any difference with regard to my hub bikes compared to other riders and going up hill, and I am now 76 years old! I switch down to the lowest gear and simply plug away, as I hate getting off and pushing! But one day it will start, I know......UGH!! regards Andy

I have had 2x 250 Watt rear hub e-bikes, they are the only legal ones here allowed. The first bike was a cheapo, and I paid around 180 UK Pounds for it, 12 months old, and I covered around 30,000 Kms, over 8 years, riding in all weathers except snow and ice. I used 2 new chains and one new cassette, plus new tyres, tubes and brake blocks (Vee brakes) each year. I gave it away still running....It was still runnning over a year later (only one battery, correctly charged of course!), the last time I met the owner.... My second e-bike, also a rear hub, was brand new, I still have it, but I have not kept an accurate log of the distances covered, but I expect it to be about the same per year as the old one, and other than newt yres, tubes each year, and new brake pads about 2 to 3 times a year, nothing else has been needed.... I live in a very hilly part of Germany, about 25 miles north of Frankfurt, and I go "mountaineering" with my dog running beside me..... hard work for the motor and the brakes. It wears the dog out too!! It sounds like your friend bought a crap bike if it only lasted a week, did he get his money back? I would have!! The beauty for me about hub bikes is that the drive system, just by its nature, is more efficient and far simpler, therefore less power is wasted in the transmission system, as any qualified engineer will tell you, plus the motor is more open to the air, and far less likely to overheat, than a mid motor, and far, far less complex, and also less likely to have manufacturer's restrictive firmware..... There are good and bad bikes around, both cheap and very expensive, as the old proverb says "You pays your money and you makes your choice!" regards Andy

All mid motor e-bikes with a chain drive will ALWAYS suffer more chain and sprocket wear, simply because all the motor AND the human developed torque travel via the relatively weak, chain drive. Furthermore, certain failures of the mid motor unit on some designs, can also stop any torque from the motor or the rider, actually turning the rear wheel. I call it "the single point of failure", which of course the mid motor brigade hate, because its 100% true, and for them, simply very annoying. But any good engineer, taken as an average, will simply not buy a mid motor chain drive e-bike, just because they see and understand immediately, why this unfair strain on certain drive components, components originally designed for the level of torque that a human can produce, as being very obvious! Of course there are also engineers that miss that problem completely, though I myself have yet to meet one! And as someone else here, fully and correctly mentioned, the 750 Watt motor you have, just makes the chain drive wear problems even worse....a motor, assuming that you live in the UK, is of course totally illegal there. And as someone else here mentioned, apparently his 250 Watt motor, allows these components to have a longer life. If you are every stopped by the Police, or are involved in an accident, that motor may count against you legally..... The chain component wear problems are only (very) simply physics, nothing more, nothing less. So you either have to accept the wear effects as "running costs", or change to a hub motor system e-bike, where the torque of the motor actually tends to "reduce" the wear and tear to chain drive components, and they generally, provided they are of reasonable quality, which makes them last even longer than the same components on a traditional non e-bike system, due to the much lower torque being passed through these chain components, on a hub e-bike system. A further problem with the "Single point of failure", is that if damage occurrs on the chain components, it will usually mean a walk home, or a pickup by a car, as the bike may not have any power drive, human or motor, to the rear wheel. Whereas the hub e-bike owners, simply remove say the broken chain, get on the bike and simply do "air pedaling", to activate the motor, or simply twist the throttle, to drive home on any remaining battery power. My first e-bike got me home with the "air pedaling", and the second can be got home with both "air pedaling" and/or "throttle", its a great system. This same subject gets regularly addressed on Pedelec, with the mid motor e-bike owners, doing the job of being the "nay sayers", because they simply neither understand nor accept simple physics wear and tear, in a system that (in my opinion) was not properly designed for problem free long term riding.....!! The mid motor owners, appear to be under the impression that as they paid many times the average price of most hub (because of far simpler hub drive mechanics = cheaper) e-bikes, that they bought something "BETTER"! But they really didn't, and they find this MOST galling. They actually have bought something with many different possibly "built in" failures.....at a far higher cost. Not forgetting that some manufacturers actually install firmware that precludes an informed owner, from maintaining his own e-bike himself, like even replacing a battery,which I find totally appalling! My second e-bike new, complete with two batteries, cost only a tad more than a replacement motor (may not even be new, just repaired!) for a Bosch e-bike, and where the owner is precluded from installing it himself, and if the guarantee is gone, even has to pay the bike shop to do the work, as well as the price of the motor, around 800 UK pounds plus work at an hourly rate!!! I hope that you now have a far better understanding of "why", but if you have any further questions, please just ask us all here on Pedelec, as the massive amount of experience here, can help a fellow rider almost always. regards Andy

Thanks for warning us all, as such posts are very helpful for us all when members cite just how bad some companies are with their products and (lack of) customer service. Many thanks Andy

You may be correct, but that is only true if the bike is working fully correctly, and its apparently not working as it should...... Nuff said! Andy