fudoka

Latest info - Another ride over similar terrain including one pretty severe hill requiring level 3 assistance in parts and no problems. My simple bodge temperature check didn't show a rise in temperature of more than 7°C even on that hill. I'm sufficiently cynical in my old age to put this down to Murphy's Law. Next time I go out I'll leave the temperature probe off to see if I'm right

Actually it may have been warmer on the second ride, I didn't check but summer may have just arrived in the last day or so here in Crete. I haven't got in touch with Andy - mainly as it's 5 years since I did the conversion so I'm well out of any warranty. I know Woosh are pretty helpful but I didn't want to push it. The bit of info/reassurance I'm really after is whether the cut-out is likely to indicate a major problem or, assuming it's heat-based, it's just a safety feature to prevent a major problem so I just live with it and take it as a signal to stop and admire the scenery.

Given that I'm using an uncalibrated kitchen meat thermometer as the sensor there's not a lot of point breaking open the compartment to get it closer - this was just as some sort of indicator to give me some idea of the heat involved. When I get some replacement dilithium crystals for my tricorder though ...

Ok, here's the latest. I managed to get time to take the bike out on a run today covering the same basic route as the one which prompted my original post. The two major hills which prompted the cut-outs last time were no problem today - Murphy's Law anybody? The only difference I can think of is that, this time, I wasn't starting with a fully charged battery - I doubt that tightening a bolt on the carrier rack had any effect I stuck an oven thermometer sensor on the battery casing over where I believe the controller is located with insulation tape to try and get some idea of temperature changes and it got up to 37°C at the top of the two hills where the cut-outs happened last time. Is the level of charge in the battery going to affect temperature?

Ok folks I'm getting a bit overwhelmed now. I've got to admit I didn't expect I'd get quite so much feedback on this and I'm sincerely grateful to one and all (to put it mildly)! However, I can't check out everything I've been prompted to check right now and, as I say, this is one of those intermittent faults which are always a swine to track down. - following Murphy's Law they never happen when you are actually set up to monitor them. I'll get back on the bike when I can and definitely check out the heating on the controller and report back if and when.

Hmm! I wonder if my meat thermometer would work

Replicating the problem is the problem Since it only seems to happen after a hill climb it's almost impossible to replicate on a bike stand. Added to which I don't have a bike stand here, not even a handy beam to hang it from. It looks like I'm going to have to wait until it happens again and check for overheating and, probably, bite the bullet and admit I need to source a replacement battery.

The conversion was a DIY job with a kit from Woosh!. According to the pics on their web site the controller is inside the battery cradle.

First I have to work out where the controller is . It's a rack-mounted battery and, if I'm right, the controller is built into the battery cradle. I haven't checked this when it cuts out but, since I turn the battery on/off to reset I'd have thought I'd have noticed if there was a lot of heat in the area - even though the power switch is at the opposite end of the cradle. I'll try and remember to check it next time it happens. I use a rack-top bag and I cycle in a Cretan summer so, if excess heat is the cause, I'm really going to have to do some thinking ...

As I say, I've been lucky in that the assist cut-out has happened (so far) either just after or just before the top of the hill. Given the hills round here (E. Crete) and me being 73 I can tell you it'll be bl**dy slowly :-) - or rather I'm pedalling fairly fast but in the lowest gear available so travelling pretty slowly.

Hm! hadn't thought of that - I'll check it out

Thanks for the suggestion - will try that but it does sound like an aging battery problem. I'm in Crete and the original conversion was pre-Brexit so it is getting a bit long in the tooth. It's just that the bike is not heavily used and then only for short (<15Km) journeys so replacing a battery just by age gets a bit expensive on the €/Km basis. At 73 I need the assist to climb the steep hills in the area. 15% - ha! that counts as a gentle slope round here ;-).

I'm in East Crete (Skopi village, just outside Sitia) - there are no less hilly routes :-). Getting a replacement battery is more of a problem post Brexit but Woosh! (bless them) have offered to send me a replacement and reckon that the courier will handle the shipping documents.

Yes, I have a throttle - that dies at the same time though.I did quickly check all the connectors to see if any could have worked loose but I'll go over them again in more detail just to make sure.

It's happened several times now, the assist just stops. If I turn the battery off, wait for a minute or so and turn it back on again it comes back on. The controller display shows the battery still full, in fact the display doesn't change at all when it cuts out. Just turning the system off from the controller doesn't seem to reset the system, it has to be switching the battery off and on again So far it's been after I've climbed a hill but never with maximum assist and, fortunately, within metres of reaching the top or just after. All the connections appear to be solid but the battery is getting on a bit (but not heavily used). The bike is a Joe Tern converted with a Bafang rear-wheel driver kit from Woosh which has been pretty good so far. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this? I know the battery is getting a bit long in the tooth but it seems to be holding charge pretty well still.

My 36v 17a rack mount battery is getting a little long in the tooth and I will have to start looking for a replacement. Are there any standards for the connections for batteries to the mounts?

typo/senior moment - I meant "I'd love to go for mid-drive"

I'd love to go for hub but, by the looks of it, it wouldn't work with the folding. If Bimoz ever gets off the ground, that might be Ok though.

I'm looking into converting a Tern Joe into an eBike for use in a hilly area of Crete (and some if the hills are seriously steep) and I'm wondering whether to go for a front or rear wheel conversion kit. Presently I prefer a rear wheel motor with frame mounted battery on the assumption I'll get better traction and a better feel but any comments/thoughts would be appreciated.

We won't be doing anything more than day-long runs. The after-effects of the lower anterior resection I had 3 years back for bowel cancer mean I can't really go out on multi-day tours these days.

Thanks for the info. I don't know what level of customisation is available in terms of the gearing at the point of purchase, I'll have to investigate, but I'll bear your comments in mind. We're not looking to go off road per se but some of the 'official' roads are more like tracks and I think a tourer configuration should be Ok, after all I've taken a Dawes Galaxy over some pretty rough ground and there's nothing in the rule book that says you can't get off and push

We're looking to buy eBikes in Crete for a bit of local touring and commuting in and out of the nearest town. There's not a lot of choice available in Crete but we've found a Cube dealer in Heraklion and I'm looking at their touring ranges of the Hybrid and Kathmandu. The basic difference is the drive unit, the Hybrid has the Bosch Active Plus delivering 50Nm and the Kathmandu has the Bosch Performance CX delivering 70Nm The hills in Crete can be pretty fierce (I reckon a couple getting in/out of the village are nigh on 35% in parts) so maybe we'll need to go for the 70Nm Kathmandu range - any advice would be appreciated. BTW I'm retired and the wife is getting near retirement and we're fairly experienced cyclists and have ridden around bits of Crete on standard tourers but age is now starting to make the hills a little too much for us unassisted.