caroline brett

charger Well, my charger has broken again (the deans connector from the charger came detached from the wires and ended up attached to the deans connector of the battery, once again leaving dangerous live exposed wires from the battery), so I'm going to need to replace it. My question is, with the Turnigy Accucel balancing charger, it appears only to balance up to 6 cells and my impression is that the efreedom battery pack has 12 cells, so how does that work? Also, it seems from you guys that once the pack is in balance it is not really so necessary to keep balancing it, so I'm wondering if it is really worth it for me to get hold of this balancing charger kit, especially if it also requires a transformer to be able to use off mains electric, which would be an added expense. In that case I may as well just get hold of another basic charger with deans connectors and try to make sure that the connectors don't end up pulling off over time like the old one did! What do you think?

balancing charger for A123 batteries Hi you two! Very reassuring that you are still there providing moral support and technical advice to people like me So, I'm looking into this balancing charger business, and hoping for a bit of advice. I've tried to track down the Nanophosphate Sonic Charge (AQR400088) which is the recommended charger for A123 batteries, but (a) seems to be discontinued/out of stock everywhere and (b) I think it may only work on battery packs with up to 3 cells and these ebike packs I think have 6 cells, or 12?? not sure. So what else should I go for? And how does it work? Do I just balance them every so often through those white tabs with the coloured wires going in, or get a new charger that balances every time?? it's all a bit of a strange new world for me. Re: my existing charger. My husband has recently started using my precious bike as well, and he basically broke my charger...well, what happened is that somehow the 'socket' of the charger (the bit that the connector from the battery goes into) came detached from the wires, and ended up attached to the dean's connector of the battery, with some loose wires then hanging out. I never saw this so appreciate it sounds unlikely. Anyway, hubby didn't notice and then these wires happened to brush against the brake lever of the bike, and there was an almighty bang and a huge scorch mark on the shelf and a melted bit of the gear lever!!!! Luckily nothing was damaged, including hubby, and the battery is still working ok. An electrical engineer fixed the socket back onto the right bit of the charger, saying that it was 'highly dangerous' and I need to get a new charger asap!! Just thought I'd pass that on for what it's worth. Overall, I totally heart my bike though. None of the other ebikes match the lightness and portability of this system as far as I can tell, even though the wiring is clearly somewhat dodge. Caroline xx

update on freedom brompton ebike Hello, Just to say that I've now had the Freedom brompton conversion for nearly a year and happy with it. The only thing has been that out of 3 battery packs I bought with the bike, 1 of them deteriorated quite badly after a few months of use, and another of them started to go downhill after about 9 monhts of use. The third one is still going strong. I have treated them all the same so I don't know what that is about. However, on the positive side, I asked for them to be replaced under the warranty that is provided on the batteries and they sent me 2 new ones very quickly. I haven't actually yet used these new batteries as I want to get a balancing charger kit to use with them so that hopefully they don't go the same way as the original batteries. Bit daunted by the technicalness of the balancing kits I've had a look at online!! but anyway, will be worth it if they keep the batteries working well for a decent period. I didn't really need to get multiple battery packs as I have very rarely used two connected in parallel, and never three (only when the car was broken down and I neede dto haul a load of heavy shopping up loads of hills!). The one small battery is perfect for my commuting and new job which involves lots of short journeys ina hilly city with opportunities for recharging in between. The rubber casing protecting the wiring completely knackered now but doesn't seem to be damaging the wiring itself. I notice that the mudguard is getting pulled a bit off centre by the repeated fold. Interested in the little gizmos mentioned earlier in the thread but managing anyway with it as it is. By for now, Caroline

charger pics Hi John and Jerry, Thanks for the feedback re: the 'kronk' noise. Good to know it is 'normal'. I have been trying not to go from a standstill but I guess I was starting to get cocky as I have gained more confidence using the motor! Will definitely try to get underway now before using it - can be tricky in some areas where it's so steep, and therefore hard to use the throttle when e.g. standing up in the pedals and really pulling on the handlebars to try to get any headway. I guess that's where pedal-assist comes into its own? I've now taped up the rubber bit which was starting to break up over the axle nut by the wiring. I'll be able to see the pattern of wear as I repeatedly fold the bike. Another issue just confronted was a with fitting the pump onto the nozzle with the spokes fitted the way they are: to start with I thought I would be unable to pump up my front tyre but can just about do it from one side if I bend the nozzle out a bit. Phew. Here is the charger fyi Jerry. Sorry for the delay an' all... http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/5862/charger002.jpg http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/1046/charger001.jpg http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/2680/charger007.jpg Hope that answers your questions. Did you hear anything from Andrew re: the balancing issue? BW Caroline

will do Hi Jerry, Sorry for delay - will do. Have had the bike a week now. The rubber protector on the nut by the motor hub is already coming away. But I figure I can probably sort that out with some duct tape! I've been getting more into the motor now that I feel more confident that the battery will last me my journeys: i.e. using it to get up to speed from traffic lights etc, or where there is a bit of headwind. Slightly disturbing 'kronk' noise when putting the throttle full on from a near standstill, but not sure where this is coming from (hub? brakes?). doesn't happen when turning the throttle when already at speed. Best thing so far is that the battery easily lasts any of my journeys so far and the charger is very light. When the battery is only partially run down it gets up to full again pretty quickly (often 15-40mins in the last week). Downside as mentioned before is the fiddly process of disconnecting the battery from controller and controller from throttle every time. On balance not convinced the hassle is worth it over a 'normal' bike in london. but it really comes into its own in hilly areas. I guess that's par for the course though with any electric bike. Roger (I think it was?): I'd be interested what your brother's experience was with his kit. I know you mentioned that the 7 point pin started coming apart over bumps (not yet happened to me) but what other experiences did he have - if you've the time to post. Best wishes, Caroline

spoke tension and axle nuts hi Jerry, thanks that is useful . I've just had a peer at mine and can see what you mean - the 'nipple' (there seem to be an awful lot of these?! ooer etc. ) is not fully into the little hole in the fork. Looks a bit tricky to tighten up the nut too, because of the casing to protect the wiring. Feeling a bit concerned about it now! Also, I've had a 'ping' of the spokes and there are a couple that give more of a plunk than a ping. One of them is visibly slightly bent. How worried should I be about these? I.e. can I continue riding for the next couple of days til I get home and can go to the bike shop on Friday, or should I get this sorted out immediately/stop riding the bike til they are adjusted? I have probably done a few miles now. The irony is that I've realised I don't need the motor at all in London really - my legs are quite capable in South London where it is largely flat. The motor is absolutely brilliant in Hastings though where it is nonstop hills. In retrospect could have got a nano motor for my full size old bike for Hastings, and just got a second hand brommy for commuting.... och well too late now:p Anyway who knows where I might need to commute in the future... Re: the connector - so far it has remained connected over bumps. Except for this morning on the first test run. But to be fair I don't think I connected it properly in the first place with my thick gloves on. I'm sure that Roger's comments are relevant - shame I don't have the know-how to do any modification of the wiring myself, will just have to manage with the basic set up. Any other maintenance tips gratefully received. Caroline

feedback Thanks everyone who has posted useful info for me to bear in mind with my new purchase. I shall certainly be keeping an eye on the spoke tension and the axle nuts. I made a special request for the cross-pattern on the wheel after reading comments about the weakness of the radial pattern (so thanks for flagging that up!). Don't know if he usually does that but he said on email that he could 'do either'. Re: the charger, sorry no photo yet and no time tonight but I don't think that the cells are being balanced as the charger plugs into the same bit that the controller plugs into when connecting to the battery. I.e. the extra coloured wires with little white bits on the end are maybe how the cells are connected together but the charger does not interface with these. That said, Andrew H. of Freedom ebikes maintains that he has been using these batteries with this charger for well over a year regularly with good performance. But perhaps he will take your comments into account for future reference - I've got a feeling he's keeping an eye on this thread. I'll try to put a photo of the charger in on Friday if that's ok - I'm going to be up in London as of tomorrow morning and using the new steed for three days - back Thurs pm. One last point re: ease of use. It turns out that the battery needs to be disconnected from both the controller and the throttle when not in use. Disconnecting from the throttle obviously 'turns off' the motor, but the controller continues to drain the battery when left connected, even when the motor is not connected. I didn't realise that, giving me a bit of a shock today when I took the bike for a spin with a supposedly full battery, only to find that I didn't get a nice green LED shining when I connected up the motor. Fortunately worked out what might have been happening, which Andrew confirmed. Communications post-delivery continues to be very good, by the way. I think the poor chap will be glad to see the back of me quite honestly cos I've been bombarding him with emails for the last month since I first started thinking about buying this machine. However, I think it is only reasonable seeing as I have entrusted him with near to 1 and a half grand of my hard -earned! Anyway, to get to the point: it is not the easiest thing in the world to connect and disconnect the controller as it is a little socket thingy which makes sparks and I'm hoping all the rubber insulation is going to stay in place over time! Although it is reassuring to hear that that is 'normal'. Perhaps I will become adept at it with practice but it is not the most user-friendly. On the up-side, even though the battery was not very full when I set off the pull up hills continues to be very good. BW Caroline

more photos Above shows the hub with the wiring coming out near the hook. Then the chunky 7 point pin (I like it but hope it doesn't fall apart as suggested?!) Then the battery with the controller stuck on the bottom with velcro (very hi tech!), with a phone for size comparison. http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/1558/ebike005.jpg The throttle http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2359/ebike010.jpg View into the back pocket of the touring pannier, with the battery etc. inside and the plugged in controller on the right. Sorry I know it's not clear to see what's what really. http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2184/ebike019.jpg This is an attempt to show the hook with the wiring from the hub coming up behind it, when the bike is folded. I didn't have as much trouble with this on the latest fold attempt and am assured that it will wear ok, but will still keep an eye on it! http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/6775/ebike004.jpg wiring secured with cable ties. Picture of the charger to follow. Just finished charging at 1hr 40 mins!

photos http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/4831/ebike002.jpg http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/9509/ebike006.th.jpg http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/1826/ebike008.th.jpg

freedom kit Hi Jerry, Sorry, my mistake: it should have read: Parcelforce Clearance Fee: £13.50. The total was £80.73. The declared value was £306. As the other chap said, this wasn't far off honest, given that the bike originated in the UK. I also read up the customs blurb and passed on the info to Freedom bikes that if they want to supply fully kitted bikes to the UK, they should do the paperwork with the buyer to ensure that they can get Outward Processing Relief on the value of the bike when re-importing to the UK. Anyway, I'm happy that I got away with it, and the 80 quid seemed ok once I'd looked 270 quid in the eye (i.e. what i would have paid if the full cost had been declared!). All told, with the customs fees, the full kit has cost me about £100 more than the equivalent from the Electric Wheel Company. I think I still would have gone with it though from the point of view of more flexibility in the weight that I carry. I stay up in London for three days of the week and carry all my clothes, files, books etc with me so the idea of an additional 4-5kilos of battery was totally offputting! One kilo plus a light charger I can cope with. Andrew is going to post me the connectors for putting the batteries in parallel: he said he was out of stock of them when he shipped the bike to me. Perhaps they are easy to get in the UK but I might as well let him ship them as I think I'm 'owed' them from him. Yes, I got three batteries in total. I figured that if hubby gets a nano conversion on his full size bike from the EWC then it would be good if we can be matched roughly for battery power if we want to take longer trips out together. Also I want to get a trailer and be able to tow larger loads up the hills of Hastings, for which I think I'll need the three packs really if I want any distance as well. I'm going to put links in for the photos here but if you want I'll email you the full size pics as well. Let me know. I haven't taken one of the charger yet but I'll do that too. Not sure what you said about 'balancing the batteries'? Not sure what that means. Best wishes, Caroline

in my sticky hands! Ok, so of course I went and picked it up on Saturday Just took it for its first test spin this morning and very pleased indeed with it. Have to bear in mind that i have never previously used an electric bike so I don't have anything to compare the performance with. 1) First impression: everything packed well and intact on arrival. The breakdown of the costs were: £10.93 import duty; £56.30 VAT; Parcelforce Clearance fee £80.73. 2) Next stop: unfolding the bike. Got rather stuck at this stage as I couldn't get the hook off the tubing to unfold the front handlebar assembly bit. However, in the end my husband managed to do it. I've since got the knack, I think, but am curious about how much easier this would be on a non-modified Brompton, as it is noticeable that the widened forks, plus the wiring protruding from the motor hub (and rubber casing put on to protect this vital part) seem to impede the hook somewhat. I've taken some photos to illustrate. As I am not familiar with Bromptons in general it is hard for me to gauge how much of a problem the modification is causing. Having folded and unfolded it a number of times this morning, I think I have got the knack of swinging the wheel in at the correct angle to clear the wiring etc, and get the hook in place: however it seems to me that the rubber casing protecting the wiring is squeaking past the tube and taking a bit of a squeeze in the process. I am going to be keeping a beady eye on this as it seems a bit vulnerable to wear and tear during the folding process. However, once folded it doesn't seem as though any weight is actually resting on the wiring; neither is the weight resting on the hook though, which surprised me. Not sure if it usually does? 3) Weight. I bought the M2L model to minimise weight, and on the bathroom scales (!) the whole bike with the motor comes in at between 12.5 and 13 kgs, which is what I was expecting. (i.e. about 2.2kg for the motor, plus 10.8 for the bike). Fantastic!! I can easily see myself lifting the bike up and down the flight of stairs at our station. The battery, controller, frame and bag altogether come in at about 2 kilos. (it says 2.475 kg on my kitchen scales but they are probably about as accurate as the bathroom ones, i.e. not very). 4) Ease of use: well, there is no on switch, which means that as long as the battery is connected (see photos), the bike is 'on'. It is easy enough to connect and disconnect the throttle, though. The connection is chunky which reassures me, and is not stiff to push in and out (nor too loose). Slightly alarmingly the battery connectors sent out sparks when I connected the battery pack to the controller. I didn't get any shocks though as everything is fully insulated as you would expect, it was just a bit unexpected! The battery and controller fit easily in the back pocket of the bag, as advertised. It's a bit of a jumble of wires and things but hopefully will be protected in that position. The only downside is that it is necessary to open the pocket in order to unplug the throttle, but it really doesn't take long. The throttle seems pretty responsive, though I can report more once I've used it more. 5) Battery: the battery looks very homemade. But it weighs less than a kilo as advertised, and I will report over the next few weeks on how long it lasts. It has been taped up neatly and looks solid. It is guaranteed for 2 years in any case (nearly: see the website for that info). I took it to town and back this morning and I live up a very steep hill. It gave good assistance for several prolonged stretches. There are led light indicators on the throttle but I'm not sure what they are indicating exactly. I've sent an email to Andrew and I'm sure he will enlighten me. I've also asked him how to connect the batteries in parallel if I want to - it's not obvious. 6) Power: as said above, I used the motor to go up all the hills. I don't know exactly what the gradients are but they are basically uncycleable usually for all but the most hardcore cyclists with millions of low gears! I basically have not cycled since the first year of moving to Hastings because all the hills make the experience unpleasant and essentially pointless! But with the motor, i went on pedalling in the lower gear, and the motor took me up the hill. I did have to pedal quite hard up the steepest bits, but didn't break a sweat. That's all for now. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Here are the photos: Ok, actually it turns out that my files are too big. My husband is getting grumpy because he wants to go and watch the football (!) so I'll have to resize the photos and post them up later. Sorry! Bye, Caroline:)

safely through customs Hello, Well the bike is in Blighty and it's been ok as I've only been charged customs on what he marked the bike as - which was the same as he would have put if i'd only bought the kit from him: total extra cost £80.73. I will be picking it up tomorrow if poss, or having it delivered on Monday. I'll try out all the bits and bobs and post an update then! Also will take some photos so others can see what it looks like close up. Really excited now

Hi again Hello BarryColl, thanks a lot for your warm words of support! :-) yes, he says he is shipping tomorrow so hopefully next week I will be enjoying the bike. Think positively for me ;-) Andrew has always been communicative and got back to me quickly. There was a slight hiatus when perhaps he had something to say I wouldn't like. I have some issues with some of the information he gave me, but I wont' elaborate until the bike is here and I've got the full picture..... Yes, in the long run I'm sure I'll be happy...

freedom ebikes thanks for the moral support Jerry - and the practical advice. I think I probably have to go ahead as he told me a week or so ago that he had 'started the build'. Not sure what that would have involved really as he did not have the rims and so was not able to build up the wheel around the hub. But maybe he just starts with the throttle, wires, and fork. Since I paid through PayPal I think I do have some coverage but I'm not sure what my rights would be in this situation as basically I think I have to admit it was my error not to realise about the taxes. I live and learn. So now it's just deciding whether to pay several hundred pounds on labelling the bike correctly (which does seem like madness as the bike was manufactured in the UK and I'd be paying two lots of VAT effectively), or whether to hope that it gets through safe and sound on the value of the components alone. I think I have to surrender and think positively at this point! And envisage myself gliding effortlessly up the hill home... Anyway, hopefully my next post will be more informative about that actual bike itself!

cancelling order? In terms of whether I can cancel the order: he bought the ML2 from a local supplier to him, rather than ordering it. Therefore, assuming he has not messed around with the bike yet, I would have thought he should be able to return it to the shop. If, however, he has already widened the forks, I guess he couldn't and I am stuck with it. My impression is that he hasn't got that far yet. But I have to admit that I've got a kamikaze inclination to just go ahead with the whole thing and keep my fingers crossed. I think that he should specify the components that have been added though, in order to make it clearer if the customs people open up the parcel to check.

duty etc Phew! Feeling a bit calmer. Thought it might be more helpful if I just report what I have been told by Freedom bikes for other people's benefit: 1) he didn't flag up the tax issue at any point even when discussing things like whether to sell me the front pannier at the same time (and whether it would be competitive price-wise). I know that I as the buyer am reponsible for being aware of import taxes but I would have thought it was good practice to highlight this when your customer is dithering about accessories that will only add to the value of the package and can be bought locally. But perhaps not good business sense...except it has not added to my experience of ordering through him! 2) He is intending to label it as 'reconditioned item: value £300': which was following my suggestion that he label it on the cost value of the additional components since the bike was originally exported from the UK. I don't know whether he has ever sent anything to the UK before; he didn't answer that question. However he claims that the bike says 'made in Britain' on it prominently and thinks that should do it. I'm not convinced that that is the right thing to put on the package really, and I'm also not convinced that he knows what the best thing to put on the package is. Really he ought to be getting hold of the export notices for the bikes he imports, and getting clearance to return them, so that he gets Outward Processing Relief legally and above board, on the value of the bike itself. I guess I have to decide whether I want to gamble that it will get through, and swallow the additional 60-90 pounds (the handling fee is 13.50); or whether the risk of being stung for more should put me off completely. I am a bit concerned that I am a guinea pig for this and frankly I am not made of money though perhaps I have been behaving as if I am! Dammit! I just wanted the bike quickly

import duty Hi Jerry, Thanks for your reply. I'm wobbling now about the whole thing I have to admit. I feel like a fool for not realising about the import duty. I guess I've just never imported anything big from abroad and so there's never been an issue to raise it in my awareness. I've kind of looked into it now and think that, since the bike was originally manufactured in the UK and is now being returned from processing, I should really only be liable for the tax on the added components, not the bike which was made here. However, it all seems really complicated to claim back and get authorisation on, especially as the bike didn't belong to me when it was exported (and Andrew Hamilton therefore doesn't have an export note to show). He has got the rims today and will start the build and is planning to ship by the end of this week. He sent me a message saying that he was sorry I didn't realise about the taxes but had ordered the bike specially for me - obviously he's going to be a bit narked if I pull out now. The really really annoying thing is that I could have just bought a ML2 that Cycle Heaven in york had in stock three weeks ago, been riding it in the meantime, and just ordered the Easy Install Kit from Freedom...I would still need to pay duty on that but it would be a fraction of the value. I didn't do that because the price on the fully kitted up bike was slightly less than buying the bike separately and installing the kit - but certainly not once you factor in the import duty!! Help!!? not sure what to do now. Should I cancel the order of the bike, if possible, and just get the kit? Any thoughts??

spokes Being a novice to this arena and not having a clue I asked Andrew H to do me a cross-over spoke pattern on the hub, based on the comments I read on this forum.

update Hello again! Thanks for the welcome and sorry for the delay... Actually, I am rather sorry about the delay because my eagerly awaited ebike is indeed subject to delay.... It was ordered on 4th October after some back and forth emails enquiring about various options. Andrew Hamilton won my confidence with his prompt replies and clear information. He quoted me a two week wait and then 2-3 days for delivery (for a new Brompton with kit installed). Because I was so keen he kindly agreed to process the order immediately rather than waiting for my e-cheque to clear. On 13th October (i.e. after 9 days) he let me know that there would be a slight delay as his rim supplier had misrouted the wheel rim he needed and suggested he would post it the next week. That was last week: on Wednesday I contacted him again and he admitted that he still didn't have the rim and was expecting to post it this week - tomorrow. So fingers crossed. Would be more annoyed except that I am aware the Electric Wheel Company has a poor record for the time it takes to receive the product (the other chap who posted on here about the Nano Brompton seemed to have waited 5 months or so for his (is that right?), having been quoted 4-6 weeks). So, I don't have much more info. But my thinking behind the choice was that I need a truly portable folding electric bike to manage my commute which incorporates station stairs, a very steep and long hill on my return journey, and a need not to arrive sweaty for my appointments. I don't go a long way though, which made me choose the lighter option with the low mileage over the Nano Brompton which tempted me initially. That and, as I said, the desire to actually get hold of this bike before my job changes and I've spent hundreds of pounds on cumulative bus and tube fares. In consultation with Andrew and a test ride of a three speed Brompton I decided to get a two gear Brompton on the basis that this will save about 809g on the hub and that I would very rarely use the lowest gear of a three speed with the motor. I really wanted to get a second hand EBay brompton and get the Easy-Fit kit from Andrew (on the basis that I did not feel confident stretching the forks and filing out the dropins). I'm sure it is easy but I figured I didn't want to spend hundreds of pounds on a motor kit and the bike and then end up installing it slightly wonky and having a crap bike at the end of it. So I was going for the option where you get your bike shop to swap over the forks. Then I got outbid a couple of times on Ebay and was wasting hours, no: days, poring over the listings and getting obsessive about it for a week or so: plus I didn't want the S-bar option and there seem to be few ML2 Bromptons about in the second hand market. I decided to go for the new bike and kit from Andrew cos the package worked out cheaper than getting a new one and fitting the Kit afterwards. Plus he promised me the whole kit in two and a half weeks! I also ordered two extra batteries at the same time so that I can go on longer journeys or get a trailer and tow loads like shopping around my hilly home town if I want (batteries connected in parallel). This worked out cheaper with the shipping etc than ordering these later, so I'm just hoping that I've calculated correctly and they will be useful. He promised me that they would not expire so long as I charged them up once every month or two. The whole package (new bike, fitted, with two extra batteries and shipping) came to £50 less than the Nano Brompton equivalent from the Electric Wheel company (based on a concurrent quote for the same model from them): but then buying the front bag as well (which was included in the EWC quote but not the Freedom Ebikes quote) it comes to £25 more all in. However, until I have my lovely machine in my sticky impatient hands I can't comment on how any of these decisions have panned out! Here's hoping it lives up to my expectations and is fully functioning on arrival (as it will obviously be harder to deal with any difficulties when the company is based in Jerusalem). My blood is running slightly cold at the thought of the import duties, which I had actually not factored into the equation: this was not mentioned to me by Freedom EBikes and I didn't think of it. Gulp. I'll keep you posted...hoping that it will be with me by the end of the week now.

Hello, after doing some research which led me to this forum, I have ended up ordering a brompton conversion from Freedom ebikes. I thought it might be useful to write about my experiences with this company and product on here for the benefit of other people looking into a electric folder with (relatively) low weight. If this isn't the right place to be doing this, someone let me know before I write any more! thanks, Caroline