Jonathan1

Lower price How about £40 including postage, contact me using Jonathan.Lord@uwclub.net if interested. Jonathan

Urban mover? Hi, I don't think this is an urban mover. It is not part of the current range and does not have the urban mover battery style that they have been using for a couple of years. Jonathan.

Urban mover pedal sensor Hi, I had various issues, but it seemed to be more to do with the 3 wire connector for the pedal sensor than the sensor itself. Taking it apart and remaking it 10 times did the trick. I have re-jigged my bikes controls to make them much less susceptible to bad weather, and got rid of the sprung contacts between the battery and control box, for a proper connector. The UM sensor consists of two emmiter/receiver pairs (LED or IR), and an annular ring of flags that break the beams. They need the two pairs to detect when the pedals are going forwards (vs backwards). I assume that the 3 wires are the supply (+ and -) and then the output. There is circuitry in the sensor, so I expect that the speed is decoded to an analogue output within the sensor. The output is probably supposed to be proportional to pedal speed, however in reality it seems that as soon as the pedals are turning forwards at all, a full signal is output, causing maximum power to be delivered. With all my mods, my UM36 is going great now. The pedal sensor is defnitiely the weak point on my bike, it seems like a simple problem to detect motion in one direction reliably. I agree with a previous posting that I read, that the manufacturers are getting the users to do the testing. regards, Jonathan.

I bought a second charger, which I have used a couple of times, and do not need. It cost me £60. I am happy to sell it for £50 including the postage cost in UK, if anybody is interested. If so please email me at Jonathan.Lord@uwclub.net. I would also deliver free in the Bristol area. thanks, Jonathan Lord

More mods. Hi, will be intersting to see if you fix it with the connector. I agree that this seems to be most likely cause. I tested the bike yesterday in extreme rain. and all is fine, though water was still getting into the control compartment via the drain hole underneath. I have done more mods to completely seal it consisting of: *** Reducing the size of the drain hole with a flat piece of plastic fixed on underneath with silicon sealant. *** Applying a collar under the drain hole to guard against rain coming up into the new (smaller) hole *** Removing one of the brake wires and making the cutout connection for both brakes come into the control box in one wire. This reduces the number of wires entering the front of the control box to 3 which is what the grommet is intended for. (4 wires were "stuffed" through mine) *** Silicon sealing arount the front and rear cable entries to the control box *** Putting the control electronics in the control box, at the top of the box, (propped up on a large rubber cork and wedged from top with a small piece of foam). This has two benefits, 1) provides some shock absorbtion to the electronics. 2) avoids the box sitting in the bottom, when if water gets in, the box can sit in the damp. I live in Bishopston, where are you? If you want to have a look at it you're welcome, or I can email you photos if you are interested. My email is Jonathan.Lord@uwclub.net. regards,

Problem seems to be fixed Hi, I see that you sell them amongst others..... I did two things, I unplugged and replugged the tiny pedal sensor connector 10 times in the control box, to clean the contacts. I then noticed that one of the large sprung contacts was sized. Looking at the underside of the battery, I saw that the sprung contacts have pushed the contact plates right up into the battery, (I have photos, that I can mail if you are interested, too large file size to attach to forum). Not very impressive. Keith Chamberlain at urban mover says he has not seen it before. I don't like those batterycontacts anyway, plus they let water into the control box if the battery is not present. So I have taken wires out of the top of the battery and fitted a maplin connector to the rear face of the control box. Much more positive, and will also keep the control box dry. It does mean I have to unplug a connector to remove the battery. Keith is going to send me another battery base FOC. Bike runs fine now. So my cutting out could have been due to very poor battery contacts or a poor sensor connector. The only doubt in my mind is that the problem started in the cold weather, but the weather is warmer now. I hope that I have fixed it and that it doesn't come back when it gets cold again. regards, Jonathan.

UM Cutting again Hi, Sorry I was not there to answer the post from Dickbris. Unfortunately, I have the cutting out problem again on my UM36. I'm wondering if Dickbris can tell me which connections are suspect. The sensor connections are just very small push connectors (which I could imagine being unreliable). It's the power connectors that can be tightened, but I can't imagine it is a problem with power connectors. Since it can be overriden with the throttle, it seems to me that it is most likely to be the pedal sensor, or the connector for the pedal sensor. Maybe it's a really small signal for the pedal sensor? It's worse on very cold days, but the battery still has plenty of charge. thanks, Jonathan.

reply from Jonathan Thanks for the really helpful replies as usual. Looks like best option would be the cadet, with possibly a larger chainring. The Chainring is unfortunately not replaceable. So would have to get new cranks and drill holes to re-mount pedelec sensor or "Convert" existing chain ring to replacelable, which is all surgery that I am not keen on. 13 teeth will put me at 17.23MPH with the pedal speed I had at 16MPH on 14 teeth, so a bit better. 11 teeth would be 20MPH, so would have been ideal. Maybe I will measure the gap with a view to the 7 speed solution, because the gap looks to be about 1 chain width. There is certainly plenty of extra length on the axle at the drive side, so if tight, I could put a spacer in. What do you think? Jonathan.

Hi, I have an UM 36 going well since last November, up to about 300 miles now. Only issue is that the 14 tooth top gear ring on rear sprocket combined with 40T on chainring is not fast enough. It seems to be from the shimano "tourney" range, an MFTZ06 sprocket with 14/28 teeth. There seems to be no 6 speed alternative with shimano that goes lower on teeth. However there is a 7 speed MF HG50 11/34 (34 being a "megarange" up from 24 in second gear. ). I would obviously have to change to a 7 speed shifter, as well, but my question is whether the 7 speed will fit in between the frame mounting points,because I assume that a 7 speed freewheel must be wider than a 6 speed by one chain thickness. Can anyone advise if this is true? Is there a way for me to get a faster top gear? thanks Jonathan.

UM update Hi, have been riding UM36 for over 2 months now, still very pleased with it. As said before, they should have had handlebar flick switch to cut the power when you want to power it yourself, I have now done this just poking two wires into the brake cut off switch connector in the control box. It makes riding great. I like the full on power for accelerating/hills/wind. When I want to power it myself or go slow and controlled, I just switch off and pedal. That's all it needs. The other advantage is that if I know battery is getting low, I can save power for when I really need it. (I tend to exhaust the battery to maximise battery life). The twist throttle is quite progressive, so is OK on it's own. Trouble is when you start to peddle you get the full on power. I think that if you were to disconnect the pedal sensor, you could control power from twist grip and pedal assist as much as you like, however, you then have to hold the throttle all the time. Alternative to disconnection is a handle bar switch to cut off the pedal sensor input to the control unit. This would give you ability to switch off completely or control from throttle. My switch above cuts off completely, so throttle cannot be used. Problem is you don't really want to meddle with the pedal sensor, because it's not just a switch. The torque sensor is a cage in the chainring with a 3 "circumferential" springs between pedal/crank and chainring. The spring is compressed and senses when you are pedalling hard. I rode one, and I don't think it is progressive, it seemed to be an on/off switch for low / high power level to motor, but I could be wrong. good luck Jonathan.

Urban Mover Comments Hi, I did the urban mover review on front page. The sensor problem was promptly fixed with a new one, which has been fine since. The brake squeal is quieter, but not gone completely yet. It may just take time to bed in on the new bike. Otherwise, I'm still happy with it for my 4 miles each way commute. As said in review, I did try the one with the pedal torque sensor. It slows up the initial power delivery, but then power level varies depending on how hard you are pedalling. I prefer high initial torque and and smooth power delivery when pedalling, irrespective of force on pedal. I do have to be careful with it when manouvering, because it really goes when power comes in. Jonathan.

Thanks for the replies, Have talked to UM and they still think it's the pedal sensor. Apparently it is not hall effect, but an optical sensor which includes, 3sensors and a PCB. So will update you when it has been replaced. Looked at and test rode the UM36 torque sensor version today. It uses the same pedal sensor, but additionally a "caged" spring or elastomer contained radially in the chainring. There is a movement sensor to detect torque, and movement is limited to about 10 degrees. It does smooth down the ride a bit, and give a feeling of more control at low speeds, but it's not a major change, in my opinion. I could have upgraded to this for £50 but will not. I prefer the "full on" approach as soon as pedals are turned. plus, theres more to go wrong with torque sensor. Jonathan.

Hi, I still have the problem of the power "coming and going" when under load and battery fairly fully charged. I know that there was a view that pedelec sensor was suspect, but the cutting out is not the same as when pedelec sensor cuts power, which is more sudden. Can someone explain for me what protections are in the controller. Presumably overvoltage protection, which I would not suspect, since this happens under load, nor undervoltage suspected since LEDs are within normal range. But how about overcurrent protection, do these controllers have this? and are there any known causes for it to operate. thanks, Jonathan.

Hi, urban mover has been great for first few weeks. Have just got 25miles on one charge. However, problem may be developing. I notice that when battery is well charged, the power is cutting in and out as I am riding, and it could be about once per rev of pedals. Any thoughts on this. I wonder if there is some sort of power cut out, since it really puts in some torque when battery has been charged? I thought it might be crank sensor, but it doesn't seem to be in same position in each rev. any ideas? thanks Jonathan. PS: what a great site.

NTC picture now attached, hopefully Ntc picture now attached hopefully

XLR vs NTC connectors Thanks, very helpful as usual. Just need to be bit careful here, because although the connector on urban mover battery is 3 pins it is "NTC" type which looks like XLR audio connector, but is slightly smaller. I think it has automtove origins for sensors, having a plus, minus, and "sensed" connection (see attached photo of said NTC connector). If the power supply from powacycle really has XLR, then I will need a source of NTC connector (or change it over to XLR on both chargers and battery). Can you confirm that powacycle connector will be XLR? thanks, Jonathan.

Hello Chris, do you mean £40 for powaCYCLE and not powaBIKE, two different companies, I think. I would like a second charger for my urban mover, which has same battery spec as powacycle windsor. Cost from urban mover is £60. Spec of charger with urban mover is attached, outline as follows: 24V 1.8A Shenzhen ABT Co LTD Welcome to SHENZHEN ABT ELECTRONIC(S)CO.,LTD. doesn't spec the discharge phase. Also link here of V similar charger from same manufacturer available in US, but I cannot figure out postage from their website, BatterySpace.com specializes in universal power supplies like rechargeable batteries and chargers Smart Fast Charger (1.8A) with 3 pin connector for 24V NiMH / NiCd Pack -- UL Approved CHUN-2418 In Stock Sale Price Qty Y $39.95 Rgds, Jonathan. charger 3pX0-N7030e.pdf

NIMH second charger & battery performance. is there a good source on internet for NiMH second charger. The urban mover one is Shenzhen ABT, 3PX0-N7030, 1.8Aamp charger, looks same as the rest, for 24V battery. Cost from urban mover is excessive. Have found it in US, but would prefer not to import. Also, I'm assuming it's best with NiMH to exhaust battery as far as possible before recharge. Is this correct? Also trying to take off charge as soon as it goes onto trickle. thanks, Jonathan.

Running front light off 24V battery. It would be nice to hear from anyone who has managed to use lights from 24V or 36V. There are a few bulbs around that are 24V and low wattage. I think LED is fine for rear, but I need to see where I am going for part of my journey, so would like to run say 5W or 10W halogen light of 24V battery. ....... Is there a possibility of a standalone motorcycle light, with 24V bulb, or 2 lights in series (seems extreme) ?..............Jonathan.

Thanks, There is a separate 3 wire connector, which I feel sure must be for the torque sensor. I think the white wire link must the the 15mph speed limit which they are conveniently not implementing. I can't really feel the motor cut out at any speed. Have found the manufacturer of the controller + web site + photo of mine, but sadly all in chinese, and even with help of google translator, there are no technical details for my particular one. Manufacturer is: Translated version of http://www.lsdzs.com/ click on link at second group of chinese characters near top to see pictures. regards, Jonathan.

Hi, my urban mover has a pair of single white wires coming from the controller, which have male and female sockets, so act as an optional link for the controller. Any ideas what this link could be for. Could it be regenerative braking? or an enable/disable for the 15mph limit. As supplied, the link is not made. Bike does not appear to have regenerative braking, but would I be able to tell?. Motor does not cut out until > 17mph, I think. thanks, Jonathan.

Hi have you checked the connector from crank sensor to controller, assuming there is one. They are quite small and fiddly. It is possible to get an intermittent connection, also possible for a pin to be pushed partially out on connection, leaving it intermittent. (hence stopped after dropping off kerb). Jonathan.

Hi, The urban mover is a 6 speed screw on freewheel with 14/28 as previously stated in thread. I have looked into it all....The chain wheel is an all in one with rotation sensor, so it doesn't look possible to change at all. I checked the Shimano site and there is only one alternative 6 speed freewheel which has 12 teeth going up to gear 5 and the a megger 36 teeth for gear 6. Could be better for me, but not sure about how reliable it will be getting from a 24 onto a 36 or something like that. what do people think? To be honest the current gearing is not so bad, it just needs a little bit more.

Hi, does anyone know where I could get a waterproof switch to go in parallel with Brake swithc on Urban Mover UM36 to cut off power when I don't need it. Would prefer a flick switch that I can operate with left thumb? thanks, Jonathan.

I found out that torque sensor with springy pedal is a brand new option at £49. My first reaction is that I'm wished I had it. But then it's more to go wrong. It's adavatages are that it gives less help (and acceleration) when going slowly, so power take up is controlled. But then I'm thinking you would really want a control to adjust the amount of proportionate assistance you get, which I don't think it has. It would also increase range, but I don't need any more range. For me, the full on power all the time is fine, but I just need the cut off button for changing down and manouvering. Jonathan.