I have been lurking on this forum for while and have found it a great source of information.

I wanted to leave it a while before sharing my experience of a cyclotricity kit fitted to a Cube Cls bike.I have now done more then 1500 miles so thought I would do the review.

I am reasonably fit through running and have raced distances up to 60 miles,I regularly cycled to work(20 mile round trip) but was finding the effort was impacting upon my evening training sessions and races so I was cycling less an less.

Having been to see cyclotricity ,I was impressed with the kit so approached my local bike shop to get a new bike to convert,I decided on the Cube and the bike shop seemed keen to fit the kit which I wasn't sure about as I quite fancied having a go.

However,I decided to let them do the conversion as I hoped it would be give me a warranty on the whole thing.

The main decision was front or rear wheel and I decided on rear as cyclotricity were offering a 250/500 watt wheel.I went for the pannier 10amp battery as I use panniers anyway.

It did take a while for the bike to be ready to pick up,one of the reasons being that the larger controller would not fit in the pannier and there was no bag available to carry the controller however a plastic box was eventually supplied.Some months later,Cyclotricity wanted the box back so the bike shop replaced it with the bag they now supply.

A bigger disc had to be fitted also as the shimano calliper was rubbing on the hub.

The bike works well and looks smart,but is heavy,I didn't realise that the updated back wheel would be a lot heavier(8kg).The whole bike weighs 28kg as a result,and I,m not really sure where all the weight comes from as the basic bike is supposed to weigh just 13.8kg.

I have managed 2days of riding to work and back and had 45 miles before recharging but have read it's better to not let the battery get too low so recharge every day.

I fitted a torque arm for safety and went through some cheap panniers before fitting some more expensive axioms which are excellent.

The bike has had some problems,the rear disc came loose,which was due to the bolts holding it stripping out of the hub.The bike shop said it was a faulty hub and cyclotricity said it was incorrectly fitted by the bike shop.

I contacted cyclotricity directly and after some discussion they agreed to repair the wheel.

The rear dérailleur ripped it self part going up a hill so I had to get the bike shop to fit a new one which I had to pay for,luckily the rear wheel wasn't jammed so I could come home under throttle.

The bike shop think the rear dérailleur exploded as it hit one of the little bolts around the hub and in gear 1,the dérailleur is very close to the hub.

I find the motor very quiet which means any strange noises get noticed.

I have suffered spoke creak which seems to come from where the spokes enter the rim,but a drop of oil on each spoke seems to resolve it until the next wet outing washes the oil away.

I specified continental touring plus tyres as I didn't fancy getting a puncture in the dark and slime for the inner tubes.

Despite this,I have had one puncture on the rim side of the tube and its a mystery to me why this occured.

Luckily it was at work in a well lit car park.

The battery seems to give less power on cold days but is still easily capable of my commute,I have been out in minus 5.

I always keep the battery in the house to recharge.

Rain has caused no problems and I have been out in some appalling conditions.

My commute is about 10 mins quicker,I tend to ride in on level one or 0 but use 3 coming home and 5 on the main roads but using the thumb throttle on hills.

The thumb throttle hits the gear trigger shifter so I can only use about half of the travel,without changing down,but this still seems to give all the power I need.

The 500watt setting was a waste of time for me,I don't go off road very often and setting 3 seems to give the same power as the 250watt setting 5,settings 4and 5 don't seem to give any additional power but the throttle is more powerful up hills.

I use the bike every day as it doesn't tire me out for running so it is a success,and great fun.

If I was starting over,I would go for the much lighter 250watt front wheel as it easier if I get a puncture,and a lot lighter.I can make good progress without assist,but getting on my old ride to work bike,it just feels a lot more agile and nicer to ride without assist.

I have now fitted a 250watt front wheel kit to an old catalogue full suspension bike,this doesn't give as a good range,and I can hear the motor,which can be quite noisy when working hard up a hill.I use the same battery and have devised a way of fitting the pannier mount.This bike weighs around 24kg but is an experiment at the moment.

It is supremely comfortable on the road compared to the cube which is quite comfortable anyway.

I do suffer with back issues,I have a suspension seat post but the roads on my commute are truly dreadful in places so my next upgrade will be the sun tour ncx seatpost.

I have suffered spoke creak which seems to come from where the spokes enter the rim,but a drop of oil on each spoke seems to resolve it until the next wet outing washes the oil away.

 

Despite this,I have had one puncture on the rim side of the tube and its a mystery to me why this occured.

Luckily it was at work in a well lit car park.

 

Spokes don't normally creak unless they're too loose. Did you check that they're done up tight?

 

You haven't made any of your workmates jealous, have you?

 

What about some photos?

 

Welcom!

I could not source a spoke key large enough so filed out one I had already.I tightened all the spokes a quarter turn a week ago but haven't had it out in heavy rain since so time will tell.

I have had interest from workmates but non have taken the plunge yet.

The rear hub cube looks like a good serious commuter/tourer Paul, however the mtb dosen't look so nice to me.

Great and useful write up, thanks for sharing.

 

Dave.

Nice review Paul.

The cube looks purposeful but tail heavy.

I prefer the lighter look of the mtb.

Enjoy.

Both bikes have advantages and disadvantages,looks are secondary to function for me but still important.I only use the mtb locally as I don't really trust it and I,m not so precious about it.

The grip on the continental tyres (cube)is much better then the marathon pluses on my old ride to work bike,I think they are more sticky as the rear is wearing quite quickly and I can hear the front on the road surface.

For the future,I like the idea of hub gears,belt drive and a lighter bike to allow me to enjoy cycling without assist when I,m not training or racing,i have tried locking out the cube forks but find the road surfaces give my arms and shoulders a bit of a battering so will have to live with the weight of sprung forks.I will also see how the new seatpost shapes up.

Cube sell such a beast in electric form but I can't justify the £2500 cost and that weighs in at 21kg.

For now,my cube does all I really need,and I look forward to the commute as long as I don't try to lift it or get a puncture,which will happen sooner or later,I had two with the marathon pluses (and slimed inner tubes)on my old bike,so I will be putting a head torch in my repair kit.

Hi,

 

Lurked on this board a lot before making the decision to go electric, and fit a kit instead of buying a new bike. Thanks to all the contributors on here for making this such a great resource.

 

I'd been looking into electric bikes as my commute will be much nicer in good weather by bike instead of car, and i can't exert myself on the way to work as there's no shower.

 

I already had a half decent light single speed with drop handle bars.

 

Added a front wheel 250w cyclotricity kit with the 36V/11Ah pannier battery yesterday, and took it out for a first spin this morning after deep charging the battery.

 

I didn't get the PAS kit / LCD. Plan to be throttle only on the way to work, and only pedalling on the way back so didn't want to complicate things or spend more than I had to.

 

The bad:

- My previously very light bike is now heavy

- The instructions/fittings for the pannier assembly seem poor, ended up ignoring them and going DIY on it and am now happy its ok but its not as the design

- My front forks needed some light filing around the sockets for the new wheel to slide in

- The throttle doesn't fit my handlebars correctly, so i've used a few strong cable ties to put it next to the front brake. It feels quite natural there and fairly solid.

- The electric brake handles also don't fit, so sticking with the old brake handles

- The hub rubs against the fork on one side, this has greatly reduced after 1 ride so going to see if it sorts itself out before intervening

 

The good:

- Although heavier, the bike is more fun than before and much more practical for commuting

- Despite the fitting problems above, overall it was relatively easy considering the final effect

- Think the conversion is excellent value for £450

- Throttle only, goes 18mph on the flat with no wind and gets there quickly

- The speed feels about right so far, so not tempted to derestrict it

- Did 12 miles this morning (Worthing to Southwark and back) and the battery is still showing as full. This might be flattering the reality but means I'll probably be able to do my 12 mile commute throttle only (Worthing to Brighton)

 

Needed a pannier bag so took the bike into my local shop this morning, which I think is an independent. They're focused on high end electric bikes. Guy I spoke to was interested in the bike without any prompting, quite complimentary about it and surprised you could convert it with a decent range battery so cheaply.

 

However, he also said I should upgrade my back wheel entirely and the front forks as they weren't designed for this purpose. He said they have lots of conversions come in with collapsed rear wheels due to the extra battery weight, and snapped front forks due to the motor. Should I be worried about safety regarding these potential issues? I'm 13 stone, won't be carrying much cargo, and the vast majority of my journeys will be along flat coastal cycle paths below 20mph.

 

Spec of the original bike:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/langster-2008-single-speed-road-bike-ec001392?style=86031

 

The 250w front wheel kit and pannier battery:

http://cyclotricity.com/parts-and-accessories/

 

Cheers

The back wheel won't collapse because of the battery. It's only 3kg extra. Some riders would be 20kg more extra weight than that.

 

If you have steel forks, there will be no problem. Aluminium ones won't snap, but you can break the dropouts if you didn't install the motor properly.

Hi,thanks for sharing your experience,It looks from the Evans link like you have carbon forks,I have read somewhere that you shouldn't use a front kit with carbon forks as they can snap,however I am no expert so maybe somebody else can confirm if that's true?

Appreciate your advice d8veh.

 

I've attached pics of the bottom of the two dropouts. Made sure they were both still very tight after the necessary filing to get them in. Torque washer on both.

 

Think the dropouts are aluminium. They're light silver metal under the paint and magnets don't stick to them.

 

Think they're ok, or I should I fit torque arms / replace the forks?

 

Thanks

They look OK from what I can see. The problems come when the first washer on the outside doesn't fit in the dimple. When you then tighten the nuts, it pops them.

 

I'd fit a torque arm on one side just for peace of mind.

Great, thank you. Have ordered one and will fit later this week.

The hub rubbing on the fork needs a washer placed on the inside of the anti rotation washer to prevent wear rather then letting them wear against each other. Also the A/R's are upside down the lug should be seated upwards so a little milling of the drop out is required to accommodate the lug and the cable exiting form the hub is not pointing down/south so as it is any rain/moisture will run down the cable in to the hub, once that happens the hub will eventually seize.

The hub rubbing on the fork needs a washer placed on the inside of the anti rotation washer to prevent wear rather then letting them wear against each other. Also the A/R's are upside down the lug should be seated upwards so a little milling of the drop out is required to accommodate the lug and the cable exiting form the hub is not pointing down/south so as it is any rain/moisture will run down the cable in to the hub, once that happens the hub will eventually seize.

That's correct. The axle is 180 deg out. The cable should go downwards. IMHO the lugs on the anti rotation washers are positioned correctly, so you'll have to rotate them when you rotate the axle.

Thanks guys. Although not normal think this is the designed orientation for the cyclotricty kit, comments on this issue from the manufacturer in http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/cyclotricity-bike.10630/ and it came out of the box setup for this orientation.

 

Think this potential problem will affect me less than most as I'll only be using the bike when no rain is forecast, driving when that isn't the case.

Edited March 29, 201511 yr by bateman

It's a 5 minute job to fix it. You'd be surprised how much water will go in to ruin your motor if the cable gets wet for any reason. If you really don't want to fix it, do everything you can to seal it from the outside.

Thanks. I might just put a heat shrink tube over that whole area.

Or silicone.

Thanks guys. Although not normal think this is the designed orientation for the cyclotricty kit, comments on this issue from the manufacturer in http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/cyclotricity-bike.10630/ and it came out of the box setup for this orientation.

 

Think this potential problem will affect me less than most as I'll only be using the bike when no rain is forecast, driving when that isn't the case.

 

I don't use a drip loop on mine as my predominantly off road use, narrow forest tracks etc., would quickly see my cable snagged on something so it's closely strapped to the forks and enters the motor from the top. I had the same advice from Cyclotricity, that top entrance is how it's designed. I don't really trust the silicon seal and have used self amalgamating tape to thoroughly seal the cable entrance starting against the forks at the nut and working well up the cable so no water can get in. I also carry some spare tape for when I get a puncture and have to replace the existing tape.

So far so good and after over twelve months and having been out in some very heavy rain (the sort that bounces back up at you off the ground) everything is fine.

For solely on road use I would use a drip loop as well, belt and braces is always good.

 

Dave.

Good call DC forgot how good it is for electric's/wiring esp if stretched properly and sticks to it self like s**t to a blanket.

That's another thing to think about. The drip loop allows you to remove the wheel to change a tube or tyre. If you have the wire strapped tight, you need to carry something in your toolkit to cut the strapping.

Added self amalgamating tape.

 

Looking further into the forks, suspect the current ones are unsuitable for conversion and I should change them before riding the bike again.

 

Had assumed the whole fork was metal because the dropouts were, but they do seem to be carbon fibre above after a closer look. Can see grey dust where the hub has rubbed and the evans spec does say carbon which I'd assumed was a mistake (Langster fork materials changed over the years).

 

Don't fancy changing the fork myself. Think I'll go back to the shop and ask them to fit a new steel fork that's the same length, but with 10mm dropouts so filing isn't required and wide enough so there's no rubbing on the hub. Seems there's mainstream brand steel forks for < £30 on amazon, and seen other places online charging £20 to fit so will go with something like that unless anyone has some other advice e.g. a specific fork that's best for e-bikes.

Edited March 29, 201511 yr by bateman

Have talked about the fork problem at length with 4 local bike shops, and they've all come to the conclusion that I should move the kit onto another bike. A couple tried to fit other front forks, and couldn't. The steel racing forks they had were too tight on the hub, and non-racing forks didn't fit the frame.

 

Any suggestions to fix the fork replacement problem?

 

If not I'm reluctantly thinking of getting a hybrid bike for about £300, moving over the kit and selling my old bike.

I changed the bike to a cheap hybrid and switched over the kit.

 

The forks weren't the only reason for changing. My old single speed racer was perfect for my old road only commute in London, but a bigger hybrid with straight handlebars and wider tyres is much more suited to my new mainly coastal path commute.

 

I chose this particular bike, mainly because it was £200, in stock near me, and seemed acceptable quality. But its been surprisingly alright:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes-and-classic-bikes/raleigh-edale-mens-hybrid-bike (largest frame, I'm 6ft1)

 

Steel forks, and the drops didn't need to be filed to fit - checked this by taking the wheel into the shop before buying. Generally seems more suitable for an electric conversion. Much more comfortable and stable. I've been leaving it in top gear permanently.

 

Have now done 100 miles on the new bike. Including my 26 mile total commute today. It was quicker than by car, and much more fun.

 

Throttle only it does about 18mph on the flat with no wind, and has a 25 mile range on my route being used in that way. I've run it throttle only for most of the time so far, as you're supposed to fully discharge then charge the battery 3 times before part charging and I wanted to do that as quickly as possible.

 

But I won't use it throttle only day to day. I'd prefer to pedal lightly most of the time, and put in some effort to move quickly on smooth open sections when they're quiet. Seems there's little (but some) help from the motor in these bursts. Rare opportunities but I've been up to about 25mph according to my phone (or 35 according to Strava, suspect the former is more likely).

 

In most situations, the motor is very quiet but its whir will be noticeable to those around you on throttle only. Only gets a little brash on steep hills.

 

The kit feels pretty strong to me. Particularly when fully charged. There seems to be a very gradual drop in power throughout the battery's discharge. The flat cruising speed appears to drop from 18mph to 15mph over the full range and acceleration drops proportionally. The battery range is so much further than my point to point journey this won't affect me, but I'm glad I didn't go for the smallest battery option.

 

Loving the kit, and my new commute. Very happy with my new electric bike.

 

Cyclotricity have been helpful. Knowledgeable, quick to respond to emails, and easy to reach by phone.

Edited April 7, 201511 yr by bateman