It's a great bike Echowind, but I wouldn't buy it just for the last 10 miles. Apart from anything else, you would have to carry the weight of battery + motor for the previous 90! You could just plan to ride 10 miles less.......

 

 

Fitness isn't just about miles chris, its about time in the saddle weather conditions and effort. All electric bikes are capable of 10 miles plus, but most of them would be a nightmare to ride any serious distance. I don't spare myself or the horses when I go out, its the just the way I'm made.

I'd be interested to hear how you find the ride comfort through the handlebars (i.e. the level at which bumps/potholes are felt as shocks/vibrations) compares to a normal i.e. non-'road/racing' bike, because it can be affected by relatively high 'unsprung' weight of the hub motor in rigid front forks?

 

I found no problem from having a Tongxin motor in the front forks of my bike, Stuart. When my controller had failed I rode it a few times just as a normal bike and I could forget the motor was there. One of my rides was 25 miles+ including off-road and downhill on-road sections with high speeds, and it was fine throughout.

I was very impressed with the bike you converted Frank. Pity the controller let you down.

Your Tongxin project was partly responsible for me choosing a Cytronex.

I just wonder if a Cytronex battery and controller would work with your Marin?

 

John

Thanks Frank - that sounds very positive.

 

Stuart.

Cytronex Slide Show

 

To see a slide show of my Cytronex, click on the link below. You can also view individual photos via the same link.

J:) hn

 

 

 

Aldby's latest slideshow on Flickr

Great pics, thank you. They will help to keep me going till friday when I pick my bike up!

 

Mike

Iteresting, John - excellent slide show - what a beauty! I bet you might have taken it for just a tiny spin round the block, even with your sore hand...?

 

I had wondered where they had put the controller but now everything is clear. Obviously it will have all the dirt and water going down there, but they seem well sealed so should be ok. The piece of pipe down the down tube for the cables looks well done. Another sensible choice they have made is to fit the kit to a black bike - so much easier to hide bits of wire against black!

 

Thanks also for your comments about my attempt at a Tongxin powered bike. I believe the Cytronex controller and battery would work with my motor - at least at first. My motor is the 260 rpm one, designed to create a bike like the Torq. It gave high speed assistance on the flat - 22-25 mph I recall. I would fear that using it like this puts a lot more stress on the controller, and that I would only blow another one. I think the way that the Cytronex guys have designed it - with the 175 rpm motor - is far more likely to lead to a happy controller life.

 

The other thing that should work of course would be if you put my wheel with its 260 rpm motor in your bike. It would liven things up a bit for you, but I wouldn't want to risk blowing your controller!

 

Frank

The ladies version is gold Trek Bikes | Bikes | Bike Path | 7.3 FX WSD and in my opinion, is not as attractive as the black.

The motor label on this one says 180w and 175rpm Flickr Photo Download: 100_2363

 

I think I will stick with the current setup during the warranty period at least, but it would be interesting to see how far you could increase performance without blowing the controller Frank.

This type of bike clearly has 'tuning' potential which others do not.

Mark has a faster setup, but I reckon it would be illegal to market it?

 

John

The ladies version is gold Trek Bikes | Bikes | Bike Path | 7.3 FX WSD and in my opinion not as attrctive as black.

The motor label on this one says 180w and 175rpm 100_2363 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

Very nice looking John and very neatly put together. I will alost certainly buy one once my bank balance recovers from the agattu's.

Agree -the black is better - even if you don't need to lose an extra 10m or so of wire!

 

One thing I'm sure you'll notice with that bike, John is that it will have a much more responsive feel compared to most electric bikes, because of the shorter chainstays and wheelbase, which are elongated on most electrics to accomodate a battery. You'll be able to turn it more sharply, for example to get through sets of overlapping bollards and railings on cycle paths.

 

Although it looks quite sporty, looking at that spec its actually got a fairly relaxed geometry for a non-electric - more like a touring bike than a sports bike. I think that's a good thing, as while at the same speed, it will feel faster than a Wisper or Kalkhoff, it won't be really 'twitchy' and harder to control like a racing bike.

I think I will stick with the current setup during the warranty period at least, but it would be interesting to see how far you could increase performance without blowing the controller Frank.

John

 

very wise!

 

This type of bike clearly has 'tuning' potential which others do not.

Mark has a faster setup, but I reckon it would be illegal to market it?

John

 

I think Mark's faster set-up is basically what mine was - a 260 rpm motor.

It would be easy enough to get a faster suzhou bafang and make the Wisper more like a Torq. I think there is one for sale at the moment where the owner has done just that. The Panasonics are obviously too sophisticated for tinkering, although having said that the sprocket change is an easy tweak!

I'm glad John's photos have gone down so well. They certainly help to show how it's all put together. Lynne and I both took our bikes to Jack's race this morning - a 55 mile affair on a really hilly circuit. There were plenty of long drags of 12 - 15% followed by long downhill stretches.

 

I left the bike on low power all the time and my battery gave up at 16 miles. I record it because this is the lowest range I have ever achieved - on the hilliest circuit I have ever ridden! Lynne's lasted to nearly 20 miles. (She used a mix of power settings but she's a lot lighter than me!). My average speed was 13.9 and the maximum 33 (as I said, the downhills were great!)

My motor is the 260 rpm one, designed to create a bike like the Torq. It gave high speed assistance on the flat - 22-25 mph I recall. I would fear that using it like this puts a lot more stress on the controller, and that I would only blow another one.

Frank

 

I really don't think that was the issue Frank, controllers can die for all sorts of reasons. The controller is current limited so should be well protected from anything you could throw at it. While the different rpm of the motor could make a difference if that is done with different windings, the size of the wheel cannot really affect it.

 

My offer is still open if you want to send me the controller to check it out and help get your bike going again..

 

John

Thanks John - just sent you a PM

To see a slide show of my Cytronex, click on the link below. You can also view individual photos via the same link.

J:) hn

 

 

 

Aldby's latest slideshow on Flickr

 

It is a thing of beauty so well done Mark and Cytronex - a really neat installation. We discussed this on pedelecs maybe a year ago - how to create an electric bike that looks and feels like a real bicycle - we thought the Diavelo came close but nothing came of it. Now it looks like you have achieved such a thing. I am not in the slightest bit worried about the Tongxin motor have run one for 9 months or so (and given it quite a bashing) - it hasn't disintegrated yet. The controller is a different matter though.

 

If this had come out earlier it would have been on my shopping list but I have a Torq and Agattu already - maybe this is a replacement for my Torq. Mmm...

 

PS I have a question mark about how it will work in town. I think I'll have to wait for more reviews to come in to find an answer to my question. Are any town/city commuters thinking of buying a Cytronex?

Hi Harry,

 

I'm sure Mark will answer for himself but my understanding is that the Trek was primarily designed with city commuters in mind. I just like riding mine in the country!

 

I have found the acceleration when you cut the motor in excellent for getting past idiot drivers who chose to pull out just as you are overtaking them though (added later).

Edited June 15, 200817 yr by Chris_Bike

In Town

 

Chris is right, I designed Cytronex with the commuter in mind. Myself and Sam were in fact riding the men's and ladies version in central London this week (you can put them straight on a train 2 minutes from our office then it is just under an hour to Waterloo). Although I am of course horribly biased, we had enormous fun and decided this is the only way to travel around London.

 

But I guess what Harry is asking is how the controls operate in town. Cytronex is designed to be as simple as possible to use so you concentrate on the cycling and traffic. Basically there are just two buttons (in either bar end) one is the "Boost" button (i.e. power on), the other toggles between high speed/full power and slow speed. As long as you are doing more than 5mph you can press the boost button.

 

So in central London, where there are a lot of traffic lights, it allows you to get away fast. To accelerate away from lights you select the slow speed, get ready to go, then start pedalling as soon as the lights change with your right hand on the bar end, press the "boost" button and you will feel a thrust of power. The rear shifter allows you to shift up through several gears at once to catch up with the speed of the bike. Finally you press the full speed button with your left hand. This all happens very quickly once you get used to it and I am sure it is perplexing for cars who think they are going to overtake you! Basically it keeps you out of harm's way and speeds up your journey.

 

When you are weaving through heavy traffic in town, mostly you won't want the power and the Cytronex powered bike reverts to a normal hybrid bike, until you need to get away fast again.

 

We also find on some big busy roundabouts (like the one in Pariament Square) that it comes in very handy to have the power to avoid getting cut-up.

 

For the longer stretches with uphill gradients and headwinds you just put the power on and forget about it - it will push you on full power whenever you are below the maximum speed. Touching either brake will cut the power instantly if you need to stop fast.

 

Of course there is also a big benefit in having a light bike in town, which is one reason we got the weight down to 17Kg.

 

Because Cytronex is designed for commuters there is also a very high specification lighting system, for all year round commuting. The front headlamp is the new 40Lux Busch and Muller LED IQ Fly and the rear is a B&M LED mounted high up below the seat. We added the Cytronex Datalite because anyone who commutes seriously needs to know their speed, the time, distance, etc. I also found the temperature reading on the computer very useful this winter (ice could be on the road at anything under 3 degrees).

 

So all in all, commuting is exactly what the bike is designed for!

I also found the temperature reading on the computer very useful this winter (ice could be on the road at anything under 3 degrees).

 

Having come off on ice recently, I got a computer with temperature display. Only a few on the market have this. I've found it very useful, not just for ice, but to help decide what layers of clothing to wear.

New Cytronex Web Page

 

Still temporary, but it is looking cool:cool: The Best Electric bike technology on the Planet!

 

J:) hn

Kickstand

 

I have gone for a Bontrager Rear Kickstand ATC: Rear Mount Kickstand - Bontrager - Kickstands - Accessories which I am advised will fit a Trek FX73 and being black will look unobtrusive.

If I have a problem with the Bontrager, I will get a Pletscher Multizoom Rear Mount Kickstand Pletscher Multizoom Rear Mount Kickstand - £15.83

 

J:) hn

I have gone for a Bontrager Rear Kickstand ATC: Rear Mount Kickstand - Bontrager - Kickstands - Accessories which I am advised will fit a Trek FX73 and being black will look unobtrusive.

If I have a problem with the Bontrager, I will get a Pletscher Multizoom Rear Mount Kickstand Pletscher Multizoom Rear Mount Kickstand - £15.83

 

J:) hn

 

That kick-stand certainly looks the business John. When it comes can you let us know how it attaches to the rear dropouts?

Having come off on ice recently, I got a computer with temperature display. Only a few on the market have this. I've found it very useful, not just for ice, but to help decide what layers of clothing to wear.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------but that will only work once you are outside, and if your shivering by then you wont need no gadget to tell you to put a jumper on

That kick-stand certainly looks the business John. When it comes can you let us know how it attaches to the rear dropouts?

 

I wondered about that too. Found this:

 

Trek Bikes | Bikes | Urban | Police Bike

 

cheers,

Mike

I wondered about that too. Found this:

 

Trek Bikes | Bikes | Urban | Police Bike

 

cheers,

Mike

 

Looks like it clamps to both stays - should be stable.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------but that will only work once you are outside, and if your shivering by then you wont need no gadget to tell you to put a jumper on

 

That's a fair point. However, how cold you feel when you go outside is not always a good indication of temperature. Factors such as the temperature of the building you were in, wind speed and sunshine can all affect how cold you feel when you come out. Most of these don't have much affect when you are cycling particularly wind chill which of course is affected by your motion.

 

Anyway, I find it useful