July 9, 20178 yr When I got my EMate it had Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres on it, like Andy's. A couple of not-too-rural, off-road excursions resulted in as many punctures. I bought some Schwalbe Land Cruisers which offer decent puncture resistance (though not as much as the Marathon + ones), roll very nicely on the tarmac, and have decent off-road performance. I'll admit they appear to be something of a compromise, but I haven't felt compromised on any of my rides with them on & I haven't had a puncture since fitting them. Good value too. One side effect is that they are smaller diameter than the Smart Sams, so the speedo is about 5% optimistic. I suppose it was calibrated with the Smart Sams.
July 9, 20178 yr Judging by my photo my bike came with schwalbe rapid robs. A couple of punctures but fixed with slime. None since, touch wood.
July 9, 20178 yr Author Ive added slime to the tyres so far, im hoping that will be enough as my new route is mostly tarmaced now, whereas before there was quite a bit of dirt tracks. There dont seem to be as many tyre options about for 27.5's than there was for 26" tyres
July 9, 20178 yr No, there aren't. That's one of the few negatives in my Emate review. The Land Cruisers are in 27.5" though... My experience of slime is not good. My valves got clogged up and I ended up having to slash the tyres and tubes to remove them!
July 9, 20178 yr @Tugwell. If I can find it, do you want my spare cover for your Suntour NCX? I ordered one when I bought the seatpost unaware that it came with one included in the deal.
July 9, 20178 yr @Tugwell. If I can find it, do you want my spare cover for your Suntour NCX? I ordered one when I bought the seatpost unaware that it came with one included in the deal. Yes please. I did look and it's mostly German sites selling. So as everything else is such a crap shoot I thought sod it. I will tell the tale later of Amazon uk. And the tombola they a running regarding Spring strength on the suntour.
July 12, 20178 yr Author Have been doing my new commute since Monday, which is around 18 miles each way. It takes me around 1hr and 10 minutes, a little bit less depending on red lights when I hit the city centre. Very pleased with how the bike has performed. No issues to report so far, although like someone else has mentioned, the Odometer has for some reason reset itself at one point. I think it was when I uncoupled a few wires when swapping things around on the handlebars. Monday was dry, Tuesday it battered down with rain on the way in. The mudguards I added do a very good job, although the front one could do with being a little longer. The brakes work extremely well, even in the wet. The LCD has no issues with steaming up like those on my previous bikes, and is really nice and clear to read. The cheap seat post I bought does a reasonable job of taking out bumps at the rear, and the front suspension feels nice. Monday and Tuesday felt comfortable on the butt...but this morning, it hurts! May well have to look at repalcing the seat, will give it a few more days before deciding. The ergon grips work well, my wrists were starting to ache after just a couple of miles with the standard ones, but very littel discomfort with these ones on the bike. The motor is superb, it really pulls well when you need it. I have it set on power mode, and pretty much level 6 assist all the way, apart from areas where its not safe to go at full speed. On this setting, the battery drops from starting at 41.5 to around 35 volts at the end. One thing I really like about the assist levels is they do act like a speed limiter....put it on 5, and assistance drops off at around 17mph. Level 6 takes me to a steady 22mph. It will assist above that, but I dont think you are getting much reward back for the extra effort you have to put in. 22 is a nice speed I feel comfortable with. Im certainly going to be clocking the miles up on this one. Will be giving it a really close look over at the weekend.
July 13, 20178 yr Author Loving this thread. As a biking novice I'm learning more about my bike on here than owning it for 6 months. Are the grips crap? I have no other experience . But my wrists always hurt during and after a ride. So will be interested to see what you come up with. I bought the suntour ncx suspension post. Only done about 20 miles but lower back jarring now all gone. But saddle seems less comfy lol.mive found I have to pull the saddle as far forward as it will go too. About to press the button and buy a Suntour seatpost....not sure which length to get...the 350mm one is £60...the 400mm one is £49....
July 13, 20178 yr I'd try the 400mm the seat tube is long enough to take it and my frame cracking NCX is 350mm long -so a longer one may avoid you needing to use the 5 yr frame warranty.
July 13, 20178 yr Author I'd try the 400mm the seat tube is long enough to take it and my frame cracking NCX is 350mm long -so a longer one may avoid you needing to use the 5 yr frame warranty. Thanks for that....wasnt sure if the 400 would be too long for the frame
July 14, 20178 yr Author Bike going strong, commute times are improving as I find slightly newer ways of getting there....avoiding speed bumps mostly! 1 hour and 2 minutes....target time is 1 hour Despite the ergon grips, I got slight needles and pins in my hands and wrists last night, and a lot worse this morning....any suggestions on how to ease that? It might be partly seating postilion I guess....the suntour seat post is due to arrive on Monday when I can spend some time adjusting. I do feel like Im leaning down too much on the bars at the moment, but I dont think there is any height adjustment.
July 14, 20178 yr Author Its a pretty flat and bumpless route though, and the pins and needles comes regardless of the terrain?
July 14, 20178 yr Did you ride much before getting the S-Cross? I used to get pins and needles a lot when I first started commuting, but after a while they seem to have stopped. I'd be worried if it had only just started and you'd been commuting a few years. On my S-Cross, the handlebars are not straight, I felt like I was leaning too far forward, so I undid the bolts clamping the bar in place and rotated it so the bar ends were angled a bit up and towards me. All the brake and gear controls needed adjusting (rotating too) after but it was much more comfortable.
July 14, 20178 yr Hand placementposition may be you problem, so likely needs a swept or comfort designed handle bar. Sambal Oelek swears by them on his offfroad fat bike but at £130 his aren't cheap.
July 14, 20178 yr Often the pins and needles comes from tension or compression of the the nerve further up the arm, particularly under the armpit. Different clothing can help, but more likely, it's your riding position. Try rotating the handlebars a bit to change the angle of your arms. Whatever causes it, I get it too, but I also find that it's mainly on a new bike.After some months it mysteriously goes away. As a temporary measure, you only have to hold your arm so that it hangs down vertically for a few seconds for the pins and needles to go away for about 10 minutes at a time.
July 14, 20178 yr I have the Ergon grips with integrated Barends. These allow you to switch your hand position between flat and vertical which helps relieve strain on long rides.
July 14, 20178 yr I have the Ergon grips with integrated Barends. These allow you to switch your hand position between flat and vertical which helps relieve strain on long rides. Excellent idea.
July 14, 20178 yr I'm a total novice at cycling so not much to compare it to. But I agree with Andy that it feels like I'm leaning down on to the bars with a lot of force. I don't have the saddle high either .
July 14, 20178 yr Author Did you ride much before getting the S-Cross? I used to get pins and needles a lot when I first started commuting, but after a while they seem to have stopped. I'd be worried if it had only just started and you'd been commuting a few years. On my S-Cross, the handlebars are not straight, I felt like I was leaning too far forward, so I undid the bolts clamping the bar in place and rotated it so the bar ends were angled a bit up and towards me. All the brake and gear controls needed adjusting (rotating too) after but it was much more comfortable. Yes, rode about 2000 miles last year. I have had a couple of weeks off the bike before this week...aches and pains tend to come after a break, so hopefully it will improve.....I will have a closer look at the handlebars over the weekend to see if there is any adjustment
July 14, 20178 yr I have the Ergon grips with integrated Barends. I have the extra wide ergonomic grips on one of my bikes. They're much more comfortable than the regular ergo grips. Click to view in different colours. Features: Minimum vibrations Lock-on clamps Fits any flatbar bike Comfortable and practical Specification: Width: 139mm Weight: 232g per pair Edited July 14, 20178 yr by LeighPing
July 14, 20178 yr Author Well, I have my first problem with the bike Riding home this evening, I had to brake quite sharply. In doing so, the rear brake hose has pulled out of the brake lever. Brake fluid everywhere, and no rear brake now. Not had hydraulic brakes before, so not sure if this can be fixed easily, or do I need to contact e-bikes direct?
July 14, 20178 yr Author The second picture isnt very clear at all, but it was sitting loose inside the collar peice.
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