Sounds like you have a plan. I'm waiting for an an Anderson extension cable, cable glands and fuse holder. I will then put my battery in box with some high density foam as per the picture. My cells are Samsung 21700s, certainly didn't want no name cells either. The box will then just be in a trunk bag or pannier. The bag battery feels very exposed at the moment but I know otter boxes are very tough indeed - this particular one has been regularly abused in a cave. Will need to be careful with the cable to stop it getting damaged but I think it will be ok.

 

Will open the box to connect the charger.

You are fitting your battery on the rear as well? Is that the box you are using? It certainly looks a lot stronger than the one I was evaluating for suitability!

 

I haven't even dry fitted the battery to check for what I may need in regard to cabling etc so no doubt I will be placing similar orders for items soon enough. It will all work out though in the end. Having it not look like crap when all is said and done will be a bonus! If I could weld aluminium I would fab up a nice little box on the back with opening side flaps for easy access or a rear opening door instead with a slide out battery tray on drawer runners.

 

All the best to you,

 

AJ

I forgot to mention that these things are quite substantial and also useful for trying out different positions:

 

Bottle Cage Mounting

 

Have you considered panniers? Live battery on one side, family first-aid kit, refreshments, pies, and pasties in the other.

 

A kickstand might be useful too to hold the whole lot up.

Those look good. Would do no harm in the right situation for a bit of belt and braces peace of mind.

 

I'm trying to keep the bike as light and manageable for my wife as possible. She's not the most confident on it and bulk will definitely receive a negative reaction from her.

 

The kickstand that is currently on the bike is rubbish so I am going to have to look into something more substantial, ....and trustworthy. I like the ones with two feet like a motorbike stand but they may not fit with the motor. I'll have to look though and see.

 

All the best to you,

 

AJ

You are fitting your battery on the rear as well

The battery will just sit loose (in its box) in trunk bag or loose in pannier. The trunk bag is an old Topeak mtx one that is very secure. The box will stop it getting damaged through knocks. The box will survive a fall for sure and it is properly waterproof (until I put a cable gland in).

 

Otterbox stopped making most of their drybox range years ago but there are some others like s3 cases and pelicase. Lomo watersports also have a range.

 

Have not checked but this one might fit the woosh sized bag battery: https://www.inglesport.com/product/inglesport-t3500-waterproof-box/

 

I plan to just carry the battery with me if I need to leave the bike, which typically is at the pub or supermarket. The little 10ah battery isn't heavy or very big.

 

I did contemplate 3d printing a box that would slide into the mtx rack but life is too short. I already have a design I could tweak (it's a medium format film developing tank design I spent a long time on - believe me when I say that making a 3d printed box watertight isn't easy. Most 3d printed stuff isn't that strong although I have designed and printed caving lights. I kink of like the idea of a battery that fits the mtx rack rail but can't be arsed to put the effort in...and the trunk bag works, still has spare room for tools, tubes, waterproofs etc.

 

My only other ever conversion was many years ago with a Dawes touring bike with steel frame, front hub and large battery made out of what looked like catfood sachets. I found that not a good combination as there was a lot of weight high up on the rack coupled with a lot of frame flex - it was slightly disconcerting to ride and I would not let anybody else ride it, I certainly would not have let a rider who was not very confident ride it. However, I have had no issue with my aluminium MTB and a lighter battery and only notice the weight on the rack when wheeling the bike along, not when riding.

Edited May 12, 20232 yr by Bogmonster666

The battery will just sit loose (in its box) in trunk bag or loose in pannier. The trunk bag is an old Topeak mtx one that is very secure. The box will stop it getting damaged through knocks. The box will survive a fall for sure and it is properly waterproof (until I put a cable gland in).

 

Otterbox stopped making most of their drybox range years ago but there are some others like s3 cases and pelicase. Lomo watersports also have a range.

 

Have not checked but this one might fit the woosh sized bag battery: https://www.inglesport.com/product/inglesport-t3500-waterproof-box/

 

I plan to just carry the battery with me if I need to leave the bike, which typically is at the pub or supermarket. The little 10ah battery isn't heavy or very big.

 

As long as whatever I finally choose to place the battery in is strong enough to take a knock, I won’t worry about it being particularly waterproof. Neither bike will be out on a wet day as we will only use them on off the beaten paths for exercise and leisure.

 

I did contemplate 3d printing a box that would slide into the mtx rack but life is too short. I already have a design I could tweak (it's a medium format film developing tank design I spent a long time on - believe me when I say that making a 3d printed box watertight isn't easy. Most 3d printed stuff isn't that strong although I have designed and printed caving lights. I kink of like the idea of a battery that fits the mtx rack rail but can't be arsed to put the effort in...and the trunk bag works, still has spare room for tools, tubes, waterproofs etc.

 

You’re right. There has to be a point when close enough is good enough. If it does the job and doesn’t involve wrecking your head then call that a success.

 

My only other ever conversion was many years ago with a Dawes touring bike with steel frame, front hub and large battery made out of what looked like catfood sachets. I found that not a good combination as there was a lot of weight high up on the rack coupled with a lot of frame flex - it was slightly disconcerting to ride and I would not let anybody else ride it, I certainly would not have let a rider who was not very confident ride it. However, I have had no issue with my aluminium MTB and a lighter battery and only notice the weight on the rack when wheeling the bike along, not when riding.

 

You’ve been experimenting since the early days. You know a thing or two by now!

 

Personally I am going to carry on with my wife’s bike according to the plan. I don’t like the battery up on the rear rack because it definitely isn’t light and certainly will be felt when on a stand or when walking it. I have no other choice though, but if it is a problem then I will simply keep an eye out for a more suitable used quality bike for her and swap everything over. There was a barely used Trek recently that wasn’t too far away for around £150 or so if I remember correctly. As you would expect, it didn’t sit around for too long before being snapped up. That’s an option should matters dictate such an approach. In the meantime I will lower the rack as far as I can and we will see how it goes. I still have to get a bit of aluminium plate to make up an attachment between battery and rack but hopefully will get my hands on something in the next few days.

 

The bearings have arrived too and I have to say that was a very quick service indeed from Wych Bearings.

 

All the best,

 

AJ

Edited May 12, 20232 yr by AJ_P

The battery will just sit loose (in its box) in trunk bag or loose in pannier. The trunk bag is an old Topeak mtx one that is very secure. The box will stop it getting damaged through knocks. The box will survive a fall for sure and it is properly waterproof (until I put a cable gland in).

 

Otterbox stopped making most of their drybox range years ago but there are some others like s3 cases and pelicase. Lomo watersports also have a range.

 

Have not checked but this one might fit the woosh sized bag battery: https://www.inglesport.com/product/inglesport-t3500-waterproof-box/

 

I plan to just carry the battery with me if I need to leave the bike, which typically is at the pub or supermarket. The little 10ah battery isn't heavy or very big.

 

I did contemplate 3d printing a box that would slide into the mtx rack but life is too short. I already have a design I could tweak (it's a medium format film developing tank design I spent a long time on - believe me when I say that making a 3d printed box watertight isn't easy. Most 3d printed stuff isn't that strong although I have designed and printed caving lights. I kink of like the idea of a battery that fits the mtx rack rail but can't be arsed to put the effort in...and the trunk bag works, still has spare room for tools, tubes, waterproofs etc.

 

My only other ever conversion was many years ago with a Dawes touring bike with steel frame, front hub and large battery made out of what looked like catfood sachets. I found that not a good combination as there was a lot of weight high up on the rack coupled with a lot of frame flex - it was slightly disconcerting to ride and I would not let anybody else ride it, I certainly would not have let a rider who was not very confident ride it. However, I have had no issue with my aluminium MTB and a lighter battery and only notice the weight on the rack when wheeling the bike along, not when riding.

Right, a little update....

 

I modified the rear pannier on my wife's bike by cutting out what was in the way and welding in an additional piece of steel to support the raised base I made for the battery. This lifts the battery about 25mm above the pannier frame thus allowing me to fit a pannier bag setup such as this for example underneath the battery, ....with a little bit of modification to the bag of course. It does however solve the problem I had and looks reasonably neat.

 

I took the bike to one of my usual forest trails yesterday and have to say I am very pleasantly surprised at the power. As far as my wife's bike is concerned, it needs no alterations to gearing as it is capable of ascending anything we tested it on. I removed the speed limit and tested the bike on the stand just to see what it could theoretically reach in each of the seven gears. First at maximum was 12.2 mph and seventh reached 24.4. I tested it myself despite the bike being too small for me on a bit of a hill that I would normally have to get off on and walk up. It's nothing too severe but tiring to me at least. I tried the bike out in each of the four modes and started off in third gear on level ground at the base of the hill while providing plenty of input myself. I was standing up much of the way and noticed that on sport and particularly turbo modes the front of the bike was light and the rear wheel was spinning at times. To my mind there's no shortage of power, and what surprised me most was that eco mode provided much more assistance than I was expecting. It in itself is very usable too.

 

I did not however as yet carry out the bearing mod. I noted how loose they were on the shaft and this concerned me regarding the ingress of dirt and grit onto the motor. Yesterday following a couple of hours worth of cycling on the rough, gravel forest paths, the motor acquired a decent covering of dust over it such that I suspect that in an environment such as this, the bearings while prolonging the life of the motor in one way might shorten it in another. I don't know for certain but it is something I am thinking about whether rightly or wrongly.

 

The battery level (Samsung 48v 14.4 AH) meanwhile on both the screen and the battery itself did not change one bit at all. A smaller one would have done very well had one been available at a good price but I've no regrets there really.

 

I believe the TSDZ2B will be sufficiently powerful for my own bike if I alter the gearing. I too have seven gears on the rear. I will have to determine if the gears can be changed, if seven of a different ratio would suffice or if I would need to change to a greater number of gears. The question there is what is actually on my bike at the minute, can I even change to a bigger cassette, freewheel hub etc and if it fits, can I actually select the gears due to chain line. I must add at this point that the seven on my wife's bike change with no issue and no excessive noise. The motor itself is very quiet indeed but it is of course brand new so that may change with use.

 

The subject of gearing is virgin territory to me and I know precious little about what would work and what doesn't. I'll have a go though and see once I get around to gathering up the bits and pieces now to convert mine too. However, I wanted to update anyone interested and especially all those who kindly chipped in with their time and knowledge. I now have one ebike conversion which has turned out very well indeed with an owner who is over the moon with it. Job done, ...or at least it will be once I have tidied up the cables to my satisfaction.

 

Thanks very much to all who helped.

 

AJ

Right, a little update....

 

I modified the rear pannier on my wife's bike by cutting out what was in the way and welding in an additional piece of steel to support the raised base I made for the battery. This lifts the battery about 25mm above the pannier frame thus allowing me to fit a pannier bag setup such as this for example underneath the battery, ....with a little bit of modification to the bag of course. It does however solve the problem I had and looks reasonably neat.

 

I took the bike to one of my usual forest trails yesterday and have to say I am very pleasantly surprised at the power. As far as my wife's bike is concerned, it needs no alterations to gearing as it is capable of ascending anything we tested it on. I removed the speed limit and tested the bike on the stand just to see what it could theoretically reach in each of the seven gears. First at maximum was 12.2 mph and seventh reached 24.4. I tested it myself despite the bike being too small for me on a bit of a hill that I would normally have to get off on and walk up. It's nothing too severe but tiring to me at least. I tried the bike out in each of the four modes and started off in third gear on level ground at the base of the hill while providing plenty of input myself. I was standing up much of the way and noticed that on sport and particularly turbo modes the front of the bike was light and the rear wheel was spinning at times. To my mind there's no shortage of power, and what surprised me most was that eco mode provided much more assistance than I was expecting. It in itself is very usable too.

 

I did not however as yet carry out the bearing mod. I noted how loose they were on the shaft and this concerned me regarding the ingress of dirt and grit onto the motor. Yesterday following a couple of hours worth of cycling on the rough, gravel forest paths, the motor acquired a decent covering of dust over it such that I suspect that in an environment such as this, the bearings while prolonging the life of the motor in one way might shorten it in another. I don't know for certain but it is something I am thinking about whether rightly or wrongly.

 

The battery level (Samsung 48v 14.4 AH) meanwhile on both the screen and the battery itself did not change one bit at all. A smaller one would have done very well had one been available at a good price but I've no regrets there really.

 

I believe the TSDZ2B will be sufficiently powerful for my own bike if I alter the gearing. I too have seven gears on the rear. I will have to determine if the gears can be changed, if seven of a different ratio would suffice or if I would need to change to a greater number of gears. The question there is what is actually on my bike at the minute, can I even change to a bigger cassette, freewheel hub etc and if it fits, can I actually select the gears due to chain line. I must add at this point that the seven on my wife's bike change with no issue and no excessive noise. The motor itself is very quiet indeed but it is of course brand new so that may change with use.

 

The subject of gearing is virgin territory to me and I know precious little about what would work and what doesn't. I'll have a go though and see once I get around to gathering up the bits and pieces now to convert mine too. However, I wanted to update anyone interested and especially all those who kindly chipped in with their time and knowledge. I now have one ebike conversion which has turned out very well indeed with an owner who is over the moon with it. Job done, ...or at least it will be once I have tidied up the cables to my satisfaction.

 

Thanks very much to all who helped.

 

AJ

Come on AJ lets see some piccies!

Come on AJ lets see some piccies!

Here's some I took the other evening while out in the forest. Apologies for the lack of focus but I could not see the screen on my phone due to the sun. Of course it focused on the background rather than on the subject but there you go.

 

 

I used M5 x 20 button flange head stainless bolts to attach the battery mount to the plate. They need to be shortened a little.

 

 

I was unable to source any aluminium from my local steel supplier so I bought some 2mm plate instead to make a bed for the battery to rest on and shaped it accordingly. I marked out where the battery would screw down, drilled and then welded nuts beneath so that a spanner wouldn’t be needed there. I also bought a little 25mm angle iron to make the two supports so that there would be an area clear under the battery for the pannier bags to fit through once I get them. It is not ideal in that the material that will sit underneath will have to be itself modified due to those two supports. I could not space them further apart though due to the rear section of the pannier rack being made from aluminium which meant I could not weld a support there. It is what it is and it will do just fine.

 

With hindsight I would now make it with 3mm steel plate and instead of using angle iron I would buy some 25mm box. I would cut one side of the box out to make a C shape. This would make it simpler and quicker to make. I actually cut out a little fillet of steel to make a support in the centre of each piece of angle iron to square them to the base and add a little strength. Box section would be quicker and it is already square, but you use what you’ve got.

 

The reason for 3mm steel plate for the base is that it is simply more rigid. The 2mm moved a bit with the heat of welding, not that the piece I got was anywhere near flat to begin with but I would have preferred 3mm anyway I feel. I did weld more than strictly necessary but I'm a belt and braces sort of man. I haven't welded in years and wanted to be confident it would stay put. In truth, a few good heavy tacks in the right places would more than suffice.

 

The rack was dropped as low as it would go knowing the battery was going to be raised a bit above that. In reality there is no particular need for a 25mm gap between the battery bed and rack and I may indeed shorten it if it bothers me because less would do just fine.

 

As for centre of gravity, you can feel the weight really only when off the bike and manhandling it. It likely isn’t what you want for serious mountain biking but it isn’t an issue for what we do and is probably totally fine for a commuter bike too.

 

It's a case of making do but I hope this helps someone else in a similar predicament.

 

All the best,

 

AJ

I did something similar to you but used a piece of painted 9mm thick marine plywood:-

 

 

It's all secured with bolts and nuts tightened up with spring washers before fitting the rack to the bike.

In my case the battery holder includes an integrated contoller so the cables are run up the rear legs of the carrier and under the battery holder, held with spiral wrap. There is room with the battery fitted to clip on pannier bags:-

 

Like you I was concerned about the high centre of gravity and it is certainly noticeable when pushing or get on, but not a problem when riding. I did this because I didn't fancy the existing rivnuts in the aluminuim frame holding a battery on in the long term. I also wanted to keep my water bottle cages. My other bike is steel framed and has brazed bottle mounts so that has a battery on the downtube.

I did something similar to you but used a piece of painted 9mm thick marine plywood:-

 

[ATTACH=full]51815[/ATTACH]

 

It's all secured with bolts and nuts tightened up with spring washers before fitting the rack to the bike.

In my case the battery holder includes an integrated contoller so the cables are run up the rear legs of the carrier and under the battery holder, held with spiral wrap. There is room with the battery fitted to clip on pannier bags:-

[ATTACH=full]51816[/ATTACH]

 

Like you I was concerned about the high centre of gravity and it is certainly noticeable when pushing or get on, but not a problem when riding. I did this because I didn't fancy the existing rivnuts in the aluminuim frame holding a battery on in the long term. I also wanted to keep my water bottle cages. My other bike is steel framed and has brazed bottle mounts so that has a battery on the downtube.

Hello Cadence,

 

Simple, effective and much, much quicker to complete than mine. It looks spot on too and probably cheaper to make what with the price of electricity needed to run a welder! The only problem I had really was that the pannier is made of steel and aluminium thus limiting where I could weld to it. I had to cut some parts out as it is a B'Twin brand designed to accept their own clip in accessories. Those bits were in the way so after a bit of thought, I removed them. A basic steel rack would have been better for what I was doing but in fairness, this one is strong and very well made.

 

I simply couldn't fit the battery anywhere else. It was the only viable solution. The bike has a small aluminium frame and my faith in a couple of little rivnuts holding down a heavy and expensive battery while rattling along very rough paths is not high. So much so I am concerned at relying on them to restrain an even bigger battery on my own aluminium bike when the time comes to convert it too. Maybe a 3mm steel bed plate with a couple of clamps on the back to physically wrap around the down tube. We'll see...

 

I have a couple of pannier bags here that sit on the top of the rack only. I was hoping one of them would be large enough to accommodate the battery. I would have fitted some internal padding to protect it in case of the bike tipping over so in the meantime I am going to keep an eye out for something like that. With a pannier bag under the battery and draped down each side, it would look very discreet indeed I suppose.

 

As for cabling, I have ordered some mesh sleeving and am hoping that that will make a tidy job of it with some abrasion protection to boot. There's work yet to be done, but it is enjoyable and the fact that it worked so well on it's first time out has been very encouraging.

 

All the best to you,

 

AJ

Edited May 29, 20232 yr by AJ_P

I too went with the rear pannier wood bodge, except I used rot-proof palletwood treated with many exotic toxic chemicals and quite likely compressed while microwaved... I eventually found pannier bags which fitted over the top of the battery (not ideal, but the battery case held up), but one of two bicycle trailers: Homcom folding and Carry Freedom Small Y, are far better solutions when carrying a lot of stuff, than heavy rucksacks and pannier bags. As for CoG, my bike is a 20" wheeler, so it's close to the ground anyway. The only issue is the bike's balance because of the heavy 19.2Ah battery on the back, which causes problems when attempting to ascend very steep hills.

 

I have a couple of pannier bags here that sit on the top of the rack only. I was hoping one of them would be large enough to accommodate the battery. I would have fitted some internal padding to protect it in case of the bike tipping over so in the meantime I am going to keep an eye out for something like that. With a pannier bag under the battery and draped down each side, it would look very discreet indeed I suppose.

 

AJ

 

You and I have obviousy been thinking along the same lines! I thought the battery on top of the rack would scream "ebike" and wanted to disguise it. I wanted a rack top bag to enclose it - even to the extent of cutting the bottom out and just sliding it on top, but I couldn't find one long enough.

In the end I bought a battery cover off ebay:-

Bike Battery Protective Cover Water Proof Bag Ebike Battery's Battery Cover | eBay

I think it's a different size to yours but there are lots of different ones on ebay.

Ok, it's still battery-shaped, but combined with a pair of roll-top pannier bags it's a reasonable disguise, particularly with a light waterproof jacket strapped on top.

My battery is disguised a bit by two waterproof rucksack covers, secured using velcro.

 

I believe the TSDZ2B will be sufficiently powerful for my own bike if I alter the gearing. I too have seven gears on the rear. I will have to determine if the gears can be changed, if seven of a different ratio would suffice or if I would need to change to a greater number of gears. The question there is what is actually on my bike at the minute, can I even change to a bigger cassette, freewheel hub etc and if it fits, can I actually select the gears due to chain line. I must add at this point that the seven on my wife's bike change with no issue and no excessive noise

Hard to say without seeing the bike. If you can get away with 7 or 8 speed, that is cheap to maintain. 10+ is starting to get expensive in consumable transmission parts.

 

If you want to change to more teeth on the rear, the rear derailleur might not have enough capacity. Cheap to change rear derailleur or you can get an extension bracket and use existing derailleur. You can also change the front chainring but you won't get smaller than 42t dished. Hard to say what the chainline will be like on a non-dished chainring.

 

Finally you can probably install a double chainring - accepting that you almost certainly won't get outer chainring and inner rear sprockets to work (not an issue as you should be on the inner chainring anyway by that point). I can get up long 16% hills on 42t / 28t and 26" wheels. I'm sure shorter, steeper hills would also work but think I need slightly lower gearing really. Reluctant to push my luck with long steep hills without a bit of a thermal mod and / or lower gearing as I expect the motor will generate too much heat.

You and I have obviousy been thinking along the same lines! I thought the battery on top of the rack would scream "ebike" and wanted to disguise it. I wanted a rack top bag to enclose it - even to the extent of cutting the bottom out and just sliding it on top, but I couldn't find one long enough.

In the end I bought a battery cover off ebay:-

Bike Battery Protective Cover Water Proof Bag Ebike Battery's Battery Cover | eBay

I think it's a different size to yours but there are lots of different ones on ebay.

Ok, it's still battery-shaped, but combined with a pair of roll-top pannier bags it's a reasonable disguise, particularly with a light waterproof jacket strapped on top.

I don't like the idea of the battery being on full display though in our case it will never be left alone long enough for anyone to steal it. Apparently though there are such specimens among the human race and if an opportunity presents itself there is always someone willing to seize it.

 

I just prefer the battery being ensconced in a padded shell so to speak that will give it a bit of protection should the bike tip over onto something that could potentially crack the Hailong case or even worse penetrate a cell. The latter isn't particularly likely but stranger things have happened and I'm a firm believer in thinking ahead. The fact too that such a bag would tie neatly in with the small side bags especially if a similar colour gives it a discrete appeal.

 

Early days though and if I find something that fits the bill, I'll give it a go.

 

All the best,

 

AJ

Hard to say without seeing the bike. If you can get away with 7 or 8 speed, that is cheap to maintain. 10+ is starting to get expensive in consumable transmission parts.

 

If you want to change to more teeth on the rear, the rear derailleur might not have enough capacity. Cheap to change rear derailleur or you can get an extension bracket and use existing derailleur. You can also change the front chainring but you won't get smaller than 42t dished. Hard to say what the chainline will be like on a non-dished chainring.

 

Finally you can probably install a double chainring - accepting that you almost certainly won't get outer chainring and inner rear sprockets to work (not an issue as you should be on the inner chainring anyway by that point). I can get up long 16% hills on 42t / 28t and 26" wheels. I'm sure shorter, steeper hills would also work but think I need slightly lower gearing really. Reluctant to push my luck with long steep hills without a bit of a thermal mod and / or lower gearing as I expect the motor will generate too much heat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPKNaWUMlcw:422

 

Here's a very interesting video on the subject of dual front chainrings on the TSDZ2 where the chap appears to be happy with the result he has achieved. It opens at the appropriate part.

 

You've probably already seen it but for anyone who hasn't, he has fitted two non dished chainrings, a 34 and a 46 tooth onto the Tongsheng TSDZ2. Originally his bike had a three chainring setup so in his case at least the front derailleur had enough travel to enable this to work for him.

 

I very much like the idea of that. It's certainly appealing enough to give it some serious thought and it'd be very interesting indeed to experiment with it so that may be an option for the future, though I wouldn't want to spend too much just in case.

 

All the best,

 

AJ

My ute's tsdz2 has a double 32/42t set up .

I very much like the idea of that. It's certainly appealing enough to give it some serious though

I'm first going to get a cheapo chainring and try on the inner and outer positions to check chainline. Might give a double a try after that.

My ute's tsdz2 has a double 32/42t set up .

Hello Nealh,

 

That's great to hear!

 

Non dished I presume? Does it work well?

 

Would you have any pics of your set up to help us form a plan for our own bikes?

 

All the best to you,

 

AJ

I'm first going to get a cheapo chainring and try on the inner and outer positions to check chainline. Might give a double a try after that.

You mean a non dished one?

 

AJ

You mean a non dished one?

I do. Really just want to check chainline and see if I can sort out a front derailleur config that works before spending much money.

I do. Really just want to check chainline and see if I can sort out a front derailleur config that works before spending much money.

I'll be very interested indeed to see how you get on. If I get around to it first I'll be sure to let you know.

 

All the best,

 

AJ

I've got a flat 42t chainring on the way so will see what rear sprokets work with that on the inside and outside positions. If it looks promising I'll get a 34t as well and a new front derailleur. The whole exercise will likely take some time as I want to test with minimal outlay rather than buy everything upfront. Having just bought a used kids bike for convesion to a cargo trailer I ideally want a smaller chainring to minimize strain on the motor gubbins - not that I plan to tow anything very heavy.

The 42t flat chainring allows me to access the 7 sprockets when on the inside position of the spider. The lowest gear is a bit of a stretch but I think I can remove a 2mm spacer and improve the chainline a bit.

 

Not tried on the outside but I suspect the lowest one or two sprockets will not work well but by that point I should have shifted to the small chainring anyway.

 

A 34t inner chainring is easy to source but I'll also need a new front derailleur as the original was a bit 'odd'. The seat tube appears to be a non standard size so will buy a triple band derailleur of a larger size and pick it and possibly offset it a bit to get extra reach. I'll be using a friction shifter rather than indexed as my big chainring has no ramps or pins and I'll need to over shift and then move the derailleur back a bit when shifting up.

 

I think it will 'probably' work...

The 42t flat chainring allows me to access the 7 sprockets when on the inside position of the spider. The lowest gear is a bit of a stretch but I think I can remove a 2mm spacer and improve the chainline a bit.

 

Not tried on the outside but I suspect the lowest one or two sprockets will not work well but by that point I should have shifted to the small chainring anyway.

 

A 34t inner chainring is easy to source but I'll also need a new front derailleur as the original was a bit 'odd'. The seat tube appears to be a non standard size so will buy a triple band derailleur of a larger size and pick it and possibly offset it a bit to get extra reach. I'll be using a friction shifter rather than indexed as my big chainring has no ramps or pins and I'll need to over shift and then move the derailleur back a bit when shifting up.

 

I think it will 'probably' work...

Are you going to try a 34 and a 42 together?

 

I got a puncture in the back tyre of my bike so took it off for the first time and discovered it doesn't have a cassette back there. If I want to do any experimentation in that area then it's going to mean a new wheel. At least if a functional dual front ring configuration can be made to work then I don't need so many cogs at the back I suppose.

 

Good to hear you're making progress. I'm itching to get going with converting mine. Hopefully I'll get a motor etc soon for this one. I'm definitely leaning towards the TSDZ2B though I see the first review has been released for the Toseven. It's expensive though...

 

All the best,

 

AJ

.......... I'll also need a new front derailleur as the original was a bit 'odd'. The seat tube appears to be a non standard size ......

Just as regards above, I have found the clamps on the front derailleurs to be reasonably soft/malleable and easy to work and easy to change/increase the diameter by fitting a longer bolt and filing the corner a little as shown in photo below. The clamp can be reshaped (for example) by using a socket the same size as seat tube to wrap clamp around and tapped lightly with a light hammer while tightening the longer bolt.

It may be necessary to stuff something like a bit of strong semicircular plastic between frame and derailleur to get derailleur to extend out further but this should be possible.

The other thing I found is that its possible to change the chainrings without removing the crank or pedal by removing the inner five allen bolts on spider and pulling it out the few mm thats spare. Putting back the retaining circular nuts onto inner chainring is tricky/tedious but this does spare possible damaging/loosening the right alloy crank arm from repeatingly taking them off/putting them back on.

I hope the above helps.

Edited June 6, 20232 yr by Sturmey