Within the first year, I began to see oiliness on the front hub of my Radmission. Grease is 75 to 98 percent oil. To seep past the seals, oil must have come out of the mix. That could result in dry bearings.

With a caliper, I found I'd need a 15mm wrench for the cone. With feeler gauges, I found that it couldn't be more than 3.5mm thick. Amazon's first suggestion was labeled a pedal wrench. However, a reviewer posted a photo showing a caliper on his, reading 1/8 inch. That would be 3.17mm. I ordered it.

I looked online for any advice that might be contrary to my old experience. An Irish professional said always to replace balls. I hadn't thought of it, and it made sense. If you have play, it probably means your balls have worn smaller than the races were designed for.

Internet sources said adjusting bearings on a quick-release axle was difficult. Tightening the locknut would cause the axle to rotate in the cone, changing your adjustment.  If you got it perfect, clamping the axle between the forks would squeeze the axle slightly shorter. The bearings would be too tight. You'd have to remove the wheel and adjust the bearings slightly looser.

One source said he'd made spacers to clamp the axle with the skewer off the bike. I liked that idea. I can feel drag, smoothness, and play better if I move the axle with my thumb and finger than if I move the wheel on the bike.

The wrench was 4mm thick, 26% thicker than the reviewer had measured. I had to do a tedious job of grinding.

I removed the lock nut. Then, for the first few turns removing the cone, I had to use two wrenches, with the thin one holding the opposite cone. I realized the manufacturer had adjusted the bearings with axle and cone threads dry. I got them greasy taking the hub apart. Before assembly, I degreased the cone and axle. Dry, the axle threads had a rough black coating.

That seemed to be the secret to adjusting bearings: friction would keep the axle from turning within the cone as you screwed down the locknut on greased threads.

I measured the balls at 6.34mm. Quarter-inch balls would be 6.35, but I'm sure 6.34 is well within the margin of error for my caliper and the bearing manufacturer. After 750,000 revolutions under my weight on bumpy surfaces, the bearings had no measurable wear.

For assembly, I slid a foot of vinyl tubing over the axle so I could pack the bearings without getting the threads greasy. Flexible tubing tends to tighten when pulled. I had to grab the locknut on the other end so I could twist the tubing as I pulled.

I used a stack of 3/8" flat washers on each end of the axle as spacers to test my adjustment with the skewer compressing the axle. I felt a little roughness when I turned the axle-skewer assembly, proving that skewer pressure really does make an axle shorter. The bearings passed the test after I unscrewed the cone 30 degrees (an hour on the clock).

With seals and dust caps in place, I washed the hub and disk because I want to know if there's seepage in the future.

Early in 2021, the freewheel on my Runner would sometimes fail to engage. I didn't have a tool to remove it, but it has worked since I got a little light oil to go in through a crack. It also worked more quietly.

A couple of days ago I removed the chain, cleaned it, cleaned the sprocket wheels, put the chain back on, and lubed every pin. I backpedaled with my hand and felt a lot of friction. I lubed every roller. That didn't help, but a few hours later, when the solvent dried from the lube and left a waxy film, turning the crank backward was much easier.

I figured it out. My Radmission backpedals silently, but backpedaling the Radrunner had caused a sort of rattle since the bike was new. The back sprocket isn't quite matched to the chain. As I backpedal, an incoming roller will catch on the tip of a sprocket and, as it rotates farther fat, slip down against the bottom of the valley.

I noticed something else. If I spin the wheel with the chain stationary, the rear sprocket will wobble. The runnout is more than a milllmeter. Either the freewheel or the part it screws into must be bent.

I've read that the cable and connector of the Bafang motor prevents the use of an ordinary removal tool, and a special tool costs $50. That's a lot more than a new freewheel. Is there a better way to get the old one off?

I started using dry chain lube 19 months ago because the grime resulting from oily lube wasn't good for my pants or the chain. I've cleaned the chain repeatedly, but cleaning it on the bike is not thorough. Yesterday I went so far as to remove the back wheel so I could dip sections of the chain in mineral spirits, then do a lot of wiping. It wasn't thorough.

I want to take it off, roll it up, find a can just wide enough, and soak it in solvent. That was easy when chains came with master links. I guess I'll have to break the chain and add a master link.

Why don't chains come with master links these days? Is one type or brand better?

Foreseeing war shortages, German companies discovered nitrile rubber in 1934, and American companies discovered butyl. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese seized the East Indies, source of 90% of America's rubber.

Butyl was so much better for inner tubes that America didn't go back to latex after the war. It's impermeable to air and doesn't age from exposure to oxygen. (Dunlop recommends replacing latex inner tubes every 6 months.)

BMW Motorcycles went back to latex when the R75/5 came out in 1969. Consumers often failed to check tire pressure and often rode over 100 mph. With an underinflated tire, friction could heat a butyl tube at that speed until it gave way in a blowout. Latex flexed with less friction. It wouldn't heat up as much, and if it did let go, it would release air more slowly.

These latex inner tubes were porous. I didn't have to check with a gauge because I'd know in 50 feet if either tire was 3 psi low. American bicycle tubes were going back to latex about the same time. More and more, bicyclists were buying helmets and bending way over to try to keep up with cars on bikes with narrow tires. Even with higher pressure, a smaller footprint could mean more flexing, producing heat for a smaller tube to absorb, and higher speeds would generate the heat faster. For a rider with his head down and forward, a blowout could be dangerous, so latex was preferred.

After a year of adding air to my Radrunner tires, I decided that the tubes were porous. It didn't occur to me that a 20-mph utility bike with tires as big as motorcycle tires would have latex tubes; I just thought they must be cheap. I installed butyl tubes. That reduced losses by 90%, but they still leaked and I didn't know why.

My Radmission tubes also lost air. I'd have to get out the pump every couple of days or settle for tires that were increasingly low. I hoped to seal them by adding a lot of Slime. It didn't work.

I find the chain stays on my Radmission too short. It means the back tire carries 40% more weight than the front. Today I tried 50 psi rear and 40 front. It's great. Now that I've found a good combination, I want to keep it that way. When I checked Amazon for butyl tubes, I found out why the butyl tubes I bought last time are a little porous. The description says they're made from "a butyl compound." I learned that most bicycle inner tubes these days are made from a mix of latex and butyl. "A butyl compound" must be a salesman's description of a mix.

For my Radmission, I've ordered tubes that just say "butyl." Maybe I'll finally have tires that hold air, like the old days.

I never liked my Radrunner tires. Now that the tread on the right is wearing from cornering, I've got an excuse to put on something better.

I like my Radmission 1.95 x 27.5 tires. They're marked CST CTC-06-1. CTC-06 is a series that includes Big Boat. They have a TPI of 60, which Schwalbe says is much better for puncture resistance and low rolling resistance than the OEM 30 TPI tires.

It's readily available in 4 x 20.
https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/en/cst-ctc-06-rigid-urban-tyre/140040771/p

Would it fit my 55mm rim? I downloaded a chart from a distributor showing what width rims fit what width tires. It says these rims are good for 3.00 to 5.00 inch tires.

If I rerouted the rear brake cable and rear light wire, it looks as if my Radrunner would have plenty of room. I never thought Radpower should have routed those lines between the chainstay and the tire, anyway.

Does it sound like a good idea?

At 3,000 miles I've had my second puncture of my rear Radrunner tire. The first took me months to find because it was a whisker-thin wire.

This was also strange. A quarter inch of wood less than 1mm in diameter, like 20 gauge copper wire. I thought maybe it was the tip of a thorn, which can be very hard and sharp. No this was blunt, and it felt soft, like broom straw. How in the world could it penetrate the tread of a tire?

I find it ironic that the sidewall of the OEM Kendra tire says "puncture resistant casing." The 30 TPI count means low puncture resistance, and the rubber must be especially easy to penetrate.

The green is showing through on the right of the tread. I guess I corner harder on right turns. I've read here about CST Big Boats. Are they the only other option? How are they for puncture resistance?

Pedestrians are no longer the nuisance they once were, but I wouldn't have ordered it if I'd known how regal it looks. I've always pretended not to be a snob.

I started using dry chain lube 17 months ago. I bought it to reduce stains on my cuff but found that the bike ran more quietly than with oil. I may have figured out why. There's bound to be some rubbing between rails and the sides of the teeth. I think the dry lube leaves a film that lubricates those surfaces better.

Yesterday I realized it had been about 8 months since I'd last lubed the chain on my Radmission. I'd been led to believe dry lube wouldn't last that long, but it was still very quiet and smooth. I used a chain hoist to raise the bike to where the chain would be at eye level so I could see just what I was doing as I used a syringe needle to apply a drop to each end of each roller.

First I wiped the chain with a paper towel. The chain looked like bare metal, but the towel came away with black, oily smudges, and the stuff was hard to wash off my fingers. That contradicted what I'd read, that dry lube had to be applied frequently because it wouldn't last. Maybe this brand, "Finish Line," is special.

With the chain at eye level, I spotted rust specks on one rail. I guess the lubricating film protected the other rails, contrary to what I'd read. Maybe it's not the lube but the alloy. Amazon has stainless-steel chains, and some others say they resist rusting.

How about stainless-steel chains? Do they perform well?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJe99BjV8bM

This guy glided down a hill to 22 mph to take the average of three stopping distances for each of several equipment combinations, including a premium, oversized disk with hydraulic brakes and metallic pads. He took about 45 feet, and upgraded brakes made little difference.

I tried my Radmission on a street where I could let the speedometer settle at 20.0 mph. The odometer is accurate, so I assume my speed reading is, too. It took just about 25 feet each time. That would translate to 30 feet if I'd been going 22 mph.

These are stock Radmission brakes with 1,000 miles of wear and little maintenance.

With all his upgrades, why was his stopping distance so much longer than mine?

These days, are there pedals without reflectors? Tuesday, about 2:45 AM, A GMC Sierra hit a bicyclist on the offramp of the Neuse River Bridge in New Bern, North Carolina. The Coast Guard and the Beaufort Dive Team found the 17-year-old's body the following afternoon. The Highway Patrol said the rider didn't have reflective equipment as required by law.

It was only last year, when I bought a Radmission, that I discovered that not all bicycle tail light lenses are reflective. I didn't like it, but I didn't ride at night anyway.

Lately I bought a Vitagen headlight, falsely advertised at 8,000 lumens. A charge was supposed to last 15 hours on low, with a display of what percent was left. It came with a very bright tail light that was supposed to last 30 hours on a charge. If the taillight would last twice as long as the headlight, I could charge it when the headlight got low.

I began riding after sundown, when it was cooler. Wednesday evening, the tail light was off when I returned from a short ride. It had been on when I set out. The same thing happened Thursday evening. This time I switched it back on and watched. In half a minute, it went out.

I tested it. Three times, a charge lasted 2.5 hours, not 30 hours as advertised. If a light under the seat goes  out, the rider won't know until he gets knocked over a rail into a river. A customer's life means no more to Vitagen than to Radpower, supplying a nonreflective lens on the Radmission.

For under $3, I ordered 2 circular reflectors, 3.25 inches in diameter.

I had the kind with 8 slots cut in a ring. It was clumsy, and I couldn't see what I was doing. It was easy to get the wrong slot. Working by touch, I'd have to stop to think about which way to turn it.

I bought this one hoping to eliminate those problems and because the "box" opening looked better than a simple slot.

I did all 128 spokes on 2 ebikes. Adjusting one spoke changes the tension on others, which I check by sound. This wrench makes a good hammer, so I could adjust and ding without changing tools. Because I could see the wrench on the "nut," I had no trouble visualizing which way to tighten or loosen. The "box" opening gave me a stronger feeling connection than a slot, and the length of the wrench let me see just how far I was turning it.

The ring wrench was awkward enough that I preferred to turn a bike upside down, which entailed moving the mirror, display, and switch. The new wrench is handy enough that I can simply lay a bike on its side. After adjusting spokes, I checked each rim by bracing a stick against the fork or chain stay so that the end of the stick dragged lightly against the rim, then turning the wheel a revolution. All were true. If I'd found runout, the new wrench would have made it easier to fix.

I put a 30" dog tag chain through the hole in the wrench. I'll know by touch which end is which. It should be easy to find if I drop it, and I can hang it on the wall.

Tree has one, so I  had to have one, too.

Victagen advertises it as their 8,000 Lumen light. That's just the model name. With both beams at maximum intensity, it probably produces 800 lumens. Each beam probably produces 400 lumens on high. The spotlight concentrates it in a cone of about 11 degrees. That would be great for spotting a fox at 300 yards but nasty in a driver's eyes.

I tried it out right after sundown. The only way to see where the beam was going was to point the bike at a wall 20 feet away. At the lowest intensity, I rode around the block, about a mile.  I met three drivers, each of whom steered along the opposite edge of the pavement. I hadn't seen a car do that before. I still couldn't see where my beam was going. When it got dark, I found that the light was aimed too low, lighting the pavement a few yards in front of the bike. That light is an attention-getter even when aimed well below a driver's eyes in daylight.

The floodlight spreads the bright part of the beam 5 times farther horizontally (53 degrees) and 50% farther vertically (17 degrees). Hitting a driver's eyes would be more forgivable. In the 1970s, I read that in town, 90% of the threats to a motorcycle come from the sides. The low beam would probably make the bicycle more visible to a threat from the side, such as somebody backing out a driveway, at a stop sign, or turning left... or a pedestrian.

The rubbery clamp can slip on the handlebar, allowing me to lower the elevation when there's oncoming traffic.

Both beams have an SOS mode. I've never read of anyone who survived because he had a pocket light that would flash S O S.

I took the photos on a sunny day. I guess the brightness of the lights caused the software to make the day look dark. The second shot shows the spotlight. In the third shot, the tail light is the horizontal strip abour 4" below the seat. (I could slide it on as a vertical strip.) It's very bright, like a car's LED brake light. (The OEM Radmission tail light doesn't even reflect headlights!) To shut it off, you have to cycle through other modes, including S O S, blue, and alternating blue and red. (What's the penalty for impersonating a cop?)

The fourth shot is the headlight in floodlight mode.

On the left is the magnetic sweep I just bought. It was advertised as 17" wide. Actually, the magnetic part is 14.5". Outdoors, narrower good. It will keep the magnet at a more uniform distance above uneven ground.

The silver thing to the right of the sweep handle is a telescoping pocket magnet. To the right of that is the wood handle I made for the 6"-wide magnet I've used for 40 years. In front is a 6" parts bowl I bought on impulse the other day.It resembles a loudspeaker with a round 3" magnet for its base. Even on a non-ferric surface, the weight of the magnet provides stability, and you have a magnet handy in case you drop a screw in the grass.

The bowl holds 33 nails that the sweep picked up in the carport, in a welcome-mat sized space in front of the door to the pump house, built when they changed from wind power to electricity in 1920. The different degrees of rusting indicate that they were dropped over a period of decades. It's weird that I never checked that spot with my 6" magnet. Otherwise, the only thing the sweep found was a roofing nail under a bush. I guess I've been pretty thorough with my 6" magnet.

I'm bound to lose a bicycle part in the grass. The sweep will search more efficiently than the other magnets.

Has anyone else seen Area 51's video on flat prevention?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X0y-2AsGRk

It's been up a year and I didn't know.

Last year I bought a Radmission with the LCD display. I found the odometer and trip meter a bit erratic. On routes where I knew the distance, it might read high or low.

I bought a 25 A controller that uses the same display as the Bolton 35 A controller. Near my house is a gravel walking track. I'd measured it twice with a tape. By coincidence, it's exactly 0.3 miles, or 1584 feet. Years ago, over-regulators posted a "no bicycles" sign. They failed to maintain the track, and now nobody walks there. There's no reason for the sign, so I decided to violate the law to test my odometer.

I put a marker on the track. If the odometer was right, it would turn up 0.3 when I reached the marker after 1 lap. Usually it didn't. I'd stop, pace the distance to the marker, write it down, move the marker to the bike, and ride another lap.

The first time, the odometer read 11% high.
The second                                   5% low.
The third                                      5% low.
The fourth                                    3% low.
The fifth                                       exact.
The sixth                                      exact.
The seventh                                22% high.
The eighth                                    6% high.

Ruts and grassy clumps make the track rough. I pedaled normally for the first four laps. When my speed made it too rough, I'd coast to slow down.

For the fifth and sixth, I made it a rule to pedal continuously. If I couldn't coast to slow down, I had to pedal gently to avoid picking up too much speed. Those were my slowest laps, with the gentlest bumping, and the trip meter was right on.

I used throttle alone for the last two laps.

It appears that bumps can make readings from the wheel sensor erratic. Maybe the magnet or sensor can bounce, or maybe they're too far apart. I bought a Bolton display for my Radrunner more than two years ago, and now I realize it, too, had a wheel-sensor problem. I should have had a speed reading the second time the magnet passed the sensor, 6 to 12 feet, but sometimes it would still read 0 after 100 feet.

The Radrunner has the 750 Watt Bfang motor with planetary gears, while the Radmission has a direct-drive 500 Watt motor. Is it possible to remount or adjust the sensor-magnet assembly in either machine?

A couple of years ago when I bought a Bolton controller for my Radrunner, the color display looked like a great idea. It wasn't. During the day, the illumination from the digits had to compete with the reflected light from the sky, my face, or my shirt. The speed could be faint, and the smaller digits impossible to read. I stapled a strip of black roofing felt into a sort of box to shield the display, but it was still not very legible in daylight.

I bought the black-on-white LCD display for my Radmission. That was easy to read. Daylight made the white background brighter for good contrast against the black digits.

The controller I bought for my Radmission uses the same color display as the Bolton, and it's just as bad in daylight. Any suggestions?

A couple of years ago I put a Bolton 35-amp controller of my Radrunner. Now I've put a 25-amp controller on my Radmission.

The Radmission has a direct-drive motor and I didn't know how many magnets. I switched off the battery, unplugged the motor, shorted two of the three pins, and turned the wheel backward one revolution. There were 96 bumps, so the motor has 96 magnets.

What about C2? The display manual calls it the "motor phase classification coding setting." The default is 0, "indicating that the used Quantum motor phase is an ordinary one."

That's Greek to me. I'd love to see if another setting was somehow better, but I'm afraid that maybe the wrong setting would allow too much current to flow, damaging the motor or the controller.

Does anybody know what "motor phase classification setting" means?

A little while ago through this forum I received a message from  xalosot256:

Hey buddy if you are still interested in getting a nice sets,I have a friend who has that for sale for a decent price. You can kindly contact him up for pricing and pictures if still interested

Ollischris742@gmail.com

Goodluck buddy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


******

It looked suspicious, so I googled.
Ollischris742@gmail.com has been identified several times as a scammer.
xalosot256 has also been reported.

Today, after 6 months of daily use, I found out how to access the settings of the LCD upgrade for my Radmission. I increased the top speed to 40 km/hour. Another setting is "speed." It was set at 3, with options for 2 and 1. What does that control?

Operating the buttons for the upgrade display on my Radmission has always been quirky. It's inconvenient, too. During the day, I turn the headlight off, and that's tricky. Meanwhile, it takes seconds before I can get motor power.

The Bolton upgrade for my other bike shows voltage, and the trip meter runs until reset. That made it easy to keep a log of mileage and voltage. On the Radmission, the tripmeter resets each time the power is shut off, and it doesn't show voltage.

The odometer and tripmeter have always seemed quirky. I verified this on an abandoned walking track that's exactly 0.3 miles. On some laps it would accumulate 3 tenths way too soon and on others way too late.

I had a Sixthreezero with the same gearless motor, which I love because it's quiet. Both are rated at 500 watts, but the Sixthreezero put out 500 mechanical watts, while the Radmission puts out only 350.

An aftermarket controller and display might be a big improvement. Where can I get one?