Quote from: Ddaybc on February 07, 2024, 07:24:45 PM

PS: Winter riding really SUCKS!!!

Cashmere scarf, $10. What a difference! Of course, I cut the end of the left thumb off my ski mittens to press controller buttons, but I can always soak my thumb in a hot cup of coffee when I get home. 

Me too. A little throttle could keep me upright in a u-turn. At one point on the way to the post office, I'd turn right onto a sidewalk rather than pull onto a fast road with a blind curve not far to my left. It was a tight turn through the opening in the curb and right beside a utility pole. The sidewalk was 2 feet higher than the street, so I needed a boost. The throttle worked because I could control it instantly.

The bike with the swept-back bars was from Six Three Zero. It had 500 watts, which is what Rad means when they say 750. The throttle didn't work unless PAS was on. One might expect under 100 watts on PAS 1, but this one had a ridiculous 350, and that acceleration would continue half a second or more after I stopped pedaling. I'd have to turn PAS on to have throttle for that sharp, steep turn, and having PAS on meant a pedal movement could have shot me into the pole. The handlebars could be replaced with something safer, but I didn't know how to find a better controller. I repacked the bike and sent it back.

My Aventon Abound needs PAS on to use the throttle, but its torque sensor means I won't get an unexpected power surge. In fact, it handles so well that I make u-turns and 360s with PAS and throttle off for the fun of it.

Ebiking was so much nicer than driving that I didn't bother to drive my car. A fellow came by and asked, and I sold it.

I ordered the 25 amp controller from electrobikeword  because it's 40 x 65 x 120mm, to fit where the OEM controller went on my Radmission. If I converted your fractions correctly, it will fit your bike. It puts 700 watts on the wheel. In my experience, a Rad 750 watt controller puts only 500 watts on the wheel.

The old one used metal clamps on the seat tube. The clamps wouldn't fit the new one, so I used zip ties rated at 120 pounds and -40 F, I think. First, I coated the matching surface of the tube with RTV so the controller wouldn't slide on the enamel. Lately I bought a gadget that pulls zip ties tighter than I could get them with pliers and a screwdriver.

Moisture hasn't been a problem, as it was with the OEM controller. Moisture was a problem with the aftermarket controller I put on my Radrunner. First aid was a hair dryer. RTV fixed it for good.

Quote from: Carcosa view on January 30, 2024, 12:56:09 PM

Not a Uturn. trying to cross a sidewalk with a tall lip on it. incredibly stupid move in retrospect.was going about 15 front wheel grabbed the outside lip and basically threw me down full weight on my ankle. I was about 15 feet from the side of the road just laying there foot aimed the wrong direction. A lot of cars passed before 2 very kind souls pulled over. My phone was out of reach but they stayed with me until my son came to take me to the hospital.

That sounds bad!

I'm not sure whether the concrete lip wouldn't let the wheel steer in that direction or caused it to slide. Either way, a more stable riding position would have helped. I think my Radmission was set up like a Radcity. I found my sitting position unstable, an accident waiting to happen. The solution was to move the seat back with a layback post and raise the bars with two risers.

Stable seating helps steering. A u-turn is a good test. The position of the handgrips also affects steering stability. If they're too far forward or aft, a bike won't steer precisely in a u-turn.

I bought an ebike of another brand with stable seating, but I intended to replace the bars immediately because they were swept too far back for stability. Also, the gear shift wouldn't let me see what gear I was in. On my second day, I attempted to turn around beside a parking lot. I was in a much higher gear than I'd thought, so a knoll slowed me pretty suddenly. Almost stopped, I steered radically right to keep my wheels under me. With the swept back bars, that shifted my head and shoulders left, pulling the grips left, which turned the wheel farther right as it rolled farther right. The solution was to put my left foot down.

With the bike rolling rapidly right with my right leg, I had to get my right foot on the ground, too. The step-through was higher than I was used to. My heel caught and I fell on my butt. I was 75 and overweight, but I wasn't bruised.

That was an example of how a potentially dangerous fall can happen because the rider's inertia steers it out from under him. The positions of the seat and handlebars can make a bike safer.

electrobikeworld also has controllers. I've been satisfied with controllers from both sources, but as you say, what if it's the wiring? I wish I knew where to get schematics to check out wiring with a meter.

I imagine a million lithium batteries are charged in the UK every week. When one catches fire, I'd love to know more about what went wrong.

There have been a lot of ebikes in New York City for years, but there was a huge upsurge of fires in the last couple of years. Apparently the cause was the importation of unsafe batteries. They passed a law against selling batteries that aren't UL certified, and they're offering swaps to get the uncertified ones off the street.

I put my charger on a timer to limit charging to times I'm present and awake. An engineer at a reputable ebike company recommends charging indoors because charging a battery that's too hot or cold can damage it in a way that makes it unsafe.

Most burglars enter through doors because with a little privacy, a burglar can usually get a door open. For security, a back door is a liability, but it can be a lifesaver in the event of a fire.

Quote from: Antti L on February 05, 2024, 07:25:19 AM

For summer riding, once converted completely to 24in, I have been eyeing the Schwalbe Pick Ups. They seem like nice cargo bike tires also available in 24in.

I've also decided to upgrade to hydraulic brakes. The stopping power on the Tektros that came with the bike is fine, but the constant adjusting that is required is a real PITA.

I had 30 miles on my Aventon Abound when the rear tire went flat. The cause was so small that I wound't have found it if I hadn't marked the sidewall at the valve so I could match it up with the hole in the tube. It appeared to be a particle of sand, embedded in the rubber. Besides puncturing the tube, the particle had cut a cord in the tire. I replaced the new tire with a 20" Schwalbe Pick Up. The old one has about 25 TPI, which is asking for trouble. The Schwalbe has 2 plies of 67 TPI. It feels much more substantial but hardly weighs any more, and there's no more rolling resistance as far as I can tell.

On my Rad bikes with mechanical brakes, it was the back ones that would get spongy. I decided that the cable housing, made of coiled wire, was stretching  because it flexed when the handlebars turned. Periodically, I'd put the cable housing under compression overnight by tying the rear brake lever to the handlebar. It helped.

I agree with what you told support, that it's probably the magnet/sensor, unless maybe it came unplugged.

It sounds like an average of about 10%. To me, 1.5 miles up a 10% grade sounds like a lot. I've read that it's overheating that kills an ebike motor, and because it's fairly massive, the temperature rises slowly. You might stop periodically and see if the motor is painfully hot. After I put on a 35 amp controller, I would spot check the motor with my hand and an IR thermometer. I never found it more than 2 F above ambient, but my highest hills are about 50 feet.

It's probably the same size as my Radrunner 1, with a 20x3.3 tire: 12 gauge, 125 mm. The diameter of the spoke will tell you the gauge. For the length, you measure from the surface of the rim at the hole, to the near edge of the hole in the hub.

Quote from: Ddaybc on January 23, 2024, 12:21:15 PM
Where a wire goes, corrosion can follow. Thus the need for a continuity test. In this case check the continuity from the controller to each of the pins in the connector. If you have continuity in all of the pins/wires then you need to check continuity from the other part of the connector to the motor plug. Again, if continuity is good then check continuity from the other side of the plug to the motor.

I'd love to have wiring diagrams for my bikes to check continuity. How do you knew which pins are wired to which pins?

Quote from: RadMagnus on January 22, 2024, 04:18:47 AM

This was green in the bottom before I cleaned it. I wonder if that's enough or if it needs to be replaced... I will update tomorrow after I've done all the steps in the guide from Rad...

I don't know how the pins are connected to the wires, but maybe corrosion affected those connections. I'd check continuity. When I saw no other way, I've shoved a sewing needle through the insulation to contact a wire.

If it turns out to be a defunct controller, when I had trouble with my Radmission controller, I replaced it with a 25 amp controller and display from electrobikeworld. The 25-amp version will fit where the OEM controller was, held by strong zip ties pulled tight. I put RTV on the matching surface of the seat tube to keep the controller from sliding.

The circuitry in the controller of my Radmission was covered in that stuff. Moisture in the air could cause the controller to act up. Apparently, the coating was an attempt to solve the problem. An aftermarket controller solved my problem.

I agree: maybe it's the key switch. Before and after charging a battery, I check the voltage with a meter. Checking that way, with the battery off the bike, also shows that the key switch works.