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Messages - John Rose

#196
Rad Modifications / Re: Turn signals
October 13, 2023, 05:27:25 PM
I'm on the lookout for a front & rear set of lights, but in the meantime I bought these Husqvarna "Classic Work Gloves" to make my hand signals more visible. The grey logo and wavy wrist stripe are retro-reflective. They're quite comfortable with a decent grip and a breathable fabric.



I give my fingers a wiggle then point steadily.
If I ever do install some turn signals I'll still be wearing these for protection.


About the right-turn hand signal made with the left arm - I'm pretty sure that originated in the very early days of automobiles when they didn't have blinky lights (or flags that flip out = "Trafficators"). Either the cab or a passenger on the right would obscure one made with the right arm.



I imagine they are still legit to use in a car temporarily if you discover that you have a faulty signal lamp.
#197
Quote from: madbroulton on May 02, 2022, 08:17:07 AM
Thanks!  I didnt know (or dont think) that I could change my wattage?  The hidden menu in my controller only has, 1. tire size, 2. Top Speed, 3.3 KMH/MPH.

Am I missing another secret menu?
On my RadMini ST2 it goes:
1 wheel diameter
2 speed limit
3 display backlighting brightness level
4 speedometer display units metric vs imperial
#198
How To Information / Re: Tips for Washing your bike?
October 10, 2023, 06:34:41 PM
I would think a hose would be fine if you reduce the pressure. Put an inline cutoff valve just upstream of a pistol-grip nozzle to control the flow.



Covering the electronics still sounds like a good idea though.
#199
General Chat / Re: master links
October 09, 2023, 04:23:58 PM
What if you just shift it up to the highest gear to get a bit more slack? Can't you then get the bottom of the derailleur submerged in a container of solvent?
Or use a narrow rectangular pan to get a longer section of the chain submerged, slowly turn the pedal by hand, and work it with a brush.
#200
RadExpand / Re: Speedometer calibration
October 09, 2023, 01:58:15 AM
Quote from: Elisabeth on October 07, 2023, 06:33:31 AM
I suspect that my speedometer/odometer s calibrated for a 26" wheel. How would I adjust it to my 20" fat tire rim
For this style of display and separate PAS control with three buttons, press MODE to turn it on, press and hold UP and DOWN buttons simultaneously to get to the settings menu. The first setting is for tire diameter. Press UP to increase, or DOWN to decrease. Press MODE [and hold?] to save and exit.
#201
General Chat / Re: butyl inner tubes
October 06, 2023, 03:47:07 PM
Well, thanks for all that.
I wonder if latex tubes influenced the adoption of nitrogen for filling tires. Larger molecules being slower to leak through, and non-oxidizing.
QuoteFor my Radmission, I've ordered tubes that just say "butyl."
What about "May or may not contain nuts"?  ;D
#202
RadRover / Re: Increasing Top Speed - unlock menu
October 05, 2023, 03:08:14 PM
Quote from: JimInPT on January 22, 2023, 07:53:49 AMUnlocking my MiniST2's top speed was one of the very first mods I did and aside from making the bike a little bit better hasn't changed anything.
I have a RadMini ST2 (2020) and I was able get to the menu and change the setting from 32 to 40 km/h. However, on my test drive the next day (level paved road, teeny bit of tailwind, full twist throttle), the top speed I could get was about 34 km/h.
Whee!

I double-checked the setting afterwards just to confirm that it did not somehow reset to 32 after powering it down.
#203
How To Information / Re: Chain Care
October 03, 2023, 11:31:33 PM
Quote from: NaturallyRC on April 29, 2022, 06:18:30 AM
Your motor oil experience jibes with mine. I also found tenacious lube too sticky unless it's pouring rain.

Lately, I've been going with "WD40 Bike". It is NOT the same as regular WD40 (when you rub it between your fingers, for instance). I don't know the exact formulation, but it's made (they say) specifically for bike chains, and has been working great since Feb of this year, at about half the price of my old go-to bike shop brands.

Addendum: I see now that the name has recently been changed to WD-40 SPECIALIST® BIKE CHAIN LUBE to avoid confusion. Also comes in wet formulation -- this is new or I did not know.

In addition, I see that Canadian Tire also sells "WD-40 Specialist BIKE CLEANER"...



... which is evidently not intended for lubricating chains, in spite of the little icon of three chain links.
Maybe they mean it can be used to clean chains, presumably before applying a proper lube.
#204
How To Information / Re: Battery balancing
October 03, 2023, 10:48:20 PM
This makes perfect sense.
Once a group of 4 is charged ...

... it's "NO CURRENT FOR YOU!"

But - is there some feature for dealing with a failure in one of the cells in a group of four?
#205
Service & Repair / Re: New Battery Charging
October 03, 2023, 10:14:04 PM
My manual says
Quote. . . as close to 12 hours as possible (but not longer than 12 hours).
For those 12-hour charging sessions, does it have to be continuous?
Say I don't have a timer, could I plug it in and charge for 6 hours, unplug it, go to bed, and finish it the next day with 6 more hours of charging?
#206
Quote from: handlebar on October 03, 2023, 07:35:25 PM
If that's the cause, drying can fix it. I believe Radpower says not to leave displays in the sun, but heat from the sun can drive moisture out.
Huh. It's worth a try.
It could also explain the intermittent behaviour, if the ambient humidity is changing day-to-day.
I must have a bunch of silica gel packets around the house. I can microwave the packets to dry them out, and then seal them in a bag with the display unit.
(re: Microwaving silica gel - I used to do that to loose silica gel beads for lightly-pressurized satellite uplink waveguide air dryers.)
#207
I went for a ride up a hill nearby (mostly to partially drain the battery for balancing) and I logged it with the Geo Tracker app (by Ilya Bogdanovich) for Android. I started and stopped the record in my driveway.

I find the altitude data rather confusing though.








Altitude difference120 m
Max altitude 103 m
Min altitude -16 m (there was one stretch lower than my driveway)
Vertical ascent 160 m
Vertical distance 309 m
Vertical speed0.15 m/s

I would've thought that "altitude difference" would be from "altitude min" to "altitude max", or 16+103=119
I have no idea where the numbers come from for the last three.

[later] Ah. I can make a screenshot and attach it.
The biggest climb is going along the straight "pot handle" section from the lower left corner of the lake up the turn-off to "Beech Hill Park".
The side-trip through "Ogden Mill" was on the way back.
#208
RadWagon / Re: winter tires 22x3
October 03, 2023, 06:35:22 PM
Are winter tires for bicycles supposed to have softer rubber, as with automobile winter tires?
Or does it really matter?
#209
RadMini ST2 LCD display missing number segments.
The bottom segments of the large 7-segments numbers are blank, but the other parts, like the lettering, "PAS", mode, lines, and battery meter are okay. See attached image.
The numbers do change to reflect current values.

Now, I'm not absolutely sure, but I think there have been times when I've powered the bike off and on, and the numbers displayed perfectly fine. I did a 13 km ride today and the numbers were incomplete for the entire trip.

I bought the bike from a friend with something like 10-15 km on the odometer, so I don't know the complete history, other than than she stored it indoors.

Any ideas?
At least it doesn't cripple the bike, and I can still figure out what it's supposed to read.
#210
Service & Repair / Re: Rad Orange colour match?
October 02, 2023, 07:26:25 PM
FWIW, the "C" in Pantone Matching System colour codes means "coated", versus "U" for "uncoated. The coated versions of the swatches are glossy and uncoated has a somewhat matte finish.

They're effectively the same colour, but in the original application of the PMS for spot colour inks printed on paper, the glossy paper gives a different visual effect.