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E-Bikes

The inevitable happened this afternoon at the 19,975 mile mark. The bike quit. It became completely unresponsive to torque or cadence. The motor was still working and I limped home on the throttle. In hopes the sensor was needing cleaning I attempted to remove it from the bike. Not knowing just how it should be removed, It had a couple of the six hair strand like wires pulled from the sensor when I got it loose. Either that was the problem or I pulled the wires lose. It is beyond cleaning now. I brought it in and hoped to gain access to the sensor to reattach the wires but It is sealed and there is no possible repair. I think I have a replacement located. It says it is for Juiced bikes but doesn't mention any specific models. I left a message to make certain they say it will work on my bike and I will order it or continue looking. I noticed the other day that the wire leading to the sensor had slack in line that I didn't remember it having. I also tried to clean it on the bike which once removed I see is impossible without pulling the rear wheel. Live and learn... I hope their sensor is correct and ultimately hope that it fixes the bike.

It was a fair day to ride. I ate breakfast with some classmates this morning, wrapping up the big reunion weekend. I came hope and went riding... I was ready. :) I drained one battery and was in town after four loops with the second battery when the bike became unresponsive. I saw my trike buddy Tim this morning and nobody this afternoon. It started out windy and became worse as the day progressed. I logged 83 miles today. I don't know when I might get to ride again. 😢
 
I'm beginning to think that the site I contacted is a fly by night outfit. I didn't expect someone to be sitting and waiting for my sensor query but I thought they would respond. They sell a RipCurrent base model and two of their own branded bikes that look to be the same brand that I'm riding. I'm all but certain they are selling a rebranded Juiced bike. I'd like to get the sensor ordered... it might be in China.
Every day I wait is another day that the riding window is closing.

I tried riding my bike without the battery weight and managed to ride it around the block. The bike simply wasn't designed to ride without some assistance. My son is out of town on vacation. I texted him in hopes he still has my old Giant Iguana bike. He borrowed it years ago and I haven't seen it since. It will take some work to make the bike safe to ride, if he still has it. The tire rubber will be suspect and it has typical rim brakes that I'm sure the rubber is hard as a rock. But... if the bike is still around, I'll try to bring it back into riding condition. I think I have the legs now to ride it. It was a state of the art bike 35 years ago. Most of the bike is carbon fiber so it's light and designed to ride without assistance.
 
I never heard back from the company. I'm left with less than a confident feeling I'll get the sensor. I'm not even certain it is the right sensor. I took some pictures of what I have and compared it to what they have and just by looks it's the right thing. I read their return policy.. if returned in it's original packing it will cost me shipping and a 20% restocking fee.. 34 bucks. My only shipping option was their free 6-8 day shipping. I paid with PayPal so I have them to help if I'm getting ripped off.

On a more positive note, I heard back from my son and my old bike is somewhere in his shed :). It will be a fun project to breath life back into that bike. I rode that bike daily for around two years before I missed a day. I rode three times around the city which was 21 miles way back then and then most weekends I took it cross country via county roads logging around 50 to 60 miles a trip. We went through a lot together.. rain... snow.. wind.. storms.. ice frozen in my beard.. you name it. Loved that bike. I hope I'm physically capable of riding that bike now. My buddy that bought my other RipCurrent S said he can't ride his ten speed. My Iguana is a carbon fiber bike with 21 gears. I hope that helps lol.
 
I brought the Giant Iguana home this afternoon. I wiped off most of the storage grime and had to replace both tubes. The rubber on the brakes was surprisingly good and the tires seem to still be good.
It is a 21 speed, non indexed geared bike. It was sitting in the middle sprocket gear and basically in the 4th rear hub gear when I tried riding it. (basically 11th gear) I could stand on the pedals and barely move forward. I know I don't have the strength I once had but I still weigh the same. Tomorrow I plan to clean and lube the chain. The chain is sticky. I hope that helps. It could be a lack of lube in the front sprocket. I'll leave that maintenance to a professional if it needs attention. The bike is in excellent shape considering it's been hanging in a shed for 30 years. I hope I can get it into riding shape. I rode around the block maybe six or seven times today and was worn out. The bike is mostly carbon fiber and weighs less than 15 pounds. It shouldn't be so difficult to pedal.

I heard from the place I ordered the cadence / torque sensor from tonight. They want a picture of the pin configuration from the sensor to confirm the one I ordered is correct. My son was over to watch the football game and I didn't get the email until way too late to address tonight. I'll grab a picture and send it to them tomorrow.

My 1990 Giant Iguana
Giant Iguana.jpg
 
So far, I'm about $25 invested in restoring the Iguana. I had to replace both tubes and now I've ordered new grips. The old grips have succumbed to environment exposure and the rubber compound in the original grips have turned into a goo. I suspect it was at least a decade ago when the bike was last ridden and my son had wrapped the grips with baseball bat tape. The adhesive on the tape has long since given up and I only speculate that the wrap was used because the grips were failing years ago. They are near paste like now and they stick to my hands. I rode twice today and had to scrub my hands to remove the grip goo. They aren't liquid but like a very thick tar. I removed a speedometer / odometer that I had added back in 1990. I might have been able to restore it but why?? I can barely ride the bike. :) I did repair a rear reflector / tail light. It needed new batteries and the contacts were corroded. I did a super clean on the chain and derailleur and reoiled them this morning. The old lube was sticky to the touch. I adjusted the front derailleur so it didn't struggle to move the chain onto the smallest chainring. Basically... I messed around and had fun cleaning and adjusting the old bike.

Once I had done all that I could do for the old girl, I put on my bike gear and went for a ride. I use the term ride loosely. :) It was more like taking a crawl than a ride. :) It is difficult for me to ride in the second set of seven gears and the third set is impossible. I rode in the first seven gears during both rides today. I was doing a lot of pedaling and not going very fast. Faster than a walk but not by much. My 73 year old bike legs simply say hell no on riding harder. I even stopped once to rest.
It is embarrassing but it is what it is. The e-bike has saved me from sitting and not riding. I feel like the king of the road on my e-bike and I feel ancient and slow on my Iguana.

I took a pic of the pins from the defuncted sensor and sent it off as requested. I told them, being as it hasn't been shipped and both sensors they sell are the same price, to please send me the correct sensor. I haven't heard back from them and it might well be another week before they respond again. They don't realize how desperate I am to ride... or they don't care.
 
I rode again late this afternoon. I did another four mini loops. That's eleven loops total. I put the Iguana up and took a look at the RipCurrent S and thought why not... I'm interested in how many miles I'm riding. I grabbed a battery and rode the same loop as the Iguana. I rode in second gear and used the throttle when I had to. I could have made the loop like the kids and never pedaled if I cared to. In any event, it was fun and comfortable riding the e-bike. I would not enjoy riding a road bike now. It feels like I'm standing on my hands. The idea is the rider isn't catching nearly as much wind when he/she is crouched over on the bike. That's fine but my hands go numb. Nope... not for me. The mini loop is .9 miles. So I rode the Iguana just under 10 miles today. That pretty much surprised me. I thought it would be less miles.
 
Update... I had ordered the wrong sensor. They had two for sale with one being black and the other red. I ordered the black that matched the color of the dead sensor but that was a wrong guess. I waited two days after contacting their support to request which one I needed before ordering. A week later they asked for a picture of the connector and they emailed again tonight saying that I had ordered the wrong one. Once confirmed they would ship the correct sensor from China next month... or refund my money. I immediately went shopping again. Though not shown as an item for sale, a fellow member of a facebook Juiced bike group had purchased one from Velowave where I bought my color display. I sent them an email asking if they still had them in stock. I also found the owner of the fb group had a bunch of the sensors for sale. He had a page that accepted credit/debit cards, Venmo, and PayPal. He had both sensors for sale.. the wrong one I had ordered and the correct one. I ordered from him and answered the support email offering to reimburse and kindly asked for that to happen. My wife is shaking her head. I read that the typical sensor life is less than 400 hours. I have over a thousand hours on my sensor. I doubt I need two new sensors, but if it came to that, I won't be sorry. I need to ride. The sensors cost around two hundred bucks each. Not the end of the world.

Watching the never ending ball game on TV, I received emails that my funds had been reimbursed by PayPal as well as the Napune site. Now to get the new sensor and hope it is a perfect fit.
 
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I rode a few mini loops on the e-bike yesterday. I only used the throttle when necessary and rode in first and second gear. I suffered leg craps in the night so I guess I worked harder than I thought. It felt good to ride some. I'm an addict.
 
The new grips I had ordered for the Iguana came in this afternoon so I installed them. I put the bike in the rack and worked on the gear shifters. I oiled the actual levers and oiled the moving parts of both the front and rear derailleurs. I was pedaling and changing gears and I could hear a click click and finally isolated the sound to the bottom bracket bearings. I have always called it the crank case bearings. I stopped and tried wiggling the cranks and there is play as well as the noise. It's worn out.
I rode the bike a million miles back in the day... and I'm sure the grease is hard as a rock. It's no wonder that with my weight on the bike it's so difficult to ride. With the ability to easily change gears, I took the bike for a ride. Using the gears as they were intended I could ride the bike. It actually rides pretty well once you get up to a respectable speed. Obviously, the bottom bracket bearings and repacking needs to happen. I did my R&D on the project. It's doable but I would need to purchase some specialized tools. I would only use them once which seems a waste. It would take some serious research to purchase the correct bearings if they can be bought. It would take some working knowledge to know if the retention system housing the bearing cranks are left or right thread. And last but not least, the crank could be pitted where the worn bearing or bearings have been chattering and need to be replaced. It's more project than I care to take on for a one shot repair. I'll hand the bike over to the professionals to rebuild it. I'm actually pleased to discover the bike has a problem.
Not that I'm in the riding shape I was 35 years ago when the bike was new, but I might be in better shape than the bike. :)
 
The sensor that I have ordered is slated to be delivered Wednesday afternoon. I'm excited!! I hope it is the correct sensor for my bike and I hope it is the fix. There is a possibility that the problem is a controller problem but I seriously doubt it. My sensor has to be replaced one way or another. I either pulled some wires out of it or they were pulled out of it. If the problem is controller, I have the original controller. I purchased an upgrade controller when the bike was new. I like the upgrade but I can live with the original if need be.
 
Kiawah SC. looks amazing! I've lived a sheltered life and have never be east of the Minnesota Louisiana line. Have fun and soak up that beauty. It has been and is sprinkling so I'm not missing out on riding this morning. It is supposed to clear out by mid morning and warm up enough that it will dry out so I can mow. The sensor is in transit and still scheduled for delivery tomorrow afternoon. It is embarrassing to admit the withdrawal I'm feeling from not riding.

I rode the Iguana a bit after dinner. That is just a lot more work than fun. Repairing and repacking the crank bearings would help but it's still not going to be an e-bike. I've noticed it doesn't have the coast factor that the RipCurrent has. Some of it could be due to the RipCurrent weighing a great deal more but the Iguana wheel bearings are also suspect. Hanging in a shed for at least 30 years of its life put the hurt on the old girl. I rode 5 miles tonight and was tired.
 
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That looks way sweet! Especially to a Kansas boy.

Well dash! I have my bike upside down and ready for the new sensor. I have all of the necessary tool sitting in a ready position. I finished my work and sat on the front deck waiting but the 12:30-2:30 delivery window came and went. Around 3:30 or so there was a delivery update. It is now slated to be delivered before 9:00. A UPS made a deliver to the block North around 1:30... Doesn't speak well for organization. The best part of being ready for the sensor is I contemplated pulling the rear wheel, derailleur, and sensor as I waited. I would have had to reinstall all of the mentioned to put the bike back in the shed.
 
I gave up, put the bike and tools up, and was eating dinner when the new sensor showed up. I downed my dinner and pulled everything out of the shed again. The repair was easy enough. And then I encountered a major snag. The lead from the new sensor is a good inch shorter than the OEM sensor. I found there was very little slack to be gained from the controller and by stretching and pulling I got the the sensor plugged in. Now I need to invent a way to keep it plugged in considering the wires are tighter than a guitar string. My first step will be to access the controller, not an easy trick, and see if for some reason the sensor wire from it is tangled or knotted. I just need a half inch more wire. My next step will be to wire tie the connections together and put a heat shrink wrap on the connection. I contacted the seller about the short wire. He started out with around 200 sensors and now has less than a couple of dozen and I'm the first to have a problem with the sensor wire. They are all sealed for shipment so he has no idea if mine just happened to be short. It's more likely I
will find the wire I'm needing at the controller.

The best part of the adventure is I'm back in business boys and girls. :) Ten days of only sort of riding was no fun. The old sensor quit but it was slowly failing and I hadn't noticed. Just the last couple of weeks I became aware of a lull now and then. After riding tonight with the new sensor it's evident that the old was being less and less responsive as time went by. I think the cadence part was close to working properly but the torque sensor has been slow to not responding for a long time. I only rode in town tonight and I cross lots of streets. I've been touching the throttle to get back to speed after slowing to make certain it is safe to cross those streets. Tonight, the torque sensor took care of getting back to speed as it should. The new sensor definitely added some zip to the bike. I hadn't missed it but sure noticed its return.

I rode until after dark. It felt so good to ride and I was trying to pass another milestone. I logged 25 miles and the odometer rolled over the 20,000 mark tonight.
 
I had a lot to mow today and I was forced to start late while waiting for some of the dew to dry. I looked but didn't have a splice heat shrink wrap large enough to go over the sensor connection. I put a wire tie on the end of both the male and female sensor plug and then a wire tie pulling them towards each other. That will just have to do until I dream up something better. I followed the controller installation video I had and confirmed that there is no slack sensor wire in the controller housing. I rode 44 miles after mowing and didn't have any problems with the connection. It felt great to be cruising again. I rode four loops South and a couple of mini loops in town. I only saw two riders today. They were on the sidewalk across the four lane road from the sidewalk I was on. It was an elderly couple riding identical e-bikes. The bikes were the smaller moped like bikes that have become so popular. They waved big time to see another old fart riding. :)
 
I rode what I could yesterday. It started out cool but warmed up nicely. I worked in mowing the river property and then my son came over for beers and laughs. I logged 49 miles and enjoyed each of them. The sensor connection stayed together so perhaps I'm worried about nothing. Rain is forecasted for early afternoon today so I don't know how much riding I'll get to do.
 
It misted off and on this morning. It stayed in the low sixties and it just wasn't very good riding weather. I did some chores and some shopping hoping it would clear off and warm up. Instead it finally cut loose and rained. It dropped a bit more than a half inch and the temperature fell back to the low sixties. I ate early with hopes I could ride afterwards and the sun did come out and it warmed up a bit. I got my bike clothes on and went for a ride. I came right back home and put on warmer riding clothes. Between the partly cloudy sky, the super moist air, the splatter of water off of the roads, and the 20mph riding wind I was cold. I was able to do just one loop to the town South and then rode about town until nearly dark. I only logged 21 miles but it felt good to be riding.
 
It wasn't that cold but 41° seemed way too cold to ride first thing this morning. I was smoking ribs and needed to get them on the smoker around 10am. The KC Chiefs played at noon. I try to never miss their games. The game and my cook kept me grounded. I went riding as soon as the game was over and rode 20 miles before I needed to remove the ribs from the smoker. We ate early and I went riding again after dinner and didn't call it a day until it was getting dark. Between the two rides I logged 55 miles.
The sidewalk was pretty void of traffic today. I saw one cyclist on my first ride and another on my second. A couple of joggers and and walkers were the only traffic I encountered while on the sidewalk. I saw a couple of riders in town and one was a full size e-bike with fat tires. He was just cruising and I passed him on the way to the sidewalk. I saw him again my next time riding to the sidewalk. He was basically still riding in the same area of town enjoying himself.
I suspect it being fairly cool kept the traffic down today. Though the sun was shining, it only warmed into the mid sixties. A month from now that will seem like great bike weather but it felt pretty cool today.
 
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While my son was here last Friday, I talked him into riding the Iguana. He went around the block a couple of times and we put the bike up. He said he could feel the bad bearings in the cranks case.
He said the bike felt uncomfortable to ride and stone age. :) He didn't ride the bike as much as I did back in the day but he enjoyed riding it just like I did. He thought the gears were hard and cumbersome to change which made it difficult to ride. He had no desire to ride it in the future.
With all that said, he could ride it as it was designed to ride. I don't know how many miles he might ride before he was fatigued, however. I know that my riding the bike any substantial distance is out of the question. If it was completely rebuilt, I think I could ride it some. I have no desire to. It is uncomfortable and more work than fun. I think next spring I will try to find someone interested in the bike. It was a hell of a bike in its time. It is too much bike to end up in the dump.
 
The last three days I tried to do some riding. I only logged 60 miles since Sunday. I would like to say it was the weather limiting my riding but I'm afraid it's a bike problem. The same problem I was having prior to installing the new torque/cadence sensor has returned. Obviously, it was not a sensor problem at all. It started stalling out a little bit Monday evening, was worse Tuesday, and I was just happy to get home today. Just why I was able to ride 200 miles trouble free with the new sensor and then the bike failing again is a mystery. I've tried a few suggested fixes and have a major fix to try tomorrow. So far I've attempted to adjust the distance the sensor sits from the closest gear ring that it is sensing. I'm still not super happy with the spacing but it hasn't changed so it's not the culprit. Today I physically disabled the brake cut offs. When you start to engage a brake, by design it cuts power to the motor. The idea is to keep the motor from running while braking. It's not a necessary function and many advocate it creates electrical problems. I hadn't ridden two blocks when the bike started stalling out today. I stopped and reengaged the brake cutoffs for they aren't the problem. I rode to the town South and back while the bike cut out more frequently as I rode. By the time I got back into town, it was stalling every ten to fifteen seconds. Since was failing so often, I was able to test the rear hub motor. I rode the last two miles on throttle only (just like the kids) The motor never cut out. All of the bike electrical connections look perfect. That only leaves a couple of suspects, the display and the controller. Both are not original equipment. The display that is on the bike was installed a year ago or so. It's a color display where the original was just black and white. The controller was installed shortly after receiving the bike. The upgrade controller is supposed to take more frequent sensor readings which make the bike more responsive. It also came with a power lead to operate a tail / brake light and the light to mount instead of the original reflector. I still have both original components. The controller is a far more likely suspect so I'll replace it tomorrow. It is a real pain to unwire and rewire the bike. I'm not looking forward to the project and if it doesn't fix the problem I will be very upset. Wish me luck!
 
I started my attempted bike stalling solving today by factory resetting the controller, which solved nothing. I next removed the upgraded controller I installed when the bike was all but new. I reinstalled the original controller in hopes it might fix the cutting out problem. It took about an hour and a half to swap controllers and it solved nothing. Tomorrow I plan to undo what I did today and put the upgraded controller back in the bike.... it's not the problem. I'll install the old black and white display and see if that buys me anything. I'm sure it won't but why not try. I'm running damn short of things to try. The guy I bought the new sensor from had a couple of suggestions. One was to make certain the battery to bike connection was secure. The other was to make certain that the battery was physically affixed to the bike. I don't think the batteries are moving at all in the designed cradle and the connection I'll take a close look at tomorrow when I exchange controllers. The connection on the bike has to be removed to access the controller. I'm certain the batteries are plugging in and not moving but I have not examined the wiring to the back of the plug. My guess is it is fine. If it were a total power outage, I would think the display would momentarily wink out when the motor cuts out.

I read today that most e-bike motors last between 7k and 10k miles. I have over 20k on my motor. It is the most likely item to be failing in my opinion. I only thought it was the sensor causing my grief because when the assistance totally quit, I was able to use the throttle to get home. I rode some with the throttle yesterday and today. I have yet to have the motor cut out when being powered by the throttle. Maybe it just hasn't happened yet... I simply can't make any sense of it.

I rode 12 test miles today... sheesh
 
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