A different e-Zip Trailz

Thoxbui,

You get my point. I have no means to verify/measure/record actual output numbers or actual rated numbers, but yes, I believe they are different, and significant enough not to be manufacturing variances/tolerances. The ~450W output difference is deliberate, and more than the ~250W versions.
 
I'm fairly ignorant regarding bikes.

Last Monday on the way to work, some guys putting up a new traffic signal were kind enough to drop some of the hard wire pieces that snap off of rivets, after they've been pulled tight, into my rear tire's path. My tire went flat quickly at about 25mph (I am sure glad it was the back tire). Upon inspection, two of the 12 gauge spokes were broken, I'm guessing from riding on the flat tire/rim at speed before coming to a stop.

I went with my wheel to 3 different local bike stores, took up about 3 hours time after work on two days, and none could find 12 gauge spokes to fit my wheel, or knew where to get them. What's up with that? Of course, Currie does not sell just the spokes. Now I see 12 gauge spokes are available on various websites, but it seems it's still a little tricky getting the length correct, threads, nipples, and ???

I don't have the confidence I can replace the spokes myself and get the wheel true and strong, so I broke down and ordered a replacement wheel from Currie. Currie (along with the regular bike shops) is/are quite good at forcing one to buy more than you need of their stuff, considering in this case, the apparently custom left hand freewheel hub arrangement they have on the e-Zip Trailz.

I still can't believe my bike will be down for at least two weeks, because of a flat tire. I hope that wheel comes sooner than later.
 
bluthermal said:
I still can't believe my bike will be down for at least two weeks, because of a flat tire. I hope that wheel comes sooner than later.
Click to expand...

Well since you already have a replacement wheel on the way there is no reason you couldn't just put 2 generic spokes (wouldn't even have to be the same gauge really) in there for the next two weeks so you can keep riding. It's really easy to replace spokes. I just replace the spoke to a similar tightness as the ones around them and that's usually "close" enough for the short term. If you spin the wheel and it doesn't hit the brakes you're good to go. :mrgreen: Once I've broken more than 2-3 I'll take it in and get it re-trued for like $10. I've popped around 8-10 spokes since June, but I'm riding off-road single track in the woods for half my commute and it's always the Clyte crap spokes that pop. I've yet to break one of the Wheelsmith replacements.
 
Hi everyone and sorry to bump such an old thread!

I recently acquired one of these, and I think it may have sat idle for quite a while before I bought it. How can an electrical novice determine if the battery is "ok". I rode it once to work and less than 1km in the battery indicated 1/2 and then after riding it home with the battery showing well less than 1/2 I charged it overnight.

The next day after turning it on, it shows only 1/2 capacity after a full nights charge!

Any suggestions?
 
marks said:
Hi everyone and sorry to bump such an old thread!

I recently acquired one of these, and I think it may have sat idle for quite a while before I bought it. How can an electrical novice determine if the battery is "ok". I rode it once to work and less than 1km in the battery indicated 1/2 and then after riding it home with the battery showing well less than 1/2 I charged it overnight.

The next day after turning it on, it shows only 1/2 capacity after a full nights charge!

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Maybe your charger isn't working. Does the light on the charger change colour when you plug it in like it's supposed to?

In practice, the batteries start to fade after about 9 months of regular use and if yours is not new then it could already be useless.
 
You will prolly want to know the voltage of the batteries. A meter is always good to have around. ( I'm wearing one right now; it's very comfortable.)

DMMs are cheap at HF (harbor freight). On sale, you can get a meter for about three bucks.

90899.gif


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90899

We can tell you where to stick it.
 
Ok thanks for the comments:
Yes, the light seems to change on the charger, but I'll do another ride tomorrow and double-check after actually draining the battery. I live on a hill so the draining should definitely happen :)

I so wish I didn't give my multi-meter away oh-so-many years ago. Assuming I get hold of one, I gather I will have to remove the battery from the bike? That should happen once I get my "key" to unlock it!!
 
Here is some related info:

Simple Guidelines
  • Always store lead-acid in a charged condition. Never allow the open cell voltage to drop much below 2.10V [per cell]. Apply a topping charge every six months or when recommended.
    Avoid repeated deep discharges. Charge more often. Use a larger battery to reduce the depth of discharge.
    Prevent sulfation and grid corrosion by choosing the correct charge and float voltages. If possible, allow a fully saturated charge of 14h.
    To reverse sulfation, raise the charge voltage above 2.40V/cell for a few hours.
    Avoid operating lead-acid at elevated ambient temperatures.

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-35.htm
 
Blacklisted said:
Maybe your charger isn't working. Does the light on the charger change colour when you plug it in like it's supposed to?

In practice, the batteries start to fade after about 9 months of regular use and if yours is not new then it could already be useless.
Click to expand...
Ok, I rode to work today and the battery was definitely very weak by the time I got home. I plugged the charger in (after turning the switch to off) and the charger green light came on saying the batter was "ok"

Does that indicate my charger isn't working?
 
Green means charged so the charger is probably not working. But broken circutry in the battery box or the charger cable could produce the same effect.
 
Blacklisted said:
Green means charged so the charger is probably not working. But broken circutry in the battery box or the charger cable could produce the same effect.
Click to expand...
Batteries with diminished capacity will show "charged" quickly... and deplete similarly. If you own a laptop computer or cell-phone, you may be very familiar with the characteristic.
 
*sigh*... and I thought I had scored a bargain!

I picked up the bike a couple of weeks ago from KMart, so I have warranty. I guess I will ring them and see what they want me to do, I've only managed to ride it to work twice now (it's been very wet so I've had to use my old MTB). In three weeks of ownership it's not doing too well!
 
@marks:
Kmart may offer two options: keep or return. I doubt they have any technical ability. I rekon it's your call what you want to do.

Tinkering with your bike can be fun... if you're the curious type. Lotsa folks here can help with the puzzles that might need solving.

Riding an ebike is very enjoyable. For some, even moreso when they've had the thing in bits to repair or upgrade.

You might find another local ebiker to get a sample of what an upgrade would be like... you could still have a bargain and a smile a mile wide.
 
Ok, I should get the key in the post today so I will be able to take out the battery pack. Can someone tell me exactly how to tell if either the charger or the battery is stuffed?

I gather the easiest approach would be to ask someone in Brisbane if I could borrow their charger for 12 hours :)
 
Unloaded, my "High Power" brand 24V charger reads 27.6V on a digital multimeter.

Two fully charged SLAs should read ~27V hot off the charger.

Yours should be similar.

(It will be helpful if you have access to a meter and a digital camera.)
 
Ok, so if I pull the battery out I can see there are two terminals on the bottom, how do I configure my multimeter before touching it to these terminals?
 
TylerDurden said:
Probes:
  • black in the COM socket
    red in the V/Ohm/mA socket

Range: DC 200V
Click to expand...
ok, so I use the key and take the battery out, as far as I can tell, there are only two places to "stick" the multimeter.
- The charging point
- The terminals on the bottom

Do your instructions cover these places or do Ihave to open the case?
 
Mmmmm.... I rekon either connector will show the pack voltage; the power switch (if it is on the case) may need to be in the ON position to show voltage at the output terminals.

If you are using a DMM (digital multi meter), the polarity of the probes' connection will not matter; you will just see a negative voltage if they are reversed. An analog meter will not be damaged, but prolly will not read with the probes connected in reverse.
 
kbarrett said:
bluthermal said:
Also, I tried running 30 weight lubricant, similar to what was suggested with the auto trans fluid previously. My guess is that no one else actually has done this. It did not work out right for me. It's not a sealed area for the oil to settle in, and the oil ends up finding it's way out, one path or another. The best I could work out was a gravity/vibration feed drip system, but that was messy too.
Click to expand...

Not surprised. I'd use a zerk fitting and stick to grease. It shouldn't take much to quiet the gears.
Click to expand...

What about this stuff:
Says for open gears high speed.
http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/gfw.aspx
 
TylerDurden said:
Mmmmm.... I rekon either connector will show the pack voltage; the power switch (if it is on the case) may need to be in the ON position to show voltage at the output terminals.

If you are using a DMM (digital multi meter), the polarity of the probes' connection will not matter; you will just see a negative voltage if they are reversed. An analog meter will not be damaged, but prolly will not read with the probes connected in reverse.
Click to expand...
Ok thanks for all your help, I put the multimeter to the settings you suggested and the battery reported a voltage lower than 24v so that in conjunction that the battery did actually take me about 20km with hills would indicate that the battery is currently fairly flat and the charger definitely isn't working.

I've called the number on the battery for support and left a message, here's hoping they just ship me a new charger.
 
@ marks: You also want to meter the charger contacts, the batteries could still be faulty. Bad batteries can trigger a false complete-charge indicator at the charger.
 
Ok, well I put the multimeter onto the contacts and the voltage read under 24v, about 23.

I did have two successful 20km rides on the bike (using power in dribs and drabs) and after the first ride I left the charger plugged in (as per the manual) so clearly it didn't charge after the first trip - or the second. I called the Australia distributor for Currietech and they basically told me to bugger off, so I am returning the bike to Kmart and going down the geared-rear-hub build path. I know I could get it fixed at Kmart, but as it took almost 3 months for them to get a charger for the bike in the first place I'm not sure I have the patience to wait for them to fix it. Additionally since you can't ride the bike at all when there's any hint of rain it doesn't really serve my purposes.

If I return it to Kmart, I will get my money back of $260 - so if anyone wants to offer me more than that and come collect the bike in Brisbane pm me, be quick though as I'm taking it back within the next 5 working days.
 
Here I am in Los Ang3l3s where it is a pleasnt 70 air temp. I luckily found an add from Amazon do com for a greatly reduced price on the ezip mountain bike.
I jumped on it after calling Amazon to see if this was a Hoax
The complete price of 225 us dollar with free shipping and no tax was hard to believe.
This is my second E bike
My first only lasted 90 days. I upped the voltage on a schwinn Electric sting Ray and it died at the top of a very steep hill on a very Hot day.
To repair an e bike it is best to know that Heat ruins them and the batterys made of sealed lead acid only last one year maximum
Also if you up the voltage by adding in another you are playing with FIRE
So since I had the good luck to read all the post and since I now have a good running 24 volt system it is easy to assume that I can repair replace rework any part of the drive system
The previous poster should be advised that he has a good bike and he can easily put 24 volts to it from may sourses
I read the print on my 24 volt charger it claims that it puts out 12 volts only.
so he could probably use a automible battery charger and see if the pattery gets stronger.
It is not wise to play with fire but hey every body can put the battery charger on especially if they are aware of the hot side and the ground side the hot side produces a spark and a stron spark if it is charged.
as for now I have only ridden one mile but my new currie Mountain bike go's up the steep mountain I live on with very little assistance I usually dont pedal at al or pedal on hills only this bike out performs my stinger at 36 volts.
I am going to put a currie drive system on my old bike that only ran for 90 days since I have it in pristine looking condition yeat dead because one minor hall sensor has failed causing the bike to be worthless.
Keep up the good posts
 
bluthermal said:
Most of the questions regarding motors and gears from my most recent posts in this thread have gone unanswered :(

About three weeks ago I finally received my replacement 24V 450W geared motor from the shop where I got my eZip Trailz. About a week ago, I finished with my cooling mods of holes drilled and filed at each end and in the brush plate, along with a 12VDC Rotron muffin fan that happens to fit the brush housing cover four bolt pattern exactly. I placed a thin half inch slice of 3 inch PVC pipe between the brush housing and the fan to provide physical clearance (all ventilation holes at that end are within the inside diameter of the PVC pipe). I also made a homemade filter from an old scotchbrite pad held in place with a piece of fiberglass PCB material cut out the same as the ventillation cutouts on the gear housing side of the motor. The fan pulls the air from the gear housing side out through the brush side. There is not a lot of air-flow, but hopefully it will be enough.
:)
Click to expand...

I'd like to see a picture of this Rotron muffin fan that mounts to the motor. Do you have a picture of it installed?
 
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