Electric Recumbent Adventure Continues – BionicOldGuy

I’ve lastly gotten my recumbent again on the street in electric-assist mode. This turned out to be fairly an odyssey. I pursued two parallel approaches. First I attempted to repair the wheel with damaged spokes It seems you may get customized spoke lengths on-line so I received replacements in 228 mm. Then I swapped out the 5 damaged spokes with new ones, and tried to tighten them by really feel so that they matched their neighbors.The wheel appeared fairly true so I took it for a journey to attempt it out. It was badly out of spherical, that means there was a really noticeable up and down movement of the entrance wheel. So I took the wheel into my native bike store. They had been unable to repair it as a result of they discovered there was a everlasting bend to the rim inflicting a flat spot. Remember that I had first found 5 damaged spokes without delay. Whatever I did, like hit a very unhealthy pothole, that popped the 5 spokes will need to have additionally bent the rim.

So that wheel should be rebuilt. This just isn’t one thing they do at my native store so I’m nosing round for a customized wheel builder. Alternatively I may simply get a cheap truing stand and a brand new rim, and rebuild the wheel myself. This doesn’t look too tough for the usual “two-cross” methodology based mostly on what I’ve learn and seen in movies.

Fortunately, there was the parallel path. Last November, the makers of my ebike equipment, Swytchbike had a terrific sale on their kits. I wished to get some spare batteries, and it turned out that with the sale a substitute equipment was no costlier than simply getting the batteries, so I ordered one. When it arrived just a few months later I put its batteries into service however set the equipment apart. I lastly received round to making an attempt becoming it on my recumbent after I had the damaged spoke downside. Unfortunately the wheel didn’t fairly match within the dropout slots on the bike. I contacted customer support, and so they advised me I used to be exterior there return window (that’s what occurs while you wait two months earlier than really making an attempt a product). But luckily I may simply file the wheel so it suits within the dropouts (for which they’d a quick video). This turned out to be fairly a exercise. I feel my proper arm is greater than my left after the submitting. It was very satisfying when it lastly match.

The new wheel labored like a champ plugged into my current controller. The solely adjustment was setting the wheel measurement on the controller to twenty″ as a substitute of 26″. I took the bike for a take a look at journey and it was pleasant.

This matches the configuration of my earlier recumbent, the 26-20 Bacchetta Giro. I had forgotten how snug that was. So that is my journey for the foreseeable future, although I’ll contemplate to pursue getting the 26″ motor wheel rebuilt.