pjtait

I take my battery off when I get to work. It's a bit of a pain, and I worry about how many cycles the connectors will withstand. I discovered that there is an optional locking battery catch (AA-02), looking into getting one: https://www.emaxi.com.tw/en/products/A

Scaliboy62

Yup,This bike isnt really designed for super quick battery removal, but the trade off is worth it because you dont have a noisy back rack design prone to breaking & cumbersome. The AA-02 option tamper proof key was included in my purchase from RMartin. I wouldnt want to leave it locked up for too long in most areas though, even with the tamperproof key.

zydeco

well I awoke this morning to the sound of something large and heavy landing on my deck. It was my bike. The UPS driver must have been having a rough day because my bike did get damaged. The housing on the grip shifter is broken. It is a cheap shifter (would have been adequate). I am not sure if I am going to fight with UPS or just install another one. The bike will still ride as is though. It's funny that the security key came up as I was sitting here trying to figure out what it was for. I think a bolt and wing nut would make the battery allot easier to to remove.

The directions that came with my charger are for a charger that has 2 led lights. My charger has only one. I assume yellow means charging and green will mean its done?
I think this bike could be packaged a little better. This is the second bike I have received via UPS. The one I bought from bikes direct was a little bit tougher on the packaging. This one was'nt that bad though and I am pretty sure the driver tossed the bike onto my deck assuming nobody was home. The landing was loud enough to wake me up inside. I will take my first test ride as soon as the battery is ready.

zydeco

Ok I just test rode it. Even with weight set to max the bike will not start to roll until I pedal it. With no load the motor starts fine. I weigh 276lbs. It is easy for me to hold the bike full throttle and stop it from moving by holding the seat.

Scaliboy62

If anything broke call RMartin { assuming you bought from them ** They will send you part right out I'm sure. Solid green is fully charged, you can tell also the fan shuts off when charged

zydeco

They were on the spot about my shifter. They already called to tell me to expect a new one. I have a different problem though. This thing hardly has enough power to pull itself. In fact just giving it throttle and leaning on it a little makes the motor cut out. I have to turn the key off then on to get it to work again. I do not think this is a weight issue at all.

zydeco

I was reading the power setting backward. The bike can now propel itself. I am another matter entirely. As long as I pedal to get going and the ground is flat I can keep rolling. I haven't installed the cycle computer yet to see what speed it will drag me around at. I was expecting about twice as much torque.. If this is the best performance I will see from this bike my rides may not be as long as I had hoped for awhile. The brooks and the pedal spacers I have ordered will make it easier for me to assist the motor better.

edit**
I just got back from riding for a couple of miles. I managed to lose the fancy battery lock down nut. I will get wing nut for it. The bike peforms ok once you get going. The pedals are hard for me to use right now but it does the job ok if I give it a little help at low speed. I still feel like I am not getting everything from the motor that was intended but it is functional.

Scaliboy62

Bro- I misread the LED's @ first as well. It takes many break in miles to appreciate & get used to these bikes,

zydeco

I'm at 20 miles now and the bike is growing on me. The PAS mode has more power than the thumb throttle does. Since my main purpose for this bike was for health reasons I may be removing the thumb throttle once I have the bike setup for me to pedal more comfortably. Today my rear rack should be here. I intend to secure a spare battery to the rack and run the first battery dry to get my range dialed in. I already removed that thing they had attached to the seat post where a seat usually is mounted. I think it was some sort of mid evil torture device. I wander if I can get a 72v controller and run these batteries in series for a bit more speed.

Scaliboy62

You dont have to remove the thumb throttle just use the switch on the battery for the PAS mode only, I think these bikes have more top end in them with the speed limiter bypassed or even a different controller as you mentioned, where I live { Long Island, NY ** lots of cars & Cops so I'm keeping mine @ 20 MPH. 20 is pretty fast for a bike

zydeco

The bike just stoped working a few minutes ago. The lights on the battery are fine and I have tried both batteries. I had the bike upside down so I could adjust the squeaky rear brake and a crank arm that had come lose. I sit the bike back up and it no longer runs.
I tested the battery and brake switch they were fine. I don't know how to test the controller.

zydeco

I have confirmed that it was controller failure. Apparently you can not pedal the bike without the battery or it will fry the controller. When I had the bike upside down I removed the battery and hand cranked the pedals at some point. I am not sure if Rmartin is aware of this issue or not. I have not heard back from them yet. I assume they are closed on the weekend. I wqander if the same thing happened to Scaliboy62's controller.

pjtait

Mipower 'A' model should have a rear-rack included. Mine came with front and rear mudguards as well.

pjtait

Is it easy to adjust the speed limit? Mine is a bit aggressive, cuts the motor above 18mph.

pjtait

My finding is that you have to be moving faster than 7mph to get any worthwhile help from the motor. Think in terms that it increases your speed when pedalling, and allows you to get up steeper hills faster.

zydeco

The Rmartin mipower did not come with the rack or mudguards. I just spent $40 on a rack. For now this bike is for fair weather only. There is no way to adjust the speed. Mine will eventually hit 19.9mph if conditions are perfect. It does seem to hit 18.7 much easier. After that you have to let up on the throttle and it will pickup a little more.
I am frustrated that the bike is not ready to ride today. I have spent a lot of money and I don't have a bike working. Rmartin have bankers hours so I didn't get them to agree to send a controller until 1:30pm which was apparently too late to ship yesterday. To their credit they are sending the controller without waiting for the bad one. So far Rmartin has been reasonable about the problems I have encountered. I simply hope there are no more problems...

Scaliboy62

Pjtait- After replacing the stock 26 x 175 size tires with 195's { fatter tire ** it mellowed out that surge, it now just lays on 19.9-20 MPH's when not peddaling unless the battery is lowish or windy may see 18.6 lowest I've seen WOT. If you replace the tires with 195's you have to slightly alter the cables that go to the motor , it's easy still looks good too. I'm going to put thicker gauge spokes on the rear wheel this winter too,
Zydeco- I cant recall when my controller went just didnt turn on one day i think. I'm @ 2000 miles now & the new controller has been fine, electrical things happen I bet your new controller will work out. I've had the rear wheel off 5 maybe 6 times since the controller replacement & no issues.

sfselzer

@Scaliboy62 -- Many thanks for generously sharing your knowledge & experience. Now I'll know whether to plunk down $2K & take the plunge. ]:-)

From your previous post about covering 39 miles in POD only in a strong wind, the MiPower should easily handle the 13 miles into town if I encounter a stiff (25+ mph) headwind. (The return trip will be a piece of cake, unless the wind suddenly changes direction.)

My question is how fast are you able to go into a strong headwind? I'd be really happy if I could count on at least 10 mph with the wind in my face.

Thanks for any info you can provide!

Scaliboy62

Depending on your weight { !'m 195 ** you'll be able to maintain 18-20 plus MPH onto a strong wind depending on how much you pedal I bet you could do the round trip @ 17 MPH's with hardly any pedaling, motor peaks over 1000 watts 36 volts so it can handle it. I use thumb throttle mode only, there are other quality bikes for people who especially dont mind pedal assist mid drive motors like Panasonic, I'm not sure if thats my cup of tea but they work really well & are efficent but I think you have to spend a few hundred more for kalkhoff's,Kettelers, Treks all good even better maybe then the Mipower but for a true waterproof bike with correct connectors & range ect. that doesnt rattle like a 1976 Mercury Montego the Mi Power is a good choice, need to spend the 2 grand range & up to avoid headaches IMHO. I'm still loving mine, did 19 miles today ,you have to stay on top of the maintence though, spokes especially, the spokes are too thin on the Mipower thats the bikes achille's heel I've broken 3 in 2k miles one time broke 2 then recently broke 1 so that often means truing the wheel too, bike teaches you how to be a bicycle mechanic pretty quick, i'm enjoying the challenge but not for everyone i bet, bikes especially e-bikes can try your patience with flats ect. but brakes, headset, front forks, front rim, frame, paint welds on this thing has been great, enough rambling get yourself a good one save money & lose weight thats my motto , LOL

sfselzer

Thanks so much for the detailed reply. (FYI, I'm a 65-y.o. guy & weigh about 115 soaking wet, so I should be able to break the sound barrier .)

I currently own a 250-watt L-1 purchased from R. Martin about 5 years ago. It's very sturdy, but I can hardly move it when the wind is howling, & the battery quickly drains. Too bad, because I've never had a broken spoke, even on the rutted dirt roads here. BTW I plan to install No Mor Flats inner tubes when I get a new e-bike, same as I have on my L-1, so flats shouldn't be a problem.

Looks like MiPower is the way to go. Thanks again for your help!

Scaliboy62

@ 125 lbs you wont break any spokes on this bike either i bet, yes- the step up in power is worth it I believe regards, Alan

zydeco

My new controller has arrived. There are major quality improvements in the new controller. I worked in electronic assembly for a few years. The first controller looked like trash inside. This controller looks like it could have been built in the US (it wasn't). Everything from the soldier to the waterproofing was done much better in the new one. Sfselzer you should have no problems with this bike at your weight. I think I would have been much better served by a geared hub due to my weight but hopefully the weight will start coming off now that I have a bike that I can pedal.

Scaliboy62

The controllers look like they have been sealed in amber aka fossilized tree resin . You have a point about the smaller geared hubs for heavier riders, smaller the hub motor, longer the spokes may make for a stronger wheel with less spoke breakage also less or no controller issues, but they make a noise from what I understand. Oh well, good luck with the bike

zydeco

So my first long ride.. My crank arm came lose again. I tightened it until the head of the bolt was beginning to strip.... The crank arm fell off before I made it home. The LBS will be open tomorrow. I will take it to them to fit a new crank arm. This one was ruined. At this point I am sure this bike is going to do the job I bought it for eventually after I spend enough money to replace what needs fixed. I wish I had bought a different bike.

Scaliboy62

That sucks you dont like the bike my man, I dont understand how the crank arm can fall off, it's a simple component mine came installed & I use the allan key to make sure they are tight from now & then but they never get loose.My bike just needed the pedals installed the crank arms were in place, I believe the pedals are marked L & R maybe you have the pedals installed wrong, maybe the threads are stripped & that happened before you got it. I would call R Martin, they were golden to me with any issues, they will do what it takes. Maybe you should try to return it if you dont like it, not to sound rude but for a 275 lb person this bike may not be a great choice. Most have a weight limit of 220 lbs. But a bigger frame bike like the IZip Zuma, or a Kalkoff may be better. I sold my Prodeco storm @ a loss 2 months after having all sorts of problems & bought this R Martin This after building one before that with a brand new Schwinn MTB & a kit, I do have some experience & can say that my MiPower is over 2k miles now & still impresses me everytime I ride it warts & all, there's no such thing as a perfect bike & theey can be a headach when things go wrong. I dont work or even know RMartin I'm just really into E-Biking & the benifits they give to the economy & your health & wallet & am trying to share some info on a very good value & quality bike for the money. Good luck