E-Bike Problems

This post is about the mechanical and electrical problems I had with my ebike during my recent trip through Europe and how I have (hopefully) resolved them.

Battery Charger

The bike battery charger stopped working.  This caused a slight panic as I depended upon the battery to assist my old legs.  In my haste to resolve the problem I initially forgot the golden rule “Look for the simple things first!”

I pulled the charger apart and used my poor eyesight and bad sense of smell tried and identify any faults.

There didn’t appear to be any visual issues and there was no smell of burning components.

Then I remembered the golden rule.   I checked continuity on the 240V and 48V cables.  No continuity on the 48V side.  After dismantling the plug I found the soldering on negative cable had broken at the pin.

A simple repair.  Thank goodness!

Reader you may recall I had a problem with the Shimano Alfine 11 speed internally geared hub in the rear wheel.  After getting a bungee strap caught in it all I was left with were gears 1, 9 and 10.  Although I managed to arrange for a French bike mechanic to attempt a repair; he was unsuccessful.  Eventually I had to wait several days for a replacement wheel and hub to be delivered before continuing with the trip.  The defective wheel was sent back to the UK using DHL.  When I returned to the UK I disassembled the rim, spokes and hub in order to take it home.

Once back home I partially stripped the hub to see if I could identify the problem.  The tolerances in the hub are very tight and I had previously read online others had damaged their hubs by placing them under too much strain.

The first thing I noticed was half a rubber ‘O’ ring which dropped onto the bench when I removed the outer cap.  Had I damaged the ‘O’ ring resulting in there being too much lateral movement in the axle?  This is what the French bike mechanic had suggested.

After looking at a hub parts diagram I realised the hub didn’t contain a small ‘O’ ring.

Then I remembered the problem was caused by a rubber bungee like the one below

 

The bungee was so tightly entwined in the hub I had been forced to cut it into pieces as part of the removal process. 

Using a magnifying glass I examined the sprocket end of the hub.

Something appeared to be caught in the mechanism

Using a sewing needle I was able to remove a tiny piece of rubber which I believe came from the bungee.  I’m hopefully I’ve solved the hub problem and am now the proud owner of two serviceable Shimano Alfine 11 internally geared hubs

Whilst disassembling the bike ready to box for the return to Australia I noticed the combined motor on/off and speed controller buttons was broken.  It must have happened during one of my falls during the trip.

Controller

The plastic hinge had broken. 

I couldn’t glue the hinge back together as the broken pieces were missing.  Moreover the bracket still needs to open and close when being installed or removed for travel.

My solution has been to cut a strip of plastic from the side of an old empty ice cream container and Araldite it to the bracket making a hinge.

It appears to be working.

The last problem wasn’t with the bike.  It was the small ‘FlexTail Zero’ pump for inflating the camping mattress.

The head unscrews from the body in order to gain access to the rechargeable battery.  The problem was the threads were so fine they seized and it took two pairs of pliers to separate them.  This not only damaged the threads but also the head portion of the pump.

Rechargeable battery with a USB-C socket

I managed to force the head and body back together but they will never be completely satisfactory. However the pump works.

IMHO this is a design problem.  The pump would be better if the USB-C charging socket was on the exterior of the pump body negating the requirement to separate the components.

Castleton Walk

Our youngest son thought he had a long list of maintenance tasks to keep me busy before my return flight home.   However I was able to complete them far faster than he expected.  With time on my hands I decided to go for a half day walk.  One of the criteria was to stay away from the English canal network as I didn’t want to get too nostalgic.  Avoiding canals is easier said than done, but I found an 8km walk in the Peak District.

My starting point would be Castleton in the Hope Valley.  The road into Castleton from the west is very steep, which triggered a memory.  I had previously driven this road!  Then I remembered it was near here where Jan and I had a meeting with Dot & Derek (nb Gypsy Rover) after they had sold their boat and bought a motorhome.

The village was my starting point with the circuit to the north. 

Castleton Visitor Centre.

To the south and above the village is the ruined Norman Peveril Castle built for William Peverel who was one of William the Conquerors knights.  Its strategic position dominates the surrounding countryside.

To the north was a nice ridgeline which would give my legs and lungs a workout.

In the distance to the south was what looked like a ruined factory.  Perhaps an old mill?

I was slightly surprised when an hour later I noticed smoke coming from the chimney!

In the valley to the north there appeared to be several former mills.  I believe the one in the photo below is Edale Mill.  It was built c.1793, and closed as a mill in 1932.  In the 1960s, buildings were converted into maisonettes.  Originally it was a corn mill and then a tannery before being converted into a cotton mill in 1795.

I’d completed my walk by midday and decided to have lunch in the Bulls Head, Castleton before return to Sale.