I got my order just before Xmas. I put everything together. I pressed in the headcups with my friend. You have to use proper tools, otherwise the cups will not be perpendicular and sit well. I bought the cheapest headset from Ritchey. It is not sealed and it doesn’t have split cone. I bought a proper installation tool from a guy. I have no idea, how could I remove the installed cone. I hope that it will last forever. I had some trouble with the tire. Putting thit on the rim was pain in the ass. Earlier I was able to put it on with my bare hands. I even broke a tire lever this time. The chain was too short for 38T chainring. Usually I have to shorten the chains. Not in this case. If you buy a chain make sure that it will fit your drivetrain.
Wheels, rear derailleur adjustment, cables were OK. I had some trouble with the bleeding. I have never filled up brakes before and the process is not so easy as it looks. Mineral oil is better for novices, because it is not corrosive. If corrosive DOT fluid explodes in your room… You need more time for cleaning up.
When I finished it I immediately went for a bike test. The motor unit wasn’t working at all. I chose the easiest, but most expensive solution for this failure. I bought a second motor unit, but this time from a dealer. I put one more hour into the project and I switched the motor units. This time it worked flawlessly. It felt a little bit slow though. I made a comparison between the Garmin and the Computer, and the computer has 10% inaccuracy. So the maximum speed of the assist is around 23 kph. And you can’t change it with the expensive interface at home. At least it works so I am happy with it.
You have three different assist modes thus one walking mode. The easiest mode already feels like if a rope would be tied to you and you are flying up the hill without big effort. The range varies between 70-100 km. The used battery can’t use its full capacity, but this range is more than enough for the intended use.
The extra weight of electric components is noticeable. The bike weights about 20,3 kg. After I changed the front tire (because it was extremely loud on pavement), the weight could be sub 20 kg. So the bike is in a really good shape.
Finally I was able to finish my first bike project. I might upload a video, datasheet and prices later.
Despite the problems I really enjoyed this project and I want to make a similar build later this year.
