EZip Trailz LS - 2013

Ok, no help with that, I guess... Next question! I'm going to get a new freewheel for each side of the new or rebuilt wheel, and I really hate that BIG jump from Ultra Low to 2nd with the stock "Mega Range" freewheel cluster, which I believe is a 14/34 tooth setup. I was thinking of a 14/28 or 13/28 cluster, because I don't ride offroad and will have to walk the bike up any hills if the drive conks out anyway. It would also be nice to have a bit more 'top end' in the Summer when going down hills. Has anyone done this?
 
I've been at the parts topic. I don't see the freewheel I want there, or a general link for freewheels, just a set to increase top speed... I was going to gte one from a top rated Ebay dealer.

Thanks for the confirmation on the ED kit.
 
Has anyone actually bought a sprocket from the guy in Hong Kong linked to on the page above? I ordered an 8 tooth sprocket for a bit more torque and a bit less speed. An hour or three later I got an email from him, asking if the 9 tooth sprocket - the same size as OEM! - would be ok. I answered that no, it wouldn't, because I already had that size. I asked him to cancel the order. He replied that he could get the 8 tooth back in stock soon, and kind of pressured me into leaving the order uncanceled. I'm hoping that it isn't going to be months getting it, because I actually want it to ride in Winter, not just Summer...
 
I'm looking for new brake pads as well. I'd prefer something with more grip than OEM, and wet grip isn't as critical - I don't ride in rain and will slow down if caught in it. The parts topic links to a web search, but those 50mm pads look way too short for my EZIP. Is 50mm the correct size...?
 
These 50mm pads are the proper size for the rear. Longer are recommended for the front.
More important than pad type is that they are "adjusted up".
Wheels must be straight and true.
Adjust pads close and equal distance from wheel.

These pads are straight, rather than curved, so when they start to wear "uneven" they can be rotated 180º, adjusted and continue ...

Better grip pads, typically, wear faster and need adjustment more often.
 
I'll take the better grip anyway. I don''t use the brakes heavily but I want the grip when I do.

EDIT: My bike has the same longer pads front and rear. They are about 2.25" according to my tape, so about 60mm I guess.
 
I just thought I'd let you folks know: the source in the Parts topic for the 8T "torque" sprocket says they aren't available anymore. I got a refund. Any other sources for an 8T sprocket? Is the 22T freewheel essentially the same thing?

I'm looking at a 6 month old used low-step EZIP Trailz tomorrow, supposedly barely used. The bike plus three battery packs for $300. I've decided it might be a good idea to have a spare bike...
 
LeftieBiker said:
I just thought I'd let you folks know: the source in the Parts topic for the 8T "torque" sprocket says they aren't available anymore. I got a refund. Any other sources for an 8T sprocket? Is the 22T freewheel essentially the same thing?
Click to expand...
More torque

9T/20T = 16mph
8/20 = 14.22mph - 8T not available - web site misprint
9/22 = 14.55mph
9/27 = 11.85mph

22T & 27T LHS Freewheels

More Speed

9T/20T = 16mph
11T/20 = 19.55mph
13T/20 = 23.11

9T/16T = 20mph
11T/16 = 24.44mph
13T/16 = 28.88mph
 
Thanks. I'm not looking for a freewheel right now, though, because I will have a new one on the men's bike and the low-step I bought today also has a good one. I suppose I could put one on the new wheel when it arrives and before installing it, though...

I did buy the $300 EZIP. It turned out to have been acquired through an estate sale, and the previous (and presumably, now-deceased) owner had modified it a bit, but it's in good shape and feels almost new. The seat is aftermarket and comfy, the battery locks were removed and replaced with a plastic pin/ cotter pin arrangement that I don't love but won't have to deal with after I add a connector for the Ping pack, and the battery rack rails were bent inward, and are now holding my own SLA pack hostage. ;) The only thing that needs work is the twist shifter - it is too hard to upshift, feeling like the twist mechanism is binding. Has anyone taken one apart and greased it...? I spent a feverish hour swapping accessories from my wounded diamond frame bike onto this one, then took advantage of this last mild night and took it for a ten mile ride with my own SLA pack. No problems. BTW, DA, this bike also has the longer brake pads front & rear too (and they work better than my DF set!). Are you sure yours aren't nonstandard? This bike came with *four* battery packs, so when I see how many are actually good, I'll be selling the other cases. I may also sell good packs, as I only want to have to maintain two at most, and I now have five.

Oh, and the kickstand seems loose. Do they wear like that, or can they be tightened up? It's hard for me to crawl on the floor so I passed on looking at it tonight.
 
First off, you can tighten the bolt for the kickstand by removing the plastic circular piece located on top of the frame directly above the kickstand. The plastic will likely break but use some pliers to pull it out then use a hex tool to tighten. If you haven't done so already, use the blue loctite to keep bolts in place.

DA really inspired me to make some upgrades. His mods are good but they he tries to fix Currie poor quality materials. I just upgraded as much as I could. I've own mine for 14 months and have over 4000 miles on it with no issues after I made upgrades. My spokes started to break before I hit 1000. Here is the list of Mods I did in order they were done.

1. Added plastic planet cycle fenders.
2. Upgraded to 24V, 12A Stark LifePO4 batteries. Modded original battery case to fit new batteries. Worked well and was only 8lbs.
3. Added suspension seat post.
4. Replaced rear wheel with new home built wheel (NO BUILDING EXPERIENCE!!) Bought 48 spoke rear wheel components include dual hub, spokes and rim from Staton Inc, laced it myself. Very true. Has +3000 miles on it.
5. Upgraded motor to 36V trike 6:1 reduction motor, bought additional 24V, 12 AH batteries, overvolted motor to 48V. Bought new controller and performed the "TOM MADER" upgrade. I use the PAS switch to reduce the throttle from 100% output to 50%. Keeps my amps usage under control. Also added a watt meter to bike. Upgrade the pedals to 52T and the freewheel to 30-11T. Did not need to upgrade any of the other components. Torque is amazing. Top speed is 32MPH. I usually consume 20-24WH on my 18mile commute to work. Usually use no more than 9AH.
6. Added LED strip lighting to fenders, white in front, red in back. Strips are black in color so you can't see the strips, just the lights.
7. Add 3000lumen LED headlamp.
 

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Nice! I'm going to keep the 24V drive (with Ping 20AH pack) because it's adequate for me, especially in cold weather. That doesn't mean I wouldn't keep and ride a bike like yours if given one, though! The fenders - same ones, I think! - are already en route. I'll tighten that kickstand, thanks.
 
I got the four extra packs charged last night, using my charger and the one good aftermarket charger that I got with the bike (I also got a dead Currie unit). They seemed to charge up ok, and when it warms up again I'll try to guesstimate what shape they are in, by riding the bike with each one. If the bike really is only six months old they can't all have a lot of cycles on them, right? Anyway, I'll be selling two or three of them, if anyone here is interested. Ping battery makes a 15 AH pack that will fit in an EZIP case. I also tightened the kickstand. Now I have to get that shifter sorted out, and solder in an XT60 connector for my lithium pack.
 
It's too cold to ride, but I did get voltage readings on my good-but aging pack and the four "new" ones. Mine was at 26.2 volts after sitting in a cold garage for two or three days after charging. One of the others was also at 26.2, one was at 25.9, and the other two were at about 25 - I figure those two I'll sell as empty cases. Should I sell the 25.9 pack with or without batteries?

Advice on how to remove and lube the indexed shift-grip would still be appreciated. If I have to replace it I'd like to get the new one ordered.
 
The new rear wheel assembly has arrived, and I've been agonizing over what tire to put on the rear of the diamond frame. The slick OEM tire is surprisingly good on dry pavement, but I want to be able to ride gravel paths as well, so I ended up getting a Continental Traffic Urban Cycling Mountain Bike City Use Bicycle Tyre 26"[Black With Reflective Strip,26 x 2.1in] from a UK Ebay dealer. What's the best not-horribly expensive puncture-resistant tube to use? I don't want to use slime because of the mess, but I do want a PR tube, and if possible some Kevlar tire tape, if I can find it.

Is anyone interested in the new OEM tire I now have? It would have to be local pickup, but I can take it to Albany or Saratoga NY. I'm also sure I'll be selling two or three battery packs - I'm just not sure if it will be with or without batteries.
 
Are all the other bicyclists slumbering in caves, or what...? Anyway, I got the Planet Bike fenders and installed them on the low-step Trailz. I like PB, and I like that the fenders are made in Taiwan instead of China, but...they are kind of crappy. They were shipped covered with two padded envelopes (one at each end), and therefore got kind of warped in shipping. The front bracket isn't too bad, although you have to be careful about positioning it as you tighten it. The rear bracket, however, is Crap. It just snaps on the fender, and I have no doubt whatsoever that it would happily snap back *off* at the first real bump. Also, installed with brackets only, the fender drags on the tire. The rear front bracket, the one that clamps onto a downtube, that clamp is attached to the fender with an incredibly miniscule bit of plastic, and also looks like it's just waiting to fail. So the rear fender is held on with two pieces of wire, the brackets being there mainly for alignment and looks...
 
My new rear wheel assembly finally same today, after being backordered for ages. I'm going to try a suspension seatpost, set to Firm so it only moves on larger bumps, but I want to make sure the new wheel lasts at least a full year on the men's Trailz. darkangl, can you post a pic or two that shows exactly how your spokes are re-laced? I don't see one showing the rim and hub at the same time. If that seems too daunting, I'll just try to keep the spokes tight and hope the seatpost and new balloon-ier ATB tires I'm installing provide enough extra cushioning...
 
eZip Broken Spokes - Solutions
But ... if you purchased the replacement from Currie, you should have received the better iZip part. The hub is a much better design, (alloy with good spoke seating), and the lacing is, probably, "proper".
 
DrkAngel said:
eZip Broken Spokes - Solutions
But ... if you purchased the replacement from Currie, you should have received the better iZip part. The hub is a much better design, (alloy with good spoke seating), and the lacing is, probably, "proper".
Click to expand...

Ok, I thought at one point you wrote that Currie isn't doing better hub lacing... I'll look at the spokes when I unpack the wheel.
 
I haven't thought to put a magnet on it yet, but I'm 99% sure this is a steel hub setup, OEM EZIP, not IZIP. Oh well, if I can make it last 18 months instead of a year, that won't be too bad. I'll be starting on the EZIP refurb project shortly (I spent all my energy last night assembling the Chinese-made "Park" workstand I got from Ebay. No assembly instructions, no exploded diagram, just the picture on the box to use as an assembly guide...

I know I've asked this before, but: I'm thinking of putting extra grease on the motor side freewheel, as that was the first thing to start to fail on the current wheel. What type/brand grease would be best for a steel freewheel and hub?
 
What is the exact procedure for spoke replacement, the kind where you remove and replace all of the spokes, one at a time? I have washers on the way, and am thinking of putting them on the new EZIP wheel, and of correcting the 'elbow problem' at the same time. I'll only do it, though, if I'm sure I won't screw it up. I figure I can probably get 1.5 - 2 years from the wheel even if I don't, but I'd rather have it stronger to start with...
 
LeftieBiker said:
What is the exact procedure for spoke replacement, the kind where you remove and replace all of the spokes, one at a time? I have washers on the way, and am thinking of putting them on the new EZIP wheel, and of correcting the 'elbow problem' at the same time. I'll only do it, though, if I'm sure I won't screw it up. I figure I can probably get 1.5 - 2 years from the wheel even if I don't, but I'd rather have it stronger to start with...
Click to expand...
re spoke bicycle wheel
 
Believe it or not, I'm familiar with Google. ;) As the results show, it's kind of hard to find instructions on how to replace the spokes one at a time, as opposed to just starting from scratch with a rim and a pile of spokes. I do *not* want to do it that way.
 
Let's try it this way: I'm going to take the spokes off one at a time, counting the number of turns and estimating torque, then reinstalling each spoke with a #4 washer, facing the 'elbow' out, and tightening it as best I can to the same specs. (I'm not going to try to change the lacing pattern because I have zero experience with spoke lacing. It looks like my broken spokes all snapped at the 'elbows'.) Am I going to run into problems doing it this way?
 
You want the pulling spoke with elbow out.
The hub pulling the rim.
Used spokes are already abused and should be replaced.
Replacing "1 at a time" is not feasible if elbow need redirecting.
Recommend LBS! ... Maybe they will let you watch.

Recommend LBS should check eZip re-spokin'
 
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