As I have said elsewhere, I have very old bones so love full suspension for going along canal tow paths and thro' the forest. 44lb is great, my two TSDZ2(B) lightweight builds are just either side of 40lb, but only have 36V 10ah / 48V 7ah batteries fitted which give me a 30 mile max range at best, charging time is yes a pain so I am lucky that I can switch bikes. But I have two grandsons who visit and nick both bikes for a ride out. Yes, have tuned both drives so they perform more less the same all be one is 36V and the other 48V.
FS offroad/road TSDZ8
- Thread starter E-HP
- Start date
I’m trying to get used to the small capacity battery. It limits which trails I can ride to. I'd be more comfortable with 17-20Ah. I'm looking at a 52V 20Ah pack, 14S4P of Samsung 50S cells, with bluetooth BMS that I think will fit in the triangle. It's rectangular, and I would make an outer case or cradle out of ABS. There should be almost zero voltage sag from what the TSDZ8 can pull from the pack
I need to get this thing flashed with OSF or updated firmware. I'm looking for the necessary hardware. I was watching a few videos, and one guy described what it feels like to ride with the stock firmware. Throttle is crap. But even though the motor has the power to do what you need it to do when you mash the pedals, for normal riding, it feels like the assistance is just short of what it should be, and it's tiring to ride, no matter what level of assist you use. It's like the power just needs to scale slightly greater, relative to the leg input, than it does.
Maybe just going to 52V would make it perform better and cause less fatigue; I'll probably test that with some lipos in the next few days. In the mean time, I swapped out the tires for some Hookworms, since until I get the motor flashed, I'll just be using the bike more for fitness, and the slicks won't feel as sluggish as the old knobbies. Actually it was a good thing I did the swap, when I removed the old knobbies, the sidewalls had long cracks and some looked ready to fail.
Just from a quick test, the bike feels a lot more agile now.
Besides the tires, I swapped out the handlebar for one with more rise and sweep. I've decided I'm to old to ride a straight bar anymore; makes my wrists sore. I used the same bars as my other bike, since I tried so many before finding that one. I added the left side 7 speed grip shifter (micro shift), but haven't removed one of the rear cogs yet. I put the thumb throttle on the right side, but won't swap it out for a half twist until I get the firmware stuff worked out. I'm replacing the brake cables and housings next, and remounting the battery up a little so I can fit the chain guide on the seat tube.
I watched a video where the firmware that was loaded added a cadence adjustment in addition to the torque sensor assist. I think that would help a lot, especially if it can increase assist slightly with an increase in cadence, which is how I have my other bike set up. I get about the same amount of exercise whether I'm going slow or fast, which works for me.
The last three days, I've been taking it out for short rides two or three times a day, until I get back into better shape. Not a lot of miles, but gradually increasing my riding radius.
I'm taking advantage of the mid drive and easy of tire swapping. It took me about 15 minutes to swap out both tires
EDIT: Oh ya, not having a kickstand sucks.
Last edited:
I have got the parts so I can amuse myself having a go at doing the same as Lapierre and others manufacturers, a main battery which is 10ah which gives me 30 mile range plus a 7ah range extender, I have a 10ah and 7ah which are in the same compact range so will get my 3D printer out and have a play. Have got a small double battery dis-charger that will take 20 amps which is good enough for me.
Last edited:
I spent more time than I'd anticipated installing a front chainring guide. I needed to move the battery up about 1/2" in order to fit the clamp on the seat tube, but decided to enlarge and existing hole for the top hole, which was around 1/2". After remounting the cradle, installed the battery and it just hit the guide clamp. I could lock the battery in, but it wasn't 100% seated. So, the clamp got the bench sander treatment and everything fits perfectly now lol. I also shortened the TSDZ8 battery cable and the cable from the cradle to get rid of the extra length. It took me forever to solder on new XT60's for some reason. I was even using my big iron.
Anyway, I finally got it done, and was ready for a test ride. As I rode up my sloped driveway, I hear a pop, and look down and see my chain on the ground. It's new, but cheap; whatever shipped fastest. I had some master links, and had to pop out one of the pins, but noticed the chain was 4 or 5 links too long when in the highest gear. So I shortened it again, and installed the master link. (Note to self: mount a seat bag and include a tire patch kit, CO2 cartridges, chain breaker, master links, and hex wrenches.) When I was looking for my chain breaker, I noticed I has a brand new Shimano chain in the parts box, so I'll probably swap the chain out tomorrow.
Luckily the days are getting longer and there was still plenty of daylight to ride around. The Hookworms really made a difference when riding on pavement. I'm riding at a pretty leisurely 14mph or so, and rode about 20 miles, mostly flat. Battery started at 53V and ended at 47.5V.
Here are 4 makeshift kickstands I found while out riding:
Anyway, I finally got it done, and was ready for a test ride. As I rode up my sloped driveway, I hear a pop, and look down and see my chain on the ground. It's new, but cheap; whatever shipped fastest. I had some master links, and had to pop out one of the pins, but noticed the chain was 4 or 5 links too long when in the highest gear. So I shortened it again, and installed the master link. (Note to self: mount a seat bag and include a tire patch kit, CO2 cartridges, chain breaker, master links, and hex wrenches.) When I was looking for my chain breaker, I noticed I has a brand new Shimano chain in the parts box, so I'll probably swap the chain out tomorrow.
Luckily the days are getting longer and there was still plenty of daylight to ride around. The Hookworms really made a difference when riding on pavement. I'm riding at a pretty leisurely 14mph or so, and rode about 20 miles, mostly flat. Battery started at 53V and ended at 47.5V.
Here are 4 makeshift kickstands I found while out riding:
I have always been able to solder with ease, but I have have the same fun and games with soldering ends on these cables, think there could be impurities. If I can I will always try and crimp the ends. Always carry a spare Sram Power 9 speed chain in my back pack, but when I do the 12" check on the existing chain it's still in one bit after 2500 miles along with a mini repair kit.
Why don't you have a kickstand? I have one on my TSDZ2 hardtail, by using only the bottom bracket mount, chain stay mount not used (1300 miles so far no problem).
No place to mount one, Except on the swing arm.
Kickstands on offroad bikes are best for rattling and coming loose on jumps. It's also extra weight. Just lay the bike down if you don't have a tree around.
Not disagreeing with you but his bike is dual purpose. Thread title is "FS offroad/road TSDZ8". He says he misses not having one.
I just did a 14S test using half charged lipos (charged to 53V). I only did a short test, since the lipos are only 5Ah. I rode an uphill trail, 7% near the bottom and 15% or so near the top. There was zero voltage sag at the top where the motor was pulling hardest.
The motor was much more responsive than the 13S pack, mainly due to the lack of voltage sag. On the 13S pack, I was seeing almost 5V of sag in the steep section. That sag affects performance everywhere in the band, even on flat ground. Sort of like your bike is being towed with a big bungee cord that takes a while for it to start accelerating, and picks up speed as the voltage recovers.
On flat ground and rolling hills, the bike performs with a lot more response and the assist has much greater authority.
I'm leaning a lot more toward the 14S4P 20Ah pack I've been looking at, using Samsung 50S 21700 cells, which should have close to zero voltage sag from the current the TSDZ8 will demand.
I think I'll charge up the lipos and do more testing to see how the motor performs at closer to 58V, since the bike was much more fun to ride even with them half charged.
EDIT 05-22-25 I finally passed 100 miles on my ride this morning. That's since last Tuesday; so 6 days, since I skipped riding a few days. I'm definitely increasing my fitness with every ride. Changed the stem to a shorter one with some additional rise. I'm having fun just putting around, mostly riding at speeds less than 15mph. I rode to the Berkeley campus and there were a few graduation ceremonies going on. Riding in between and around the pedestrians with the torque sensor worked really well, so that was a big plus. I still miss having a decent throttle though.
EDIT 06-03-25 Still getting used to the modest power. I really need to shift a lot to keep the motor a sweet spot. I need to check the swingarm bushings and rear wheel to see if there's any play. I think I can feel the rear shift to the side a little when going on or off the power with the throttle. I don't notice it when pedaling. I still only have 190 miles on the bike, since I ride around at a pretty leisurely 12-13 mph most of the time.
The motor was much more responsive than the 13S pack, mainly due to the lack of voltage sag. On the 13S pack, I was seeing almost 5V of sag in the steep section. That sag affects performance everywhere in the band, even on flat ground. Sort of like your bike is being towed with a big bungee cord that takes a while for it to start accelerating, and picks up speed as the voltage recovers.
On flat ground and rolling hills, the bike performs with a lot more response and the assist has much greater authority.
I'm leaning a lot more toward the 14S4P 20Ah pack I've been looking at, using Samsung 50S 21700 cells, which should have close to zero voltage sag from the current the TSDZ8 will demand.
I think I'll charge up the lipos and do more testing to see how the motor performs at closer to 58V, since the bike was much more fun to ride even with them half charged.
EDIT 05-22-25 I finally passed 100 miles on my ride this morning. That's since last Tuesday; so 6 days, since I skipped riding a few days. I'm definitely increasing my fitness with every ride. Changed the stem to a shorter one with some additional rise. I'm having fun just putting around, mostly riding at speeds less than 15mph. I rode to the Berkeley campus and there were a few graduation ceremonies going on. Riding in between and around the pedestrians with the torque sensor worked really well, so that was a big plus. I still miss having a decent throttle though.
EDIT 06-03-25 Still getting used to the modest power. I really need to shift a lot to keep the motor a sweet spot. I need to check the swingarm bushings and rear wheel to see if there's any play. I think I can feel the rear shift to the side a little when going on or off the power with the throttle. I don't notice it when pedaling. I still only have 190 miles on the bike, since I ride around at a pretty leisurely 12-13 mph most of the time.
Last edited:
I installed the new version of firmware from ebikestuff. I haven't figured out the OSF installation yet, but doing a lot of reading. Anyway, the new firmware is much better, both for pedal assist and throttle. The throttle is still less responsive than ideal, but it's not terrible. With this firmware I get up to around 28mph throttle only, while the original only hit 22mph (level 5). The pedal assist is improved, and I don't feel the fatigue that I had with the original.
If the motor came with the newer version originally, I may have been fine with it, but after investing in the interface for flashing it, I want it to be a little better than it is, and the OSF will likely/hopefully improve things further.
As far as power goes, with the original firmware, I'd see the power top out at 1250W, in level 5. With the new firmware, I noticed it exceeding that and climbing a hill in level 3, I saw 1355W or so (hard to read the tiny EKD01 display), and it does feel like more assist being provided.
Once I get the OSF installed and tuned, I'll try the motor with 14S of lipos again to check its performance with no sag. The cheap battery I'm using really can't provide enough power when current is limited. Too much sag.
EDIT 06-10-25 I took another test ride this morning on fully charged legs lol. One of my moderately steep climbs, with around 700ft gain. The steepest part is a few blocks from the top (of course) at around 15%. With the new firmware, it wasn't bad. I felt tired on the last few blocks but not enough to stop. After I reached the “top” (of my test route), I kept going, climbing a gentle 6% for another half mile or so.
It’s really had to read the display, but I’m pretty sure I saw 1344w, so confirming it’s over the stock firmware output. Some interesting behaviors I’ve noticed is that the bike is faster on throttle while riding that it is unloaded. I think I need to look at that more, but that’s the impression I’m getting.
EDIT 06-10-25 I've been trying to figure out what I've been doing wrong trying to get the OSF loaded and working, and I think I finally figured it out. I'll try it out in the morning, after I install the shift sensor.
EDIT 06-12-25. Messed with the OSF more today for a couple hours, but can’t resolve the ERR2 error. I reloaded the latest firmware from ebikestuff again for now. I installed a shift sensor then went for a ride. Shifting is way better now, so that make ps the bike more fun to ride. At this point the bike is pretty enjoyable to ride, given it’s only 750w, and the throttle is almost responsive, and on a steep climb, hitting the throttle while pedaling now does something.
If the motor came with the newer version originally, I may have been fine with it, but after investing in the interface for flashing it, I want it to be a little better than it is, and the OSF will likely/hopefully improve things further.
As far as power goes, with the original firmware, I'd see the power top out at 1250W, in level 5. With the new firmware, I noticed it exceeding that and climbing a hill in level 3, I saw 1355W or so (hard to read the tiny EKD01 display), and it does feel like more assist being provided.
Once I get the OSF installed and tuned, I'll try the motor with 14S of lipos again to check its performance with no sag. The cheap battery I'm using really can't provide enough power when current is limited. Too much sag.
EDIT 06-10-25 I took another test ride this morning on fully charged legs lol. One of my moderately steep climbs, with around 700ft gain. The steepest part is a few blocks from the top (of course) at around 15%. With the new firmware, it wasn't bad. I felt tired on the last few blocks but not enough to stop. After I reached the “top” (of my test route), I kept going, climbing a gentle 6% for another half mile or so.
It’s really had to read the display, but I’m pretty sure I saw 1344w, so confirming it’s over the stock firmware output. Some interesting behaviors I’ve noticed is that the bike is faster on throttle while riding that it is unloaded. I think I need to look at that more, but that’s the impression I’m getting.
EDIT 06-10-25 I've been trying to figure out what I've been doing wrong trying to get the OSF loaded and working, and I think I finally figured it out. I'll try it out in the morning, after I install the shift sensor.
EDIT 06-12-25. Messed with the OSF more today for a couple hours, but can’t resolve the ERR2 error. I reloaded the latest firmware from ebikestuff again for now. I installed a shift sensor then went for a ride. Shifting is way better now, so that make ps the bike more fun to ride. At this point the bike is pretty enjoyable to ride, given it’s only 750w, and the throttle is almost responsive, and on a steep climb, hitting the throttle while pedaling now does something.
Last edited:
I think I'll hold off on loaded the OSF for now, and wait for further development, since the updated firmware cures a lot of the issues already. I tested the firmware using 14S lipos, but they were only half charged (52V), but comparing with my 48V battery, charged to 52V, the performance is way better, with no voltage sag. Now, in 1st gear, wheelie are an issue, which I noticed as soon as I got on the bike. I went up some steep sections that with the original firmware, took a lot of pedaling effort, but with the lipos, I just throttled up (in low gear), without pedaling, so that's a definite improvement both for the throttle and power.
I'm charging the lipos now, so I can get a real feel for what it will be like running 14S with no sag. The pack I'm looking at built with P50B cells, should have no sag at these current levels. Best thing is that I'm having fun with the bike now, not just exercising.
EDIT: While charging the lipos, I noticed they are in perfect balance. I've been using the for over a year now, bulk charged maybe 50 light cycles, and never balanced them the whole time. I love when all the cells match.
EDIT: The lipo test went well. I'm definitely going to get the new pack after doing some final measurements. When I rode up my driveway in second gear I started to wheelie, so between the higher voltage and no voltage sag (battery voltage indicator never budged) it's actually fun to ride. On throttle, although there's a slight delay, it feels like it pulls as well on throttle as my old 1000W direct drive on 14S, but peters out requiring shifting up. The shift sensor works pretty well, and I think it will get better after I get a feel for how many gears I can shift through during the short cutoff period. Two gears at a time is still smooth. I'm ordering a 7 speed cassette tonight. The narrower width and a spacer should help the chain line.
I'm charging the lipos now, so I can get a real feel for what it will be like running 14S with no sag. The pack I'm looking at built with P50B cells, should have no sag at these current levels. Best thing is that I'm having fun with the bike now, not just exercising.
EDIT: While charging the lipos, I noticed they are in perfect balance. I've been using the for over a year now, bulk charged maybe 50 light cycles, and never balanced them the whole time. I love when all the cells match.
EDIT: The lipo test went well. I'm definitely going to get the new pack after doing some final measurements. When I rode up my driveway in second gear I started to wheelie, so between the higher voltage and no voltage sag (battery voltage indicator never budged) it's actually fun to ride. On throttle, although there's a slight delay, it feels like it pulls as well on throttle as my old 1000W direct drive on 14S, but peters out requiring shifting up. The shift sensor works pretty well, and I think it will get better after I get a feel for how many gears I can shift through during the short cutoff period. Two gears at a time is still smooth. I'm ordering a 7 speed cassette tonight. The narrower width and a spacer should help the chain line.
Last edited:
Still haven't got the OSF to work, but the "Facebook" firmware is working great, so just having fun riding. Not sure, but the motor actually seems to be performing better the more I ride it, like it's breaking in or something. It's just running more smoothly now.
I replaced the cassette today, going to a 7 speed cassette, plus a spacer. After making some adjustments, the chain line is much better and runs smoothly in all gears. It's a cheap steel Shimano cassette, but still shifts smoothly. I could see that at some point I'll be replacing the hub/wheel, since the freehub is aluminum, so I guess going to 24" is still a possibility.
I ended up ordering an 18Ah 14S4P pack made with Molicel P45B cells, and bluetooth BMS. They are 45A cells, so I don't expect any sag when pulling 20A from a pack that can support 180A continuous. Standard charge rate is 4.5A or 18A for the pack, and I'm only planning on charging at 10A anyway.
The torque sensor actually makes pedaling more fun. It's making me look forward to getting my other bike up and running. I'm starting to imagine how a torque sensor would feel backed up 5kW of motor, and not dealing with a bunch of shifting, just staying in top gear, and not running the power through a dinky bicycle chain.
EDIT 06-24-25 Well the next day my chain started skipping badly. No adjustments seem to make a difference, but I think I finally resolved the issue after replacing most of the drivetrain. Basically, the original problem (probably related to the new cheap cassette) created another problem (damaged chain), and the old worn out derailleur wasn't helping. After replacing the derailleur and cassette, I still had skipping. That's when I discovered the original skipping damaged the chain, and it became the problem. Hopefully it holds up for more that a day
endless-sphere.com
There's a little hill nearby that is about a mile from the bay called Albany Hill. Interesting history. Once inhabited by the Ohlone Indians (there's a stream at the bottom with rocks used for grinding grain, and other signs that they'd lived there. Later it became a site for a couple of dynamite factories that would regularly test their munitions on the hill, until one day one factory had a huge explosion, that also took out the second one, so they decided to move elsewhere.
Anyway, it's a short climb from bottom to top, of maybe 320 feet, with max grade just over 18%. Riding the bike in second gear for the steeper parts, and third gear for the rest, using level 4, it was pretty fun and comfortable to ride. I had to work, but not enough to take the fun out of it. I hadn't ridden up there in a while, and I noticed they put in a paved trail around part of the top area.
The poison oak was on full display, and it was nice that it was set back from the path. It reminded me of my first mountain bike ride. I went with an experienced friend to some trails along the coast. Coming down a steep single track trail, there was a sharp turn I didn't see coming and went off the trail into a huge patch of poison oak. I learned my lesson after 2 weeks of misery. Stay away from poison oak!!!
I made a detour on the way down, to ride around the side with houses, with some pretty nice views. There was one vacant lot near the top at and near the end of the road. Mount Tam in the background, where my bike remembers climbing four dozen times, pre-E.
As I find the pace that works for me and work with the gearing and the super narrow power band, I'm actually starting to really enjoy riding it. The responsiveness of the torque sensor feels just about right for the amount of power it has to work with. And everything is smooth with the shift sensor and new drivetrain.
I replaced the cassette today, going to a 7 speed cassette, plus a spacer. After making some adjustments, the chain line is much better and runs smoothly in all gears. It's a cheap steel Shimano cassette, but still shifts smoothly. I could see that at some point I'll be replacing the hub/wheel, since the freehub is aluminum, so I guess going to 24" is still a possibility.
I ended up ordering an 18Ah 14S4P pack made with Molicel P45B cells, and bluetooth BMS. They are 45A cells, so I don't expect any sag when pulling 20A from a pack that can support 180A continuous. Standard charge rate is 4.5A or 18A for the pack, and I'm only planning on charging at 10A anyway.
The torque sensor actually makes pedaling more fun. It's making me look forward to getting my other bike up and running. I'm starting to imagine how a torque sensor would feel backed up 5kW of motor, and not dealing with a bunch of shifting, just staying in top gear, and not running the power through a dinky bicycle chain.
EDIT 06-24-25 Well the next day my chain started skipping badly. No adjustments seem to make a difference, but I think I finally resolved the issue after replacing most of the drivetrain. Basically, the original problem (probably related to the new cheap cassette) created another problem (damaged chain), and the old worn out derailleur wasn't helping. After replacing the derailleur and cassette, I still had skipping. That's when I discovered the original skipping damaged the chain, and it became the problem. Hopefully it holds up for more that a day
Chain skipping
I'm having issues with my chain skipping on my TSDZ8 build. I was originally using the old 8 speed cassette, but although it ran well, I didn't have a chain line where I could use the full range. I replaced the cassette with a (cheap) Shimano 7 speed cassette, and a spacer. The setup worked...
endless-sphere.com
There's a little hill nearby that is about a mile from the bay called Albany Hill. Interesting history. Once inhabited by the Ohlone Indians (there's a stream at the bottom with rocks used for grinding grain, and other signs that they'd lived there. Later it became a site for a couple of dynamite factories that would regularly test their munitions on the hill, until one day one factory had a huge explosion, that also took out the second one, so they decided to move elsewhere.
Anyway, it's a short climb from bottom to top, of maybe 320 feet, with max grade just over 18%. Riding the bike in second gear for the steeper parts, and third gear for the rest, using level 4, it was pretty fun and comfortable to ride. I had to work, but not enough to take the fun out of it. I hadn't ridden up there in a while, and I noticed they put in a paved trail around part of the top area.
The poison oak was on full display, and it was nice that it was set back from the path. It reminded me of my first mountain bike ride. I went with an experienced friend to some trails along the coast. Coming down a steep single track trail, there was a sharp turn I didn't see coming and went off the trail into a huge patch of poison oak. I learned my lesson after 2 weeks of misery. Stay away from poison oak!!!
I made a detour on the way down, to ride around the side with houses, with some pretty nice views. There was one vacant lot near the top at and near the end of the road. Mount Tam in the background, where my bike remembers climbing four dozen times, pre-E.
As I find the pace that works for me and work with the gearing and the super narrow power band, I'm actually starting to really enjoy riding it. The responsiveness of the torque sensor feels just about right for the amount of power it has to work with. And everything is smooth with the shift sensor and new drivetrain.
Last edited:
The typical summer weather pattern has kicked in. Super clear one day. socked in and overcast the next. I'd rather have a bunch of nice days in a row, but I guess the gloomy days make you appreciate the nice ones more, and motivate me to do some projects around the house when I'm not riding.
After 6 weeks being back on a bike, I'm finally starting to regain some fitness, and lowering the assistance levels in turn. Sustained climbs are getting easier, and my battery consumption is pretty minimal. I'm sort of avoiding fixing my other bike at this point since I want to obtain as many of the health benefits I'm getting right now from the constant pedaling.
I tuck behind road riders when I see them, since they ride at a pretty constant cadence, so good for pacing myself and getting in the zone. I'm also gradually increasing the radius that I'm riding from home. I've been thinking about adding some sealant to the tires, but might not get around to it until I get a flat.
Shady spot to rest before moving on.
Not a cloud in the sky. Headwinds are no big deal with a little e-assistance.
I'd still like to get the OSF working, but not in a hurry. My new battery should be here in the next couple of weeks, at which point I'll be fabricating something to house it in, and attach it in the same location as the current battery. With this crazy weather, it will be nice to be able to charge super fast before a ride, if it happens to clear up on some of the gloomier days.
EDIT 07-03-25 After the last ride, I found that the motor had become loose. The motor made a sort of clunk when going on and off throttle, that was present from the first ride after installing it. At that time, checking the motor for any movement, everything felt tight as before the ride, so I thought it was just something related to normal operation (clutch, etc.). But, after tightening the motor again, and with the addition to a couple of 3/8" and one 1//2" zip tie, there's some added security. Doing this fixed a couple of nagging issues; the clunking, and a weird vibration that seemed to only occur at a certain speed, and only when on throttle. Now the vibration is barely noticeable, and probably not noticeable if I weren't trying to feel/hear it.
endless-sphere.com
After 6 weeks being back on a bike, I'm finally starting to regain some fitness, and lowering the assistance levels in turn. Sustained climbs are getting easier, and my battery consumption is pretty minimal. I'm sort of avoiding fixing my other bike at this point since I want to obtain as many of the health benefits I'm getting right now from the constant pedaling.
I tuck behind road riders when I see them, since they ride at a pretty constant cadence, so good for pacing myself and getting in the zone. I'm also gradually increasing the radius that I'm riding from home. I've been thinking about adding some sealant to the tires, but might not get around to it until I get a flat.
Shady spot to rest before moving on.
Not a cloud in the sky. Headwinds are no big deal with a little e-assistance.
I'd still like to get the OSF working, but not in a hurry. My new battery should be here in the next couple of weeks, at which point I'll be fabricating something to house it in, and attach it in the same location as the current battery. With this crazy weather, it will be nice to be able to charge super fast before a ride, if it happens to clear up on some of the gloomier days.
EDIT 07-03-25 After the last ride, I found that the motor had become loose. The motor made a sort of clunk when going on and off throttle, that was present from the first ride after installing it. At that time, checking the motor for any movement, everything felt tight as before the ride, so I thought it was just something related to normal operation (clutch, etc.). But, after tightening the motor again, and with the addition to a couple of 3/8" and one 1//2" zip tie, there's some added security. Doing this fixed a couple of nagging issues; the clunking, and a weird vibration that seemed to only occur at a certain speed, and only when on throttle. Now the vibration is barely noticeable, and probably not noticeable if I weren't trying to feel/hear it.
TSDZ8 mounting issue
When I first installed my TSDZ8, I noticed some clunking sounds and possible movement when apply throttle or pedal assist, and cutting the power. Part of the sound was due to the clutch, but the movement was a mystery. I could actually feel sort of lateral shift of the bike. The motor felt...
endless-sphere.com
Last edited:
With my drivetrain gremlins worked out, I'm really enjoying my bike and gaining more appreciation for the torque sensing PAS. I spent most of my riding yesterday winding around on the hills, taking random routes around on the roads. I ended up climbing to the top twice, and my legs still felt pretty fresh. Sticking to a leisurely pace is a key component with respect to the fun factor. I also took a couple of offroad climbing routes with narrow switchbacks that I was able to negotiate at really slow speeds, with the torque sensor making a big difference for climb slowly. Since I'm not using brake cutoffs, I could use my brakes to really control my speed on the tight steep switchbacks. Now I'm researching tires to find something that will roll smoothly on pavement when riding to the trail head, but with decent knobs for looser surfaces on the trail. I guess if I carry a pump, I could adjust my tire pressures for pavement vs dirt.
I moved my display to the middle of my bars so I can flip the bike over for maintenance. I don't use the buttons much while riding so it will make maintenance so much easier.
I've still got about a week before my new battery arrives, then I'll be spending a few days fabricating an enclosure to mount it in. That will be the biggest improvement, not just for the higher voltage and power, but for my charging routine, which will be super short compared to now.
I moved my display to the middle of my bars so I can flip the bike over for maintenance. I don't use the buttons much while riding so it will make maintenance so much easier.
I've still got about a week before my new battery arrives, then I'll be spending a few days fabricating an enclosure to mount it in. That will be the biggest improvement, not just for the higher voltage and power, but for my charging routine, which will be super short compared to now.
Last edited:
Is this while going up or downhills, or both? W/o brake cutout, how do you avoid braking while having weight on the pedals which make the motor work against the brakes. Wouldn't that strip gears in the worst case?
It’s a very subtle use of the brakes, same as riding without assistance in a similar situation, sort of like not putting your feet down at a stop light.
What about if you are going down a steep hill and need to brake hard? Take both feet off the pedals?
Nope, just descend like normal. I don’t use them except to stop cruise control or when bakes can’t stop the motor, but don’t have that on this motor or the power.
EDIT: It's so clear out that when my wife went out to the store, I jumped on my bike to take advantage of the weather. As I headed down the hill, I see this guy trotting up the hill. I haven't heard the coyotes at night lately, so I was surprised. I stared at him from around 15 feet away and, he just stared back, no fear but not aggressive either, and kept going. I expect to see the missing cat flyers now that they're back.
Not a cloud in the sky. The Hookworms rode fine on the gravel path to this spot. I was riding behind one of those gravel bikes, so I figured I could go anywhere it could go. There was a light breeze on shore, but enough wind for the sailboats out on the bay.
I used to walk to the end of the pier with my kids on days like this (not the very end; there's a barrier part way out because the rest was falling apart). Sadly, they closed it due to structural concerns about 5 years ago. I keep hoping they restore it, but not holding my breath. I was originally 3.5 miles long (1926), over time it was shortened to 2.5 miles as they built out the marina area (landfill), then in 1937 they added a barrier a little over a half mile out for safety reasons.
Pretty calm at the marina.
I stopped to watch the kayak water polo game for a while before moseying back home.
Last edited:
