Phantom X2 First Mods

[RLutz]

I have been wanting to build an e-bike for several years, but they're always seemed to be other things that needed the funds more. Recently my wife surprised me on my birthday with Prodeco Phantom X2.

I won’t go into the specs here as anyone interested can google it.

I will say I love having electric assist while riding and I am very grateful to my wife for the surprise.
There are a few things I would have chosen differently if I had been able to, but it was a gift, so please don’t consider any criticism as a complaint. I am a very fortunate man.

The first thing I did is swap out the folding pedals for standard mountain bike, platform, pedals. The included folding pedals are supposed to lock into place when in use, but I found that even a tiny amount of dirt would interfere with them locking and I had a pedal fold up on me while riding on three different occasions. This was not just inconvenient, but very dangerous. Having a throttle allowed me to use the motor to maneuver until I could pull over to fix the pedal.

The next issue I wanted to address is the lack of storage. Because it is not a standard triangle frame the manufacturer is pretty much forced to mount the battery over the rear wheel. This means the bike is very heavy in the back-end (insert joke here).

In order to retain the ability to remove the battery for charging, I didn’t want to put a bag on top of the battery and the owner’s manual clearly states not to put anything on top of the battery.

I wanted to add small panniers, but there didn’t appear to be any good attachment points.
I decided to purchase 2 small, matching handlebar bags to use as the panniers. I then attached two short lengths of tubing on either side of the battery rack to mount the bags too. Because of the small size of the bags, I don’t think I will be likely to overload the capacity of the rack.
I used the existing rack support bolts to attach the tubes.

1 PVC pipe 2’ x ¾” $1.49 (cut in half for 2)
4 PVC endcaps ¾” $0.49 ea
1 Roll PVC pipe strap 10’ $1.99
1 Can flat black “Project Paint” $0.99
2 “Rhinowalk” Bike Handlebar bags $21.99 ea
Total: $48.92

I hope this helps anyone struggling with the same or similar issues.




I have not painted the pipes in order for them to be clear in the photos.
The bottom strap isn’t long enough to go around both rack supports, so I will be using zip-ties for the 3rd attachment point.
Had I been able to build a bike I would have gone mid-drive and would have mounted the battery pack inside the frame. I also prefer torque-sensing pedal assist over a throttle, as I like riding a bike like a bike, not a moped.

 

[amberwolf]

I used the existing rack support bolts to attach the tubes.

Be careful with that rack--that particular kind of support has been known to fail on various rack designs, including Prodecos of various models and years, both at the top where it connects to the rack, and at the bottom where it connects to the stays.

The heavy battery doesn't help, because the sway as you pedal makes the battery weight torque the rack side to side, and over time it stress fractures the supports. That's a problem in most rack designs. (I've gone thru a lot of racks over the years, before I started just building my bikes completely custom for my needs).

I also prefer torque-sensing pedal assist over a throttle, as I like riding a bike like a bike, not a moped.

If you prefer, you can install a Cycle Analyst v3 and the torque sensing BB unit of your choice (Sempu, Thun, TDCM, etc), and run the throttle and the TSBB wires to the CA, and then that will output a throttle signal to go to the Prodeco controller's throttle input. See http://ebikes.ca on the CAv3 pages for details.

 

[RLutz]

Be careful with that rack--that particular kind of support has been known to fail on various rack designs, including Prodecos of various models and years, both at the top where it connects to the rack, and at the bottom where it connects to the stays.

Thank you for the advise, I can see how metal fatigue could cause a failure here. I think I will need to add checking the mount to my pre and post ride inspections. I should also add one or two replacement bolts to my spare parts bag. I don't think my adding the bags will have any additional effect. The battery placement and rack design is already less than optimal.

If you prefer, you can install a Cycle Analyst v3 and the torque sensing BB unit of your choice (Sempu, Thun, TDCM, etc), and run the throttle and the TSBB wires to the CA, and then that will output a throttle signal to go to the Prodeco controller's throttle input. See http://ebikes.ca on the CAv3 pages for details

I have priced out adding the torque sensing BB and CA. I think for now I will enjoy what I have and as my wife sees me continuing to use and enjoy my bike, eventually I will build a bike to my specs and my daughter will inherit the Phantom X2.

 

[E-HP]

I have priced out adding the torque sensing BB and CA. I think for now I will enjoy what I have and as my wife sees me continuing to use and enjoy my bike, eventually I will build a bike to my specs and my daughter will inherit the Phantom X2.

That’s a difficult balance to maintain, and after 38 years, we’ve had our share of gifts that just missed the mark. Hurts most on big purchases. The upgrade plan is a good one, but doesn’t usually go unnoticed, and takes a long time accepting something that falls a little short.
The CA3 is an investment, and can be part of you future upgrade. You could still use it with a cheap cadence PAS, and get an experience closer to what you’re looking for now, and your wife will see you customizing her gift to you and enjoying it even more, and she may be delighted. Plus you get all the other bells and whistles like throttle mapping etc.


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[RLutz]

The CA3 is an investment, and can be part of you future upgrade. You could still use it with a cheap cadence PAS, and get an experience closer to what you’re looking for now, and your wife will see you customizing her gift to you and enjoying it even more, and she may be delighted.

That sounds like a plan.
When the time comes to add the Cycle Analyst 3, I am sure I will be visiting the tech side of the forum. As I am not sure of the compatibility with the stock PTech 36V 20A Motor Controller. When adding the Cadence sensors, I will have to add a bigger chainring too, as I currently spin out with the stock 44T chainring.

I have already started looking for a 53T ring, but with the correct 4 bolt pattern for my SRAM crank arms, they are as rare as hen's teeth. (I know from experience on my old road bike, that a 53T ring paired with a 11-28 cassette will have me spinning at 80-85 RPM in the second tallest gear in the flats. Which is a comfortable RPM for me.)

I may have to replace the crank arms along with the ring. Maybe with this one: "CUTICATE Single Speed 130BCD Chainring and 170mm Crank Arm Set" I found on Amazon. Then the question is compatibility with the SRAM - Sealed Bearings - Square Taper - 110.5mm x 68mm Bottom Bracket. Cuticate doesn't list what BB it works with.

 

[RLutz]

I happened to be walking through Walmart to buy lemonade, when I spotted some lunch boxes on sale. They are just a bit bigger than the handlebar bags that I had repurposed as panniers. On Sale they are $5.00 each and they have a hard plastic box inside that is water tight when snapped closed. I decided to go ahead and buy a pair.

I then headed over to hardware and bought a 3/8th inch grommet kit.

I put six grommets in the back of each bag, which took about 20 min. I put the hard boxes back inside and mounted them to my now painted black accessory mounts (12" of PVC pipe on each side), using zip ties.

I went for a 17 mile test ride with my tools, charger, lock and other accessories inside. They didn't flop around or rattle and when I got home I checked the bolts. One bolt did seem to have loosened, so I think I may need to add some Loctite.


The previous bag is on the floor left side of rear wheel, for a size comparison.