3000w cyclone What am I in for

[Dale H]

Ok guys have an issue, was wondering if I need to start a new thread so as not to hijack this one. Taking a kind of group conscience vote, so let me know. Here goes: Late last year I had an issue with the spokes loosening on my rear hub motor. Got frantic and did some serious noob crap, long story short I had to take my wheel, hub motor and all to a LBS and $80.00 later had the problem rectified. I'm a poor dude so I can't be dropping essentially $100.00 every time I have this issue. Fast forward to today and the issue is returning. Yesterday was a high mileage kind of day (roughly 40 miles) and since I put these Maxxis Hookworms on I've noticed a different feel to the bike. Toward the end of the day I Started hearing noises coming from my rear wheel and realised the problem has returned. Trying not to panic I went back over my posts from last year, found some advice on a wheel building ebook and downloaded it.My question is this: What do y'all do to keep your wheels and spokes tuned and true? Trying to be rational and not go all panicky so as to have a repeat of last year. Thanx in advance.

[calfee20]

You are going to have to do some reading. Read this thread. http://electricbike.com/forum/forum/...-hubs?pp=29963 Buy this book. http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

Maybe take some junk wheels apart and reassemble for practice. Large hub motors are a little different. There is a good article here. http://www.electricbike.com/lace-hub-motor/

Here is a good article by spinningmagnets that may apply to you. http://www.electricbike.com/moped-rims-tires-hubmotors/

Lacing wheels is not to hard. You just have to go slow and take small steps. I have done 4 wheels now and I can actually say I am getting pretty good at it. I would seem painfully slow to a professional but I don't have to make a living doing it.

There that is a little reading..................calfee

[Dale H]

Calfee thanks, I bought the ebook you suggested last night, been perusing it and Sheldon Browns wheelbuilding page this morning. I don't need a repeat of the last time I had this issue, thanks for your help then and now. Don't know what I'd do without this forum!! Time to study some more and get this little unit straitened back out......

[Green Werks]

DH If you want to post here let er rip tatter chip What am I in for belongs to everybody
I know it started out as a Cyclone thing and it still is, my Cyclone is sitten in the box waiting for me
to figure out what to do with it but we all seem to have become friends and there is a cool vibe here
and a lot of people check us out lurkers check out the hits we talk about all things ebike I think
it is cool that we have Big Hubs and Cyclones here
C20 good to see ya Dawg don't be such a stranger we are all strange here
Dale back to the point I have to adjust my spokes quite often right now they are stretching
I just built that set up for the mighty edge pushed to 2600w I just hope I don't start breaking them
Dude building the wheel thing ain't nothing but a thing
If you need any help pm me yo number and lets shoot the shit
Cheers and peace be with yall.

[Dale H]

Just pm'ed you my number.Thanx man

[Dale H]

Ok early update: Using the book suggested by calfee20 I was able to get this stinking wheel back to rideable condition. I feel a new rim is in my not too distant future. I also wonder about my current trend of higher speeds with this Maxxis Hookworm tire coupled with more miles recently. One thing for sure is I will definitely be keeping a closer check on the health of my spokes and rims.

[funwithbikes]

Things were slow in the 'lectric lab. Spent all day answering questions on the chat line and all evening googling for good web references to better answer the types of questions people asked. The only sound in the garage was the gurgling of the dehumidifier. In wisconsin, this time of year is hard on tools kept in a semi-heated shop unless you can keep the humidity down.

WRT wheel maintenance. If you learn well by watching three other sources are:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu8...u9XfaQC74Hr_Gw Seth is a rider who does practical back yard maintance to keep his bikes going.
https://www.youtube.com/user/shyflirt1 RJ is a garage mechanic with some good ideas for doing bike maintenance on the cheap.
https://www.youtube.com/user/parktoolcompany Calvin is an expert mechanic who explains things clearly... be careful, he might try to sell you some of his tools :)

I learned Seth's zip tie method on BMX bikes back when zip ties were still called cable ties.

GW, Do you have any photos of your motor mount?

[Green Werks]

Good Morning All
FWB Mr.Moderator I have a 2 car garage and heat it with a Quartz inferred heater from Lowes
on a day when it is single digits it will bring the temp up to 79deg
it has a remote control a thermostat 3 blower speeds the out side of the case never gets hot
A friend of mine told me that they were tits and I thought no way this little thing
is not going to heat well it kicked my ass small light weight cost around $80.00 4 years ago
when I got it Check them out at Lowes If you don't like it you can bring it back that is their policy

[Will ride]

Spokes. They can apparently be a wheel pwobwem. I never paid much attention to them as a kid and have always since babied my bikes so much that it never gave the spokes a pwobwem. I once tried to adjust them to get rid of that annoying brake rub....ttt...ttt..tttt and turned it into a clown bike then a friend fixed it. And just recently paid the lbs to true the wheels. Sweet.

Gosh darnit DH. Now you've gone and done it. Like I didn't have enough World Class problems to solve now I have to design a new wheel system. I can't stand a pwobwem/challenge like this. I find my brain focusing on it and can't help myself.

The challenge becomes obvious as you ponder the situation. You have a system that needs to be lightweight AND adjustable. Spokes would not have to be adjustable if they did not STRETCH. Things that need to be adjustable ALWAYS (?) use some type of thread/nut system. There have been an almost infinite number of systems developed to LOCK threaded systems, all of which have various strengths/weaknesses. The only solid, real, time/use UNDOABLE from vibration, load/unload cycling system that is bombproof is doiuble nutting.

It would seem that stretch is the biggest culprit. Yes? Now there is going to be an interupt request in my brain que to ponder how to perfect the wheel stay twue/twueing pwobwem.

GW. The symmetries in life never cease to astound me. It has been on my mind for sometime to actually weld aluminum framing for the cabinetry of the van, but I gave up on that idea for several reasons which included - I have only welded about six inches worth of bead of steel in my life. I don't own a welder and it would be vastly expensive to pay the lws (local welding shop). But as I was lugging the old futon frames in and out to see how they would fit/work as the new beds, and the pergo engr'd bamboo flooring bundles (returned to Lowes yesterday for, maybe solid oak (thinner 3/8", lighter?. We decided oak cabinetry}} - it dawned on me how damn heavy all that wood stuff is and how much it is going to add up to fuel costs, tire wear, etc. Laying in bed this morning I resolved to seriously look back into buying a welding machine, and the first thing I see when I boot up is your photo of a welding machine. Destiny?

[Dale H]

Sorry for the OCD instigation WR, yeah spokes are a genuine pain when you push them past their intended speed, and you have added 2.5 inch tires to a system that had 1.5, not to mention 40 pounds of assorted electrical gadgets.Seems to me something solid would be the ticket, just not sure how to handle this. Till then looks like I get to REALLY learn wheelbuilding. May as well, I've already bought the book and used the contents to save myself $80.00. Now on to your welding dilemma... I say if you can afford it then get the aluminum welder. Little bit different than welding steel, practice makes perfect as with anything else.Good luck in whatever you choose.... Ride on safely Gents

[Green Werks]

Dudes greetings:
nothing really new to say still getting ready for the season
WR a welder is a good thing to have I use mine a lot it is a argon shield Mig
I really would like a Tig so I can do SS and aluminum
with the mig the clean up takes longer than the welding a lot of grinding
I took my bike of road the other day went with the wife and dog while they were jogging and let the dog swim in the creek
it was a hard pack dirt with a lot of hills I was impressed to say the least I built that bike for in town transportation
and bike path riding and out in the country roads what surprised me was that it ate up those hills no problem
and what was wild was the dog is trying to get use to the bike a must he will go with us a lot
that is how we burn off the energy of a 7 mounth old german sheaperd take him out in the woods but he would stop
in the middle of the climb and I would have to stop also we are talking single track stuff in the woods
I was bewildered and amazed to find that I could resume my climb with no problem even enough to the point of spinning the hook worms
I guess the moral of the story is if you have a big enough motor and battery it works the Zero motorcycle has no gears
That is my idea for my bike A light weight Zero although I would love to have a Zero I have ridden them and they are Out of site
But just a bit on the heavy side
Dh when I came back from the ride all the spokes were ok so maybe they have stretched in
best witches have a great day
And FWB I don't have any pictures of the finished Cyclone mount but I could take some

[Will ride]

Carbon nanotubes. A wheel would probably cost $100,000. 5 years from now $200.