Giant LaFree - help / advice
06-26-13, 03:57 PM
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Giant LaFree - help / advice
I am in the process of fixing up a Giant LaFree e-bike. It had been left abandoned in a park and the police department that I volunteer with picked it up and it became Abandoned Property. Usually bikes found in Abandoned Property end up being "recycled" as scrap metal. When I spotted the LaFree in the Abandoned Property, I convinced my supervisor to let me fix it up and return it to the department for use once it's fixed up, assuming I can fix it up. I've fixed up a lot of vintage/abandoned bikes before, but this is the first e-bike that I've messed with.
I've stripped the bike completely down and pulled the motor. When I put a 24 V DC current on it, the motor was "bumping" but not spinning freely. So, I began to tear down the motor and transmission to see what was "gumming up the works" so to speak. The problem was the various parts spilled out of the transmission before I could photograph them. I got it all back together, save for a few u-shaped magnets. Does anyone have an exploded view of the Giant transmission?
There is also a wire that goes to the rear hub, but is not attached to anything. I'm assuming this is part of a governor as I heard e-bikes were supposed to governed to 20 mph. If I pull the governor 1) Will the bike still work? 2) How much more speed will it give me and 3) Could I then remove what appears to be a solenoid assembly in the transmission for the governor? I believe the aforementioned magnets are part of the governor solenoid.
Many thanks for your help. Obviously, getting the motor working is key to this whole project. If the motor doesn't work, then I just have a pile of bike parts.
I've stripped the bike completely down and pulled the motor. When I put a 24 V DC current on it, the motor was "bumping" but not spinning freely. So, I began to tear down the motor and transmission to see what was "gumming up the works" so to speak. The problem was the various parts spilled out of the transmission before I could photograph them. I got it all back together, save for a few u-shaped magnets. Does anyone have an exploded view of the Giant transmission?
There is also a wire that goes to the rear hub, but is not attached to anything. I'm assuming this is part of a governor as I heard e-bikes were supposed to governed to 20 mph. If I pull the governor 1) Will the bike still work? 2) How much more speed will it give me and 3) Could I then remove what appears to be a solenoid assembly in the transmission for the governor? I believe the aforementioned magnets are part of the governor solenoid.
Many thanks for your help. Obviously, getting the motor working is key to this whole project. If the motor doesn't work, then I just have a pile of bike parts.
06-26-13, 06:05 PM
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Oh, it's a LaFree Sport. Reading some of the other threads, it sounds like pulling the magnetic sensor to the rear hub is a non-starter. What if the governor was mechanically disabled from kicking in on the transmission end?
It's been exposed to the elements for a long time. Even once we get past the motor issues, there is a lot of elbow grease that is going to be needed to be put into the bike.
It's been exposed to the elements for a long time. Even once we get past the motor issues, there is a lot of elbow grease that is going to be needed to be put into the bike.
06-28-13, 03:22 PM
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I tested the motor separate from the transmission -- it runs! So, now, I can start putting the rest of the bike back together. I think I'm going to remove the governor components entirely from the transmission and see what happens.
