Bizman

The thought that Powell said made me want to add that my Panasonic Mid Drive is quiet you don't really hear it at all but you know it's working!

bareyb, a question, why do you think now the 48v with 500w motor combo would be best for you, more power, speed, just curious?

bareyb

Good question. I was almost going to post a thread asking the Pro's and Con's of each. The reason I "think" I want it is mainly because that seems to be the direction a lot of the higher end e-bike makers are going. Ostensibly for more power and higher top speed. I figured I'd rather have it and not need it than not have it and find out I do. Would you know the pro's and con's of 36V vs. 48V? I did a search on that, and really didn't find much info.

Bizman

bareyb, thanks for the thought on that! I am not really sure of which may be better and maybe someone else will chime in with more experience using the different voltages?

bareyb

Good news! They got it sorted out and my bike is ready to pick up! He says it works great. I'll post some pics once I get to ride it a little.

bareyb

Oh well... It's already not working. It worked at the bike shop (sort of) but as soon as I got it home the wireless console can't find the Motor. Had to drive it all the way back to San Mateo in rush hour. Took me an hour to get home. And now we wait...

bareyb

Still no word on the Falco... I did however ride a few purpose built e-bikes today. I really liked the Emotion Nitro Cross. I got it up to 31 mph and it's very zippy off the line. Cons? It's noisy and it had some issues with the throttle. I didn't like the way it cycled on and off, but I guess from what I'm hearing that's normal for e-bikes and is simply more noticeable in this case, because geared motors are louder and you can hear it cycle. Anyway, so far I like that one if they can get it working.

Bizman

I answered another post on the other thread you posted on and I see you responded here with some of the answers. I think you just haven't found or rode a good ebike as others (as well as myself) have had good luck with them. I am not familiar with the Nitro model but assume it is a hub motor? If it was a suggestion would be to also try a mid drive for comparison. Specifically a Panasonic or Bosch system.

bareyb

I actually got to ride a Haibike today with a mid drive. I liked it and it wasn't as different from a hub drive as I thought it would be. It's a bit noisier and I noticed that it will spin up if you don't keep it in the right gear, but otherwise very nice. Unfortunately, that particular model was speed limited to 20 mph even in Pedelec mode. I'm 56 years old and I can peddle faster than 20 mph, so something like that really isn't going to help me much. I expect it would be a great hill climber though, but I didn't get a chance to try that on it.

Bizman

I have only rode my Easy Motion Panasonic Mid drive so I have no other models to compare but mine is very quiet. I think I am familiar with the Haibike you rode but don't know much about it. Good luck with your search at the new dealer and hopefully they will have an Easy Motion mid drive for you to test out or maybe a Bosch mid drive. I would be very surprised if you didn't like one of them! I have not rode a Bosch mis drive but they are supposed to be top quality as well.

bareyb

I will ask for that specifically. He's an Easy Motion dealer too.

Bizman

I am not sure where you are but when I was looking at ebikes I was looking a the Kalkoff bikes and was working with BH Easy Motion Electric Bikes | Electric Bikes for Sale | Electric Bicycle Shop in San Francisco I decided against the Kalfoff but I see they handle Easy Motion. One thing I don't see is many mid drive models in the new EM lineup? Here is a link to some Easy Motion mid drive models.
https://www.google.com/search?q=easy...w=1024&bih=672

It looks like they have changed the new lineup around since I bought mine. I would like to think tht they are as dependable as my Max 700 has been. Although mine has been custom built with drop bars, Allfine 11 IGH and the front fork from the sport 700 (no suspension) here is a video of my basic model. Notice the battery behind the seat tube, I don't see that on the new EM models, well maybe one or two. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LgAmyN9LA0A

bareyb

Good news! Bike is ready to pick up. It had a blown fuse in the Battery. Which is weird, because the light on the Battery was still working. How are you supposed to diagnose that? I think I probably need to have him show me some basic troubleshooting skills. He replaced the Battery with a new one, and replaced the wireless receiver too, just in case, which I thought was pretty thorough.

So I'm feeling a lot better now. I'll be picking it up tomorrow. Now that I've ridden several e-bikes I will have a better base of knowledge to compare it to. Hopefully this was just some initial setup growing pains.

powell

bareyb,
don't you think it is a lot about your FALCO dealer? or simply your dealer knowing little about this kit and ebikes in general?
He is clearly not very ebikes knowledgeable if he cannot set up such a simple to install edrive like FALCO,
how long for him to figure blown fuse?? what he did to blow fuse in that battery?
he is one of bike shop which jumped on ebike wagon to make money with no stuff and no preparation.
Did you read this? real review.


My Falco 750 W HX motor kit | Electric Bike Community

bareyb

Thanks for that link Powell. I just responded there and asked James if he could update and let us know how it's been going since then.

I'm not sure what to think about the dealer yet. He's certainly trying, but it is a Ski Shop so this is clearly a side line business for him. He told me the battery had a blown fuse, and yet, I was able to charge it up fully and and all the LEDs lit up as did the light on the on/off button. I'll have to pull the fuse and see what happens... Just seems odd that it would take a charge with a blown fuse. He also replaced the wireless Transmitter but said he didn't think that was the problem. So I don't know... I just hope this thing is reliable. I'm a little wary. Apparently their main dealer in the UK has bailed on them due to reliability issues: Endless-sphere.com ? View topic - Falco e-Motors

We will know a lot more once I get it home and start riding t. I have a big ride planned for this afternoon. I think if Falco stays in business then I'll be okay. They told me on the phone they were planning on expanding this year so that sounds hopeful. I love the 5 year warranty, but if they aren't around, it won't do me much good. I will definitely be updating this thread and I do plan to do a full review once I've had it for a while.

bareyb

Got it back from the dealer and it working again. Unfortunately, I'm not getting the kind of speeds I'm supposed to get unless I put it into "Turbo Mode" which is supposed to be something you only use for short periods. Not all the time... If I put it in normal Pedelec mode, it cuts off at 20 mph (same with Throttle). So that sucks... Not what I paid for. It's supposed to be the "off road" version and unrestricted.

I tried using the Falco forum, but it seems to be abandoned. All three of my posts have been summarily ignored. I've got an email into the Owner, Rakesh, and hopefully he'll be able to take some time to speak with me.

350htrr

I think you have to change/take off the speed limiter yourself with the controler, they have to send it to you with the speed limiter on, to conform to the letter of the law...

bareyb

The weird thing is, it's IN Cruise Mode (the fast mode) now. If it weren't the off road version it wouldn't be in Cruise Mode. I can't toggle it on and off like you're supposed to though, so something's sure not right. I expect I'll hear something on Monday. If not, I'll try calling.

bareyb

Okay. Spoke with Rakesh from Falco and Cruise mode is now permanently set on the off road models. He also sent me the newest manual for it and I thought I 'd post it here in case anyone else is looking for it. I purchasing the USB dongle from them and after that we'll tweak the settings. Feeling like we are close to getting this all dialed in now.

bareyb

UPDATE: I think we have the problem solved!


Apparently, my motor came from the Factory with the Speed Restriction turned ON. We turned that off and now it works perfectly. I knew it had to be something easy like that... I'm glad I persisted. It feels like a completely different bike now. So smooth, and so powerful. I'll give it a good run tomorrow and I'll report back, but it's looking really good right now.


Note: Props to Rakesh and Falco for being willing to do whatever it takes to get this right. He said I could still upgrade to the 750 motor and 48V battery, but I'm not so sure I'll need to now. This thing is flying now.

bareyb

Update: Unfortunately, it appears there's still a problem with my Motor that won't allow it to stay in "Cruise" mode, so every time I turn it off it reverts back to Non-Cruise mode. Rakesh is going to update the firmware next week to make sure it stays in Cruise Mode permanently. They are shipping me the USB to Serial converter as we speak.


Until then I'll need to connect up to the software and put it into cruise mode manually. So still have a couple of problems to work out, but in the mean time I have a workaround. I think we are very close to getting this worked out.

InTheRain

Wow! This has been quite an adventure for you. I wish it were working the way you wanted. I opted to go with a 350W direct drive hub from bionx. I'm loving it! What I love most is that the motor is completely silent... and I am not exaggerating. Can't wait to get back on and ride again tomorrow. Hoping your problems are solved soon.

bareyb

I looked really hard at one of those, but all the BionX have a 20 mph speed limiter placed on them. So that wouldn't have worked for me. I'm enjoying riding mine too. It's a lot of fun and I do look forward to getting back out there. I'll be glad when all the bugs are ironed out so I can just enjoy it. I think we are close.

InTheRain

I'm old. 20 mph was fast enough for me.

bareyb

Here she is in her current state. Just ordered some Schwalbe Marathon Tires and an 11-32 Freewheel for higher top speed.

Bizman

It looks really nice, how's she working for you now? I knew you had some problems and I hope you got them worked out!