Hi, Bob. I'm glad you're mostly pleased with the bike.
Originally Posted by
BobV13
The first I hope is only a derailer adjustment where the chain seems to have rubbed the motor housing while on the inner most gear. Secondly while coasting I feel a rubbing of sort form the rear wheel. This is most easily detected while no assist or generation is being given. I want to say that it might be the breaks rubbing the rear rim. I’ll put the bike on my own bike stand to check it out and make adjustments in the next few days.
I'd be proactive in correcting the derailer setup if the chain is rubbing the hub motor. You'll probably be able to see it when the bike is on the stand. I'm sure you'll find the cause of the "rubbing while coasting" then, too.
Flash back to the battery not charging on Thursday. The charger was at fault and meanwhile they have lent me their charger from their demo bike.
Good. I've heard of a couple of BionX chargers dead out of the box, but the replacements, and the others I know of, seem to work for a long time without problems.
Back to the bike, its ride and performance, overall I’m happy. I used to riding a mid-grade Fuji road bike with flat bars that is not unlike the Trek FX+. The FX+ has a few rattles I did not expect and need to fix. I want a quiet bike. The shifters were smooth although “grannie gear” seemed unusable due to the needed derailer adjustment I’ve already mentioned.
Yeah. I hate rattles, too. But you almost always have to find and fix 'em yourself, unless you want to drive the LBS guys nuts. You'll likely do a more thorough job, anyway.
After you adjust the rear derailer, you'll have to tweak the front, anyway, so be sure to do the rear first.
I was a little surprised at my and the bike performance as measured in average speed but maybe I should not have been. There was very little improvement in overall speed but my ability to ride longer was enhanced significantly. The bike has the effect of flattening out the ride while using both assists and generation modes. It’s easier going up the hills but I’m no longer just coasting down them and that’s exactly what I was going for when I purchased this bike.
That's my experience, too. I don't go any faster, overall, but those hills are a lot more comfortable and I'm much less tired at the end of longer rides.
Kalliergo, what additional precautions do you take with you to guard against rear flats? Do you carry special tools? Do you use special tires and/or tubes? Am I going to be S.O.L.? In your estimation is a rear flat fixable on the road?
Well. . . I did a simulated tube replacement in the living room when the bike was new. Frankly, it was a real pain and I want to avoid doing it by the side of the road as much as possible. I put Schwalbe Marathons on the bike for maximum puncture protection and there's Slime in the tubes. The tires aren't cheap, but they last a long time and they really are very puncture-resistant. The only "unusual" tool I carry is a pedal wrench, which fits the axle nuts. I'm prepared to pull the wheel on the road, if I have to, but I might call for a ride instead, depending on circumstances and my mood/condition.
You probably have the same warning in your little Ride+ manual that I have: If you need to remove the rear wheel, Trek recommends you take the bike to your dealer. It seems ridiculous, but it probably isn't, for most riders. There's a lot of extra fiddling involved on these bikes, getting the torque close to right is pretty important and it would be easy to end up with a power or control cable in the way of spokes or (on my bike) a brake disc.
Of course, if you can just pop the tire off on one side and find and fix the puncture, it's no harder than any other bike, except for fenders, rack, etc. getting in the way.
The Bike computer has a flaw and it’s a major one if you want/need to track trip distance in miles. The silly thing lets you switch from kilometers to miles for viewing instantaneous speeds but the distance and average speed remain in kilometers.
I think you have a slightly different controller than I do, but I remember discussions about this. I think it's changeable in programming. Your dealer should have a "Bicycle Interface Box" to go between computer and controller and a BionX program that allows setting a bunch of parameters easily. If not, many of them can be set by combinations of button-presses on the controller itself. I'll see if I can find links to some online explanations.
One last thought. I think that maybe I should have purchased the “girl’s” or step through model. I’m used to kicking my right leg up and over the seat then swinging it over rear tire to mount and dismount the bike. But now with the rear battery rack it’s no longer an easy feat.
Right. I've had to teach myself to lean the bike quite a bit more toward myself as I mount. Partly because the rack is pretty high and partly because my leg doesn't
go as high as it used to.
On the whole, it's pretty nice to flatten out those hills a bit, isn't it?