Can I mod my ebike (UK)? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 7 months ago by Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/micromobility@lemmy.world

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Hi all :)

I've just bought a Vitesse Force ebike. It was second hand, but brand new as the previous owner bid on two separate auctions and won both (he's someone I trust, so I believe him). Other than a few tweaks, the bike is great, but I want to make it even better if possible.

The main thing I want to change is the walk assist speed. As I understand it, in the UK we can't have powered ebikes, they can only move very slowly when you're not pedalling. I tested the speed yesterday, and on a slope it's barely fast enough to stay upright.

The main reason that I bought an ebike is because I'm disabled and overweight, and live in the middle of a load of hills. I'm hoping to get the walk assist speed up just high enough to get me up a hill to the nearest flat cycle path so that I can ride, or home again afterwards if I've overdone it. For now I can't pedal continuously for long enough to get to the top, and the pedal assist stops when I stop.

The other thing I'm curious about changing is the number of gears. The bike is a seven speed, but I've never used an ebike before, so I don't know if that's enough for when I want to turn the pedal assist off.

The bike is here for anyone interested:

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16183641/vitesse-force-mtb-wm-electric-bike-16183641

I'd be grateful for any advice :)

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[-] username_unavailable@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

Some bikes have a "cutoff" signal wire you can cut which is a cheap option. If you're researching your bike and find "don't cut this wire" photo, consider that you shouldn't cut any wires and ask why they singled this one out.

You can likely find the controller in the frame and if you cannot find a guide for modifications otherwise, swapping that out for one that's from China or otherwise unrestricted should be a solid way to get the best out of the motor and all.

I'm fat, like very, especially by EU standards, so I added a second motor and controller to mine. Both have a thumb throttle so I can "go" without pedaling when I turn that option on in software.

[-] Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 7 months ago

Thanks for replying :)

I've been down a rabbit hole loking for more information on this, and haven't found any definitive information yet. I'm not even 100% sure what motor it has. I think it's a Bafang, but I'm going to have to have a play over the next few days and start unscrewing things...

I did just find a possible solution here:

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?p=1717581&sid=185a5feb526da8aff31dcfd02a486318#p1717581

but that's for a Bafang motor, and I'm assuming that as the poster is in the UK, that they mean the walk assist button for the throttle.

this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2024

11 points (100.0% liked)

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