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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[-] dgriffith@aussie.zone 3 points 7 months ago

Most controllers are universal for all countries so they can usually be configured for all sorts of things. Find the model number of your controller first.

Aside from wires that can be cut there could also be a sequence of steps you can do with the display buttons and thumb controller to allow thumb control only.

Aside from that, if you can get into the controller settings you can change the size of the wheels. Smaller wheels will make the walk assist faster but it will reduce the top governed speed of the bike and make the speedo read wrong, but it could be a quick fix.

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

Thanks for replying :)

I didn't think to try searching for the controller, I've been searching for mods on the bike model >.<

So far I've only found the basic settings, but they do include changing the wheel size. Ideally I don't want to do it that way, as like you say, it affects other things too. I'll have a look at the controller over the weekend and see what I can do with it.

Thanks again :)

this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2024

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