Chapter Ten : Component and Accessory Review

I spent an hour doing this last Saturday, pushed the preview button and it went off to cyber heaven. Just my luck I didn't save and all was lost. I will attempt to reconstruct this chapter but I don't think it will be quite the same. Here goes....

It's been near a month since my initial completion of the Blast ebike phase one. Of course the weather has been a mix of snow, wind and rain with around four half decent days thrown in. I've been using the Blast to go to the bank, post office and some for grocery getting, all in all the ebike portion has done what I have asked of it. Yet to try to crest any of the real killer hills but will attempt after a few more battery cycles and a bit more brush seating. The old girl seems to be getting more peppy with each mile. Break in I suppose. I still think the current version of the elation kit may need to be geared down for my application but I'll decide after attempting some serious hill climbs. Allan said to hold off on any mods for a month or four.

The rack installation went smoothly after I got some V brake pivot studs to screw the brackets to and made a couple of spacers to clear the frame and disc brake caliper. About a half inch one for the drive side and about one and three quarters inch on the brake side, installed down where the rack bolts to the drop outs. The rack legs were spread a bit to fit it. That rack is very solid and can handle the rated 60 pounds with ease. I don't have a proper set of bags yet so I bungie cord an old milk crate to it and fill it up. A typical load is a 20 pound kitty litter, gallon of milk, 12 pack of sodas plus the usual food stuffs. Loading it is made easier due to the Esge double leg stand, a rock solid combination. The stand is also a handy work stand as it holds the bike up quite well when servicing components.

I also trimmed the fender struts and this cleaned up the last of the loose ends. As for my Continental 26x2.1 Town and Country tires at around 25 mph I noticed a vibration and squirming sensation from the rear wheel on my last short hop. Got home and looked at the rear tire, yikes it had a separation and big lump after less than 300 miles. Not sure what to do about it. Replace it or replace both with something else. Think I'll see if Performance Bike will do a warranty swap before I decide. Disappointed in the tires to say the least!

Here's the accessory score card:

Old Man Mountain Red Rock rack and Esge double leg stand excellent heavy duty products. If you are in the market for either pay the extra and buy these, you won't be disappointed.

The Planet Bike Speed Ezee fenders are also quite functional and can be made to fit around disc brakes. Also a solid buy if you're looking for mud guards.

Nitto Albatross bars are comfortable and of excellent quality, if you ride upright, try them you'll like them, another good buy.

Ergo The Seat easy on the prostate and way better than the SDG Satellite wedgie I had on there. If you have a more sensitive behind maybe the lycra soft foam version would be better.

The Minoura Space grip is also a solid problem solver. You could use several of these to mount headlights, computers, tail lights and who knows what else.

The jury is still out on those tires though. Right now I'd give them a no buy recommendation due to the premature failure of the rear.

There you have it six keepers and one potential loser, use care in selecting your parts and save the receipts, just in case.

I still may add a drainbrain to get some objective data and a speedometer. Hopefully the weather will improve a bit so I can take her out and see what she can really do. After I replace the rear tire of course.

That's all for now.