eMTB Fixes About to cross the Rubicon 18 June 2021

The ebike I built (see link below) mostly worked quite well. Having started out as a 2016 XL 29 inch Merida Big NINE, it was great on a flat using zero Pedal Assist (PA), and it could provide the extra power required to get me up hills I no longer wished to pedal up. With the carrier and extra battery fitted, and economic use of the batteries, I had a range of 140 kms.

There was however a problem, the chain ring would occasionally throw the chain. While I would then always stop and remount the chain, it was a nuisance to have to do so. (It was also embarrassing as the other eMTBs in our riding group never seemed to throw chains. Of course I also worried about the day arriving when the chain would jam to the extent that I would not be able to free it.

So I set about trying to solve the problem. First I remodelled the front derailleur that came on the bike, and was no longer required once the motor had been mounted. That was not pretty, but while it was not full-proof, it worked quite well. Next I then tried to construct my own chain tamer to better control the chain that was running onto the chain ring. It was flawed, and when you look at the images of it and the commercial equivalent, you will understand why. The tube has be able to move up and down in order to accommodate the largest and smallest cog on the cluster. So I remove it. Not sure why I did not try and improve it.

After several months with good and bad patches I decided I had had enough. So I first bought and fitted a chain guide. While it was a challenge to fit, it works quite well. However it is still not full proof. So I have now also fitted a Chain Tamer, and the latest setup is yet to be tested.

If this setup (Christmas Tree) fails, I will cut my losses and try to find someone with more patience and skill to buy the bike and try it out. I will also be in the market for a Giant eMTB.

Finally the, "'n Boer maak 'n plan" bit. To fit the Chain Tamer I had to break the chain. I did not have anything suitable and so given that I was born in Bloemfotein in what was then the Orange Free State province, I like any other self-respecting farmer, resort to some wire and a pair of pliers.

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01deDerailleur01.jpg *
02deChain01.jpg *	03dieBoerSePlan.jpg *
04R1400.jpg *

Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy a bicycle.

Some links

• Reduce chain slap and improve chain retention and frame protection - Chain Tamer
• Worldwide Cyclery - Why You Should Run a Chain Guide
• My eMTB build

If you have any comments, corrections, suggestions or plain criticism, I would appreciate it if you would communicate the same to me.

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www.robdempster.com