Electric Quest

JimA

New Member
My 26" quest is electrified! Had the CAv3 ezee system installed and the battery came in Wednesday. I got it adjusted and went riding last night. Works great. Haven't got the pas modes working but love that cruise control - just set a pass level on the fly. Like the batt voltage info as well as ah used as I ride.
 

Frisard

Active Member
My 26" quest is electrified! Had the CAv3 ezee system installed and the battery came in Wednesday. I got it adjusted and went riding last night. Works great. Haven't got the pas modes working but love that cruise control - just set a pass level on the fly. Like the batt voltage info as well as ah used as I ride.
Got any pics?
 

JimA

New Member
Will have to get a pic or two.

On vacation with biking every morning. The set up works great although I don't yet have the new beta firmware so can have different pas levels. But with the base pas level either on or off and the cruise control, not sure I need the multiple pas levels. The motor gears are close to break-in and are getting quiet. That was a concern I had but looks to be no problem.
 

Frisard

Active Member
Will have to get a pic or two.

On vacation with biking every morning. The set up works great although I don't yet have the new beta firmware so can have different pas levels. But with the base pas level either on or off and the cruise control, not sure I need the multiple pas levels. The motor gears are close to break-in and are getting quiet. That was a concern I had but looks to be no problem.
What I like about the multiple PAS levels is the flexibility when you may need it going up hills with a load.
Right now just for riding around the level one in 18th gear is way more than enough.
The 500w motor I have is way too much power. There are many times when I shut the power off, so that I can enjoy simple old peddling.
 

Patineto

New Member
I thought I'd join in on this CB Utility e-bike party. I just did a re-mod of my e-assist Sofrider which has been in operation for 2 years. The new mod is the return to freerider bars (love to open cockpit) and the addition of what I call a cockpit fairing. The fairing was a Zipper brand originally bought by me in 1997 for my first recumbent. The project floundered and the fairing stored until a few days ago when I cut it up to make this abreviated version; good for keeping electronics dry and a measure of aero efficiency and comfort. The front hub is Nuvinci CVT, the rear a geared motor creating a dual throttled machine that when operated in concert make for very quick acceleration. A low eco-footprint, hi value transport machine is my aim. The CB utility bikes rival their performance bikes, IMO, as break-thru bike-design innovations; the best of both worlds, DF and bents.View attachment 3822
So where is the TRIPLE LIKE button..???
 

kdc

Member
Hi everyone. I'm new to CruzBike and electric assist but I'm hoping you can help me find some answers. I'm enjoying learning to ride my Q559 and I think it has some great potential (once I figure it out a bit more!) But I'd love to use it as a commuting bike this summer in Colorado. The commute is about 12 miles one way and I have to deal with some pretty intense hills. It was hard for me when I was on my DF, younger, and stronger. So I'm hoping to set up my bike for just a bit of help when I need it. I'm also commuting with a small suitcase every day.

Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated.
 

rx7mark

Guru
You might look at Electric bike solutions, they have a complete kit designed just for the Cruzbike T50. Your Quest is close enough to a T50, it should work as well. I don't know how it compares on performance, cost, value, etc, but it would be convenient. If you try this, or another option, please report back on you experience.

See: https://gocarlite.com/electric-t50-cruzbike/
 

Daniel Cote

New Member
I am also a Quest V1.0 , AND a Softrider V1.0 owner, that is how I know that the Silvio V1.0 and especially the S30 is faster!
I have ridden the Softrider 1,600 km, with 3 Ortlieb bags, using Hostels for overnight stays, around the South Island of the LITTLE island near us, with Kiwi birds on it, as seen on my photo outside the Cardrona Pub!

The Quest was used in USA to cycle 2,800 km from Canada to Mexico in 2011 on a Van supported ride with ACA, hence a small bag for waterproofs, leg warmers, tools and tubes.

The Silvio V1.0 was used to cycle 3,500 km across the Rockies twice in Canada and USA on Van supported rides with Cycle Canada (Best), Cycle America (Worst), and Cycle Oregon (very Good).
The Arkel rack bag, and rack were very good for van supported rides, but I am in the SLOW process of adding 16 mm dia. AL supports from the frame to the rear of the Arkel rack so I can carry 3 Ortlieb bags again, behind the rider! I will do the same for the S30. Once I found the Arkel Randonneur rack could be fitted with one hole drilled in the seat back, i stopped ridding the other bikes, which had racks, as the Silvio, for me was MUCH faster and HEAPS better ride over the VERY rough South Australia bike tracks, and minor roads!

The Disk brakes on the Softrider (added) and the Quest are magic compared to the rim brakes on the Silvio v1.0,, and that is a major reason for the S30 + the 28 degree seat back!

The Quest was modified with drop bars and brifters to make it as close to the Silvio V1.0 as possible, before the 2013 trip to USA and Canada, but the Silvio Air bag suspension, direct slider and boom, and and 700 wheels won out over the Disk brakes!

I will attempt to change the Quest boom/slider to Emaljay's arrangement, once I can find a tube expander for the 1 1/16" ID boom, to expand it out to 1 1/8" to dramatically stiffen up the Quest power triangle.
View attachment 4868

View attachment 4866 View attachment 4867

thanks for the pic share, I'm working out a setup to go touring in Canada myself, and because i've experienced some front end slippage in some trail climbs i'm upgrading to a stiffer air shock and trying to keep the panier weight forward as possible so i got a couple 40L bags that hang from each side to join under the seat which seams ideal so far

(in case you are wondering, what you see above the backrest is an other backrest from a motorcycle seat which i found to be a much needed support for my upper back (i'm 6'tall) otherwise the backrest only goes up halfway up my back) I also had to add a riser for the handlebars and switch out to the longer tube in front to extend the whole thing up.

The next idea i have to to switch out the seat and backrest completely to hang a sort of hammock seat from the front to an taller extension of the back support to be suspended and cradle my entire width from under my arms to my thighs. I found that after an 80k ride my back and butt were pretty soar.

upload_2019-4-17_15-44-48.png
 

super slim

Zen MBB Master
I think the seat base should move forward (to keep to same weight on the front wheel), and the seat back more inclined to about 35 degrees if possible, to reduce the weight on your butt.
 

Romagjack

Well-Known Member
Ok, I'm ready to electrify my Quest. But, all I really need assist for is starting from a dead stop at stop signs (just enough to get my feet comfortably "clipped" onto the pedals, slow tight turns, and an occasional hill assist. I wouldn't even need the PAS. I could probably get by with a 250 w motor and a Luna Wolf Pup (52v 4ah mini battery that could easily mount with a magnets to the seatback as it is not much bigger than a water bottle.) https://lunacycle.com/wolf-pup/ I figure the motor would only be used for a few minutes during my usual 2 hour ride.
Looking for comments and suggestions on an ebike kit that would work with this battery. Most of the 48v kits seem to come with 500w motors.
 

rx7mark

Guru
Why not the Electric Bike Solutions T50 kit I linked above. It comes with 2 different battery options, the smaller one sounds like exactly what you are after, though not the exact battery, I think their batteries are frame mounted.
 
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Romagjack

Well-Known Member
I contacted Electric Bike Solutions and was told the 36v smaller kit with 350 w motor would work with the 52v Luna Wolf Pup battery with some modifications. I will do a little more research but that was good news.
 

Romagjack

Well-Known Member
I just installed a Hilltopper Sprinter Kit on my Q-559 as I’m getting older and dead starts and hills were becoming an issue. I’ve always liked the dual suspension and the Sram Dual Drive on the Q.

I put the variable speed thumb throttle on the left handlebar where I can use it in conjunction with the Sram dual drive on the right handlebar. Since the throttle is a thumb drive, it's easy to use the brake lever at the same time when necessary. It quickly becomes instinctive on tight turns, hills, and dead starts which are the bane of recumbents. There is no sensor at the pedals, you just use the throttle as needed. "All wheel drive” is very helpful on steep hills. Both the ingenious removable bottle style battery (36V – 5.4 ah) and a bottle cage fit easily onto the back of the Q’s seatback and it is very stealthy. The 250w motor is very smooth and more than enough power for my purposes. There is no LED readout to tell how much battery juice you have left but I still had juice after a recent 25-mile ride. I could purchase another 3 pound battery for longer rides. I did have to replace the Avid BB5 140 brake rotor with a larger rotor and adapter because the smaller rotor interfered with the spokes.
IMG_7742.JPG IMG_7744.JPG
 

agfrag

Member
Romagjack, I was pondering the same conversion. I changed out my rear disk to 160mm, is that what you used?
 

Romagjack

Well-Known Member
Agfrag, I went with a 203mm but could have gone smaller. I think the 160mm should be fine as the motor is quite small. The power cable from the motor actually comes out of the axle and I was able to run the cable on the inside of the rear frame - very stealthy and you have to look hard to tell it is an electric bike. I really like the conversion, especially the smooth variable throttle when tackling hills and taking tight turns. After a few weeks using the assist, it's hard to believe I didn't do it sooner.
 

agfrag

Member
Thanks Romagjack!
One more question, did you notice any drag due the the hub motor when you're not using any power? My understanding is that some do have noticeable drag, and some don't. I wouldn't expect much from such a small motor, but am curious if you experienced anything.
 

Romagjack

Well-Known Member
Agfrag, there is zero drag from motor as it is a geared motor as opposed to direct drive. The battery and motor add about 13 lbs. to the bike so I generally compensate by using the throttle along with pedal power when climbing hills, but the added weight of the bike is an advantage when descending. Also, the larger rear disc brake rotor seems to add some braking power for the heavier bike when it starts speeding up on those downhill runs.
 
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