Topic
Maintenance Tips
Keep the motor quiet and the range honest.
ALSO TM-B: At 4 Percent the Assist Was Gone
Electrek, 29 October 2026, reports that Launch Edition owner Aaron Draczynski ran an ALSO TM-B down on purpose. From 23 percent to 13, the max assist fell from level 8 to 5. At 4 percent the assist was gone and the bike shifted by itself. He called the last state Infinite Turtle Mode: flat ground felt like fourth gear, a hill like seventh or eighth. Left near 70 percent, the bike read 40 that evening and 18 the next day, then asked him to install a battery that was already in. Seventy minus 18 is 52 percentage points. This desk does not have the watt-hours, so that is not a drain in watt-hours. There is no chain from the pedals to the wheel.
OCT 31, 2026
How to Clean an E-Bike Without Damaging It
Bosch's maintenance page says remove the battery and the display, then never use a steam jet or a high-pressure cleaner, because water can enter the drive. A garden hose is a different machine. IPX5, the rating on some hubs, is a 6.3 mm test jet at about 30 kPa, which is about 4.4 psi. A washer advertised at 2,000 psi is about 13,800 kPa. That is roughly 460 times the test pressure. Dry the contacts before the pack goes back, and keep chain lube off the rotor. This desk did not wash a bike for this page.
OCT 30, 2026
How to Charge an E-Bike Battery: 62 of 106 Fires Started Plugged In
CPSC staff, in the June 2026 proposal, found fire in 106 of 145 e-bike investigations. Sixty-two of those 106 started while the bike was charging. Sixty-two divided by 106 is 0.58. Of 19 e-bike fire deaths, only 2 were filed as while charging. Be in the room. Use the brick that came with the bike. Unplug it when it is done. Do not sleep on it.
OCT 12, 2026
E-Bike Battery Gauges: 0% Still Runs the Light
Bosch says a flashing 0% has stopped the motor and left power for the light. Ride1Up, on a page last changed 13 February 2024, prints two different five-number charts for a 48-volt pack and does not say which number is one bar. A percent built from voltage is not watt-hours left. This desk did not meter a ride.
OCT 11, 2026
E-Bike Tires: The Size on the Sidewall, Not the Pretty Name
A 29er and a 700c share a 622-millimeter bead and are not the same tire. Four inches is about 102 millimeters. Pressure is the range printed on that casing. Schwalbe’s E-50 mark is a European approval for machines up to 50 km/h, not a US class sticker.
OCT 7, 2026
E-Bike Troubleshooting Guide
A dead e-bike is usually the pack, a brake lever held in, or a loose plug. Check those before a new motor. Heat, swelling, or a burnt smell means stop.
OCT 4, 2026
E-Bike Motors: The Complete Guide
A hub turns the wheel and ignores the gears. A mid-drive turns the chainring and uses them. Nominal watts are not peak watts. Newton-meters at the axle are not newton-meters at the crank.
OCT 2, 2026
E-Bike Batteries: Everything You Need to Know
The tank is volts times amp-hours. A label that also prints watt-hours is a second sentence. UL 2849 is the bike. UL 2271 is the pack. The charger has to match the series count.
SEP 30, 2026
E-Bike Tire Pressure: Read the Sidewall
The PSI number is printed on the tire. A thumb squeeze is not a gauge. Fat tires run lower on purpose and still have a range. Soft tires spend watt-hours.
SEP 27, 2026
E-Bike Brakes: Complete Guide
Hydraulics once bike plus rider is about 250 lb or the speed is 20. Rotors step 160, 180, 203. Two pistons on a commuter. Four and a bigger disc on cargo, e-MTB, and e-motos. A bleed is a shop job.
SEP 26, 2026
E-Biking in Fall 2026: Equinox Guide
Fall starts 8:05 p.m. EDT tonight. Nights lengthen. Lithium sags. Wet leaves are ice. Florida is still hurricane season. Lights, range, pads, and a kit that is not a catalog.
SEP 22, 2026
Sur-Ron Light Bee X: Everything You Need to Know
2026 MY26 is 10 kW, 72V 35Ah, 130 lb, claimed 50 mph. It is an e-moto, not a Class 3. The aftermarket is still the second bike.
SEP 20, 2026
UL 2849, Chargers, and the Kit That Keeps a Pack from Becoming a Fire
NYC made certification law. The CPSC wants it federal. Charge with the matched brick.
SEP 16, 2026
E-Bike Battery Fires: Risk, Causes & Prevention
CPSC counted 19 e-bike fire deaths in 13 incidents (2017–2024). NYC deaths fell after UL law, not because lithium got nicer. Matched charger, UL 2849, don’t block the exit.
SEP 15, 2026
How to Test a Used Motor
Smell, spin, ohms, then halls. A Marketplace ‘strong motor’ is not a spec sheet. Walk away before you buy a rusted stator and a melted plug.
SEP 13, 2026
Advanced Controller Tuning
Phase amps are torque. Battery amps are the pack’s throat. Field weakening is extra RPM you pay for in heat. The app is not a dyno, and it is not a Class 2.
SEP 12, 2026
The Ebike Mods We Actually Like
Tires, lights, locks, sintered pads, pegs. Not a 72-volt Amazon controller on a Class 2. Two lists: bicycles that stay legal, and e-motos that get faster on purpose.
SEP 11, 2026
E-Bike Maintenance: The Complete Guide
Pre-ride to annual: chain, belt, brakes, tires, battery, torque, firmware. Mid-drives eat chains. Never pressure-wash the motor. At your own risk — a shop does bleeds and Bosch crates.
SEP 11, 2026
What's So Great About Sur-Ron Brakes
Four-piston 203 mm hydraulics and five-level regen on a 10 kW trail bike. Great versus a Tuttio. Not great versus a motorcycle. The aftermarket is the actual product.
SEP 10, 2026
Understanding E-Bike Power: Watts, Volts, Amps & Torque
Watts are power. Peak is a few seconds. Nominal is the legal number. Torque is the shove. Compare spec sheets on those four, not a 2000W Amazon title.
SEP 10, 2026
Understanding Volts, Amps, and Watt-Hours
Voltage is pressure. Amps are flow. Watt-hours are the tank. The hangtag that only says 750W is selling you one of those three.
SEP 9, 2026
Hub Motor vs Mid-Drive: Which Should You Buy?
Hub ignores the gears. Mid-drive uses them. Hills, cargo, range-per-Wh, chain bills, and the $1,500 line where the answer actually changes.
SEP 8, 2026
Ebike Motors in 2026: Bosch, Shimano, Specialized, Hubs
The 3.1, the CX, EP8, and the 750W hub that still fills the aisle.
SEP 8, 2026
Fall Ebike Kit: Lights, Layers, and a Battery That Hates Cold
Lithium sags in the cold. Drivers still need to see you at 5:40 p.m.
SEP 6, 2026