trapezeartist

The MX bike has no gearbox, but the trials bike has. Putting a gearbox on an electric trials bike has a rationale that is still lost on me. The MX motor is liquid cooled and the trials bike isn't. Now that makes more sense as the MX motor will have to work far harder. Presumably the batteries are different too, due to their very different service conditions. So not a lot in common, really.

Thanks konrad. I tried that search and the only doubled-ended male-to-female cables are from AliExpress, and they are only 20cm long. I haven't measured yet but I need about 1 metre. The pre-wired connectors are on order so that is likely to be the route I go. While I'm waiting for the postman to walk all the way from China I will look out for a suitable IP-rated switch that could be mounted in the under-seat position as an alternative solution. I don't know if the TKO switch will function on the move. I hadn't considered it before but it offers an intriguing possibility if it does. My main objection is the fact that a switch designed to be mounted on a straight bit of tube is mounted on a bend, so mud and water can get into the back of the switch.

It seems to me that the Factor-e may be a step too far. Despite watching and reading all the blurb, I really can't see that the gearbox is an advantage for most people. It might be an advantage on the SSDT just to give you a higher cruising speed on the road, but that's about it. In any other situation it just seems to be a move in the opposite direction to every other electric vehicle on the planet. I was speaking to the Inch Perfect van driver the other day who seemed to be a faithful employee but not a salesman. He has ridden the Factor-e enough to know, but would spend his own money on a 2025 ePure Race.

I've just bought an ex-school 2023 ePure Race from Inch Perfect. It looks beautiful and I'm generally very happy with it, but like any secondhand (or even new) bike there are one or two things to sort out. I'm not impressed with the way the TKO switch is mounted. It's awkwardly inaccessible and is mounted on a curved bit of frame tube so it doesn't fit well. As a consequence mud and water can get into the back of the switch, which has happened. I'm thinking of putting it on the handlebars instead. Has anyone else tried that? It would require a two wire extension about 1 metre long (I haven't measured it yet) with male and female connectors. I can find pre-wired connectors with short tails which I could use but that would entail soldering in a section in the middle which I would like to avoid if possible. Any ideas where I could get a pre-made extension?

¡Holá! Bienvenidos.

I feel your pain. I have created an app to quickly find a defibrillator in an emergency. I have loaded information for all the defies near me but I need other people to act as local admins to add info for their own area. It's https://defib-map.co.uk if anyone cares to have a go.

It definitely sounds like a bad connection somewhere. I'd suggest going through every connector, visual inspection, contact cleaner, then dielectric grease (around the plug, not on the metal bits) and a double check that the connector is back together properly afterwards.

I find rear brakes lacking in feel on any bike. Stiff soled boots just don't transit any information through to your foot, but at least on an EM you can hear what the back tyre is doing. I am really tempted by the idea of putting a left-hand rear brake on my '21 Race but the combination of FRB and rear brake is just about good enough to stop me bothering (so far).

Good idea. Well done!

"Primarily unknown. I've never seen one.

Where in Spain are you? Catalunya is the epicentre of trials.

Funny: yes, that describes my riding. Exotic: maybe not. 🤣

I'm so disappointed. I was thinking that every bike should be fitted with a fun module. 😆

It would be reasonable to assume that the new motor and battery offer advantages regardless of the gearbox (weight, cost, bulk) so it would be crazy not to use them on the Race too.

That's what we need here in the UK. I think that would work well. It all depends a bit on your definition of "difficult" but I could imagine that working right up to Trial GB. Obviously marker flags and rider numbers should use colours to match.

I've noticed that some of our colonial cousins quote the type of route they ride as if it is a standard format. If only we could have something like that in the UK! Every club seems to have a different idea of hard, easy, clubman, sportsman, novice, beginner, gentleman, etc. Most clubs use red/blue for the "main route" but that could be the hardest or the middle route and the use of white and yellow is all over the place. I've also seen red and blue as separate routes. Finally, some clubs mark out deviations from the main route while others mark out all routes in their entirety. Wouldn't it be nice if all clubs worked to a standardised system, at least up to Centre Championship level? (I don't think there is such a problem at Trial GB level.)

That's a definite new piston and re-nikasil. Having said that, there were plenty of times back in the distant past (about 1980!) when I got a seized kart engine back out for the next race by judicious application of wet'n'dry to the piston and barrel. But it did go for a hone and new piston the following week.

Richard Allen would probably have them.

Part of the reason I am so particular over cleaning pads and discs is because I use WD40. I don't think the WD40 is the cause of the problem as I think you are implying.

You can also make putting the wheel in easier by temporarily putting a cable-tie between the pads to hold them apart.

Never used it before that first time mentioned in my original post. But it's not something I want to do before every trial. Anyway, last trial I used an old set of pads and didn't use the brake cleaner. That worked. For the future I shall continue to scuff the pads with abrasive, but wipe them off with dry paper and put them straight in. I'll still use brake cleaner on the discs because I use a lot of WD40 for cleaning, but I'll abrade them afterwards, not before. Hopefully that should see the job OK.

Yes, every trial. It's something I've done ever since I raced cars and karts as they were very prone to glazing when burbling back to the paddock with hot brakes. I've continued the procedure with the trials bike because I always find a film of dried mud on the face of the pads. It's interesting that you would point your finger at the brake cleaner. The can is nearly empty so it has been used successfully quite a few times and the problem has only appeared at the last two trials. I've just re-prepped the bike and put the old pads back in so I'll see what they are like. Before the weekend I'll also have a sneaky ride down the road to check the brake beforehand.

When I had my Beta 250 (UK spec) I was tempted to do the opposite, just to find out the answer to your question. I never did though. The issue I did find with the heavy flywheel was that on up-changes the bike slowed down faster than the engine so gear changes were clunky and unsynchronised. Obviously it didn't affect trials performance but I did find it ugly.

I agree with timdog. Just one small thing to add. On slow turns using the front brake is likely to cause it to slip away from you because it is at an extreme angle to the direction of drive and is already reluctant to roll. Except on an uphill turn I would use a bit of rear brake so that the motor has to work against it all the time. That way the only thing you need to control your speed is to modulate the throttle. Otherwise you may find yourself trying to flip between a touch of throttle, then a touch of brake, and that's much more difficult.

I've recently found a problem with lack of braking power on the front of my Electric Motion. First, a little bit of background: I've had the bike for three years and this problem has just started. The front brake is a braktec monobloc. My normal procedure between trials is to abrade both pads and disc with wet'n'dry and clean with brake cleaner. Three trials ago I fitted new Galfer red pads. For the first trial they worked fine. At both of the next two I found that the braking power was very weak. Although it was something I had never done before, and was a bit sceptical about, I rode up and down a bit with the front brake on to heat it up, then sprayed it with water. It was hot enough to hiss and generate quite a lot of steam. Thankfully this procedure seemed to get the brake working adequately but it's going to be a bit of a pain if I have to do that every trial. Does anyone have any thoughts? Just to confirm, the hydraulics have not been disturbed and the lever feels just as firm as ever. If I don't find any other solution I think I will put back the old pads for the next trial and see if they are any better.