I’ve lastly gotten my recumbent again on the highway in electric-assist mode. This turned out to be fairly an odyssey. I pursued two parallel approaches. First I attempted to repair the wheel with damaged spokes It seems you will get customized spoke lengths on-line so I acquired replacements in 228 mm. Then I swapped out the 5 damaged spokes with new ones, and tried to tighten them by really feel in order that they matched their neighbors.The wheel appeared fairly true so I took it for a journey to attempt it out. It was badly out of spherical, which means there was a really noticeable up and down movement of the entrance wheel. So I took the wheel into my native bike store. They have been unable to repair it as a result of they discovered there was a everlasting bend to the rim inflicting a flat spot. Do not forget that I had first found 5 damaged spokes directly. No matter I did, like hit a extremely dangerous pothole, that popped the 5 spokes will need to have additionally bent the rim.

In order that wheel should be rebuilt. This isn’t one thing they do at my native store so I’m nosing round for a customized wheel builder. Alternatively I may simply get a reasonable truing stand and a brand new rim, and rebuild the wheel myself. This doesn’t look too tough for the usual “two-cross” methodology based mostly on what I’ve learn and seen in movies.

Happily, there was the parallel path. Final November, the makers of my ebike package, Swytchbike had an excellent sale on their kits. I wished to get some spare batteries, and it turned out that with the sale a substitute package was no dearer than simply getting the batteries, so I ordered one. When it arrived a number of months later I put its batteries into service however set the package apart. I lastly acquired round to attempting becoming it on my recumbent once I had the damaged spoke downside. Sadly the wheel didn’t fairly match within the dropout slots on the bike. I contacted customer support, they usually advised me I used to be outdoors there return window (that’s what occurs once you wait two months earlier than really attempting a product). However happily I may simply file the wheel so it suits within the dropouts (for which that they had a short video). This turned out to be fairly a exercise. I feel my proper arm is greater than my left after the submitting. It was very satisfying when it lastly match.

The brand new wheel labored like a champ plugged into my present controller. The one adjustment was setting the wheel measurement on the controller to twenty″ as an alternative of 26″. I took the bike for a take a look at journey and it was pleasant.

This matches the configuration of my earlier recumbent, the 26-20 Bacchetta Giro. I had forgotten how snug that was. So that is my journey for the foreseeable future, although I’ll contemplate to pursue getting the 26″ motor wheel rebuilt.