Monday, June 16, 2014

Tidalforce iOX front disc brake upgrade

Since the black Tidalforce iOX Cruiser's front battery hub is dead, I thought I'd swap out the front wheel with a disc wheel with the Schwalbe Big Apple tires while I fix the front hub battery. Since the wheel does not have a caliper brake rim, I had to install front disc brakes on the iOX. It wasn't difficult. I had to go to my local bike shop to get a brake cable cut to length but that's all that was required. The wheel already had a 203mm disc rotor installed. I used the appropriate adapter for the Avid BB7 disc brakes and the bike was upgraded in no time.

I like the look of the iOX with the new wheel. It looks sleeker and lighter.



Monday, June 9, 2014

RIding impressions of the Tidalforce iO Step-through cruiser

I decided to take my newly assembled Tidalforce iO Step-through bike to work since I rarely have the opportunity to ride it after work and on the weekends. I keep it in the securely locked and watched bike storage locker at work. The day that I rode, the weather was perfectly. Warm, but not muggy and the sun was overcast.

Like all Tidalforce bikes, the iO Step-through (iOSt) has a perfectly silent motor and the ride is as smooth as silk. The riding position is very upright and kind of reminds me of an old-fashioned european bicycle. You're meant to ride it strictly for leisure and not for speed. The seat is a bit slippery so I tended to have to center myself every once in a while. I need to fine-tune the seat height and handlebar position more.

I used my Bosch Fat Pack with only 3 of the packs so theoretically had 6Ah of power. I used up 4 according to the Cycle Analyst and it still felt very strong. I rode in both regular (12.5mph) and Turbo modes (19.5mph). The regen worked as advertised and did a great job as both a braking device and power generator.

Overall, I look forward to more rides to get a break from the office.

More later,
Ambrose