Starting light with a ZEEGR 2KW dual motor double suspension

[addertooth]

Decades ago, I was a competitive road racer. I typically competed in 25 and 50 mile races. But, that was DECADES ago. I do love riding bicycles, that drive has never left me.

My stepson got an EBike as a birthday present; it was delivered to my house. I charged the battery and assembled/tuned it for him. Like all decent craftsmen, I took it on a test drive. That was a big mistake; I was hooked.

His bike was a ZEEGR (private label from that major Chinese Manufacturer). It has a 1Kw rear Hub motor, front shocks, 26X4 fat tire, and a 48V 20AH battery. It uses PAS as well as a throttle. It was surprisingly good for a $1200 Ebike.

It was my starting point. I ended up ordering a ZEEGR 2Kw (S1) model, which had 1Kw front, and 1Kw rear hub motors. It has a slightly larger 48V 24.2 AH battery.
They called the model the S1, and almost immediately rebranded it to the SMLRO v3 model name. It is the exact same bike. I have now had it for about 2 days. It is a hoot. It fell short of the 35MPH promised, but it looks like they dialed it down in the controller. I am good with that, as a single 24.2 AH battery would be a bit light for powering two 1000 watt motors at 35MPH. I have picked up a second 48V 24.2 AH battery, and will be mounting it on the rear rack, and use a battery combiner with the pair of batteries. If all is well, then I may reprogram the controller for the "promised" 35MPH.

Yesterday (Friday), I took it to commute to work. I found myself riding much slower than the 31MPH it is capable of. I was wanting to see what it's power utilization would be like operating under PAS3, at 21 MPH. I had switched off the front Hub motor for further power reduction. It was a rather pleasant ride into work and gave me time to collect my thoughts and plan my day before I arrived. It put me in a good place to start my day. Yes, it will make a good commuter bike. Round trip was about ten miles, and it used about 1 out of 5 bars. Not too bad.

I may build a speed demon someday, but for now I am just enjoying the cruise. I will be happier when my saddlebags come in, and don't have to worry about strapping stuff to the rear rack of the bike.

 

[ElHegpah]

A 1,000 watt FRONT motor, on a suspension fork, AND a so-called "battery blender"????????

Good luck to you, and best wishes to your next of kin.

 

[addertooth]

A 1,000 watt FRONT motor, on a suspension fork, AND a so-called "battery blender"????????

Good luck to you, and best wishes to your next of kin.

Yep, since purchase I have read some of the threads which speak poorly of that factory design choice. Quite frankly, the front hub motor spends most its time switched off. The bike will happily run at 31 MPH using just the rear motor. They thoughtfully added a button to disengage the front hub motor. The second battery was purchased to get more range as the primary goal. I like the option of 25-30 miles at 31 MPH throttle-only. Thus far, I spend most the time in PAS3 mode (21 MPH) running only on the rear motor (no throttle).

Sometimes I will switch on the front motor when the bike is at a stop light, and cars are stacked up. This allows me to have better flow with the traffic in "higher risk" zones of traffic contention.

I could certainly see it as a critical problem for off-road riders, but this bike will be used as a street "commuter bike" as its primary function. For those who go dual motor off-road, while highly stressing the forks AND have a 1Kw motor under full power, does seem like an unacceptable risk.

There are several bikes which are being marketed these days which use dual 1Kw motors, perhaps they have made some headway on resolving this risk. I will have to dig deeper into your reasonable concern.

Back when I used to race, I rode bikes which were much more fragile (700c Mavic GP4 wheels with sew-up tires). Back then racers were obsessed with grams. We had a fatality at one mountain climb race on the downhill run when a rider had a catastrophic brake failure. He had lightened his brake assembly and it failed under stress. It seems almost hysterical that my current (heavy) bike can run at higher speeds with much less effort. Back then, the average speed for a 25-mile race was around 25 MPH for the entire one-hour race.

 

[EdToro]

I have the same bike. Mine has a rear shock which I had to swap with a 750lb one because it was way too stiff. I weigh 200 lbs. I also added a suspension post, set to it's most mushy setting so it can absorb the little bumps. It saves my spine. The name brand I got was Zeegr as well but I think all these bikes are made by SLMRO under different brand names. I ride on dirt trails and can get about 30 miles on PA2, which helps up to about 15mph.

I am able to get mine to 35mph on asphalt with the front motor turned on. No controller tweaking was required. Normally I only turn on the front motor when I need to power up a steep hill, deep mud, sand, and when I need to get through a road crossing fast. I try to leave it off when climbing hills unless my legs are completely gassed out. It eats a lot of battery to leave it on full time, and that way I get a nice muscle burn.

I tried a short ride set at PA1 and it saves a lot more battery life. PA1 goes to about 10mph. It also makes me work harder so I get a better workout. I'm thinking I can maybe squeak out 35 miles on PA1 but that's more guess than estimate. I find that if I use PA3 or higher I ghost pedal a lot. I really don't get much of a workout.

One thing I don't like is that it gives no power readings like amps used and voltage. These metrics give you a better way to gauge power usage and battery life. I also don't like that the bike is HEAVY. There is no way I could get this thing home under my own power if the battery died.

I paid $1500 + local sales tax. So far I'm pretty happy, but if I had to do it again, I might get a mid drive 500w bike. Right now the ReAspire Hurricane is looking interesting. Youtuber, TailHappyTV, has a good review. My state limits Ebikes to 500w motors and 20mph max speed. The reAspire looks like it can provide similar power in a more nimble package, and it's more legal in my state. I'm hoping I don't get nabbed by the five-oh for having 2x 1000W motors. I tend to ride very safely but they won't care. If they confiscate my bike then the ReAspire will be on the xmas list.

 

[addertooth]

I have the same bike. Mine has a rear shock which I had to swap with a 750lb one because it was way too stiff. I weigh 200 lbs. I also added a suspension post, set to it's most mushy setting so it can absorb the little bumps. It saves my spine. The name brand I got was Zeegr as well but I think all these bikes are made by SLMRO under different brand names. I ride on dirt trails and can get about 30 miles on PA2, which helps up to about 15mph.

I am able to get mine to 35mph on asphalt with the front motor turned on. No controller tweaking was required. Normally I only turn on the front motor when I need to power up a steep hill, deep mud, sand, and when I need to get through a road crossing fast. I try to leave it off when climbing hills unless my legs are completely gassed out. It eats a lot of battery to leave it on full time, and that way I get a nice muscle burn.

I tried a short ride set at PA1 and it saves a lot more battery life. PA1 goes to about 10mph. It also makes me work harder so I get a better workout. I'm thinking I can maybe squeak out 35 miles on PA1 but that's more guess than estimate. I find that if I use PA3 or higher I ghost pedal a lot. I really don't get much of a workout.

One thing I don't like is that it gives no power readings like amps used and voltage. These metrics give you a better way to gauge power usage and battery life. I also don't like that the bike is HEAVY. There is no way I could get this thing home under my own power if the battery died.

I paid $1500 + local sales tax. So far I'm pretty happy, but if I had to do it again, I might get a mid drive 500w bike. Right now the ReAspire Hurricane is looking interesting. Youtuber, TailHappyTV, has a good review. My state limits Ebikes to 500w motors and 20mph max speed. The reAspire looks like it can provide similar power in a more nimble package, and it's more legal in my state. I'm hoping I don't get nabbed by the five-oh for having 2x 1000W motors. I tend to ride very safely but they won't care. If they confiscate my bike then the ReAspire will be on the xmas list.

If you could provide me with a link for your rear shock unit, that would be useful. Other than the vey stiff rear suspension, I overall like the bike. My local police don't care how many watts you have as long as you are conforming to the speed limit, and the rules of the road.

I got my hands on a SMLRO battery, and it weighs about 2 pounds more than the 9.4 pound battery that came with the bike. Both batteries are rated at 22.4 Ah of capacity, but the scale tells me there must be a difference inside the case. My battery blender came in, so perhaps next week the second pack will get installed on the bike. I even got a third battery, which also suspiciously weighs exactly 9.4 pounds, but "claims" it is 30 Ah. Lets just say, I have my doubts about the rating. I went to disassemble it tonight to confirm my suspicions, but it required a narrow Torx bit to get to the screws. I was toying with the idea of going triple pack to extend my range even further.

The tires have been swapped out from the knobbies, to a street friendly treaded tire. This tire is also rated at a higher pressure (30 PSI), and now this bike coasts rather well at 25 PSI. The carcass the tire is thicker too, for a bit more puncture resistance. (Innova Hybrid).

The saddlebags are on the bike, and that made it much easier to carry my tools, patch kit, battery-powered compressor and two sets of class V locks/cables. A steel bar was welded horizontally on the rear rack to keep the saddlebags out of the spokes. I got rid of those yellow wheel reflectors, which I felt impacted the balance of the tires. Those reflectors were replaced with some 3m Scotchlite spoke reflectors, they seemed to more easy to notice at night too. I added a combination tail light, turn signal, brake light, alarm unit. It is mounted to the rear rack where the rear reflector was mounted. I wanted good visibility for night riding.

This is how the bike looks (as of) today. A second level will be welded onto the rear rack to support the additional battery pack(s), but still allow for the saddlebags to be removed when needed.

 

[EdToro]

The bike looks nice. I like what you've done. I got the green one with white rims.

I just took a 28 mile ride on PA1. It took me 3 hours but I got a good workout. The display switched to one battery bar just as a pulled up to my home. Strava says I had 1000ft elevation gain. I can't even think of getting a spare battery. I'm exhausted as it is just running down one battery. Although I guess the second battery is good if you want to use a lot of throttle or go fast. I ride on multi-use rail trails, so there's a lot of people with bikes, kids, dogs and even some horses. I can't go more than 15mph without it feeling reckless. I also encounter a lot of bumps so I start to feel a little beat up after an hour or so unless I slow down. I will open it up sometimes when I am on smooth pavement because it's fun. I can get to 35mph on the display and strava verifies it.

I got this shock. It's not a perfect fit but it works. Notice that the top shaft is more narrow. (edit: I got the 750lb variant) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BJ8V2HJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

I also got this suspension seat post. Of course, it makes the seat higher but I'm still able to reach the pedals okay and keep a comfortable riding stance. I'm about 5' 10" and have a 30 inch inseam. I have back trouble. I'm hoping all the all extra shock absorbency will keep me from getting back aches.

Amazon.com

The bike is a lot more bouncy now. I'll take pictures tomorrow. Right now I AM BEAT!

You might want to contact the vendor. I read one review where the buyer complained about the shock and they sent a new one with less resistance. Maybe they will send one that fits better than the one I got. I already had them send me a new kickstand and phone holder.

The included tires are good enough for me since I do a lot more rocks, roots, branches, grass, dirt and gravel than I do asphalt. I put a tube of slime in each tire. I hope that'll mitigate flats.

Amazon.com

BTW, One thing I have noticed is that it's very easy to strip the screw holes on the aluminum frame. I had to drill holes and put nuts and bolts in to hold the kickstand and the bottom of the rear rack.

 

[EdToro]

Here are some of the other items I got for bike riding:

Helmet: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FRLR48B?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
I like the eye shield. It helps to keep bugs out of my face in the summer and biting cold wind in the winter. You can get optional clear, yellow and photochromatic eye shields.

fingerless impact gloves: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DF29CJA?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
They do a good job mitigating impact. I know they work because I hate it when I forget them.

Mirrors: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DTDFSGV?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Good enough for me. cheap enough to be disposable. They do fall off very easily.

Seat: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HXQ96L5?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
This one is about the same as the stock seat. I only got it because I could simply not remove the seat from the included post to use it with a new suspension seat post. The screws felt like they dry welded in place.

USB String lights: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0747LXXVX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
I like these because they are USB powered and have a switch. I power them using the USB port on the phone holder. They also light up the bike A LOT. I am very visible out there. They might be a bit over the top for some folks, but I'm a chubby 55 year old dad. I got nobody to impress. (LOL. See picture below)

Heated vest: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CXYBD81?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Keeps me toasty warm in the winter. I wear it under all sweaters, jackets or coats but over a shirt A 10A battery brick can last 3 hours on the highest setting.

Warm bike gloves: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H1RBJ9W?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Camera mount: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BX588Q9H?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Oil: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002JN5PG?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
for the chains and axles.

Safety vest: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091K6WSZ...8S0793LT&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I also use this neckband speaker. It lets me still hear things around me while I play tunes.

Amazon.com

 

[addertooth]

The bike looks nice. I like what you've done. I got the green one with white rims.

I just took a 28 mile ride on PA1. It took me 3 hours but I got a good workout. The display switched to one battery bar just as a pulled up to my home. Strava says I had 1000ft elevation gain. I can't even think of getting a spare battery. I'm exhausted as it is just running down one battery. Although I guess the second battery is good if you want to use a lot of throttle or go fast. I ride on multi-use rail trails, so there's a lot of people with bikes, kids, dogs and even some horses. I can't go more than 15mph without it feeling reckless. I also encounter a lot of bumps so I start to feel a little beat up after an hour or so unless I slow down. I will open it up sometimes when I am on smooth pavement because it's fun. I can get to 35mph on the display and strava verifies it.

I got this shock. It's not a perfect fit but it works. Notice that the top shaft is more narrow. (edit: I got the 750lb variant) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BJ8V2HJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

I also got this suspension seat post. Of course, it makes the seat higher but I'm still able to reach the pedals okay and keep a comfortable riding stance. I'm about 5' 10" and have a 30 inch inseam. I have back trouble. I'm hoping all the all extra shock absorbency will keep me from getting back aches.

Amazon.com

The bike is a lot more bouncy now. I'll take pictures tomorrow. Right now I AM BEAT!

You might want to contact the vendor. I read one review where the buyer complained about the shock and they sent a new one with less resistance. Maybe they will send one that fits better than the one I got. I already had them send me a new kickstand and phone holder.

The included tires are good enough for me since I do a lot more rocks, roots, branches, grass, dirt and gravel than I do asphalt. I put a tube of slime in each tire. I hope that'll mitigate flats.

Amazon.com

BTW, One thing I have noticed is that it's very easy to strip the screw holes on the aluminum frame. I had to drill holes and put nuts and bolts in to hold the kickstand and the bottom of the rear rack.

Thank you for the links to your products.
I considered the green, but decided to go with brighter (please don't hit me with your car) colors. The last thing I wanted to hear was the opposing attorney stating: "He bought a bike with a camo green color, and then wants to complain he wasn't seen".

Those red lights on the back of your bike really makes it pop!

As for the smaller top shaft on the shock is not a concern, I own a lathe and a mill, and I am not afraid to use them

 

[addertooth]

The bike looks nice. I like what you've done. I got the green one with white rims.

I just took a 28 mile ride on PA1. It took me 3 hours but I got a good workout. The display switched to one battery bar just as a pulled up to my home. Strava says I had 1000ft elevation gain. I can't even think of getting a spare battery. I'm exhausted as it is just running down one battery. Although I guess the second battery is good if you want to use a lot of throttle or go fast. I ride on multi-use rail trails, so there's a lot of people with bikes, kids, dogs and even some horses. I can't go more than 15mph without it feeling reckless. I also encounter a lot of bumps so I start to feel a little beat up after an hour or so unless I slow down. I will open it up sometimes when I am on smooth pavement because it's fun. I can get to 35mph on the display and strava verifies it.

I got this shock. It's not a perfect fit but it works. Notice that the top shaft is more narrow. (edit: I got the 750lb variant) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BJ8V2HJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

I also got this suspension seat post. Of course, it makes the seat higher but I'm still able to reach the pedals okay and keep a comfortable riding stance. I'm about 5' 10" and have a 30 inch inseam. I have back trouble. I'm hoping all the all extra shock absorbency will keep me from getting back aches.

Amazon.com

The bike is a lot more bouncy now. I'll take pictures tomorrow. Right now I AM BEAT!

You might want to contact the vendor. I read one review where the buyer complained about the shock and they sent a new one with less resistance. Maybe they will send one that fits better than the one I got. I already had them send me a new kickstand and phone holder.

The included tires are good enough for me since I do a lot more rocks, roots, branches, grass, dirt and gravel than I do asphalt. I put a tube of slime in each tire. I hope that'll mitigate flats.

Amazon.com

BTW, One thing I have noticed is that it's very easy to strip the screw holes on the aluminum frame. I had to drill holes and put nuts and bolts in to hold the kickstand and the bottom of the rear rack.

How did you feel about the 750 pound rating on your shock? Do you feel like it is too soft, or still a bit stiff? Because the multi-link cantilever system adds a leverage multiplier/divider, I have been too lazy to do the calculations on what is the ideal "spring force" for the bike. I want the shock to move upon impacts, but don't want it to bounce with peddling strokes.

With the factory shock, I must go off a 6 inch curb to get a couple millimeter of movement out of the current shock. It is massively stiff. I am about the same height as you, but weigh a bit over 200 pounds.

 

[EdToro]

It's hard for me to tell since I also have the suspension post. I am definitely not getting any bounce from just pedaling. With the original sock, I got nothing at all. It was if there was a piece of steel. I even wondered if t was a scam shock. I can rock up and down and make the new shock move. the combination of both does create a smoother ride on the rail trails. I do not bottom out but I also don't ride hard.

 

[EdToro]

Posting the manuals for posterity. Sometimes these resources disappear.

 

[Smaug]

Welcome from SE Wisconsin. Good luck with the eFatty.

 

[addertooth]

Posting the manuals for posterity. Sometimes these resources disappear.

Yep, the early S1 model didn't have a shock. It had the same frame as the F1. (My stepson got an F1, which prompted me to buy the S1). The later S1 models had the shock, just like the SMLRO v3 bike (its twin).

 

[addertooth]

EdToro,

It looks like the bike will get a new shock similar to your choice. It is external coil, with oil dampening. It has a rebound and preload adjustment.
DNM DV22AR 165mm 750lb.

 

[addertooth]

EdToro,

It looks like the bike will get a new shock similar to your choice. It is external coil, with oil dampening. It has a rebound and preload adjustment.
DNM DV22AR 165mm 750lb.

I ordered a second "bargain shock" of similar dimensions, but the body of the shock is a "throw away". What I got it for was the 650 pound spring. This way, if the 750 pound spring still feels too stiff, I can take it down a notch. It will just be a spring swap. I also have a 550 pound spring shock on my watch list too... just in case I feel the 650 is too tight as well. These two other shocks are only 15 bucks apiece. So I won't feel bad about discarding the shock body, to get the perfect ride.

 

[EdToro]

Here's a new video on this specific model from my favorite E-Bike youtuber:

I've been watching his reviews on a lot of bikes. It looks like his model is among the fastest and strongest hill climber he has reviewed that is more E-bike than electric motorcycle. I'm not sure if I've seen any Ebike make that one hill he takes at the 16:40 mark, or at least not one that sells under $2K. The same goes for riding on beach sand.

 

[addertooth]

EdToro,
You have a good eye!
Yes, I ran across that video less than an hour after posting. I like the fact he does the same tests on all the bikes he makes videos of.
That kind of consistency is important for comparisons. I felt his descriptions were fair and honest.

With both motors on, it is 164 Newton-Meter of torque, or, as us Yanks prefer, about 120 Foot pound of torque.
It is one of the few hub motor bikes I would consider using to conquer some rather steep hills.

I posted something lengthy in the comments of that video. If you have read this thread, it will be easy for you to figure out which posting is mine.

 

[addertooth]

As I mentioned before, the factory shock was an immovable object. It might move a quarter inch if I fell off a 300 foot cliff.
I poured through dozens of listings and found a shock which looked like it might work. It has a 750 pound-per-inch of compression spring. According to the slide-rule, it seemed about right. I estimated the factory shock was some value which exceeded 1000 pounds per inch.

The updated shock is on the bike. It was a 165 mm (hole to hole) shock. The original was roughly 160 mm, and I was concerned about potential clearance issues. As it turns out I was worrying about the wrong thing.

As it turns out the bushings that came with the shock were not the right length for the top of the shock to mate up with the 4-point cantilever suspension. The bottom of the shock was the right size.

As I am fond of saying, I have a machine shop in the garage, and I am not afraid to use it.
I machined the 8mm metal bushings, and the low-friction plastic bushings to fit the bike.

I zip tied the rear suspension "up" prior to removing the original shock. The factory shock came out with ease.
I had to really pull and wiggle the cantilever arms to get the bushings and shock to align with the bolt holes, but things finally slid into place.

Then came the meaningful test. Originally, I could have two people, who are both 200 pounds push down on the seat and the factory shock never moved. With the new shock, the cantilever mechanism moved about 1/4ths of an inch with a modest 200 pounds of force applied smoothly to the seat. This seems like a good starting point. Next week that shock-spanner will come in, and the shock can be fine-tuned for the ideal ride.

I may end up machining a nice 12 mm shaft with an 8 mm hole out of stainless, press out the existing aluminum piece and replace it. I will watch it for signs of bending.

Pictures:
Original uncompressible shock
New shock before install with provided bushings
Machining the bushings to size, Parting tool being used.
The two completed bushings.
Finally, on the bike.

 

[addertooth]

Epilogue: I took it out for a ride, seeking out the "bad road spots" I avoided before. Wow! What a difference a working rear suspension makes. I even found some "cobblestone-like" areas. The softer shock certainly helped rideability. I may dial down the rebound adjustment a bit, once I have a better feel for what I want.

 

[addertooth]

Epi-Epilogue: The 750 pound per inch of travel spring was replaced with a 650 pound per inch of travel spring on the shock body today.
At 750, it was still a bit stiffer than I liked. I will try to live with the 650 for a week, if it still feels too stiff a 550 pound spring will be installed.

Now I know why people buy air shocks.