Protect the controller while upside down

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Zxcraig
Posts: 2
Joined: 14 Oct 2020, 4:37am

Protect the controller while upside down

Post by Zxcraig »

Hi me n Mrs finally got our e-bikes last weekend Bosch controllers my question is how do I protect these controllers while changing a tube or repairing a flat etc
?
Is there a bobbin type device I could fit to the handle bar as a distance piece to take the weight of the bike ?
How do others repair punctures etc?
I’m quite a keen cyclist and have always been used to simply upending my bikes and standing them on their bars and saddle
Retired motor home owner and E-bike rider
simonhill
Posts: 5226
Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by simonhill »

If you are able to fit bar ends they should do the trick. If you don't want long ones, they make very short ones.

Google 'em to see what's available
borisface
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Joined: 19 Feb 2010, 3:48pm

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by borisface »

Repairing a puncture on an ebike on the road is a real pain, mainly because of the weight and the disc brakes which makes getting the wheels back in tricky to say the least. With the rear wheel in particular it's really a 2 person job. I tend not to put my bikes upside down, as it doesn't really help in getting the wheels in an out, preferring to lay them down on the nondrive side. I've recently invested in some of the self sealing inner tubes which hopefully should help prevent smaller punctures. But I've just fitted them, so we'll see.
Brucey
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Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by Brucey »

in many cases you can slacken the screw and turn the controller on the handlebar to get it out of the way temporarily. In the workshop a simple frame can be used (eg knocked up from bits of 4x2" timber) to support the handlebars clear of the ground. I guess you could carry two smaller pieces of timber to achieve the same thing, but it is probably easier to work on the bike when it is laid on its side or something.

cheers
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DaveP
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Joined: 9 Mar 2007, 4:20pm
Location: W Mids

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by DaveP »

Zxcraig wrote:always been used to simply upending my bikes and standing them on their bars and saddle


Me too! Might as well have the bits your messing with as close as possible to a comfortable height. A scrap of something to protect the saddle and a small tool to loosen the band on your display and you're sorted. It wont be a large bolt so a small hex key kept in the puncture kit? or a small screwdriver with the handle cut off and the shaft bent into an L shape...
Trying to retain enough fitness to grow old disgracefully... That hasn't changed!
Steve O'C
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Joined: 3 Mar 2013, 1:32pm

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by Steve O'C »

https://www.velominati.com/

Rule 49: It is completely unacceptable to intentionally turn one’s steed upside down for any reason under any circumstances. Besides the risk of scratching the saddle, levers and stem, it is unprofessional and a disgrace to your loyal steed. The risk of the bike falling over is increased, wheel removal/replacement is made more difficult and your bidons will leak. The only reason a bicycle should ever be in an upside down position is during mid-rotation while crashing. This Rule also applies to upside down saddle-mount roof bars.23


Perhaps the above does not apply to e-bikes :wink:
ANTONISH
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Joined: 26 Mar 2009, 9:49am

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by ANTONISH »

Steve O'C wrote:https://www.velominati.com/

Rule 49: It is completely unacceptable to intentionally turn one’s steed upside down for any reason under any circumstances. Besides the risk of scratching the saddle, levers and stem, it is unprofessional and a disgrace to your loyal steed. The risk of the bike falling over is increased, wheel removal/replacement is made more difficult and your bidons will leak. The only reason a bicycle should ever be in an upside down position is during mid-rotation while crashing. This Rule also applies to upside down saddle-mount roof bars.23


Perhaps the above does not apply to e-bikes :wink:


I'm not generally a follower of "the rules" but for once I agree - always makes me cringe when I see it.
Brucey
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Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by Brucey »

when I was a kid bikes were routinely turned upside down for maintenance; stuff like bells and 3s triggers were the only things likely to get damaged.

However (unless the handlebars are supported well clear of the ground) most dropped handlebar bikes (predating 'aero' brake levers) are/were instantly subjected to brake cable damage when they are turned upside down. I well remember the bafflement of some of my teenage chums who had their first bike with dropped bars and were used to turning bikes upside down to work on them; "well how do you get the wheels out, then?" I was asked on more than one occasion. So I showed them.

Since aero levers and MTBs there is a whole new generation of riders who think it is OK to turn bikes upside down to work on them. They are easily spotted; they have lever hoods on dropped bars which get mysteriously scuffed up on the top well before their time.

One of my MTBing chums got into the habit of turning his MTB upside down and removing the wheels before washing it. When he told me this, he could tell by the look on my face that I didn't think it was a good idea. "What's wrong with doing that?" he asked, before I could say anything. I mentioned that all kinds of parts on the bike were not well-sealed against 'upwards falling rain' and that water would doubtless get into places where it shouldn't.
I don't think he desisted and the result was (amongst other things) that a few months later he was having to replace the headset (because the -practically unsealed- top race had rusted out) and he was also disassembling his 9s shift indicators. The latter required removing the transparent windows (which were not designed to come out) because water had got into them and left a film of dried mud on the inside ... :shock: Goodness knows what it did to the shifter internals; the water must have passed through those before leaving silt inside the indicators.

So washing bikes upside down is a big no-no. Other kinds of planned maintenance can be OK upside down provided the bike is suitably protected. However arguably if you are going to that trouble you may as well use a workstand or suspend the bike some other way. By the side of the road should be infrequent enough that even if it takes half as long again to get a wheel out (say) it shouldn't be as big a deal as all that, so you can choose between risking damage to the bike and working quickly.... or not. An obvious thing to do on an e-bike is to remove the battery before removing the rear wheel; without the weight of that, getting the wheel out with the bike upright should be a lot easier, since you are not having to lift the battery as well as the rest of the bike.

I am not a big fan of the velominati 'rules'; there is absolutely no discrimination between practical reasons for doing things in a particular way and what is merely this week's idea of what is 'fashionable' in the retro/road racing world. I am all for an 'informed aesthetic', even, but 'rules' are not 'information' per se. I'm not sure the whole thing is meant to be taken seriously (not that it stops some people.. :roll: .) but some of the 'rules' are based on good practical reasons and others are pure whimsy.

cheers
Last edited by Brucey on 16 Oct 2020, 8:29pm, edited 1 time in total.
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rmurphy195
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Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by rmurphy195 »

Another trick I have used is to employ the aerolastic strap that I keep on the pannier rack. Especailly for the back wheel, the elastic wrapped around the rack and a hand bit of fence will hold the bike up. Might need to use a non-elastic luggage strap though for the weight on yours!
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair
""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
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6.5_lives_left
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Joined: 9 Oct 2020, 9:27pm

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by 6.5_lives_left »

rmurphy195 wrote:Another trick I have used is to employ the aerolastic strap that I keep on the pannier rack. Especailly for the back wheel, the elastic wrapped around the rack and a hand bit of fence will hold the bike up. Might need to use a non-elastic luggage strap though for the weight on yours!

toe straps? I store one on my handle bar.
simonhill
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Location: Essex

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by simonhill »

A post from a heretic.

I always turn my bike upside down if there is anything 'down there' I need to do. I can understand not doing it if you have lots of cables and hoods, etc, but I have a nice pair of bar ends on my bikes. I also carry a bit of rag to sit my Brooks on.

Removing a wheel, cleaning rims, checking tyres, adjusting brakes, removing pedals, cleaning around bottom bracket area (damp rag), oiling the chain and RD, etc. Can't beat it for simplicity.
Boring_Username
Posts: 204
Joined: 2 Mar 2017, 2:38pm

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by Boring_Username »

In my youth, turning a bike upside down was common, and bike workstands were something you only saw in a shop.
Now, turning a bike upside down is bad, and many people own their own bike workstand.

My conclusion is that Park Tools were the secret force behind Rule 49.
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DaveP
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Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by DaveP »

Boring_Username wrote:My conclusion is that Park Tools were the secret force behind Rule 49.


Nice knowing you..! :shock:

Seriously, while there are undoubtedly problems with some types of bikes / fittings, I've never understood why any one should think turning your bike upside down is some sort of sin.
You are out and about. You have had a puncture. You would like to fix it and continue your journey...Do what you think you need to do!
Yes, if you have old style drop bar brakes you need to be very careful - but I'm sure I've managed it - I just can't remember exactly what I did, but grovelling around on my hands and knees with the bike on its side - that never happened!
Trying to retain enough fitness to grow old disgracefully... That hasn't changed!
PDQ Mobile
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Joined: 2 Aug 2015, 4:40pm

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by PDQ Mobile »

Brucey wrote:(Snip)
One of my MTBing chums got into the habit of turning his MTB upside down and removing the wheels before washing it. When he told me this, he could tell by the look on my face that I didn't think it was a good idea. "What's wrong with doing that?" he asked, before I could say anything. I mentioned that all kinds of parts on the bike were not well-sealed against 'upwards falling rain' and that water would doubtless get into places where it shouldn't.
I don't think he desisted and the result was (amongst other things) that a few months later he was having to replace the headset (because the -practically unsealed- top race had rusted out) and he was also disassembling his 9s shift indicators. The latter required removing the transparent windows (which were not designed to come out) because water had got into them and left a film of dried mud on the inside ... :shock: Goodness knows what it did to the shifter internals; the water must have passed through those before leaving silt inside the indicators.

So washing bikes upside down is a big no-no.

cheers

Surely you are tongue in cheek here?

If you pressure wash your bike or use a powerful normal hose, water will get into practically everywhere? No matter which way up!

And often into most places where it shouldn't.
Even into the headset. Now it may lodge in some places more persistently when upside-down, but I can't see whichever way up the bike is makes a huge amount of difference to water ingress to the majority of components.

I virtually never wash or pressure wash a bike. And my bikes bearings and components last a very long time as a consequence ( I oil them!).

I consider pressure washing a bike very bad practice. But this you already know.
Brucey
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Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Protect the controller while upside down

Post by Brucey »

not tongue in cheek at all; my chum wasn't pressure washing and he wrecked his bike in the exact way described.

By contrast I have pressure washed some bikes (literally hundreds of times) without incident because I knew what directions not to point the lance at.

Washing your bike (by any means) needn't be any worse than riding in the rain is, if you go about it in the right way. Upside down rain is very damaging to quite a few bike parts.

cheers
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