e-assist trials and tribulations

So the new assist set-up (see next post below) got a workout on Tuesday. I had to go to the re-Cycles Co-op at 3:00 for some afternoon work, then to a 7:00pm DanceAbility class (I'm the accompanist), and then to a 9:00pm IJO rehearsal way out at St. Laurent and Smythe. So I had a bunch of stuff to haul, and had to make good time between the last two events...


Under that tarp is a bass drum, snare drum, cymbal bag, small synthesizer, folding stand for same, bag of drum hardware, battery box, and knapsack. All of which had to come out at each stop. Joy...

So things went well, and the assist helped greatly. The DanceAbility class for this session is at the Sandy Hill Community Centre, which is handily only about a kilometre from the co-op. But it's a fair bit further to the church basement where the IJO rehearses, and that southeasterly trip includes crossing the Rideau River. Now, if I was traveling by car the main route would be to go south to the Queensway (Hwy. 417) and on from there. The only other crossings of the Rideau are either by Cummings Bridge (Montreal Road) which is to the north of the Community centre, or going south but tracking a bit west to cross via Main Street.

Now, in a car going out of one's way by 5 0r 6 blocks is not a big deal, but when pedaling a cargo trike (even one with assist) one wants to go as direct as possible, especially when timing is tight. So I was not going to back or sidetrack to either bridge, and of course could not use the highway bridge. But I was able to use of a very handy part of our bike path network. I don't take the trike on the paths very often, as it overhangs its lane on the older ones, and just barely fits the new standard of 1.5 metres per lane. But the part I was using is rarely busy, especially on this unseasonaly cool (not to mention drizzly) night.

Back when train tracks covered many parts of Ottawa, there were four bridges over the Rideau at what was known as the "Hurdman Crossing". Three of the bridges were removed in the 1960's to make way for the Queensway, but somebody thankfully used their head and the southmost one was kept and converted into a cycling bridge, and it's a fabulous link. After I crossed over that I followed a side path that led to Riverside Drive - actually, the off-ramp from the highway onto it! So I had to wait until the coast was clear before launching onto that, and any drivers that ended up behind me must have wondered if I really did just come off the highway ahead of them. hehe

The tricky part was that just as I got myself onto the road the light changed and three lanes of cars came up from behind. In one long block I needed to get from the rightmost lane over to the left turn lane to get onto Industrial Blvd., and all this traffic was zooming past, and it was now dark. So I had the turn signal on, and the assist helped me keep a decent speed (it's a slight uphill there), and I got across those hectic lanes OK. Once on Industrial I easily made my way over to Coventry and from there it was an easy ride in very light traffic to the church hall.


The rehearsal let out at 11:00. It was raining lightly, but nothing terrible, and I looked forward to relaxing 7 km ride home. But I was dismayed to find out that the assist had stopped working! The assist only kicks in once a little speed is achieved (a bit of a safety measure that means if you accidently push the trottle when stopped you don't zoom off), and as I got going I pushed the lever and the motor made a little kick then died. I stopped to see if water had gotten in somewhere, but it was raining and I was tired and just wanted to get home. So the motor and heavy battery pack got a free ride while I got a good workout.

Oh well. At least it worked when it had to, getting me from the Centre to the church in good time, and for the ride home who cared how long it took? :P Testing the system the next day and again today showed the problem still exists, so Juergen is going to make a housecall and we'll sort it out (since my electrical decipering skills rate at about 2 out of 10). I'm hoping it's just something dopey and easily fixed, and not a cooked 36V controller that got zapped by more juice running through than it could handle...

UPDATE: Juergen came over on Friday and of course everything worked just fine, so it was simply a matter of water getting somewhere. Most times when I know the weather is going to be really crappy I borrow a friend's car just for the weather protection (both me and the cargo), so the trike's e-assist has not spent much time getting wet. I rode in on Tuesday even with the iffy forecast just to test it out on a busy day of moving things to different locations. Next time rain is forecast I'll just bring some bags along to cover things like the throttle and hope it doesn't shut down again...