Berkshire Bikes

simcro

New Member
Nov 27, 2019
6
4
Thatcham
Bought a Levo expert from chris 6 months ago which was trouble free untill I had a problem with bike not powering up so phoned the shop and spoke with chris
He was so helpful in trying to fix the problem which turned out to be wd40 on the battery connectors
Gave me his mobile number just in case it hadn’t fixed the problem
Can’t recommend enough ???
Was WD40 on the battery connectors the cause of the problem or the fix?
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
14,028
20,815
Brittany, France
Was WD40 on the battery connectors the cause of the problem or the fix?

Most likely the problem. Yes, it displaces water and it's great for freeing up big rusty things (I'm not talking about @Rusty )... but it leaves a sticky residue and causes lots of other issues.

Ideally, don't ever use it on locks, or small things, as particles get stuck over time and everything turns into a micro grinding paste. All those same particles stuck to things can also stop electrical connections working.
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,246
5,032
Scotland
Most likely the problem. Yes, it displaces water and it's great for freeing up big rusty things (I'm not talking about @Rusty )... but it leaves a sticky residue and causes lots of other issues.

Ideally, don't ever use it on locks, or small things, as particles get stuck over time and everything turns into a micro grinding paste. All those same particles stuck to things can also stop electrical connections working.
Very serious and sensible reply that Zimmerframe are you feeling ok.
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
14,028
20,815
Brittany, France
Very serious and sensible reply that Zimmerframe are you feeling ok.

I'm not .. I'm in a limbo state between deciding if my forum persona should be helpful or a useless chaos inducing whack pot .... I'm drifting to the second option, there's too many helpful people here ! :) The second option comes far more naturally too ....
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,246
5,032
Scotland
I'm not .. I'm in a limbo state between deciding if my forum persona should be helpful or a useless chaos inducing whack pot .... I'm drifting to the second option, there's too many helpful people here ! :) The second option comes far more naturally too ....
Well I'm mega happy going offshore tomorrow for 2 weeks missing the traffic and all the farfarall so merry Xmas to all.
 

#lazy

E*POWAH BOSS
Oct 1, 2019
1,408
1,537
Surrey
Now that you're "Lazy" .. you go cordless and just use a lighter and a can of hair spray for that fast dry, crinkle flame grilled look. Smokin !
I would if I had any hair left ! Haha . Does make sense though not to spray it and just use an air blower , I’m gunna wrap the tcu in electrical tape to !
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,246
5,032
Scotland
I would if I had any hair left ! Haha . Does make sense though not to spray it and just use an air blower , I’m gunna wrap the tcu in electrical tape to !
Let's get back to the thread, got my new power cable from Berkshire and fitted it. Seems modified as in half is round and half is flat which will bend 180 degrees easier , still way too long though.
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
14,028
20,815
Brittany, France
I would if I had any hair left ! Haha . Does make sense though not to spray it and just use an air blower , I’m gunna wrap the tcu in electrical tape to !
You should wrap your head in electrical tape... They do several colours.

Seems modified as in half is round and half is flat which will bend 180 degrees easier , still way too long though.

Does it look long on purpose to absorb flex and shock ? Or long like it's a third party lead for quick connect hair dryers ?
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,246
5,032
Scotland
You should wrap your head in electrical tape... They do several colours.



Does it look long on purpose to absorb flex and shock ? Or long like it's a third party lead for quick connect hair dryers ?
Good question, it's taped and the flat bit reinforced, but can't see why it's so long. I'm away in morning ,really I should have took a pic before fitting it. Can't believe the muck got in to areas that it has.
 

Rusty

E*POWAH BOSS
Jul 17, 2019
1,513
1,673
New Zealand
Hell @Zimmerframe .... y'all told me it stood for Wet Dreams...

But ya, not an idea product. I have seen a few people bork their dropper posts by using WD40on them and finding shit from the trail sticking and causing wear.
 

steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
9,004
9,423
Lincolnshire, UK
I read somewhere that WD-40 came about as part of the USA Apollo lunar rocket program in the 60's. They needed to stop water (rain, mist, morning dew) from settling on the rocket outer casing because it weighed so much and would require extra fuel to put the rocket into orbit. But then the fuel tanks would have to be bigger, and then require even more fuel to put that into space........ :unsure:

As above WD stands for Water Dispersal. WD-40 was the 40th formula that they tried before declaring success. Originally, a large portion of the formula included pilchard oil, I doubt it does now though. This may account for the old tales that rubbing WD-40 into your arthritic knee joints helps to ease the pain. The smell probably takes your mind off the pain! :)
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
14,028
20,815
Brittany, France
I read somewhere that WD-40 came about as part of the USA Apollo lunar rocket program in the 60's. They needed to stop water (rain, mist, morning dew) from settling on the rocket outer casing because it weighed so much and would require extra fuel to put the rocket into orbit. But then the fuel tanks would have to be bigger, and then require even more fuel to put that into space........ :unsure:

As above WD stands for Water Dispersal. WD-40 was the 40th formula that they tried before declaring success. Originally, a large portion of the formula included pilchard oil, I doubt it does now though. This may account for the old tales that rubbing WD-40 into your arthritic knee joints helps to ease the pain. The smell probably takes your mind off the pain! :)

I believe you are correct, about all your bits .. and even now some people say it helps their joints .. but it that just psychosomatic ? OR just because they massage their knees when they do it ?

It's interesting that they don't say exactly what the ingredients are now .. but I'm sure I've read that it is still fish oil.

Obviously 9/10 antipodeans use it as after shave and it works fine for that too .
 

StuR

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
Apr 28, 2018
449
730
Forest of Dean
I rang them last thurs with an intermittent power fault on my Levo 19
Suggested I bring it in as it was tricky to diagnose
Went in Friday , all sorted before I'd finished my coffee in Costa
New power lead fitted as it was split, TCU checked and taped up , diagnostic check to make sure no other faults
All under no quibble warranty
I've said it before and I'll reiterate - Absolute Legends !!!!!
 

#lazy

E*POWAH BOSS
Oct 1, 2019
1,408
1,537
Surrey
Some will loath and whine, others will look in the mirror and emulate him. Let's hope for the latter! My SoCal LBS's could take a page from Chris's book, and they'd do better, I think.

Go Chris!
Some don’t get his discounts but he’s good all the same !
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,246
5,032
Scotland
I rang them last thurs with an intermittent power fault on my Levo 19
Suggested I bring it in as it was tricky to diagnose
Went in Friday , all sorted before I'd finished my coffee in Costa
New power lead fitted as it was split, TCU checked and taped up , diagnostic check to make sure no other faults
All under no quibble warranty
I've said it before and I'll reiterate - Absolute Legends !!!!!
Same here but cable problem should be sorted out by Specialized , he probably doesn't get paid for labour if you bought it there. Great to deal with though.
 

dobbyhasfriends

🌹Old Bloke 🎸
Subscriber
Sep 19, 2019
3,257
4,643
Llandovery, Wales
I've had to take my Levo back to Chris twice. its tough when you've spent a lot of money on something and its not working or not working as you expected and its easy to slip into 'buyers regret' which is where I was headed. anyway, as someone has already said, Chris's approach to warranty is no quibble, there is no grilling making sure you haven't been abusing it (pretty sure he can tell that anyway), he just gets it in his workshop and gets it sorted.
after I had connection / power/ battery life / motor overrun / broken spoke / gear shifting problems as well as a few other niggles Chris and his crew replaced the motor, the rear mech and cable, both sets of wheel bearings / spoke and the tyres (more on this later). I rode it around the local woods for an hour and a half and it was a totally different bike and experience. I'm hugely grateful to Chris and his guys for sorting me out and cant imagine going anywhere else when bikes advance in technology and its time for me to upgrade.

moreover, I had quite an education just by chatting to Chris and the guys as well as doing some riding that wasn't on my normal trails here in Wales. I didn't realise just how brutal it is out here on the bike, the components and of course, me. its changed my view on my own maintenance schedule as well as my expectations based on information that you read / hear about these bikes on places like this and facebook for example. without knowing exactly what all the reference points are for anyone offering information on frequently asked questions like 'how long should my battery last' etc - there are just too many variables and its easy to be misled.

Thanks again Chris if you ever read this.

the tyres: those butcher grid tyres are woeful. I have given them a 250 mile test and the other day I had a puncture in the sidewall (which is paper thin BTW) so it forced my hand to upgrade. Chris fitted 2 michelin wild's and the difference is pretty extreme. the wilds just took the piss out of everything I threw them at today... based on what ive said above you should probably discard this opinion though :D :D
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,246
5,032
Scotland
I've had to take my Levo back to Chris twice. its tough when you've spent a lot of money on something and its not working or not working as you expected and its easy to slip into 'buyers regret' which is where I was headed. anyway, as someone has already said, Chris's approach to warranty is no quibble, there is no grilling making sure you haven't been abusing it (pretty sure he can tell that anyway), he just gets it in his workshop and gets it sorted.
after I had connection / power/ battery life / motor overrun / broken spoke / gear shifting problems as well as a few other niggles Chris and his crew replaced the motor, the rear mech and cable, both sets of wheel bearings / spoke and the tyres (more on this later). I rode it around the local woods for an hour and a half and it was a totally different bike and experience. I'm hugely grateful to Chris and his guys for sorting me out and cant imagine going anywhere else when bikes advance in technology and its time for me to upgrade.

moreover, I had quite an education just by chatting to Chris and the guys as well as doing some riding that wasn't on my normal trails here in Wales. I didn't realise just how brutal it is out here on the bike, the components and of course, me. its changed my view on my own maintenance schedule as well as my expectations based on information that you read / hear about these bikes on places like this and facebook for example. without knowing exactly what all the reference points are for anyone offering information on frequently asked questions like 'how long should my battery last' etc - there are just too many variables and its easy to be misled.

Thanks again Chris if you ever read this.

the tyres: those butcher grid tyres are woeful. I have given them a 250 mile test and the other day I had a puncture in the sidewall (which is paper thin BTW) so it forced my hand to upgrade. Chris fitted 2 michelin wild's and the difference is pretty extreme. the wilds just took the piss out of everything I threw them at today... based on what ive said above you should probably discard this opinion though :D :D
I've had to take my Levo back to Chris twice. its tough when you've spent a lot of money on something and its not working or not working as you expected and its easy to slip into 'buyers regret' which is where I was headed. anyway, as someone has already said, Chris's approach to warranty is no quibble, there is no grilling making sure you haven't been abusing it (pretty sure he can tell that anyway), he just gets it in his workshop and gets it sorted.
after I had connection / power/ battery life / motor overrun / broken spoke / gear shifting problems as well as a few other niggles Chris and his crew replaced the motor, the rear mech and cable, both sets of wheel bearings / spoke and the tyres (more on this later). I rode it around the local woods for an hour and a half and it was a totally different bike and experience. I'm hugely grateful to Chris and his guys for sorting me out and cant imagine going anywhere else when bikes advance in technology and its time for me to upgrade.

moreover, I had quite an education just by chatting to Chris and the guys as well as doing some riding that wasn't on my normal trails here in Wales. I didn't realise just how brutal it is out here on the bike, the components and of course, me. its changed my view on my own maintenance schedule as well as my expectations based on information that you read / hear about these bikes on places like this and facebook for example. without knowing exactly what all the reference points are for anyone offering information on frequently asked questions like 'how long should my battery last' etc - there are just too many variables and its easy to be misled.

Thanks again Chris if you ever read this.

the tyres: those butcher grid tyres are woeful. I have given them a 250 mile test and the other day I had a puncture in the sidewall (which is paper thin BTW) so it forced my hand to upgrade. Chris fitted 2 michelin wild's and the difference is pretty extreme. the wilds just took the piss out of everything I threw them at today... based on what ive said above you should probably discard this opinion though :D :D
Agree totally with service from Berkshire but there are quite a few issues with Levos . I just replaced headset bearings 1200 wet miles saying that not great top bearing in bike. XD drive will be getting changed out need cutting of with grinder pretty soon . New power cable warranty job. Lot more hours spent on maintenance 3 hour wet ride 2 hours cleaning and faffing about. . First off the peg bike i have had in 20 years , my 5 year old Nicolai never misses a beat . Rant over great bikes but still a long way to go.
 

dobbyhasfriends

🌹Old Bloke 🎸
Subscriber
Sep 19, 2019
3,257
4,643
Llandovery, Wales
Agree totally with service from Berkshire but there are quite a few issues with Levos . I just replaced headset bearings 1200 wet miles saying that not great top bearing in bike. XD drive will be getting changed out need cutting of with grinder pretty soon . New power cable warranty job. Lot more hours spent on maintenance 3 hour wet ride 2 hours cleaning and faffing about. . First off the peg bike i have had in 20 years , my 5 year old Nicolai never misses a beat . Rant over great bikes but still a long way to go.

ahhh, now you're talking, a frame only e-bike and I would be all over that ! the best bikes ive ever had are ones ive built up.

there is a lot of maintenance for sure, so much that ill be writing up a schedule (yea, thats how interesting I am) and im sure it wont be dissimilar to my MX bike.
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,246
5,032
Scotland
ahhh, now you're talking, a frame only e-bike and I would be all over that ! the best bikes ive ever had are ones ive built up.

there is a lot of maintenance for sure, so much that ill be writing up a schedule (yea, thats how interesting I am) and im sure it wont be dissimilar to my MX bike.
Go for it anything that helps the new age biker.
 

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