I created a purely mechanical Turbo Levo speed limit increase

[Mhugdoc]

I’ve put in a few miles with the LSS.
There is one place on my ride where the “governor “ kicks in and stalls the motor. I did not notice any let off of the motor with the LSS. Now we will see how long it lasts.
Great work!!!!!

 

[MattyG]

An update.
1) First I tried the LSS on my friends Levo S-Works and standard LSS does not fit - I think it has the same axle diameter as the Levo Expert though I didn't have calipers to check.

2) I bought some thin electrical tape and a bunch of assorted o-rings to fit the LSS to the Levo Expert. I tried the tape option first (wind the tape around the hun until hub diameter increased to match the sun gear). It worked OK but the tape got messed up when trying to remove sun gear and dust cover again so not the best solution

3) Next I tried the o-rings. I'm glad I had the assorted pack because I used 2 or 3 different sizes to get a good fit. It was tricky finding one that would fit nicely under the sun gear and ensure that Sun gear (and or o-ring) did not rotate on the hub. An echo Mhugdoc tip about getting the sun Gear in position and then inserting the o-ring - I used a tiny screw driver to push it in nicely. Finally, I added a few more o-rings to keep it all in place. The o-ring under the cover doesn't need to be as perfect as if the cover rotates a bit I can't see that being a problem.

The result?
A few short test rides with the Garmin and it seems to top out around 38-40kph. It feels quick and has made the bike feel like it should feel - awesome.

Question for jd_3d - It seems really important for the Sun Gear not to rotate on the hub. I am surprised there is no rotation on the sun gear on fairly slippery hub using the standard LSS on the levo comp - is it a super snug fit or what stops it rotating?

 

[jd_3d]

An update.
1) First I tried the LSS on my friends Levo S-Works and standard LSS does not fit - I think it has the same axle diameter as the Levo Expert though I didn't have calipers to check.

Question for jd_3d - It seems really important for the Sun Gear not to rotate on the hub. I am surprised there is no rotation on the sun gear on fairly slippery hub using the standard LSS on the levo comp - is it a super snug fit or what stops it rotating?

Great feedback, thanks! So, when you say the LSS does not fit on the Levo S-Works, are you saying it hits the frame? Like the frame doesn't have as much clearance? Just trying to understand if its a frame clearance issue, or if it is just that the axle is a smaller diameter like on the Expert model.

To answer your other question, on my Levo Comp Carbon the Sun Gear fits very tight on the hub so its for sure not rotating. But also note that the forces on the gear are extremely small, it's only the magnet / planetary gear moving around, so the sun gear it has little motivation to rotate.

 

[MattyG]

Great feedback, thanks! So, when you say the LSS does not fit on the Levo S-Works, are you saying it hits the frame? Like the frame doesn't have as much clearance? Just trying to understand if its a frame clearance issue, or if it is just that the axle is a smaller diameter like on the Expert model.

To answer your other question, on my Levo Comp Carbon the Sun Gear fits very tight on the hub so its for sure not rotating. But also note that the forces on the gear are extremely small, it's only the magnet / planetary gear moving around, so the sun gear it has little motivation to rotate.

OK thanks for answering question.

Re the Sworks - I think the hub size for the S-Works and Expert are the same (not 100% sure though as don't have calipers)..so the sun gear and cover are loose on the hub. Sorry, I did not inspect frame clearance on the Sworks.

 

[Swissrob]

The bush mechanic in me says mounted with oring is better much less chance of damage if it does get a bit of dirt or stone inside. Use a bit of dish washing liquid to lube the orings for mounting and wash with water once it's assembled so it dries out.
Where can I get one?

 

[2unfit2ride]

Total kudos for the effort involved, I hope it works out for you.

 

[Mhugdoc]

Danco #10 o-rings.
See my post on the previous page.
Works perfectly.

 

[TPX]

just measured the DT axle external diameter on several wheels and all are between 18.95 and 19.05mm.

 

[oldfox]

My 19mm version is on its way to me from the Netherlands. I will report if/how it fits.

If everything is perfect I would be interested in a complete 19mm version.

 

[jd_3d]

Thanks @TPX for measuring the DT axles. @Darcy, looking forward to your feedback on the fitment of the LSS for the S-Works model. I believe you are the first to try it. @oldfox, yes I will create a 'Levo Expert' version of the LSS once its determined it fits well. I'm hoping the S-Works is the same so I could just have 2 versions of the LSS.

 

[xcentric]

great solution. For those using it, I have a question - does the bike behave the same? I'm just wondering if the usual firmware/sensor setup offers differing support depending on speed/torque/pedal rotation settings (around the general level you've chosen) or if it's linear all the way through. If the latter then it'll make no difference, but if the former, then it will give different power inputs to the usual - which may not be worse, but would be different.

And for cruising on the flat, has anyone changed their final gear on the cassette so as not to spin too fast - if so, what to?

 

[oldfox]

After ~50km with the LSS: Absolutely no changes in behaviour. Topspeed near 40km/h.

Transmission ratio is original.

 

[Scoobaru]

great solution. For those using it, I have a question - does the bike behave the same? I'm just wondering if the usual firmware/sensor setup offers differing support depending on speed/torque/pedal rotation settings (around the general level you've chosen) or if it's linear all the way through. If the latter then it'll make no difference, but if the former, then it will give different power inputs to the usual - which may not be worse, but would be different.

And for cruising on the flat, has anyone changed their final gear on the cassette so as not to spin too fast - if so, what to?

From what I have read torque and cadence are factors affecting power assist levels. These won't change. The speed influences how the motor switches off as you approach the limit, that should just be scaled up to the new speed limit of around 40kmh. Overall it should have no downsides.

 

[MattyG]

I've been on the rough stuff and the LSS is behaving well on the Levo Expert...rides the same as before only much more fun.

I used a bit of a mix of those o-rings as there were only a few of each. The key one that I think worked under the Sun Gear was inside diameter 10.77 and outside diameter 16.01 .. I know it seems small but you stretch it over the hub ..which thins the rubber enough to get it under the sun gear (it's still not that easy), so far it's worked well with a probably 100kms road and track.

 

[luna87824]

On my BH with Brose motor, I put a magnet on the end of the pedal spindle on the back side of the crank arm, and unbolted the pickup sensor from the inside of the chain stay and zip tied it to the outside of the chain stay. Now it uses the pedal rotation and not the wheel rotation and I can pedal to over 30 mph/50 kph. $1 for the magnet.......The magnet I used is 12 mm X 4 mm and it's about 20 mm from the pickup.

 

[oldfox]

On my BH with Brose motor, I put a magnet on the end of the pedal spindle on the back side of the crank arm, and unbolted the pickup sensor from the inside of the chain stay and zip tied it to the outside of the chain stay.[...]

Russian style.

 

[Jack page]

Hi how do I purchased one of these? I’m in the uk? Can you send me the link please if there is one cheers

 

[oldfox]

Hi how do I purchased one of these? I’m in the uk? Can you send me the link please if there is one cheers

Here it is.

 

[Jack page]

Cheers

 

[Welshman]

On my BH with Brose motor, I put a magnet on the end of the pedal spindle on the back side of the crank arm, and unbolted the pickup sensor from the inside of the chain stay and zip tied it to the outside of the chain stay. Now it uses the pedal rotation and not the wheel rotation and I can pedal to over 30 mph/50 kph. $1 for the magnet.......The magnet I used is 12 mm X 4 mm and it's about 20 mm from the pickup.

View attachment 10571

i wonder if that would work with my bosch motor....its the same set-up as yours with the bolted sensor on the inside of the chainstay

 

[luna87824]

i wonder if that would work with my bosch motor....its the same set-up as yours with the bolted sensor on the inside of the chainstay

Give it a try only takes 10-15 minutes to do it.

 

[luna87824]

Russian style.

OR......The freestyle!

 

[Welshman]

Give it a try only takes 10-15 minutes to do it.

Does the display then show actual speed or a lower speed.

 

[Maastricht]

Does the display then show actual speed or a lower speed.

As the magnet turns slower around which makes the bike believe it goes slower than the actual speed it would mean that the speed on the display would also be incorrect. However when using the BLEvo app you could choose a setting for using GPS instead of the bike data. @PaoloBLEvo maybe can even add a LSS speed correction option in BLEvo which would display the speed recorded by the magnet always correctly.

@jd_3d explained before the working:

Working out planetary gear turns ratios

Tr Turns of the ring gear
Ts Turns of the sun gear
Ty Turns of the planetary gear carrier
R Ring gear teeth
S Sun gear teeth
P Planet gear teeth
The turns ratio is as follows:
( R + S ) ×Ty = R × Tr + Ts × S

For my setup the gear ratio turns out to be approximately 1.5:1, or 1.5 rotations of the wheel will result in 1 rotation of the magnet.

So, for 20 mph bikes this will go to -> ~30 mph (a little less since you can't quite get to 20 mph in the first place)
For 25 kph bikes this would go to -> ~37.5 kph

===

Which would mean adding an LSS option in BLEvo which just increases measure speed by factor 1.5 to get the actual speed. However please double check...

 

[Welshman]

As the magnet turns slower around which makes the bike believe it goes slower than the actual speed it would mean that the speed on the display would also be incorrect. However when using the BLEvo app you could choose a setting for using GPS instead or the bike data. @PaoloBLEvo maybe can even add a LSS option in BLEvo which would display the speed always correctly.

I got Bosch motor not Bose.......cube emtb running Bosch active line plus motor

 

[Maastricht]

I got Bosch motor not Bose.......cube emtb running Bosch active line plus motor

If you like you can even use the BLEvo app for your Bosch (however much less powerfull then in combination with a Levo or Kenevo) where it's acting as a display displaying GPS speed, total km's and duration where you can use the map and GPX route feature too.

 

[Welshman]

If you like you can even use the BLEvo app for your Bosch (however much less powerfull then in combination with a Levo or Kenevo) where it's acting as a display displaying GPS speed, total km's and duration where you can use the map and GPX route feature too.

How do I connect Blevo to the Bosch motor.....there no Bluetooth or ant+ connectivity in the Bosch motor

 

[Maastricht]

How do I connect Blevo to the Bosch motor.....there no Bluetooth or ant+ connectivity in the Bosch motor

For the basic functions you don’t need any connection. You can even use BLEvo on a non-assisted bike but again it will only be basic functions so if you just search for a display (which shows actual speed, duration and distance) plus a map function you could consider BLEvo.

 

[Welshman]

For the basic functions you don’t need any connection. You can even use BLEvo on a non-assisted bike but again it will only be basic functions so if you just search for a display (which shows actual speed, duration and distance) plus a map function you could consider BLEvo.

I got Garmin for all that......

 

[Maastricht]

I got Garmin for all that......

I was not aware about that but if you have a Garmin already than I would just use that device.