I created a purely mechanical Turbo Levo speed limit increase

[luna87824]

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

Slower speed than your Actually going.

 

[jd_3d]

Thanks for the update @Darcy. I'm loving all the great feedback. When you do get it mounted I'm interested if it clears the carbon frame ok. If it does then that should mean I just need 2 versions of the LSS which would be great.

 

[Botts101]

I've only had my 2019 Turbo Levo a few weeks but already felt the need for speed. I do a decent amount of road riding with my bike (at $7k, it's my do-it-all bike) and felt the 20 mph speed limit was a little too limiting. However, I don't want to mess with firmware changes that could brick my bike or cause warranty issues. I also had a number of requirements:

1) Must be 100% mechanical (no software changes)
2) Must be easily reversible (less than 5 min)
3) Must not have any re-wiring of the bike/sensors
4) Keep speed limit at around 28 mph.

In California Class 3 electric bikes w/ 28 mph speed limiters are legal on the roads, so If I made such a device I would be reasonably within the law when riding on the road. When riding on trails I do not need more than 20mph.

My wife thought I was crazy as I sat staring at my bike for like 30 minutes at a time lost in concentration for thinking about the best way to do it. Fortunately I'm good with CAD and have several 3d printers so once the inspiration for a planetary gear set came to mind, I was off designing...

A few days later (and several failed iterations) I had prototype 3 installed on the bike (ignore the ugly blue color, it will be stealth black eventually):

View attachment 8975

Little did I know at this point it would take 13 more prototypes before I got it working to my satisfaction. Since this post is getting sort of long I'll stop here and call it Part I. If you guys are interested I can do more posts and continue the detailed information on the design/troubleshooting and final outcome (spoiler: it's awesome).

Obligatory info:
Please read about the electric bike laws in your country: Electric bicycle laws - Wikipedia

Yes - huge props. Way to get after it.

 

[Botts101]

Part IV

I switched my brake rotor bolts to Titanium as the magnet was being attracted to the steel bolts and causing some noise. Throughout the design process I had noise issues where you could hear the gears making faint sounds. Finally I realized I could print the planetary gear in a soft TPU-like material which should quiet things down significantly. It ended up working great and now I cannot hear the gears at all when riding the bike. I think with the latest design the steel bolts would be fine.

The final prototype has a dust cover which also makes it more stealth. In my design the dust cover is slightly short because I still wanted to see the planetary gear so I knew it was working properly.

Final design w/ dust cover:
View attachment 9025

Final design with dust cover hidden. Note I realized the planetary gear would be kept in place by the magnetic attraction to the steel brake rotor, so that saved on some complexity compared to earlier designs:
View attachment 9026

A photo of the latest version on my bike:

View attachment 9027

A few photos showing the tight clearances. I'm right up to the limit in several areas:
View attachment 9028 View attachment 9029

Here's a short video showing the gear reduction. Notice the yellow piece of tape on the rotor and the small white gear in the gearbox aligned with it. After 1 rotation of the wheel you can see the planetary gear has only rotated about 2/3 of the way:


Here is a video of it in action:


Review
I've put about 50 miles on this latest prototype (V14) and the best thing I can say is I don't even know it's there. I don't hear it or feel it, but I can go faster and I think that's all you really want in a device like this. I live in California so I don't ride in muddy or wet conditions so I'm not sure how it would hold up, but I do think that area of the bike must be one of the least prone to get muddy (as all the mud is expelled away from the tires). Maybe someone who rides in the wet could answer, do you find that your brake rotor bolts are covered in mud after a ride?

Anyway, that's it for now. Maybe in Part V I could discuss options for building/selling these to some of you as I've already been PMed about that. If you are interested drop a quick note, that would help me understand if its worth pursing.

I live in San Diego - Can I buy one of these?

 

[jd_3d]

I live in San Diego - Can I buy one of these?

Yes, the info on purchasing it is buried in page 3 of this thread, but the thread is getting so long no one can find it I just added a signature to my profile so that the info will be in each of my posts. But, basically you can find all the info here:

I created a purely mechanical Turbo Levo speed limit increase - EMTB Forums

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[oldfox]

Today my 19mm set arrived. Unfortunately it's a little bit loose. My calliper shows me a diameter somewhere around 19,2mm.

@jd_3d Would you please be so kind and create a 18,8mm version for me? Just the small set (cover and gearwheel) for the moment.

Perhaps just 18,7mm and the rest is a sandpaper-job?! What do you think?

 

[jd_3d]

Today my 19mm set arrived. Unfortunately it's a little bit loose. My calliper shows me a diameter somewhere around 19,2mm.

@jd_3d Would you please be so kind and create a 18,8mm version for me? Just the small set (cover and gearwheel) for the moment.

Perhaps just 18,7mm and the rest is a sandpaper-job?! What do you think?

Hi @oldfox, I gave this some thought and realized with the smaller axle diameter on the Expert/S-Works, I have an extra 3mm to play with in terms of the design. So I spent a few hours this evening designing a 'spring' system that should allow for variability in axle size. This could also help in case of debris entering the system since it could flex a little bit if needed. I went ahead and designed it with an 18.7mm inner diameter per your recommendation but it should be able to expand around slightly larger axles.

Let me know what you guys think and if you like the design. I went ahead and put it up for sale on Shapeways here:

Experimental LSS Cover / Sun Gear for Levo Expert by JD_3D on Shapeways

 

[oldfox]

Looks good to me, just ordered it.

Thank you.

 

[MattyB]

Yes, the info on purchasing it is buried in page 3 of this thread, but the thread is getting so long no one can find it I just added a signature to my profile so that the info will be in each of my posts.

It might also be a good idea to inject that info on purchasing into the first post in the thread too? Just a thought.

 

[Ross1137]

Well you have to start selling them, you can't just show us the answer to our prayers and keep it to yourself!!!!

 

[Stumpy]

Sorry if I’ve missed it but has anyone tried the LSS on an ‘18 Levo?

 

[jd_3d]

Well you have to start selling them, you can't just show us the answer to our prayers and keep it to yourself!!!!

@Ross1137, beta units are for sale and a few people have them installed already. Check out the thread here:

I created a purely mechanical Turbo Levo speed limit increase - EMTB Forums

But, yeah I need to make it more official and maybe raise the price a bit so I can actually make a little profit for all my work

 

[jd_3d]

Sorry if I’ve missed it but has anyone tried the LSS on an ‘18 Levo?

I'm not aware of anyone with an '18 Levo that has tried one. I'm guessing most people with 2018's just use Blevo to remove the limiter, but maybe some people wan't to avoid that for fear of warranty issues? I'm happy to assist at needed if someone wants to try.

 

[TPX]

Hi @oldfox, I gave this some thought and realized with the smaller axle diameter on the Expert/S-Works, I have an extra 3mm to play with in terms of the design. So I spent a few hours this evening designing a 'spring' system that should allow for variability in axle size. This could also help in case of debris entering the system since it could flex a little bit if needed. I went ahead and designed it with an 18.7mm inner diameter per your recommendation but it should be able to expand around slightly larger axles.

Let me know what you guys think and if you like the design. I went ahead and put it up for sale on Shapeways here:

Experimental LSS Cover / Sun Gear for Levo Expert by JD_3D on Shapeways

View attachment 10623

View attachment 10624

Hi, so can I purchase the flex parts as part of a whole set yet rather then two purchases? Thanks.

 

[pgtips]

Huge respect to you jd_3d. What a great solution

I'm sorry if I missed the answer to my question, but would this fit with a Hope rear rotor?Bike is a 2019 Levo Carbon Comp

Cheers.

 

[oldfox]

Huge respect to you jd_3d. What a great solution

I'm sorry if I missed the answer to my question, but would this fit with a Hope rear rotor?Bike is a 2019 Levo Carbon Comp

The clip doesn't fit on a hope disk. I fixed the ring gear with two 2,2mm sheet metal screws. Look here.

 

[pgtips]

The clip doesn't fit on a hope disk. I fixed the ring gear with two 2,2mm sheet metal screws. Look here.

Thanks for your reply bud..... that's a great solution.

Just placed one on order

 

[jd_3d]

Well official reaults in after installing on my sworks. The o rings worked great. No clearance issues. Did 55k on it yesterday and was grinning like a kid the whole way. You see the speed lift immediately and now even boring road is a blast (admiditly in turbo but who cares). Did about 25k on sloopy muddy canal path and very happy we have the cover. This photo is by no means my normal amount of grime and mud but i can see how small crap could get in with crap conditions so the cover blocks it. Felt like i had an ls1 in my engine so thanks lss. It rocks. Ps half way through the ride i checkes the mission control app and annoyed as i forgot it wont measure speed or distance right. Tip to turn on strava or whatever you use seperately.

Thanks for the great feedback! I'm glad it fits the S-Works bike without any clearance issues. I find road rides way more enjoyable with the extra speed. For my 65kg weight, this bike has ridiculous power .

 

[jd_3d]

Hi, so can I purchase the flex parts as part of a whole set yet rather then two purchases? Thanks.

Hi @TPX, I'm waiting for feedback on someone who's ordered the new flex parts (sun gear and cover) for Expert/S-Works. Once I get confirmation that it fits good I will create a new LSS with all the parts specifically for the Expert / S-Works models. Thanks!

 

[MattyG]

Thanks for the great feedback! I'm glad it fits the S-Works bike without any clearance issues. I find road rides way more enjoyable with the extra speed. For my 65kg weight, this bike has ridiculous power .

Hi @TPX, I'm waiting for feedback on someone who's ordered the new flex parts (sun gear and cover) for Expert/S-Works. Once I get confirmation that it fits good I will create a new LSS with all the parts specifically for the Expert / S-Works models. Thanks!

My second and third LSS have been shipped and should arrive soon and then I will be able to share the experience with my Expert, and my two buddies Levos (S-works and Comp). The original LSS with o-rings on the expert has been flawless so far after many kilometers on and offroad.

 

[oldfox]

Hi @TPX, I'm waiting for feedback on someone who's ordered the new flex parts (sun gear and cover) for Expert/S-Works. Once I get confirmation that it fits good I will create a new LSS with all the parts specifically for the Expert / S-Works models. Thanks!

My Flex-LSS is also on its way. It should arrive this week.

 

[Ross1137]

G'day mate, does this thing work well and durable? I really really want to try one, is this possible??

 

[Scoobaru]

Did about 25k on sloopy muddy canal path and very happy we have the cover. This photo is by no means my normal amount of grime and mud but i can see how small crap could get in with crap conditions so the cover blocks it.

View attachment 10699

Did you take the cover of to see if any mud made it into the gears ?

 

[jd_3d]

G'day mate, does this thing work well and durable? I really really want to try one, is this possible??

Hey @Ross1137, as for durability it's only been around a month since the first versions went out. So far I'm not aware of anyone having a failure during riding, but its early days. I've been using my LSS for over a month with about 250km on it and so far so good.

Edit: you mention you are wondering if it is possible to try one, yes you can purchase them, please see the info on this post: I created a purely mechanical Turbo Levo speed limit increase - EMTB Forums

 

[Ross1137]

Ok what speeds are you getting? will it work with 2019 levo? how much? how do I order? where do I get it from? please!!!!

 

[Ross1137]

oh I see so you need a 3D printer and everything that goes with it to make it yourself?

 

[Scoobaru]

oh I see so you need a 3D printer and everything that goes with it to make it yourself?

No, keep reading. You buy it from Shapeways who print it then post it to you.

 

[Ross1137]

Oh ok sorry I'm at work and just quickly read the thread sorry

 

[Ross1137]

Ok forgive my stupidity as I am not very tech savvy!! I need to purchase this item from shapeways? then I need to put a magnet on there then attach it to my bike is that correct?, go on my 2019 turbo levo. Can somebody please explain the whole process of installation like I am a child please thank you

 

[Ross1137]

how fast can you go now??