E-BIKE CARE LIST
USER PRECAUTIONS
1. Familiarize yourself with your electric bicycle and the functions of the Chilled Squirrel e-bike and its electronic systems in a safe environment before participating in road traffic for the first time.
2. Always wear a helmet when riding an electric bicycle for your own safety. In October 2004, the South African government passed a law making it compulsory for all cyclists to wear helmets. The regulation requires the use of a protective helmet that is properly fastened and fitted while riding a bicycle or being carried as a passenger. sure that the tires have the pressure recommended by the manufacturer before riding the bike.
3. Make sure that the brakes are operating properly before riding the bike.
4. Do not use a mobile phone or any other electronic device while riding an electric bicycle; it is imperative that you pay attention to traffic.
5. If possible, ride in bike lanes and always in the correct direction of traffic.
6. Adhere to all valid traffic regulations.
7. Keep in mind that other traffic participants may underestimate the speed of an electric bicycle.
8. Ride with both hands on the handlebars when riding your electric bicycle.
9. Ride as defensively as possible.
10. Care in Gear Changing: when gears are changed please make sure that you are not using the throttle at the same time. This puts too much unnecessary pressure on the transmission components. Change one gear at a time and do not apply big pressure on the pedals whilst changing the gears - only light pedalling when gears are changed.
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE:
Please ensure that Battery Power is turned off on the battery and at the power switch on your Handlebars before you adjust any technical settings including your chain or pedals and before you repair or adjust any other components or parts. The PAS (pedal assist function) may kick in automatically initiated by any movement of the chain or pedals thereby injuring the rider.
Please keep your hands away from adjusting anything other than settings on your handlebar unless your power is OFF.
HANDLING AND CHARGING THE BATTERY
Chilled Squirrel’s Samsung Cell Lithium batteries need to be recharged with Chilled Squirrel chargers or Chilled Squirrel power supplies.
Never short-circuit the battery by connecting the contacts of the battery.
Never open the battery, as this could damage the battery and possibly lead to overheating. The battery cannot be serviced by the user. Opening the battery case voids all warranty and product liability claims. Never use a battery that has obvious damage to the case(s) or the battery connector.
It is best to store the battery in a cool location at temperatures between 10 °C and 25 °C. Never store the battery in locations where the temperatures can reach more than 45 °C or fall below -10 °C. The battery should never be exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations or humidity, and always protect the battery during storage from humidity to prevent corrosion of the connectors.
Never drop the battery. Always protect it from physical damage. Damage may lead to short- circuits, and as a result cause overheating of the battery.
Do not dispose of used batteries in regular household trash. Be aware that used batteries must be disposed of properly. Chilled Squirrel batteries can be returned to Chilled Squirrel to be recycled. WARNING Re Charging the battery:
Only use the Chilled Squirrel power supply or charger that was supplied with the system to charge the battery. The use of other power supplies/chargers can damage the battery.
Keep the power supply or charger away from water or moisture when charging and/or connected to prevent electrical shock or short-circuits.
Do not use a power supply or charger that has obvious signs of damage to the cable, housing, or connector.
Extreme temperatures will affect battery life, especially during charging. Avoid charging in direct sunlight or in very hot or cold temperatures. This will reduce the life of the battery considerably. We recommend charging the battery at room temperature approximately 20 °C. The battery should be warm to room temperature before it is charged, particularly if it was exposed to cold temperatures during a ride.
The battery can be charged when mounted on the bicycle or removed from the docking station. A Lithium-Ion battery does not have a memory effect, which means that the battery’s maximum energy capacity is not affected if it is repeatedly recharged after only being partially discharged. The battery does not need to be completely drained before charging. We recommend charging the battery after every ride, preferably when the state-of-charge display shows less than 50%.
Battery Locked on: Please ensure your battery is Locked on properly before you ride. This requires you to turn the key in the lock of the battery and check if it is properly locked on before you ride away
Remove the keys from the lock to avoid the keys falling out whilst riding.
Turn the Power off in two places: When not riding - please turn the power off at The handlebars console power button that is next to your LCD display AND turn on the power switch off on your Battery. Otherwise, the battery may discharge while it is not being used.
Charge your new battery full upon receiving: After you take delivery of your new Electric bike, please charge it fully. Yo u will know it is full when the red light on your Charger turns Green.
Best time to stop using your battery: to ensure maximum life cycles, it is best to stop using the battery when you are down to one notch left on your LCD Display. Or to be on the very safe side, two notches. If you continue using your battery beyond this, it could cause the cells to swell and damage them permanently which will reduce the number of life cycles you get on your battery
*TIP: Carrying your battery charger with you will help. You may then charge for half an hour along the way just to make sure you do not discharge the battery completely which could potentially cause damage.
When charging the battery on the bike: please make sure that both of these power switches are off whilst charging.
Do not leave the battery standing flat (completely discharged ), make sure it is charged to at least 50% full. Especially if you do not ride the bike for a while -it does the battery harm to leave it standing in a completely flat/ discharged state for an extended period of time.
Do not over-charge the battery. it is better to remove the charger as soon as the green light comes on (which confirms the battery is fully charged). It takes approximately 3.5 hours to charge the battery fully. Do not leave the battery in a charging mode unattended for longer than 3 hours.
Storage & Transportation of the Battery: when you travel and require your battery to be transported in any way, it is best for the make sure the battery is charged to 50% capacity instead of 100%. Avoid vibration and shock - your battery should be packed with soft materials such as wrapped in bubble wrap or in a blanket or towel.
Long-term storage of your battery: If you intend to leave your battery unused for an extended period make sure it is charged to 50% (not full) and then charge it once a month to the 50% level. Batteries will discharge themselves even when not used. If you keep the cells charged at 50% in storage this will ensure a healthy battery with optimal life cycles.
MAINTENANCE & CARE
In order to ensure extended use of the Chilled squirrel systems, all plug-in contacts of the system should be checked every two to three months and cleaned with a soft and dry brush, if necessary. It must be ensured that no dirt or humidity penetrates the battery docking station when the battery is removed. The Bafang motor and battery does not require other maintenance.
Never use a high pressure washer or a garden hose to clean the motor , LCD display or battery systems. The force of a water jet could damage the electrical components.
TRANSPORTING AN ELECTRIC BIKE
When transporting your electric bike always remove the battery. In case of inclement weather, your motor and system connections should be protected from the elements. When travelling by air, it is important to un-derstand that a lithium battery is classified as dangerous goods and must be transported by a qualified han-dler. Please note that your battery cannot accompany you and your bicycle on a commercial flight.
REPAIRS AND SPARE PARTS
For repair of your electric bicycle, please consult us at our service centre either in JHB or CT or a qualified dealer. The use of spare parts from unknown sources, for example, replacement parts from third par-ties, is strictly prohibited. If you need spare keys for the battery, please contact chilled squirrel . Please retain the key number for your records. It is located on the battery key.
OPTIMIZING BATTERY RANGE
The following factors influence the range of your battery:
1. Topography
Riding in mountainous terrain requires a much higher energy input compared to riding in flat areas.
2. Climbing
Riding up steep hills requires much more energy than riding on flat ground. More effort or possibly a change to a more gradual route can affect overall range.
3. Level of assistance
Choose the level of assist required based on riding conditions, rather than just riding in one particular level all the time. Remember that energy consumption more than doubles from level 5 assist to level 9.
4. Battery state of charge
Make sure the battery is fully charged before every ride. This will provide the best possible range from the battery each time.
5. Weight and load capacity
Every ounce counts! Limit your cargo, think about getting an efficient type of bicycle for the system, even what type of gear you wear.
6. Tire pressure
Tires with pressure that is low will have increased rolling resistance, and require more energy from the battery. It is important to regularly check your tire pressure, the max. pressure is typically written on the sidewall of any tire. Slick, skinny, high pressure tires offer the most efficiency for you and your battery.
7. Acceleration and constant speed
It is important to ride efficiently; electric propulsion systems consume more energy when accelerating from a standing position. Try to keep your speed constant, starts and stops greatly affect your overall range.
8. Outside influences/weather
You will notice some difference in range when it is very hot or cold outside, this influences how quickly the battery will discharge. Headwinds can also greatly affect system performance. Expect more range on days with moderate climate.
9. Cadence and Shifting
Keeping your cadence high (between 80-90 rpm) is the most efficient pedalling range for most cyclists. A high pedalling rate in combination with the lowest level of assist will offer the most range, the more slowly you pedal and the more you rely on the electric assist, the less range you will get. Use your shifters to ride efficiently, just as you would with any other bicycle!
