Anyone fitted MX tire to EUC?

[THA]

I hopefully get my new IPS Lhotz soon and thus preparing everything ready for it, to just put the parts/equipment on and ready to ride. It's snow and -20 C here, so stock tire won't let me have fun with the wheel - commuting with it would probably be even dangerous.

I've been trying to find some knobbed 2.50 tire for replacement, with poor results. Until I thought out of the box and memorized MX tire sizes - oh yeah, 12" MX tire matches in diameter! But how it will fit? It is 2.50" wide as the Lhotz original, but knobs make it larger. How thick the original tire actually is and how much there is extra room between OEM tire and casing?

Anyone else made this kind of mods? To any wheel?
Vee73 has  a narrow solution, but I wouldn't like to waste wider tire benefits... especially on winter, when lower pressure and more space is just plus for friction.

[Villac]

I've admired Vee's studded tires

I saw another solution in this thread (below) today: it was a great homemade set of tire chains. (sorry I can't figure out how to go straight to the comment link: it is top of page 2)

 

 

I hope you enjoy the Lhotz! I love mine. Careful, the one time it kicked me off was a fast acceleration when it was cold out. 

I just measured: there is about 0.5 cm between the surface of the tire and the casing. It is 1 cm at the edge, but about 1 cm in, there is a tube that holds one of the casing screws and it narrows this distance to 0.5 cm. It would be possible to cut away casing, but the long front fender/back fender on the Lhotz houses the blinking/braking lights so it would be taking away one of the EUs good points!

I had been looking for an offroad tire for my 18" EU and didn't find many options, but there were a lot of 16" tires. I think the only thing you can do is put it on and see if it works! I think it would depend on the specific tire if the lugs and knobs make it too large for the Lhotz housing. The tire it comes with has good traction, especially because of the 2.5" width, but I wouldn't trust it on ice!   Have fun!

one last note: The Airwheel moon trolley handle attached well to the metal handle of the Lhotz, and I put a bike light on this handle using a velcro/adhesive strap meant to go through the vents of a bike helmet and it works well. It doesn't need a brake light with all the blinking red LEDs!

 

[esaj]

2 hours ago, Villac said:

(sorry I can't figure out how to go straight to the comment link: it is top of page 2)

The direct link to a specific post can be got from the "Share the post" -button on the top right corner. The icon looks a bit weird, this will probably help:

 

Don't know if the icon looks different in tablets and/or phones (it's actually not an image but a glyph from a font), or if it behaves differently with them, this is captured from a desktop.

[THA]

Many thanks Villac!

Indeed those lights are quite essential for safety, especially here at winter, since we have sun light only from 9 am to 4 pm (summer time almost around the clock). So I won't rip them away. It will be so nice with no need to take care having reflective clothing every time on, in contrast to my previous wheel.
Have You made any observation about the clearance to other tubes, holding casing screws? Or is it all the way that 10mm, except in the ends of "skirt"?
IF the Lhotz OEM tire is really 64mm thick, it's radius is 7mm less than Michelin Starcross MH3 2.50x12" - without studs. And studs would add app. 2,2mm. Of course putting MX tire to EUC is definitely an overkill, causing EUC shudder, foot numbness, a lot of spare traction compared to power, etc., but if I can't  get any real wide knobbed E cycle tire, I rather take MX for snow than OEM... I think

[Villac]

Thanks for the process help, @esaj!

@THA The clearance is 10 mm at the entering lip, then 5 mm at the casing screw tube, then a little further in there is an internal fender/water guard that looks like 7 mm clearance.

I measure the tire to be 67 mm wide, but inflation may matter, I have inflated it to 42 psi.

There are pictures below that may give you a little more data as you wait for your wheel.

 

[Villac]

I will add, when I ride in the rain, water gets into the headlight/taillight lenses. (They are both tail lights, red LEDs only) Each side has a series of 6 leds. The decelleration brake light feature is cool. However, the spinning wheel can throw water under the rectangular lens that covers the array, and since in my town it is muddy/salty water, it gets a little dingy in there when it dries. the water doesn't seem to harm the LEDs they all still work. I think that if I opened the housing, I would be able to tape or caulk the edges of the internal fender and keep the water from reaching this site.

When in the rain/snow, make sure the charging port stays on. The Lhotz comes with an annoying elastic rubber cover for the charging port that falls off more often than it stays on. Some have bought the screw on cap, but I have not since I read rumors that the battery can be shorted if the charging port terminals are bridged by a metal object. I put extra tape on the port cover, and when I put it on, I rotate it 90 degrees so that the retention strap tightens over the edge of the port to hold it on. you will figure out your own solution. Have fun!

[esaj]

1 hour ago, Villac said:

Some have bought the screw on cap, but I have not since I read rumors that the battery can be shorted if the charging port terminals are bridged by a metal object.

I have the metallic cap on the Firewheel charging port, but it has a piece of rubber inside it (so the terminal pins cannot touch metal). I think Vee had bought it separately, but don't know where, I haven't figured out to correct search words in Aliexpress to find those... (the connector is usually called something like "aviation connector/plug" or "air connector/plug", don't know what the "official" name for it is).

EDIT: Apparently the 3-pin connector is called "GX16-3".

EDIT2: These look similar, but better check the diameter & threading and ask the seller if it fits:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pcs-Connector-dust-cap-with-chain-for-N-female-jack/1989012013.html

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3pcs-Connector-dust-cap-with-chain-for-N-female-jack/1989010232.html

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pcs-connector-dust-cap-with-chain-for-N-female-jack/32319914649.html

 

For Lemo-plugs (Ninebot), check the type first:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/LEMO-dust-cap-0B-1B-2B-0S-1S-2S-0K-1K-2K-ODU-0F-1F-connector/32368587253.html

[THA]

Hi @Villac, great info! While I estimated real tire widths from pics, I got app. 67mm indeed, so thats a great news!
Great picture, it's now way easier to figure out possible solutions  My daugher uses generic one and I needed to lift the casing to fit even a bit thicker tire - just depending on how the casing is attached to the frame, might be possible with Lhotz too.

If the charging port is the same as in generic one, I suppose thread matches those used in automation and theaded caps could be found in about any electronics component store. Hope so, been reading about this cheap solution in other topics.

My Wheel arrived today to my doorsteps, I'm just 350km/5h away for next two weeks  - but my husband already sended it to me, so hopefully I get my hands on it tomorrow, after 4 p.m., but still, possibly tomorrow, already, finally  

[THA]

Dame, can't fit Starcross on Lhotz, at least without changes to casing. BUT: Best Grip BG 1000 studs did fit in to OEM tire just fine! Can't install those as deep as should, but they were just fine ehile testing, packed snow 15cm -> 2cm and some loose snow, it was fine! Big positive, although disappointment too, were the pedals: Just great, best possible for comfort bus just so poor for snow... after first step out of the pedals, the tiny a mouth of snow on boots -> totally zero grip, had to carry it home! So I put on some screws, grips fine know. OEM tire is great, everything in this wheel feels awesome and a 13cm step inside was easy, RW and others impossible (my skills). This is so steady, stable, easy... pedals are totalaly too low compared to how easy it is to make very tight turns. I just love Lhotz! So stiff pedals, compared to 9bot1, bot great control over RW, goes straith through almost everything What a wheel!!!

[Kells]

2 hours ago, THA said:

Dame, can't fit Starcross on Lhotz, at least without changes to casing. BUT: Best Grip BG 100 studs did fit in to OEM tire just fine! Can't install those as deep as should, but they were just fine ehile testing, packed snow 15cm -> 2cm and some loose snow, it was fine! Big positive, although disappointment too, were the pedals: Just great, best possible for comfort bus just so poor for snow... after first step out of the pedals, the tiny a mouth of snow on boots -> totally zero grip, had to carry it home! So I put on some screws, grips fine know. OEM tire is great, everything in this wheel feels awesome and a 13cm step inside was easy, RW and others impossible (my skills). This is so steady, stable, easy... pedals are totalaly too low compared to how easy it is to make very tight turns. I just love Lhotz! So stiff pedals, compared to 9bot1, bot great control over RW, goes straith through almost everything What a wheel!!!

are these 1000 studs, or 100?  I have the same model and looking for traction on ice...  Any links would be appreciated.  especially to Amazon!

Thanks!

[THA]

Sorry @Kells, BG1000 they are. I have no idea about amazon or whatever, I use to buy my studs from local store, they might be slightly cheaper somewhere else but I like to get the original HQ studs, immediately. Manufacture: http://www.best-grip.com/eng/
They have list of importers, take a look. Remember, don't install them as deep as should, there isn't enough rubber... probably. 

If You can use google translate, check www.motorengas.fi - Sava MC32 and Motorengas developed a winter model, if there is a narrow, 2.50x12", size, it really works. My daughter has those (17") in Yamaha YZF-R125 and she goes to school with it every day (it has LiFePO battery, no other is enough to start on these weathers)