Assembling a battery-free assist gear, FREE POWER crank, onto a bifold folding bike made in China.

Many folding bicycles are being made in China, and I got this one second-hand at a bargain price.
It has disc brakes, so it's fun to customize it with the good parts made in Japan.

This time, I have upgraded the 14-inch wheels to 16-inch ones, and installed the FREE POWER crank, an "battery-free assist gear" with the aim of using it as a commute around town.

The effect is realized at speeds from the start of pedaling up to about 20km/h.

FREE POWER is the world's first bicycle gear crank system with silicone rubber inside the front crank chainring and gear.

According to the catalog, its effects and features are,
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*Light pedaling
Silicone contraction accelerates the force to pedal, making the bicycle start smoothly.
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*Gentle on knees and muscles
Silicone acts as a cushion to soften shock and vibration when riding, reducing stress on knees and muscles.
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*Assist for long distances and hills
Silicone assists gear rotation by repeatedly compressing and rebounding during pedaling.
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*Responsive for long distance pedaling
This is the reason why we decided to install the new crankshafts.
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After the crankshaft conversion, I cycled about 50 km on a flat road and could feel the power saving of pedaling and the pedal rotation assist.
Especially at low speeds of less than 20km/h, I could feel the effect remarkably.

At cruising speeds of 20 km/h or more, I personally feel that the pedaling force can be reduced by about 20%.

However, there is a sense of bumpy in the cranks due to the contraction of the silicone rubber when pedaling.
When pedaling up and down, I felt a slight discomfort.

This is because the silicone is converting the input direction based on the circular motion of the pedals.
If you keep in mind to turn the pedals instead of stepping on them, I will be able to pedal smoothly.
Then I have felt the effect.


#Folding bicycle #steel frame #Chromoly frame #Free power #Assist #Folding bike #Minivelo #Maintenance