The chain wasn't aligned quite right. The side of it was rubbing at the time of this video.

any 48v ebike battery will work. Some people replace the SBS50 connector with a XTC60 connector which are easier to unplug

The 1000 ELF owners have good web support, mostly with 3 Facebook groups. The private owner group is a huge archive of 7 years of troubleshooting, repairs, upgrades and battery replacement options. The company dregs are up for auction, it may come back. There are few parts that are totally custom and even those can be fabricated. I'm in year 6 with mine as my only transportation.

their own web page states only 700+ customers with 850 sold. www.organictransitassetsale.com/ obivoulsy some bought more than 1, no where close to 1000. some of the early ones are now broken with a bad battery and solar panel so even less on the used market.

@@khandam7709 Actually it is close to 1000, closer than to 500. The first Kickstarter models are still going, it is absurd to suggest the vehicle is junked when the original battery dies! I'm on my third battery in year 6 because Florida heat is hard on them, no 7 year old batteries are still in service nor were they expected to be. The original aluminum backed 100 watt panels were started a year after first production, an upgrade from 60 watts that was less useful. Unfortunately the aluminum back panels have a failure rate of about 30% after a number of years because the bend is more than they can take prolonged. No one had any way to foresee the chosen panel would develop so many open solder joints. Our huge private group of 500 owners on Facebook figured out the easy fix was to tape or glue a plastic backed 100 watt flex panel over the original riveted one, this works well. Some ELFs are never plugged in to charge in the South. Mine charges at 70 watts the entire time it is in the sun so I return home with an almost full charge on my daily shipping trips. The market for used ELFs is active, about one a week. My group is vary aware of the few that are scrapped for parts, no more than about 20 total are scrapped after collisions. Three ELFs completed 4000 mile journeys, one wrote a book about it, one made a movie that is here at KZbin - Sustainable Joes.

@@popeyegordon their own web page states only 700+ customers with 850 sold. www.organictransitassetsale.com/ it is not 1000, you have zero data showing it is 1000 either, so why misinform?

I have seen your posts on the Facebook group. It is nice to see the work you do and the way you are using the ELF to make it fun and useful at the same time. I got my ELF with some missing parts and damage from an accident, so I had a pretty clear list of things to fix. I found all the documentation I could online to understand all the systems. The hardest part was piecing together what information applied to the version of my ELF, since there were many changes with different versions. I did a lot of piecing together info from looking at pictures online. Good luck restoring. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

@@craig.bedward like are you still using a Nvinci CVT hub on yours or did you change yours I had 2 why don't we connect sometime via Facebook and discuss ideas for our ELFs would like to connect with more owners

No, from the pedals to the rear hub. There are two drive chains.

Cool! It is a tough struggle up the hill but it can do it. It took about 15 - 20% of the battery to make it up the hill. I sold the ELF recently.

@@elfelectricbike What would you say about that hill and another 15miles to and from my house? Too much for the elf, right?

@@chrisscheldt7670 it could probably do it. You would want to charge it during the day for the return trip. I could get a good charge from solar only most days. You can get batteries of different capacities to increase the range.

It takes lots of peddling and coordination with the electric to make it up that hill. I overheated and blew the breaker a couple of times before I got the rythm of it worked out.

It does have some suspension on the front wheel bars. And the large wheels help. But it is just not enough to make that trail comfortable for regular travel.

As I keep tweaking the drivetrain, the sound just moves and changes. I am thinking it is just not adjusted right. Are you saying those sounds are normal? Specifically, the "click, click" as I am pedaling.

Popeye Their seem to be a few maintenance problems. Marty Robinowich says he has 2 ELF's in case one breaks down. I'm not trying to be negative here, but have you had maintenance problems the last 3 years you owned the ELF?

@@craig.bedward Sorry for the delay in my reply, for some reason I got no notification of your query. A lot of minor chain noise comes from the long pedal chain guide tube not being perfectly aligned, and some add another guide wheel on the bottom return side of the chain. A bike freewheel hub normally makes a small constant click that doubles when you coast. There are so many different drive trains sold in the last 6 years, you have to say which one you own, 1.0, 1.5, 1.8 mid-drive? For the kind of noise you describe, block up the rear wheel and have someone turn the pedals to pin point the source.

@@brianfoster6700 Marty puts more miles on his than any other ELF owner I am aware of. He also admitted to trying to pedal in 15 inch deep water which caused him multiple problems. He also lives in an extra hilly area, always harder on the bike. He let a school kid roll over one of his ELFs. He goes farther in one year than I have gone in 4 years. Most of my problems were due to the bad idea of an internal shifting rear hub, something OT no longer does. They use a mid-drive design now. And my hub problems were finally fixed by going to a 5 speed from an 8 speed hub, it has a single stronger planetary gear instead of two smaller planetary gears. The unavoidable cable slop in the extra long cable was solved with a 5 speed that has a greater throw between each gear. I also went from SRAM to Sturmey-Archer, the same hub brand used in the PEBL. At 300 pounds I do indeed put the ELF to the test more than most riders every time I go. Just yesterday I towed my bike trailer up over a hill with two empty propane tanks and back with two full ones. A real work horse as far as I'm concerned. It never stops drawing curious people, I have spoken to no less than 7000 complete strangers who walk up to me with questions. Brian you have been following comments on the ELF for years, what the heck are you waiting for? Get one. Stop the procrastination.

@@popeyegordon Thanks, I'm about ready to take the plunge. I don't have a garage and will have to chain it up in my driveway. Did you state that you also chain your ELF up in front of your house? If so what size chain do you recommend?

When I got this ELF it needed a lot of TLC. The right stirrup was missing; it was just a flat pedal. I made a pattern from the other one, which I cut out of ABS and then formed with a heat gun. elfelectric.weebly.com/blog/peddle-strap

@@craig.bedward We need updates to your channel.

Ha! Indeed. Each time I eliminate one sound, it is quieter, so I hear the next one. The biggest problem has been the tinging sound. It appears to be the secondary pedal chain hitting the side of the motor. I have readjusted the entire chain system multiple times. I have gotten great improvement, but have not fully eliminated it.

It's good to listen. Although some new sounds are just chains breaking in, some are bad and need to be checked out. BTW I just installed a new hydraulic rear brake head. Only the caliper head, not the cable, is sealed mineral oil hydraulic. I've never been happy with the poor stopping power of the rear brake due to the long cable run. Will let you know how this works after it gets broken in, still mushy due to brand new pads. I want to be able to lock the rear wheel if needed.

It would be great if that improved the rear break. It doesn't add much to stopping.

@@elfelectricbike Hmm. I used to drive rally cars back in the Group-B days here in England [it was at club/amateur level, not works/pro], and the only thing a rear brake (handbrake) was any good for was locking up the back wheels in order to get sufficiently sideways when taking hairpin bends... Maybe not something you're too concerned about when commuting in your ELF! ;-)

@@EleanorPeterson No, the rear brake is important and heavily used. This is not a car.

It is a sidewalk, that is often quite busy. The ELF does fit on it, but with no room to spare. I have used it before, but if I meet a person, it forces one of us completely off the sidewalk. Normally, when the motor is working, I can hit close to 20 MPH on the road. The speed limit is 25. Good idea staying close to the side. It can be annoying with all the extra dips, manholes, drains, and road debris. I agree we want to stay out of the way of vehicles whenever possible. There are a lot of hotheads out there. They should get an ELF and enjoy the ride! :)

On any sidewalk I would completely pull off even if the walker I'm meeting steps off because we don't want anyone to have an excuse to get in a huff or call the cops about a sidewalk law being broken. It looked to me like this long walkway would be used very little, I'd try to use it on a commute any time I could not go full speed on a busy road with no bike lane. But watch for cars pulling out because they won't expect to encounter bikes before they get out to the road.

Thanks. Check out my new one too. Just today I made another version that is a cutout shape of the ELF, in orange to match mine. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqHcZ3hnpZV0eKs

Living Well Life Hacks It is a 2FR. I don't have the original paperwork since it is second hand. By the SN, it was apparently in March 2016. Probably version 1.8.