EcoSpeed Electric Mid-Drive Guide
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ElectricMid-DriveComponents
(600W.750Wisslightly different.)
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Congratulations onyourpurchaseofEcoSpeed’s ElectricMid-DrivefortheEasyRacers TourEasyand
Gold Rushrecumbentbicycles.TheElectricMid-Driveis theworld’sbestmulti-speed,throttleoperated,
electric-assistconversionandtheonlyelectric-assistdesigned specificallytofita varietyofrecumbent
bicycles.
Theseinstructions will guideyoustepbystepthroughwhatwehopewill bea simpleand painless instal-
lationof yourEMD.Themechanicalskills involved are modestand,wegiveyouhints andtips atevery
stepthatreflectwhata professionalmechanicknows.Ifatanytimeyouhaveproblems,call us at1-866-
EcoSpeed (866-326-7733)forfriendlytechnicalassistanceore-mailus at support@ecospeed.net.
A word onhowtheseinstructions areorganized.Eachstepis under a majorheading–Step1:,Step2:,
etc.Ifyou’veinstalled anEMDbefore youcanjustread themajorheadings and ignore theexplanatory
text.Beloweachmajorheadingis a listof sub-steps.Theimportantinformationineachsub-stepis in
boldtext.Ifyou’re a competentbikemechanic,youcanjustreadthebold textand safelyignore therest.
Theremainingtextis there toclarifythings fornon-mechanics. We’vealsoincluded tips andhints in
Italics.
Beforegettingstartedcheckthatall thepiecesneededwereincludedinyourshipment:
Checkthepackinglistincludedwithyourshipment.
Youwill also needthefollowingtools:
1)Bicyclechainbreaker. Availablefromanybikeshop.
2)2.5mm,3mm,4mm and5mmhex(orAllen)wrenches. (Thestandard “L”shapedhex
wrenches sold atbikeshops andhardwarestoreswill probablywork but,theirshorthandlesmake
looseningand tighteningdifficult,especiallyinthelargersizes.A betteralternativeis a¼”ratchet
drivewrenchand hexsockets.Yourlocal hardwarestoremayhavethemortry www.snapon.com for
topquality.)
3)10mm boxoropenendwrench.
4)8mmnutdriver.
5)Wireclippersorscissors.
6)TorqueWrench(optional).
Onceyouhaveall theparts and toolsyouneed,it’stimetoclear a nicespacetowork,find severalof
hours time, and gettoit.
Step 0:Makesurethatyourbikeisingoodcondition.
Ifyouhaven’thad yourbiketunedupbyyourlocalbikeshopina while, nowwouldbea good time. In-
stallingtheEMDwill placeextra stress onyourbikesoit’s importantthatitbeintopcondition.
Step 1:Findawayto secureyourbikewhile working.
Theidealhereistomountyourbikeonaworkstandsuchasbikeshopsuse.Ifyouhaveac-
cess toonegreat,otherwisethere are other possibilities.
Ifyouhavea workarea where it’s OK toputhooks intheceiling, youcanhangthebikefromtheceiling
usingropes orstraps.
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Putintwohooks about3 feet(1meter)
apartandhangtheseatcrossbracefrom
these. Putina thirdhookatthefrontof the
bikeandhangthefrontof thebikefrom
thishook.
Makesure thebikehangs levelwith all
wheels off theground.
Ifyoucan’tuseceilinghooks,youcanlean
thebikeagainsta wall with thefrontbrake
lockedtopreventrolling. Wrapseveral
tightrubber bands around thefrontbrake
lever untilthefrontwheelcannolonger
roll.
Step 2:Removeidlerandchain.
Removethemidmountedchain
idlerandall associatedpieces.
Usingyourchainbreaker tool,splitthe
chain,remove, and setaside.
Step 3):Install themotor plate
1)Insertthemotorplateintothe
frame. Itfits infromtheright sideof
thebike. Angletheplatesothatthe
chaintensioner springstopclears the
lower rightframetubeand slipthe
platebetweenthetwolower frame
tubes.Itshould beoriented sothatthe
chaintensioner armis towards the
frontofthebike.
MostGold Rushframeshavea cross tab
welded betweenthelower twintubes in
thevicinityof thechainidler mount.This
mayinterfere withinsertingthemotor
plateintotheframe. Ifso,youcansafely
cutoutthecross tabwitha hacksawor
other tool.Addingthemotorplateand
clamps will strengthentheframemuch
more thanremovingthetabweakens it.
2)Clampthemotorplateto the
frame. Fourclamp sets aresupplied with
thekit,a bottomfrontpair,a bottomrear
pair,and twosingleoffsetclamps forthe
topof themotorplate. Eachclamp setis
installed with a singleboltthreadedfrom
theleftsideofthebike.
2a)Bottom FrontClamp. See Photo1.Install clamphalvesonM6x70mmboltas shown.Usethe
9/16”spacer onrightsideofmotorplate. Usea flatwasher under thehead oftheboltand a flatandlock
(1)Bottom Front Clampset
(2)BottomRearClampSet
(3)Top FrontClampSet
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washer under thenut.Useremaining
flatwashers as neededtofill ingaps
and adjustthemotorplateverticality.
Youdon’tneedtouseall thewashers.
2b)Bottom RearClamp. See Photos
2.Install clamp halves onM6x75 mm
boltas shown.Usethe5/16”long
spacer ontherightsideofthemotor
plateandthe9/16”longspacer onthe
leftside. Usea flatwasher under the
head oftheboltand a flatand lock
washer under thenut.Useremaining
flatwashers as neededtofill ingaps
and adjustthemotorplateverticality.
Youdon’tneedtouseall thewashers.
2b)TopFrontClamp. See Photos 3.
Thetopclamps haveasymmetric
halves.Usetheshallower halfontheleftsideofthe
bikeandthedeeper halfontherightside. This off-
sets themotorplateslightlytotheleftof thetop
frametubecenter line.
Attachthetopfrontclamp halvesoneither sideof
themotorplateusingtheM6x20mm bolt.Placea
flatwasher under thebolthead.Useother flat
washers betweenmotorplateand clamp oneither
sidetoadjustverticalityas needed.
2b)TopRearClamp.See Photos4.Attachthe
topfrontclamp halves oneither sideof themotor
plateusingtheM6x35 mm bolt.Placea flat
washer under thebolthead.Useother flatwashers
betweenmotorplateand clamp oneither sideto
adjustverticalityas needed.
Theboltshould protrudetotheright as shown
where itservestomountthechainguidetubeina
later step.
Tightenallclamps.Thelower clamps shouldbe
verytight.Becarefulnottoover tightentheupper
clamps though.Theyusealuminumthreads and so
canbeeasilystripped.
Step 4:Assemble theEMDunit
TheEMDfor theTourEasy/GoldRushis
shippedpartiallydisassembledso thatthemo-
tor platecan beinsertedbetween thetwin
frametubes.Inthisstep youwill reassemble
theEMDwiththemotorplateattachedto the
bike.
(5)GearboxOrientation
(6)Gearboxbolts,M5x12mmbutton
head
(4)Top RearClampSet
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1)Attachthemotor/gearboxunittothe
motorplateusing4M5x 12mm button
headbolts.(photos5and6). Orientas
showninphoto5.Thearrowpointstohalfway
betweenthetwochainopenings inthegear-
box.
2)Threadchainthroughgearbox. Itgoes
ineasiestifyouinsertitfromthebottomand
usea finger torotatethesprocketinsidethe
gearbox.See photo7.
3)Jointheendsofthechainwithmas-
terlink. Refer tophotos 8fortheproper way
toinserttheincluded master link.Snapthe
springclipontothelinkusinga pairof needle
nosepliers.
NOTE: MostGold Rusheshavea
welded cross tabbetweenthelower
frametubes.This cross tabis nor-
mallylocated suchthatthechain
needs toencloseit.Ifnot,itmust
beremoved.
4)Removeboltsandretainer
platefrom SpindleAssembly
(photo9).
5)Leavethespacershowninphoto10inplace. This serves to
keepthespindleawayfromthemotorplatewhenitisbolted down.
6)Placethespindleagainst
themotorplatewiththechain
wrappedaroundthespindle
sprocket.(photo11)
7)Aligntheboltholesonthe
rearofthespindleassembly
withtheslotsinthemotor
plate(photo12).
8)Attachthespindleassem-
bly tothemotorplateusingthe
bolts,washers,andretainer
plateremovedinstep8.(photo
13) Donottightenboltsuntilstep9.
9)Adjustmotorchaintension. Gentlypull thespindleassemblytowards thefrontof themotor
platetotaketheslackoutof themotorchain(photo14).Lightlytightena coupleofthebolts.Rotatethe
spindle360 degrees lookingforanylocationwhere thechaingoestaut.Ifitdoesn't,tightenthe5 bolts to
55 inch-lbs (6.2N.m).Ifitdoes,loosenall bolts and movethespindleretainer a tinyamounttowards the
motorand repeatthis step.
10)Install thefront chaintensioner. Removetheslotted screwthatattaches thepivottube(black
cylinder)thetensioner notingtheorder of all ofthespacers and washers.Screwthepivottubeintothe
(7)Chain ThreadedthroughGearbox
(8)InstallingChain MasterLink(proceedclock-
wisestartinginupperleft)
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motorplateas showninphoto15 placingthe3
mm spacer betweenthetubeand plate. Theflat
area onthetubecanbeturned bya 10mm wrench.
Tighten.
Placethespringover thepivottube. Inserttheslotted
screwand replacethespacers and washers.Attachthe
tensioner armtothescrewandtighten.
Finally,placethearmsof thespringas showninphoto
14sothatthetensioner is belowthemid-freewheeland
wantstorotateina clockwisedirection.
Step 5:Install thefrontchain.
1)Usethechainyouremovedinstep 2asthe
frontchain.(readwarningbelow)
(10)SpindleAssemblySpacer
(11)SpindleandChain
(12)SpindleandMotorPlate Alignment
(13)SpindleRetainer
(9)SpindleBoltsHoldingSpindleRe-
tainerPlate
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2)
Set thefrontderailleurtothesmallest
gear. Threadthechainthroughthede-
railleurcage,aroundtheinnermost
frontsprocket,andthroughtheEMD
sprocketsasshowninphoto16.You can
useabentcoathangertohold theends ofthe
chainwhileyouadjustthelengthas shownin
thephoto.(notethatthephotoshows andif-
ferentbike.Thechainpath is thesame.)It’s
OK ifthetensionerswings moreto therear
when onthesmallestfrontringas longasthe
chaindoesn’tstrikethemid-freewheel.
Shortenthechainusingyourchainbreaker
and jointheends sothatitends uplooking
roughlylikephoto16with thechainonthe
smallestfrontring.
(Hint: ifyouneed anyinstructionintheuse
ofcommonbicycletools goto
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/
FAQindex.shtml)
WARNING: Useonlydrylubricantsonall
chains.Ifyouhavebeenusingoiltolubricate
yourchain,youmusteither replaceitwitha
newchain,orcleanitthoroughlyand switch
lubricants.See Maintenancesection.
Step 6:Attachdrivesprocketandchain-
guardassembly.
Attachthedrivesprocketandchain-
guardassemblytothedrivespindleus-
ing5M6x 20mm buttonheadboltsas
showninphoto17.
Tightenall5 bolts securely.
(16)FrontChain Path
(17)DriveSprocket andChain Guard
(14)AdjustingMotorChain Tension (15)Chain TensionerInstalled
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Step 7:Install thechainguidetube.
1) Attachthechainguidetubebracketto
the30mmboltthat goesthroughthe
middletopmotorplatemount.
Use2oftheincludedM6washersas
spacersbetweenthebracketandthetop
rearclamp.Finishwithanm6nutand
lockwasher.Photo18showsthebracket
minustheguidetube.Photo19shows
theguidetubeinstalled.
Youmaybetempted toleavethechainguide
tubeoff.Wedon’trecommend doingthis.Its
purposeis todamp chainshakewhichcan
causethechaintocomeoff themid-sprocket
under someconditions.
Step8: Install chainIdler.
1) Replacetheoriginaldoublechainidler
withtheincludedsingleidler. Attachthe
idler totheoriginalmountinglocationusingan
M6x16mmhex head bolt.PlacetheM8
washer betweentheidler and frame.
Step 9:Install therearchain.
Settherear derailleurtothelargestcog.
1)Usethesupplied76inchesofSRAM9-
speedchain.Ifyourbikehasan8-speed
rearcassette,it’susually OKto use9-
speedchain.
2)Threadthechainaroundthemid-
sprocket,throughthechainguidetube,
throughtheidler,aroundtherearcas-
sette,andthroughtherearderailleur
cageasshowninPhoto20.
Shortenthechain,ifneeded,usingyourchain
breaker tool.Withthechainaroundthelarg-
estrear cog, itshould lookapproximatelylike
photo21.
Jointheends ofthechainwiththeincluded
Powerlink™connector.
(19)ChainGuideTubeInstalled
(18)Chain GuideTubeBracket
(20)RearChainInstalled
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Step 10:Adjust thechainguidetube.
1)Alignthechainguidetubesothattheflexible
attachmentishorizontalandthebracketisverti-
calasonphotos18and19.
2)Tighten thenut andboltholdingthebracket to
themotorplate.
Step 11:Install thethrottle
Yourkitusesa Hall-effectthumbthrottle. Hall
effectthrottles arenon-contactsolid statedevices that
relyona magnetmovingpastanintegrated circuittogen-
eratethevariablevoltageneeded tocontrolmotorpower
and speed.
Theplasticshellsof thesethrottles cansometimes stick
whennew.Ifthathappens,justruba droportwoof sili-
conelubricantintotheseamthatseparates thetwohalves
of thethrottle. Thatwill permanentlyfixtheproblem.
1)Thethrottleslidesontotheendofyourhandle-
barasshowninphoto 22.
Thehall-effectthrottleis designed tobemountedonthe
right side, butmaybemounted ontheleftas well.
Right sidemountingis theusualbut,lefthandmounting
allows youtoshifttherear cassetteand operatethethrot-
tlesimultaneously,whichsomeprefer. It’s alsopossibleon
mostbikes toswitchtheshifters tooppositesides to
achievesimultaneousthrottleand shiftoperationwith thethrottleontheright.
2)Routethethrottlewiresothatisdoesn’timpair turningthebars,won’tsnagonany-
thing,andreachesthethrottleconnectoronthemotor.
3)Connect thethrottletothemotor.
4)Don’tsecurethethrottlewirewithwiretiesyet. Waituntilyoutestthesystemandknowthat
everythingis workingthensecure all thewires totheframewiththeincluded wire ties.
Step 12:Install thebatterysystem.
1)See theincludedseparateinstructionsforyourtypeofbatterysystem.
2)Afterinstallingthebattery,secureloosewireswiththeincludedwireties.Makesure
thatthewiresarelocatedso asnot tointerferewiththemovementofanysuspension.
Step 13: FinishupandTest.
1)Withtherearwheelsuspendedoffoftheground,turnonthebatterypackswitchand
pressthethrottleto testthesystem.Runthebikethroughall ofthegearstomakesurethe
derailleurisproperly adjusted. Lookat themotorchainandverify that itisrunning
(22)MountingHall-EffectThrot-
(21)ProperlyAdjustedChain
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smoothly.Makesurethatall wiresareout ofthewayofall movingparts.Makesureaxle
boltsorskewersaretight.
Proper adjustmentofthegears and makingsure thattherear cassetteandbearings areingood shapeis
especiallycriticalgiventheextra load thedrivetrainwillbesubjected to.Also,checkthattherear axle
skewer orbolts arefullytightened.Axlebolts shouldbetorqued toabout20ft-lbs (28Nm).Skewers
shouldbeas tight as youcancomfortablymakethem.Itis possibleforthemotortopull theaxleright
outof thedropouts iftheyare loose.
3)Roadtest. Runthroughall thegears makingsure theyare shiftingsmoothly.Usefull throttleineach
gear tocheckforskippingofthedrivechain.Keepspeeds lowatfirstuntilyou’re sure thateverythingis
functioningproperlyand youbecomefamiliar withridingwiththemotorassist.
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