Has anyone recently installed a wheel guard on a Velotric fold 1?
Posted by Piranha_Cat@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 8 comments
I wanted to post this on the Velotric ebike sub, but apparently only certain people can post and I'm not one of them. Excuse my writing and grammar, English is my first language, I just suck at it.
I've been trying to install velotric wheel guards on a velotric fold 1. The instruction manual they send is garbage and just had a single illustration, no actual explanation, and doesn't actually represent the product correctly (missing the plastic buckles that the velcro feeds through). The problem I'm running in to is that when I wrap the bottom strap around the chainstay, through the buckle, and back over on it's self I'm left trying to stick a hook side of the velcro to another hook side. The strap does transition from one to the other, but it's way up by the buckle and even trying to get it to reach resulted in the mesh on the wheel guards ripping. I tried searching for better instructions in case I was doing something wrong, but the only things I could find with the actual product and not some fake markup bullshit were user images, which just show it installed exactly how I'm trying to install it. No matter what I do it appears that the only way to get that strap to work would be to roll it over on it's self, but then it's not going to lay flat, and I doubt that that's what I'm supposed to do.
I provided Velotric with images and told them that I though that that strap might be installed backwards. Based on the photos they agreed with me and sent me a new set of wheel guards. After over a week the finally arrived... and they are exactly the same as the first pair and have exactly the same issue. I had to reopen my ticket because they closed it right after mailing the new wheel guards and ended up having to start all over with a different support person. I asked them to provide better install instructions and instead they sent me one of their shitty fake markup/prototype images that show a FAKE wheel guard photoshopped over an image of a real bike. It's not even an accurate representation of the product, because once again it doesn't show the stupid plastic buckle. They also sent me a still from someone else's youtube video that shows what it looks like when the real product is installed on a bike, but I've already watched that video and I can't see any difference in how I'm trying to install it and how it seems to be installed in the video, aside from the fact that the person in the video appears to have an actual functional set of wheel guards and I do not.
I once again asked for real instructions or a video or images or SOMETHING, ANYTHING from velotric that actually shows how the thing is supposed to be installed so I know if I'm unlucky and got two defective products or if I'm just stupid. Instead they offered me $40 towards having a local bike shop install it. It's going to be a pain to get it there, and I'm going to shoot fireballs out of my ears if they have the exact same issue as I do, so I figured I'd see if you guys could help me figure it out first. What do you think I'm doing wrong?
[This is the strap that I can't figure out. In this picture I was kinda able to get it to stick together, but if you touch it it comes off. ]()
[This is what's happening when I wrap it around and feed it through the buckle and try to double back. I'm trying to stick the hook side to the hook side.]()
[You can see the loop side is on the other side, so I maybe could roll it so it's in contact with the hook side, but then it's going to look like shit.]()
[This is a non-defective strap. you can see that the strap changes from loops to hooks right where it goes through the velcro and doubles back, so this one can actually be fastened.]()
Relative-Display-676@reddit
what does the other side of that strap look like?
Piranha_Cat@reddit (OP)
It has a similar issue to this side, except with the hooks/loops swapped. When installed the other way around I still can't fasten it because then I'm trying to attach two loop sides together. I can get it to fasten if I wrap the strap all the way back around after going through the buckle, but it won't reach that far when I actually try to install it that way one the bike, and even trying resulted in damage to the wheel guard. Here's some pics for reference:
This is one of the wheel guards. I believe this one is face up based on the placement of the Velotric tag on the side. The wheel guards have straps and each strap also has a plastic buckle. my understanding is that I am to wrap the stap around the back of the chain stay until it reaches the buckle for that strap, then it's supposed to be doubled back the other way so that it can fasten to it's self. All other straps besides the straps for the chain stay can be installed this way and they appear to change the type of velcro material right where it goes through the buckle, so when it's doubled back it's a hook side touching a loop side instead of hook-hook or loop-loop like when you try to install this one.
Relative-Display-676@reddit
Purchase velcro squares and mount hook square on the frame. Loop the loop strap through buckle and attach it to the velcro hook square that you mounted on the frame. Will have to angle it a bit so it doesn't overlap but I think it's doable.
Piranha_Cat@reddit (OP)
I could probably do that, but these piece of shit wheel guards cost me $40, so I was really hoping to not have to jerry rig it together. So far I've received two sets with the same issue, so I am starting to consider that I might be doing it wrong. I'm curious if anyone else has purchased these recently and actually been able to install them on the fold 1, and if so, then do their straps look like mine? I've already asked Velotric for better instructions multiple times and instead they're offering to pay a bike store to install it instead of actually providing useful instructions. I have one about an hour ride away from me, but if I get down there and they can't install it either then I'm going to spontaneously combust right there. I just want some freaking instructions lol
Relative-Display-676@reddit
Got it. So one of the straps is defective. So what I would do is get velcro squares and attach hook square on top of the frame for that one strap that's defective. Then pass the strap over the mounting bar, feed it inside under it, bring it on top of the frame where you place the hook square and lock it down. Trim the left over piece so it doesn't rub on tire.
Hope that makes sense.
Piranha_Cat@reddit (OP)
It will only let me embed one image per comment. this is one of the wheel guards flipped over so it's laying face down
This one is harder to see because I've crushed some of the velcro hooks trying to get it to fit. This side is similar to the other side with the velcro material changing about an inch from the buckle. You can actually see where it goes through the buckle based on the shiny part under my middle finder where I've fucked the velcro all up while fighting with it. All the other straps I've looked at have the material change where it goes through the buckle instead of having it so close to the buckle. It's the chainstay straps on all of the wheel guards that they've sent me, all the other straps work correctly. I've found pictures online and I still can't what I'm doing wrong.
Piranha_Cat@reddit (OP)
As a fun bonus, check out this promotional image I found on Velotric's website that shows the wheel guard installed upside down and with most of the straps not fastened:
Piranha_Cat@reddit (OP)
Here is a (badly photoshopped) picture they have on the product page for comparison:
Maybe the reason they can't just tell me how it's installed is because they don't know either?