New 2023 Phatmoto AT, 0 Experience Builder.

[Makomea]

Hey guys! I have been lurking around these forums for a couple months just trying to learn what I can from random posts. Some threads have info I need when it comes to a specific, specialized, task. When it comes to absolute basic information, it is either buried in a comment on an unrelated topic or outright hard to find. I say all that so you know that I truly mean it as I apologize in advance for what I must ask.

I bought a phatmoto 2023 All-Terrain Limited Edition motorized bicycle. I am a bit overwhelmed and intimidated because my prior research on not only putting it together but the various forum posts warning about bearing needing to be removed and regreased, certain nuts and bolts constantly falling out, bolts being like butter and snapping…. These are problems and I am happy and willing to learn how to solve them but I do not have or even know what types of tools I would need for an in-depth inspection and upgrade. I have very limited experience with bicycles.

So, what I ask, is if any of you have any experience in this particular bike, would you please for safety reasons tell me what failure points I should check. I have written down a few things to go over, but it is no where near a comprehensive check list. On top of helping me form this checklist, would you guys mind informing me on what kind of bicycle tools I would need in order to carry out said task? Would I need to buy one of those bicycle toolkits on Amazon or Aliexpress? Would the bottom bracket tools and cassette holder downer whip chainie thinggie be “compatible” with that Shimano 7 speed cassette on the back of this bike? Torque wrench! How do I know what torque to set the bolts to? There is no documentation on google for that bike or the lifan engine that it comes with when I go to do the governor removal procedure. I may be asking too much, if so, I am sorry. I just wanted to share that I am a fan of what you guys do, wish to join in on the fun, and out on full display my ignorance and total lack of experience. Thank you for any and all advice!

 

[Tony01]

Check everything. Over time you will know what goes loose often. I like harbor freight for tools. For Allen wrenches get bondhus with the ball ends.

 

[Makomea]

Check everything. Over time you will know what goes loose often. I like harbor freight for tools. For Allen wrenches get bondhus with the ball ends.

Hey, thank you Tony! Do you think one of those 30-40 piece bike tool sets would be a good investment for the phatmoto? I don’t want to buy a bunch of tools I will never use, but if most of what I need can be found in them, I’ll be happy to make the plunge.

 

[Tony01]

Hey, thank you Tony! Do you think one of those 30-40 piece bike tool sets would be a good investment for the phatmoto? I don’t want to buy a bunch of tools I will never use, but if most of what I need can be found in them, I’ll be happy to make the plunge.

Don’t know. A hundred bucks at harbor freight will go a long way.

 

[fasteddy]

Hello Makomea,

Welcome to the forum. Tony01 is correct. Harbor freight is the place to start. Myself I'd stay away from the bicycle tool kits that they sell. I found over the years your lucky if they have a lot of tools you will really need.

I'd start with some hammers, both steel and plastic like a dead blow hammer that is a plastic shell with shot in it. The shot increases the force increases the force of the blow. Pliers, with some needle nose and adjustable jaws. A set for C and E clips. They are a spring clip that holds different parts in place and sit in a groove.

Wrenches, with one end open and the other end with a ring end that slides over the bolt head or nut. The style I use most has a ratchet ring inside with a lever on it that allows the wrench to go forward or reverse without removing it. The ring wrench end swivels so I can get on a bolt or nut and swing the rest of the wrench at an angle. Some just flip over to go forward or reverse.

Ratchet and socket set. The best value is a combination set with 1/4"-3/8"-1/2" ratchets and sockets or you can purchase the individually in sets.

Screw drivers. Again often sold in sets. Drift punch set. Adjustable wrenches. You need to be careful as they can mess things up if they slip but have their place. Vice grip pliers in various sizes and styles. Like having an extra hand. The name says it all. Hacksaw is handy and if you have a place to mount one, a good sized vice to hold parts..

Bike specific tools to remove pedals, bottom brackets and other bike specific parts. Look around the web to see what is recommended.

Hope this helps and I'm sure others will add to the list.

Steve.

 

[Makomea]

Thank you both Steve (Edit: A.K.A- FastEddy) and Tony! Yes, this is a huge help for someone jumping in blind. I appreciate it very much!

One of the larger issues I am having, is that I cannot find a manual online for the 2023 PM AT. The closest thing I could find was a very limited manual for the Lifan motor. It was for an out of box model, so I don’t know for sure if even that information is generally correct or if phatmoto uses a modified version. My bicycle mechanical skills are so green that I barely know the vernacular. I can’t find a single reference using google telling me what type of bottom bracket the AT is using, nor what size Uber flat wrenches or other specialized tooling I would need to pop it open. Same for a cassette grabber. I have read plenty of places stating “make sure it’s compatible with your cassette or you will end up destroying the teeth”. Last thing I wanna do, but the first thing I wanna do it get at them bearings to grease them even if I can’t immediately replace them just yet.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Welcome to the wild world of motor bicycling. This forum is a great informational resource as there is no such thing as a manual for MB's. But for basic bicycle mechanic'ing, I recommend
Glenn's Complete Bicycle Manual:... book by Clarence W. Coles (thriftbooks.com)

Tom

 

[Makomea]

Thank you Tom! I will definitely check that out. That should cover about 90% of what I need to know. Unfortunately it was written before all these super confusing bottom bracket standards. I don’t suppose you or someone else could eyeball what standard this particular bracket is and what type of special tool I would need to crack it open, would ya?

 

[fasteddy]

Have you tried contacting the people who sold you your bike for advice? Often once they have the money they don't want to hear from you or you can't get a hold of them again. Can you post some photos of what it looks like? Most likely the bolt or however they to hold the pedals on uses a generic tool but it's how the bottom bracket comes out that we need to see.

Once you get to the bottom bracket itself and what you need, often I use Amazon to see what I can get that matches what I need. By the way, welcome to the wonderful world of motor bikes. You are now swimming against the current with the rest of us or with the current and you can hear the falls before you see them.

I'm knocking around the web to see what I can find other that, Don't buy a Phatmoto, written buy people who never should own a motorbike of any sort.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Here is a start.

Phatmoto 2020 wide pedal crank kit?

Hey guys. Husband and I are newbs to the motor bike world. We bought 2 phatmoto 2020s few months back. Some jerk tried to steal them and in the process, because he couldn't drive em, tried to ditch them in the woods and messed them up. My love has been making repairs as parts arrive but we've...

motorbicycling.com

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Sealed bottom bracket eh? Pesky things they are. New fangled does not = better, just Nimrod proof.
Looks like you will be shopping for some specialized tools. No matter as they will be part of your tool kit going forward. Let me know if this vid demystifies your bottom bracket question.
How to Remove & Replace a Sealed Cartridge Bottom Bracket | Halfords UK - YouTube

Tom

 

[Makomea]

Sealed bottom bracket eh? Pesky things they are. New fangled does not = better, just Nimrod proof.
Looks like you will be shopping for some specialized tools. No matter as they will be part of your tool kit going forward. Let me know if this vid demystifies your bottom bracket question.
How to Remove & Replace a Sealed Cartridge Bottom Bracket | Halfords UK - YouTube

Tom

BadaBOOM Baby! Yes Sir! That is the one! And that video absolutely solved all my bottom bracket inquiries. I can’t thank you enough Tom. That was probably the hardest part to figure out without a bit of guidance. I can take the motor apart and throw it back together blindfolded but getting stumped on a bicycle pedal system is a very humbling experience. Thank also FastEddy! I don’t know why I called you “Steve” earlier but uhhh… I did, and I have no excuse ROFL!

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

You got a given name Mako? Anonymity is OK if you don't have trust in the people you interact with on a given forum. If you can't trust us head over to the other forum and good luck.
You are right about the Glenn's, I posted a link of which I have volume 1 of which dates me.
I was 22 when I bought my copy in 1973.
Right out the gate you got the attention of two great builders. Likely more may follow. I almost bought into the original Phatmoto offering, just North of $600.00. They had engineering flaws which soured some prospective buyers. The later versions are much improved, or so I hear.
Your OP voices safety concerns. Your bike is geared rather low so realy fast except down hill is a non issue. Bikes of less than fifty inch wheel base are thrilling when you are sober. Three beers and you will wonder what the heck you were trying to prove.

Tom

 

[fasteddy]

Steve is my name. You probably saw it at the bottom of my note. Glad you found the information you needed.

Steve.

 

[Makomea]

I sure do Tom! My name is Cole. I am from a small place called Pikeville Kentucky. Right there is the ass crack of the 2nd greatest canyon is the USA, and the 2nd largest earth moving project since Panama Canal. Nothing to brag about, I assure you. In the words of the great Rick-Bobby, a personal hero of mine, “If you ain’t first, yer Last!”.

 

[Greg58]

Welcome to the forum, a lot of motorized bicycle building involves creative thinking, you have to figure out what you need and then make it. It may be intimidating at first but if you stick with it things get much easier.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Hi Cole, I sniffed out your approximate location on our member map.
You're in with a good crew here. if ya get stumped again just holler. The Hive mind is mighty.

Tom

 

[Makomea]

Thank you Gentlemen for the warm reception and all the helpful advice. You are right indeed Greg! I know most of it will be a slap dash haiku. I have 3 projects that I will be working on. One will be a Huffy Cranbrook beach cruiser, another is a mountain bike Diamondback DB Outlook. Both of those will probably become a China doll build. My main project though is this brand new straight from factory Phatmoto All Terrain 2023 LE. It is a gift from my sister whom wanted to surprise me after telling her my intentions for the other two haha. Bless her heart. I have read the Phatmoto horror stories around this forum. The other two can be ugly, but for the gift bike, I want to make sure to get everything right. Like Tony said, the hive mind is mighty. I will be getting stumped. I still am, trying to get the tools at least ordered before the bike gets here. I can’t wait to make some progress posts to share them with you guys so you can point out all the things I will inevitably do wrong haha!

 

[Greg58]

The beach cruiser will be the easiest to complete, plenty of frame space and simple. The majority of first time builds are on a beach cruiser, mine was. I suggest doing the cruiser or mountain bike first to gain some experience.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

#18 Is a very interesting post Cole, correct me if I am wrong, but assembly of a Phatmoto has never to my knowledge had it's own thread here yet. Might be your claim to fame.
I don't know how you rate such a nice sister, as one who thinks it is better for you to have a store bought MB than one of your contrivance.

Huffy Cranbrook beach cruiser? What engine is in this build? I have reasons. I did a bikeberry 49cc to immerse myself in everything you can do wrong and still have a rider.

Dude hain't no one ever said Haiku on this forum before! If you lived in Raccoon, Ky ,I would know how you come to Haiku.

Tom