I got distracted and started putting all my parts and pieces together to see if I could make a running awd setup with my junk.
I just need to figure out some kind of enclosure, I’ll probably just slap some diamond plate on there and ride it lol.
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Quick reply from them. They are sending me replacements for the inner plastic that died. Good on them. Ill put them on this new setup and see if they hold up.
Hopefully they’ve got a better mix and it was just a batch problem. Ill replace the 4 sleeves on this new setup and see about breaking, I mean testing the new ones
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Update: i have the new adapters from them and slapped them on for some more miles. Fit was really good, a bit snug but not tight and I didn’t need to hammer them on or anything. They just slide on with a bit of thumb pressure for the last 5mm or so.
I was asked if failure could have been my fault by a friend, having exposed them to some solvent. I only use bearing grease with teflon for the bearings, WD40 on exposed steel when it gets wet, and silicone oil on exposed steel after the WD40 flashes off. It could be as i am usually pretty generous with grease. I live adjacent to a rainforest so keeping things greased up is a must for me. This install i was very careful not to expose the plastic to any grease or solvents. Even cleaned everything that could come into contact with them some 99% iso and let everything fully dry before assembly. I cleaned the pu really well also.
I’m pretty confident they have not come in contact with any solvents or chemicals beyond road grime, which I’m cleaning off after every ride so i can inspect them. I got some cracks after the first ride…
By the third ride (70-80 miles) im getting chunks:
The replacements feel exactly the same as the old plastic, hard and shiny with little flex
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Super lame… surprised they’re that brittle
Ya, kinda seems like the wrong plastic to me but im no expert. If they don’t offer some sort of solution I’ll probably beg one of my friends with a 3d printer to make something from tpu or some more flexible material so i can run the tires I have already. Though the cloud wheels are kinda overpriced, they do fill a niche thats kinda overlooked.
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the niche: making hubs sorta bearable on Seattle roads
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Just dont hit any of the brick or cobblestone roads, bout to lose a tooth without taking a spill
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Latest response from them, they are testing better materials and they want me to Guinea pig for them. I think it’s a great solution for me as they were really responsive. Wish it was working from the start but the donuts are newish so i give em a pass.
Really great customer service so far ¯\(ツ)/¯
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Cool that they’re being so helpful
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I just tried the new meepo motors with the cloud clone sleeves and they got so hot in 4 miles i couldn’t touch them and the brakes failed. I do think any sleeves keep the heat in.
Have gone back to running older meepo hubs on 14s. That means i need the heat to get out so will avoid these cloud sleeves even though id really like some on the hubs.
I took the hub cap off one, sanded off the odd bit of glue and some of the black paint then added heat sink plaster glue to the face.
At the end of my usual ride i can now hold the motor as long as i want without scorching meepo into my hand. Also in 5 minutes or so the one id added heatsink glue to was almost cold while the other one sits and cooks for over ten minutes roughly. Ive now done both.
As for the cracking i also wondered about glueing them on, maybe again with heat sink compound.
Also ive heard it mentioned that its very important that the inner motor bolts are done up first so the motor is seated metal to metal. Then do the hub cap up.
If you do the hub cap up first there may be a tiny gap on the inner motor side, so the weight/forces are being put on the plastic not the metal and as you do up the bolts on the back you crush the plastic cloud sleeve.
I believe this is because the cloud wheel is 1 or 2 mm wider than the hub motor. Or it was on the videos i watched.
See here hes done the cap side up first and now has a 2mm lip.
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Why 14s out of interest?
I stupidly bought a DD aeboard cheetah and it self destructed instantly. The motor chewed itself up and they refused to replace it without extra money.
So i had a meepo mini with a busted esc and just decided to slap the motors on the aeboard and hope. Has been working really well for a few hundred miles with over 100kg load. I had to improve the heat transfer with heat paste on the hub caps and try to limit time at wot but otherwise its ok so far. Its the same magnet count as the direct drives i took off. Is that the deciding factor whether a motor swap works or not?
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This is interesting, I just assumed my excess heat when running cloud sleeves was due to the now larger radius wheel/torque necessary and not because of additional insulation from the larger pu. Work harder get hotter type of thing. Hard to test but the outcome is the same. I had heat issues with all the hubs ive run except 4wd. I have zero heat issues since switching to 4wd so iv just adjusted my expectations, i assume i need 2kw of motor to get me moving.
The heat paste idea is great and ive thought about replacing or machineing more aggressive fins into the hubcap and or inner mount to improve the heat dissipation… but it looks like more work than i want to take on rn.
Long term I love hub motors and would love to have a good standardized option like we have for outboards. Seems like it would have to be larger than the standard 80 to 100mm options available just to provide better thermal mass and heat dissipation, or adopt a mounting system that accommodates a wider use/readily available hub like for scooters…
Im actually just about to drill all the way through the hubs and install 70mm long bolts as i keep stripping the bolts or they arrive new with faulty threads. Im hoping that will help move a little extra heat.
But that heat sink paste made a huge difference on its own.
These after market sleeve kits are even worse as the caps arnt bonded to the hub and probably leave a small air gap.
Have you checked those “love marlon” something meepo slip on sleeves.
When i go out on a cool night i get a noticeable torque boost for most of the ride compared to a sunny hot tarmac day. Im pretty sure a fair bit of heat is going through the bonded pu when allowed.
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I had thought about a 10mm heat sink under the hub cap with longer nuts but i tend to walk up monster hills on 18 mile rides to preserve the range and it seems they are coping now.
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It would be cool to replace the outer hub cap with a fin monstrosity ankle shredder. Aluminum impellerish shaped would move a lot of air around. Drill and solder a few heat pipes and you could probably get it overclocked to 4.5ghz.
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Yeah my ankles twinged when i first had the idea. So thought about 8mm thick heatsink sandwiched between the hub motor and hub cap with longer 3mm bolts. Im always catching my back foot on the rear wheel so no sharp edges for me.
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Ok so the first replacement sleeves they sent broke down just like the first and original. I just got back on grid and the second experimental replacement sleeves have arrived. My initial impression is that these seem significantly stronger and less brittle. They are a transparent plastic with a greenish tint but otherwise identical to the original shape and size.
I have to rebuild my deck and enclosure because it needs more dust and waterproofing but I should be able to start putting some miles on it this weekend. Because they sent me one set and my board is awd i will have one pair of new style and one old pair of style sleeves running at the same time. Hopefully they nailed this and this will be the end of the saga
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7th time’s the charm! Good luck!
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I wish i could test them as well. Given how i abuse my hubs I’d easily find weak points.
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