Yep, we’ve never thought about it that much either, but with its wacky hubless design, changing the back wheel on the Verge TS is anything but a straightforward task.
Without a contrary located wheel axle to undo, where do you start when it comes time to change your hoops?!
Like most bikes, the process on the Verge begins by taking off some of the legally needed paraphernalia which is mainly the rear number plate hanger. From there you need to drop what looks like trim from the left side of the bike that until now I thought was structural.
The next job is the one that would rule out ever using a Verge TS in an endurance race - well, that and the recharge time anyway - and it comes in the form of the 20 T30 Torx fasteners that secure the wheel to the centrally mounted motor of the bike. Once they are all out it’s a case of giving the tyre a tap with a rubber mallet and it seems to just pop off the hub with a minimal amount of fuss.
From there it’s a case of getting the tyre changed at a tyre fitter and re-fitting it to the bike. Easy peasy. Well yeah, and no. What happens if the new tyre you put on sends the wheel out of balance? With no centrally mounted hub, as found on a normal bike wheel, how the heck do you hold and rotate the wheel to check the thing is balanced properly?
Anyway, I digress. The whole process is weirdly engrossing, and I guess it’s because I’ve never actually considered what the process would be. It does though seem a little over the top though to have to undo around 30 bolts to get the wheel off, and then the same number again to get it back on the bike. And with 737lb-ft of torque on offer, you’re probably going to be getting very used to the process.
