Reliability of ebike motors. Let the arguments commence!

[DaveMatthews]

Bias, or reality?
Let's hear it!

The 3 Best eBike Motors for Reliability, Ranked by Real-World Data - CYCLINGABOUT.com

The best eBike motors aren’t the ones with the highest power, smallest size, or quietest operation - they’re the reliable ones.

www.cyclingabout.com

 

[Aushiker]

My drive unit may or may not be an outlier.

Discussion at https://forums.electricbikereview.c...ler-supercharger-bosch-and-a-new-motor.59398/

 

[DaveMatthews]

My drive unit may or may not be an outlier.

Discussion at https://forums.electricbikereview.c...ler-supercharger-bosch-and-a-new-motor.59398/

Your odd and unfortunate experience was one of the reasons for my seeking information mate.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Full disclosure...
My 2019 Giant Fathom with Yamaha/Giant Syncdrive Sport motor was and still is flawless with its new owner.
On the other hand, My first 2021 Giant Stance E with the same drive unit ended up with the replacement of the bike/motor, including battery. It has been flawless since.
There are zero manufacturers with zero faults...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I wonder how the EV market would look like if the car electric motors were as faulty as the e-bike ones...
The article is about e-MTBs. Mountain e-bikes are known to be abused.

I had an older Brose TF replaced once after 14,000+ km. My Specialized SL1.1 holds strong after 5 years and 20,000+ km ridden. The replaced Brose TF still holds strong for 3 years and 20,000+ km.

 

[Chargeride]

Three of our bikes have needed repairs for smashed main bearings.
Pedal strikes are our world, we always replace them with proper steel ones.
It seems passing on the force hasnt caused any other failures, so happy days.

 

[juggernaut1]

Not surprised Bafang are one of the most reliable, especially in the eMTB space. Never had an issue with mine. Parts are widely available too.

And Brose living up to its reputation!

 

[fooferdoggie]

Not surprised Bafang are one of the most reliable, especially in the eMTB space. Never had an issue with mine. Parts are widely available too.

And Brose living up to its reputation!

There were 34 replies not exactly a big enough group. Hell, these numbers on all the motors are a really low amount, and people who are unhappy complain the most.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Not surprised Bafang are one of the most reliable, especially in the eMTB space. Never had an issue with mine. Parts are widely available too.

And Brose living up to its reputation!

Agreed. 3 eMTB's running Bafang Mid-Drives since 2020. I run them hard, in the heat of the summer, in the cold of the winter, occasionally submerged in creek crossings. Other than adding grease occasionally, never an issue. Plus, it's nice knowing that parts are ubiquitous and can be had in 3-5 days. Same can be said about my two riding cohorts with Bafang powered eMTB's.

 

[juggernaut1]

There were 34 replies not exactly a big enough group. Hell, these numbers on all the motors are a really low amount, and people who are unhappy complain the most.

Go over to EMTB forums and you’ll find the study results fairly representative. Owners of Specialized emtbs going through multiple motors, with some on their third and fourth.

Heck, how many motors has Stefan gone through on his non EMTB bikes, and I’m sure he looks after his gear.

Based on your theory, Specialized owners must be a bunch of wingers!

 

[fooferdoggie]

Go over to EMTB forums and you’ll find the study results fairly representative. Owners of Specialized emtbs going through multiple motors, with some on their third and fourth.

Heck, how many motors has Stefan gone through on his non EMTB bikes, and I’m sure he looks after his gear.

I have heard of plenty of Bafang motor failures too.

 

[juggernaut1]

I have heard of plenty of Bafang motor failures too.

I’ve no doubt there are failures, the study shows that. Just at a lower rate than most others.

 

[PedalUma]

Plus, it's nice knowing that parts are ubiquitous and can be had in 3-5 days.

Being able to do stuff like:1) get parts, 2) lube the main gear, 3) run self-diagnostics yourself, makes all the difference. I agree and do not think the numbers are necessarily accurate because some riders are offered side deals given NDAs to not report problems as a hush campaign. When it fails they are offered the replacement bill, or the option to spend thousands more to get a new bike under a 'loyalty program'. I know of a recent report from a guy who was told that the bike motor could not be repaired because it was either a failed torque sensor, cadence sensor, or clutch. I have all of those on hand for free from the factory I work most with. And zero of their motors have failed on me. That's ater about three-years and hundreds of bikes. I know another guy who's bike set his house on fire. He had a bike from a popular brand that begins with "Sp". He was offered a non-disclosure agreement to settle. And then got an open source bike from a California custom builder that was shipped to the east coast.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I’ve no doubt there are failures, the study shows that. Just at a lower rate than most others.

There are no miles listed, type of riding, and such. if bosch or Specialized made it easy to repair the motors, what would that look like? ut do you know if you can get the bafang parts for a motor in 5 or 10 years?

 

[PedalUma]

There are no miles listed, type of riding, and such. if bosch or Specialized made it easy to repair the motors, what would that look like? ut do you know if you can get the bafang parts for a motor in 5 or 10 years?

I am not sure about Bafang. I do not buy them, but will install them. I can say that it is very popular brand and parts are available from multiple sources. I just cannot forecast at 5-10 years. Enough parts are in circulation to last quite a while. If you have a Bafang you might look up the most popular replacement parts and have some of those in advance. A motor core sator for them is $35. A clutch $10. A controller is $42. A nylon gear is $12. But it depends on the model.

 

[PedalUma]

What is great about most Bafang mid-drives is that there are two wires to the battery, red and black. That is the way it should be. It means that no one is stuck with only one option for a battery, or replacement battery in the years to come.

 

[gromike]

If your goal is reliability a direct-drive hubmotor is the way to go. Not that I have had any failures of my mid-drive bikes other than a chain break.

 

[PedalUma]

Some insidious companies make bikes intended to fail. It is all about profit maximization with the silicon valley mindset because they are in the silicon valley, went to the same schools, and are wed each other's siblings. Their children play soccer together. And they attended the same backyard BBQs and children's birthday parties. It is all proprietary like Apple. Sorry Windows 10 is no longer viable. Sorry, only HP printers can use our cartridges. The ink costs more by weight than gold! You require an update that's all proprietary, And you need a battery and new motor that only we can provide at 4 or 5 times the going rate. Also, you cannot service any of it, nor independent shops. We are the Overloads. You 'own" the dog (bike) we are its master. You may 'buy' it but we still own it. You are a sharecropper to your master. Slavery intact. Tax the Billionaires.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Some insidious companies make bikes intended to fail. It is all about profit maximization with the silicon valley mindset because they are in the silicon valley, went to the same schools, and are wed each other's siblings. Their children play soccer together. And they attended the same backyard BBQs and children's birthday parties. It is all proprietary like Apple. Sorry Windows 10 is no longer viable. Sorry, only HP printers can use our cartridges. The ink costs more by weight than gold! You require an update that's all proprietary, And you need a battery and new motor that only we can provide at 4 or 5 times the going rate. Also, you cannot service any of it, nor independent shops. We are the Overloads. You 'own" the dog (bike) we are its master.

I completely get what you're layin' down. That said for me, I like knowing I can take my bike for service at any Giant dealer in any city in NA and not worry about it.
And there are a carp ton of them.
Yes, there's a premium to be paid. I'm OK with that right now, and as usual "things change when you get up in the morning" (tm)...