Known Issues & Problems with eProdigy Products + Help, Solutions & Fixes

[Ann M.]

No ebike is perfect, this is a thread dedicated to sharing known issues or problems with electric bikes from eProdigy as well as any help and solutions you know of. Sometimes that means a DIY fix and other times it can mean a recall, software update or part replacement by a dealer.

Please be respectful and constructive with feedback, this is not a space for hate speech. In many cases, representatives from the company will see feedback and use it to improve their product. In the end, the goal is to enjoy riding and help each other go further and be safer.

 

[Feliz]

I'm wondering why there's 1269 views on this thread and not one reply, why would someone view a thread with no posting? Anyway, I've posted and now we all have a reason the click on the thread.

Does no posts mean no one has purchased the bike or there's no issues with the bike?

 

[Joseph Green]

My uncle has an eProdigy Magic Pro that is about 2 years old. It recently started having issues with the motor cutting out at random times. Sometimes it happens when throttling, in which case it will slowly reduce to no assistance (in a few seconds). Other times it happens when in pedal assist mode, in which case the motor cuts off immediately while pedaling. In both cases the display appears to freeze the mph readout, as the mph readout doesn't change even though the bike is slowing down. The display doesn't freeze completely, however. We noticed that the pedal assistance level readout does change during the motor cutout - we have tried to increase the pedal assistance during the motor outage to see if that fixes the problem but it doesn't. After about a minute the motor kicks back on while pedaling and everything resumes as if nothing was the matter, although the problem does repeat itself frequently (usually within another few minutes).

I'm wondering if it's a software issue because of the frozen display. Or a connection issue with the speed sensor since that's the only part of the display that appears to freeze. I reached out to eProdigy to see if they can help diagnose/fix the problem from afar and will post a follow-up here.

 

[Joseph Green]

After a few days I got a call back from Flavio with eProdigy support. They thought it was the controller that needed to be replaced. The replacement controller was free because my uncle's eProdigy Magic Pro was still under warranty, but I had to pay $30 for shipping it to Colorado. Flavio warned me it would take 6 hours to replace but it took us *only* 5 hours and 50 minutes in total, even with the 3 instructional videos they shared with me. The controller is between the battery and the motor, and has 9 cables that need to fit through two tiny holes in the frame to connect to all of the cables from the battery (2 connections), motor, 2 brake sensors, display, speed sensor, front light, and rear light.

The only special tool you will need is a hook to fish out the 9 cables through the two tiny holes (the video shows an example of the hook). The cable with the least slack to work with is the display cable. Unfortunately the display side of the cable became lost in the downtube when it disconnected before we were able to pull it out. We had to pull it out the other side of the downtube, duct tape it to a straightened metal clothes hanger, and push it back through the downtube so we could fish it out in order to connect it to the new controller.

The whole process is not just tedious but, even in the best case scenario, also requires bending some cables out of the way in ways that could damage them. Be careful with the cable housing and connectors as they are not very durable. In the end his bike seems to be back to 100%, but the original malfunction and difficult repair path don't inspire confidence in eProdigy. I encourage eProdigy to improve the quality of their components and build an easier repair path into their ebikes.

 

[Joseph Green]

My uncle's 2018 eProdigy Magic Pro is having the same controller issue again, now at about 2.5 years old. I left a voicemail with eProdigy asking them if I could order 2 replacement controllers so we'll have a spare in case this happens a third time. I will also ask them if it's possible to install the controller externally with some kind of third party waterproof housing (similar to Rad Power Bikes' Radwagon). Based on our experience installing the first replacement controller, installing a second replacement controller internally (where it is designed to go) is bound to damage the cables beyond repair. I will post a follow-up here when this is resolved.

 

[dmarie28]

My uncle's 2018 eProdigy Magic Pro is having the same controller issue again, now at about 2.5 years old. I left a voicemail with eProdigy asking them if I could order 2 replacement controllers so we'll have a spare in case this happens a third time. I will also ask them if it's possible to install the controller externally with some kind of third party waterproof housing (similar to Rad Power Bikes' Radwagon). Based on our experience installing the first replacement controller, installing a second replacement controller internally (where it is designed to go) is bound to damage the cables beyond repair. I will post a follow-up here when this is resolved.

Have you gotten any update from them? My bike is doing the same thing.

 

[Joseph Green]

Gustavo from eProdigy left me a voicemail that said eProdigy could definitely sell a replacement controller, but that it should not be installed externally. He said eProdigy has never installed it externally, so they don't have a recommended way to do that. He said, "it has to be installed inside because it is super fragile" and "if you get any water on it, it will break".

I understand there are tradeoffs with all bike parts (cost vs quality vs weight). I think eProdigy chose poorly with this component - this controller was apparently cheaper for eProdigy to source, but as a result of its poor quality it has become the Achilles' heel of my uncle's bike, even after replacing it with a new one. A part this critical should not be so fragile, and/or the bike should be designed to protect it better, and/or the bike should be designed to make replacing it MUCH easier. As I mentioned in my post above, installing a second replacement controller internally (where it is designed to go) is bound to damage the cables beyond repair. I will post a follow-up here once we've attempted the replacement.

 

[Joseph Green]

I spoke with eProdigy again and they now have an updated controller they are shipping for repairs. They discovered the old controller is very susceptible to water intrusion. The updated version is supposed to be more water resistant, and also has a few other updated features such as the ability to prevent motor overheating. They also mentioned they are designing a completely updated eProdigy Magic Pro for release in the next few years.

I'm glad the updated controller should last longer, but not happy it costs $89 (including shipping) since my uncle's bike is now out of warranty. If a company knows their product has a part that fails frequently, they should extend the warranty on that particular part for an extra few years.

My uncle's bike stopped having the issue with the second controller, so we will only replace it with the updated controller if it occurs again.