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

[troehrkasse]

No Ebike is perfect, this is a thread dedicated to sharing known issues or problems with electric bikes from NCM 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.

 

[FullyCharged]

*I've fashioned an adapter that allows me to use the 2 shorter Juiced 21Ah & 8Ah batts.

Can you make a thread on this please. Would like to see what you did.

 

[john peck]

Can you make a thread on this please. Would like to see what you did.

THat was pretty simple. Sprayed wd40 on bottom receiver & the bottom of the battery.
Mixed a gob of Instamold* moldable, non-toxic plastic, mashed into the receiver,
pushed the battery down into it 'til it snapped into the connecter, & clamped it into
place with a hose clamp 'til the plastic set, (after trimming the excess). You could just
use a hose clamp with a folded piece of 60 grit sandpaper to hold it in place. The
mounting system is the same as Juiced, but for a longer battery.
*see ebay

 

[FullyCharged]

THat was pretty simple. Sprayed wd40 on bottom receiver & the bottom of the battery.
Mixed a gob of Instamold* moldable, non-toxic plastic, mashed into the receiver,
pushed the battery down into it 'til it snapped into the connecter, & clamped it into
place with a hose clamp 'til the plastic set, (after trimming the excess). You could just
use a hose clamp with a folded piece of 60 grit sandpaper to hold it in place. The
mounting system is the same as Juiced, but for a longer battery.
*see ebay

Got a pic of this setup? You have peaked my interest. Can you remove the Instamold easy to switch back to the stock batteries?

 

[john peck]

Got a pic of this setup? You have peaked my interest. Can you remove the Instamold easy to switch back to the stock batteries?

Comes right out, that was what the wd40 was for., doesn't bind to the other components,.
Lost my pictures when my old PC committed sepuku.
For whatever reason, I can't get pictures from my old Olympic into
the new PC, & I've bin too lazy to figure it out Also, I use a small self-tapping screw from the chain side to
hold the adapter in place

 

[Milbs]

Having tried changing the wheel size and deciding it made no difference, today I noticed that the speed reading is WAY off!
Mine is 7-8kmh fast- vs iPhone GPS - so the pedal assist switches off well before it should.

I changed the wheel size to 20 and it’s still off but by my admittedly poor maths I should now at least continue to get assistance closer to 25kmh and maybe a little bit beyond?!

 

[john peck]

Sounds aggravating, I'm glad mine arrived preset for 29ers & mph

 

[uvc8080]

I’ve done over a 1200km on a Moscow Plus 27.5 inch.
I’ve had the following issues:

1. After owning for 3 weeks power cut off mid ride due to loose contact on one of the cables that connects to display. I had to take it back to bike store & after diagnosis they had to resolder.
2. Water leaked into PCB board located on battery on/off button due to riding in rain. Had to get replacement PCB board installed. Mechanic covered top of battery with electrical tape to prevent happening in the future. He said this is a common issue.
3. Rear derailleur cable broke & had to be replaced.
4. Rear wheel spokes have broken 3 times. I’ve now organised for a new rear wheel which will hopefully fix issue. Mechanic at shop said that broken spokes is a common issue with rear wheel hub drive bikes due to weight.

 

[john peck]

U, I'm at 1400 mi. Taping over the switch was something I did as prevention on my CCS, so perhaps I should
on the NCM. I popped one spoke on a pothole, my fault, tire not properly inflated. With the warmer weather
& use, my cables stretched a bit I had to tune 'em some. The spoke thing is an issue, I think any motor
500 watts or more should have #11 spokes, THe replacement wheel I bought for the CCS has them.
That wheel is fine, but the CCS is now a parts bike, I have the 29er Moscow which is holding up well.
largely because of lessons learned on the CCS. I think a 29er is less prone to the spoke issues because
it spans over bumps & ruts better. I do think the discs are too thin, more so than the CCS. There's an
ever-so-slight warp in front I can feel at very low speed but not noticeable otherwise.
The biggest plus for this bike is how well it climbs. Not as fast as the CCS was, but there's a lot of steep
going here & the moscow climbs so well. There is good advice on shifting in the manual that
might have prevented U's broken derailleur cable. Take off in too high a gear is ill advised as is
with too low because this motor is very goosy with instant torque, For that reason. when starting
off, I tap the throttle a tad before stomping the pedal. When shifting you have to ease off pedal pressure
for a blink. If you are bearing down hard if may be too much for the cable.
My advice would be to read the manual carefully & follow it to the letter.

P.S. ya gotta keep an eye on tire pressure; too little & the rim will bottom out on bumps or holes
& pop spokes. This is important if you're a big rider like me.You might even want to go to a bigger
tire, 2.5" to 2.8" in the rear.

 

[Lukeham]

Thousand mile evaluation of the NCM Moscow: No problem with the bike, but I did have a flat when a wire broke loose
from the tire bead & punctured the tube. The more i understand the German engineering, the better the performance
becomes. I'm a big guy & have put back some of the 100 pds I lost as muscle. This bike inspires one to put more self into
pedaling. Having a triple chainring is a real plus. There are lots of ups & downs here, but this bike will climb a tree. One
local hill ascends 115 ft up from the beach in a little more than a 1/4 mile, & the bike climbs it with ease on the middle
chainring. The owners manual is very useful for getting the most out of this modestly priced, rugged bike.
It's still quite rideable without power on the small chainring, & I often take shorter rides without installing the battery.
It's basically a hardtail Mtn. bike with power & 4 3/8" fork travel compared to 3" travel on my CCS, It's not as fast as
my CCS 'was'.
Changing a tire was so much easier, The symmetrical stays will handle a 3" tire, but the 2.25"s are just fine on the
beach except for loose dry sand.. It comes fairly bare bones, but cheaply enough with wiggle room to personalize.
I got mine at $1300 the day after order from Leoncycle-us in Seattle, but their latest email yesterday has it at $1059
That is a really good bargain if you are not put off by the name, Moscow. I think that was meant to sell this
German bike in Russia. The fat tire version is called Aspen,( trite). I'd have called it Cheyenne. All NCMs are named
for cities.
I've seen a bunch sold to other outfits with different paint & single chainrings going for $1500.
It's a bit noisy on take off, very torquey & a tad goosy. The motor has tempered metal gears, not plastic..
For $200 more you can get a Moscow+ with a 16Ah battery, 8 spd. & 2 motor cutoff levers, but I'm getting
better mileage with the single cutoff, 7 spd, 13Ah than I did with my 21Ah CCS.*
If you ease off pedal pressure upon shifting, it's very smooth with the 7 spd. Gearing is just fine with the old
standard mtn. 48 38 28/ 14-28. There's really no reason to mess with it, & it would void warranty any way.
The Schwalbe Smart Sams are surprisingly fast rolling, comfortable, & handle well on all surfaces, but after the
flat I put a more rugged Bontrager on the back. There's a simple trick to dropping the rear wheel. After loosening
the nuts just use a cone wrench to align the flat surfaces of the axle with the sides of the dropout. When tightened,
the axle locks into the dropout. There's no need to remove a retainer clip & the derailleur as with my CCS .
After adding a 5" riser bars, I had to move the thumb throttle to the left, Mounting points are a bit strange.
but I managed to reconfigure a rear rack with a space for a 2nd battery yet would still take panniers & tie-
down space on top. It was something of a challenge creating a mount for my single wheel Aesom trailer
which converts to a plow, harrow or rake,
My personal conclusion is the this is the best, most versatile bike you can buy for the price, including many
costing twice as much or more.

*I've fashioned an adapter that allows me to use the 2 shorter Juiced 21Ah & 8Ah batts. PS.Mine's a 29er, also comes 27.5"

How do you know that it has metal gears? That would be great if it did. Just curious because I can find no information on this motor. Thanks.

 

[stevieray611]

I've used my Moscow 5 days a week for a year daily 24 mile round trip . The problems I've had so far are mostly ware and tear . New tyres , 6 new rear wheel spokes, new gear mech hanger after spoke took it out , new chain , new saddle . The roads in uk are in a pretty poor state so I'm not blaming the build at all . I'm pretty happy with the moscow . Only this wk the battery has decided not to take a charge .due to the times NCM aren't easy to contact so I'm gonna try a new charger first see if it's a charger or battery issue . I'll update when I find out

 

[stevieray611]

Update it's def the battery so now the dilemma , brand new battery or get the old one re celled to a higher speck either way it's gonna cost lol .

 

[john peck]

Just an FYI: If you take off the rear wheel for any reason,(tube,tire,spoke) Do not squeeze the rear brake lever
without the wheel in place. The brake self adjusts; you will either be unable to replace wheel or have signifigant
brake drag. Read the manual on brake adjustment. If this has happened there's a simple fix. Loosen the upper
& lower alignment bolts, (do not remove, these are not the bolts that mount to frame ) Rotate the wheel &
check pad clearance, ( should return to normal when self-adjust releases) Outside pad should be a bit closer
to the disc but not touching. With wheel rotating freely, tighten bolts & adjust the barrel adjust on the lever.
The manual & illustration is more helpful if you've got one.

P.S. I can't believe my rear derailleur is still in perfect tune after 1500 miles without being touched

 

[john peck]

Update it's def the battery so now the dilemma , brand new battery or get the old one re celled to a higher speck either way it's gonna cost lol .

Had you been charging according to manual guidelines? It's very specific. I've learned the hard way to follow
the manual to the letter in it's entirety.

 

[john peck]

Just another tip; IF you have a flat in the middle of nowhere it's a long walk home if you not prepared to deal with it. I removed
the stock kickstand & replaced it with a dbl leg '&' a rear mount single stand. The dbl comes with an upper clamp you won't need.
Just run the the bolt thru the frame into the lower portion of the dbl. It will lock securely into the frame. (much simpler with wheel off)
Why am I doing this? To make tire repair in the field less of a nightmare! The dbl stand let's you drop out & replace the wheel without
turning the bike upside down & crushing your display, mirror, or whatever while making the process ' somewhat' easier.... but there's
a trick to it! A) Manually slack chain off the chainring. B) After disconnecting the power cable, ( at this point I tape a sharpie cap
over the end to protect the connector prongs), C) Remove all washers & nuts from the axle,(you can leave the right side hanging
on the power cable) If you simply loosen them, the nut will snag on the derailleur when you drop out the wheel. When tightened the
axle twists & locks into the drop out. To drop the wheel, carefully use a crescent on the flat sides to align the axle to drop out, avoiding
damage to the threads. (!) D) Slip chain off freewheel & slide out wheel.
Replacement: A) lift the stays, ( the frame will now rock forward on the dbl leg.) roll in wheel, loop chain onto freewheel, & lower
dropouts onto the axle being careful to align the flat sides of the axle with the dropout slots,( this is just easier without nuts & washers)
B) The washers with the tab insert with the tab "under the axle from the outside" first!, then lock washer, nut. Reconnect power cable
being 'very' careful to align the arrows!!

IF this sounds complicated, try doing it with the bike upside down in the field. There's just no simple way to deal with a rear motor
wheel, & it's easy to screw up if you don't get it 'exactly' right! This is the main plus for a mid-drive. The plus for a rear motor
is that it will get you home on throttle if you are injured or have broken a pedal or chain. Being able to rock the bike on a dbl leg
kickstand also makes doing the front easier too, as well as tuning, since your can turn the pedals without hitting the kickstand with
the wheel off the ground. (Things not mentioned in the manual )

 

[jkvt]

Just another tip; IF you have a flat in the middle of nowhere it's a long walk home if you not prepared to deal with it. I removed
the stock kickstand & replaced it with a dbl leg '&' a rear mount single stand. The dbl comes with an upper clamp you won't need.
Just run the the bolt thru the frame into the lower portion of the dbl. It will lock securely into the frame. (much simpler with wheel off)
Why am I doing this? To make tire repair in the field less of a nightmare! The dbl stand let's you drop out & replace the wheel without
turning the bike upside down & crushing your display, mirror, or whatever while making the process ' somewhat' easier.... but there's
a trick to it! A) Manually slack chain off the chainring. B) After disconnecting the power cable, ( at this point I tape a sharpie cap
over the end to protect the connector prongs), C) Remove all washers & nuts from the axle,(you can leave the right side hanging
on the power cable) If you simply loosen them, the nut will snag on the derailleur when you drop out the wheel. When tightened the
axle twists & locks into the drop out. To drop the wheel, carefully use a crescent on the flat sides to align the axle to drop out, avoiding
damage to the threads. (!) D) Slip chain off freewheel & slide out wheel.
Replacement: A) lift the stays, ( the frame will now rock forward on the dbl leg.) roll in wheel, loop chain onto freewheel, & lower
dropouts onto the axle being careful to align the flat sides of the axle with the dropout slots,( this is just easier without nuts & washers)
B) The washers with the tab insert with the tab "under the axle from the outside" first!, then lock washer, nut. Reconnect power cable
being 'very' care to align the arrows!!

IF this sounds complicated, try doing it with the bike upside down in the field. There's just no simple way to deal with a rear motor
wheel, & it's easy to screw up if you don't get it 'exactly' right! This is the main plus for a mid-drive. The plus for a rear motor
is that it will get you home on throttle if you are injured or have broken a pedal or chain. Being able to rock the bike on a dbl leg
kickstand also makes doing the front easier too, as well as tuning, since your can turn the pedals without hitting the kickstand with
the wheel off the ground. (Things not mentioned in the manual )

Any thoughts on a bottle of slime for use in the field? I've never used it but was thinking of getting some to keep on me for any flats in the field.

 

[Milbs]

Any thoughts on a bottle of slime for use in the field? I've never used it but was thinking of getting some to keep on me for any flats in the field.

I carry a bottle everywhere I go - have no interest in repairing in the field!! Especially the rear which will be a challenge at home, in a garage with a stand and tools!!

 

[john peck]

Any thoughts on a bottle of slime for use in the field? I've never used it but was thinking of getting some to keep on me for any flats in the field.

I've never used it; I've heard it can clog a valve core, but I don't know that. I rarely have a flat. It's usually a torn sidewall
from a root or some other catastrophic failure. I like having a dbl. leg stand because it's convenient for several reasons
other than just a tire. I can replace a spoke without taking the wheel off, for one. Also having a rear mount single gives a
choice as how to park.
A dbl. is handy for use with a trailer. As big as I am, a trailer takes weight off the bike. I plan soon to tour desert with 4
batteries, ( 55ah total ). That & a bunch of gear, would seriously overload the bike. No one ever plans taking a wheel
off in the field until the need arises. I also carry a small rope ratchet that will turn a sign post into a bike stand.
There are so many semi-overgrown old logging roads here to explore, but it's completely a matter of self rescue
if something goes wrong. (I always have a small 1st-aid kit. )

P,S. you have no idea how many times I've needed to... 'self-rescue'.

 

[stevieray611]

I use slime and a liner as I was constantly getting punctures, now touch wood maybe once in a blue moon , tyres wear out before I get a flat these days

 

[jkvt]

Thanks for the info. I'll grab a bottle and hang on to it in case I need it in the field. I think the odds of a flat are pretty slim as I'm using the bike as a commuter and to run errands. It will be almost totally used on the road, then again we have our share of potholes here in Vermont, and I sure have hit some, so maybe that's not as big of a plus as I think it is.

Stevieray611, what do you mean by you use it as a liner? Do you pump it as preventive or have a tube that comes with it?