Best parts to combat wear issues on a Mountain bike, speed pedalec.

[TomW]

Hello everyone,
I was hoping that someone would be able to advise me on a few things.
Before I purchased a e-bike I had concerns over durability of key drivetrain components the chain and cassette due to increased torque.
I put the worries aside and purchased a ex demo class 3 Focus S27
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CC0QFjADahUKEwjE26umgePHAhWiCNsKHQSpDjs&url=https://www.bikesoup.com/cyclopedia/focus-jarifa-impulse-s27-2014-focus-jarifa-impulse-s27-e-bike&usg=AFQjCNFCj8nyMatgASbsBJsAzniOO3cmyw
it had a indicated 400miles on the clock at time of purchase and iv added at least 300 more miles to it in the month iv owned it.
My fears were confirmed the chain and cassette are now worn out top gear is unusable due to slipping and 9th gear feels like it is going the same way in 700 ish miles if the millage was correct at time of purchase which is dissapointing.
The question is what to replace them with at the moment im leaning towards a KMC chain as the reports iv read rate them as having good durability and a XT Cassette because iv always used them lol.
So basicly which 10 speed chain and cassette would you guys recommend?
Iv also think iv noticed noticed high rear tyre wear the tyres were unworn when I got it, im running folding continental X king's 2.2 which I had never used before so im not sure on there durability on a normal bike but I estimate that they are now between a third to half way through there life in the 300 miles iv used it (mostly road and gravel track and a bit of trail, forest and mud).
So again what sort of distance are you getting with your tyres?.
Im still really chuffed with the bike and would fully recommend such a product to anyone but would also like to point out that you may be changing parts and full servicing it more than you would expect.
I do push myself and the bike when I ride so a more casual rider may get more durability out of these parts.
And the parts effected for me are reasonably cheap to replace and still much much cheaper than fuel costs for other transport but I fear they will be on going costs. And possibly further cost's with faster wear on other parts wheel bearings, brake pads etc?

 

[MLB]

I'm wondering if and when someone will come up with a heavy duty E bike specific drive train. I know the belt drive setup qualifies but very expensive and wont' fit a lot of bikes.
We don't need all the gears on a normal cassette either. So 5 or 6 gears, steel, with a heavier, stronger chain or belt drive would be ideal (IMO)

 

[George S.]

I think there is a nylon gear in the Bafang BBS02 with a maintenance cycle of several thousand miles. That's interesting because the part is fairly cheap, but people might not want to do the repair. Bafang might change that gear.

It's a mid-drive thing, really, the drive parts. You get the advantages of using the drive components on the bike, merging the pedals with the motor. But you double and triple the wear issues on the chains and cassettes.

Geared hubs have issues with the gears. The Mac, which I have, is fairly straightforward, but there are 3 gears and a clutch, to maintain. I'm hoping for 5,000 miles, something like that. I know my chains and other parts wear a lot less because the motor removes the wear from the drivetrain, with a hub motor.

Direct drive, with no gears, would be the low maintenance winner. These motors are least adaptable to conditions like climbing. I tend to think people should use a geared (or DD) motor, because of the simplicity and lower initial cost. If you need a mid-drive, it won't add all that much.

A meaningful analysis would be a TCO, total cost of ownership. That would include initial costs and maintenance, plus battery replacement cycles. Throw in some depreciation.

I owned a bike for 18 months and less than 2,000 miles. I did nothing to it except replace somewhat worn tires. It was a direct drive Prodeco X3. I have 1500 miles on a kit bike, with no real maintenance, four months in. It's a geared hub, the Mac. Well, this is why I like simple bikes.

Great topic. Thanks.

 

[J.R.]

Mid drive... it's the superhuman bit that's wearing out the "bike components". Many owners state mid-drives provide a more true bycycling experience, but I think it's the opisite. Less speed, but far more torque than any human can generate. And as we see for 2016, torque is the first selling point for mid-drives. Perhaps there's a need for a whole new animal between e-MTB and MX, of course that will push that 4 grand Bosch to 5 or 6 grand.

As for prolonging your components, it comes down to maintenance. That's the only possible way to extend their life. Personally I use a chain scrubber on the chain every 100 miles, clean and lube BB and pedal bearings 2-4 times a year and service all other bearings yearly. Brakes as needed. Of course everything is as needed or sooner. Clean - lube - adjust - repeat ;-)

None of this ebike stuff is cheap... cost of doing business, I guess.

 

[MLB]

Mid drives don't have any more torque than a comparable hub drive. The Bafang is a high powered mid drive, Bosche's aren't.
The difference is that the hub drives the WHEEL itself and the only force on the chain is your peddle power, while a hub drive is using the chain and cassette to pass its' power on to the wheel.
That's why hub drives shift so much easier than mid drives too.

 

[J.R.]

Mid drives don't have any more torque than a comparable hub drive. The Bafang is a high powered mid drive, Bosche's aren't.
The difference is that the hub drives the WHEEL itself and the only force on the chain is your peddle power, while a hub drive is using the chain and cassette to pass its' power on to the wheel.
That's why hub drives shift so much easier than mid drives too.

The do on the drive components and that's point of the thread.

 

[MLB]

To

The do on the drive components and that's point of the thread.

That's clearly not what you just said. "Mid drive... it's the superhuman bit that's wearing out the "bike components". Many owners state mid-drives provide a more true bycycling experience, but I think it's the opisite. Less speed, but far more torque than any human can generate"

 

[TomW]

Thanks for the responses everyone.
I decided to get the replacement bits from my closest bike shop which only stocked a limited range in 10 speed stuff atm but they had a Deore cassette and I figured that it was actually a better option because more of the gears were made from steel instead of alloy but in function and form they are pretty much the same and durability was my priority instead of weight shedding and a mid range 10 speed shimano chain so in the end a cheaper combination than what I was thinking of going for.
But I had miss diagnosed the problem I discovered on closer inspection that my XT rear mech had rotated got/forced back on the hanger and was causing most of the problems by reducing the area of the chains contact to the cassette, it was a 20 second fix so I did feel a little foolish lol as I have all my gears back working again without changing the cassette or chain,
My chain and cassette are still at the end of there life tho so im going to swap them out regardless and still feel that they have worn out fast.

 

[J.R.]

To


That's clearly not what you just said. "Mid drive... it's the superhuman bit that's wearing out the "bike components". Many owners state mid-drives provide a more true bycycling experience, but I think it's the opisite. Less speed, but far more torque than any human can generate"

That clearly is exactly what I said! I then went on to explain servicing those drive components.

 

[TomW]

The Jarifa s27 uses a 350w impulse speed setup not a Bosche one but it is a simular setup except it runs a larger chainring than the bosche instead of all the internal gearing to increase the ratio.
But both of these systems are going to be causing the same issues to the drivetrain I expect and yeah the hub motor avoids all of that.

 

[MLB]

That clearly is exactly what I said! I then went on to explain servicing those drive components.

LOL, sure, whatever.

 

[NoDTMF]

I have 800 miles on Bosch Active line. Each time I ride I have about 700 feet of uphill. Weekend rides have had as much as 3000'

My chain stretch is at midpoint of spec, front chain ring (15 tooth) is showing signs of wear but works fine. Rear Cassette is looking good.

I have the front chain ring and chain in stock. I suppose I should consider a new cassette and replace all at once... Whenever that is.

I have already changed the brake pads...

 

[Deleted member 803]

Connex ebike chains are very tough and schwalbe's seem to hold up very well.