Cannot ride as a bike without electric power

[CharPatton]

re: Platinum Interceptor with mag wheels

I LOVE my Pedego. Have not driven my car to work in 4 months!

But, had some issues early on when the battery contacts failed and I was left without power and it took 2 hours to walk home pushing the bike. (BTW, local Pedego service was awesome, delivering a loaner to my house for a few weeks while they worked on it.) There is a LOT of resistance in the pedals when there is no electricity. I can pedal downhill and a bit on the flat, but the minute one tries to ride uphill at all the resistance in the pedals is super high. It then feels like a resistance bike at the gym.

Is this just the way the Platinum Interceptor is designed?

Or could there be a flaw with my particular bike’s motor that is causing this that could be fixed?

Any and all ideas welcome.

Otherwise, the bike is AWESOME.

Thank you!

 

[ebikemom]

I'm just a Pedego rider like yourself (2,000 miles and counting!) not an expert, but I believe that the resistance we feel when the battery is off or there is a power problem is simply ... that the bike is HEAVY. The resistance you feel is WEIGHT. Have you felt the sensation of moving down a PAS level? And it suddenly feels like the bike is braking? Again, removing the assist feels like resistance, but it is the weight of the bike.

That would be my guess to explain what you are experiencing. I can ride my bike at "0" on a flat street, but I can't ride it up hills. If I were in a situation like you describe, I'd need to lock up the bike somewhere and come back with my car, or get someone to come and pick me up. No way could I ride home. My husband, meanwhile, had a power failure and rode his bike home 3 miles with no power, with a 300 foot elevation gain. He was exhausted and angry when he got home. (As for that problem, our local dealer drove over a loaner, took the bike, and he gets it back tomorrow, all fixed. Terrific local service!)

If you really think it is resistance, not the bike's natural weight, I suggest taking it back to the dealer and asking them to test ride it, or trying other bikes at the dealer to see if they are functioning that way, too.

Glad to have you here on the forum!

 

[larry-new]

Will it coast? If not, something's wrong. If it will coast, gear down and take it slow.

 

[ebikemom]

Good point on checking coasting. Also, one can turn the bike upside down and make sure the wheels both spin nicely.

 

[6zfshdb]

I have two Platinum Interceptors with mag wheels. I have not experienced the resistance issue with either. As Amy suggests, the bike weighs roughly 3 times what a conventional bike does and is therefore a bit more difficult to pedal. I know when I switch back to my conventional MTB, it feels like it's made of lead when I first start to pedal. Some of this can be a perception issue. I often turn off the power and pedal to conserve battery power. There is definitely an increase in resistance but not impossibly so. I can ride up a shallow slope in low gear without much effort but a steep hill causes me to get off and push.

When you say the "battery contacts failed", was that verified by Pedego as the problem? With the rear wheel off the ground, it should spin but not quite as freely as a non ebike. Does turning off the power at the battery or removing it completely make any difference? If so, there is definitely a motor problem. Have you checked your disk brakes? sometimes, they can drag causing resistance. If one of the brake levers is stuck or out of adjustment, in addition to causing drag, it will also disconnect the motor.

If you have a spare battery, try using it and see if that makes any difference. Whatever the problem is, based on my own experience, I'm confident Pedego will make it right.

 

[CharPatton]

Thanks to all for chiming in! Pedego service has been great. I've had some issues with the front hydraulic brake x 2, and a frame crack was what caused the battery contact to stick. Each time Pedego local dealer picked up the bike, serviced it, and returned. They basically had to replace nearly the entire bike due to the frame crack at the battery mount. I've been riding in the winter cold now for a month and love the commute. Since I have good power now I haven't messed with trying to see if there is too much friction, but since it coasts fine and the rear wheel spins no problem if I elevate it off the ground, my bet is that Amy is correct and that it is perception on my part. Hills here are brutally steep (Rocky Mountains), not mild gains. 800 miles commuting this year, and hope to hit 1k in the month!

 

[ebikemom]

I’m glad you’re enjoying your bike!!! ?