Do All eBike Motors Have Issues?

[Base]

Nope, not at all so easy, Base. Look up Jeep death wobble. Trust me, you don’t want to have it.

Was just reading this https://carfixbook.com/death-wobble/

Shimmy is common problem with anything with wheels, from trolleys, shopping cards via argo bikes to large capacity cargo trains. We did study this matter for a cargo bike range we had on the market where this suddenly without any "new" parts was introduced. We found a solution, never really could find the exact root cause, we found a few which contributed.

Rode an enormous amout of km with the G-sensors in and on the bikes and we found the hz wat contributed to the speed-wobble, and how you could set if off.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Nope, not at all so easy, Base. Look up Jeep death wobble. Trust me, you don’t want to have it.

A buddy of mine got tossed from his motorcycle when his front wheel started to wobble. Very bad. He is lucky he walked away with only roderash and a bruised hip.

 

[Chazmo]

Jeep "death wobble" is far more than a shimmy, guys. It’s not what I'm talking about here. What happens is that you completely lose control of the car as the front wheels smack side to side with no way to control them. Just want to be clear. "Death wobble,” at least as it occurs on Jeeps is by far the most dangerous thing I’ve ever experienced on wheels. And, I’ve been over my share of handlebars.

 

[OrTrek]

Jeep "death wobble" is far more than a shimmy, guys. It’s not what I'm talking about here. What happens is that you completely lose control of the car as the front wheels smack side to side with no way to control them. Just want to be clear. "Death wobble,” at least as it occurs on Jeeps is by far the most dangerous thing I’ve ever experienced on wheels. And, I’ve been over my share of handlebars.

No s*it!!! Chazmo is correct. Had this on my TJ. Nothing like it. Many causes and can take awhile to figure out what's causing it, though not what the carfix video suggests, as TJ forums will say, it's almost never the steering damper. Usually shocks, lift issue, tire size or in my case a out of round KO2 tire. Occurs almost always on the "real" Jeeps (CJ, YJ, TJ especially) as opposed to the newer Fiats !

 

[John from Connecticut]

I've been close to pulling trigger on a new road-oriented eBike several times, but then I plunge into reviews of the motors and it scares me away from a purchase. The road bikes I look at are $2,999 Scott Addict to the $5,000 Cervelo Rouvida (yes I have found one in my size at that price). In between are the comparable BMC and Orbea models. It all comes down to motor capability and reliability. I don't want to spend that much $money$ on a bike that is in the shop for motor/ electronics issues that no one can figure out shop or manufacturer. eBikes have that major technical complicated failure point requiring specialized support and wrenching that non-electric bikes don't have - the motor and motor electronics. That is a big game changer now - it's not just frame geometry and metal type, or Shimano vs Campy vs SRAM components that most every bike shop mechanic can work on.

So for me it comes down to MAHLE X20 or X35, or the Fazua Ride60. All seem to have frustrated owners venting on the 'net. Which is why I'm still electric-less.

I've owned three e-bikes in 8 years ( Trek ) Bosch Motors, Batteries Controllers etc. 18,000 + miles total. All three bikes are
still on the road with the original Batteries. Not one problem with anything.

John

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

I've got 2,500 miles and 4 years out of my rear-hub motor on my Aventon Pace 500, no idea what motor is on it but seems to work like the first day I got it. battery is definitely showing a bit of signs of aging, but motor sounds like new.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I've got 2,500 miles and 4 years out of my rear-hub motor on my Aventon Pace 500, no idea what motor is on it but seems to work like the first day I got it. battery is definitely showing a bit of signs of aging, but motor sounds like new.

I think that’s a Shengyi motor. So you have an alphanumeric stamp starting with “SY2248….”? The Aventon Level, of the same year, had the same motor.

 

[PedalUma]

The heavy Aventon Adventure II had a harmonic issue only at 12.5 Mph. The fat tread matched the rotor frequency. There was noting adventurous about that bike. It was a fat trailer park leisure throttle bike sold as a 'mountain bike' because of the large heavy tires and pogo fork.

 

[stompandgo]

Aventon has come a long way.

 

[Rexlion]

A raspy vibration (can't hear but can feel, transmitted through the seat) sets in at about 9 mph and below when my Ride1Up's MXUS hub motor is warmed up. Other than that minor nuisance it functions fine.

 

[Chazmo]

A raspy vibration (can't hear but can feel, transmitted through the seat) sets in at about 9 mph and below when my Ride1Up's MXUS hub motor is warmed up. Other than that minor nuisance it functions fine.

Oooh, that sounds really annoying.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

A raspy vibration (can't hear but can feel, transmitted through the seat) sets in at about 9 mph and below when my Ride1Up's MXUS hub motor is warmed up. Other than that minor nuisance it functions fine.

A squarewave controller can give the same effect, but I’m pretty sure Ride1Up uses (Lishui) sinewave controllers. So that’s probably not it.

Maybe your wheel needs to be trued.

I’m curious to know if this happens under pedal assist only, or throttle only?

 

[Rexlion]

A squarewave controller can give the same effect, but I’m pretty sure Ride1Up uses (Lishui) sinewave controllers. So that’s probably not it.

Maybe your wheel needs to be trued.

I’m curious to know if this happens under pedal assist only, or throttle only?

I don't think I had ever tried it or paid attention to that, so I went out this evening after mowing and rode around on throttle for 15 minutes, letting the breeze cool me off. And the answer is Yes, the resonant vibration at speeds below 9-10 mph can be felt on throttle alone just the same as when pedaling.

If I were female, perhaps I'd enjoy the effect transmitted through the saddle.... but for me it's just a small annoyance.