Easy Motion Eco Lite dud !

[nee]

I purchased an Easy Motion Eco Lite ( 2015 model ) bike approx 6 months ago. I spent a great deal of time researching which e bike to purchase. Living in NYC I found some great features on this model including a removable handlebar computer & battery ! Brilliant ! I could easily take off some of the most expensive components when locking her up running around town. This started out as one of the best purchases I have ever made. I have been riding my " horse " in nyc for over 25 years & of late was very reluctant to ride over 2/3 miles ( getting lazy I guess ) Well this bike was exactly what I wanted. Pedal assist ( not that lazy ) so that I was still working, just not as hard to get where I was going. I told everyone how fabulous it was to ride. Faster with less effort. What more could I want. Heaven. It was like having a little rocket ship in the tank. Well the joy soon turned to frustration after about 2 months I began having problems with the handlebar computer. First she would hesitate in pedal assist then the 1st and second pedal assist mode died completely. I didn't bring it back to the shop because I only used 3rd assist mode so it wasn't really a problem ?? Yet ! The inconvenience of taking it all the way to Brooklyn was also something I very much wanted to avoid. Of course I knew It was just a matter of time before she broke all the way down. Soon different symbols/numbers & altogether failure of electronics occurred. My fabulous new best friend stranded me a number of times. I called the shop where I purchased it & they charge for pickup/delivery ?? I had to ride this heavy dead e bike 7 miles to his shop. My experience with the shop was awful ( as if these issues were somehow my fault. Was I not following instruction ? etc... ) It's now costing time + money + frustration. I use my bike everyday. Now I'm not happily, hoofing it. Bike shop keeps bike for over 10 days. This scenario happens TWO more times over the course of 2 months. Bike shop insists I request a new bike. Bike shop owner tells me dozens of Easy Motions sold and no one else has complained of ANY problems with their bikes. ??? I asked shop owner to contact Easy Motion & inquire about WHAt exactly the problem with the old broken bike was. ( he never does this ) I find it very hard to believe, I tell bike shop owner that I am the only one having problems. I had a suspicion that the bike could not handle the bumpy NYC streets. BH replaces with a new 2016 same model eco lite. More wattage, better bike. First thing I notice with this new model is added front fork suspension. AAh so maybe this was the problem I say to myself. NOPE. I am having the identical experience with this new bike as the old. Same breakdown of the system. Bike is now at shop & I'm searching the internet for similar experiences to mine & viola I see the easy motion posts here. This bike has 455 miles on it and I cannot image how this 2000$ bike is going to give me " years of pleasure ". I can't even get ONE year. Sorry so lengthy but that's the story. I will now be shopping for a new e bike so that I am not stuck with an expired warranty on a 2000$ dud bike. P.S. These bikes have a mind of their own & would lurch forward in assist mode while I was holding ( non-throttle handle bar side ) walking it.

 

[J.R.]

Easy Motion bikes have some problems, as do every brand represented here. All durable Goods and consumables have issues and online forums attract folks that have product issues; to vent or get help sorting out those issues. Pick a brand, any brand here and you'll see problems. Sorry your first experience was frustrating. You might want to choose a full suspension mountain bike for those rough roads in the city. Another thing you might want to consider is a simpler ebike system, such as a Pedego or ProdecoTech bike that doesn't have a LCD to worry about and for the drive system there's only a throttle to match your cadence.

One problem with the 2016 and earlier Easy Motion bikes is the removable LCD. The display has the ability to be screwed down, but most never see that as a solution to the display losing contact. BH has been aware of it for a little while and have redesigned the LCD for 2017. I locked mine down and don't have any problems, other than it's difficult to remove quickly. As for the other systems on the bike, the controller is fully potted, so it's water and shock proof. The motor isn't likely to have issues, that leaves the battery and electronic connections. I haven't heard of a battery actually breaking under hard use, I'm sure it's possible though. As for the connections, they are problematic on just about all ebikes. Easy Motion's are relatively easy to check periodically. Admittedly I should check those more than I do. I do know what to look for should I have a problem.

I did have one major breakdown, the controller fried. My dealer had the BH Senior Tech Adviser call me the next day and by day 7, I was up and running. I was pleased with the turnaround. Fortunately I knew enough to help diagnose the bike's problem, which really helped with the fast turnaround. In addition the daily temperatures that week were in the mid to upper 90's, I was ok missing that week on the bike.

I wish you luck through the process, and please let us know how good or bad it goes. You never know who your story may help.

 

[nee]

thank you so much J.R. I just need a good pedal assist e bike for nyc. It sounds as if your saying all e bikes have problems of reliability ? they couldn't possibly all die under a years use. we can go to the moon in a rocket ship but can't make a reliable e bike ?

 

[J.R.]

I wouldn't say they all have reliability issues. I would say forums like this attract certain people and those people are the high milers, the determined commuter, the adventurous, the DIYers and the riders looking for answers. All these types are the ones likely to report problems online. Certainly more likely to have and report problems more than the casual weekend bike path rider that ebiking hasn't become a lifestyle.

All these bikes could and maybe should be better. Still, we see posts from riders of $7000 bikes that are just as frustrated as you. I have one $2k and one $3100 bike, I think they are both reliable, I'm close to 9k miles in two years.

I wouldn't give up on ebikes just yet. Maybe your dealer will read your tale of woe here and in the written word, will better understand your disappointment.

 

[Ann M.]

@nee, very sorry to hear of your continued problems with these bikes. I would recommend that you call BHEasy Motion here in the US at 949-206-8151 and talk to someone about the issues with the bike and the shop. Have your receipts with purchase date and bike serial number in hand when you call. Most manufacturers I've dealt with don't want to leave their ebike owners hanging in the wind and it may be that this dealer doesn't really have the needed skills to diagnose the issue properly.

Is there another Emotion dealer in your area? If you don't get satisfaction with your original dealer you may want to consider taking the bike to another shop. The Emotion regional rep should know who's the most technically savvy shop near you. Hope you get some answers soon.

 

[Chris Nolte]

Hello @nee let us know if we can help at all. We're in Brooklyn as well and we'd love to help you out if we can. Feel free to reach out! Our shop number is 718.643.4542