Forum fears

[Bobsiii]

I'm researching for an e-bike purchase, using forums like this to separate wheat from chaff in terms of quality - but you guys are scaring me to death! It seems like every bike has costly problems and I would need a nearby LBS and a regular maintenance budget just to own one and keep it running. I know I'll find lower-grade components in my $1.5k - $2k range but all the complaints here make it sound like this is still such an infant industry that it's not for an old fart (76) on limited budget, yet. I have no bike mech skills so almost everything will have to be farmed out. My question, I guess, is how common are problems with e-bikes in my range - Rad, Surface, Juiced etc?

 

[Deleted member 4210]

You'll be fine with those brands. as well as many 'household name' brands (i.e. Trek, Giant, Specialized, Raleigh, Yamaha, etc) that are priced higher, but discounted down to that range. keep in mind, that this forum is likely to be a very small percentage of buyers, and usually most people only go to post to forums like this, when they have problems, no matter the product or industry. Most appropriately priced regular bikes (not walmart cheapies per se) have very few issues, and you should to take it to a shop for a 'tune-up' once a year to keep it in good shape, and keep deeper problems that could be costly from developing longer term. a LOT of people avoid or shirk tune ups, and thats when they eventually get into trouble, somehow expecting a regular bike to stay 'perfect' for years on end. Anyway, its virtually the same thing with ebikes. Motors dont require on-going maintenance, neither do batteries. the only thing left is display, controller,some controls, and wiring harnesses. those are typically reliable, but if and when they have an issue, its an easy replacement. Rad is very good about sending those replacements pieces, along with instructions, in the rare instance it is needed. So is Surface 604. But again, that is very rare. I dont sell Rad, but people have brought their Rad ebikes to me for some issues, and I helped them out, and Rad was fine. You'll probably find that to be the case with most of them. If you go with a brand that is selling at least 3000 to 5000 units per year in the USA, taking care of their customers as forum feedback mostly shows, even if folks have issues, and all 3 of those brands generally are, you'll be fine. When it gets sort of dicey, is when the MSRP's are well below $1500, you buy a sort of lessor name brand that is strictly on line, and you dont see hardly any posts here at EBR on that brand.

 

[Jerry LM]

Ride a Evelo and have had NO problems at all, very reliable and their service is second to none. When on sale and specials not much more than some of the cheaper bikes but IMO worth the extra for auto trans hub and full time throttle. The only mtc. I do is air the tires, lube the chain with wax lube, clean it when needed.

 

[Alaskan]

usually most people only go to post to forums like this, when they have problems, no matter the product or industry.

That may be true of forums generally but my impression of most of the participants in this forum, myself included,is that we are here because of our passion and interest and relish the opportunity to share our enthusiasm and learn as much as we can about our new obsession.

To Bob, I have three Bosch equipped ebikes , putting over 5000 miles on them since mid February. All my issues to date have been with the bicycle parts, not the electrical components. I do most of my own tinkering, adjustments and repairs. Given that you don't have either the skills or interest in doing that, you should cultivate a good relationship with a local bike shop that will adjust, repair or upgrade your bike, regardless of where you buy it. It would be ideal if you can buy the bike from them as it is always best to support local. If you buy on line and you are like most of us, you will want to change some of your contact points (saddle, grips, pedals) or add bags, bells, lights or other accessories. Do that at the local shop and they should be happy to provide ongoing service on your bike, If not, find another local bike shop that will.

 

[Balemonkey]

Bob, it is all good. I got my first E-bike this year for under 2 grand and have ridden over 500 miles on it with no problems. I am running it stock and love it. The only things I have added are a gel seat cover and saddle bags. You don't need to spend 5k on a bike to get use out of it, just do the research on what fits best for you. Ask yourself how far you want to ride,what conditions you will face and if you want to carry cargo and how much. Start with these basic questions and then go from there. There is a bike out there to fit your needs you just have to find it.

 

[SirJonathan]

One of the best descriptions I've read about enthusiast forums goes something like this:

The forums are like hospitals. Nobody goes to a hospital because they are feeling great and everything is fine. 98% of the public is doing just wonderful. But if you were to walk into a hospital and were unfamiliar with their purpose you would probably say "What's with this place? Everybody is sick in here!"

 

[Feliz]

One of the best descriptions I've read about enthusiast forums goes something like this:

The forums are like hospitals. Nobody goes to a hospital because they are feeling great and everything is fine. 98% of the public is doing just wonderful. But if you were to walk into a hospital and were unfamiliar with their purpose you would probably say "What's with this place? Everybody is sick in here!"

How true, I've had two bouts with cancer and my wife one, the worst and stupidest think I've done every time is to visit online forums to see what I could learn, besides scaring the heck out of me the advice I received was wrong.

Same analogy here! I've been following car, truck, computer, aircraft and flying, camera, drone and r/c, motorcycle, and now ebike forums since the mid eighties and I've learnt what most people do.....sift through the information and disregard whiners, criers, and chronic complainers. The first thing someone with a bad product does now is head for their computer and complain/bitch/cry/whine but if someone buys a product and is happy with it they don't tell everyone they head out and use it. Spending two or three months following a forums usually tells you who the naysayers are and who you want to follow for advice.

 

[ebikemom]

I think most folks who are here regularly just like to enjoy and talk about their ebikes. Then, there are folks who pop in to talk about a problem and find a solution. So, you'll hear about blown motors and all sorts of things. And, lots of posts about a particular brand may not mean that that brand or bike has a lot of problems if it is from a company that sells in high volume. In the same way, few posts doesn't mean the opposite--there may be few units out there. Some of these companies have great warranty service, but folks who find a problem chime in and ask about it anyway. They may not return to talk about resolution of a problem later.

So, I think we can use the information here, but also need to be good consumers by making sure that what we need from a bike will be there for us, including (for those of us who are not technically inclined) being able to get a bike with a great warranty and customer service. It was important to me to get that locally, so I bought a bike that has a local dealer in my area.

An LBS will often service a bike they didn't sell, but some will charge a service fee even if the bike is under warranty, if the brand won't reimburse the shop (which is often the case). So do check to make sure that customer service for the bike you buy, if you don't buy from a local shop, includes paying the shop that does the servicing on your bike for any warranty issues. Some bike companies seem to do this, and some seem not to. I'm not up on that stuff, so be sure to ask around, and to specifically ask the brand reps if their warranty covers parts AND labor locally, if not by them, then by reimbursing your local bike shop for any warranty work on your bike.

 

[SirJonathan]

"I've been following car, truck, computer, aircraft and flying, camera, drone and r/c, motorcycle, and now ebike forums since the mid eighties"

Wow, we have quite similar interests! Same timeframe too. Car, Flying, Aircraft, Camera, Biking, eBiking and Motorcycle for me. Then there are the musical instrument forums. Ugh. That's a whole other part of my life.

 

[ebikemom]

Musical instrument forums! I really enjoyed one of those before leaving FB. So much fun to connect with techs and pros and amateurs, etc., from around the world!

 

[Feliz]

"I've been following car, truck, computer, aircraft and flying, camera, drone and r/c, motorcycle, and now ebike forums since the mid eighties"

Wow, we have quite similar interests! Same timeframe too. Car, Flying, Aircraft, Camera, Biking, eBiking and Motorcycle for me. Then there are the musical instrument forums. Ugh. That's a whole other part of my life.

I never participated in one of those but I did play a trumpet in the army 60 years ago.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

It seems like every bike has costly problems... All the complaints here make it sound like this is still such an infant industry.

Bob ...
There are serious problems relating to quality of both equipment and service. Fortunately, they aren't universal; but, having written that, I must admit to having been very seriously burned on my first venture into ebiking.

Stick to the brands recommended above. I can vouch for the quality of Trek's ebikes and the service that goes with them. Rad seems to be a favoured brand among EBR Forum members, too.

When you have a shortlist, publish it here and await comments. People will be supportive and helpful.
... David

 

[Figs]

I too after reading these forums, was put off by the worry over batteries, chains...etc. I rode road bikes for years and always go 5000+ miles on a chain. Yet on the forum I heard of people having to replace their chain at 500 miles, and thinking nothing of it.

I decided to go ahead with it, based on reality and not on the illusions created on the internet.

Bought my Magnum from a LBS for $1700 out the door. Have now put over 2400 miles on it, and not one problem. At 1000 miles I paid $10 to have the gearing adjusted because of normal cable stretching. Battery life is like new (don’t worry about the 80/20 thing, just charge it and use it), no chain drops,. I lube the chain every 100 miles with a dry lube I get from Lowes. The important thing is to ride, and to ride safely.

 

[SirJonathan]

"Battery life is like new (don’t worry about the 80/20 thing, just charge it and use it"

Thanks for your post. Very reassuring. I've had an electric car for the past 6 years and always charge it to 90% whenever I want. It currently sits at 98.2% of original charge after 60K miles. I've seen forum posts that go on forever about elaborate charging metrics and I never once considered going to those extremes and just use my car.

I don't want to purchase a $300 Grin Satiator to manage my eBike battery. I just want to plug it in when I need charge, ride my bike when I want and then plug it in again to charge. I know that 100% isn't ideal and will avoid topping it off and the expensive charger would be nice to keep it at 80% but I think I'd rather not worry about it. The bike I am considering can go around 70 miles on ECO and that is way more than I need. If it degrades to 70% in 5 years I'll still be able to go 45 miles with it and I'll have the $300 saved from the charger purchase to invest in new battery technology and power.

 

[Bobsiii]

Thanks all, I was hoping that the "hospital" analogy applied here - the only other forums I'm on are about gardening and while there's lot's of "What's wrong with . . ." posts there are many more beauty shots and success stories. Didn't see many of those here. I'm thinking about buying in March or April so I've got lots of time to hang out and get a better feel for things. There is a big e-bike store nearby but they specialize in multi-thousand dollar bikes. Think. I need to go have a long conversation with them about service policies - and negotiated prices!

 

[ebikemom]

There are serious problems relating to quality of both equipment and service. Fortunately, they aren't universal; but, having written that, I must admit to having been very seriously burned on my first venture into ebiking.

Stick to the brands recommended above. I can vouch for the quality of Trek's ebikes and the service that goes with them. Rad seems to be a favoured brand among EBR Forum members, too.

We love our four Pedego ebikes and the amazing local dealer support (pick-up and deliver, loaner bike, customization, and service above and beyond the warranty). I went with this brand because it is well established and I saw these as a major purchase we would use for many years to come. 5,000+ family miles and counting.

 

[ebikemom]

I just want to plug it in when I need charge, ride my bike when I want and then plug it in again to charge.

I got simple dial timers for each of our ebikes, and it's generally easy to avoid over-charging by estimating the time it will take to reach a full charge. I hope this does help to have longer battery life. That said, I met a guy who has an earlier version of my husband's ebike. He's been riding it for his business since 2012 (late spring/summer/early fall riding only), and he's got 5 digits of milieage and is still using his original battery with the "plug it in every night and fully charge" method.

 

[ebikemom]

I must admit to having been very seriously burned on my first venture into ebiking.

When I was considering an ebike I ran into a local guy at the grocery store who was locking up his Trek. He said it was the best ebike he'd every had and he was on his 4th or 5th bike. Some of the previous bikes became un-fixable due to lack of brand support. The "ebike graveyard in the garage" problem. He encouraged me to go with a bike from a LBS that the LBS would provide warranty support for.

 

[Bobsiii]

There are 2 bike shops nearby. One is the big, large selection e-bike one, sitting way back behind a huge sterile parking lot, that put me off a bit on first visit by telling me they would not work on kit bikes (they did refer me to another shop) and very aggressive up-selling. The other is an acoustic (cute, who came up with that?) shop where I've been taking my Reid (Aus) step-thru for tuneups and adjustments; in contrast it's affordable, very community-oriented, friendly and helpful. Both staff and customers! I haven't talked with them about e-bikes, either sales or service but I'd bet they'd do the bike bits.

What I'd love to find is a bike shop that combines the best of both. Guess the industry is still too toddler-ish?

 

[MarkF]

Another brand to consider is Raleigh. They have been around for a long time and build quality bikes. I bought the Retroglide cruiser and have had it for around 4 months now. Awesome bike and no problems. I bought mine through a local bike shop. They take care of everything. I could have saved a few dollars buying direct but wanted the piece of mind knowing a bike shop was going to take care of any issues. They also gave me a free 30 day tune up and a 6 month complete overhaul. That alone is $100. in free tuneups so that covers the money I would have saved going direct.
Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have a problem going direct if I didn't have a bike shop to go through. It's still a bike and the maintenance is still the same as a regular bike, so any bike shop should be able to fix any issues that don't involve the electronics on board. You can also see if you have a velofix in your area as they can work on any ebike.