How long are parts available for ebikes?

[Dorkyman]

EBay has always been my friend. I cannot imagine a situation where parts would simply not be available at any price. Heck, I bought a brand-new phenolic gas cap for an Evinrude 2 hp outboard motor built in 1976 on eBay. Cost me $20, though.

 

[mikeschn]

So I've got this DIY ebike, that I suspect I will be able to keep on running, one way or another, for the next 20 years if I want...

Not so sure about my LBS bikes...

Also not so sure I'll be able to find parts on ebay...

 

[PedalUma]

So I've got this DIY ebike, that I suspect I will be able to keep on running, one way or another, for the next 20 years if I want...

Not so sure about my LBS bikes...

Also not so sure I'll be able to find parts on ebay...

View attachment 125042

I agree. The LBS bikes have planned obsolescence as an ingredient in every proprietary part and sub-component. This is so they can sell more stuff. And at higher prices. That planned obsolescence it the turd in the chowder that wrecks the entire pot. If I needed a new controller it would be $65, not $275 & take 12-weeks and needs to be turned on by dealer only software. My bikes will be serviceable for well over ten years. Maybe 20. Then it might be time to upgrade.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I agree. The LBS bikes have planned obsolescence as an ingredient in every proprietary part and sub-component. This is so they can sell more stuff. And at higher prices. That planned obsolescence it the turd in the chowder that wrecks the entire pot. If I needed a new controller it would be $65, not $275 & take 12-weeks and needs to be turned on by dealer only software. My bikes will be serviceable for well over ten years. Maybe 20. Then it might be time to upgrade.

having to replace cheap parts because they are cheap is no real solution either. If china desires no money is to be made in them they will drop them like a hot potato.

 

[Alaskan]

Bosch has stated publicly that they will keep with the automotive standard and continue to support their products for a minimum of 7 years after they stop manufacturing.

 

[tomjasz]

EBay has always been my friend. I cannot imagine a situation where parts would simply not be available at any price. Heck, I bought a brand-new phenolic gas cap for an Evinrude 2 hp outboard motor built in 1976 on eBay. Cost me $20, though.

We aren’t buying American goods. China remember? DIY builders MAY have an advantage. Many ok the proprietary systems seem to lose their parts stream to soon.

Those budget bikes that use cloned motors may or may not have repair parts

Bafang left me out in the cold with two 2014 BBS01 motors. Parts got tough to find after 5 years. Now impossible. Thank deity I did support fo BBSxx motors for 7 years and really stayed on top of maintenance.

I’m building with MAC motors as my mid drives need replacement.

Owning the repair parts ready to go is what I’ve done. Really not much expense and easily resold.

 

[PedalUma]

@fooferdoggie, What about high quality parts that are vastly popular and not gouging? With Right to Repair? I agree about Bosch @Alaskan. The cloned motors, I have found have intentional weirdness. These make connectors incompatible for example, and harness wires with different colors, so you can't just chop incompatible connectors and solder. These companies go out of business, then open a new shop under a different name. There is no recourse. Reviews are on their own website and all 5-stars.

 

[tomjasz]

having to replace cheap parts because they are cheap is no real solution either. If china desires no money is to be made in them they will drop them like a hot potato.

Woah cowboy!
Lower priced motors and displays have decent build qualities and can provide fantastic service. Price doesn’t always dictate quality. Bike helmets off topic can cost $50 and been tested and provide better protection than helmets two to 4 times the cost.

In fairness I have a friend with 18000 trouble free Bosch miles and
only a battery replaced. But I spend far less than a Bosch and do all my own motor and battery work. No one made a crank forward eBike. That I could find in 2013. Leaving it up to me to sort. The rest is history many builds with all styles of motors and 8 brands several still have a parts stream.
The biggest problem finding parts in China is Chinglish. Sorting how their use of translators and the goofy twists messing up nomenclature.

I think the cheap fad 20” bikes will be losers.

All my bike tuning is done by an LBS. none of the Treks were comfortable and being less than able, no throttle to get home if I pedaled to far.

 

[PedalUma]

Woah cowboy!
Lower priced motors and displays have decent build qualities and can provide fantastic service. Price doesn’t always dictate quality. Bike helmets off topic can cost $50 and been tested and provide better protection than helmets two to 4 times the cost.

In fairness I have a friend with 18000 trouble free and
only a battery replaced. But I spend far less than a Bosch and do all my own motor and battery work. No one made a crank forward eBike. That I could find in 2013. Leaving it up to me to sort. The rest is history many builds with all styles of motors and 8 brands several still have a parts stream.
The biggest problem finding parts in China is Chinglish. Sorting how their use of translators and the goofy twists messing up nomenclature.

Here is my crank forward bike that I made today as a commuter. Speed is limited to 45 and wheel size is 5 inches. One from four years ago came in for service yesterday. I have the parts. He smashed the motor housing doing something he should not have done.

 

[tomjasz]

Bosch has stated publicly that they will keep with the automotive standard and continue to support their products for a minimum of 7 years after they stop manufacturing.

Hey Richard! Good to read you again!

Was I missing something reading threads telling us they couldn’t get parts? I won’t go hunting I may have misread or it was another sour grapes poster taking the piss.

I won’t press it but I’m doubting Thomas. To costly and not user friendly for repairs. I personally know very happy Bosch owners.
But it seems on here the Bosch guys tend to see their choice as the only choice. I dealt with thousands of kit builders by email, phone, and in my personal home shop. Lots of successes with due diligence.

 

[AHicks]

Here is my crank forward bike that I made today as a commuter. Speed is limited to 45 and wheel size is 5 inches. One from four years ago came in for service yesterday. I have the parts. He smashed the motor housing doing something he should not have done.
View attachment 125046

This bike is considered "crank forward"?

 

[tomjasz]

This bike is considered "crank forward"?

He wrote the 5” which is the second picture of only a rear wheel.

I can’t make out the brand of bike in the first. The angle might be deceiving? Maybe?

 

[PedalUma]

Full disclosure from the left side. Programing is 5". Actual wheel size is 650b. It is a Specialized Roll. See the baseboard to seat tube angle.

 

[PedalUma]

Because it is crank forward the nose of the saddle is set high. Not flat.

 

[Mr.MikeB]

I just wrote an article on Ebike batteries. Every bike maker and model seems to have a different battery. I placed in that article a Chinese company that seems to make the batteries for every Ebike. The bike companies just stick their name on it or resell it.
It seems (not an expert) that these bikes are basically made of "off the shelf" parts. No one wants to make cranks, brakes, handlebars. I see a similar bike frames on different makes of Ebikes or have very slightly different style. The virus has done shipping and storage of parts impossible for many companies. I saw one name brand Ebike with customers waiting over a year (2021) trying to get a battery for that specific model. I believe that problem is finally getting resolved.
I bought a Magnum i6 at a nearby NJ store. It closed a year later but a sister store more then an hour away in a larger town is still open. My 3 year old bike only has under 400 miles on it. So battery and all parts still are working fine.
Can't say what bike is better, but check out the battery. The Ebike REVI Predator, Aventon Pace 500, Addmotor M550 – P7 and M5600 mid drive, Surface 604 and maybe a few more makes take the same battery. Prices vary, but it seems to be a replaceable item you can find. There are other makes of Ebikes that take different batteries. Just watch out for those $600 Ebikes. The reviews are usually not good. Many with the battery only lasting a year.

 

[PedalUma]

I just wrote an article on Ebike batteries. Every bike maker and model seems to have a different battery. I placed in that article a Chinese company that seems to make the batteries for every Ebike. The bike companies just stick their name on it or resell it.
It seems (not an expert) that these bikes are basically made of "off the shelf" parts. No one wants to make cranks, brakes, handlebars. I see a similar bike frames on different makes of Ebikes or have very slightly different style. The virus has done shipping and storage of parts impossible for many companies. I saw one name brand Ebike with customers waiting over a year (2021) trying to get a battery for that specific model. I believe that problem is finally getting resolved.
I bought a Magnum i6 at a nearby NJ store. It closed a year later but a sister store more then an hour away in a larger town is still open. My 3 year old bike only has under 400 miles on it. So battery and all parts still are working fine.
Can't say what bike is better, but check out the battery. The Ebike REVI Predator, Aventon Pace 500, Addmotor M550 – P7 and M5600 mid drive, Surface 604 and maybe a few more makes take the same battery. Prices vary, but it seems to be a replaceable item you can find. There are other makes of Ebikes that take different batteries. Just watch out for those $600 Ebikes. The reviews are usually not good. Many with the battery only lasting a year.

I like premium cells and BMS with a connector that works for many sizes of batteries and a universal mount - a standard water bottle cage. This gives flexibility. 90% of my rides are less than 50 miles or 2.25 hours, so a small light battery is best.

 

[Alaskan]

Hey Richard! Good to read you again!

Was I missing something reading threads telling us they couldn’t get parts? I won’t go hunting I may have misread or it was another sour grapes poster taking the piss.

I won’t press it but I’m doubting Thomas. To costly and not user friendly for repairs. I personally know very happy Bosch owners.
But it seems on here the Bosch guys tend to see their choice as the only choice. I dealt with thousands of kit builders by email, phone, and in my personal home shop. Lots of successes with due diligence.

Tom, until this spring all my bikes had been Bosch powered and LBS purchased. I was captured by the Bosch ecosystem, interchangeability of displays and batteries.

I found that those bikes did not have quite the power I needed with my reduced pulmonary capacity and weakened legs from being bed ridden, gasping for air for two months this past winter. I was trying to rebuild strength and endurance but I could not make it up the hill to our house without running out of breath and spiking my heart into the danger zone.

I decided to go outside the Bosch ecosystem and get a DTC bike with more power and a throttle. After much research I went for an Evelo Aurora with a 750 watt 105 Newton Meter Dapu mid drive motor with cadence, torque and speed sensor. It was just what the doctor ordered, the 25% more torque. I found that I didn't really need the throttle and could do everything I needed to in various PAS levels. This thing climbs a seven percent grade at 12 mph in PAS 3 out of 5 without any discernible heat build up on the motor or battery.

A month on that bike and now I am back on my Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 3 doing 35 miles and getting up the hill to our house just fine. Still have not rebuilt the muscle mass, but I need less now as I lost 35 pounds while bedridden. I regained 10 of them in leg muscles but I still am light the equivalent of a big sack of dog food

Point is that what meets your needs today, may not tomorrow. Be honest with yourself about your needs. Be flexible and make sure your preferences adjust to your changing conditions (health, age, etc.)

 

[PedalUma]

Glad you are back!

 

[FrankR]

This is my biggest worry, now that I am really enjoying this new hobby.

I have a Lectric clone. Meaning, I don't have Lectric support, and, I can't possibly expect help from the OEM a couple of years from now.

With this stuff in it's infancy, a whole lot of people - like me - are going to be stuck when the inevitable failure happens.

 

[tomjasz]

I just wrote an article on Ebike batteries. Every bike maker and model seems to have a different battery. I placed in that article a Chinese company that seems to make the batteries for every Ebike. The bike companies just stick their name on it or resell it.
It seems (not an expert) that these bikes are basically made of "off the shelf" parts. No one wants to make cranks, brakes, handlebars. I see a similar bike frames on different makes of Ebikes or have very slightly different style. The virus has done shipping and storage of parts impossible for many companies. I saw one name brand Ebike with customers waiting over a year (2021) trying to get a battery for that specific model. I believe that problem is finally getting resolved.
I bought a Magnum i6 at a nearby NJ store. It closed a year later but a sister store more then an hour away in a larger town is still open. My 3 year old bike only has under 400 miles on it. So battery and all parts still are working fine.
Can't say what bike is better, but check out the battery. The Ebike REVI Predator, Aventon Pace 500, Addmotor M550 – P7 and M5600 mid drive, Surface 604 and maybe a few more makes take the same battery. Prices vary, but it seems to be a replaceable item you can find. There are other makes of Ebikes that take different batteries. Just watch out for those $600 Ebikes. The reviews are usually not good. Many with the battery only lasting a year.

Mostly bad info. One company does not make all brand batteries. $2000 and less direct purchase bikes often use cheap poorly built packs