How skilled are you in fixing your ebike ?

[Ebiker01]

I'll start . Can do mostly everything except crankset removal/wheel built, battery rebuilds.

When i don't know exactly about a repair i also study it on youtube, or with the Shimano website ir whatever company the part is from. Took me a few years to get to this level.

Did change the pads, new cable, rear der. , brake rotors, brake rotor adapter for 180 to 203mm. , changed the front light by splicing into the exiting 6v cable, clear coated the frame also, made a custom charge cable in order to charge at 6.2amos (Grin satiator)..a lot of stuff now that i think about it...

Also i don't do the hydraulic brake oil change(that's needed to be done very rarely anyway).

The most issues i've had on the current ebike were with the cheap bike rack baskets(ortlieb makes the best) , ocassional loose bolts on rear fender(changed for a stronger and longer bolt) and it took me a few weeks to learn what are the beat tires to use. B/c i have the Abus lock on the front wheel it's another hassle to remove the wheel in order to work on it l. The Ebike needs to be parallel with the ground, while using the key to unscrew the Abus nut. 55lb weight the ebike.....


Sometimes is like a part time job working on it.

Very rarely i get flats. I use Specialized Electrak 2.0 rear, Conti's double fighter 2.0 front. When i do need to remove rear wheel , it used to be a 5min. hassle in order to remove the tru axle(i learned how much torque needed) . And also a 1-2min hassle with getting the wheel out..now i use a few drops of wd-40 and push the wheel left/right when starting.

By far the most imp. is to get quality components !! A good 150$ pannier , a quality saddle, grips... pretty much everything on an ebike has to be the best....

Can't have failures on the road ! There are many other self repairs/upgrades i did on my ebike, i can't fathom going to a bike shop and leaving the ebike for days or weeks on end in order to get it repaired. Also many are not very skilled , they may get it dirty, and many other issues(dealer issues, bad communication and so on...)

The point is that people who get ebikes need to learn on how to fix them in order for this to be enjoyable and stress free.

How do you guys , who have 1-+1 or 2-1 ebikes do ? Store repair or self ? I actually have another ebike but is for winter only, i did a lot of work on it , when i started this sport. Closing in on 11-12k (not exactly sure) miles in 2 years on present ebike. Also a good and expansive set of tools is very imp. A drill helps a lot, 2 of them actually(one for smaller places with a 90*angle).

Also i wonder how do the mechanics feel about working on ebikes ?? I know some stores would not work on ebikes or would not work if it was not bought from their store/dealer.

Ok, enough venting , i'm looking foward to hear your self repair stories.

 

[pmcdonald]

I'm trying to expand what I do at home. At this stage I can manage most of the consumerables (tyres, brakes, drivetrain) but anything internally routed or electric is beyond me. I've made a lot of mistakes along the way, some of which I learnt to correct, some I've had to handball to the LBS to fix. Given I'm all thumbs I expect I'll be making a whole lot more stuff ups in the future.

I feel good about doing more myself. Snippets of the journey are documented here: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/home-maintenance.33390/

Like with a car I feel it doesn't hurt to at least know how to swap a flat on the road.

 

[vincent]

i have never had problems getting any of the shops i use to work on my ebikes, even if they needed an electrical part swapped out...

try to keep the chain kind of clean, put air in the tires before every ride and that is it

the shop does everything for me and my bikes are checked over at the shop for full tune up once a year and usually a good check over every 6 months

BUT i have 4 bikes and although most of the time the shops work me in right away it is not a big deal to leave one if i have to

for me swapping out electrical stuff would be easier than messing with any mechanical and i have done that occasionally

dont want to lift the bikes and have too much stuff on my handlebars to flip them over

i carry tools, zip ties etc and hope to get back to the car/house if there is a problem
or at least road where someone can pick me up
am somewhat mechanically inclined and a loose bolt etc i can get back together with the stuff i have with me, past that probably calling for help

i have been very lucky and not had many issues where the bike was stopped and could not get back
maybe twice- can only think of one time off the top of my head

 

[6zfshdb]

I consider myself lucky to be mechanically inclined. I've done all my own bicycle maintenance since I was a kid. I also worked part time as a bicycle mechanic back in the 1980's. Over the years, I've accumulated the tools necessary to do most any bicycle repair.

In my limited experience so far with e-bikes, I find they are really not that much different to work on than conventional bikes. The difference of course is the electrical system. Being an electrical engineer, I guess I'm dually suited to work on these bikes. When shopping, I specifically chose an e-bike company that was willing to send parts directly to me without going through a dealer. So far, this has worked out perfectly since I've been able to completely self service my three bikes.

As e-bike popularity grows, so does the collection of you tube videos covering a variety of repair topics. So far, I've been able to find the repair information I need online.

 

[Dallant]

Fortunately, if things get complicated, I know a guy. He’s my local Trek shop owner/service tech. If he’s not available, my son-in-law is a very sharp mountain biker who does all his own bike building/maintenance.
Otherwise, very basic maintenance such as chain maintenance, some adjustments, general tightening, etc., I’m capable but I always have my cell phone at hand.

 

[trainman]

I think I'm skilled enough to work on our Rad ebikes, the only exception is the electronics as I have no equipment to test them, I don't expect Rad does either as they just replace them if they don't work. At 75 mechanical repair comes pretty easy for me as I grew up as a kid wanting to work on everything, even things that didn't need repair. From what I have seen today is that the young adults, kids, etc. can not do mechanical repairs, either from parents not knowing how and passing these skills down, or just not caring to learn, remember it's a throw a way world for many. I just don't see much satisfaction in playing a video game an winning, in fact I don't see any.

 

[AHicks]

I'm 70, and have been doing my own work on everything I own since I was a kid. Built my own gas powered mini bike, unassisted, when I was 13. So a fairly accomplished DIY'er here. Working on my "stuff", keeping it in top notch condition, is something I enjoy as part of the ownership experience. Cars, houses (including one 1500sq ft built from scratch), boats, tractors, ATV's of all sorts, active in radio control for 40 years, 2 full scale airplane restorations, you name it! You could say I enjoy working with my hands.... -Al

 

[Hasaf]

Looking at the original post, it looks like we are at a similar level. I think that is an advantage of going with a kit instead of a prebuilt bike. I had to get a handle on things like installing Powerpoles and heat-shrink. To top that, the bike it is on was a Bikes Direct, which meant I had to set it up.

I recently changed the shifter over to NuVinci, that meant running new cables and timing them to the correct length (on a NuVinci the length is very important, one is 117mm past the housing, the other is 114mm). In all, while I can tinker a bit, I am not a great bike mechanic.

An example of eBike tinkering, I decided I wanted a throttle on my TongSheng TSDZ2. That involved replacing the controller board in the motor housing.

 

[AleksR]

I'll start . Can do mostly everything except crankset removal/wheel built, battery rebuilds.

When i don't know exactly about a repair i also study it on youtube, or with the Shimano website ir whatever company the part is from. Took me a few years to get to this level.

Did change the pads, new cable, rear der. , brake rotors, brake rotor adapter for 180 to 203mm. , changed the front light by splicing into the exiting 6v cable, clear coated the frame also, made a custom charge cable in order to charge at 6.2amos (Grin satiator)..a lot of stuff now that i think about it...

Also i don't do the hydraulic brake oil change(that's needed to be done very rarely anyway).

The most issues i've had on the current ebike were with the cheap bike rack baskets(ortlieb makes the best) , ocassional loose bolts on rear fender(changed for a stronger and longer bolt) and it took me a few weeks to learn what are the beat tires to use. B/c i have the Abus lock on the front wheel it's another hassle to remove the wheel in order to work on it l. The Ebike needs to be parallel with the ground, while using the key to unscrew the Abus nut. 55lb weight the ebike.....


Sometimes is like a part time job working on it.

Very rarely i get flats. I use Specialized Electrak 2.0 rear, Conti's double fighter 2.0 front. When i do need to remove rear wheel , it used to be a 5min. hassle in order to remove the tru axle(i learned how much torque needed) . And also a 1-2min hassle with getting the wheel out..now i use a few drops of wd-40 and push the wheel left/right when starting.

By far the most imp. is to get quality components !! A good 150$ pannier , a quality saddle, grips... pretty much everything on an ebike has to be the best....

Can't have failures on the road ! There are many other self repairs/upgrades i did on my ebike, i can't fathom going to a bike shop and leaving the ebike for days or weeks on end in order to get it repaired. Also many are not very skilled , they may get it dirty, and many other issues(dealer issues, bad communication and so on...)

The point is that people who get ebikes need to learn on how to fix them in order for this to be enjoyable and stress free.

How do you guys , who have 1-+1 or 2-1 ebikes do ? Store repair or self ? I actually have another ebike but is for winter only, i did a lot of work on it , when i started this sport. Closing in on 11-12k (not exactly sure) miles in 2 years on present ebike. Also a good and expansive set of tools is very imp. A drill helps a lot, 2 of them actually(one for smaller places with a 90*angle).

Also i wonder how do the mechanics feel about working on ebikes ?? I know some stores would not work on ebikes or would not work if it was not bought from their store/dealer.

Ok, enough venting , i'm looking foward to hear your self repair stories.

I can fix a lot of things but have no desire. I treat it like a car. I hop on and drive, pay my bike shop $250 a year to go in whenever for service, brake pads, chain changes, etc. I carry all the tools to fix tire and chain but have zero desire to actively maintain it and am happy to pay others to do it.

 

[Taylor57]

I'm an insurance man and fixing things is not one of my bigger strengths, however with that said, Youtube has helped me fix a ton of crap around the house and also on my cars. Would I rather drop it off at the bike shop when it breaks? Heck ya, but after seeing how behind those guys are-and also the attitude that we can get your flat fixed in 3 days, I am now an apprentice Youtube bike mechanic...

 

[joc6812]

Unskilled. That's why I bought from a LBS. At 68, I'm not interested in learning ebike maintenance. Bought the bike to ride it, not repair it.

 

[OlePhart]

At 80, I brought my wife's and my Ride1Up 700's to Leisurely ride and enjoy, Not to work on.
I doubt we will never ride too far away from our vehicle to get back to it if something happens, and get them repaired by a skilled mechanic, to ride again.
I have 'puncture protection inserts' in all 4 tires, and other than that, would Really Hate to depend on my level of competence to fix anything, on the road OR even 'back at the house'.

 

[GypsyTreker]

My problem is lazyness and bleeding or bruising at the slightest impact. That said, I have owned a few maintenance intensive vehicles. A shovelhead and Austin Healey being the two that required effort, as did some dirt bikes. I see my Ecotric as more of a parts replacement exercise than troubleshooting the electronics. I have laced and trued rims on my race bikes back in the day along with some mild porting. None of it is that difficult now that YouTube is around. I am going to have to get less lazy on everything. Car, plumbing, whatever as my wifes business has vaporized since Covid 19 reared its ugly head.

 

[OlePhart]

Yes, this damn Wuhan Virus has put the 'damper' on a lot of things.
One good thing is (Satire here) I have Never seen Anything from China, Last So damn Long..............

 

[Taylor57]

One of the reasons behind me ordering a 2nd ebike after 2 weeks of receiving my 1st, is just in case the 1st one breaks,at least I have a backup and can drop the broken one at the LBS...

 

[OlePhart]

And yes, I Certainly Do understand the Bleeding and/or bruising at the slightest impact business, Wow!
I get more than my share of that working on things her

One of the reasons behind me ordering a 2nd ebike after 2 weeks of receiving my 1st, is just in case the 1st one breaks,at least I have a backup and can drop the broken one at the LBS...

e on my ranch, I certainly don't need it working on items of pleasure.

 

[Sierratim]

My sons raced MTBs in school. Got into bicycle maintenance with them. They left behind their bike shop when they went out on their own. That, and 6 years of volunteering at the local Bicycle Kitchen, has made be comfortable, and equipped, doing just about anything mechanical on our bikes. Being a retired EE and having built a couple of DIY ebike conversions has made me comfortable also working on ebikes as well. On our new ebikes I am avoiding working on anything beyond tires and drivetrain cleaning until the 2 year warranty is up. Then access to the firmware will be the limit...

I too bruise at the slighest bump and bleed at smallest prick. Badges of courage, I say!

Ride On!

 

[Sierratim]

One of the reasons behind me ordering a 2nd ebike after 2 weeks of receiving my 1st, is just in case the 1st one breaks,at least I have a backup and can drop the broken one at the LBS...

Thanks one way to help stimulate the economy. Thank you!

 

[Taylor57]

My sons raced MTBs in school. Got into bicycle maintenance with them. They left behind their bike shop when they went out on their own. That, and 6 years of volunteering at the local Bicycle Kitchen, has made be comfortable, and equipped, doing just about anything mechanical on our bikes. Being a retired EE and having built a couple of DIY ebike conversions has made me comfortable also working on ebikes as well. On our new ebikes I am avoiding working on anything beyond tires and drivetrain cleaning until the 2 year warranty is up. Then access to the firmware will be the limit...

I too bruise at the slighest bump and bleed at smallest prick. Badges of courage, I say!

Ride On!

BTB (Blood Thinner Bikers)!!

 

[FlatSix911]

I'll start . Can do mostly everything except crankset removal/wheel built, battery rebuilds.

When i don't know exactly about a repair i also study it on youtube, or with the Shimano website ir whatever company the part is from. Took me a few years to get to this level.

Did change the pads, new cable, rear der. , brake rotors, brake rotor adapter for 180 to 203mm. , changed the front light by splicing into the exiting 6v cable, clear coated the frame also, made a custom charge cable in order to charge at 6.2amos (Grin satiator)..a lot of stuff now that i think about it...

Also i don't do the hydraulic brake oil change(that's needed to be done very rarely anyway).

The most issues i've had on the current ebike were with the cheap bike rack baskets(ortlieb makes the best) , ocassional loose bolts on rear fender(changed for a stronger and longer bolt) and it took me a few weeks to learn what are the beat tires to use. B/c i have the Abus lock on the front wheel it's another hassle to remove the wheel in order to work on it l. The Ebike needs to be parallel with the ground, while using the key to unscrew the Abus nut. 55lb weight the ebike.....

Sometimes is like a part time job working on it.

Very rarely i get flats. I use Specialized Electrak 2.0 rear, Conti's double fighter 2.0 front. When i do need to remove rear wheel , it used to be a 5min. hassle in order to remove the tru axle(i learned how much torque needed) . And also a 1-2min hassle with getting the wheel out..now i use a few drops of wd-40 and push the wheel left/right when starting.
By far the most imp. is to get quality components !! A good 150$ pannier , a quality saddle, grips... pretty much everything on an ebike has to be the best....
Can't have failures on the road ! There are many other self repairs/upgrades i did on my ebike, i can't fathom going to a bike shop and leaving the ebike for days or weeks on end in order to get it repaired. Also many are not very skilled , they may get it dirty, and many other issues(dealer issues, bad communication and so on...)
The point is that people who get ebikes need to learn on how to fix them in order for this to be enjoyable and stress free.

How do you guys , who have 1-+1 or 2-1 ebikes do ? Store repair or self ? I actually have another ebike but is for winter only, i did a lot of work on it , when i started this sport. Closing in on 11-12k (not exactly sure) miles in 2 years on present ebike. Also a good and expansive set of tools is very imp. A drill helps a lot, 2 of them actually(one for smaller places with a 90*angle).

Also i wonder how do the mechanics feel about working on ebikes ?? I know some stores would not work on ebikes or would not work if it was not bought from their store/dealer.

Ok, enough venting, i'm looking foward to hear your self repair stories.

The bottom line for me is that competency in basic bike repairs is essential... repairing the electronics can be left to the LBS.