I'm new to the forum. I bought a Lectric xp about a month ago. I started riding it about two weeks ago. Yesterday I was adjusting the derailleur for smoother shifting when I noticed that my hub and freewheel wobble noticeably. This is my first electric bike so I'm not sure if this is normal.
Hub and freewheel wobble
- Thread starter Perpetual
- Start date
Nova Haibike
Well-Known Member
It is undesirable, but normal. It is caused by poor machining or assembly of the hub. There is no fix other than to try a different wheel, which of course is not practical with a hub motor wheel.
Darceman
Well-Known Member
I do not believe this is normal... I would suggest filming it and contacting Lectric and showing them to see what they say. I have four Lectric XP ebike's in my family and none do this. It should not do this, just because it's an inexpensive bike this is not normal
I contacted Lectric with a video and they said it's normal for these bikes. This isn't my first bike just first electric bike so I understand why this happens but I think it's a bit much. I was about to purchase a step through for my sister but I'm a bit hesitant now. It makes an oscillating noise when I'm going at speed and I also had to loosen my brakes because the disk touches the pad when they wobble.
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myers830
Active Member
If they are telling you this "normal", then how can you even think of buying another one? Its NOT normal. It happens when somebody was asleep at the switch when they machined the parts. That I could accept as a reason, but to say this is normal, I'd draw the line there. You will constantly be adjusting your brakes and the brake disc will get even more warped as time goes on. I'd take it to a pro shop in your area and have them evaluate (and maybe fix) the issue..then send the bill to Lectric. I have a Lectric bike and I can tell you that a pro bike shop visit is a must on these bikes if you don't want to be buying replacement parts all the time. They found on my bike lots of issues...brakes not set right, torque settings on bolts, derailleur hanger, shifter was not stepping through gears right, and spokes were not set right on several of them. So take this as a lesson and move to the next option. I'm sure you looked at more than one bike.
Darceman
Well-Known Member
I agree..You can probably get rid of the brake pulsation by"adjusting" the rotor though..IE: lightly bend it where needed...There are videos online to show how to do that as well..common adjustment. I wouldn't worry about the bike falling apart on you though. I just hit 3000km with very little maintenance...just usual adjustments..don't let Myers 830 scare you...these bikes are tanks and are not going to suddenly fall apart.
Nova Haibike
Well-Known Member
Normal is perhaps the wrong term; somewhat common is more accurate. I don't know one would quantify how much wobble is unacceptable other than from a visual perspective, as it rarely causes a problem with shifting.
An out-of-true wheel and brake disc wobble are separate issues; they may or may not be related to freewheel wobble.
It is not fixable. The only way to get rid of freewheel wobble would be to replace the hub, which in essence means replacing the wheel.
Hi, new to the forum. I recently received my Lectric Step-Thru and noticed the same hub/freewheel wobble. May I ask if you end up getting it fixed by Lectric? If not, have you ran into any problems riding the bike so far? Thanks.
I sent a video to lectric and they said it was normal. I haven't had any problems so far and highly doubt I'll have any related to the wobble.
Sierratim
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Nevada City, CA & Paradise Valley, AZ
You might consider that the wheel is simply out of true, rather than an issue with the hub motor or freewheel. There are several threads covering spoke tension and wheel trueing.
I've had a lot of bikes and work on them all the time. Checking the wheel was the first thing I did. This is definitely freewheel wobble. I've had few bikes with freewheel wobble before, I just didn't know that electric bikes suffer from it as well.
Sierratim
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Nevada City, CA & Paradise Valley, AZ
Thanks for the clarification. I've built and serviced a number of hub motor ebikes and none have had the wobble you describe. I'm still perplexed...
blueskyca
Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- SoCal
I just received my XP ST for my girlfriend and it has a lot of freewheel wobble. The wheel and rotor is well aligned with no significant wobble, but the freewheel has the most wobble I've ever seen. I have 5 bikes and 3 eBikes, most with freewheels, and none have anything near this amount of wobble - my crank and front chainring pulsate as the rear wheel rotates. I've emailed Lectric and am currently waiting a response.
blueskyca
Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- SoCal
Good video - I watched a few of these when I first saw the wobble. The consensus seems to be that it's due to poorly machined hubs and there's no easy fix. Many just live with it with no major issues.
