Izip E3 path plus trouble

[Charly Banana]

It isn't like these magnets are a free piece of metal that will allow the stator to rotate freely. These neodymium magnets are magnetically very strong and will cling to the stator as you described. I have a group of neodymium magnets on a tool box in my workshop that I just tried to push sideways while they were clinging to the toolbox. It was very difficult to do. So while these loose magnets are clinging strongly to the stator, the hub will be trying to rotate 100 - 200 rpm. It's like applying brakes when you have no brake pad left, only metal to metal contact just grinding away. Eventually, you will destroy your brake rotor from the metal to metal contact. The same thing will happen to the stator and magnet contact just grinding away.

How many people that had loose hub magnets and grinding noise actually told you that they pedaled home 10 miles with no problem? I bet they stopped their bike and called their wife or girl friend to come and pick them up.

 

[CurrieTech]

It isn't like these magnets are a free piece of metal that will allow the stator to rotate freely. These neodymium magnets are magnetically very strong and will cling to the stator as you described. I have a group of neodymium magnets on a tool box in my workshop that I just tried to push sideways while they were clinging to the toolbox. It was very difficult to do. So while these loose magnets are clinging strongly to the stator, the stator will be trying to rotate 100 - 200 rpm. It's like applying brakes when you have no brake pad left, only metal to metal contact just grinding away. Eventually, you will destroy your brake rotor from the metal to metal contact. The same thing will happen to the stator and magnet contact just grinding away.

How many people that had loose hub magnets and grinding noise actually told you that they pedaled home 10 miles with no problem? I bet they stopped their bike and called their wife or girl friend to come and pick them up.

Charly,

We do a full analysis of every returned part. We mount them, ride them and duplicate any known issue. I personally have ridden bikes with 1 and a few loose magnets, even a wheel with 9 loose consecutive magnets. I can personally tell you, it takes a lot of loose magnets AND motor power to lock a wheel on a bike while being ridden.

 

[Charly Banana]

Have you ridden a bike with loose magnets in hub motor for 10 miles or more?

I'm sure one could ride in the parking lot with loose magnets, but that won't get me home. My concern is getting stranded when I'm far away from home. So, you say, well just call someone to pick you up. Well, I don't use cell phones. I'm an old man with old ways and I still use a land line phone. So, when I'm riding I don't have the luxury of a cell phone to call someone to pick me up. I've worked on bikes my whole life and I feel I can fix just about anything out on the road, except for a seized hub motor.

When you say, just pedal home, it just doesn't make sense to me. When I look at how hub motors are constructed and how magnetically strong and physically fragile the neodymium magnets are, I can't imagine pedaling home 10 miles without the motor seizing on me. I hope what you say is true. However, to be honest, all this talk about hub motor failures has taken a real toll on my enthusiasm for the Izip Dash!!!

 

[CurrieTech]

Have you ridden a bike with loose magnets in hub motor for 10 miles or more?
I'm sure one could ride in the parking lot with loose magnets, but that won't get me home.
My concern is getting stranded when I'm far away from home. So, you say, well just call someone to pick you up. Well, I don't use cell phones. I'm an old man with old ways and I still use a land line phone. So, when I'm riding I don't have the luxury of a cell phone to call someone to pick me up. I've worked on bikes my whole life and I feel I can fix just about anything out on the road, except for a seized hub motor.
When you say, just pedal home, it just doesn't make sense to me.
When I look at how hub motors are constructed and how magnetically strong and physically fragile the neodymium magnets are, I can't imagine pedaling home 10 miles without the motor seizing on me.
I hope what you say is true.
However, to be honest, all this talk about hub motor failures has taken a real toll on my enthusiasm for the Izip Dash!!!

Charly,
I welcome others to chime in to describe what they went thru when experiencing their freed magnets. Some of those people are included in this thread. Mr. HumanitiesHaze had posted two videos, and I believe he showed his wheel coming to an abrupt stop, but only when he rotated the throttle. Clearly there will be a little added resistance, as the magnets stick to the stator, and scrape as the wheel rotates, but this would not prevent you from riding. You would hear and feel that something is not quite right. There has not been any single case where the wheel, when NOT powered, seized. In most cases, it has been reported as nothing more than an "odd clicking noise".

 

[HumanitiesHaze]

I speak from experience. As long as you don't put power to the wheel it'll free spin. Just like CurryTech said, the magnets will always cling to the stator and slip thru the gap between the two. Yeah you might hear some clicking or rubbing but you won't be stranded. That's the nature of Gearless Electric motors.

In my experience when you put 48v on a 500w motor that has a few rare earth magnets clinging to the Stator and then power it.. It'll bind, but won't leave you stuck as long as you don't power it.

BTW Currietech, my 2nd motor is just fine. The tech @ bloomfield bikeshop figured it was many.. many loose spokes rubbing and torqueing the wheel left/right. (It blew out the reflector on the wheel as well) He trued the wheel and lock tighten the spokes and it's running fine. It was not the motor. But it still was the BBTS (which the replacement runs %100 better than the stock one) I've deleted that one video of it clicking. as it wasn't the motor failing.

 

[CurrieTech]

I speak from experience. As long as you don't put power to the wheel it'll free spin. Just like CurryTech said, the magnets will always cling to the stator and slip thru the gap between the two. Yeah you might hear some clicking or rubbing but you won't be stranded. That's the nature of Gearless Electric motors.
In my experience when you put 48v on a 500w motor that has a few rare earth magnets clinging to the Stator and then power it.. It'll bind, but won't leave you stuck as long as you don't power it.

BTW Currietech, my 2nd motor is just fine. The tech @ bloomfield bikeshop figured it was many.. many loose spokes rubbing and torqueing the wheel left/right. (It blew out the reflector on the wheel as well) He trued the wheel and lock tighten the spokes and it's running fine. It was not the motor. But it still was the BBTS (which the replacement runs %100 better than the stock one)
I've deleted that one video of it clicking. as it wasn't the motor failing.

Great!
Thanks for the update and feedback with your experiencing when a magnet does break free. I'll let the product team know about the spokes too........and if you need a new reflector! :]

 

[Charly Banana]

magnets will always cling to the stator and slip thru the gap between the two.

Huh?
What you just said makes absolutely no sense!

There is no gap for the magnet to slip through. The magnet is kept in it's slot by the other magnets. And while it's loose but still in it's slot, it clings to the stator as the hub rotates. That's where the scraping and grinding noise comes from.

So, how many miles did you pedal with the loose magnets in the hub motor?
Or, is this another one of these parking lot tests?

 

[Brandon b FL.]

Banana Read the thread befor you talk. PLEASE! CURRIE YOU THE MAN. THANKS!

 

[Charly Banana]

Banana Read the thread befor you talk. PLEASE! CURRIE YOU THE MAN. THANKS!

I have.
What's your point?
That I should believe whatever said, whether it makes sense or not.
No, thank you!

 

[Brandon b FL.]

I believe it makes sense. Srry

 

[Admin]

@Charly Banana, I really appreciate your energy around transparency and safety with electric bikes and specifically the IZIP Dash and Path+. Clearly there have been some issues with the gearless motor and I am stoked that @Larry Pizzi and @CurrieTech have chimed in.

We live in a world where mechanical mistakes can be made and sometimes they are even covered up or downplayed in the name of profit at the expense of customers. In March 2014 one of my favorite most trusted companies, Toyota, was fined $1.2 Billion for concealing safety defects. I don't know the full story there and I don't know the full story here with the Dash and Path+ but I do appreciate the dialog and openness that Currie Technologies has shown. I want that to continue.

At this point Currie has acknowledged an issue, offered a replacement plan and publicly shared their thoughts on consumer safety regarding lockups. For me that is going above and beyond and I do not want to punish that behavior by enabling a big rant-fest to take place here. It is now on them and their insurance company to deal with any fallout and it is on me to keep this conversation productive.

@Charly Banana you have said your piece and now it is time to back away. If you don't want to buy a Dash or Path+, that's okay. If you don't trust Currie, that is also okay. However, I want to keep this thread open for constructive dialog ongoing. If every other comment is one made by you, raising the same concern then that can't happen. I want this to be a safe, open and constructive place. I truly value your input but I am asking you to back away from this issue so other voices can be heard. Does that sound reasonable?

Sincerely,
Court

 

[twowheeler]

I just got my Path+ yesterday and rode it around happily for 24 hours. I just limped home after experiencing what sounds like the loose magnet problem. The bike can be pedaled with the power turned off, but with power on it clatters, jitters, and rattles. In throttle mode, the wheel rotates about 10 degrees and then seizes. It sounds like Currie will address the problem, but it's really disappointing, and makes me a little afraid to stray very far from home lest I get stranded somewhere.

Sigh...

 

[twowheeler]

Just an FYI. Currie did a nice job of replacing the defective motor with one that is supposed to have a stronger glue. I've had the bike for a week now, and it seems to be working very well. It's an excellent bike as long as you have a motor with the "good" glue holding the magnets.

 

[Todd Pepin]

[important update] The issue with this motor was discovered and has been addressed by Currie Technologies. Magnets were coming loose based on glue quality. If anyone else has the issue please see the PDF description and official response in this thread which will help you get a replacement.

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Just got the path plus today. Charged it and took it for a ride. After about 10 miles the motor started making a grinding type noise and I could not pedal the bike. I walked the bike a bit and it ran fine again.

Towards the end of my ride I used level 4 assist and tried to ride as fast as I could on level road, I was shifting gears at this point and the grinding came back. I did get up to 24mph so I thought maybe because I got over 20 mph the controller kicked in.

My dealer where I purchased the bike is forty miles away so I called Currietech. They believe it was just the way I was shifting gears. I took the bike for a ride without the battery and it seemed to shift fine.

Anyone else have an issue like this? This is not my first ebike but my other one is a Giant Esuede.

I have this bike as well and noticed a grinding sound when shifting all the way down to low gear and climbing a hill.

 

[twowheeler]

Well, my battery is no longer charging, so I have another major issue after having this bike for about 5 weeks and 58 miles, one of which it spent in the shop. I called Currie Customer Support and was on hold for 62 minutes, only to get a message to leave my phone number and someone would call me back. Has anyone who bought a "lemon" bike from Currie had any luck returning it and getting their money back? I think I've about hit my limit as far as wasting my time and energy with this.

 

[gskbrew]

Currie promised me a full refund on my Path+ (5 motor replacements). However, my the local bike shop where I bought the bike gave me a full refund and so I suspect the shop was reimbursed by Currie.

 

[twowheeler]

My potential problem is that I didn't buy it from a local dealer, though it was drop-shipped from California where I live. I'm guessing that if they're willing to give me my money back it might be tricky to get it back to them unless I could dump it off at one of the local dealers such as REI. Hopefully I can find a way to get rid of the thing.

 

[JoePah]

Well, my battery is no longer charging, so I have another major issue after having this bike for about 5 weeks and 58 miles, one of which it spent in the shop. I called Currie Customer Support and was on hold for 62 minutes, only to get a message to leave my phone number and someone would call me back. Has anyone who bought a "lemon" bike from Currie had any luck returning it and getting their money back? I think I've about hit my limit as far as wasting my time and energy with this.

Try this. Worked on my Stromer.

Unplug charger from electrical outlet
Remove battery from bike
Plug in charger and charge the battery for 4 hours or so.
Note if charger is actually charging battery.
Reinstall battery

 

[twowheeler]

I'll give that a try, though it's hard to see why it would make any difference whether or not the battery is in the bike when it's charging. OTOH I don't know all the nuts and bolts of the electrical systems in these bikes.

 

[Bike_On]

Well, my battery is no longer charging, so I have another major issue after having this bike for about 5 weeks and 58 miles, one of which it spent in the shop. I called Currie Customer Support and was on hold for 62 minutes, only to get a message to leave my phone number and someone would call me back. Has anyone who bought a "lemon" bike from Currie had any luck returning it and getting their money back? I think I've about hit my limit as far as wasting my time and energy with this.

I first posted on this thread on May 6th. It soon became a clear trend of multiple incidences of motor failure due to magnet adhesive defects. To Currie's credit, they have responded admirably and responsibily to their customers.

This last post, concerning a battery charge issue, causes me to raise a yellow flag of caution. I hope it is an operator error or a single incident. If this is a repeated incident, I would add a ** Not Recommended ** tag to the PAth review. Based upon the shear number of motor failures mentioned on this forum would cause me to look to another brand until the problems resolve themselves.

There are too many ebike mfgrs working hard to establish quality products, customer loyalty, and their best value pricing to allow the big box players a pass due to marketing, rave reviews, and/or lower cost.

IMO, Currie needs to show they are ready for the prime time ebike market, and not fall back into the reputation of the past. Time will tell.