Known Issues & Problems with Bikonit Products + Help, Solutions & Fixes

[mitchhackleman]

No ebike is perfect, this is a thread dedicated to sharing known issues or problems with Bikonit products as well as any help and solutions you know of. Sometimes that means a DIY fix and other times it can mean a recall, software update or part replacement by a dealer.

Please be respectful and constructive with feedback, this is not a space for hate speech. In many cases, representatives from the company will see feedback and use it to improve their product. In the end, the goal is to enjoy riding and help each other go further and be safer.

 

[RMK!]

Right you are Mitch, no ebike is perfect. The achilleas heel of the MD 1000 is the Sturmey Archer 5 speed RX RK5 Internal Gear Hub (IGH). Many of the units in the wild are failing and despite my diligent operation of the SA IGH my MD 1000 is slipping (clunking) under power and phantom shifting indicating that a complete failure is imminent. When I questioned Sturmey Archer about the appropriateness of their RX RK 5 IGH with the Bafang Ultra Mid Drive motor before I purchased, I was told in writing that if I didn't shift under load and kept up with the shift cable adjustments, I would be fine. Two months later I read here that Sturmey Archer had changed their policy and stated that this pairing of the Bafang Ultra middrive motor and their 5 speed IGH was not supported and would void the warranty on the SA IGH.

I have 1400 miles on my factory direct MD 1000 and I love everything about the bike except the SA IGH. As I see it, Sturmey Archer was dishonest (or at best ignorant) and the manufacturer in China was responsible for poorly vetting that drivetrain choice. The manufacturer has told me that they are testing other IGH options and will implement another IGH that will address the problem. As for current customers, an IGH upgrade path is unclear.

As of this writing, the Chinese manufacturer has acknowledged the SA IGH issues and they are offering a SRAM cassette chain based replacement kit at a discounted price. Even so, that still means a cost of approx. $400 plus labor to uninstall the IGH and the installation of the SRAM drivetrain e.g. a costly upgrade. The MD 1000 can be ordered with a SRAM 9speed cassette/chain drivetrain and I would strongly suggest that anyone considering that ebike choose that option.

Kudos to Biktrix as they avoided the problem by outfitting all of their Juggernaut Ultra Beast (basically the same ebike, different drivetrain) with no IGH option. They use a SRAM 11 speed cassette-chain drivetrain.

 

[RMK!]

I just today received this this important battery recall email communication from Bikonit:

Update: Hazmat transport boxes received and they include all proper labeling and packing materials needed for the recall.

Dear Bikonit Customers



Thank you so much for trusting us and riding with Bikonit all-terrain ebikes. We highly appreciate your Support. You are receiving this email because of the battery issues of Bikonit ebikes. We have always been putting safety concerns as a priority for Bikonit customers. In this case, we keep developing and testing every ebike designed and manufactured by Bikonit, Inc. Recently, the test lab detected a potential risk of the battery BMS system. In the BMS chipboard, we found that the ceramic capacitor may fail and lead to battery dysfunction, or even serious consequences if riding strenuously. So hereby, we would like to recall your batteries on board and do an upgrade to eliminate hidden safety hazards for our customers.



You may have the following questions:



1. What should I do next?



We will arrange the pick up at your place with the FedEx hazard department, what you need to do is go to “https://www.fthpower.com/pages/wanda-repair-form" to get yourself registered on the FTH website, the detailed process is attached to this email, please check it and follow the instruction to get yourself registered so that we can arrange the pick up for you ASAP.



2. Can I still ride my ebike now?



We suggest you stop riding your bike and take out the battery , place it somewhere outdoor in your yard for safety concerns separately





3. Do I need to pay for it?



No, you do not need to pay any penny. Bikonit will cover all the costs for you. And to show our apologies to our customers, we would like to give you a $100 coupon from the Bikonit web-store and choose the necessary gadget you need.



4. Will there still be any hidden problems with the battery when upgraded?



No. According to the report from our engineers and the test lab, the solution we are going to apply to the batteries will eliminate the hidden problem and get your ebikes as an outstanding all-terrain fat tire ebike again. All the batteries are covered by insurance from Bikonit.



5. Warranty



The warranty of your battery will be extended for 2 months after the RMA number was created.



.6. How long will it take?



Normally, it will take 7~15 workdays for the FTH professional team to get your battery upgraded, then your battery will be shipped out to you immediately.





Please do keep in mind once you have completed the registration on the FTH website, please reply to us with your RMA number for tracking and better service. After you send us the RMA, you will get the coupon.



Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you have any other questions please get back to us via a reply to this email directly and we will have a service specialist contact you.

Full disclosure; I am currently selling my MD 1000 dual battery and so I will not be able to sell the the bike until the batteries are upgraded by the US firm that is doing the upgrade for Bikonit. They are shipping appropriate transport boxes to me and have contracted with FedEx for pickup and delivery back once the batteries are upgraded. This is not an inexpensive process for Bikonit and I know that Yeili manufacturing company in China that builds the bikes is also involved in this recall.

Kudos to them both as this is what responsible companies do ...

 

[Lou B.]

I just today received this this important battery recall email communication from Bikonit:

Update: Hazmat transport boxes received and they include all proper labeling and packing materials needed for the recall.
View attachment 96518


Full disclosure; I am currently selling my MD 1000 dual battery and so I will not be able to sell the the bike until the batteries are upgraded by the US firm that is doing the upgrade for Bikonit. They are shipping appropriate transport boxes to me and have contracted with FedEx for pickup and delivery back once the batteries are upgraded. This is not an inexpensive process for Bikonit and I know that Yeili manufacturing company in China that builds the bikes is also involved in this recall.

Kudos to them both as this is what responsible companies do ...

Hi RMK, you may know this, Biktrix has partnered w/FTH Power as well on the battery recall, I feel the same w/your POV relative to the Leili version of the bike and the mismatched configuration on the belt drive, too bad, it was a great concept or it should have been a POC first. You mentioned your selling once fixed, if you don't mind me asking? Are you considering the same bike in the future from a NA/Canada dealer or would you still deal direct?
PS Its funny that Leili is showing the bike on their site w/a Rohloff transmission and a cost increase;-)

Good luck!
LB
LB

 

[RMK!]

Hi RMK, you may know this, Biktrix has partnered w/FTH Power as well on the battery recall, I feel the same w/your POV relative to the Leili version of the bike and the mismatched configuration on the belt drive, too bad, it was a great concept or it should have been a POC first. You mentioned your selling once fixed, if you don't mind me asking? Are you considering the same bike in the future from a NA/Canada dealer or would you still deal direct?
PS Its funny that Leili is showing the bike on their site w/a Rohloff transmission and a cost increase;-)

Good luck!
LB
LB

Hi LB,

I am reluctantly selling the MD 1000 as I got a too good to pass up deal on my dream ebike which I shouldn't discuss here. If it didn't sell I was going to keep the MD 1000 and ride it occasionally and/or as a backup bike for friends to ride. The MD 1000 is a big, fast, long range, cool looking and attention getting bike. I'm more comfortable on something more stealth looking than the MD 1000 which looks like the Humvee version of an ebike. One guy asked me where I mount the guns? ...

As for where to buy one? I would get the bike you want from the source at a reasonable price and acceptable delivery timeline. I waited 7 months for the MD and it was painful as I don't normally have the patience for long delays.

 

[Muler T.G]

Right you are Mitch, no ebike is perfect. The achilleas heel of the MD 1000 is the Sturmey Archer 5 speed RX RK5 Internal Gear Hub (IGH). Many of the units in the wild are failing and despite my diligent operation of the SA IGH my MD 1000 is slipping (clunking) under power and phantom shifting indicating that a complete failure is imminent. When I questioned Sturmey Archer about the appropriateness of their RX RK 5 IGH with the Bafang Ultra Mid Drive motor before I purchased, I was told in writing that if I didn't shift under load and kept up with the shift cable adjustments, I would be fine. Two months later I read here that Sturmey Archer had changed their policy and stated that this pairing of the Bafang Ultra middrive motor and their 5 speed IGH was not supported and would void the warranty on the SA IGH.

I have 1400 miles on my factory direct MD 1000 and I love everything about the bike except the SA IGH. As I see it, Sturmey Archer was dishonest (or at best ignorant) and the manufacturer in China was responsible for poorly vetting that drivetrain choice. The manufacturer has told me that they are testing other IGH options and will implement another IGH that will address the problem. As for current customers, an IGH upgrade path is unclear.

As of this writing, the Chinese manufacturer has acknowledged the SA IGH issues and they are offering a SRAM cassette chain based replacement kit at a discounted price. Even so, that still means a cost of approx. $400 plus labor to uninstall the IGH and the installation of the SRAM drivetrain e.g. a costly upgrade. The MD 1000 can be ordered with a SRAM 9speed cassette/chain drivetrain and I would strongly suggest that anyone considering that ebike choose that option.

Kudos to Biktrix as they avoided the problem by outfitting all of their Juggernaut Ultra Beast (basically the same ebike, different drivetrain) with no IGH option. They use a SRAM 11 speed cassette-chain drivetrain.

Well， replacing the Archer with a Sram 11 speed is a remedy. I got my 11-speed set including a whole rear wheel from Bikonit for free and they even paid my bill at the bike shop. The Gates belt+1000w belt dribe+ IGH is a damn nice system. Pity

 

[Borch]

My 2 cents worth...... Highly disappointed on Bikonit problems with the batteries and Sturmer Archer failures. My MD1000 is not even a year old and I beginning to regret my purchase.

I reached out to Bikonit and their response was less than favorable. I need a solution that will use the IGN with drive belt that doesn't cost $2800 to replace a system that has known failures.
Why are they charging $2800 when the Rohloff hub 14 speed IGN cost $1500? Also is Rohloff the solution and or a permanent fix? Here is a copy of Bikonit response.

"Thanks for reaching out to us.

We understood the problems with the previous inner 9-speed MD1000. And, we are willing to solve the problem for you. We can provide you with a Sram 11-speed replacement for free, including a trigger shifter, rim, Rear Sprocket&derailleur - the whole package to make it work for you. You can find any e-bike repair shop to install it for you. However, if you want to replace it with a Rohloff 14-speed, you will need to make up the price difference. That should be around $2,800. MD 1000 Rohloff inner 14-speed is currently in the internal testing stage, and mass production has not yet been carried out. When we collect the usage data and debug it, it will be available on the market in early May.

Hope this helps! Let me know which way you would like to proceed.
Best,
Liz "

 

[RMK!]

I think they are being fair. I had to pay Leili $380 (included shipping) for my replacement wheel and SRAM drivetrain and then pay for the installation. The Rohloff 14 cost is nearly $1500 and Leili is not getting much if any discount. They pay what anyone would pay for the IGH and Gates belt & sprockets shipped to China and then shipped again to the buyer. Frankly, I think most people would be better off with the SRAM setup.

 

[Borch]

My experience and viewpoint is a little different...... I paid for the MD and belt configuration and hardware. Since their design was not tested and failed miserably, they want to substitute a lesser configuration. Hence, you buy a car with an automatic transmission and it fails and they want to put in a manual transmission. Or another automatic transmission that will cost you $2800 and it has not been tested. Why would you pay $2800 for a Rohloff 14 speed from Bikonit, when you can buy the same thing on the internet for $1500?

Also the battery recall is another thorn. When I checked the date code on the battery it was 2011. They are putting 10 year battery packs in their bikes. Now, it will be several weeks for the battery's to be retrofitted for a safety modification. Hence, I will not be able to use my bike.

My original order was a delivery disaster. I repeatedly told them not to send UPS and I would pay LTL freight. It arrived via UPS heavily damaged and unusable. It took 3 months to get it corrected and ended up with a complete new bike from Bolton Bikes. Also I have never received the rear luggage rack that was ordered and paid for.

I would very much to have a working bike as advertised and a company that will support their product..... Tired of the games.

 

[RMK!]

My experience and viewpoint is a little different...... I paid for the MD and belt configuration and hardware. Since their design was not tested and failed miserably, they want to substitute a lesser configuration. Hence, you buy a car with an automatic transmission and it fails and they want to put in a manual transmission. Or another automatic transmission that will cost you $2800 and it has not been tested. Why would you pay $2800 for a Rohloff 14 speed from Bikonit, when you can buy the same thing on the internet for $1500?

Also the battery recall is another thorn. When I checked the date code on the battery it was 2011. They are putting 10 year battery packs in their bikes. Now, it will be several weeks for the battery's to be retrofitted for a safety modification. Hence, I will not be able to use my bike.

My original order was a delivery disaster. I repeatedly told them not to send UPS and I would pay LTL freight. It arrived via UPS heavily damaged and unusable. It took 3 months to get it corrected and ended up with a complete new bike from Bolton Bikes. Also I have never received the rear luggage rack that was ordered and paid for.

I would very much to have a working bike as advertised and a company that will support their product..... Tired of the games.

Umm, my experience was a lot different from yours. If you read this thread my post here from April 2021, I described the issues with the Sturmey Archer 5 speed (manual, not automatic transmission) and that post was a warning to purchasers 9 months ago. The manual shifting experience with the Sturmey Archer was many orders of magnitude worse than the smooth shifting SRAM drivetrain. It's nice that Bolton was able to help you out and they (now Area 13) have several of those trade in (swap out) MD 1000 bikes with the SRAM transmission available for sale.

When I contacted Kyle at Bolton about this issue in April 2021 he indicated he could provide no assistance even though I live close by to his shop, would do delivery, pickup and pay him for the retrofit services. You are fortunate that you were able to swap out your Sturmey Archer equipped, Leili purchased MD 1000 for a brand new model with SRAM. I have to assume that the "heavily damaged", 10 year old battery bike is one of the ones Bolton (Area 13) is currently selling. You are correct, we had/have very different experiences and viewpoints.

 

[rtp]

My 2 cents worth...... Highly disappointed on Bikonit problems with the batteries and Sturmer Archer failures. My MD1000 is not even a year old and I beginning to regret my purchase.

I reached out to Bikonit and their response was less than favorable. I need a solution that will use the IGN with drive belt that doesn't cost $2800 to replace a system that has known failures.
Why are they charging $2800 when the Rohloff hub 14 speed IGN cost $1500? Also is Rohloff the solution and or a permanent fix? Here is a copy of Bikonit response.

"Thanks for reaching out to us.

We understood the problems with the previous inner 9-speed MD1000. And, we are willing to solve the problem for you. We can provide you with a Sram 11-speed replacement for free, including a trigger shifter, rim, Rear Sprocket&derailleur - the whole package to make it work for you. You can find any e-bike repair shop to install it for you. However, if you want to replace it with a Rohloff 14-speed, you will need to make up the price difference. That should be around $2,800. MD 1000 Rohloff inner 14-speed is currently in the internal testing stage, and mass production has not yet been carried out. When we collect the usage data and debug it, it will be available on the market in early May.

Hope this helps! Let me know which way you would like to proceed.
Best,
Liz "

Considering what someone else posted above, I suspect the $2800 option is more than just the hub, but includes a laced wheel, which is worth another couple of hundred IMO.

Did you ask them why the price difference?

Certainly, many brands are selling simply 'labeled' but otherwise direct-from-China without much testing, and it's unfortunate. For the most part, as long as the frame is solid, and the motor and suspension of known quantity with Samsung/LG/Panasonic celled batteries, problems should be low, but as mentioned - the IGH really should have been tested/vetted a bit before opening it up for sales.

Having said that, between this and the battery recall, they seem to be doing the best they can overall in a poor situation...and hopefully lessons learned all around on the next 'new technology' introduction. Replacing with SRAM cassette and components isn't ideal, but there really aren't many IGH to choose from, let alone at sane price points, and IMO - having a quite usable setup over one that can't be used - is worth something. (and yes, I'd be annoyed as well, but still...)

 

[Borch]

Interesting discussion. I purchased my MD1000 in late 2020. I did the research and at that time and there was not any negative comments or issues at that time. It is unfortunate that Bikonit did not notify customers of the pending problems and issues as a due diligence to their customers.

I will not go Sram 11 speed with the derailleur. If I want that, I would have purchase a Rad Rover. Also installing this option will reduce the overall value of your bike by $1500 to $2000 in my opinion.

However, I have more info from Bikonit after several emails and many questions. The $2800 Rohloff package does include the new rim, new disc rear brake system, Rohloof hub, shifter,
cassette, and derailleur ????. This does not upgrade the present UART control to CAN BUS control. The owner is responsible installation and all cost associated. There is no extended warranty.
The delivery is 4 - 5 months. Although the above information has a few more questions, such as derailleur, cassette, etc .

I am presently trying to get quotes from other vendors for the Rohloff 14 IGH. I don't have any problems upgrading the bike myself, as I have built many bikes. Although, I am a road biker and have been riding for over 60 years, I look for to getting my MD1000 back to full power and working properly.

 

[Borch]

Here is a photo of the Rohloof 14 speed IGH hardware from Liz at Bikonit. All this for only $2800.......