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

[Cstefan]

You really need to turn it upside-down on a furniture blanket or other protective padding. Two people would be best. The serial number is on the bottom of the part of the frame the crank passes through. The LCD display should be removed before turning the bike over.

On my Sport purchased at the end of August 2021 the serial number is on the front of the head tube, right below the Espin badge.

 

[AHicks]

The wife's '21 Flow had a rattle that made ME nuts while riding next to her! Big DIY'er here, so I looked for that rattle to the point I was getting pretty frustrated with it....

Finally, after a couple of weeks of listening to this rattle and long after going over the list of potential suspects causing it several times, I was riding next to her one day and happened to be looking at the kickstand when the rattle occurred. An expansion joint in the pavement would cause the kickstand to drop down 1/2" or so, then it would return to it's normal position with a rattle. Just enough noise to be an irritation to somebody with an otherwise silent bike. Fix was to shim the spring with a washer, adding just enough tension where the spring could hold the kickstand up when hitting a bump.

 

[Johnu510]

The wife's '21 Flow had a rattle that made ME nuts while riding next to her! Big DIY'er here, so I looked for that rattle to the point I was getting pretty frustrated with it....

Finally, after a couple of weeks of listening to this rattle and long after going over the list of potential suspects causing it several times, I was riding next to her one day and happened to be looking at the kickstand when the rattle occurred. An expansion joint in the pavement would cause the kickstand to drop down 1/2" or so, then it would return to it's normal position with a rattle. Just enough noise to be an irritation to somebody with an otherwise silent bike. Fix was to shim the spring with a washer, adding just enough tension where the spring could hold the kickstand up when hitting a bump.

That part actually fell off on my bike and it made it easier to use the kick stand so i didnt put it back on lol.

 

[Johnu510]

How many miles does everyone have on there bike? I just went over 7k on my espin sport I got august last year. How many miles are these bikes good for anyone think?

 

[Taylor57]

How many miles does everyone have on there bike? I just went over 7k on my espin sport I got august last year. How many miles are these bikes good for anyone think?

I rode Sport today but forgot to look. Im guessing 2k or so miles...

 

[AHicks]

That part actually fell off on my bike and it made it easier to use the kick stand so i didnt put it back on lol.

The part I'm talking about is the spring that holds the kickstand up. Without it, your kickstand would be dragging on the ground, would not stay up?

 

[AHicks]

How many miles does everyone have on there bike? I just went over 7k on my espin sport I got august last year. How many miles are these bikes good for anyone think?

You win!

 

[Johnu510]

You win!

Is that a lot in a year? I thought people rode there bikes all the time on long rides...and I gotcha about the kickstand I was talking about the extender part

 

[PatriciaK]

Not everyone rides their bikes every day on long rides . I suspect most do not ride that way, though I admire those who do!

 

[Johnu510]

Not everyone rides their bikes every day on long rides . I suspect most do not ride that way, though I admire those who do!

Ehh I was going for the more crowd that rides to and from to work

 

[AHicks]

Ehh I was going for the more crowd that rides to and from to work

Not hard to imagine that bike paid for itself in the money it saved you this past year! Now you have a free bike!

I ride pretty much every day year round. Sometimes twice the same day, but I ride because I enjoy it. Retired 10 years ago, but even if I were still working for the company I retired from, there's no way I could commute by bike. Ride would be from one side of town to the other, with very little in the way of bike dedicated infrastructure available.

 

[Johnu510]

Not hard to imagine that bike paid for itself in the money it saved you this past year! Now you have a free bike!

I ride pretty much every day year round. Sometimes twice the same day, but I ride because I enjoy it. Retired 10 years ago, but even if I were still working for the company I retired from, there's no way I could commute by bike. Ride would be from one side of town to the other, with very little in the way of bike dedicated infrastructure available.

IDK about having a free bike yet lol....1200$ gonna take a lil awhile to catch up to with money saved. I tell people all the time I didnt know it was going to be this enjoyable to ride. I feel like everyone should have one haha

 

[AHicks]

IDK about having a free bike yet lol....1200$ gonna take a lil awhile to catch up to with money saved. I tell people all the time I didnt know it was going to be this enjoyable to ride. I feel like everyone should have one haha

My bet is, with 7K on the bike now, it was paid for a long time ago. Take a minute and figure out what it would have cost you to drive a car 7k. ALL of the costs, not just the price of gas....(include insurance and maintenance for example).

 

[Johnu510]

My bet is, with 7K on the bike now, it was paid for a long time ago. Take a minute and figure out what it would have cost you to drive a car 7k. ALL of the costs, not just the price of gas....(include insurance and maintenance for example).

Yeah your probably right. I love the thing.

 

[Taylor57]

Has anyone had any problems with their brakes on the Sport? The Velofix guy couldnt fix the rear brakes and the bleed did no good. Here is what he said below according to my son. I was not there.

He said the piston seal is broken and he's going to try and find a piston seal kit and we need to order a new brake lever. He said to go through the manufacturer

So I sent the above to Espin and they send me an invoice for 55.00 for new rear hydraulic brake. Does that sound like it will include a new lever and does this sound like a normal procedure for a broken rear hydraulic brake?

 

[AHicks]

Has anyone had any problems with their brakes on the Sport? The Velofix guy couldnt fix the rear brakes and the bleed did no good. Here is what he said below according to my son. I was not there.

He said the piston seal is broken and he's going to try and find a piston seal kit and we need to order a new brake lever. He said to go through the manufacturer

So I sent the above to Espin and they send me an invoice for 55.00 for new rear hydraulic brake. Does that sound like it will include a new lever and does this sound like a normal procedure for a broken rear hydraulic brake?

I'd be curious regarding what Espin thinks a "new rear hydraulic brake" looks like? Could be just the rear caliper, or the entire (pre-bled?) brake assembly.

Also sounds like you're working with questionable talent for a repairman. Sounds like he's working on the theory if you replace enough parts, ONE of them should fix it (throw enough crap at a wall, some of it is bound to stick). For instance I doubt seriously both the master cylinder AND caliper went out at the same moment - especially if there are/were no leaks apparent. Did he even try a new set of pads? I would have been expecting a little more from Velofix. Disappointing.... -Al

 

[Taylor57]

I'd be curious regarding what Espin thinks a "new rear hydraulic brake" looks like? Could be just the rear caliper, or the entire (pre-bled?) brake assembly.

Also sounds like you're working with questionable talent for a repairman. Sounds like he's working on the theory if you replace enough parts, ONE of them should fix it (throw enough crap at a wall, some of it is bound to stick). For instance I doubt seriously both the master cylinder AND caliper went out at the same moment - especially if there are/were no leaks apparent. Did he even try a new set of pads? I would have been expecting a little more from Velofix. Disappointing.... -Al

Yeah, I'm not sure Al, I wasn't there. I went ahead and ordered the entire assembly including the lever from Espin for 55 bucks. I think I'm out of warranty on both of my Sports so it is what it is. The Velofix guy is going to come back and assemble. My youngest son, who has been my chief mechanic, moved to Washington state so I am now at the Mercy of others! I will say, I may start becoming a fan of mechanical brakes!!

 

[AHicks]

Hopefully it is the whole kit and caboodle all in a nice pre bled package. If so the price is right. Could have been 2-3 times that and still been "fair". Espin = good people/support.

 

[Taylor57]

Hopefully it is the whole kit and caboodle all in a nice pre bled package. If so the price is right. Could have been 2-3 times that and still been "fair". Espin = good people/support.

Here is what Espin said when I asked what I was getting:

The invoice I sent is for a complete brake lever, hose, and caliper replacement. We do not have the individual components of the brake lever available separately

Then when I asked if my Velofix guy should be able to fix the brake with the parts ordered:

Since the piston seal was broken, we need to completely replace the lever. Rather than fixing the current lever, we are going to just replace it, which is something the mechanic can do as well once you receive the part.

 

[vita10gy]

My right/rear brake was always pretty weak, and now does basically nothing. Is this something I can tweak, or is this a bike shop, or also a "get a whole new brake kit" situation?