Known Issues & Problems with Lectric eBikes Products + Help, Solutions & Fixes

My frame by the hinge is cracked...looks like I am buying a new bike this week. Don't think I will get an Lectric again, want something a little higher quality. This is something I noticed that happened with other Lectric bikes, didn't think it would happen to me.
 
Well I had my bike for almost 3 years, mainly riding in NYC. Put in a little over 3000 miles and noticed a strange clicking noise. Today I noticed a little bit of wobble and looked a little more carefully... View attachment 126030

Yikes! My XP is about 2 years old with 6k or so miles on it...hopefully this wont be an issue for me. Did you do a lot of curb hopping?

At least you could part out the rest of the XP and sell the parts out to get some cash. Battery and motor could fetch some pocket money for the next eBike purchase.
 
Yikes! My XP is about 2 years old with 6k or so miles on it...hopefully this wont be an issue for me. Did you do a lot of curb hopping?

At least you could part out the rest of the XP and sell the parts out to get some cash. Battery and motor could fetch some pocket money for the next eBike purchase.
I mainly road on streets, some potholes no but I wasn't doing any major curb hopping (once in awhile I would go down a curb at a low speed) . Also avoided rough terrain. I think it is a design flaw with the bike, aluminum is not a great choice with a folding bike. If NYC had less pot holes, maybe the bike would have lasted longer. I think I will go for a non-folding bike next.
 
At least the bike paid for itself by not having to use the car. I am definitely avoid folding bike now unless the frame is steel. The crack looks like a fatigue crack from the constant stress from riding. Note: I only weigh about 162 pounds, so I doubt it was weight. I did us it to haul some groceries sometimes but only a small milkcrate.
 
My frame by the hinge is cracked...looks like I am buying a new bike this week. Don't think I will get an Lectric again, want something a little higher quality. This is something I noticed that happened with other Lectric bikes, didn't think it would happen to me.
Stress crack likely from the prior bad crash you suffered back in 2020. That's the bad news. The good news is it's repairable.
 
Last edited:
Stress crack likely from the prior bad crash you suffered back in 2020. That's the bad news. The good news is it's repairable.
I looked at the hinge a few months ago, everything was fine. The crash wasn't a bad one, wasn't going fast and I fell wrong. But I think the wear and tear from bad streets was more of a factor.
 
I looked at the hinge a few months ago, everything was fine. The crash wasn't a bad one, wasn't going fast and I fell wrong. But I think the wear and tear from bad streets was more of a factor.
There could have been almost invisible damage initially that over time just spread. I'm sure the NYC potholes didn't help.

1655315070662.png
 
It is not the only Lectric bike I've seen with to this problem. Foldable bikes are going to be more susceptible to these type of issues. I got my money's worth, going to go with a non-foldable for my main bike and see if I can get this repaired and keep it as a spare.
 
Last edited:
Interesting.

It's not a Lectric thing, BTW.
This frame is quite generic - used by many different eBike brands. Yeah, some factory in China probably pumps them all out.
My frame is identical. My bike looks like a Lectric clone - with different stickers - and sadly - far less support than Lectric offers.

If I wound the clock back a couple of months, I'd definitely buy a Lectric. Stuff happens, and when it does, they are at least there to support. With excellence.
Unlike the situation I am in.
My "ebike dealer" is unable to provide support.
 
I had an issue with my two new XL 2.0's that I'm sure isn't an isolated incident. The derailleurs on both of the bikes were being "blocked" by the derailleur guard that is supposed to protect it. One bike wouldn't go into 7th gear, while the other wouldn't go past 3rd. I'm assuming this happened during shipping. In the photo I've attached you can see the derailleur screw hitting the guard. I spoke to Lectric customer service via email and was advised to simply bend the guard out so it clears the derailleur at it's furthest point. I was a bit hesitant, but he assured me it could be done safely without damaging the bike. I did it and it worked. Both bikes are shifting normally now.

I must add that Lectric customer service was quick to respond to each email I sent.

guard.jpg
 
Mine had a minor problem.

The first ride was great. We then parked it, and messed with the key to turn it off. On the 2nd ride, it was very slow, and hesitated. Lots of delay before throttle or PAS would work, and then very weak. Turning the controller off/on didn't help.

But re-doing the key fixed it. The key might not have been turned to 'on' as far as it could have been. I think the key might be moving some electrical connections into place. So, if it is not fully on, things might not work well. No problem with that since then.

The only thing I don't like right now is that PAS3,4,5 are all the same when in class2 mode. They don't scale to match the 20mph top speed. The gap between pas2 and pas3 is too big.
I’m just reading these posts now and I’m stunned to see I have the same observation on the PAS ranges on my XP 2.0 In October 2022. There is a big jump between 2 and 3 and on 4 I am at 20 mph. More specifically, PAS 2 is too slow for me unless I am sightseeing on a flat path. There should be something between 2 and 3, 3 should be 4 and 4 should be 5. Also, I have experienced the delayed engagement in PAS and am now wondering if the key (which I’ve never touched since I first inserted it on the bike) is not full seated or in the “furthest” on position.
 
Just thought I'd add this here in case anyone else has experienced it.

Problem: XP 2.0 step-through. Made a grinding/scraping noise when accelerating under load such as going uphill, even a hill with a fairly mild incline. Sounded like a shovel dragging on the pavement.

Possible cause: Rear fender vibrating against the frame.

Possible solution: Placing a thin rubber or plastic washer between the fender and the frame.

Here is a picture showing the location I placed the washer. It's the black washer between the fender and frame.

I first thought it was the motor because it only made the noise while under load.

When I reported the noise to Lectric, they initially dismissed it and said it was normal. I said it was not. Thinking it was the motor, I asked them to send a replacement wheel which they did. Unfortunately, this did not fix it. They then told me it was the brakes and to take it to a bike shop to have the brakes adjusted. I told them no, if it was the brakes it would be a constant noise, not something that only happens when the motor is under load.

I continued troubleshooting and eventually noticed the contact point between the fender and frame and installed the washer as pictured. This seemed to greatly reduce and possibly eliminate the noise. I'll do more testing this weekend but so far it did make a big improvement just riding it around my block.

To reach the screw you do need to take the rear wheel off but this is a pretty simple task and no different on an ebike than on a regular bike.

So, if you run across a similar issue, it won't hurt to at least give this a try. If you have the right tools it shouldn't take more than 45 minutes to remove the wheel, install the washer, and replace the wheel. There are several videos on Youtube that will walk you through the wheel removal/replacement.

BTW, despite what you may see on Youtube vids, you do not need a stand to hold the bike up. Just flip it upside down. Just make sure you loosen the display panel and rotate it so you don't damage it. I placed two wood blocks on the floor and rested the ends of the grips on them so the handlebars would be elevated about an inch and would not be resting directly on the floor. Place them far enough apart so the shifters don't rest on them either. This kept everything on the bars safe. I also recommend placing a towel under the seat so you don't scuff it.

Note that after removing/reinstalling the wheel you may need to readjust the brakes which may add a little more time to the process. Also plenty of vids on Youtube for this.
 

Attachments

  • Lectric Rattle.jpg
    Lectric Rattle.jpg
    202.5 KB · Views: 173
I got the new controller today and installed it (I got. New wheel a few weeks back). Yesterday I took the rear wheel off and put rubber washers on the two places where the fender attaches to the frame. After installing the new controller I took the bike for a short test ride. I heard the sound right away and then it stopped. It reappeared a few times during my 8 mile ride, always for just a few seconds and pretty much under load conditions.

This noise is definitely a thing. What it is I wish I knew. That Lectric’s CS folks haven’t isolated it and found a fix after a year on the market and 140,000 sold is a head scratcher to me. They are very attentive and are trying to do right by me. I’m just frustrated. I think I’m going to get the authorized mobile repair guys involved and see what they tell me.
 
I got the new controller today and installed it (I got. New wheel a few weeks back). Yesterday I took the rear wheel off and put rubber washers on the two places where the fender attaches to the frame. After installing the new controller I took the bike for a short test ride. I heard the sound right away and then it stopped. It reappeared a few times during my 8 mile ride, always for just a few seconds and pretty much under load conditions.

This noise is definitely a thing. What it is I wish I knew. That Lectric’s CS folks haven’t isolated it and found a fix after a year on the market and 140,000 sold is a head scratcher to me. They are very attentive and are trying to do right by me. I’m just frustrated. I think I’m going to get the authorized mobile repair guys involved and see what they tell me.
Well that's disappointing. I'm still thinking it has to be something rattling. New wheel, new controller, it shouldn't be anything electrical by this point.

I'm still not 100% sure the washer is the final fix for mine but I'll know more when I take it for a longer ride this weekend.

If it's still doing it, my next step is to take every possible attachment off the bike - the fenders, the rear rack, the lights, and anything else I can take off that won't affect the functioning of the bike.

My frustration with Lectric's CS has been that they have told me twice that this noise is normal. I refuse to buy that considering only one of my Lectrics has had this problem and there's no way a $1200 bike (I got the long range version) should sound like I'm dragging a shovel behind it. I'm sure they're as annoyed with me as I have been frustrated with them.

And to add to the frustration, the stock wheel and the first replacement wheel they sent me had Shimano freewheels. The final replacement wheel which is now on the bike has some crappy off-brand freewheel that the only info I could find about it pointed to it being a very cheap Chinese knockoff of a Shimano. I asked them about it and they refused to replace it with a comparable freewheel. Granted, even the stock Shimano is something I can replace for $25 but still....

So yeah, I' a bit frustrated with them.
 
Well that's disappointing. I'm still thinking it has to be something rattling. New wheel, new controller, it shouldn't be anything electrical by this point.

I'm still not 100% sure the washer is the final fix for mine but I'll know more when I take it for a longer ride this weekend.

If it's still doing it, my next step is to take every possible attachment off the bike - the fenders, the rear rack, the lights, and anything else I can take off that won't affect the functioning of the bike.

My frustration with Lectric's CS has been that they have told me twice that this noise is normal. I refuse to buy that considering only one of my Lectrics has had this problem and there's no way a $1200 bike (I got the long range version) should sound like I'm dragging a shovel behind it. I'm sure they're as annoyed with me as I have been frustrated with them.

And to add to the frustration, the stock wheel and the first replacement wheel they sent me had Shimano freewheels. The final replacement wheel which is now on the bike has some crappy off-brand freewheel that the only info I could find about it pointed to it being a very cheap Chinese knockoff of a Shimano. I asked them about it and they refused to replace it with a comparable freewheel. Granted, even the stock Shimano is something I can replace for $25 but still....

So yeah, I' a bit frustrated with them.
I didn’t mention it earlier but when I had the wheel off I put on the 11-28 free wheel. I was going to wait to see if the new controller fixed things and, if not, I could return it to Amazon but I couldn’t resist. I can feel the difference. The funny thing is, the way it’s configured, 6th gear is close to the old 7th gear. So I imagine I will now spend 99% of my time in 6 or 7 except on big hills. Is your other bike also an XP 2.0? If so, and it doesn’t make that noise, then it confirms that I’m not crazy about the noise being “not normal.”
 
Back