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

[Presplan]

Moscow Plus. It was mentioned in one of the online reviews that there is no chain/bash guard on the front crank, so you could get your pants snagged, dirty or even cut from the teeth. I saw a picture that someone posted and his leg was all cut up from making contact with the teeth on the cog. Looked pretty nasty. He recommended a chain/bash guard on the crank. Thanks for your input.

 

[john peck]

Has anyone had any issues with cutting their leg on the front crank, as there is no chain/crank guard? Tried looking online to purchase a chain guard for a shimano FC-M311 42 tooth, but couldn’t find one. Any recommendations?

I use a pant clip made with a heat gun from a 2¨ section of thin wall 3¨ pvc pipe, but you can get a 48/38/28 crankset with guard on ebay.
Using a 42 will void your warranty,(not that a little thing like that has ever stopped me.) Thing is, the controller is programmed for 48/38/28,
which is more than adequate on the moscow. I can climb about anything on the 38; a 42 doesn´t really enhance performance. I put on
a 42/34/24 out of curiosity, but immediately went back to the 48/38/28. For me the pant clip is fine, but I use pedal extenters because I´m
tall & they save on my knees & incidently moves my leg 3/4¨ further from the chainring. THe Magnum, (which is really a modified
moscow), uses a 42/34/24, but it is really only useful for ´extreme climbing´, not general usage.

 

[Presplan]

With 24 gears to choose from on this bike, what gears do you actually use? Does anyone actually take the motor off (save about 9 pounds of weight) and just ride it as a bike? Not that I plan on doing it, but just curious.

 

[john peck]

With 24 gears to choose from on this bike, what gears do you actually use? Does anyone actually take the motor off (save about 9 pounds of weight) and just ride it as a bike? Not that I plan on doing it, but just curious.

I occasionally run to the post office without battery, just 1/2 mi uphill though. There´s quite a few steep hills here, but the bike
climbs great without going to the 28T chain ring. Being 21 speed, itś less inclined to cross-chain. I ride most on the 38-14 in 1 or 2 mode
It´s practically a one spd. I go to 0 mode on long downhills & shift to the 48. The 28T works pretty well without battery, but I´m old,
the bike´s still pretty heavy. It would be just okay on the flat. Not much of that around here.

 

[Presplan]

Thanks John. Can you explain what you mean 28T, 38-14 and 48. I’m a novice. I only know the left shifter (for front crank) goes between 1 to 3 and the right shifter (for rear hub) goes between 1 to 8. The lower the number, the easier it is to pedal. And I know not to have the chain too far diagonally across from the front crank to the rear hub. I appreciate all your knowledge and guidance.

 

[john peck]

48/38/28 refers to the number of teeth on the front triple chainring, On the regular 7 spd moscow 14 thru 28 refers
to the gear range on the rear freewheel. The moscow+ has an 8 spd. 11/32 freewheel, freewheel being a distinction as
opposed to cassette. Freewheels tend to outlast cassettes being more robustly made. A 42/34/24 is a fairly popular
triple chainring on regular mtn. bikes. That´s what I have on my 2 gas bikes; makes it easier to pedal without power.

 

[GenXrider]

It would be interesting to ride one of these Moscow Plus bikes. One thing I particularly liked about the Moscow was the 48T large chainring because so many bikes have small 32T or smaller chainrings and are just geared too low. For comparison, on my standard hybrid bike, I use 48T front and 14T rear for most of my riding and frequently move to 12T on the rear, and occasionally 11T on the rear. The only time I've dropped to a smaller chainring lately was just to make sure the shifting is still working.

The thing that turned me away from the Moscow Plus was all the broken spokes reported, not to mention people seemed to be having difficulty finding replacements. For me, it would have been a dual purpose bike, more riding on rural roads than moutain bike trails.

 

[john peck]

It would be interesting to ride one of these Moscow Plus bikes. One thing I particularly liked about the Moscow was the 48T large chainring because so many bikes have small 32T or smaller chainrings and are just geared too low. For comparison, on my standard hybrid bike, I use 48T front and 14T rear for most of my riding and frequently move to 12T on the rear, and occasionally 11T on the rear. The only time I've dropped to a smaller chainring lately was just to make sure the shifting is still working.

The thing that turned me away from the Moscow Plus was all the broken spokes reported, not to mention people seemed to be having difficulty finding replacements. For me, it would have been a dual purpose bike, more riding on rural roads than moutain bike trails.

I ride almost entirely on the 38T on the moscow, The modes are stacked in such a way that I find 38 in mode two gives me the best range
at 12 to 14 mph, But then I´m no longer in a hurry to get anywhere.

 

[-sandro-]

I'm a novice about the gear. I have a non Plus Moscow, I usually ride at "3" front and "6" rear. How would they translate to that nomenclature? Do you think riding at lower gears can give me better range?

 

[john peck]

That would be 48/16 or a 3 to 1 ratio. I´guessing you are a lighter rider than I am at 225 pds. If that´s comfortable, go with it.
The modes on a moscow are more about the speed you want to travel than power. lower gears give you more leverage
against the pedal & reduce effort. It´s basically about finding the sweet spot that works best for you . On the flat, (theoretically),
mode 1 in a low gear at low speed,( 10 to 12 mph.) will provide max range...., but the world is not flat, people have different
levels of fitness & weight, & want to travel at different spds. As it sez in the manual,( I concur), try using all gears & modes to
familiarize yourself with the bike´s capabilities. Remember to ease of the pedals for a second as you shift. That saves wear & tear
& makes for smoother shifts. Find that sweet spot. Be safe & situationally aware!

Just realized you are in Italy, so I guess your dealing with the EU 25 Kph limits., That´s simple enough to change to mph, but don´t get
caught (Itś in the manual). Hope you don´t ride like Italians drive. (just kiddin´)

 

[-sandro-]

By "lighter" you mean I make less effort or less pedaling speed? If I put a lower gear I just can't feel any torque, like a fake pedaling.

 

[john peck]

Wait til you´ŕe 70+, you´ll come to appreciate that. You´re too young for an ebike anyway

 

[Presplan]

Can anyone recommend a bike phone mount for the Moscow Plus and where you would place it. Thanks.

 

[okidoki]

Hi,

After reading positive reviews, I bought an NCM Moscow 27.5 from Amazon.ca last week. Unfortunately, I am experiencing a shut-off problem. After riding 20 km with PAS 2-3 and with no throttle, the display starts shuts off several times before the battery gets completely dead. Before the shut-off problem starts, everything works well. Before the battery gets dead, it shows 4 LEDs green as if it is full. When I connect the battery to the charger, It shows 4 LEDs green immediately, and after 1 hour, it stops charging. I wrote to Leon Cycle and waiting for their reply. I will inform you when they return. Has anyone experienced a similar situation? Is there any suggestion? Thanks.

 

[john peck]

Hi,

After reading positive reviews, I bought an NCM Moscow 27.5 from Amazon.ca last week. Unfortunately, I am experiencing a shut-off problem. After riding 20 km with PAS 2-3 and with no throttle, the display starts shuts off several times before the battery gets completely dead. Before the shut-off problem starts, everything works well. Before the battery gets dead, it shows 4 LEDs green as if it is full. When I connect the battery to the charger, It shows 4 LEDs green immediately, and after 1 hour, it stops charging. I wrote to Leon Cycle and waiting for their reply. I will inform you when they return. Has anyone experienced a similar situation? Is there any suggestion? Thanks.

I´ḿ baffled? How many charge bars show on the display just before it shuts down. Have you been following the charging instructions. The
manual asks you to plug in battery before the charger to charge, & unplug the charger 1st before the battery when finished charging?
I noticed this after doing it any old way for the 1st 100 mi.? I did have one issue with the cord not being pushed fully into the charger, but
this doesn´t sound the same. A defective charger? Any loose connections, bent prongs? It is supposed the shut off when just one bar shows
on the display. What display have you? Could the controller have gotten wet inside? I don´t really have a clue?

 

[RJC]

Hi,

After reading positive reviews, I bought an NCM Moscow 27.5 from Amazon.ca last week. Unfortunately, I am experiencing a shut-off problem. After riding 20 km with PAS 2-3 and with no throttle, the display starts shuts off several times before the battery gets completely dead. Before the shut-off problem starts, everything works well. Before the battery gets dead, it shows 4 LEDs green as if it is full. When I connect the battery to the charger, It shows 4 LEDs green immediately, and after 1 hour, it stops charging. I wrote to Leon Cycle and waiting for their reply. I will inform you when they return. Has anyone experienced a similar situation? Is there any suggestion? Thanks.

Hi, after 10 km I would expect the battery to still show 4 green led's, mine does. I expect battery is OK as doesn't need much charge time to recharge after a short run..The problem will be with the Display or Controller I suspect. Make sure all connectors are fully pushed together. Did you notice any error codes on the Display before it shutdown? Having had to contact Leon Cycles in the past I would suggest phoning for a quicker reply.

 

[john peck]

Can anyone recommend a bike phone mount for the Moscow Plus and where you would place it. Thanks.

Duck tape wherever? (kidding} ebay has a varied selection, look for something that'll fit you needs I guess?
Being deaf I don´t own a phone, never did even when i could hear.

 

[okidoki]

I´ḿ baffled? How many charge bars show on the display just before it shuts down. Have you been following the charging instructions. The
manual asks you to plug in battery before the charger to charge, & unplug the charger 1st before the battery when finished charging?
I noticed this after doing it any old way for the 1st 100 mi.? I did have one issue with the cord not being pushed fully into the charger, but
this doesn´t sound the same. A defective charger? Any loose connections, bent prongs? It is supposed the shut off when just one bar shows
on the display. What display have you? Could the controller have gotten wet inside? I don´t really have a clue?

All the charge bars are shown on the display (full charge) before it shuts down.
BTW, Leon Cycle responded. They think that the problem is the controller. They are going to replace it covered by the warranty.

 

[john peck]

All the charge bars are shown on the display (full charge) before it shuts down.
BTW, Leon Cycle responded. They think that the problem is the controller. They are going to replace it covered by the warranty.

Weii, they should know.... still mighty in convenient. Good luck, hope you get a fast turn around.

 

[meattree]

I am also having issues with my NCM Moscow Plus. Ordered it in June, got it on the 23rd and have not been able to ride it longer than for few days' stretch since then as I go through a troubleshooting nightmare with their support. No power to PAS or throttle out of the box, wiggling and reconnecting the display/controller and motor/controller cables solved the problem briefly but after some hopeful riding, the issue inevitably kept returning. Leon Cycle diagnosed it as a malfunctioning controller and shipped me a replacement, paying for a local bike shop to do the job. This all took a while, they're in BC I'm in ON (Canada). They said they'd send it overnight by Fedex but didn't actually ship it for several days after saying that. Bad experience overall but I'll spare the details for this thread.

After two days of working fine, the issue returned. I've missed a month and a half of riding (and counting) to save a few hundred bucks ordering a bike online. Thankfully I have a Magnum distributor near me and Leon Cycle is honoring the warranty agreement. The controller replacement didn't solve the issue so they've shipped a rear wheel motor assembly to try next. It was supposed to arrive today but apparently according to the tracking they JUST gave it to Fedex, again. Frustrating does not even begin to describe my experience with NCM. If I ever buy another ebike (this was my first) it will be from a local shop. I recommend any owners having similar issues immediately find the nearest shop that sells/works on Magnum bikes and has the parts and knowledge to fix the bike and bill it to NCM, because it turns out fixing a bike by mail and Amazon message is not the most efficient way.