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

[George71]

Leon hasn't replied at all? That's surprising, for me I had an issue with damage from shipping and they got back to me in ~6hrs. I went through email ([email protected]) and filled in the web "contact us" form.

I've done the same with no response. Can't get them on the phone either. I hope they will reach out this week.

 

[George71]

After 3300 mi. I had a rim issue a few days ago; hit a pothole that ripped the spoke nipple right out of
the rim, horrifying. I initially though my wheel was a right-off. Luckily, I had some small grommets I
use in leather work. Mashing 2 male grommets together with J.B. Weld, I glued & pressed them into
the hole. They were a perfect size to receive a spoke nipple. After seating the nipple, I inserted a spoke
& tightened it up. Since the glue set, the wheel has been good as new.(what luck) I definitely think
NCM should be using grommets for their rims as I have seen in the rims of other ebikes. As for your
problem, George, I´ve can only guess why your wheel tacoed. Even after my rim issue, the wheel is
true within a mm. It could be that since spokes are probably tightened with a power screwdriver, they
may have been too tight, or perhaps there was a metallurgic imperfection in the rim. Labelled a Mtn.
bike, the moscow is designed more for getting up a mountain than shredding down one. Yes, I think
the rims could be improved, but the problems I´ve had with rim & spokes have been my fault. I find
it hard to imagine what it would take,(heavy as I am), to taco one of these rims.

Thanks John. I've done mostly road riding. It baffles me as well. I've never broken a spoke, the only thing I can think of is I rolled down a curb, but if that bent the rim then I'm not happy. Perhaps I'll take it to another shop for another try at straightening it up.

 

[john peck]

Thanks John. I've done mostly rode riding. It baffles me as well. I've never broken a spoke, the only thing I can think of is I rolled down a curb, but if that bent the rim then I'm not happy. Perhaps I'll take it to another shop for another try at straightening it up.

Down time just frustrates the hell outa me, but it happens, & it doesn´t matter what you´re riding. I rode a
Juiced CCS for 3 yrs. if you don´t count 4 mos. of down time with various issues & it cost more than twice
what I paid for the moscow. I rebuilt the motor wheel twice on the CCS, & it had a grommeted rim. That
rim is still good, but the spoke bores on the motor wore out due to improper initial spoke lacing. The
assymetric stays eventually warped the frame ´til it became unrideable. Being close by, leoncylce in
seattle has been good about support, but I´m hearing that´s not true of every franchise. I wish you luck,
& hope things get resolved. Sounds like a kinda freak thing. Were you turning the bars as you rolled over
the curb? I did sumpin' similar with a VW bus.

 

[George71]

Ok I spoke with Randall from Leon cycle north America earlier this week. So we're getting it sorted. He was very helpful. New rear wheel assembly delivered by next week. So I'm very happy with the service. That's more than I expected. I like how they stand behind their product. I will be sure to recommend them.

 

[Fred]

Somewhere, , rehash, position broken spoke about 45 degree from vertical to the rear, deflate, pull tire,tube,& rim stip to one side.
Use a magnetic screwdriver to ´carefully remove the nipple¨, seat new spoke & ´very carefully´ insert new nipple with magnet
screwdriver. tighten spoke, replace rim strip, tube, & tire. Reinflate. If it´s the front wheel, it´s easier just to remove. The process
is just for rear hub motors. (be sure new spoke is inserted from the correct side of the spoke bore!)

Big thanks to John for his guidance on replacing a spoke without removing the rear wheel. I did it today and seems fine. The only difference I ran into was the nipples I had weren't attracted to a magnet, so the magnetic screwdriver technique was out. However, I managed by just taking care with the nipple placement. I also did a basic truing of the wheel on the bike. Probably not perfect, but seemed OK. Normally, I don't mind paying my LBS to do this stuff, but they're so busy these days that last time I was without my bike for almost a week. And we don't get a ton of great bike-riding weeks up here in Toronto.

 

[Fred]

Big thanks to John for his guidance on replacing a spoke without removing the rear wheel. I did it today and seems fine. The only difference I ran into was the nipples I had weren't attracted to a magnet, so the magnetic screwdriver technique was out. However, I managed by just taking care with the nipple placement. I also did a basic truing of the wheel on the bike. Probably not perfect, but seemed OK. Normally, I don't mind paying my LBS to do this stuff, but they're so busy these days that last time I was without my bike for almost a week. And we don't get a ton of great bike-riding weeks up here in Toronto.

A minor mod to the process of changing spokes without removing the wheel. Instead of using a magnetic screwdriver to seat the new nipple and not lose it in the double walled rim, I used the old (broken spoke), or another one if you have extras, threaded on the backside of the new nipple to place it in position. Once the new spoke is screwed onto the nipple simply unthread the old spoke and use the spoke wrench to tighten things up.

 

[Bitmugger]

Is there somewhere I can get a definitive list of spoke lengths for the NCM Moscow 27.5" tires? I've seen a lot of numbers I feel across the threads, I have broken 1 spoke so far and can order a replacement for it, but I'd like to order spares for all 4 lengths needed.

 

[jkvt]

Is there somewhere I can get a definitive list of spoke lengths for the NCM Moscow 27.5" tires? I've seen a lot of numbers I feel across the threads, I have broken 1 spoke so far and can order a replacement for it, but I'd like to order spares for all 4 lengths needed.

FYI quick edit so nobody gets confused. The question was asked for the 27.5". These numbers below are for 29", not the 27.5"

I had one go 1000 miles ago and ended up ordering a few of each type to be safe, although I have not had any more break yet. I asked Leon for the specs on each and this is what I got:

Front:
SKU 1402000163 13G* 280mm, on the disc brake side, silver
SKU 1402000164 13G* 282mm, on the other side, silver

Back:

SKU 1402000100 13G*226mm, on the motor cable side, silver (motor side means the right side/gear side)
SKU 1402000102 13G* 227mm, on the other side, silver

 

[Bitmugger]

I had one go 1000 miles ago and ended up ordering a few of each type to be safe, although I have not had any more break yet. I asked Leon for the specs on each and this is what I got:

Front:
SKU 1402000163 13G* 280mm, on the disc brake side, silver
SKU 1402000164 13G* 282mm, on the other side, silver

Back:

SKU 1402000100 13G*226mm, on the motor cable side, silver (motor side means the right side/gear side)
SKU 1402000102 13G* 227mm, on the other side, silver

Those are for the 27.5"? They seem long vs other lengths I've seen listed for the 27.5" tires.

 

[jkvt]

oh shoot - no that's for 29er. Good catch.

 

[Bitmugger]

oh shoot - no that's for 29er. Good catch.

Still great information to post to the group! Thanks for sharing it, having sku's and such is excellent.

 

[Fred]

Still great information to post to the group! Thanks for sharing it, having sku's and such is excellent.

Mine is a 27.5" Amego Infinite Plus. I believe it is the same rear wheel. The numbers I have found are:
Crank Side - 208mm
Non-crank side - 209mm
In practice 1mm doesn't matter much and I have used the same length on both sides

 

[Moscow Mike]

Anyone have a problem with a loose headset on the Moscow? I could never get mine to not rock back and forth at the top.

I’m in the process of upgrading the fork so I took the headset out and found that this bike uses a crown race reducer to fit the straight steerer tube fork with the tapered head tube and tapered headset. My crown race reducer had gotten all chewed up from the bottom bearing rocking over it. So I decided to buy a new headset because of this damage. Luckily I removed the top and bottom cups of the headset because I learned the bottom cup is a hard to find size, it’s a 55mm vs the more used 56mm cup. I got tonight and as I compared the fit of the new vs the old head set on the fork I noticed the original Neco headset is extremely loose at the top bearing (not at the bottom bearing where the damage was). The top compression ring of this headset isn’t holding the bearing snug and this allows the top of the fork it to wiggle around just under the stem.

Can someone that has an NCM Moscow with the original fork and original Neco headset check to see if your headset is loose? I want to know if it’s just my bike that had a flaw.

The way I tested it was to stand next to or in front of the bike, squeeze the front brake with one hand and put your other hand around the headset just below the stem and rock the bike back and forth while the front brake is locked up. If it’s loose you will feel movement between the Neco headset and the part of the frame it sits on (head tube).

Sorry for such a long first post and thanks in advance for anyone that can check their bike for a loose headset.

pic of the damaged crown race reducer:

 

[Widegide]

No movement in either of our NCM bikes (Moscow and Milano+).

 

[Moscow Mike]

No movement in either of our NCM bikes (Moscow and Milano+).

Thank you for checking. I must have misadjusted the headset after installing a new stem and then it got damaged. The new headset is installed correctly and feels much better.

 

[Bitmugger]

Got some spoke information from Leon Cycle Canada. My Moscow+ is only 80 days old but they said spokes are not covered under warranty and declined to send me a spoke to replace my broken one. I paid $14 for 2 14g ones from my LBS but have more on order now from overseas that are the proper 13g.

Leon did provide me with the specs for the Moscow and Moscow+ 27.5 and 29" wheels.

Spoke length Moscow/Moscow+ 29"
Front: 13G* 280mm, on the disc brake side, silver
13G*282mm, on the other side, silver
Rear: 13G* 227mm, on the disc brake side, silver
13G*226mm, on the motor cable side, silver


Spoke length Moscow/Moscow+ 27.5"
Front: 13G* 262mm, on the disc brake side, silver
13G*264mm, on the other side, silver
Rear: 13G*209mm, on the disc brake side, silver
13G* 208mm, on the motor cable side, silver

Nipple type standard.

 

[lawrenceliketheriver]

Thanks for the spoke info!
Fortunately haven't had any break on us yet but nice to have in the kit just in case.
I found the right ones thru Grin tech -https://ebikes.ca/spcust13.html they do custom length sizes so i ordered 5 of each size (20 total) to bring the price down since my wife and I both have Moscow's.
They also have a great spoke length calculator that works for any e-bike.
Cheers.

 

[wattrider]

A minor connector failure on my Moscow last week. The socket that supplies the headlight went intermittent and then failed. A careful check by giving the cable a wiggle showed that there was a break in the cable where it enters the back of the socket where it comes out of the frame.
I ordered a new wiring harness from the local Leon Cycles. The new harness included the headlight connector, battery male connector pins and the socket that goes off to the speed controller. The new wiring harness was promptly delivered and replaced.
While installing the battery connector, I noticed that there is a very sharp cable bend close to the connector needed as there isn't much clearance to the inside frame. This could be another source of failure down the track.
I also noticed a lack of strain relief of the headlight cable that enters the headlight as it came away during the replacement.
Cheers, Glenn.

 

[jkvt]

A minor connector failure on my Moscow last week. The socket that supplies the headlight went intermittent and then failed. A careful check by giving the cable a wiggle showed that there was a break in the cable where it enters the back of the socket where it comes out of the frame.
I ordered a new wiring harness from the local Leon Cycles. The new harness included the headlight connector, battery male connector pins and the socket that goes off to the speed controller. The new wiring harness was promptly delivered and replaced.
While installing the battery connector, I noticed that there is a very sharp cable bend close to the connector needed as there isn't much clearance to the inside frame. This could be another source of failure down the track.
I also noticed a lack of strain relief of the headlight cable that enters the headlight as it came away during the replacement.
Cheers, Glenn.

Yeah, I had the same issue. Leon replaced the connector and light under warranty. Seems to be a weak part. I also had the same thought on the sharp cable bend. This all happened maybe 1000 miles ago and so far so good, but I have the same concern as you. We will see.

 

[john peck]

A minor connector failure on my Moscow last week. The socket that supplies the headlight went intermittent and then failed. A careful check by giving the cable a wiggle showed that there was a break in the cable where it enters the back of the socket where it comes out of the frame.
I ordered a new wiring harness from the local Leon Cycles. The new harness included the headlight connector, battery male connector pins and the socket that goes off to the speed controller. The new wiring harness was promptly delivered and replaced.
While installing the battery connector, I noticed that there is a very sharp cable bend close to the connector needed as there isn't much clearance to the inside frame. This could be another source of failure down the track.
I also noticed a lack of strain relief of the headlight cable that enters the headlight as it came away during the replacement.
Cheers, Glenn.

I´ve been fishing for the headlight connector on my moscow, which is either nonexistent or deeply
buried in the frame. the controller has remained waterproof thru much. & I don´t want to tamper with it
to hunt for the connector. Yet, I presume that´s what I have to do to get at it??? Is there no such connection
on a regular moscow? How much was the wiring harness,($)?