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

[Admin]

No ebike is perfect, this is a thread dedicated to sharing known issues or problems with electric bikes from Okai 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.

 

[APL]

I got the OKAI Lytecycle EB60 new, on a sale since it is discontinued. It comes without fenders and rear rack which is ok. There is not a lot of detailed information to be found anywhere. The most in depth review seems to be a youtube video which overall is factual but unfortunately claims there are standard bosses for a rear rack on the frame which is not the case:

I want to add fenders and a rear rack.

The standard side bosses on the seat stays in the back are missing. Instead there are two mounting receptacles on the top of each seat stays, on one on the bottom, non standard. The top ones are covered, the bottom is not. The covers are plastic and can be removed easily.

An official OKAI youtube video from 2024 actually shows a custom rear rack here:

Unfortuntely, it is not available according to OKAI customer support.

There is only one eyelet close to rear axle, presumably for holding fenders. Hopefully it can be used to hold both, fenders and rear rack, perhaps with a longer screw.

I ordered a standard Topeak rack for disc brakes which I am using on other bikes and hope to either bend the support straps for top mounting or find an adapter for side mounting.

I also ordered an SKS Edge Al 56 aluminum fender set which seemed the best fit, for the wider tires.

Let's see how it goes.

Another perhaps minor issue with the bike which is not mentioned anywhere is that the front wheel turning radius is somewhat limited. It is ok for regular riding but can be a hassle for maneuvering the bike into a tight parking position or into an elevator. Something blocks the front fork from turning more than say 70 degrees away from the forward position. At this point I do not plan on disassembly to discover what the issue really is.

 

[APL]

The SKS Edge Al 56 aluminum fenders arrived. Installation of the front fender uncovered a few additional hickups (manual here https://sks-us.com/pages/sks-edge-al-56-manual). 56mm is the recommended size for the Kenda 27.5x1.95 tires and the fender fits easily through the font fork. However, due to the fork's V shape the fender sits much too low for the attachment latch to reach the front break mounting hole above the fork. So some kind of latch extension would be needed.

Additionally, on the bike the threaded mounting points for the fender stays are not near the axle but on the inside of the fork above the axle, almost half way up the radius of the wheel. This is unusual and means that the fender stays are not quite long enough and interfere with the disk brake. One of the threaded holes in the fork needed some work (with a screw driver) to clear out thick surface treatment and paint covering the threads before it could accept the screw. Same with one eyelet at the rear.

For me the "solution" for both issues was a bit radical. I ended up shortening the very rigid aluminum fender by cutting off the part in front of the fork and fashioned a latch by bending a strip of the fender up behind the fork. This brought up the bottom of the fender to better match the elevation of the threaded mounts on the fork which shortened the required length of the stays. It works but is not very polished and I may end up getting another front fender at some point.

On the rear, the next issue is that the fenders expect mounting at the bottom bracket with a horizontal screw through a side hole. But the bike has vertical threads there. This a view top down (the sky is visible because the bike itself is upside down):

I will probably look for an L adapter (or perhaps make one out of the leftover aluminum sheet of the front fender).

 

[APL]

Update on the rear mudguard. I asked SKS support for advise and they came through splendidly by sending me another one of the sliding bridges, in addition to the one which came with it.

There is limited space but the bridge worked to hold the aluminum profile resting on top of the bottom bracket, or better the end of the chainstays, after cutting its shape to fit partially between chainstays.

Then the rigid metal stays connecting the back of the mudguard to the axle eyelets turned out to be quite a bit too long which required sawing off a few cm with a metal saw.

The end result looks good and I am happy with it although it took more work than anticipated.

Here are pictures:
The bridge at the bottom bracket:

Both mudguards installed:

 

[APL]

A few notes on smaller issues:
- The app: it looks good and is somewhat useful. Its main limitation is that it needs internet connectivity for essentially everything. For example for unlocking via bluetooth, or recording rides. Also it nags about turning on location services and turning off the battery saver for background use. I only really used it to switch to a different theme for the display, and adjust the color and mode of the light bar in the front.
- The seatpost: The clamp is for an OD of 31.8 mm of the seatpost which fits but only the uppermost few cm of the post. Below, the post widens by a few mm. This makes it incompatible with certain clamps and adapters.
- Hydraulic breaks: They work well but are from RUSH (C-Star) which has not the best reputation. When they need bleeding, the local bike shop may not service them, and I may decide to swap them out for mechanical breaks which would suffice (if the cable routing works out).

 

[APL]

Noticing that a dutch version of the bike comes with mudguards: https://fietsenscout.nl/product/okai-eb60/

 

[APL]

A note on the hub motor. It is just OKAI branded and apparently 350W. There is a QR code which translates to: DJ-SY036V---W2024062801052010200190.
Gemini says: "The code SY036V tells us this is a 36-Volt motor built by Shengyi (one of the largest e-bike motor OEMs in the world, often stamped as SY)". It is 9-pin.