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

[Ann M.]

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

 

[sujabi]

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

I had no replies to my post about a Raleigh e-bike Velo Trail. I have had three unhelpful replies from Raleigh Bikes from Messrs Rozee. Revill, and McKeown, and the two agents in Jersey say it is not worth trying to find where the electrical fault lies. My bike is a useless heap of metal and nowhere to go. So much for Raleigh.

 

[Ann M.]

@sujabi, I suggest that you call Raleigh/IZip rather than email them with technical issues. Don't know who your 'Jersey' folks are but that is ridiculous. Have you taken your ebike back to the dealer for help?

 

[Ann M.]

Moved this post by @FredBam to the appropriate Raleigh threads:

My LBS just emailed me the following "Raleigh Electric would like to notify dealers about a recent decision to implement a rework that upgrades all units of 2016 IZIP Protour and Raleigh Sprint IE with a new M25 motor & controller. The factory redesigned M25 motor & controller improves performance & durability of the flagship TranzX M25 system. Note that this is not a safety concern, but rather a quality improvement that Raleigh Electric is providing to dealers that purchased bikes featuring the M25 system."
Was there a fundamental flaw with the M25 system?
An I reading this correctly that I will get a new motor and controller?

 

[AndrewB]

Hi everyone. I purchased (ordered) a 2019 Raleigh Lore DS IE back in March from a bike shop. It's Jun 24th and it's still not shipped. I called Raleigh and was told they had quality issues with the last shipment, so I'd be waiting longer. Summer will be over by the time I get the bike.

Has anyone else experienced this before? Should I consider cancelling my order and looking at an alternative manufacturer?

Andrew

 

[miek60]

Just to mention a problem I had in the UK with the Raleigh Array - 2019 version

The connector for the charger to the battery was very fiddly - and eventually became impossible to connect

If this happens to your get it back to the shop ASAP and get a new charger - it is the charger not the battery and is a problem in the design - i.e. SunTours fault
It looks as though Raleigh USA have a dongle that may fix the problem - although the UK didn;t seem to know about it - or possibly they didn;t think it worked properly

BTW - big thaks to Raleigh who were brilliant about the whole thing - admitted it was fiddle right from the start and were helpful all the way

 

[alloo]

I have had trouble getting a piece that holds my battery in the rack from my LBS. I own a 2017 Raleigh Retroglide IE, that I bought new last year. The inability to get the part is a bummer. It's a plastic part held in place by two screws. I'm very disappointed in Raleigh since this is my commuter. Now I have to buy a new ebike to replace my Raleigh. No way to contact Raleigh. My LBS stated that Raleigh hinted that they don't sell the parts. I love the bike, but is this an issue with other ebikes? When I ride over sidewalk seams or some rough roads the battery disconnects. This happens with more frequency lately. I can't even get specs for this part to try to fabricate one myself. Now I realize that I should have bought a more modern ebike. Are all ebikes throwaway bikes?

 

[Solom01]

A lot of "modern" items are built with a complete disregard for repairability and use parts that are really hard to source. Even the best selling ebikes sell relatively few units and the parts change constantantly, so regardless of what brand you buy if you need a part in the future you may not be able to replace it. You may be a bit better off if you buy from a well known, expensive brand, but if you look in the brand forums you'll see plenty of owners of high end brands who also can't get parts. As far as I can tell your best chance to avoid the problem is to buy a cheap bike knowing that it will be a throw away item; build your own bike with generic components that are more likely to be available in the future, or buy a light-weight bike that you can use as a non-electric bike if the electronics die. Most of the folks who go on about the environmental benefits of ebikes (or modern laptops, cell phones, etc. that are totally sealed) totally disregard the true environmental costs of the limited life span of these items. This even applies to cars. I was in a shop that specializes in the repair of Teslas and they were telling me how long it takes to try to get body panels or other parts, God help a Tesla owner who depends on the car as his only transportation if he gets into an accident - he may have to wait over a month just to get a common replacement part.

 

[miek60]

Just to mention a problem I had in the UK with the Raleigh Array - 2019 version

The connector for the charger to the battery was very fiddly - and eventually became impossible to connect

If this happens to your get it back to the shop ASAP and get a new charger - it is the charger not the battery and is a problem in the design - i.e. SunTours fault
It looks as though Raleigh USA have a dongle that may fix the problem - although the UK didn;t seem to know about it - or possibly they didn;t think it worked properly

BTW - big thaks to Raleigh who were brilliant about the whole thing - admitted it was fiddle right from the start and were helpful all the way

Please Note

This appears to be fixed
Apparently they now supply a charger that connects using the bottom connector - the one that connects it to the bike. This should be far easier to use and far more robust

 

[BigJim]

I have had trouble getting a piece that holds my battery in the rack from my LBS. I own a 2017 Raleigh Retroglide IE, that I bought new last year. The inability to get the part is a bummer. It's a plastic part held in place by two screws. I'm very disappointed in Raleigh since this is my commuter. Now I have to buy a new ebike to replace my Raleigh. No way to contact Raleigh. My LBS stated that Raleigh hinted that they don't sell the parts. I love the bike, but is this an issue with other ebikes? When I ride over sidewalk seams or some rough roads the battery disconnects. This happens with more frequency lately. I can't even get specs for this part to try to fabricate one myself. Now I realize that I should have bought a more modern ebike. Are all ebikes throwaway bikes?

Sorry to hear about your battery. Did you ever get it fixed?

I purchased retroglide 2.0 last week. Didn't come with rack or fenders. Reached out to Raleigh and was told they don't stock them an I should look on Amazon.