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

[GrandPaw]

From Rattan website.....Maximum speed: 25 MPH. I don’t see where it says throttle only will do 27 or 25 ? I can hit 25mph but need max PAS and have to pedal hard.
So Saunders has faster throttle....Do you have a feel for battery efficiency between the two bikes ?

 

[GregC]

The key on the bike seems useless unless you need to remove the battery from the bike. I am willing to bet the keys are all the same as well so anyone with a key can use it on any other bike (will test out tomorrow with my dad’s bike). This seems like a defect though as the battery clearly has three positions- unlock. Lock-off, locked-on. The key is Stuck there in the locked-on position as it would be in a car. i don’t think they bothered to wire up the switch though. I bought another bike with this same problem (switch was non functional except to unlock) and manufacturer said it was defective and return it. Anyone else get a spark when they close their bike on the battery? Figure that is why the battery needs to be turned off (and for security).

For those that changed to 20 on tire size- the tire size is actually 24. Manual says wheel size but my gps and the bike speedo matched up almost perfectly at 24” so maybe they mean the outer tire size and not wheel?

Seems we are sort of the guinea pigs on these bikes but they are a great value for the money and a ton of fun to ride.

 

[barry1685]

From Rattan website.....Maximum speed: 25 MPH. I don’t see where it says throttle only will do 27 or 25 ? I can hit 25mph but need max PAS and have to pedal hard.
So Saunders has faster throttle....Do you have a feel for battery efficiency between the two bikes ?

Battery efficiency is way better on the Fat Bear - I think the Throttle is tuned down for better battery performance. The Saunders bike died at 20 miles. I still had battery - the charge said 100% but we all know that's not the case. In fact, the battery charge readings are really annoying if your trying to gauge battery life.

The max speed of 25mph should be throttle only... To be fair, I can hit close to 40mph on a steep slope, so why isn't the max speed 40mph?? PAS shouldn't be a rating for max speed because that is additional human power and each person's strength is different. You need a constant to measure speed.

 

[LaramieJoe]

What retailing business wouldn't care enough about their clientele's pleasure in their product, to provide a customer service phone number; to expedite and reinsure the happiness of their customer?

I first saw the Rattan Fat Bear Plus on 10-14-19 around 11:45 a.m. Then I came across the code for the discount, the shipping time, and the warranty. Theeeeen...; I decided to call the company and order a Fat Bear Plus; but "Oooh Noo!!!!" There ain't no phone number.

That killed a quick sale, burst my dream bubble of the ebike that had everything I wanted on a foldable fat tired bike; and threw a whooole lotta doubt into their desire to altruistically care about their customers. The entire operation was focused on making money; but not providing a quick response outlet for a troubled customer; and I didn't want to see myself squirming in that frying pan!!!

Have to agree with you here. 5 months later and their customer service is now officially AWOL. Nothing. No response. Am getting sorry I bought my FBP.

 

[RMK!]

This is the best place to get info and post questions to Rattan. The owner/chief engineer is available there and many Fat Bear customers hang out there.

I ordered my Chinese ebike with low customer service expectations and they have met those low expectations. OTOH, I got a nice bike that I love (710 miles in 2 months) and I've been able to resolve most issues myself. I had the bent derailleur guard shifting issue but just removed it and adjusted the derailleur myself. Most bike shops can help with issues other than the electronics. My current bike (Eahora X7+) is very similar to the Fat Bear. I now have 2 Rattan X and 1 XL indiegogo bikes on order that should be delivered next month.

IMHO, the best bet for good customer service is to go to a B&M BIke shop and pay through the noise for a lesser bike or, pay 1.5 - 10 times the price for something that was also made in China.

 

[LaramieJoe]

This is the best place to get info and post questions to Rattan. The owner/chief engineer is available there and many Fat Bear customers hang out there.

I ordered my Chinese ebike with low customer service expectations and they have met those low expectations. OTOH, I got a nice bike that I love (710 miles in 2 months) and I've been able to resolve most issues myself. I had the bent derailleur guard shifting issue but just removed it and adjusted the derailleur myself. Most bike shops can help with issues other than the electronics. My current bike (Eahora X7+) is very similar to the Fat Bear. I now have 2 Rattan X and 1 XL indiegogo bikes on order that should be delivered next month.

IMHO, the best bet for good customer service is to go to a B&M BIke shop and pay through the noise for a lesser bike or, pay 1.5 - 10 times the price for something that was also made in China.

Excellent advice! Thank you. That's what I come to these forums for!

 

[GoFaster]

Does anybody know if there's a setting where we can pedal and use the throttle at the same time? The throttle seems to have much more power and I need to pedal and throttle to get up some of the hills around my home.

 

[RMK!]

Does anybody know if there's a setting where we can pedal and use the throttle at the same time? The throttle seems to have much more power and I need to pedal and throttle to get up some of the hills around my home.

PAS(Pedal Assist Mode) is prioritized over the Throttle on my current ebike.When you think about it, the motor can not handle power requests from the PAS system and the manual throttle at the same time. if you stop pedalling, the throttle will work even in PAS mode. Start to pedal and the throttle stops working.

 

[RMK!]

I just received my Rattan XL yesterday 6 months after the order. It was not the color nor the specific accessories I ordered but then, that's the way it goes in the crowd funded ebike world. The main issue with the XL is that the front chain ring guard is bent. There is a metal stand that is supposed to protect the chainring and chainring guard but the metal stand is to short so when the bike is folded (like in shipping) the chainring and guard are resting on the bottom of the box. Many who have received the XL are having the same issue and Rattan is supposed to send out replacements ... we shall see.

Otherwise it is a very nice ebike but without a functional front sprocket, it is a nice looking boat anchor.

Rattan has apparently shipped out replacement chainrings to several of the new owners who have this issue. I just notified them yesterday (Saturday) so hopefully I will hear something soon. BTW, it is a large frame bike and not good for smaller people. If anyone knows where I can get a replacement front chainring/guard for the XL please advise.

 

[RMK!]

The bent chainrings continue and on their Facebook page the "story" is shipping companies throwing the bike around cause this. NO!!! The triangular brace pictured below is the culprit.

While shipping companies are often careless in package handling, in this case, the bike design is at fault. The little folding stand brace that is supposed to protect the chainring is to short. I have an almost identical folding fat tire ebike and chainring and it also has the folding stand brace that looks just like the Rattan. The difference is that the Eahora stand brace is 1.5" longer and actually protects the chainring from contacting a surface when it is folded or missing the front wheel (like in shipping). Although they had plenty of problems, this type of damage didn't happen to the 100's of Eahora X7's that were shipped from China and delivered to the US.

I am at day 11 of waiting for a replacement chainring. They took care of several Facebook customers that posted pics of the bent chainrings early on but for the rest of us who just contacted Rattan support it has been a very SLOW response. If they are out of chainrings OK, just state that and provide the specific details of the needed part so we can try and source our own. I paid for this bike 7 months ago and every day of non use is a painful reminder of how messed up this buying process has been. Just know, if you order a Rattan XL or Yamee XL model, there is a high probability of receiving a bike that looks just like the one pictured here.

 

[RMK!]

With a replacement chainring weeks away (at best), I purchased a replacement and had it installed at local bike shop. Although the chainring was bent, and the bike would not shift without dropping the chain, it appears the problems with my XL go beyond that. The alignment of the front chainring and the rear cassette are off. While some angle from the chainring to the smallest and largest cogs of the cassette are normal, mine if significantly more than what can be dealt with by adjustment. It appears my bike either had a poorly aligned bottom bracket or the frame itself was damaged in shipping. Simply replacing the chainring and even the crank assembly will not resolve my issues. Basically my XL is unrideable and I have requested a refund or replacement. No response from Rattan yet.

 

[RMK!]

Rattan replied to me and will allow me to return the XL for a refund. I am happy with that solution and so will put this one to bed.

The unacknowledged issue with this generally awful ebike was a bottom bracket seat tube that was welded in place a couple of degrees off center. That resulted in a slightly angled chainring that would continually drop the chain.

The chainring damage which was bent in shipping due to a chainring guard that was too short was my focus and I didn't even notice the larger issue of the poorly aligned seatpost tube/bottom bracket. It is ironic that there was a little inspected by sticker right above the misaligned seatpost tube. I can only hope that they didn't just re-package that returned XL and send it off to someone as new product.

Rattan at times seems to have good intentions (I hear the the road to hell is paved with em) and they did ultimately refund the money. Other than a functioning LF500 ebike I bought for my daughter, I got out unscathed. Well, there is that 6 months of being out several thousand dollars and then, several weeks more of dealing with unpacking the poorly constructed piece of shite XL, bike shop repair bills, re-packing the thing and several more weeks waiting for refunds.

What a great customer experience!

 

[adanac969]

I just got the LM and I like the bike a lot but could I change out the folding stem for a shorter one so I can have the handlebars lower or switch them out for BMX handlebars? I have zero experience owning bikes so no idea what I would even need but I’ve seen people post pictures of their Lectric bikes with the stem and handlebars changed so hoping we could do the same on Rattans.

 

[Murphus]

Have to agree with you here. 5 months later and their customer service is now officially AWOL. Nothing. No response. Am getting sorry I bought my FBP.

My 750LF lasted all of 3 miles. No help from customer service. I am beyond pissed

 

[Murphus]

Rattan replied to me and will allow me to return the XL for a refund. I am happy with that solution and so will put this one to bed.

The unacknowledged issue with this generally awful ebike was a bottom bracket seat tube that was welded in place a couple of degrees off center. That resulted in a slightly angled chainring that would continually drop the chain.

The chainring damage which was bent in shipping due to a chainring guard that was too short was my focus and I didn't even notice the larger issue of the poorly aligned seatpost tube/bottom bracket. It is ironic that there was a little inspected by sticker right above the misaligned seatpost tube. I can only hope that they didn't just re-package that returned XL and send it off to someone as new product.

Rattan at times seems to have good intentions (I hear the the road to hell is paved with em) and they did ultimately refund the money. Other than a functioning LF500 ebike I bought for my daughter, I got out unscathed. Well, there is that 6 months of being out several thousand dollars and then, several weeks more of dealing with unpacking the poorly constructed piece of shite XL, bike shop repair bills, re-packing the thing and several more weeks waiting for refunds.

What a great customer experience!

So I guess there is a shred of hope that I might actually get a refund on my 750LF that worked for 3 miles? Maybe ill be able to buy a Rad or Lectric in 6 fucking months huh!?

 

[RMK!]

So I guess there is a shred of hope that I might actually get a refund on my 750LF that worked for 3 miles? Maybe ill be able to buy a Rad or Lectric in 6 fucking months huh!?

I understand you're frustration. Buying direct from these Chinese companies has it's issues. Some feel better (and safer) using Alibaba which provides some buyer protections. But it really is caveat emptor when buying direct from China. I'm long past buying any cheap ebike as I ride a lot (500+ miles/month) and while I have recommended Lectric to several friends, they ride infrequently (less than 1000 miles/year) and so should be fine for a few years. Even if they break, replacement is cheap.

That said, I can foresee landfills full of discarded ebikes in the not to distant future and that is not a good thing.

 

[Murphus]

I agree. Most seem to skimp on the frame, chain guard, and the myriad of cheep parts that surround a decent battery and motor..My problem could be an easy fix, idk. The display was a mess when I got it and the manual is generic for all bikes with a GD06 display so it doesn't give the correct values to enter. I entered the ones I knew and guessed at others, how many magnets. I sent email, after, text and calls every single day for 2 weeks trying to get the correct numbers to enter in the display. I never got anything but roboreplies that had f*ck all to do with my issue. Next I sent solely email including 15 attachments: documentation of purchase, pics, and videos showing exactly what happens when I try to turn it on and ask once again what numbers are correct for the 750LF GD06 display. I ended up sending the same email to 6-8 different customer service agents, because each one just handed me off to another one.
I was planning to use mine for Door Dash part time. From other riders, since we live in a densely part of a metro area, theyre mileage averages about 200 miles a month. I was hoping it would last a year while I saved money for a much nicer and more expensive ebike. I don't think my expectations are unreasonable.
My issue is really with Rattan customer service. It's insane. I deal with Chinese companies frequently and though there are exceptions, I guess I've had good luck because none have been anywhere near as bad as Rattan.
I was hoping I'd be able to salvage something from it when it finally crapped out, hopefully the battery or motor, to use in conjunction with a different frame to build one in addition to the new, better ebike so I'd have a back up for Door Dash while learning more about Ebikes.
It's a shame I didn't read more of these forums and gotten a Rad for the same price. I'd have been better off and they seem to last around a year idk.
The shame is it won't just be the frames in the landfill there will be a ton of batteries as well, which I assume was your point, and it's going to be a mess. Unfortunately that's the least of our issues as we race towards extinction.

 

[Calhi]

Hey Tim did you get any fed ex tracking information when you got your bike ????
I ordered on Saturday, they say they shipped it on Wednesday. Last night they said again that it shipped out but Fed Ex hasn’t given them a tracking number ? ???? That doesn’t make sense to me.

Mine came the same day I received the bike. Don’t mess with the controller screen. I played around and screwed it up