Long term motor reliability?

[Beardystarstuff]

There’s another thread on the forums discussing the expected lifespan of e-bikes, particularly the motors. Given most e-bikes are, at the core, just bikes with regular bike parts, the real question is motor and battery replacement. When I ordered my Rover a month ago I did so expecting to ride 4,000 to 6,000 miles a year. Given Rad’s stated 800 charge cycles for a battery I expect I’ll get 2 to 4 years on the battery. I’d assumed the motor would last 3 years at least. What’s prompting my post here is that in the above linked thread there is post by @David Berry who’s had 3 bikes, each with motor failure in about 1 year. He does have pretty high mileage, about 28,000km in 3 years, so 9,333km per year or 5,800 miles per year. That’s at the upper end of what I expect to ride but it’s got me wondering about what other people are seeing with the lifespan of their motors, particularly those riding bikes by Rad. Of course, this is all anecdotal, but I’d be curious to read reports from folks regarding long-term, high mileage and motor lifespan. Maybe David’s just been unlucky three times.

So, some questions...

1. How many miles have you got and how’s your motor?
2. Your weight, terrain, riding style?
3. If you’ve had to get a replacement out of warranty, what was the cost?
4. I assume Rad is good about replacing a motor/wheel under warranty, any issues there?
5. Does Rad list an expected lifespan on the motors? I’ve not come across a mention of it.

Regarding question 2, I’ve added that in because I think those are variables that would likely cause different stresses to a motor over time. I weigh in at 175 and ride at PAS 1 thru 3 in a moderately hilly area . I don’t think I’m stressing the motor as much as a 250lb rider in a very hilly area pushing PAS 4 and 5 all the time would.

 

[AHicks]

IMHO, the reason RAD doesn't post expected time or mileage to failure is because there's very little concern among most riders. That said, I don't think there are many riding the mileage you expect to run either!

I'd be pretty surprised to hear you wore out a battery or a motor within the warranty period, but if you did manage that, and could provide RAD with reasonable assurance there was no abuse involved, pretty sure there would be no issue with them backing up the bike.

 

[mrgold35]

I come in at 280-300lbs depending on summer trail riding or full winter work commuting gear+backpack.

I have two 16 Radrovers with the 750w rear hub geared motor. I have 3500 miles between each fat tire bike with about 70% work commuting and 30% trail riding. I have three 11.4ah battery packs I split between the two ebikes and usually charge 100% everyday before using. The battery packs not in the rotation sit at whatever charge was left on them after a ride (around 30%-70%).

I haven't noticed any issues with the rear hub motor as far as extra noises, slippage, grinding, or reduced power or acceleration. I haven't tested my max range in a while; but, I think it has gone down from 32-35 miles at PAS 2/3 to around 26-32 miles at the same levels.

I upgraded the tires to Vee8 and TRP mechanical brakes with jag-wire MTB cables. The standard brakes were extremely noisy and had very long emergency stopping distances at 20 mph when work commuting.

I was expecting my Radrover to last around 2-3 years before upgrading or maint issues with ebike components. I have no plans to replace my two rovers and expecting another 2-3 years of riding from them. I think Rad only charges around $350+shipping for the entire rear hub motor, rim, and tire if you had any issues.

 

[Beardystarstuff]

I come in at 280-300lbs depending on summer trail riding or full winter work commuting gear+backpack.

Oh, yeah, I’ll add those variables to my original questions... probably important to consider than information!

 

[Asher]

@Chris Hammond reported 7000 miles on a Juiced CCS with no issues as of 6 months ago, maybe he can give an update. The CCS uses a Bafang hub motor.

Nice write up. Just to give you a window into your likely future experience, my commute is about the same as yours ~30 miles, but likely more hills as I live in Utah. I got a CCS in May of last year. I am at ~7000 miles on the bike as of today. The bike has held up incredibly well and honestly has needed less maintenance than my road bike did doing the same commute. I was checking and adjusting spoke tension quite a bit for the first 3-4 months but now I can check about every other month and only minimal adjustments have been needed. The front fender took a while for me to get dialed and eliminate the rattle. I can give you some tips on this if needed.
My stock tires were Kenda's, I had to replace the rear at ~3,500 miles and still going strong on the original front. I replaced the rear with a Continental Contact Plus and it looks good for probably another 1000 miles or so. (Its very similar to you Schwalbe's at about half the price.)
Had to replace both set of brake pads at ~4000 miles, getting close to needing to do it again. Had to replace the chain at ~5000 miles. I was planning an upgrade to 10spd, but the cassette and chainring are still good so it'll wait till the cassette is worn out.
I had converted to a tubeless setup for a while, but it ended up being more trouble overall, I put tire liners in and have only had 3 flats total since new (road bike flatted 3 times a month sometimes).
My average speed is similar to yours 21-24 depending on wind and traffic. I am usually cruising at 28-30. Honestly the bike still feels incredibly solid. I haven't had any issues with the rear derailleur. Had only a few chain drops overall, (I know yours has a chain catcher for factory, I put a cheap $10 one on when I got the bike.)
I really love that the bike eliminates excuses for riding to work over driving.

Link: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/ccx-500-mile-update.29093/#post-209216

 

[BlueGenes]

I've got well over 3000 miles on my Rad City. The motor still works as good as new. The battery, however is nearly dead (only about 10 miles of range). I weigh just shy of 200 lbs and normally ride in PAS 2 in flat urban areas.

 

[Asher]

I've got well over 3000 miles on my Rad City. The motor still works as good as new. The battery, however is nearly dead (only about 10 miles of range). I weigh just shy of 200 lbs and normally ride in PAS 2 in flat urban areas.

how do you get 67 wh/mi ?!? I got 9 wh/mi with a Juiced over 20 mph

 

[BlueGenes]

how do you get 67 wh/mi ?!? I got 9 wh/mi with a Juiced over 20 mph

I wish I had a good answer for your question Asher.
When the bike was new (two years ago) I got lows 20s on a fully charged battery. It's gradually gotten worse with time to its current dismal range. I guess I was sold a bike with a less than good quality battery (I've never abused it in regards to temps, using the throttle, hills, etc.)

 

[Asher]

I wish I had a good answer for your question Asher.
When the bike was new (two years ago) I got lows 20s on a fully charged battery. It's gradually gotten worse with time to its current dismal range. I guess I was sold a bike with a less than good quality battery (I've never abused it in regards to temps, using the throttle, hills, etc.)

Might be worth having someone look at the battery and check the number/brand of cells, because those are pretty terrible figures.

 

[Chris Hammond]

@Chris Hammond reported 7000 miles on a Juiced CCS with no issues as of 6 months ago, maybe he can give an update. The CCS uses a Bafang hub motor.



Link: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/ccx-500-mile-update.29093/#post-209216

Over 8000 trouble free miles on the motor now. Bike is amazingly reliable, smooth and free of problems.