WabiSabi
New Member
- Region
- USA
Motobecane eMulekick PRO SL
This bike needs a review. When I was looking at it, I couldn’t find any online reviews. Most of what I could find about Bafang’s e-series were from European sites. There are a couple of videos on YouTube for the Bafang M800, but not many. I researched all the components before buying it and then took a chance based on my findings. I ordered it online through BikesDirect.com, a trusted company where I’ve bought three other bikes.
I’ve built my own bikes, already have an ebike (with Shimano Steps E5000 motor), and “gravel biked” quite a bit (we used to call it a cross-bike). I’ve owned the 2022 eMulekick model since early December 2021, and have used it 14 times, mostly on rough roads and some gravel in the Seattle area. I live on an island with lots of hills, and I wanted a bike with an assist for the “off-season”. I’m also older and not as strong!
I’m 6’3” with long legs. The 61cm bike was perfect for me and bigger than I thought it would be. The frame feels real solid and doesn't have much vibration from rough roads and gravel. The carbon fork is nice and the frame look cool with a weight around 33lbs. The mid-drive gives me an excellent workout at a time I’m not in the best of shape. I’ll switch to my road bike when it warms up and I’m more fit.
This is an amazing bike and fun to ride. It rolls so well due to the DT Swiss wheels and Panaracer tires. I keep the assist on zero when on flats, downhills and easy hills, and it flows right along. It’s easy to save the battery juice for when you need it. The Shimano components are the best of the GRX series, the Ritchey WCS parts are light and perfect, and the saddle is quite comfortable. The only thing I changed out were the pedals. I had to add some Fizik gel under the bar wraps to dampen the vibrations. The Bafang motor is really smooth when going up and down in the assist from 0-5 (no glitch or kickback like the Shimano Steps). When I get out of the saddle on harder hills, it feels like a regular bike and the assist doesn’t throw me off balance. BikesDirect claims this motor will give an assist up to 28 mph, but that won’t happen unless you’re going downhill and pushing it. If you’re a strong cyclist, you’ll fly on the roads only using an assist of 1 out of 5.
Don’t expect to use this bike for epic rides over 3 hours. I can get 3-4 rides with a full charge, or about 3 hours, with hills and putting the assist on zero when I don’t need it. The battery needs to pulled out to charge it. That’s easy to do and I just leave the cover off it all the time. When I take the assist up to 2 or 3, I don’t notice much difference from 1. I went up a nasty hill and tried it on 5, and I could hear it (it's a quiet motor!) pushing me up, but I still had to put some effort into it. However, it’s nothing like the Shimano Steps. Shimano’s highest setting can really take you up steep hills without much effort; kind of like having wings.
The Bafang computer/display is the greatest weakness of this bike. It’s hard to operate and I couldn’t figure out how to program it for my needs. I looked all over the Bafang website and couldn’t find the manual. I had to contact them and after 3 days, they sent me a link. Note: you have to quickly double-click the right side button on the display where it changes the mode. Next, there are two assist buttons (aka speed sensor) with a + and – to click. It takes a few rides to find where you want them to be. The problem with them is trying to plug them into the display. I HIGHLY recommend you mount the display higher up on the stem clamp (see picture) and not lower. I mounted mine lower (looks cooler and more aerodynamic), but you can’t see the holes to plug in the assist buttons (the wire is a 3-pin female). I had to take it off again, plug in the two assist buttons, and screw the stem clamp back on. A couple of rides ago, I tried to tilt the display cradle up to check something, and I broke one of the wires to the assist. Argh! This is why you should mount it higher up. I looked all over the internet to buy a replacement. Guess what? You can’t find them anywhere. You also can’t find any M800 Display units (DP C260) online either. That’s wrong though, I did find one on the internet from Italy.
I noticed that there's another forum with someone having a similar issue with this display unit.
electricbikereview.com
I could still ride with one assist button, but then my display unit locked up another ride later. It’s permanently locked on assist 1 which means I can still ride it, but I can’t change it with the other assist button. I can’t get into the mode anymore to reset my ride distance and time. Argh! I had problems with the display buttons since the beginning, so perhaps I got a faulty one. I wrote Bafang since this should be under warranty, right? Here was their reply:
“You can take the display or the whole bike back to the brand you brought the bike and request a replacement. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Not very encouraging. So, I contacted BikesDirect and they requested a photo and/or a video of the unit. I sent both demonstrating the problem. Their reply was to offer me a newer version of the display (I thought I bought the 2022 model?) for $129. Ok, I ordered it yesterday and will see how it works.
My recommendation is to not buy an e-bike with a Bafang system until they are committed to supplying the U.S. market with parts and they honor their warranty. Bafang has made lots of inroads into the European market and it looks like they are trying harder to get into the U.S. market. Wait a year or two if you are interested in this bike. If you can’t wait, look for an ebike with Bosch, Shimano, or a brand specific one, like Specialized, Cannondale or Trek. It’s really hard to resist this bike due to the price and so many top-of-the-line components. If you do, make sure the display unit is not a DP C260.
One more thing: If you live in an area with rain and muck, finding a front fender that works for this bike is not easy. The SKS S-Board fits with some tweaking.
I just got back from another ride, still stuck on assist 1, and I can still say that I love riding this bike. I’m really hoping the new display will make this bike even better.
POST REVIEW: Someone else contacted me with the same problem with the display unit. I think Bafang has an issue with quality control in their manufacturing plant concerning this part.
I'm now trying to write Motobecane and find out what their reaction will be concerning a warranty on the DP C260.
UPDATE March, 2022. I tried to contact Motobecane twice by email about the warranty and got no response back from them. Their website for the USA is not the best and looks quite outdated.
I got a DPC 240 from Bikes Direct. If you need to replace the crap display that comes with the bike, this one works. The only problem is the mounting for the speed sensor is a bar clamp-on that seems to only work with a child's bike. Seriously! I had to mount it on the stem with three zip ties (see picture). So far, so good. I'm starting to love riding this bike again.
This bike needs a review. When I was looking at it, I couldn’t find any online reviews. Most of what I could find about Bafang’s e-series were from European sites. There are a couple of videos on YouTube for the Bafang M800, but not many. I researched all the components before buying it and then took a chance based on my findings. I ordered it online through BikesDirect.com, a trusted company where I’ve bought three other bikes.
I’ve built my own bikes, already have an ebike (with Shimano Steps E5000 motor), and “gravel biked” quite a bit (we used to call it a cross-bike). I’ve owned the 2022 eMulekick model since early December 2021, and have used it 14 times, mostly on rough roads and some gravel in the Seattle area. I live on an island with lots of hills, and I wanted a bike with an assist for the “off-season”. I’m also older and not as strong!
I’m 6’3” with long legs. The 61cm bike was perfect for me and bigger than I thought it would be. The frame feels real solid and doesn't have much vibration from rough roads and gravel. The carbon fork is nice and the frame look cool with a weight around 33lbs. The mid-drive gives me an excellent workout at a time I’m not in the best of shape. I’ll switch to my road bike when it warms up and I’m more fit.
This is an amazing bike and fun to ride. It rolls so well due to the DT Swiss wheels and Panaracer tires. I keep the assist on zero when on flats, downhills and easy hills, and it flows right along. It’s easy to save the battery juice for when you need it. The Shimano components are the best of the GRX series, the Ritchey WCS parts are light and perfect, and the saddle is quite comfortable. The only thing I changed out were the pedals. I had to add some Fizik gel under the bar wraps to dampen the vibrations. The Bafang motor is really smooth when going up and down in the assist from 0-5 (no glitch or kickback like the Shimano Steps). When I get out of the saddle on harder hills, it feels like a regular bike and the assist doesn’t throw me off balance. BikesDirect claims this motor will give an assist up to 28 mph, but that won’t happen unless you’re going downhill and pushing it. If you’re a strong cyclist, you’ll fly on the roads only using an assist of 1 out of 5.
Don’t expect to use this bike for epic rides over 3 hours. I can get 3-4 rides with a full charge, or about 3 hours, with hills and putting the assist on zero when I don’t need it. The battery needs to pulled out to charge it. That’s easy to do and I just leave the cover off it all the time. When I take the assist up to 2 or 3, I don’t notice much difference from 1. I went up a nasty hill and tried it on 5, and I could hear it (it's a quiet motor!) pushing me up, but I still had to put some effort into it. However, it’s nothing like the Shimano Steps. Shimano’s highest setting can really take you up steep hills without much effort; kind of like having wings.
The Bafang computer/display is the greatest weakness of this bike. It’s hard to operate and I couldn’t figure out how to program it for my needs. I looked all over the Bafang website and couldn’t find the manual. I had to contact them and after 3 days, they sent me a link. Note: you have to quickly double-click the right side button on the display where it changes the mode. Next, there are two assist buttons (aka speed sensor) with a + and – to click. It takes a few rides to find where you want them to be. The problem with them is trying to plug them into the display. I HIGHLY recommend you mount the display higher up on the stem clamp (see picture) and not lower. I mounted mine lower (looks cooler and more aerodynamic), but you can’t see the holes to plug in the assist buttons (the wire is a 3-pin female). I had to take it off again, plug in the two assist buttons, and screw the stem clamp back on. A couple of rides ago, I tried to tilt the display cradle up to check something, and I broke one of the wires to the assist. Argh! This is why you should mount it higher up. I looked all over the internet to buy a replacement. Guess what? You can’t find them anywhere. You also can’t find any M800 Display units (DP C260) online either. That’s wrong though, I did find one on the internet from Italy.
I noticed that there's another forum with someone having a similar issue with this display unit.
Motobecane E-Mulekick
I just purchased a Motobecane E-mulekick electric bike. With a Bafang M800 electric mid drive. Rode it for 12 miles everything worked great. Now The only thing that works is the display. I can't change the pedal assist modes from 1-5 and the pedal assist does not work. I was able to get into the...
electricbikereview.com
I could still ride with one assist button, but then my display unit locked up another ride later. It’s permanently locked on assist 1 which means I can still ride it, but I can’t change it with the other assist button. I can’t get into the mode anymore to reset my ride distance and time. Argh! I had problems with the display buttons since the beginning, so perhaps I got a faulty one. I wrote Bafang since this should be under warranty, right? Here was their reply:
“You can take the display or the whole bike back to the brand you brought the bike and request a replacement. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Not very encouraging. So, I contacted BikesDirect and they requested a photo and/or a video of the unit. I sent both demonstrating the problem. Their reply was to offer me a newer version of the display (I thought I bought the 2022 model?) for $129. Ok, I ordered it yesterday and will see how it works.
My recommendation is to not buy an e-bike with a Bafang system until they are committed to supplying the U.S. market with parts and they honor their warranty. Bafang has made lots of inroads into the European market and it looks like they are trying harder to get into the U.S. market. Wait a year or two if you are interested in this bike. If you can’t wait, look for an ebike with Bosch, Shimano, or a brand specific one, like Specialized, Cannondale or Trek. It’s really hard to resist this bike due to the price and so many top-of-the-line components. If you do, make sure the display unit is not a DP C260.
One more thing: If you live in an area with rain and muck, finding a front fender that works for this bike is not easy. The SKS S-Board fits with some tweaking.
I just got back from another ride, still stuck on assist 1, and I can still say that I love riding this bike. I’m really hoping the new display will make this bike even better.
POST REVIEW: Someone else contacted me with the same problem with the display unit. I think Bafang has an issue with quality control in their manufacturing plant concerning this part.
I'm now trying to write Motobecane and find out what their reaction will be concerning a warranty on the DP C260.
UPDATE March, 2022. I tried to contact Motobecane twice by email about the warranty and got no response back from them. Their website for the USA is not the best and looks quite outdated.
I got a DPC 240 from Bikes Direct. If you need to replace the crap display that comes with the bike, this one works. The only problem is the mounting for the speed sensor is a bar clamp-on that seems to only work with a child's bike. Seriously! I had to mount it on the stem with three zip ties (see picture). So far, so good. I'm starting to love riding this bike again.
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