R-M Delite rattling noise in motor

[Scruffy's Human]

Hi all.
I’ve had my R-M Delite GT Nuvinci for just under 2yrs, and I’ve recently encountered a rattling noise in the motor.

I’m just curious if anyone else had come across this. I don’t want my warranty to expire before it’s looked at.

If anyone else has had this issue, I’d be grateful for any comments, suggestions or advice.

Many thanks
Karen

 

[dblhelix]

Hi all.
I’ve had my R-M Delite GT Nuvinci for just under 2yrs, and I’ve recently encountered a rattling noise in the motor.

I’m just curious if anyone else had come across this. I don’t want my warranty to expire before it’s looked at.

If anyone else has had this issue, I’d be grateful for any comments, suggestions or advice.

Many thanks
Karen

could be as simple as tightening some bolts/ changing a gasket or more problematic, like a bearing failure. The former can get fixed without replacing the engine. Stop by your dealer ASAP.

 

[Scruffy's Human]

could be as simple as tightening some bolts/ changing a gasket or more problematic, like a bearing failure. The former can get fixed without replacing the engine. Stop by your dealer ASAP.

Thanks! My plan is to bring the bike in. Was curious if this issue was common.
Appreciate your reply.

 

[dblhelix]

Thanks! My plan is to bring the bike in. Was curious if this issue was common.
Appreciate your reply.

Two people here have reported the simpler issue. Not any reports of bearing failure for US customers, AFAIK, but the length of ownership isn’t that great either since RMs were first sold here in 2017. I’m assuming you’re in the US, obvi.

 

[Scruffy's Human]

Two people here have reported the simpler issue. Not any reports of bearing failure for US customers, AFAIK, but the length of ownership isn’t that great either since RMs were first sold here in 2017. I’m assuming you’re in the US,

Two people here have reported the simpler issue. Not any reports of bearing failure for US customers, AFAIK, but the length of ownership isn’t that great either since RMs were first sold here in 2017. I’m assuming you’re in the US, obvi.

Close! I’m north of the border in Canada. I’ve only gone out on the bike a few times since the snow has melted, and just waiting for the historic flooding to pass before I can really sink my teeth into biking season!

 

[dblhelix]

Close! I’m north of the border in Canada. I’ve only gone out on the bike a few times since the snow has melted, and just waiting for the historic flooding to pass before I can really sink my teeth into biking season!

Was 2017 first availability in Canada? I hope you report your service experience here. Good luck!

 

[Scruffy's Human]

Was 2017 first availability in Canada? I hope you report your service experience here. Good luck!

Yes, I believe it 2017 was the first year for R-M in Canada as well as the US.
Thanks again for your reply.
Happy trails!

 

[VarioHSDelite]

I have a 2018 De-lite Nuvinci HS that has a rattle too, but I feel like it's coming from the rear of the bike. It only happens when the motor isn't necessarily helping, I think; best demoed when pedaling too fast in "little orange man going up a hill" mode, and no real load on the bike (and thus the motor.) It could be coming from the Bosch end and not the Nuvinci end; i'm having trouble determining which. It definitely immediately stops when I stop pedaling.

Its such a light jingle, and my LBS is so far away, that I am not confident that they'll even hear what i'm talking about. I only know because i have been on the bike for the past 535 miles. Plus two more things: it started after I had them do the 100mi checkup, like literally as i was leaving, and also they don't have e-bike techs on weekends which makes it very difficult.

The jingling doesn't appear to be getting worse, and sometimes it isn't present.

 

[Scruffy's Human]

I have a 2018 De-lite Nuvinci HS that has a rattle too, but I feel like it's coming from the rear of the bike. It only happens when the motor isn't necessarily helping, I think; best demoed when pedaling too fast in "little orange man going up a hill" mode, and no real load on the bike (and thus the motor.) It could be coming from the Bosch end and not the Nuvinci end; i'm having trouble determining which. It definitely immediately stops when I stop pedaling.

Its such a light jingle, and my LBS is so far away, that I am not confident that they'll even hear what i'm talking about. I only know because i have been on the bike for the past 535 miles. Plus two more things: it started after I had them do the 100mi checkup, like literally as i was leaving, and also they don't have e-bike techs on weekends which makes it very difficult.

The jingling doesn't appear to be getting worse, and sometimes it isn't present.

You’ve described almost exactly the issue I’m having. I will bring it into my LBS in the next few weeks to see if they are able to diagnose it and will post my findings here.
Thanks so much for the feedback.

 

[VarioHSDelite]

Yeah please let me know; if you find something concrete I'll take mine in.

 

[Over50]

I described in my thread on my Charger GX: I discovered something rattling around when I turned the bike upside down in order to let the oil in the shocks reach the seals. The motor bolts had worked themselves loose somehow (only had around 500 miles). LBS said that probably they hadn't been tightened to proper torque. Propel sent me new bolts after LBS had put bolts back in and torqued down properly ... I haven't taken it back in to replace the original bolts with those that Propel provided. I'll probably do that when it comes up for a summer-time change of oil in the Rohloff but I'll monitor in the meantime.

 

[dblhelix]

You’ve described almost exactly the issue I’m having. I will bring it into my LBS in the next few weeks to see if they are able to diagnose it and will post my findings here.
Thanks so much for the feedback.

If it’s that thud-thud-thud seemingly coming from behind the motor, check your belt tension. You can download the Gates app and follow the instructions.

 

[Zaphod]

Yes, definitely check the belt tension (if it has a belt). I just had a trying experience with my 2019 Homage Rohloff. After a short while, I started experiencing the same symptoms as what's being reported here. Noisy pedaling. At first, it sounded like a bearing gone bad in the motor. I thought for sure that's where the noise was coming from. My LBS said it sounded like the noise was coming from the Rohloff. This was hard for me to believe because Rohloffs are built like tanks and rarely have problems. The noise was difficult to diagnose because it only occurred when a rider was pedaling. My LBS put the bike on a stand and pedaled and there was no noise. They eventually used a floor stand where a rider could sit on the bike and pedal without moving. They confirmed it was coming from the Rohloff. They also checked the belt tension and it was within the published spec. The shop contacted R&M to get a replacement fully-built rear wheel and R&M was completely unhelpful--refusing to help at all. They told us it wasn't their problem and said to talk to Bosch or Rohloff directly. So much for the great R&M warranty and customer service. Over the next several weeks, the shop tried to get someone from Rohloff to help. The eight-hour time difference to Germany didn't help. The shop finally reached someone in California and they were helpful.

To be brief, the problem was the tension on the belt. My LBS backed off some of the belt tension and the noise disappeared...for a couple of days. Then it came back with a vengeance. It sounded like rocks in a tumbler. The shop removed just a bit more tension and the bike has been quiet--really quiet, in fact--and I have no more issues with it. There were a couple problems with the initial belt tension set by R&M at their factory. The tech from my shop told me that the tension was probably set while the bike was in a stand when the full suspension would be at its loosest point. When a rider eventually sat down, the belt tension would increase, if only by a small amount. Second, even though the tension was within the specified limit, it was still too tight. R&M is probably not aware of this. It's interesting to note that belt tension is set using sound. I think it has to fall somewhere between 30-50Hz. That's a wide range.

 

[dblhelix]

How to use the Gates app

 

[Scruffy's Human]

Yes, definitely check the belt tension (if it has a belt). I just had a trying experience with my 2019 Homage Rohloff. After a short while, I started experiencing the same symptoms as what's being reported here. Noisy pedaling. At first, it sounded like a bearing gone bad in the motor. I thought for sure that's where the noise was coming from. My LBS said it sounded like the noise was coming from the Rohloff. This was hard for me to believe because Rohloffs are built like tanks and rarely have problems. The noise was difficult to diagnose because it only occurred when a rider was pedaling. My LBS put the bike on a stand and pedaled and there was no noise. They eventually used a floor stand where a rider could sit on the bike and pedal without moving. They confirmed it was coming from the Rohloff. They also checked the belt tension and it was within the published spec. The shop contacted R&M to get a replacement fully-built rear wheel and R&M was completely unhelpful--refusing to help at all. They told us it wasn't their problem and said to talk to Bosch or Rohloff directly. So much for the great R&M warranty and customer service. Over the next several weeks, the shop tried to get someone from Rohloff to help. The eight-hour time difference to Germany didn't help. The shop finally reached someone in California and they were helpful.

To be brief, the problem was the tension on the belt. My LBS backed off some of the belt tension and the noise disappeared...for a couple of days. Then it came back with a vengeance. It sounded like rocks in a tumbler. The shop removed just a bit more tension and the bike has been quiet--really quiet, in fact--and I have no more issues with it. There were a couple problems with the initial belt tension set by R&M at their factory. The tech from my shop told me that the tension was probably set while the bike was in a stand when the full suspension would be at its loosest point. When a rider eventually sat down, the belt tension would increase, if only by a small amount. Second, even though the tension was within the specified limit, it was still too tight. R&M is probably not aware of this. It's interesting to note that belt tension is set using sound. I think it has to fall somewhere between 30-50Hz. That's a wide range.

Thanks so much to everyone who provided feedback. It’s very helpful. I will bring it in to my LBS (who are very helpful) and make sure they look at the belt tension.
Thanks again. Much appreciated.

 

[VarioHSDelite]

I spent 30 minutes fooling about with that app.. got readings from a lot of nothing to 19hz-44hz, mostly centered around 19hz.

I don't know how many teeth the belt has, but i know the 28 front 26 rear; i tried all different settings on teeth but it seemingly made no difference.

I don't think my belt is too tight: the sound i get is more of something being loose somewhere, more than a tightness issue. It doesn't get worse though. Almost like a loose bearing when it's not having positive or negative pressure applied.. when it's in that free-float zone, it'll jingle a bit. If you've ever worked on the rear differential in a pickup truck, you know to test for "not accelerating but also not decelerating" which is when the differential will sing if it's got too much lash between the ring and pinion. Its that type of function I have going on here.

Propel sent me new bolts after LBS had put bolts back in and torqued down properly ... I haven't taken it back in to replace the original bolts with those that Propel provided.

I'd like to know more about this, really.

Also, my rear brake rotor sings like a churchbell at any time the rear brake isn't being applied, and when engaging the pedals forward there's a certain wack the motor makes. Even still, there is one more noise that is very faint, i normally have to be riding next to a wall to hear it, and it's the sound that was mentioned in the OP.

 

[Alaskan]

I am having a warranty issue with my new Homage Rohloff HS with belt drive. It is a creaking noise that sounds off at each stroke of the pedal and over every bump in the road. It is amplified by the large hollow downtube much like a guitar body. It turns out to be a known issue for this model originating in the swing-arm/frame joint. There is supposed to be a fix for it. LA Fly Rides support staff has been both helpful and prompt in response to my calls and emails. Riese & Muller seems to take forever to answer every email from them. It has been three weeks now. I am less and less impressed with Riese & Muller's responsiveness to an issue with their product bike. The final verdict is still not in but it is starting to look like they make a great product but have less than great warranty response. I will fill in when and if they finally get my bike back to an acceptable state.

 

[steve mercier]

I hope you all get your tech problems sorted sooner rather than later. My own experience with R+M is positive since I contacted them directly via email and they did reply to my broken rack bracket issue within 48 hours after confirmation from my local bike store :
Riese & Müller GmbH - Customer Care <[email protected]>
2:58 AM (6 hours ago)



to me






Dear Stephen,

they now contacted us and we will take care of it.

with kind regards,

 

[Alaskan]

I just heard from the guys at LA Fly Rides. I must say that Hector at Fly Rides could not be more cordial, understanding, responsive and just downright eager to make things right. This is an issue that has effected several Homage bikes shipped to the USA. I don't know if it also applies to bikes shipped elsewhere. Riese & Muller has supplied a special tool required for addressing the issue, one for the east coast and one for the west. It is being shipped around to Riese & Muller dealer/service people on a fist come first served basis. They do require that such warranty work be done by an authorized Riese & Muller shop. As such the bike will have to be shipped to California for service. They are paying for a LBS to prepare and pack the bike. Shipping costs are supposed to be paid by them both ways. Assuming this fixes the problem and it stays fixed, this promises to be a satisfactory resolution to the issue.

The culture of an organization reveals itself in the qualities and character of its front line people. They don't get any better than Hector at Fly Rides.

 

[Scruffy's Human]

I just heard from the guys at LA Fly Rides. I must say that Hector at Fly Rides could no be more cordial, understanding, responsive and just downright eager to make things right. This is an issue that has effected several Homage bikes shipped to the USA. I don't know if it also applies to bikes shipped elsewhere. Riese & Muller has supplied a special tool required for addressing the issue, one for the east coast and one for the west. It is being shipped around to Riese & Muller dealer/service people on a fist come first served basis. They do require that such warranty work be done by an authorized Riese & Muller shop. As such the bike will have to be shipped to California for service. They are paying for a LBS to prepare and pack the bike. Shipping costs are supposed to be paid by them both ways. Assuming this fixes the problem and it stays fixed, this promises to be a satisfactory resolution to the issue.

The culture of an organization reveals itself in the qualities and character of its front line people. They don't get any better than Hector at Fly Rides.

Wow that seems like such an extreme way to fix a problem. Thankful you have a good LBS willing to sort this out for you.