Another broken ebike

[Andy Bluenoes]

Well, I think its time I gave up on the e-bike idea.

This is the 3rd ebike I have had in th space of 4 months, and it has died.
The latest one, Cyclotricity stealth, done around 300 miles, and all loss of power.

Checked the usual pedal sensor, sensor ring, wiring, battery voltage. The LCD works, the power occasionally kicks in, but nothing like full power....when it does kick in, the speedo registers zero. Throttle doesnt work.

So last nights 14 mile commute home was a real killer, back on public transport this morning.

Waiting since yesterday morning when I contacted Cyclotricity for a response.
Spent a fortune on kit to make the journeys more comfortable and safe, and yet it all seems like money down the pan right now.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Hi Andy, that sounds terrible.

Apart from the Cyclotricity, what other bikes have you bought? Were they new?

It's unusual for anyone to get such a run of bad luck.

All the best, David

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

Hi David

Long story, it goes back to may this year.

Initially, maybe I should take part of the blame for the first one, as I hadn't done enough of my own research before jumping in.

I opted to take the cycle to work scheme which gave me up to £1000 to spend on a bike, so I went to Halfords as I thought that was my only option.
The only ebike I could see was the Coyote Connect folding ebike. It seemed like the perfect option, as at that time I was going to ride 7 miles to the local tram station, and take the bike on the tram.
That 7 miles turned out to be too hard for the coyote, it's part of the trans pennine trail, and the bike wasn't up to the job I guess.
The rear drum brakes died within a few weeks, and carious parts slowly failed, including pedals dropping off. The bike spent more time in Halfords than with me. Repairs were done, only for them to be botched up.
In the end, I went back to the C2W scheme, and they advised that I return the bike, they would upgrade my voucher by another £200, (with no expense to me) and advised me to get a Greenedge CS2 from ebikes direct....a mountain bike not a folding bike.

So, that happened.

The Greenedge looked much more suitable for my commute, and at this time, I thought why not try and do the whole 14 miles into work rather than just to the tram station?
It worked well for a few weeks. The route is part road, part trail and part towpath. Nothing really what I would say is overly harsh for a mountain bike.
Within a couple of weeks, electrical problems started on the CS2. Eventually I nailed it down to the battery loose in the housing, losing connection to the terminals. One of which was jammed in the controller housing.
A week later, I had a new controller and battery from e-bikes direct.
However, in the meantime, I had been looking at spending a bit of my own money on a bike that maybe wouldn't fall apart on my journey....remember, Im getting into riding to work now, and dont want to use my car or public transport!

So, I order the stealth as it looks like it will do the job perfectly.

The mrs now has the fixed CS2, and should do fine for her shorter journeys.

The Stealth has been great until now, but I am now still waiting for cyclotricity to come back to me. The place where I bought the bike have simply advised to wait for cyclotricity.
So, at the moment, its back on public transport.

I really cant believe that my route to work is so harsh that a bike costing £1200 isnt up to the job?

 

[trex]

let's wait for Cyclotricity to fix your bike.
Riding 30 miles a day in all weather is a big ask. The bike needs to be kept dry as much as possible. Do you have sheltered parking for your bike at work and at home? Also, tow paths and unmade roads are a killer for downtube round bottle batteries like the one on your CS2. If you have the Stealth 1000W dual power then the battery has the 09 case, better suited to your route.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

let's wait for Cyclotricity to fix your bike.
Riding 30 miles a day in all weather is a big ask. The bike needs to be kept dry as much as possible. Do you have sheltered parking for your bike at work and at home? Also, tow paths and unmade roads are a killer for downtube round bottle batteries like the one on your CS2. If you have the Stealth 1000W dual power then the battery has the 09 case, better suited to your route.

Yes, the bike is stored in a dry shed at home, and a dry store at work. One part of the route does tend to be very muddy and wet at the moment, so I guess it does take a bit of punishment.

I always do a minimum of a good hose down when I get home to clean the mud off, and give it a wipe down with a towel before it goes in the shed.

Cyclotricity have just rang me, they are sendign me a new controller today, which they think will be the fix. So that should arrive tomorrow. I did explain on the phone that I use the bike in wet weather, but the guy didnt see that as a problem.

Yes, its the dual power model, the battery does seem totally solid on the bike.

 

[trex]

it seems to me too that the controller could be the cause. Do you cover your LCD? Make sure that the LCD and speed sensor (if you have one) do not get soaked by rain water.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

it seems to me too that the controller could be the cause. Do you cover your LCD? Make sure that the LCD and speed sensor (if you have one) do not get soaked by rain water.

Hoping that I will be back on the road on Thursday then assuming the new controller arrives tomorrow.

Do you mean the sensor on the bottom of the crank? If so, Im not sure how I could stop that getting soaked.

I will start covering the LCD with something. Was also thinking of getting some heat shrink to cover the connectors on the cabling. One thing I noticed is where the wires go into the control housing, there is a fair size gap...maybe I should look at sealing that with something too?

 

[flecc]

One thing I noticed is where the wires go into the control housing, there is a fair size gap...maybe I should look at sealing that with something too?

It's best not to seal controller housings, since that can lead to condensation inside and fresh problems. That fair size gap allows evaporation, but if it's exposed to spray you could rig a spray deflector.
.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

It's best not to seal controller housings, since that can lead to condensation inside and fresh problems. That fair size gap allows evaporation, but if it's exposed to spray you could rig a spray deflector.
.

Ok, good tip....I'll have a closer look at it tomorrow, thanks

 

[trex]

no, that the PAS or pedal assist sensor. It's potted in resin, pretty waterproofed. Still, put some grease where the cable comes out of the PAS, I often find that the sheathing there can get pulled back, that can let water in. If your bike has and external speed sensor, you'll see a magnet bolted to one of the spokes. Basically, you want to tape with self amalgamating tape all the connectors that can get wet to protect them from the elements.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

Right, ok, mine hasnt got a speed sensor then. I'll get some tape, sounds easier to put on than heat shrink

 

[KirstinS]

Im an all weather year round commuter of some 5 years and , imho, lcds don't seem up to the task. The old LED versions which admittedly give zero useful info just don't die in the weather either . Win some, lose some.

For my commuter I keep it simple with led but use LCD on my mtb fun bike. It has had a wobble after a rainy ride but unplugging and putting somwhere warm and dry revived it. I carry a hotel issue shower cap for it now !

This doesn't apply to Bosch etc of which I have no long term experience. And I bet are fully waterproof
I Refer to more standard Chinese LCD

 

[trex]

I agree totally.
LED panels work in rain, LCDs just fog up and you don't see that well even with backlighting on.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Im an all weather year round commuter of some 5 years and , imho, lcds don't seem up to the task. The old LED versions which admittedly give zero useful info just don't die in the weather either . Win some, lose some.

For my commuter I keep it simple with led but use LCD on my mtb fun bike. It has had a wobble after a rainy ride but unplugging and putting somwhere warm and dry revived it. I carry a hotel issue shower cap for it now !

This doesn't apply to Bosch etc of which I have no long term experience. And I bet are fully waterproof
I Refer to more standard Chinese LCD

Even Bosch had problems.

It's nothing to put a bit of cling-film over your LCD if you want to ride in the rain.

 

[Steve UKLSRA]

I agree totally.
LED panels work in rain, LCDs just fog up and you don't see that well even with backlighting on.

My old Suzuki GS550 used to just show 8 in the LED gear display when it was even mildy damp, so hopefully they've improved...I use a sealy-bag to protect my LCD in the winter (stops scratching too when wiping mud off it)

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

Update this morning.

New controller arrived at 9am.

I have swapped them over, and went out for a short test ride.


Power is back to the bike, but the LCD display is showing speed as 0 mph no matter the speed you go, and the milometer is also not increasing.

The power assist is working, but does not seem to increase from what it is on…maybe 1. The LCD does increase between 1 and 5, but there is no change in the assist level at the pedals.

The throttle works, but only to walking speed.

So...its an improvement, but something still not right with it....

 

[RobF]

Even Bosch had problems.

It's nothing to put a bit of cling-film over your LCD if you want to ride in the rain.

I've ridden my Rose/Bosch bike in heavy rain and on one occasion totally submerged the motor while pushing it through a ford.

No significant problems so far, although I've had a tiny bit of condensation in the Intuvia display, which cleared of its own accord.

I did have on error message which I cleared by wiping the connections.

Andy's unfortunate experiences reinforce my opinion that a £1,000 Chinese ebike is not up to commuting, particularly in all weathers.

My choice would be a Bosch bike with the smaller Purion display, which I believe is not detachable, so being hard-wired shouldn't suffer from connection problems.

A bit of condensation in the display, if that happened, is neither here nor there.

My ideal commuter would also have a full-length front mudguard to keep spray off the motor and the battery connection - not that I've had any bother with that.

 

[trex]

Update this morning.

New controller arrived at 9am.

I have swapped them over, and went out for a short test ride.


Power is back to the bike, but the LCD display is showing speed as 0 mph no matter the speed you go, and the milometer is also not increasing.

The power assist is working, but does not seem to increase from what it is on…maybe 1. The LCD does increase between 1 and 5, but there is no change in the assist level at the pedals.

The throttle works, but only to walking speed.

So...its an improvement, but something still not right with it....

that is usually the case when the controller is programmed to talk to a different LCD. They don't use the same protocol. Check the batch code on the label affixed to the controller casing.
They usually follow this format: [manufacturer model] [customer] [program batch date] [serial number if any]
The solution is usually to send back both old controller and LCD to the supplier and ask them to make sure that controller and LCD are matched.

 

[trex]

Andy's unfortunate experiences reinforce my opinion that a £1,000 Chinese ebike is not up to commuting, particularly in all weathers.
.

the OP may be unlucky with his controller but not the LCD.
Please don't make it a generalization to belitle the cheaper bikes, Rob.

I'd like to see more German made bikes being used as cheap transport.
We'll see if they last as long as Chinese bikes.

 

[RobF]

the OP may be unlucky with his controller but not the LCD.
Please don't make it a generalization to belitle the cheaper bikes, Rob.

I'd like to see more German made bikes being used as cheap transport.
We'll see if they last as long as Chinese bikes.

trex,

Your post must be viewed in the context of your role with woosh - you promote the bikes all the time on this forum.

My post must be seen in the context of an experienced ebiker who couldn't give a stuff about any brand or type of bike, including those I own.

I am not belittling Chinese ebikes, I am making observations based upon experience and the experiences of others on here, and the experiences of my local bike shop which has had the displeasure of trying to sort many Chinese ebikes, some which make woosh look like Riese and Muller.

That's putting it as fairly as I can.

Readers can make up their own minds.