I have a Cube Town with the above motor and a 400 battery. My husband has a KTM with the same motor and a 500 battery. We have quite a steep hill near our home which we can both ride up quite easily on his bike but on mine it’s impossible. As the motors are the same, we are thinking there is a problem with my motor. Has anyone got any suggestions?
Bosch Active Line Plus - no torque
- Thread starter MandyPandy
- Start date
if you have no warranty left then the only option is peter @ https://www.ebikemotorcentre.com/
Thanks. I only got the bike in August 2021 so plenty of warranty left. Do you think there is a problem with the motor then?
you will need to take it back to the dealer for a diagnostic report and take it from there as if there is a problem with the motor it will be changed for a new one under warranty, dealers can not open up the motors as will void any warranty thats left.
It would help to know exact models of both bikes, maybe post links to them, plus details of gearing, and any settings on the assist levels that are in use.
Also, does your bike work properly everywhere else, or is it generally not ok?
First picture I found for the cube shows either hub gears or single speed. If the KTM has derailleur then there may be substantial difference in lowest gear ratio.
You can check by running them side by side in bottom gear: how far forward do they go for one turn of the pedals? If not similar then behaviour on hills will be different.
Hi
thanks for the reply. My bike is https://www.theelectricbikeshop.co.uk/bikes/electric-commuter-leisure-bikes/cube-town-hybrid-one-400-electric-bike-in-grey-and-black__1566 and my husbands is https://www.damianharriscycles.co.uk/prod/ele_6808_kt/ktm-macina-classic-8-di2-electric-2018-electric-bike?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjLSWosSQ9QIVRLDtCh0dEQ3JEAQYASABEgLeL_D_BwE.
both have hub gears as you can see. I have 7 gears and hubby has 8 but that’s the only difference.
I get they will be different but my bike feels like there is absolutely no assistance on this steep hill, even in top assist mode but hubbys bike powers up in tour mode, second from bottom mode.
I have been trying to get hold of the shop I got mine from but haven’t been able to. Seems they have been shut all the way through Christmas and new year which I thought a little strange. I’m in Bedford and the shop is in Cambridge so I can’t just pop in.
So that sounds like you definitely have assist, just not as much as you are expecting.
There is about 20% difference in the lowest gear between the two bikes, but that does not account for such a big difference in performance.
Is there a Bosch phone app that lets you see the assistance settings? That's the next thing to check, and then really it is back to the dealer to check if over.
Good luck.
Thanks. I’ve decided the book back in at the dealer. Finally managed to contact someone today.
From the comparisons that you've done and the close/similar spec between the two bikes, it really does seem that your motor system is suspect.
Don't be fobbed off either, you have strong empirical evidence that all is not well.
Is it possible that one motor is the “Active Line” motor (40n torque) and the other is the more powerful “Active Line Plus” motor (50n torque)
I was looking online for the spec on each bike but it was all a bit vague!
I did however find these images of bikes , I believe they are the same years and models as you linked to.
I was looking online for the spec on each bike but it was all a bit vague!
I did however find these images of bikes , I believe they are the same years and models as you linked to.
thanks for that. I’m pretty sure they are both active line plus. My cube certainly is so in theory if hubbys KTM is the active line, my cube should power up the hill better than his KTM.
Our 2nd hand Motus (2016 model?) has the basic Active Line motor; clearly not the most powerful but gets us up the hills around Winchester fine. No really bad hills here but I think a bit hillier than Bedford? So it does sound like a motor (or control) problem; I hope the dealers can fix it quickly; good luck.
Thanks to all for your replies. I now have an update! I got no joy from the www.theelectricbikeshop.co.uk so I decided to take the bike to my local dealer, Transition Cycles in Bedford. They hooked the bike up to the Bosch system and turns out that despite being sold a bike that had an Active Line Plus motor, it is in fact an Active Line motor. This would explain the huge difference in performance between the two bikes.
I am now in a different fight with the bike shop to get the motor that I thought I had bought! I'm not expecting any joy on this from them. Anyone have any tips or know what the legal position is on this?
I am now in a different fight with the bike shop to get the motor that I thought I had bought! I'm not expecting any joy on this from them. Anyone have any tips or know what the legal position is on this?
The reference you gave earlier (https://www.theelectricbikeshop.co.uk/bikes/electric-commuter-leisure-bikes/cube-town-hybrid-one-400-electric-bike-in-grey-and-black__1566) shows an Active Line (40mn) motor, not Active Line Plus.
Engine: Bosch Drive Unit Active Generation 3 (40Nm) Cruise (250Watt)
An overenthusiastic (lying) salesman might have told you otherwise, but it will be very difficult to chase unless you've got any documentation.
The one with the 500 battery does claim the 50mn Active Line Plus.
Motor: Bosch Drive Unit Active Plus Generation 3 (50Nm) Cruise (250Watt) / 2A Charger Included
The salesman might have just been ignorant of the difference.
I think Citizen's Advice Bureau is probably your best bet, good luck.
I've not ridden an Active Line Plus; I'm surprised there is so much difference between the Active Line we have and the Plus.
Engine: Bosch Drive Unit Active Generation 3 (40Nm) Cruise (250Watt)
An overenthusiastic (lying) salesman might have told you otherwise, but it will be very difficult to chase unless you've got any documentation.
The one with the 500 battery does claim the 50mn Active Line Plus.
Motor: Bosch Drive Unit Active Plus Generation 3 (50Nm) Cruise (250Watt) / 2A Charger Included
The salesman might have just been ignorant of the difference.
I think Citizen's Advice Bureau is probably your best bet, good luck.
I've not ridden an Active Line Plus; I'm surprised there is so much difference between the Active Line we have and the Plus.
40Nm is down in hub motor territory but mid-drive's state peak torque which is often higher than the average which could be down to 20 or so. It's not a powerful mid-drive motor but that could have benefits with regard long term reliability due to reduced internal wear on the components. Unfortunately the 7 speed Nexus hub is quite inefficient in some gears. It's actually a 9 speed geared hub with 2 gears locked out and can be problematic. So combining a mid-drive motor with a slightly unreliable geared hub could perhaps lead to early failure of the Nexus hub however because your mid-drive motor is so low powered that is probably much reduced which is actually very positive. So it could be a blessing of sorts for the long term reliability of the bike despite hills being harder.
If you need easier hill climbing you will need to either increase the size of the cog fitted to the Nexus or reduce the size of the front chainring with regards teeth to make the bike slightly lower geared.
I'm not surprised you were unfairly sold the bike with not quite the specification the salesman stated. I've been a pretend customer in a few shops that sell such ebikes and have been told quite a few misleading things in order to generate a sale and as already pointed out unless you have it in writing there is not much you can do about it.
Thanks for your reply. I thought it was the Active Line when I went to the shop but when I got there, the bike had an Active Line Plus cover on the motor. I mentioned it to the salesman who confirmed it was indeed the plus. In all honesty, he probably didn't have a clue but looked at the cover and assumed, as did I.
The difference on hills between the Active Line and Active Line Plus is startling. As I said before, I can ride my husband's bike up the one steep hill near us in Tour but even in Turbo with mine, I really struggle and I'm knackered at the top. It's taking the fun out of bike riding as I'm dreading the hill up to our house at the end of the ride.
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If described, labelled and sold to you as ActiveLine Plus, then you have been mis-sold the bike, and I would have thought in full no nonsense refund territory.
I would want that to happen immediately, writing if necessary to higher levels of the company management and hinting at court action. With that case on your motor I don't see that they have a leg to stand on.
Thank you for your reply. Whatever made me take photographs of the bike before I left it with the shop, I have no idea but I'm glad I did as they swapped the cover! Thanks for the advice, it's such a shame as the bike it fantastic, the geometery is perfect for me and I'll be sad if I have to return it.
what does it say the bike is on the invoice ? both motors are the same size so could be swapped over but it is a low blow to swap the stickers over to get a sale if thats what they have done lol.