Cyclotricity Revolver review

[Ejmi]

So story update.
Engine stopped working on Monday 16th March. I contacted cyclotricity and asked about refund but they said they're not selling second hand bikes to they can't give me my money back. They offer that they can come on next sunday to repair that. They came and change faulty engine to a new one. Then I tried my bike on Monday 25th March and everythings worked fine. And there was a rain and my bike was parked outside and on my way back led stop working and I saw condensation inside. Again a lot of emails with cyclotricity. They said it's impossible cause led is waterproof (that's what manual said) but finally after one week they sent my a new led. I changed it and now everthings working.
So again even electric parts are not that great as they said.

In the meantime when I didn't have my e-bike I used my friend's road bike, but I was all sweat at work and exhausted so all I was trying to avoid.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The moral of the story is that if you must leave your bike out in the rain, put a cover over it. Just about every electric bike will give you problems if you leave it out in the rain.

 

[jonathan75]

The moral of the story is that if you must leave your bike out in the rain, put a cover over it. Just about every electric bike will give you problems if you leave it out in the rain.

Duly noted - thanks D8veh.

Does anyone know of any good covers which work well with locks? I've got a poundland one but can see it just being a pain.

 

[awol]

Does anyone know of any good covers which work well with locks? I've got a poundland one but can see it just being a pain.

I've used one of these covers for a few months and it seems ok, don't know about being lockable though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-cover-Bicycle-bike-cover-storage-protector-indoor-outdoor-water-proof-/321495292579?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item4ada9cdaa3

 

[rippedupno1]

The moral of the story is that if you must leave your bike out in the rain, put a cover over it. Just about every electric bike will give you problems if you leave it out in the rain.<br/>
Whilst this is undoubtedly true, i find it a sad reflection of the poor quality of some of the parts that are being used, having owned motorbikes since the late 70 's i can't remember having my clocks or switchgear pack up because it had got wet ( which it did many times ) I think that we as the buying customers should start to demand components that are fit for purpose. If they could do it with a "fizzy " 35 years ago surely it can be done now. IMHO .

 

[RobF]

I believe the latest Bafang displays pass whatever the international standard for waterproofing gadgets is - IP something or other.

Wiring will in any event be dependent on individual installation.

My Bosch bikes have been used in the rain and rained on, although not a lot in either case.

Bosch describe the system as splash proof, which I take to mean it should be OK to use in the rain, although perhaps not in a torrential downpour.

 

[JohnCade]

I believe the latest Bafang displays pass whatever the international standard for waterproofing gadgets is - IP something or other.

Wiring will in any event be dependent on individual installation.

My Bosch bikes have been used in the rain and rained on, although not a lot in either case.

Bosch describe the system as splash proof, which I take to mean it should be OK to use in the rain, although perhaps not in a torrential downpour.

I’ve ridden my Kalkhoff in heavy rain and been soaked to the skin when I got cought out. The bike was fine.

 

[jonathan75]

@d8veh, do you know if the Xiongda 2-speed kit is waterproof?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

No ebike is 100% waterproof. The Xiongda is a kit, so its waterproofness depends on how/where you install the controller and its connectors. The display, throttle and PAS are standard parts that are used on many bikes.

I have a Xiongda kit. I use it when the roads are wet and when it's raining. It's never missed a beat.

 

[Blackgold]

Sometimes you get what you pay for but not all of the time, as can be expected you will get low end components on these bikes. However saying that LEBC are offering the Vita Uno for £599 with some good components for the money. Despite your problems with this bike it does seem that you had good responses and back up with your problems so thumbs up for that, unfortunately you weren't able to be with out the bike so the faults would have been dealt with other wise. Most bikes at some time will have niggles so you will never be totally happy all the time.

Summing it up I would say that the bike was not great and you have had a bad experience with it , on the flip side if you had returned the bike most problems would have been rectified and customer service wise you can't fault the company for not trying as they did try to help by offering parts and repairs.

I have a Kudos Tornado,noth has gone wrong with it since I bought it,my friend bought the Vita bike from LEBC,other than brake adjustment and a broken mudgard-poss his fault that has been good. I am thinking about buy a Rapide,it's a better bike for ride to work.
I spoke to Tom at LEBC about reliabilty ,he said its about the quality of parts but more important how well the Chinese build the bike,some chinese factory are cheap but they rush the assembly and don't check the bike after,he said Kudos use a good factory but have seen some bad ones

 

[trex]

you would want to know if the vendor check each bike thoroughly themselves before repacking.
It's more important that your vendor do this than placing blind faith in a faraway factory, no matter how prestigious their customer list is. Simple fact, it's easier to control quality if you build the same bike on the same assembly line every day, impossible with container load batches so typical of ebike imported from China.
You would want to know that your vendor meet or exceed the standard of bikes sold by Halfords
How your bike is prepared by Halfords

when you get it, you still need to inspect it and set it up. A good vendor will make sure that your bike comes as fully built as possible.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Decided to make my posting as a new thread,'how are e-bikes shipped'
KudosDave

 

[Scott clarke]

Speaking as a total newbie i would have thought that e-bikes are the same as anything else in that you get what you pay for. But it does sound to me like the company has done a good job in customer service and have tried to rectify the issues. Some wont even take your call once you have spent your money. And i would guess that companies like cyclotricity would do as many checks on a bike they could before they shipped it out. Myself im looking into the kudos range as they suit my needs very well and again i would guess the customer service would be better than most being a well known and trusted company. I do hope you get it sorted out soon and it hasnt put you off e-bikes as a whole.

 

[electrickery]

Read this with interest as my experience has been different with my revolver. Totally agree the cycle parts are cheap but for me who is happy to service the bike it hasn't been a problem.In 1000 milesI have only replaced 1 cable (£2),both front and rear brake blocks (£4)and it will probably need a new front chain set (£15) the next time I strip the bottom bracket to grease it. I guess the answer is be aware this bike may need a little more work than a better quality item but if you are at all mechanically minded it is not a problem.I have to add that my motor, battery and electrics have performed as expected even in the occasional time ive been caught in a shower. This is not here to contradict the op but just to offer an alternative perspective.

 

[electrickery]

Must say in defence of cyclotricity I have a 4 1/2 year old revolver circa 4000 miles. Agree it needs a little tlc and the forks on mine are crap ( I think they are better ones now) it has been a good bike . I have had to grease my bottom bracket, (not sealed) and my middle chainring is worn.Has needed new blocks and 1 cable and adjust and grease the transmission. The battery is still very good. Possibly not the best for intensive commuting but for the money a nice bike. The new ones have an adjustable headstem, disk brakes and I believe better forks. And its light for an ebike.For £650 I like it.
Regards