Disappointed with a Pendleton e-bike

[mike killay]

You've had one unreliable hub motor Chinese ebike.

Buying another Chinese ebike could be seen as the triumph of hope over expectation.

You will get more grunt from the bikes recommended, but more grunt means more stress on spokes, and you know what happens to those.

Your budget will get you a crank drive ebike from a quality European brand such as Cube.
.

Seems to me to be an unfair attack on Chinese bikes.
I have had two for 7 years or so and they have been excellent.
I am not sure that your comment re stress on spokes holds up to scrutiny. Hub drive or crank drive, the power is transmitted to the rim by the spokes, so can you explain the difference?

 

[Nealh]

Rob is always biased to crank drive, buy a decent hub brand and they give very good service. My hubs give me little issues a part from the odd bearing that needs replacing if things get noisy and a bit of grease.. At least with hub bearings they are easier to repair then Bosch etc.
Hub bearing can be sorted and bike back on the road in about half an hour or so.

 

[RobF]

Deny it all you like, but the Somerby is a pile of cack compared to a decent quality ebike.

Hub motors snap loads more spokes then crank drives ever do.

Again, deny it all you like.

I am biased towards decent quality bicycles, which in ebike terms are usually crank drives.

It should be possible to make a quality hub drive bike, but for whatever reason no one does.

The Panasonic hub motor fitted to some KTMs looked promising, but vanished without trace a couple of years ago.

The Xion (?) motor was fitted to a good quality Kalkhoff trekking bike, but that's another which has vanished.

As I've said before, I would consider a hub bike if I thought it matched my needs.

 

[Woosh]

As I've said before, I would consider a hub bike if I thought it matched my needs.

I nearly took it as a challenge...
I can see both sides of the argument. Git-r reported after 4,500 miles LBS replaced spoke 3 times then swapped the wheel on his Cube Reaction Hybrid Pro, while andy bluenoes did a similar number of miles on the Oxygen with one broken freehub, so the rear motor wheels have got better and fewer broken spokes over recent years.

 

[RobF]

so the rear motor wheels have got better and fewer broken spokes over recent years.

Pleased to hear it, although for anyone other than a featherweight I reckon a front hub motor is less risky.

 

[mike killay]

In the 1950's I rode a cyclemaster, then a BSA winged wheel, friends had various other cyclemotors.
We never snapped a spoke.
I never had snapped a spoke in all the years of various bikes from childhood.
I then went through various motor cycles, never a snapped spoke.
I cannot remember anyone snapping a spoke.
My conclusion is that the modern problem with snapped spokes is down to poor quality steel used in their manufacture.
And there, you have a legitimate complaint against Chinese steel which is widely reported to be poor.

 

[Nealh]

The Pendleton is what it is, a cheap Chinese hack for mooching around town an errand bike.

 

[GLJoe]

It should be possible to make a quality hub drive bike, but for whatever reason no one does.

Do you not consider the Stromer family of e-bikes to be 'quality' ?

 

[Nealh]

Kalhoff are meant to be quality but only if you choose carefully.

There are good hubs and bad hubs equally there are good mid drive and bad mid drive.
Even Bosch aren't without there issues.

 

[Sturmey]

There are three things about the way the rear wheel on the pendleton is put together that may (imo) make it more likely to break spokes.
1. A 3X spoke pattern is used and because of this the spokes curve as they leave the nipple.
2. At the hub end, there is a gap between the spoke and flange (see photo for example),and this may allow movement (and fatigue) to take place here. i.e. The stiff 13g spokes do not wrap themselves snugly around the hub flanges.I have replaced some broken spokes with cheap softer galvanized 14 g spokes and these actually fit better (and are lasting). ( I am tempted to completely dismantle wheel and fit spoke washers at flange, but this is too tedious). ,
3.There is a large offset (dish) to accommodate the 8 speed freewheel and this means there is a huge difference in tension between the drive and non-drive side. Incidentally, I have improved this by removing the 2.4mm freewheel spacer (thats fitted between freewheel and hub and there is enough clearence when removed)) and re-spacing the wheel spacers. This has allowed me to reduce the offset/dish by approx 3 mm.

 

[RobF]

Do you not consider the Stromer family of e-bikes to be 'quality' ?

Aye, Stromer is a thought.

I've only ever seen one, it was in motion at the time and the motor struck me as noisy, certainly noisier than my Bosch bikes, which themselves are not the quietest.

For that reason I've never really lusted after a Stromer.

 

[georgehenry]

I notice e-bikeshop farnham are selling entry level Haibike sDuro Hardsevens for £1599 at the moment and I have been using a 2015 very similar bike bought from them to commute to work and back that is close to 10000 miles now and on its original battery. You can find my very long warts and all review in the reviews section. For a hilly area a good quality crank drive would be my choice. My short list included a good dealer with good after sales back up, hydraulic brakes, quality manufacturer, quality components, good frame and quality electrical system.

 

[GLJoe]

Aye, Stromer is a thought.

I've only ever seen one, it was in motion at the time and the motor struck me as noisy, certainly noisier than my Bosch bikes, which themselves are not the quietest.

Strange. I thought all the Stromers used direct drive (gearless) hubs, so theoretically they should be the quietest of ALL ebikes ??

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Hi Oldmasons.

I've got a rear hub motor Oxygen E-MTB and a Greenway Cross Bafang Max Drive crank motor ebike (that a few of us on here bought when they were going cheap about 18 months ago).

I'd say the crank driven Max Drive motor is a more natural feeling bike to ride and climbs hills better than my hub drive, and as others have mentioned tends to be quieter in operation and doesn't whine so much going up hills.

Which leads me on to recommending you look at the site below as they seem to be selling a couple of types of ebikes using the Bafang Max Drive motor, of which the City model is closest to your requirements (not quite a step-through but a low step 'cruiser' style frame).
It's a good looking bike, well within your budget and a bit of a bargain at £1300...in fact I'm tempted myself as you don't find too many ebike sellers in the UK using the excellent Bafang Max Drive motors, especially at that price.

https://www.aimatech.co.uk/product/aima-city-bike/

Good luck in your quest..!

 

[Oldmasons]

UPDATE
My Pendleton e-bike has died..... the pedals go round, the chain is on, but it doesn’t engage the back wheel. I can change gears but still nothing, completely dead.
I’ve called Halfords who tell me to bring it in because it must be a ‘serious’ problem.... they said that every Pendleton they have sold has had a problem, mainly with the battery (mine has had a battery problem, a broken spoke, a buckled back wheel and this non-responsive issue.
Halfords say it will take 3weeks to get a part from the supplier, I think I would like a refund -what are my chances?

 

[kangooroo]

I think the chances of a refund depend on what the fault is and how long you've had the bike. If it fails on something 'serious' within the first 6 months then you could have a case for it being deemed as faulty upon purchase in which case you could be eligible for a refund, particularly if there have been other problems (excluding the broken spoke and buckled wheel).

 

[Oldmasons]

I bought it 29 May 2018

 

[Nealh]

Do you mean the pedals just spin and the gear cluster as well without the rear wheel rotating or the rear wheel rotates but the motor doesn't provide power ?

 

[Oldmasons]

Do you mean the pedals just spin and the gear cluster as well without the rear wheel rotating or the rear wheel rotates but the motor doesn't provide power ?

The former, I can freewheel pedal and the motor kicks in but it doesn’t work as a cycle ie the back wheel doesn’t rotate

 

[Chris.]

Get a Giant They have some great Ebikes and the drive systems are good. Mine eats hills like I'm on the strait. Get your old ebike in for repair they should repair it on the on the warranty if you have one and sell it. Jejames sell Giant bikes and if they don't have the one you want they can order it in so you can have a look