How long do you expect an ebike to last before needing replacement?

[bikey850]

Hello,

For those who are on their second ebike or have purchased with an eye on the financial costs. How long do you expect your ebike to last before needing to be replaced (other than an upgrade)?

For example bike worn out, tech so outdated, battery not holding charge, motor worn out etc.

Tyres, chains, brakes etc can all be replaced under regular service but eventually the bike (like a laptop) will become so old not worth repairing/servicing. Assuming parts will still be available.

Purchase a traditional bike and it can last pretty much 10 years and longer but how long do you forsee a ebike lasting - 3 years, 5 years or longer?

Appreciate that this is a bit hard to quantify but catious of spending up to £3k on a bike and it only lasting a few years.

Many thanks,

 

[Ducknald Don]

I'm hoping to get ten years out of mine, one of the reasons I went for a Bosch based bike is their guarantee to offer parts for seven years after the end of manufacture.

Equally I went for a bigger battery (500Wh vs 400Wh) on the basis that it would last longer although I do expect to have to replace it.

 

[Gubbins]

My first £3000 Bosch powered bike lasted 3 years and well over 3000 miles when the motor failed as per many others. Out of warranty so cost £300 or so for a new motor. Traded it on for a new one for £600.
Yes this is expensive but I consider it a hobby and hobbies cost..

 

[Deleted member 4366]

5 to six years because the technology keeps getting better. Compare any bike today with those from 2011 to see what I mean.

 

[spanos]

I've not had one last more than 3 years but that's with a 5 day per week commute and leisure on top of that

Edit : misread op. I am talking batteries only above. My last commuter bike lasted 6 years before being uneconomical to repair (everything except the handlebar was shot !)

 

[flecc]

I've done over ten years with one, but as d8veh says, the technology gets better all the time. So it's worth changing up at 5 years if you are a regular higher mileage rider and not just a casual user.
.

 

[Nealh]

A generic Chinese hub bike can last as long as you want it to like normal non electrical component's, controllers, batteries and hubs can all be replaced along with small ancillaries like PAS,LCD etc.
The likes of a closed brand like Bosch will be shorter as diy is out of the question when it comes to the expensive parts only available from a dealer network.

 

[mike killay]

1 Just put a new motor on my 2011 TONARO. Total cost £300 and the bike is as good as new. Have changed gears, chains and brake pads along the way.
2 My 2012 Woosh Gale folder has just had a new battery. This bike has not had a lot of use because it is mainly kept in my campervan. but other than a few broken spokes, nothing else has needed replacing.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

We expect seven years from our bikes, we hold parts in stock to cover servicing older bikes, it's a big expense for us but we feel it's worth it.

We do have 10 year old Wispers on the road still however they are a long way out of date now as tech moves on so fast. I am sure though that some of our older bikes are a little like Triggers Broom!

All the best, David

 

[anotherkiwi]

My new trike has a 5 year guarantee on the frame, steering and seat, I expect it to last 10 years at least, I will take care of it. I think I will most probably put a Rohloff in for convenience (I seem to be confronted with more and more hill starts these days), they tend to last a very long time too.

Batteries have improved a lot but you will need to swap every 3 years or so if you do a lot of km - maybe 5 years if you do less. In recent years controllers have gone from square wave to sine wave, quieter and more reliable. Motors will need new bearings like all electric motors - my washing machine got new bearings three and a half years ago and they have started to get noisy again. But motors are now brush-less so very few wear and tear parts inside.

I might buy another motor as a spare. If I have bearing or other issues I would swap out the motor so I can stay on the road while rebuilding the old one.

 

[mike killay]

Exactly what 'tech' moves on?
Serious question because as far as I can see, controllers seem to answer the needs, motors are 19th century tech and it is just batteries that keep improving, but is a 2018 battery all that better than a 2012 battery?

 

[anotherkiwi]

Exactly what 'tech' moves on?
Serious question because as far as I can see, controllers seem to answer the needs, motors are 19th century tech and it is just batteries that keep improving, but is a 2018 battery all that better than a 2012 battery?

Well... A 30Q HL internal controller battery is much better than a 2016 26F bottle battery IMHO.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Exactly what 'tech' moves on?
Serious question because as far as I can see, controllers seem to answer the needs, motors are 19th century tech and it is just batteries that keep improving, but is a 2018 battery all that better than a 2012 battery?

Hi Mike, good question, made me think!

Battery cells have become much more efficient and have a higher energy density, so batteries are smaller and lighter and more reliable than they have been in the past. The number of cycles a battery will last has also increased from about 400 to over 1000 in many cases.

Controllers are smaller and more reliable.

Instead of 5 magnets on a cadence sensor disc with one pick up, the latest I know of have 36 magnets with three pick ups, meaning the bikes will start almost as soon as the pedals are turned. This also negates the need for brake cut outs.

Torque sensors have improved and have become much more affordable.

Motors are smaller lighter and more efficient. We will be launching the first carbon cased motor later this year weighing in at just over 1kg.

Connections are now small and waterproof, in the early days we used to have a huge connection box on the front of all our bikes.

All parts are plug and play.

LCD displays have come on a long way from the original LED versions.

All small changes over the years and I am sure there are many more.

All the best, David

 

[Nealh]

Year on year small incremental changes don't seem much but when you do a complete analysis from 10 , 5 or even 3 years ago things are then it is noticeable.

 

[redalexx]

Good Question @bikey850 !
As a commuter with 45km and 500m alt. difference per day I expect 4 years and 30.000km.
The costs for Bus&Train would be 1.200 Euro per year - so it can be replaced every 3-4 years.

I'm looking for real long term reviews of your bikes with more than 10.000km. Who can help? Examples in german:
https://pedelecmonitor.wordpress.com/10-000km/

 

[daveboy]

I've had the bike in my avatar since 2012 and have done about 12,000 miles
it's a Kalkoff copy..(Technium privilege) and I still use it most days.
The battery lasts about 70% from when I first got it but I picked a spare
battery up for £100 a couple of years ago and carry it in the panniers if going
out on a long run.

 

[Ducknald Don]

Battery cells have become much more efficient and have a higher energy density, so batteries are smaller and lighter and more reliable than they have been in the past. The number of cycles a battery will last has also increased from about 400 to over 1000 in many cases.

It will be interesting to see whether that continues or if we have picked all the low hanging fruit.

 

[GLJoe]

Hi Mike, good question, made me think!
......
All small changes over the years and I am sure there are many more.

Hi David. Some interesting points you mention.
I suspect this will be an interesting thread. What strikes me though is that there are almost two distinct conversations needing to go on, and perhaps two different questions.
One is something along the line of "at what point do the incremental improvements in technology make upgrading to a new, modern e-bike worth it"
The other is ... well the original question the OP asked. Because he specifically said:
"How long do you expect your ebike to last before needing to be replaced (other than an upgrade)?"
Which to me ( and I may be wrong), seems to imply that you ignore the improvements, live with what you have and originally purchased, but are simply interested in the longevity of your original purchase.

Me - I'm interested in BOTH questions!

Cheers

 

[anotherkiwi]

Hi David. Some interesting points you mention.
I suspect this will be an interesting thread. What strikes me though is that there are almost two distinct conversations needing to go on, and perhaps two different questions.
One is something along the line of "at what point do the incremental improvements in technology make upgrading to a new, modern e-bike worth it"
The other is ... well the original question the OP asked. Because he specifically said:
"How long do you expect your ebike to last before needing to be replaced (other than an upgrade)?"
Which to me ( and I may be wrong), seems to imply that you ignore the improvements, live with what you have and originally purchased, but are simply interested in the longevity of your original purchase.

Me - I'm interested in BOTH questions!

Cheers

The distinction concerning upgrades is between ready made and DIY. Much harder to upgrade the former.

If I was buying a ready made e-bike I would want it to last 3 years at least - battery and motor bearings etc included. And I do 3600 km a year so the answer could be at least 10,000 km. Easy calculate your amortization cost per km then.

 

[flecc]

Ok, dealing with both questions from my experience:

"at what point do the incremental improvements in technology make upgrading to a new, modern e-bike worth it"

With a start point of modern e-biking circa year 2000 it's variable. With mainly NiMh batteries and not much changing elsewhere, e-bikes bought from then to around 2005 didn't change much. Then from 2006 lithium batteries were increasingly introduced but often didn't perform well, so worth at least one change in the 2008 to 2010 period to gain a vastly better battery and software. Since 2010 there have been battery gains, but not enough to change an e-bike for that reason only.

Motors, both crank drive and hub, did have a number of new introductions or improvements around the same 2008 -2011 period so could trigger a reason to upgrade.

As ever progress slows with advancements so I think any e-bike bought now won't be worth upgrading until at least 5 years have passed. Possibly much more, since it will be mainly battery small improvements and the latest battery can always replace the old one at end of life.

"How long do you expect your ebike to last before needing to be replaced (other than an upgrade)?"

Ten years minimum. I've passed ten years on an Ezee Quando based e-bike (bought 2006) with over 8000 miles covered, including 3784 miles in one six month period when battery testing for a manufacturer. In that time I converted it to derailleur from single speed so have fitted a new chain and rear sprockets. The only other changes have been both tyres and the battery. I can't sat exactly how many batteries since I shared them across two Ezee models, but it's probably three modern ones down to this bike.
.