New E-Bike
- Thread starter BillChad
- Start date
Is it the Carrera with the Suntour hub motor?
If so, there are lots of reports of cutting out problems which have proved hard to fix.
Which is a pity, because the bike rides nicely.
The Suntour system has been around a few years now, and it may be reliability has been improved.
If so, there are lots of reports of cutting out problems which have proved hard to fix.
Which is a pity, because the bike rides nicely.
The Suntour system has been around a few years now, and it may be reliability has been improved.
Motor
The Carrera Crossfire E is built around a fantastic Suntour rear hub electric motor system, seemlessly integrated into the rear wheel. The power control in the system is delivered courtesy of a premium Torque sensor, which gradually eases the power in and out in response to your input, providing a natural ride characteristic and a real reason to upgrade from more basic speed sensor systems. The quality of the Torque sensor is really notable when accelerating out of corners and make small, or when making tighter intricate maneuvers. As required by law, the motor will automatically stop assisting you once you achieve a speed of 15.5mph
Sorry, what are the pro's to buying an electric bike with a proven unreliable electrical system?
Here is one of many threads on the Crossfire cutting out problem:
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/faulty-ecarrera-crossfire.30229/
There are other more suitable bikes in that price bracket, such as the Woosh Rio and with better customer support:
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?rio-mtb
Why not minimise the chances of a headache in the first place?
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/faulty-ecarrera-crossfire.30229/
There are other more suitable bikes in that price bracket, such as the Woosh Rio and with better customer support:
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?rio-mtb
Why not minimise the chances of a headache in the first place?
Some people have also reported some sort of motor/gearbox problem, which gives a lot of resistance when peddalling with the power off. Halfords will replace, but what a hassle. They keep selling these bikes knowing that there are unsolved problems with them. I wouldn't go near one.
Thanks the whoosh looks a little flashy for me 59yo.
Halfords haven't been in touch since i ordered it (as promised) 5 days ago so F them. Theirs a Evans store just over the road so gonna have a look over their. Fair bit more expensive but if it goes wrong, their virtually on the Door step. Done some reading & the crossfire problems are now in my face & not the corner of my eye if you get my meaning.
Many thanks.
The Evans own brand Pinnacle ebike with the Shimano Steps crank motor is a nice piece of kit and conservatively styled.
Rigid fork which is a benefit at this price point.
https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-lithium-ion-2018-electric-bike-EV267144?lsft=esvt:59564-GOUKE4916918,esvq:,esvadt:999999-0-1347412-1,esvcrea:245439380545,esvplace:,esvd:c,esvtg:pla-302122922870,esvo:EV267144-M-BLK,esvaid:50080&esvt=59564-GOUKE4916918&esvq=&esvadt=999999-0-1347412-1&esvcrea=245439380545&esvplace=&esvd=c&esvtg=pla-302122922870&esvo=EV267144-M-BLK&esvaid=50080&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1Orx1KCf3QIVypPtCh24OQq3EAQYASABEgKngfD_BwE
Rigid fork which is a benefit at this price point.
https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-lithium-ion-2018-electric-bike-EV267144?lsft=esvt:59564-GOUKE4916918,esvq:,esvadt:999999-0-1347412-1,esvcrea:245439380545,esvplace:,esvd:c,esvtg:pla-302122922870,esvo:EV267144-M-BLK,esvaid:50080&esvt=59564-GOUKE4916918&esvq=&esvadt=999999-0-1347412-1&esvcrea=245439380545&esvplace=&esvd=c&esvtg=pla-302122922870&esvo=EV267144-M-BLK&esvaid=50080&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1Orx1KCf3QIVypPtCh24OQq3EAQYASABEgKngfD_BwE
Just been over to Evans Cycles, didn't have a Pinnicle to show me, so opted for the Raliegh Motus' (see pic) look up specs if you want. Says you can get 90 miles on 1 charge Obviously upon use, tried it out Perfect apart from saddle, they threw in a Free padded one Free Top of the range helmet, and knocked off 120 instead of taking in an old bike for charity. Paid£1,530 for it. Very happy, thanks for the 'Heads up' Boys.
I've just completed my first one hundred miles on mine and if I have to report any problems, well more niggles, they are few. Firstly I find the Raleigh 'comfort' handlebars the most UNcomfortable I have ever used along with poor control when going slow. I suffered both wrist ache and shoulder ache quite badly. However since replacing the with the Zoom City handle bars a massive improvement. With a 15° sweepback and 30mm rise they are a direct replacement at 600mm wide. I found the saddle OK but I just padded it out with the excellent Poundland £1 gel cover and alloy suspension spring. I don't know how Poundland do it for that price as I've seen exactly the same item in various places at £7/10!
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/132821825454
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/192713223380
Next, non-skid pedals are not non-slip so they have been replace with these magnesium alloy spiked flat pedals
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/163356273850
Speedo reads 10%+ high but it's not really a problem. The odometer appears accurate though and that's it. The motor sensor is still not cutting out at 15.5mph. It cuts out variably between 19.5mph and 22.5mph. I consider that a bonus although, technically, it is a fault or rather a maladjustment.
In all other respects the Motus has performed flawlessly. I do a fair bit of track riding through the countryside and was intending to change the road tyres for a chunkier hybrid type, especially for the winter but I have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of grip the OEM tyres give so that can wait until I see how they perform as they wear.
Battery life is superb. I am a big lad at almost 20 stone but not only does the Motus not care, I can even sit sir my four year old grandson on a crossbar seat and it still doesn't affect it performance wise. Duration is excellent. It is very rare to need more than ECO mode other than steep terrain, mud or head winds and a 15 mile jaunt barely affects it. The predicted milage on the display is only based on your previous mile and is only a guide, very rough one at that. Based on my own calculations the manufacturers claim for the 300watt battery is quite conservative and thatst at my weight. Anyone around the 11/12 stone mark will probably get well over 100 miles ridden conservatively on kindly undulating terrain. I don't always use the motor at all, in fact very little in good conditions and as such I would be optimistic and say a 120 trip is perfectly possible riding conservatively. That doesn't include a trip around the Lake or Peak District though.
I have no hesitation whatsoever recommending the Motus but in hindsight I think I would opt for the Motus Tour rather than the base model with its higher spec gearing and larger battery as that would have given me the confidence to take on the Peak District with aplomb. However, for a general runabout/pleasure ebike it fits the bill admirably and I am more than happy with it now I have added the touches my personal needs required.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/132821825454
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/192713223380
Next, non-skid pedals are not non-slip so they have been replace with these magnesium alloy spiked flat pedals
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/163356273850
Speedo reads 10%+ high but it's not really a problem. The odometer appears accurate though and that's it. The motor sensor is still not cutting out at 15.5mph. It cuts out variably between 19.5mph and 22.5mph. I consider that a bonus although, technically, it is a fault or rather a maladjustment.
In all other respects the Motus has performed flawlessly. I do a fair bit of track riding through the countryside and was intending to change the road tyres for a chunkier hybrid type, especially for the winter but I have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of grip the OEM tyres give so that can wait until I see how they perform as they wear.
Battery life is superb. I am a big lad at almost 20 stone but not only does the Motus not care, I can even sit sir my four year old grandson on a crossbar seat and it still doesn't affect it performance wise. Duration is excellent. It is very rare to need more than ECO mode other than steep terrain, mud or head winds and a 15 mile jaunt barely affects it. The predicted milage on the display is only based on your previous mile and is only a guide, very rough one at that. Based on my own calculations the manufacturers claim for the 300watt battery is quite conservative and thatst at my weight. Anyone around the 11/12 stone mark will probably get well over 100 miles ridden conservatively on kindly undulating terrain. I don't always use the motor at all, in fact very little in good conditions and as such I would be optimistic and say a 120 trip is perfectly possible riding conservatively. That doesn't include a trip around the Lake or Peak District though.
I have no hesitation whatsoever recommending the Motus but in hindsight I think I would opt for the Motus Tour rather than the base model with its higher spec gearing and larger battery as that would have given me the confidence to take on the Peak District with aplomb. However, for a general runabout/pleasure ebike it fits the bill admirably and I am more than happy with it now I have added the touches my personal needs required.
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Sorry its been a while since iv'e been on here, but your spot on with that assessment, apart from the handle bars i find them reasonably comfortable but as you say it is pretty awkward to handle when you have to slow down to negotiate threw small gaps gates on cycle ways (of which their are too many)...the pedals are a joke, so changed them almost immediately. The battery life is much more than i expected well over 55 miles on one charge on Tour & Eco. Done over 300 miles on it already, no punctures or problems apart from the mudguard clips are not all that secure. one of them kept popping out, solved with a bit of super glue & another one snapped. Trouble is i can't find a replacement online so secured it with a zip tie. All in all up to now i'm pretty pleased with it. Can't wait for the Summer, will use it pretty much e/day for work & back.
If anyone knows the name or type of the mudguard clips let me know, will post a pic if need be.
I spoke to an employee at a large cycle shop the other day about both pedals and handlebars and as a Raleigh agent he said it was about the most common complaint about them. Given that, I wonder why Raleigh persist with either, especially on the Crossbar model as they look completely out of place. He also agreed with our mileage experience of the battery. Come summer I intend to ride it flat, not all in the same day, to see just what the ACTUAL mileage will be. It's really hard to tell as the battery indicator may well not be an accurate guide. It would be nice to know what MY individual mileage would be as we all ride differently. I'm still delighted with my purchase and even more so now I have got it the way it suits me.
Hi Steve, Glad to hear you've got it the way it suits you. Checked out the Handle bars u pointed out £16 not too bad. Will probably get them for the summer. Did you have any problems in removal & re-fitting? Seems pretty straightforward apart from getting the grips off the original one's. Did u get some new grips or do the originals fit? Up loaded a pic of the pedals, their extra 
wide & Great for riding with Boots on, being the same colour as the Frame & wheels they actually compliment the Bike. (something for Raleigh to think about).
wide & Great for riding with Boots on, being the same colour as the Frame & wheels they actually compliment the Bike. (something for Raleigh to think about).Bill the grips are a straight fit on those new handlebars. The old grips come off easy enough if you start twisting at the inside and work your way out to break the seal. If you have a problem just pull the end plugs out and using a thin piece of plastic slide it between the grip and the bars and squirt a bit of water between. Don't use oil as you'll never get rid of it. Water gives just enough lubrication to do the job. Those replacement bars are EXACTLY the same width and an absolute doddle to change. They give far more control over the originals. My pedals are similar but I messed up changing them. The nearside one worked loose despite me swinging on the spanner and by the time I realised it had damaged the crank thread. I had a steel insert put into the aluminium crank, in fact, I had both done simply because I wanted them both to have steel threads. Winstanley Cycles in Wigan did them at an extremely reasonable £20 per side. Their Cyclus inserts are only £1.99 each which is a brilliant price as the very same item on eBay is £7.99!! When you think they have supplied and fitted each side for £20 I don't know how they make a profit. Now they are done I can replace them myself if necessary (not that I should need to) as it just a case of winding them through or carefully drilling them out so as not to damage the new inner thread and replacing with two I bought as spares.
I have found the handlebars on my older (2nd hand) Motus step-though pretty comfortable and manageable.
The pedals were not good, I swapped them for the pedals with 1/2 toe clips on my old solo bike that I will be passing on.
The pedals were not good, I swapped them for the pedals with 1/2 toe clips on my old solo bike that I will be passing on.
That's a bit of a coincidence, as i opened my Email, Ebay had sent a reminder of the zoom handle bars, which i promptly placed in my basket. I'm not having any particular problems with the originals but if they improve Handling, then i'm having them.
Also had problems changing one of the pedals not too sure which one it was now, but the tool that came with the New pedals ended up being pretty chewed up trying to get the pedal off, which became pretty useless (fortunately) so i decided before i did anymore damage to my hand/bike to get a proper fitting spanner 15mm and a can of WD40 left it to soak for a while then made sure for the 5th time i was turning the spanner in the right direction and with a Satisfying Crack it came loose. (every spanner should come with a can of WD40)
Thanks for the advice on the grips will come in handy when i change them. I gotta say though the pro's of having this bike far far outweigh the con's, (despite the price) and it's about time i went threw the handbook that came with it with a fine tooth comb. As no doubt little niggle's will appear the more i use it.
Here's to a new years Happy E-Biking.
Twenty mile ride yesterday on top of a short five mile jaunt the day before, so 25 miles accumulated so far without recharging. Still showing four charge lights out of the five lit and a predicted 38 miles still available on the computer. It always seems to be 38 miles, whatever, but that would mean a predicted total of 63 miles range so far. However, I feel it will be far more than that. My guess is about 80 miles plus which will do me. The fact that I live in a flat area and don't use the motor unless I need to obviously works for me. I had my first puncture in 20 years yesterday followed by a second within half an hour. Punctures seem to be like buses......coming in pairs . Really simple to fix with the quick release. It was the rear wheel both times and the only problem was oily hands so I'm going to carry vinyl gloves in future. Once I used a tyre lever to ease the tyre over the rim I managed the rest by hand including getting it back on the rim. Those OEM tyres are superb. The main problem I had was reinflating the inner tube as those Schrader to Presta adapters are rubbish so I went out and bought a dual head pump today.
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