PSWPower after sales service?

[vidtek]

I was almost ready to purchase a kit from these guys before xmas, but hesitated at the last moment when replies to my queries were answered by a numpty who seemed to not be bothered and just cut and pasted info already available on their adverts.
Also in their terms and conditions, all faulty claims have to be returned to China with the customer paying freight BOTH ways which is a bit of a cheek I think. If I have faulty goods, I don't mind paying freight one way but both ways is just not on in my opinion.
What sort of after-sales service have others had from these guys?

 

[Nealh]

Never had the need to return anything but for kit's use a UK seller like Woosh or abroad use Yose power both are good with replacements.

 

[jarob10]

F

I was almost ready to purchase a kit from these guys before xmas, but hesitated at the last moment when replies to my queries were answered by a numpty who seemed to not be bothered and just cut and pasted info already available on their adverts.
Also in their terms and conditions, all faulty claims have to be returned to China with the customer paying freight BOTH ways which is a bit of a cheek I think. If I have faulty goods, I don't mind paying freight one way but both ways is just not on in my opinion.
What sort of after-sales service have others had from these guys?

Unfortunately that’s the way it goes with Chinese suppliers, to various degrees.

Others have directed their questions to this forum instead, to ensure their shopping list is correct for their needs.

You should have some recourse if the order doesn’t match the description, but if you experience an early life failure- you’re on your own sadly.

Stick to proven brands, buy extra parts as spares and you’ll be fine

Battery is a different proposition though- I’d source that directly from the uk

 

[vidtek]

Never had the need to return anything but for kit's use a UK seller like Woosh or abroad use Yose power both are good with replacements.

Thanks Neal, I bought a bike from Andy at Whoosh a few years ago and was very impressed with his after-sales service, but I go to the New Forest a lot and would like a bit more grunt than the 250w legal only road bike kits that Whoosh sell.
I'll take a look at Yose. I've not been on the forum for a while, btw, what happened to the dv member that used to be on here bit of a guru, but now he got himself banned, what's the story there? Bit curious.

 

[vidtek]

F


Unfortunately that’s the way it goes with Chinese suppliers, to various degrees.

Others have directed their questions to this forum instead, to ensure their shopping list is correct for their needs.

You should have some recourse if the order doesn’t match the description, but if you experience an early life failure- you’re on your own sadly.

Stick to proven brands, buy extra parts as spares and you’ll be fine

Battery is a different proposition though- I’d source that directly from the uk

Cheers Jarob, I'm ok with the electronics side of the kits (ex tv engineer when people actually repaired stuff) but don't have a clue about bike mechanics other than the obvious stuff, so a bit iffy on crank sizes and types etc.
Chinese stuff is cheap but comes with big caveats.
Tony.

 

[Nealh]

d8veh wasn't banned but left of his own free will and asked for his account to be deleted. Not 100% sure why, was either a disagreement with others or wasn't happy with the tone of some forum members.

 

[vidtek]

Neal- Bit of a shame he contributed a lot to this forum, no need to be precious though, you need a thick skin for these online forums sometimes-personally I don't care what others say about me, once you're over 65 you don't give a toss about that sort of thing, what's left of your life is just too short and there's too much to fit in before you fall off the perch.
Tony

 

[Nealh]

Depends on whether you want hub or mid drive. Woosh sell the 250w GSM mid drive with out controller, so couple that with a 36 or 48v one for a diy build.
You can over volt or apply more amps to 250w/350w hubs but it doesn't work with mid drive with integrated controllers.
48v & 20a is limit that hubs can manage though outside there official usage limits, many have done so without issues.
Users on EndlessSphere, pedelecs forum de. and on here have all happily gone down that route. Some have pushed the boundaries to far and have had hub failures but if modest you should have little issue.
Controllers enclosed can get warm so need free air or larger heat sinking or fan cooling, hubs can be liquid cooled with addition of a little oil and gasket sealing but generally not required unless serious hot rodding is needed.

 

[vidtek]

Depends on whether you want hub or mid drive. Woosh sell the 250w GSM mid drive with out controller, so couple that with a 36 or 48v one for a diy build.
You can over volt or apply more amps to 250w/350w hubs but it doesn't work with mid drive with integrated controllers.
48v & 20a is limit that hubs can manage though outside there official usage limits, many have done so without issues.
Users on EndlessSphere, pedelecs forum de. and on here have all happily gone down that route. Some have pushed the boundaries to far and have had hub failures but if modest you should have little issue.
Controllers enclosed can get warm so need free air or larger heat sinking or fan cooling, hubs can be liquid cooled with addition of a little oil and gasket sealing but generally not required unless serious hot rodding is needed.

Thanks for this Neal.
I have had hub drives, both front and rear, I much prefer rear hub drives but am now looking at a crank drive, but have never ridden one. Bit of a learning curve for me. I am looking at a:-

48V 750W Bafang/8fun BBS02B Mid Crank Drive Motor Kits APT LCD Display Geared Motor Kit from pswpower.

What do you think?

Tony.

 

[Hipaul]

Hi, sorry to butt in to your conversation but I have an interest in converting my wifes Carrera Crossfire to electric assist.
Our goal is to complete the transpennine trail but as our ages march on I think we will need all the assistance we can get.
Has anyone any experience with the kits I see available on Ebay?
Are there any negatives to hub drives against crank drive apart from the hub drives appearing to be easier to fit and cheaper?
Thank you in anticipation. Paul

 

[anotherkiwi]

Thanks for this Neal.
I have had hub drives, both front and rear, I much prefer rear hub drives but am now looking at a crank drive, but have never ridden one. Bit of a learning curve for me. I am looking at a:-

48V 750W Bafang/8fun BBS02B Mid Crank Drive Motor Kits APT LCD Display Geared Motor Kit from pswpower.

What do you think?

Tony.

http://www.pswpower.com/ven.php?cargo-s210025

Stock in Germany, you will be talking to German after sales support.

I would go for the 500W/48v variant because the extra power is only useful if you are going to be thrashing about offroad. It will be gentler on the battery too.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Hi, sorry to butt in to your conversation but I have an interest in converting my wifes Carrera Crossfire to electric assist.
Our goal is to complete the transpennine trail but as our ages march on I think we will need all the assistance we can get.
Has anyone any experience with the kits I see available on Ebay?
Are there any negatives to hub drives against crank drive apart from the hub drives appearing to be easier to fit and cheaper?
Thank you in anticipation. Paul

Hub drives require torque arms on all bikes that don't have a steel frame so a mid-motor is usually easier to fit. You also keep your wheels and there is no issue with cassettes from 7 to 12 speed or you can use an IGH like the nexus 8 inter.

 

[sjpt]

@Hipaul Main negative of hub drive is that it does not take advantage of the gears, so hill climbing can be limited as it loses power at low speed just when you need it most. Many are still punchy enough for almost all hill climbing. We manage with a not particularly powerful 250w front hub on a tandem (not all 250w motors are equal in real delivery); the hills around here (Winchester) are significant but not nearly as steep or long as in many places, and we still have to put in quite a bit of effort on the hills.

For a first installation I would (and did) go for a kit from a known reliable supplier such as Woosh who will also advise on what kit will be best for your needs. http://wooshbikes.co.uk Yose on ebay also seem to get good writeup. The front hub was very easy to fit ... no need for torque arms as it was not that powerful and we had steel front forks.

 

[vidtek]

http://www.pswpower.com/ven.php?cargo-s210025

Stock in Germany, you will be talking to German after sales support.

I would go for the 500W/48v variant because the extra power is only useful if you are going to be thrashing about offroad. It will be gentler on the battery too.

Kiwi- thanks for that, I will be doing the New Forest quite a lot, and on the beach the cliff paths are very steep in Bournemouth, I do want to be road legal when riding on the roads, although I don't do much on road cycling so I want to be able to switch to road legal on the controller on those infrequent occasions. I usually drive to the New Forest with my bike carrier, most of it is on the flat although there are a few steep hills there up to some of the ridges, a front hub is useless and rear not much better so I'm looking at a crank drive. I originally looked at a 1500w rear hub job, but maybe that a bit over the top. A 250w just 'aint gonna cut it for me. I think a 750w is a better compromise, although on a crank drive your suggestion of 500w may just do.

I really don't know how a crank drive will handle as I've never ridden one. I just have read they are better on hills so it's why I want one.
Tony.

 

[vidtek]

Hi, sorry to butt in to your conversation but I have an interest in converting my wifes Carrera Crossfire to electric assist.
Our goal is to complete the transpennine trail but as our ages march on I think we will need all the assistance we can get.
Has anyone any experience with the kits I see available on Ebay?
Are there any negatives to hub drives against crank drive apart from the hub drives appearing to be easier to fit and cheaper?
Thank you in anticipation. Paul

Paul-
No problem mate, the more the merrier here.
I have experience with hub drives, both front and rear. The front hub drive is very lively and can catch you unawares sometimes, on gravelly roads uphill can slip and slide a lot, they are not for the faint-hearted. Front hubs are much easier to fit and easier for puncture repairs too. Rear hubs are far more stable, and more like a small moped ride. Both hub types are pretty poor on hills, just when you need them most they peter out.

I don't know about crank drives, never had one and want to fit one to my specialized crossroads bike. Getting information from the Chinese supplier is like pulling teeth though.

 

[sjpt]

You should be able to get information from Woosh on their crank drive kits: http://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/category/uid-4/cd-conversion-kits

 

[Nealh]

For newcomers it is best to supply a link to any kit you see on ebay or similar site as some are not really suitable, cheapness tends to be the main offering but beware.

Woosh sell kits at a good price level with a battery they may appear dearer but you get 100%/5* service & spares from them along with helpful good advice.

 

[Nealh]

No kit is legal for on/off road with switching between power modes.
If it is marked 250w then you should be safe from prying eyes etc, the real test is if a serious accident occurs then no matter what the bike it will be checked thoroughly whether powered or not.

The Charlie Alston case is an example unpowered fixie bike with no front brake, just because it was a pedal cycle doesn't make it exempt from testing. It was illegal as no front brake fitted.

 

[Hipaul]

Very interesting and thank you all for your encouraging input. My initial thought was hub drive as it looked easier to fit and cheaper (which is a big consideration for me) but crank drive sounds a better option. Are crank drive kits available to fit any bikes?

 

[Woosh]

My initial thought was hub drive as it looked easier to fit and cheaper (which is a big consideration for me) but crank drive sounds a better option. Are crank drive kits available to fit any bikes?

my customers rarely need help with fitting crank drive kits and yet, in our workshop, it takes about the same amount of time and effort to fit a hub kit or a CD kit.
Front hub kits are definitely easiest to fit.
Points to watch:
If you have 160mm rotor, some hub motors are too large and will foul against the caliper requiring you to change to 180mm rotor.
Hub motors cannot be fitted to frames with bolt through quick releases.
Crank drive kits only fit standard 68mm or 73mm bottom bracket shells and won't fit most carbon fibre frames.
If you have cables running under the bottom bracket, the Tongsheng TSDZ2 will require moving the cables out.
If you have combined gearshifter and brake levers or STI levers, think of fitting the Tongsheng TSDZ2. It's a nice torque sensing kit, requiring no brake sensors.
If you need advice for any particular donor bike, let me know.
All the best,
Tony