Second hand electric bikes and recycling - specifically Gepida

[Oldsirhippy]

Three years ago I bought a second hand Gepida Reptila 1000. It has been a great bike and I have been very pleased with it.

My bike developed a problem with the tensioner spring which according to Gepida is no longer available. The tensioner spring has probably weakened due to its age.

The problem I have is that Gepida no longer support this bike as they ceased making this version 10 years ago. I contacted their HQ and on 17/4/2020 their support section said "We haven’t made this ebike model for about 10 years, so we don’t have the spare part you need. " They do make a newer version with the same name but using the Bosch system rather than Yamaha.

It is strange that non electric bikes can still be upgraded and maintained for many years with readily and mostly interchangeable parts, when electric bikes can't.

I wondered what happens in a few year's time when manufacturers' current e-bikes are no longer made, where will users get parts?
Is this a common occurrence with all electric bikes?

Will this eventually kill the second hand market for electric bikes and force new bike users to run their ebikes into the ground - rather than recycle them ?

 

[flecc]

Three years ago I bought a second hand Gepida Reptila 1000. It has been a great bike and I have been very pleased with it.
I wondered what happens in a few year's time when manufacturers' current e-bikes are no longer made, where will users get parts?

This is a Yamaha issue rather than Gepida's. Yamaha copied Panasonic's unit but were rather unsuccessful with only Gepida outside of Japan adopting it and the Gepida sales rather small.

More generally it's with crank drive motor units that this spares problem exists. Panasonic set the scene back in 2001 with the first unit of this type and designed it as a "use for life" unit, repair only by replacement of the whole power unit at circa £500 and virtually no spares or data available. The other manufacturers like Daum, Bosch and Yamaha followed that path.

Spares are generally available for the popular wheel hub motors from the major manufacturers like Bafang.
.

 

[sjpt]

A related issue buying an ebike second hand is the battery. Batteries are a major part of the cost of an ebike; and for the likes of Bosch, Yamaha etc propriety and replacements are sold at inflated prices for their capacity and quality. Buying an ebike second hand you never know the state of the battery. Even if little used it may not have been properly kept, for example allowed to run low over winter when not used, it may never take proper charge again.

 

[Oldsirhippy]

Thanks @flecc and @sjpt for your interesting replies.

I will look up Bafang's products - thanks.