Swifty Liberte Folder - Battery ? ..

martino1

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 17, 2024
16
7
Good Morning All,

I just bought a brand new boxed (2nd hand) Swifty Liberte fold up bicycle.
The owner told me that it had been stored for two years.
I got it home, put it together, charged battery up, all green lights, inserted battery, no motor working at all.
I checked all connex and plugged / unplugged everything, still no change.
Light #2 flashed continuous and will not change to other settings.
Cadence sensor red light comes on, but front wheel motor will not work.
On the verge of buying a new battery, but would appreciate any advice.
Thanks a lot Martin
 

Attachments

Peter.Bridge

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 19, 2023
1,328
609
Looks a great little bike - disc brakes !

Have you got a multimeter to check the battery voltage ? - I suspect if it has been left for 2 years without charging the battery will not be recoverable

eta - they seem to have replacement batteries here ?


36V 7.8A £91.99, or upgrade to 10.4Ah for £110.99. They even have Samsung celled 14Ah version for £143 (or £149 with charger)

Seems highly rated seller - 97.6%
 
Last edited:

martino1

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 17, 2024
16
7
RE - discs, yes they look great, but then again so does the whole bike and worth spending on it I think.
I think a new £162 battery is worth a shot.
Cheers Martin
 

Peter.Bridge

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 19, 2023
1,328
609
RE - discs, yes they look great, but then again so does the whole bike and worth spending on it I think.
I think a new £162 battery is worth a shot.
Cheers Martin
Did you see my edit with links to possible battery replacements ?
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
7,004
3,240
Telford
Don't buy anything unless you find that something is faulty by testing with a meter.

Start by checking that the motor connector is in ALL THE WAY TO THE MARKED LINE, not just in tight.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Peter.Bridge

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
3,850
2,763
Winchester
put it together, charged battery up, all green lights, inserted battery, no motor working at all.
How long was it on the charger before you got got green light on the charger?
It should have been several hours.
That's quite a low capacity battery, but would still be over 3 hours with a typical 2amp charger.
By 'all green lights' do you mean all the battery lights green?
As saneagle says, check with a meter. A fully charged nominal 36v battery should show 41.6v or thereabouts.
 

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
1,252
385
oxon
+1 to the above, check the battery voltage after a full charge.. and double/tripple check connections and plugs. if not already in your tool kit a basic multimeter to check voltage levels and continuity is a worthwhile addition to your toolkit. also clean and check battery connection terminals for a solid connection.
 

martino1

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 17, 2024
16
7
Checked connectors are fully inserted, no probs there.
Battery took 3 hours to charge. Shows 3 green and one red light on it.
Tbh, not used a multi charger, will YouTube it after lunch.
Thanks All.
 

Attachments

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
1,252
385
oxon
The led indicators on a battery are just that they give you a rough idea of the battery level, a meter reading of the output voltage will reveal much more about the battery and its health. if its charged upto close to 42v thats a very healthy sign, charging upto 39-40v less so..

Is there an on/off switch on the battery? -

if you have a lcd display when connecting the battery (and it is turned on) this may flicker?

Pics of the display, controller box label and connections and battery connections if possible to provide would be useful.
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
7,004
3,240
Telford
Checked connectors are fully inserted, no probs there.
Battery took 3 hours to charge. Shows 3 green and one red light on it.
Tbh, not used a multi charger, will YouTube it after lunch.
Thanks All.
Not fully inserted, the outer must reach the line. Did you see the line and does the edge reach it? 1mm short will give the problem you describe.
 

Peter.Bridge

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 19, 2023
1,328
609
One of the key things we need to know is the voltage of the battery when it is fully charged (using the multimeter)
 

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
1,252
385
oxon
That pic would indicate the bike has enough power to work, but only a meter reading will indicate its real health state.. so meanwhile dble check connections,, the julet waterproof connectors often found on e bikes are notorious for needing axtra oomph to fully close and open up.. and the have raised lines indicating the fully inserted depth.. snap pics to confirm any and all are fully home as thats where all the safe money is ridding atm ;)

edit.. its pedal assist so you need to pedal to start the motor.. im sure you know but just in case..
and some systems will require a couple of pedal pushes..
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: martino1

martino1

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 17, 2024
16
7
That pic would indicate the bike has enough power to work, but only a meter reading will indicate its real health state.. so meanwhile dble check connections,, the julet waterproof connectors often found on e bikes are notorious for needing axtra oomph to fully close and open up.. and the have raised lines indicating the fully inserted depth.. snap pics to confirm any and all are fully home as thats where all the safe money is ridding atm ;)

edit.. its pedal assist so you need to pedal to start the motor.. im sure you know but just in case..
and some systems will require a couple of pedal pushes..
Thanks, more fiddling around after tea. I will stick with it.
 

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
1,252
385
oxon
check both brake levers are fully closed, if cables are loose and the levers are not tight against the base the brake cut off feature may have cut off the motor.

and if a 2 piece pas sensor with a magnet disk check all magnets are in place, and its rotating within a few mm of the sensor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: martino1