Thoughts on Carrera Crossfire-E

[spiderno7]

I trust my calculations as I use the bike everyday, and pretty on it, the cut out was not a dead battery as the battery meter was reading two bars when back working.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

 

[MikeS]

I trust my calculations as I use the bike everyday, and pretty on it, the cut out was not a dead battery as the battery meter was reading two bars when back working.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

My bad - I meant the calculations that the Suntour system was making
Mike

 

[moax]

Picked my crossfire-e up last Friday from Cycle Revolution, covered about 100 miles, and I am really pleased with it, except...

2 cut-outs already! (shutdowns, no error code or anything)

One with the first 5 minutes of a journey through a town, the 2nd one 40mins/10 miles in. In both cases not when it was under the most load i.e. going uphill etc, but definitely following a bumpy section where the bike had been jolted.

The head unit would not power back up but after pressing the battery button it would, which I think other people have reported. Battery was well over half full in both cases. So far, if I had to guess, I would say some kind of controller / battery connection loss which needs a reset. I am fairly savvy with electronics but can't see the point in messing with it while its under warranty.

Cycle Revolution are going to inspect and check next week and said its all covered under warranty, but loose connections and thermal cutout were suggested as possible causes. I will report back here with any findings.

Probably nothing, but they did try to push me towards the Crossfuse, probably because it was more money but part of me wonders if they knew about the problems and were trying to ward me off.

P.S. As if to inspire more confidence a v-shaped bit of plastic flew off on my first commute, it just clips on but I can find out where it goes!

 

[Nealh]

The Bosch drive would have been a better more reliable bet.

 

[John Barrett]

Hi folks from Hamble, near Southampton. I collected my fully charged Crossfire from Halfords Hedge End this afternoon, and was initially very pleased with it - apart from the over-inflated tyres that is...
However, much to my surprise, after 7.6 miles on medium power the battery had dropped to 4%, and I was lucky to get home with it. I was not impressed...
I rang the store and they said, quite predictably, "Bring it in", but I thought that I would test the charging regime this evening, and we will see what happens tomorrow.
After only one hour, the battery was showing 80% full (!), and 99% after 90 minutes. It stayed that way for a further two hours, never getting to 100%.
Having owned boats and motorhomes, and dealt with many battery problems, this indicates to me that the battery has a much reduced capacity, which goes flat quickly but accepts a charge to full voltage in a much shorter time than expected. I'll take it for a run tomorrow, and if it doesn't perform as advertised it's going back and I'll get something else!
GGRRR!
John

 

[egroover]

Hi folks from Hamble, near Southampton. I collected my fully charged Crossfire from Halfords Hedge End this afternoon, and was initially very pleased with it - apart from the over-inflated tyres that is...
However, much to my surprise, after 7.6 miles on medium power the battery had dropped to 4%, and I was lucky to get home with it. I was not impressed...
I rang the store and they said, quite predictably, "Bring it in", but I thought that I would test the charging regime this evening, and we will see what happens tomorrow.
After only one hour, the battery was showing 80% full (!), and 99% after 90 minutes. It stayed that way for a further two hours, never getting to 100%.
Having owned boats and motorhomes, and dealt with many battery problems, this indicates to me that the battery has a much reduced capacity, which goes flat quickly but accepts a charge to full voltage in a much shorter time than expected. I'll take it for a run tomorrow, and if it doesn't perform as advertised it's going back and I'll get something else!
GGRRR!
John

For info it will only ever display 99%,there's no 3rd digit. The battery is still taking a charge while the charger light is red, once green its fully charged

 

[MikeS]

swap it for their Crossfuse - I did and just paid the extra£350. It's been excellent
Mike

 

[John Barrett]

swap it for their Crossfuse - I did and just paid the extra£350. It's been excellent
Mike

Charged overnight until green light came on. Rode ten miles today and battery capacity just changed to 75% as I came up the drive! I suspect that all is now well. Those 'Technicians' at Halfords hadn't bothered to charge it properly, and just to add insult to injury, it changes gear up and down all by itself so I'll adjust it myself: properly...

 

[MikeS]

Charged overnight until green light came on. Rode ten miles today and battery capacity just changed to 75% as I came up the drive! I suspect that all is now well. Those 'Technicians' at Halfords hadn't bothered to charge it properly, and just to add insult to injury, it changes gear up and down all by itself so I'll adjust it myself: properly...

I would still swap it for the Crossfuse or make sure you call them to complain each time it cuts out or in particular if it develops the pedalling through treacle problem. They knew I wasn’t happy so swapped it even though I’d had it a month and done about 400 miles
Mike

 

[John Barrett]

Latest from Hamble after 13 miles. When I apply the rear brake I get a loud jangling noise from the rear hub and a low frequency vibration through the bike. It feels like all the spokes are loose and they are rubbing against each other!
Anyone else experienced such symptoms?
John

 

[moax]

Hi, I also had to adjust my gears which were never right, and one of the spoke guard fasteners has snapped making an alarming sound from the rear wheel. Worth checking to see if yours has done the same thing ? I cable tied mine and temporarily fixed it so I can keep commuting, but I am going to take it back to get everything adjusted and get that replaced properly. I would definitely suggest you take yours back too.

As an update to the infamous cutout problem Cycle Revolution replaced my display bracket and it has solved it for now, the cut outs became more frequent before they fixed it. I suspect that won't be the end of the problem, my theory is that its over-sensitive to any slight loose connection, which can likely occur anywhere in the system at any time.

I do also occasionally get a pedal through treacle type issue, but I can't be sure if that's just my imagination, suddenly having to put effort in. It will easily get to 25-30mph downhill and is easier to pedal then and I can get it up to over 20 on the flat myself...sometimes...then sometimes I can't get it above 16 as when the motor cuts out its ridiculously hard to pedal. I have been able to seemingly "free it off" sometimes by getting out of the saddle and really going for it.

I got mine on Cyclescheme in the sale for £1000 which is great value, and I couldn't justify the extra £600 for a Crossfuse. I enjoy riding it despite the issues, but I wonder if it half my journeys will be trips back to the shop...

 

[egroover]

Hi, I also had to adjust my gears which were never right, and one of the spoke guard fasteners has snapped making an alarming sound from the rear wheel. Worth checking to see if yours has done the same thing ? I cable tied mine and temporarily fixed it so I can keep commuting, but I am going to take it back to get everything adjusted and get that replaced properly. I would definitely suggest you take yours back too.

As an update to the infamous cutout problem Cycle Revolution replaced my display bracket and it has solved it for now, the cut outs became more frequent before they fixed it. I suspect that won't be the end of the problem, my theory is that its over-sensitive to any slight loose connection, which can likely occur anywhere in the system at any time.

I do also occasionally get a pedal through treacle type issue, but I can't be sure if that's just my imagination, suddenly having to put effort in. It will easily get to 25-30mph downhill and is easier to pedal then and I can get it up to over 20 on the flat myself...sometimes...then sometimes I can't get it above 16 as when the motor cuts out its ridiculously hard to pedal. I have been able to seemingly "free it off" sometimes by getting out of the saddle and really going for it.

I got mine on Cyclescheme in the sale for £1000 which is great value, and I couldn't justify the extra £600 for a Crossfuse. I enjoy riding it despite the issues, but I wonder if it half my journeys will be trips back to the shop...

Like me, it'll cost you about £660 on the cycle scheme as it cost me with the deal I had. All very well saying swap it for the crossfuse but that's nearly £1k more for us, or £600 more for the op (assuming he paid what it's on offer at the moment at £1000). I've no doubt the crossfuse is superior if every way but some just haven't got the cash or are not prepared to pay it

 

[moax]

Like me, it'll cost you about £660 on the cycle scheme as it cost me with the deal I had. All very well saying swap it for the crossfuse but that's nearly £1k more for us, or £600 more for the op (assuming he paid what it's on offer at the moment at £1000). I've no doubt the crossfuse is superior if every way but some just haven't got the cash or are not prepared to pay it

Exactly that!

Crossfire costing me around £600 and a Crossfuse would have been double the price. If I'd had more money I might have gone to one of the independents or gone for a more upmarket brand like Cube or Giant instead anyway.

Also, I think the offer might have finished and its back up to £1250!

 

[John Barrett]

Exactly that!

Crossfire costing me around £600 and a Crossfuse would have been double the price. If I'd had more money I might have gone to one of the independents or gone for a more upmarket brand like Cube or Giant instead anyway.

Also, I think the offer might have finished and its back up to £1250!

Yes, it is now £1250. I paid £800 for this bike, tremendous value if it is reliable! By contrast, in 2012 I bought a first generation Giant electric bike for some £1600, and it was not reliable either, the battery lasting only 7-12 miles, so I swapped it for my current Giant Escape RX0 part carbon flat bar (£950 then), which weighs less than ten kg. , and I'm sorely tempted to return the ebike and persevere with the 'proper' bike! Trouble is, at 71, the slightest gradient is a bit daunting...
John

 

[fredtop]

I would still swap it for the Crossfuse or make sure you call them to complain each time it cuts out or in particular if it develops the pedalling through treacle problem. They knew I wasn’t happy so swapped it even though I’d had it a month and done about 400 miles
Mike

I’ve had my Crossfire e for nearly a year and half and have generally been happy with it.
It used could out from time time but was not very often, sometimes going weeks between cut outs. However the past couple of months the cut outs have become more frequent and it now cuts out nearly every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times. I have a short round trip commute of just under 10 miles, and it usually happens after a bump. To fix it I have to remove and reconnect the display but sometimes I need to turn the battery off.
I know the bike is still under warranty but is it now too old to be offered a crossfuse as an upgrade?

 

[MikeS]

I’ve had my Crossfire e for nearly a year and half and have generally been happy with it.
It used could out from time time but was not very often, sometimes going weeks between cut outs. However the past couple of months the cut outs have become more frequent and it now cuts out nearly every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times. I have a short round trip commute of just under 10 miles, and it usually happens after a bump. To fix it I have to remove and reconnect the display but sometimes I need to turn the battery off.
I know the bike is still under warranty but is it now too old to be offered a crossfuse as an upgrade?

That's why I was suggesting to the OP that he keeps complaining about any of the things that go wrong, then I think they are more likely to offer a full credit against something else even quite a long way down the track. A £650 effective price for the Crossfire is not something that can be ignored - that's a hell of a good price if you end up with a reliable one - which some people obviously do get. But you have to ask yourself why they are discounting the Crossfire and not the Crossfuse.
FWIW - I made sure I never lost my temper with any of the Halfords staff despite getting very annoyed by some of them suggesting that I must be imagining the riding-through-treacle problem. I would have liked them to solve my Crossfire problems and wrote some detailed reports for them to feed back to Suntour. I think this helped when I said I really didn't want to wait for them to try and fix it (if they couldn;t say what they were going to do)
Mike

 

[John Barrett]

I took the bike back to Halfords today and they fixed it straight away. Some loose spokes(!) on the RHS of the rear wheel. No more battery problems either and the bike is a peach. My 'Proper' bike is on ebay!
John

 

[Nick4266]

2500 mile update
I've been commuting on my crossfire virtually every weekday this year doing about 25 miles each day and have now passed the 2500 mile mark so thought I would give an update on how it's doing. Unfortunately not all is well at the moment !
Cut-outs - I along with everyone else it seems have experienced the cut out problem and I am suprised that Halfords haven't come up with a solution for this by now. It is very irritating when it happens and for me the only solution that seems to work everytime is to unlock the battery and remove it, put it back in and restart and all is well. It tends to come in waves for me, with no cutouts for several weeks, then a several for a few days running. It does tend to happen to me at similar points on my journey in or home but I can't really pinpoint why it would do it at that point.
Battery - I have been very careful to follow the instructions on recharging the battery and to try and run it down to below 20% before recharging. For the first 6 months of use this would mean putting the power setting up to max for the final 5 miles of my journey. However in the last couple of months I've noticed that the battery is not charging to full. It shows it as 99% but after a few pedals on the bike and it's down to 91%. So it has obviously degraded already. In addition to this the range is reducing dramatically and now I dare not use the bike on full power unless I'm within 1/2 mile from home as the battery drains very fast. So whereas previously I could easily do my daily commute and get home with plenty of battery to spare I have to manage the power to ensure I get home ! I have referred this to Halfords and apparently they have to send the battery off for it to be fully tested (3 week turnaround) but have suggested that I may be riding it incorrectly ! Apparently riding it in Tour mode all the time will have a detrimental effect on the battery life. Really, what I am meant to do then, ride it on Eco all the time. Also they have said that I should always use the Climb setting for hills rather than full power. I can understand this on long hill climbs where the battery could overheat, but my hills are short but steep. So I will wait and see what they come back with.
Spokes - A couple of months back I had a blowout puncture which turned out to be a broken spoke that had penetrated the inner tube. Halfords repaired the spokes affected (4 in the end) and all seemed well until last week. Once again some of the spokes have gone leaving the bike unridable and me having a 7 mile walk home! I suspect that this has been caused by the original spoke failure and although the broken spokes were repaired others were weakened and the wheel not balanced properly once repaired. It should also be noted Halfords don't keep the spokes in stock for this bike. They have to be ordered in specially. Halfords are now suggesting that the bike is not suitable to take a weight over 17st in total and this could be why the spokes are failing. Now I am very tall and overweight so I am definitely over this limit, but they never mentioned this when I was purchasing the bike originally. So what do I do ? Do I just have to accept that this is going to be a regular occurrence going forward unless I can shed a couple of stone.

It's a shame because the bike when it is running well is a very nice ride but if the battery is going to wear out much faster than the 400 recharges indicated by Halfords then it's going to become a much more expensive commute.

Has anyone else had issues with their battery ?

 

[fredtop]

2500 mile update
I've been commuting on my crossfire virtually every weekday this year doing about 25 miles each day and have now passed the 2500 mile mark so thought I would give an update on how it's doing. Unfortunately not all is well at the moment !
Cut-outs - I along with everyone else it seems have experienced the cut out problem and I am suprised that Halfords haven't come up with a solution for this by now. It is very irritating when it happens and for me the only solution that seems to work everytime is to unlock the battery and remove it, put it back in and restart and all is well. It tends to come in waves for me, with no cutouts for several weeks, then a several for a few days running. It does tend to happen to me at similar points on my journey in or home but I can't really pinpoint why it would do it at that point.
Battery - I have been very careful to follow the instructions on recharging the battery and to try and run it down to below 20% before recharging. For the first 6 months of use this would mean putting the power setting up to max for the final 5 miles of my journey. However in the last couple of months I've noticed that the battery is not charging to full. It shows it as 99% but after a few pedals on the bike and it's down to 91%. So it has obviously degraded already. In addition to this the range is reducing dramatically and now I dare not use the bike on full power unless I'm within 1/2 mile from home as the battery drains very fast. So whereas previously I could easily do my daily commute and get home with plenty of battery to spare I have to manage the power to ensure I get home ! I have referred this to Halfords and apparently they have to send the battery off for it to be fully tested (3 week turnaround) but have suggested that I may be riding it incorrectly ! Apparently riding it in Tour mode all the time will have a detrimental effect on the battery life. Really, what I am meant to do then, ride it on Eco all the time. Also they have said that I should always use the Climb setting for hills rather than full power. I can understand this on long hill climbs where the battery could overheat, but my hills are short but steep. So I will wait and see what they come back with.
Spokes - A couple of months back I had a blowout puncture which turned out to be a broken spoke that had penetrated the inner tube. Halfords repaired the spokes affected (4 in the end) and all seemed well until last week. Once again some of the spokes have gone leaving the bike unridable and me having a 7 mile walk home! I suspect that this has been caused by the original spoke failure and although the broken spokes were repaired others were weakened and the wheel not balanced properly once repaired. It should also be noted Halfords don't keep the spokes in stock for this bike. They have to be ordered in specially. Halfords are now suggesting that the bike is not suitable to take a weight over 17st in total and this could be why the spokes are failing. Now I am very tall and overweight so I am definitely over this limit, but they never mentioned this when I was purchasing the bike originally. So what do I do ? Do I just have to accept that this is going to be a regular occurrence going forward unless I can shed a couple of stone.

It's a shame because the bike when it is running well is a very nice ride but if the battery is going to wear out much faster than the 400 recharges indicated by Halfords then it's going to become a much more expensive commute.

Has anyone else had issues with their battery ?

My battery is the same, straight down to around 93% after a few pedals then OK. I have only covered around 1200 miles.
I took my bike in to Halfords on Saturday - they said the company that deals with the electric bike repairs only operate Mon - Friday so they have sent them an email detailing the problems I am having and have said they will ring me when they get a reply.
The Halfords assistant was quite annoying and even suggested that cut outs were because the bike was dirty (it was a bit dusty from my ride home on Friday).
Strangely it didn't cut out this morning.

 

[fredtop]

Also when mine cuts out and I turn it back on with the display button, the bike works but I can't change any of the settings so I am stuck in tour mode. If I remove the display then it is fine until it cuts out again.