Thursday afternoon and my mind is wandering. I've been half looking at EEBs recently after the announcement of the "cheap" Amflow and that led me to see what the used EEB market is like and it looks like there are some bargains to be had. So based on experience, are there motors/batteries to avoid like the plague if I were to dip my toe into the used market? Whats servicing/replacement costs like? If I buy a bike with a Bosch/Shimano motor which seems pretty common, are there any things I should look out for/red flags to avoid? Worst case, if I bought a bike that then lunched its Bosch/Shimano motor after 12 months, whats a replacement motor going to cost?
Bosch and Brose fixable for £350-400 I think.
Shimano, you'll need a new motor.
Mate had his Bosch rebuilt by some folks in the Lakes last year after 5 years of fun.
I went Brose as I had read that they can buy all the parts needed both mechanical and electrical.
No idea about Dji but I haven't read about many, if any failures.
Obviously, I'm hoping mine needs a new motor and battery just before the warranty runs out...
Worst case, if I bought a bike that then lunched its Bosch/Shimano motor after 12 months, whats a replacement motor going to cost?
Not just the motor - what do new bearings cost?
NSMB.COM I really like the new Bosch gen 5 CX motor. The 800Wh battery makes the bike quite hefty, but the range is fantastic. I think you can swap to a smaller 600Wh battery, and some bikes come with the smaller battery to save weight.
by contrast, my TQ HPR50 equipped bike feels quite underpowered. Having said that, it’s a much, much more natural pedalling experience. And the bike is much, much lighter - under 19Kg vs 24Kg. I have had to replace a TQ motor under warranty. But I think there seem to be stories about most motor brands needing replacing.
E-MOTORREPAIRS.CO.UK Bosch and Brose fixable for £350-400 I think.
Shimano, you'll need a new motor.
shimano is about the same price (assumign you havent voided the warrenty) shimano do a returns system 'for quality control'. i keep asking STW to investigate if the cases are re-used but no one seems to ask this question therefore one assumes not - which is daft if so as the cases are quite hard to damage.
i quite like my shimano motor.
on batteries - defo ensure the bike has one from a larger brand and is replaceable/easily removable. mine is proprietory and fixed inside the frame - not ideal. in a perfect world i`d want to charge the battery off the bike for away trips or multi battery days.
My 2019 Levo is still going strong, 3 years since it had a warrantied motor (like almost all of them did because of poor drive belts) and the batteries are proprietary but the Gen 2 and Gen 3 motors and batteries are interchangeable so they are easy to get hold of.
I do fancy an Amflow PR though...
My 2019 Kenevo is still on its first Brose motor. It hasn't done the mileage that some will do, but it's had plenty of abuse and some shitty winters.
I always use it at a decent cadence though and did send it off for a precautionary refurb a couple of years ago
my POV
i had a Fazua gravel bike, was (and still is, my mate has it now) working fully over several 1000 miles, however, following the groups, the customer service/support has been barely existant, so what was my favorite system, i wouldnt touch now
Likewise, i was interested in TQ50, looks like they have issues, but suggests the TQ60 is much better..
Myself? I'm on Yamaha PWX-3 as i believe, at least parts and support are available
i had a Fazua gravel bike, was (and still is, my mate has it now) working fully over several 1000 miles, however, following the groups, the customer service/support has been barely existant, so what was my favorite system, i wouldnt touch now
I really like the feel of my Fazua Ride60 (60Nm, 450W, 430Wh) but unsure I'd buy another. On one hand they feel lovely in an SL-type eMTB, on the other hand there's my perceived lack of support. Both official and aftermarket seem to be lacking. Shimano and especially Bosch appear to have the best options for out-of-warranty support. My Fazua's been perfect in the 18 months I've owned it so far. Whether they're any worse reliability than other motors/batteries I'm not sure.
Oh, and **** you Fazua for cancelling the range extender at the last minute.
If I was buying another SL-type eMTB I'd probably look for Bosch SX if possible.
I am on my fourth TQ motor in my trek fuel exe. I have owned the bike about 18 months.
The current motor is making some weird noises so think that might be on it 's way out aswell