All mtn 7. Ridden 38 times... And now this..

[Tubby G]

Boots I like your channel and want to encourage you to keep going despite all the haters. It’s a good honest ‘motovlog’ of an average mtb rider doing cross country rides in Yorkshire. It’s turning into a bit of an interactive soap opera now too, which will gain you more views purely for the comedy factor

Most mtb channels on YouTube are either pro riders, review or tech type magazine shows or GoPro shots of single track action but without all the editing and commentary. You put a lot of effort into the filming, editing, ‘storyline’, camera angles etc etc and this is what makes it different to the hundreds of others that are out there. The internet if full of armchair keyboard warriors, haters, trolls and so on and you just have to be thick skinned and take it all on the chin, which you are doing

Not everyone is a spanner expert, including myself (I’d rather pay a qualified bike mechanic to carry out difficult tasks) but this forum in particular to the many other FB emtb forums out there seems to have more ‘experts’ than anywhere else. Just take it all as sound advice and ignore the negative comments

 

[neiloxford]

Can somebody create an ebike app so people can record bike and motor issues. Then we can see which bike brands and motor brands have a high percentage of issues. I have in my head something like the Zoe symptom tracker app for our ebikes.

alternatively an annual survey would be easier

 

[BOTG]

Boots I like your channel and want to encourage you to keep going despite all the haters. It’s a good honest ‘motovlog’ of an average mtb rider doing cross country rides in Yorkshire. It’s turning into a bit of an interactive soap opera now too, which will gain you more views purely for the comedy factor

Most mtb channels on YouTube are either pro riders, review or tech type magazine shows or GoPro shots of single track action but without all the editing and commentary. You put a lot of effort into the filming, editing, ‘storyline’, camera angles etc etc and this is what makes it different to the hundreds of others that are out there. The internet if full of armchair keyboard warriors, haters, trolls and so on and you just have to be thick skinned and take it all on the chin, which you are doing

Not everyone is a spanner expert, including myself (I’d rather pay a qualified bike mechanic to carry out difficult tasks) but this forum in particular to the many other FB emtb forums out there seems to have more ‘experts’ than anywhere else. Just take it all as sound advice and ignore the negative comments

Thanks mate very supportive and encouraging response thank you. I get more views than subs analytics show 82% of people don't sub, would be flying otherwise. Cheers.

Don't know what to do with myself today with no bike lol.

 

[JC1982]

Were you riding it hard? Worried I should chill a bit more on down hill sections scared it will break or cost me again...

Ride mine on red, black runs all the time mate, alot of rooty and stoney trails near me in South Wales. I have rising it in all weather through the winter as well.

My torque sensor blew on a tech climb. It was a dry evening when it happened and I hadnt done anything but simple road and cycle track on the ride before getting to the climb.

I still think the bikes are capable of being railed, it's just one of those things. The majority done post how their bike is working normal. So we just see the pro lens people have.

Hold in there if they replaced mine I am sure they will sort yours. I have had no issues since, putting 60miles on it this week finishing yesterday running White's Level (red trail) in Afan Forest.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Don't know what to do with myself today with no bike lol.

It's time to put all the frustration and emotions into a new sister YouTube Channel : "Handbags on yer arms".

All us grumpy b4stards can go and give it the thumbs down and criticise your overly masculine handbag choices.

 

[brizi2003]

agreed. but all of this requires good working knowledge of the bike, the drivetrain and the suspension.
I thing the stark reality is you can't just buy an e-bike and ride it without knowing this. even if you were to ride it, and take it to get serviced by someone who knows what they are doing quite regularly, thats still not enough.
I remember the days when I was a generator mechanic in the army, my job was to look after generators. problem was almost all of the faults that came up were due to the operator. theres only so much we could do, when it was fixed and running it was down to the operator to keep it like that, but more often than not they didn't really care and just kicked it back to us when it was broken, without us being there and actually operating it for them 247 there was no other way.
so in comparison to the MTB world, you either need to learn and practice all of the required maintenance on the e bike, or you need to have your maintenance guy ride alongside you all the time, and if anything goes wrong, get him to fix it. there's no in-between

To be honest I wouldn't feel comfortable not knowing how to do basic safety checks on my bike. Things like a loose cassette could cause a serious accident and this goes for many other components too. I check my bike after every ride and carry out full maintenance checks every 500/1000 miles with various degrees of strip down and inspection. I wouldn't say I'm an expert but I have gradually got to know each part of my bike over time. I think its worth learning how to do basic checks even if you need someone else to sort out the problem. It could prevent an accident or mean not getting stranded in the middle of nowhere. I used to just ride my bike and drop it into a shop for servicing once a year and get everything done, but looking back I think I was lucky to get away with it! If you really haven't a clue then some shops will do a free safety check which will at least mean your bike should be safe to ride.

 

[TPEHAK]

Can somebody create an ebike app so people can record bike and motor issues. Then we can see which bike brands and motor brands have a high percentage of issues. I have in my head something like the Zoe symptom tracker app for our ebikes.

alternatively an annual survey would be easier

There was a servey on this forum. Yamaha motors are the most reliable motors, Specialized motors are the least reliable motors.

 

[Zimmerframe]

can record bike and motor issues. Then we can see which bike brands and motor brands have a high percentage of issues.

Most bikes these days are pretty good, so there aren't actually that many specific bike problems. Obviously at the moment there's the Haibike bearing issue and in the past there's been the cracking lapiere's which were either changed or refunded - but the problems are generally addressed one way or another by the bike companies.

As with lots "problems" different people report/complain about different things. There are a LOT of Specialized owners for instance, so probably cover a wider spread of "buying types". Specialized owners also complain more, possibly because they consider that they've bought a "premium" product.

A long time ago I did a thread to report motor failures which I then kept updating into a survey sheet on the front page. What people reported in there and what was mentioned in threads about issues ended up giving no true reflection. For instance on one day two people in threads said their levo's motors failed, they both also put it on the failure thread. The same day a record 3 giants had failed yamaha motors in threads, but none of them listed their failures in the failure thread.

So just having somewhere/an application for people to report problems, doesn't necessarily mean that information will correlate to the real world situation.

In the end I decided to manually track failures and none failures over 12 months. Noting each forum users bike/motor, so you could actually work it out as a percentage. At the same time I got the figures from two shops who were multi brand vendors which also helped give a base line to the forum figures. Then tried to check every post to note failures. Failures reported in the the main survey were ignored as it was inaccurate.

In the end it was :

SL motor <2%
Bosch (all types) <4%
Yamaha <6%
Shimano E8000 <6%
Brose (all types) <7%
Shimano E7000 >10%

At the time the SL was new, so didn't have a full 12 month run. The Bosch Gen 4 was also new in the later part so didn't do the full 12 months hence why they were lumped together. The Gen4 at the time was actually LESS reliable than the Brose ! Though this was down to software issues, so I didn't log them as failures in the totals. I logged the e8000 an e7000 separately as I had an e8000 at the time so was interested for personal reasons when it would have been easier to lump them together as I did with Yamaha, Bosch and the Brose 1.2/1.3/2.1 when I possibly should have done these separately, but it was quite a bit more work confirming each motor version as people invariably didn't say.

There's obviously a million reasons why this might not be accurate, so take it with a pinch of salt. Only the manufacturers would know the true figures and only Specialized have ever released failure numbers, however, they corresponded to my numbers.

 

[1oldfart]

Did you wash your Ebike?
I had no problem, have been riding almost daily my 2020 Yamaha/Giant for 9 months.
I never wash any bike, i simply wipe off the excess and lube.
Good luck

 

[Beekeeper]

It's time to put all the frustration and emotions into a new sister YouTube Channel : "Handbags on yer arms".

All us grumpy b4stards can go and give it the thumbs down and criticise your overly masculine handbag choices.

 

[brizi2003]

View attachment 58274

Haha! Perfect for you Beekeeper!

 

[nasamorpheus]

Most bikes these days are pretty good, so there aren't actually that many specific bike problems. Obviously at the moment there's the Haibike bearing issue and in the past there's been the cracking lapiere's which were either changed or refunded - but the problems are generally addressed one way or another by the bike companies.

As with lots "problems" different people report/complain about different things. There are a LOT of Specialized owners for instance, so probably cover a wider spread of "buying types". Specialized owners also complain more, possibly because they consider that they've bought a "premium" product.

A long time ago I did a thread to report motor failures which I then kept updating into a survey sheet on the front page. What people reported in there and what was mentioned in threads about issues ended up giving no true reflection. For instance on one day two people in threads said their levo's motors failed, they both also put it on the failure thread. The same day a record 3 giants had failed yamaha motors in threads, but none of them listed their failures in the failure thread.

So just having somewhere/an application for people to report problems, doesn't necessarily mean that information will correlate to the real world situation.

In the end I decided to manually track failures and none failures over 12 months. Noting each forum users bike/motor, so you could actually work it out as a percentage. At the same time I got the figures from two shops who were multi brand vendors which also helped give a base line to the forum figures. Then tried to check every post to note failures. Failures reported in the the main survey were ignored as it was inaccurate.

In the end it was :

SL motor <2%
Bosch (all types) <4%
Yamaha <6%
Shimano E8000 <6%
Brose (all types) <7%
Shimano E7000 >10%

At the time the SL was new, so didn't have a full 12 month run. The Bosch Gen 4 was also new in the later part so didn't do the full 12 months hence why they were lumped together. The Gen4 at the time was actually LESS reliable than the Brose ! Though this was down to software issues, so I didn't log them as failures in the totals. I logged the e8000 an e7000 separately as I had an e8000 at the time so was interested for personal reasons when it would have been easier to lump them together as I did with Yamaha, Bosch and the Brose 1.2/1.3/2.1 when I possibly should have done these separately, but it was quite a bit more work confirming each motor version as people invariably didn't say.

There's obviously a million reasons why this might not be accurate, so take it with a pinch of salt. Only the manufacturers would know the true figures and only Specialized have ever released failure numbers, however, they corresponded to my numbers.

Bosch was less reliable then Brose? That is not true, can't be, it's impossible.. I know guy had to replace Brose motor after 1000 miles.. 5 times .. 5 times!!! And don't tell me it's not true, he still has brose motor coz he loves his kenevo.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Bosch was less reliable then Brose? That is not true, can't be, it's impossible.. I know guy had to replace Brose motor after 1000 miles.. 5 times .. 5 times!!! And don't tell me it's not true, he still has brose motor coz he loves his kenevo.

Momentarily ! When it first came out a lot of people had software related issues - they fixed things pretty quickly though.

And yes, some people seem to destroy brose motors .. Still trying to find the pattern of the "superhero" types .. no idea if it's low cadence in high support leading to over heating or their butlers not knowing they shouldn't jet wash it or bath it ..

 

[Zimmerframe]

Haha! Perfect for you Beekeeper!

Do you think they have expressions like "A bee in the bag is worth two in the hive" ?

 

[Jimbo Vills]

You have to tell the butler not to jet wash them??

Why didn’t anyone tell me that

 

[paul-g]

Most bikes these days are pretty good, so there aren't actually that many specific bike problems. Obviously at the moment there's the Haibike bearing issue and in the past there's been the cracking lapiere's which were either changed or refunded - but the problems are generally addressed one way or another by the bike companies.

As with lots "problems" different people report/complain about different things. There are a LOT of Specialized owners for instance, so probably cover a wider spread of "buying types". Specialized owners also complain more, possibly because they consider that they've bought a "premium" product.

A long time ago I did a thread to report motor failures which I then kept updating into a survey sheet on the front page. What people reported in there and what was mentioned in threads about issues ended up giving no true reflection. For instance on one day two people in threads said their levo's motors failed, they both also put it on the failure thread. The same day a record 3 giants had failed yamaha motors in threads, but none of them listed their failures in the failure thread.

So just having somewhere/an application for people to report problems, doesn't necessarily mean that information will correlate to the real world situation.

In the end I decided to manually track failures and none failures over 12 months. Noting each forum users bike/motor, so you could actually work it out as a percentage. At the same time I got the figures from two shops who were multi brand vendors which also helped give a base line to the forum figures. Then tried to check every post to note failures. Failures reported in the the main survey were ignored as it was inaccurate.

In the end it was :

SL motor <2%
Bosch (all types) <4%
Yamaha <6%
Shimano E8000 <6%
Brose (all types) <7%
Shimano E7000 >10%

At the time the SL was new, so didn't have a full 12 month run. The Bosch Gen 4 was also new in the later part so didn't do the full 12 months hence why they were lumped together. The Gen4 at the time was actually LESS reliable than the Brose ! Though this was down to software issues, so I didn't log them as failures in the totals. I logged the e8000 an e7000 separately as I had an e8000 at the time so was interested for personal reasons when it would have been easier to lump them together as I did with Yamaha, Bosch and the Brose 1.2/1.3/2.1 when I possibly should have done these separately, but it was quite a bit more work confirming each motor version as people invariably didn't say.

There's obviously a million reasons why this might not be accurate, so take it with a pinch of salt. Only the manufacturers would know the true figures and only Specialized have ever released failure numbers, however, they corresponded to my numbers.

God Zimm, you gather all this information and probably more, Gordon Bennett.
think i`ll have to have a wip round (not what you think) and get you a new television
so you can have a re run of Dr Finnleys Casebook and Firebal XL5 to re generate
some of the grey bits

 

[paul-g]

Do you think they have expressions like "A bee in the bag is worth two in the hive" ?

didn`t want you to feel left out Zimm

 

[Zimmerframe]

God Zimm, you gather all this information and probably more, Gordon Bennett.

It was two fold. I was genuinely curious and I wanted to buy a new bike - however, based on what I'd read on the forum I was genuinely terrified to buy a Specialized ! It didn't take long before it became apparent that things weren't quite as bad as I thought and I did buy a Kenevo and it's been problem free despite being ridden by an absolute Muppet ! I then carried it on for the 12 months just out of curiosity and I guess it had become an obsession by then ! Ultimately, there's not that much in it .. and none of them like water.

Don't worry I deleted everything as I had perceived riding styles, sexual histories ... all sorts in there ! (Gary had his own sub spread sheet !)

 

[Zimmerframe]

If we're not leaving people out .. for the OP .. this is as close as I can get to a suitable handbag for Boots ....

 

[Jorel]

If anyone with no experience reads this thread, I'm pretty sure he'll stick to his old naturally aspirated bike.

This thread is also an interesting display of characters and mindsets.
Keep on...

 

[Zimmerframe]

If anyone with no experience reads this thread, I'm pretty sure he'll stick to his old naturally aspirated bike.

This thread is also an interesting display of characters and mindsets.
Keep on...

Or be looking for a great bargain on a second hand haibike !

 

[Beekeeper]

I’m now getting loads of adverts for handbags ?

 

[Zimmerframe]

I’m now getting loads of adverts for handbags ?

Time to treat Mrs Bee to an early xmas present and Mr Bee to a forum subscription .. the subscriber tab is in your favourite colours !

 

[paul-g]

Or be looking for a great bargain on a second hand haibike !

runner or spares

 

[Jorel]

Or be looking for a great bargain on a second hand haibike !

Maybe ?
Three Haibikes in the house here.
All Yamahas.
One motor failed... out of warranty.
Peter Collard made it like new for a few quid.
Not a single issue with the rest.
And I own an Allmtn7 ? and it gets treated badly...

 

[paul-g]

I’m now getting loads of adverts for handbags ?

the women havn`t been out for 14 months
buy,buy,buy
then sell,sell,sell
dancefloors will be full
they have to have new bags

 

[Mikerb]

Hopefully the OP survives the "tough love" shown in this thread. If people did not care they would just ignore the bloke! Keep in mind there are various alliances here..........EMTB fans/ MTB fans/Haibike Fans/YT emtb video fans/ BOTG fans! So comments will vary.

Some bits of advice for BOTG from me:-
1. Do not assume a new bike has been put together properly!
2. 38 rides...assuming each ride is 2 hours....... is a hell of a lot of riding often in mucky conditions. I would at least have had the cassette and freehub off to clean and regrease, and clean/check front and rear wheel bearings at half that ride distance.....more especially on a new bike. Once I had cleaned and serviced those items I would be more familiar with how well they are sealed and that my service will probably mean all those items are far better protected from then onwards.
3. You ride hard...........you ride in mucky conditions.........a big priority for you must now be to learn bit by bit how to check your bike and do basic maintenance on a regular basis. I thoroughly check and clean my bike after every ride.....often it is as satisfying as the ride itself!
4. Take the attitude that if the bike lets you down, 90% of the time its your fault ( obviously there are some things you cannot control). That way you portray on your videos real love for your bike.............not just love when it meets your high expectations.........your passion for riding that is obvious in the videos can then be spread to the bike, and viewers will be more attracted to that than a whinge about this or that brand or this or that LBS.

Maybe a list of basic checks and cleaning/re-greasing tasks after each ride if conditions are really mucky would be a useful thing to compile.

Good luck with your channel.

I thought BOTG might benefit from some of the things I have learnt from my YT channel over the years. ( yt channel is "mikerbwind")

The majority of videos I have posted are Windsurfing related and I do not promote the channel anywhere......it has a total of c 300k views.

I only started the channel as a means of sharing videos with friends and family.........but I also got very interested in Gopros and video editing. So all the other views are really just people who have found the channel by searching for a topic.

Regardless how old the video is, the most popular by far are "how to" tips on windsurfing technique, followed by reviews of boards and sails that I have bought.

There are some kayaking and MTB videos plus a couple on video/Gopro/editing techniques so I am not too concerned about the channel being related to a single subject.

I was told a long time ago that the person you need to please with a video is YOURSELF..............if others like it or find it useful then great but aiming to please people you do not know if a lost cause!

Storyboarding a video is the most important aspect of creating a video.

The most viewed videos are less than 3 minutes long.

I do most of my videos with music and no commentary. All of my music is "creative commons" and I do not monetise my channel, meaning the music artists actually get the advertising revenue from my channel and I get no copyright strikes.

If I was to start a YT channelw ith the a mbition of it becoming popular, a revenue earner, and attracting a lot of subscribers. I would certainly take note of some of the things I have learnt in BOLD above but also do some things differently. To attract and retain subscribers you need to be prepared to produce new videos regularly. The topics I would run with would be:-
1.Technique ( it does not have to be expert!..........how to by amateurs are often more revealing)
2. Trail venues ( MTBers are always interested in new locations to try)
3. Bike maintenance ( learn with me type)
4. Kit review ( tyres/brakes/riding wear etc ) possibly bike reviews if there is somewhere you can hire a bike for a day.

 

[Rosemount]

That's right for all manufacturers.
Every make has its problems and issues.
There is no exception.


With the above said, what would you buy then? And what do you expect from another brand? No problems? ?


Agree. All eBikes are way overpriced.
But if you want one now, you have to pay the price.
But the main problem is the reliability and the service offered by the LBS.
Most of them aren't very good in afterbuy services. And in these strange times they get away with it.
I tried to order a 29er Michelin eWild in a local bike shop.
First shop refused to help me because the boss said Michelins are no good and he won't sell them to me. Instead I should buy Schwalbe.
Second shop wasn't aware that Michelin eWilds even exist.
Third bike shop made clear (in an unfriendly manner) that he only orders the tyre if I exactly know the parts-number because he doesn't want to search for it.
After we had a look in his computer together, he ordered the eWild which then came two weeks later because he didn't order the same day when I was there. Instead he waited another five days to collect some more orders to save money on shipping. Still he wanted to charge me all the shipping costs.
Now what's the point of this text?
If you're not able to do most of your repairs on your own, you're screwed.
Order as much spare parts as you can before you have an issue.
Try to understand the function of the bike-parts and their impact on the bike.
And finally your wallet should contain some bigger bills ?

I think some LBS `s will need to have an attitude adjustment if and when this COVID era is over
Some have become drunk on the power they have currently. But ,,, like Spiderman`s Uncle told him . With great power comes great responsibility .

 

[Andycap]

Morning all. I want to thank you all for taking the time to answer and give feed back here on the forum, I'm Taurus so I fly off the handle quick, I am putting so much effort into my channel its a passion project and its grinded to a halt, literally. When you love something so much you become defensive and for that I apologise to you all.

I really wanted it too be a success. I am the first to admit my lack of mechanical knowledge, iv been riding for over 12 years owned, muddy Fox, x2 treks, Claude butler, orange crush, marin mount vision, and my Haibike, I love to ride.

When things have gone wrong in the past iv had somebody who loved to tinker and fix things and genuinely enjoyed doing it, they are not with us anymore so it's either I try and do it or get in bike shop.

My brakes video which I thought was grit on rotar was a big mistake yes BUT I showed that mistake and what I had done and what the issue, not an easy decision to show that video but it showed what other riders with little mechanical experience may do as well some channels only show riding or the good stuff I want to be honest and show it all.

I will not accept from anyone I'm not passionate about riding or my channel. Period. Its all I have that brings me any joy.

Nor do I accept that that I can't say I'm disappointed having ridden less than 40x I expected parts to last longer, there is no right or wrong answer.

So I thank you again for your feedback iv taken it on board and made me realise I could ask you lot before jumping the gun, we learn we grow we appreciate., we... Hopefully ride.

Much love. Andy.

PS. The guy who requested to send me a private message on Facebook you know who you are. Come meet me say it too my face it was totally uncalled for. .. I will wait.

Hey Andy.

If you need a second set of eyes to check your bike over and fancy a drive down to Staffordshire, I will be more than willing to help you solve or diagnose the issue. I have plenty of tools and a good workshop where we can get it sorted. Perhaps if we get it sorted then I can show you around Cannock chase. It would have to be a weekend though due to work.

Let me know.

Andy.

 

[JC1982]

Hi Andy (@Boots on the Ground YT ),

Any news on your bike? Just wondering, mine has gone in again after issues with the second motor, sounding like a washing machine, on the down stroke of the pedals with a plastic clicking noise. The chain ring has also started scraping into the chain stay and also the screw in the motor behind the chain ring has worked its way out.

In addition to that the barrel of the battery lock is loose to the point it won't hold the battery in.

To say I am disappointed now in what should be a quality bike is an understatement.