do you buy an ebike to keep for a long time? or sell on before warranty runs out?

[Bummers]

A 2022 cube e-bike with 750 battery, gen 4 Bosch motor, 38 170mm fox factory forks..... it's gonna be some time until there's something that will be a big enough upgrade that makes selling it and buying again worthwhile.

 

[Brian VT USA]

My full sus (real bike ,I just can’t call them anologue) had that from 1999 till 2022,My softail Ti I’ve had for 14 years,And plan to keep it till I drop.The new Ducati TK01-rr ,I can’t see any reason to see why the bike (not the motor ) should last less than these.So ,if I have to buy or repair the motor along the way it’s still going to cost a shed load less than a new e mountain bike.

I have flogged my Gas Gas EC300 to hell and back many times since 2005 (racing enduros). It must have well over 20K brutal miles on it. I paid $3k for it. I've only redone the top end once. Still a great bike that I wouldn't hesitate to head for a week down Baja with.
And I've got a 1978 Suzuki PE250 that I'm still racing in the vintage series. I paid $250 for it 12 years ago. Never let me down.
I went cheap on my eMTB since it's not my main activity. I don't expect it to last like my motos. I bought a spare motor, battery, and display for it as well as a few mechanical upgrades. I think I still have under $2k into it and it suits my needs very well. And I won't cry if it fails and can't be repaired (although I think I am prepared to keep it running for a while).
I'm amazed at the tech. of all MTBs/eMTBs these days. It's fantastic.
I just can't stomach the prices and fragility compared to petrol bikes.
This all reminds me of the old saying, "It's 10% bike, 90% rider." ;-)

 

[scrufy]

I've still got my 2002 ish hardtail stumpjumper s-works I used to race xc with, I have a 2023 moterra carbon 1 that I plan to eventually rebuild the battery or motor on and have at least as long. Gen4 cx, 750wh, lyric forks...I'm set for what I do for now.
Might be some nice hubs/wheels in my future but that's about it.

 

[Binhill1]

Will see if I can find some pics of my bikes no phones back then how did we manage . I'm thinking 1988 got my first mtb . Counting 9 or 12 if I count the three warranty frames i have gotten. so one every 4 years . I was on a two weeks on and two off rota or month and month rota away at sea so that's not bad I suppose . Forgot the Dawes tourer so 10 .

 

[Another rider]

do you buy an ebike to keep for a long time? or sell on before warranty runs out? just seems like there not long time owning purchases.

Unless something completely game changing comes long, or you have money to burn, I would keep what you have. But then my Bosch powered Cube hardtail is nearly 6 years old (and still going strong), my Focus is over 3 years old and also still fine. I also routinely ride my unassisted Trek MTB that is over 30 years old.
The real issue with the eMTBs isn't the going to be the motors but the batteries when they all start to deteriorate. At that point I may have to take a view on buying a seriously overpriced replacement battery and buying a new bike.

 

[sam.spoons]

Bought my Orbea Urrun (my first ebike) 18 months ago, I don't ride every day (or every week actually) so it's not getting hammered and will probably be the only eMTB I'll ever buy*. My youngest analogue bike is my Orange G3 bitsa which I built from used bits about 15-20 years ago and still ride when appropriate so I'm not known for buying shiny new bikes (I think I've only bought myself three new bikes ever and the other two were in the late '80s/early '90s).

 

[steve_sordy]

This is the only pic I have of my first mtb; a 2008 Kona Kula hardtail, alloy, 100mm Rockshox Recon fork, 26er.

Well, Serendipity strikes again! I went looking for the "only pic". I couldn't find it anywhere but found 13 others that I'd misplaced and forgotten that I had. Here is the best one!

(That reservoir under the seat that looks like it belongs on a shock, is the overflow oil reserve from a Kind Shock i7 dropper seatpost, for the 27.2mm seat tube).

 

[jetskier973]

No warranty, and too much into it to take a kick in balls. Love this bike anyway. It's so much fun and does well enough in enduro and steep descending.

 

[Bontee]

I just realised that I don’t actually own anything that has any warranty on it,….Nothing.

 

[edruid]

My Bosch waranty was worth about 3K over two years. Then the (carbon) frame broke. I was given the option to replace with new for a 2.5k supplement (on a 5.5k bike). I took it. Don't regret that decision.

 

[Bontee]

No warranty, and too much into it to take a kick in balls. Love this bike anyway. It's so much fun and does well enough in enduro and steep descending.
View attachment 136448 View attachment 136449

Jetskier,are those MT7’s,what do you think of them if you dont mind me asking.

 

[Truckee Robert]

I generally buy second from the top of the line in all my sports equipment then as things wear out I upgrade to top of the line parts. The EBike has been different I bought 3rd from tbe top of the line and have upgraded to the. Est version of the bike possible. It’s now such a great bike and I love riding it I’m not interested in selling it. Especially now that tbe motors can be serviced. It’s s Giant E Reign and it’s perfect for where I live in the mountains of Lake Tahoe. It’s a keeper for sure.

 

[Bndit]

I buy it for riding.

 

[Binhill1]

Well I have been retired now for 3 years so I doubt I would be buying anything as dear as the Levo expert again. Been a great bike and still is. Has taken me places I wouldn't manage or don't have the enthusiasm for all the effort. Warranty has been second to none thanks to Berkshire cycles. Unless I ruin another frame it should see me a few years yet.

 

[steve_sordy]

I just realised that I don’t actually own anything that has any warranty on it,….Nothing.

Freedom!

 

[Planemo]

My Haibike will likely be a lifer as resale losses are too harsh for my tight ass, not to mention the cost of a new bike. My only concern is trying to keep it going, I suspect problems with sourcing batteries/motor internals will be what ends it's life, well before it should IMO. It angers me somewhat just thinking about how serviceable it will be in say 10 years.

 

[Koban]

So long the geometrie of my Canyon Spectral ON CFR LTD and Torque ON CF suits me they stay. For now I'm quit happy with them. When needed I make some changes/updates to the bikes. Spectral used for 5000+km in one year and Torque ON 2000+ in a few months.


The Torque ON only the frame, motor and fork are left from the original bike. Build it like my own preferences.

 

[Doomanic]

That looks banging!

Has it ever seen a hill?

 

[Binhill1]

That looks banging!

Has it ever seen a hill?

You can't say that maybe he's just cleaned it.

 

[Doomanic]

Check out his location...

 

[Koban]

That looks banging!

Has it ever seen a hill?

More than enough ;-) Last week Chaudfontaine (BE) and Reichswald (DE) Yesterday Witten (DE), Today Reichswald.

Bikepark season almost started. So asap to Winterberg etc..

 

[jetskier973]

Jetskier,are those MT7’s,what do you think of them if you dont mind me asking.

@Bontee, I really like the MT-7 caliper. I like the individual pads and the magnetization for holding the pads in place. I love the power potential they have.
However, I'm not impressed with the Magura master cylinder and lever. Difficult to bleed, and the levers are too easily broken.
I feel that Shimano SLX levers I installed really showcase the MT-7 caliper's power. They are very powerful and are easy to modulate that power. But those levers aren't the lightest pull.
I have a set of MT-501 levers that are feathery light to the touch, but not sure if the master cylinder is as powerful as the SLX.
Fyi fwiw, the MT7 and the SLX are the biggest and most powerful brakes I've had experience with, aside from lower end OEM stuff that comes standard on bikes.

 

[FrostFlame]

Personally, I think it depends on a few factors. Like, if you're totally sold on the model and it's got rave reviews for durability, maybe hanging onto it makes sense. But then again, ebike tech's evolving super fast, you know? So flipping it before the warranty's up could score you some cash to put towards the latest and greatest down the road. Plus, if any issues pop up, you're covered. Tough balance between long-term enjoyment and keeping up with the tech wave, for sure.

 

[papab]

I've never worried about warranty much. My ebike is going on 7 yrs, the regular mtb I just upgraded was about 9 yrs old.

 

[Bontee]

@Bontee, I really like the MT-7 caliper. I like the individual pads and the magnetization for holding the pads in place. I love the power potential they have.
However, I'm not impressed with the Magura master cylinder and lever. Difficult to bleed, and the levers are too easily broken.
I feel that Shimano SLX levers I installed really showcase the MT-7 caliper's power. They are very powerful and are easy to modulate that power. But those levers aren't the lightest pull.
I have a set of MT-501 levers that are feathery light to the touch, but not sure if the master cylinder is as powerful as the SLX.
Fyi fwiw, the MT7 and the SLX are the biggest and most powerful brakes I've had experience with, aside from lower end OEM stuff that comes standard on bikes.

Thank you for taking the time to answer Jetskier,My wifes new bike comes with MT7s but she wants me to put her Hope E4 s on the new bike,she just loves them.That means that the MT7s are going free,I have XT 4 piston calipers on my bike so was toying with the idea of mating the magura calipers with my XT levers .This seems to be a relatively easy and worthwhile mod as it combines the best of the 2 systems .
The magura seem to have the power but I was also concerned about the resin levers,The XTs seem far more robust.
Thanks again

 

[jetskier973]

Thank you for taking the time to answer Jetskier,My wifes new bike comes with MT7s but she wants me to put her Hope E4 s on the new bike,she just loves them.That means that the MT7s are going free,I have XT 4 piston calipers on my bike so was toying with the idea of mating the magura calipers with my XT levers .This seems to be a relatively easy and worthwhile mod as it combines the best of the 2 systems .
The magura seem to have the power but I was also concerned about the resin levers,The XTs seem far more robust.
Thanks again

I think you have a great setup in mind, and you'll enjoy it very much.
The Shimano levers are much easier maintain regarding bleeding just air, or air and fluid.

 

[Rickster]

Warranty, what's that ? Seriously I have bought enough moto's with no warranty brand new that I don't even bother or think about any warranty. I do my own wrenching and find it way easier to just buy whatever parts I may need to get up and running again then dealing with the endless hassles and loss of riding time waiting for a claim.
I don't plan on selling the E until there is a huge jump in technology, even then I probably will still keep the bike.

 

[DieBoy]

do you buy an ebike to keep for a long time? or sell on before warranty runs out?

I'm planning on riding mine to death. The bike's, not mine hopefully

It's a Bosch gen 4 system so I'm expecting parts and repairs to be available for the foreseeable future.

If say, in ~5 years the battery goes and a replacement is somehow not available or ludicrously expensive then I'll be looking for a new bike.