eBike part durability

[Tetsugaku]

With that mileage, you would have likely replaced more parts on a normal bike. ?

I think that's my beef - seems perverse parts are made to fail so early!

Did the motor completely fail, or was it replaced as a courtesy?

Clutch went after 9 months of use, replaced under warranty without too much beef. I don't know if they have an expected lifespan or max milage, but it's not as high as a cars

 

[Tetsugaku]

I was going to suggest that myself. Here is a link:
Rohloff Speedhub Conversion - Specialized Levo Expert

Also, an eMTB that comes with Rohloff Speedhub + belt drive:
NICOLAI RELEASE 14 SPEED EBOXX E14
... now that would be a low maintenance bike.

Even better they do an XXL version which is pretty useful when you're 2.02M tall. Shame it's 9 grand though :/

I don't think my personal skills are up the conversion process there!

 

[Tetsugaku]

Let us know when you’ve done 15000km on the motor. This is when they recommend you replace the drive belt. Given that the motor is not supposed to be opened, I don’t know how the belt is to be replaced.

Well the motor was replaced after 7,500 odd KM, so with luck this one still has some life in it. I know they're bloody expensive to replace wholesale

 

[Tetsugaku]

There is nothing wrong with those components on your bike. They are all a compromise, where durable isn’t a key factor in MTB riding. MTB parts are strong, they are not durable.

Well in my opinion the fact we have a motor on the bike means that the parts supplied with an EMTB, should be the more durable versions

 

[Tetsugaku]

They can. and are.

it won't change the fact your bike is driven by a chain made with rollers/pins which wear and that wear contributing to sprocket/chainring ring wear.

i can't remember the rest of your rant (or be bothered scrolling up) but you probably get the idea

It's not a rant or an attack, it's a comment. Don't get the knock because you think I'm attacking your hobby. I'm saying, quite clearly, that given we have motors, we can handle a few extra grams

 

[R120]

To be fair your point of view is interesting, because you are coming from the background of someone new to biking, and a lot of us are coming from decades of playing around with bike, so its interesting to see your view, and I can understand how you came to it.

Without going round and round in circles it comes down to bike choice, you happen to have a bike where I am guessing you prioritised southing that was fun to ride over one that was most fit for purpose - out of interest when you where sold the bike did the shop advise you about the suitability of the bike for what you wanted?

Purely base on your commute you would look at a bike with hub gears, probably a gates drive rather than a chain for minimal maintenance, and probably something with built in lighting, racking and guards. Not very exciting, but pretty bullet proof.

 

[Tetsugaku]

Oh I'm definitely not "into" the hobby - but I do enjoy it and I like to take the bike out over the downs as I mentioned. I'd never get two bikes, like I'd never get two cars, too much cost and space and all that.

This bike seemed ideal (and it is, to be fair, except the running costs) to give me both aspects of riding. I like the idea of riding the equivalent of a turbo charged land rover

Life's just too short for riding a dull bike when I already drive a very very dull Ford S-Max the rest of the time!

I really think you'll get more people with problems like mine, as people come in from outside, and batteries are making more and more people pick up cycling that haven't been "into" the whole thing previously, something maybe the manufacturers will pick up on.

 

[R120]

It depends really, because I know plenty of people with regular E-Bikes who dont come from a cycling background, but use them for commuting/leisure, ride pretty no frills e-bikes and never do any proper maintenance on them, in some case for years, and dont have issues. I serviced my father in laws bike the other day, and he hadn't lubed the chain since I last serviced it last year! There are plenty of people on the continent, where E-Bikes are massive, doing similar mileage to you.

I still think you have had to do very little maintenance given the mileage, but the amount you will have done is excavated by your choice of bike, hence why I ask why the shop who sold it to you said. If I was working in a shop and you had come in, I would have said sure, Levo will do the commute, and be great for some off road fun, but be aware that the components will wear out quicker due to the commute than XYZ bike over here the is designed more for commuting/big miles.

Having said all that If I was in your position I would buy a Hardtail EMTB and tweak the components to suit the commute, probably have two wheel sets, one with road biased tyres for commuting on, and other for the weekends.

 

[Pdoz]

This bike seemed ideal (and it is, to be fair, except the running costs) to give me both aspects of riding. I like the idea of riding the equivalent of a turbo charged land rover

Life's just too short for riding a dull bike when I already drive a very very dull Ford S-Max the rest of the time!
n.

That's a pretty good analogy, and 10 k of fun in a new turbo landrover would have cost more than you spent on the bike.

You have a great bike that is going to be a lot more versatile and fun than some cheap piece of transport, but you are using it outside of the manufacturers intention , so might have to do some mods. Longer lasting brake pads / tyres, rethink the whole light weight expensive gear thing, and perhaps have a good , long think about would you prefer a japanese suv instead of a landrover ?

Btw, I agree with you about chain / gear wear - it's stupid. I'm waiting for a mass produced emtb with pinion gears and an o ring chain....

 

[Gary]

it’s the same with the tires. MTB pads are designed for stopping power, not durability.

Road pads are made of harder compounds, which have less stopping power (they don’t need as much) but are longer lasting.

Road pads are also less sensitive to oily pollutants. A road pad is going to screech less than MTB pads.

Changed the pads twice on my eMTb in the last 1.000km, the road ebike is still going strong on its first set after 2.000km.

Firstly road disc calipers generally use the same compound organic brake pad material as mtb pads. The properties are the same. I've no idea where you get the idea that they are less sensitive to polutants. drip oil on them and they'll lose their bite and start squealing like hell just the same as their mtb counterparts.
Road disc brake rotors are intentionally much smaller diameter to creat less leverage and this is what lessens braking force. not pad compound.

Of course road brake pads will last longer than mtb pads as there's comparitively not a great deal of braking required in roadbiking. unless your usual road ride is in the wet down steep hills with traffic lights at red every few hundred yards.

Soft compound rubber road rim brake pads generally last me many thousand miles (all weather riding). mtb disc pads can last me anything from a paltry 50-100 miles (uplifted DHing) to 1200miles (emtb) to 3000 miles (mtb hardtail).

As for your tyre/disc pad anology Some tyres are designed for maximum durability, others for maximum grip (hint: you can't have both) most are a mix of the two - this is true of pretty much all vehicular pneumatic tyres nevermind road vs mtb bicycle tyres.

 

[Mikerb]

I got confused here whether the OP was referring to MILES or Kilometres.

Either way, I agree the comments re suitability of a Levo for high mileage commuting. As a novice, the OP may also not be being that kind to his LEVO! I have a friend who rides 3/4 times a week, offroad but fireroad type trails and he has replaced virtually everything on that bike except the frame. OK its an XC bike, but when I went for a ride with him, the first thing I noticed was that he was always in the saddle and always in too high a gear. So he never gave the bike room to breath on bumpier ground and he used a well developed set of quads to keep grinding out the speed. Im not suggesting the OP is like this...of course I am not! Just like any mechanical device there are ways to use them whilst being more friendly to the parts.

 

[Doug Stampfer]

Tetsugaku this has become a great thread for recommendations of more robust parts & perceptions of part longevity. I felt the same as you when I got into motorcycling & suddenly the 'cheaper' commuter option became more expensive than taking the car.

 

[outerlimits]

Just look for brake pads with “ebike”, in the the packaging or marketing. You will then know they are tougher for ebike use ?

I’m really sick of seeing things marketed this way when they are just the same as something that is already available.
I call BS

 

[Gary]

 

[SvenHelgason]

You’re milage is remarkable and also the durability. Im guessing that your commute has long flat roads? Why? Because my commute is 5km and quite hilly with many traffic light stops.

I feel like normal bicycle components are top weak for the initial torque of the motor, and the “under load shifts”

3000km in and I have gone through:
3x cassettes
4x chains (snapped one)
1x freehub (cassette spun on the hub)
2x shifter cable inners
1x shifter canle outers (cracked)
1x rear derailer (probably not needed)
1x derailer hanger
1x set of brake pads
1x front disk rotor
1x chainring (upgraded from 34t to 38t)
Tires still original Nobby Nic

The 3 smallest cogs take the brunt of use, 10-42 cassette. Ive upped the top speed to having 45km/h available when needed.

Focus Jam2 factory plus (shimano steps)

 

[Tetsugaku]

I’m really sick of seeing things marketed this way when they are just the same as something that is already available.
I call BS

That might be true but given we have a motor, shouldn't we be able to get parts truly aimed at bikes which prioritise durability over weight?

 

[Mikerb]

Mmmm...tells a story...changing gear under load......top 3 gears....deristricted....strong torque on start off.
I momentarilly ease torque to change gear....ensure I am in a low gear before stopping....start off in ECO...maintain a high cadence in low gear. Efficiency rather than power.

 

[Tetsugaku]

You’re milage is remarkable and also the durability. Im guessing that your commute has long flat roads? Why? Because my commute is 5km and quite hilly with many traffic light stops.

I feel like normal bicycle components are top weak for the initial torque of the motor, and the “under load shifts”

3000km in and I have gone through:
3x cassettes
4x chains (snapped one)
1x freehub (cassette spun on the hub)
2x shifter cable inners
1x shifter canle outers (cracked)
1x rear derailer (probably not needed)
1x derailer hanger
1x set of brake pads
1x front disk rotor
1x chainring (upgraded from 34t to 38t)
Tires still original Nobby Nic

50K, totally flat, bike path almost the entire way yes, on the road proper for about 4K of it I suppose?

Do you think your replacement parts list is truly reasonable for anything other than the well funded hobbyist? Because I just don't

 

[Tetsugaku]

Mmmm...tells a story...changing gear under load......top 3 gears....deristricted....strong torque on start off.
I momentarilly ease torque to change gear....ensure I am in a low gear before stopping....start off in ECO...maintain a high cadence in low gear. Efficiency rather than power.

Also unrealistic for most people to do that though - I want to point it and ride it. I ease off on the pedals when changing gear, now, and try to change down gears, but fiddling between power modes, nah. Unless I'm out on the downs it's 100% and forget it.

 

[Tetsugaku]

I got confused here whether the OP was referring to MILES or Kilometres.

Either way, I agree the comments re suitability of a Levo for high mileage commuting. As a novice, the OP may also not be being that kind to his LEVO! I have a friend who rides 3/4 times a week, offroad but fireroad type trails and he has replaced virtually everything on that bike except the frame. OK its an XC bike, but when I went for a ride with him, the first thing I noticed was that he was always in the saddle and always in too high a gear. So he never gave the bike room to breath on bumpier ground and he used a well developed set of quads to keep grinding out the speed. Im not suggesting the OP is like this...of course I am not! Just like any mechanical device there are ways to use them whilst being more friendly to the parts.

It's all in Kilometers

But - why is it unsuitable? The path is flat. Ish. But there are some potholes a mile wide and my ass will get pummelled to death without the full suspension. The bike is great for what I'm doing. My argument is that parts have been far too over optimised for weight, not durability, making cycling a more and more expensive hobby or mode of transport for people. Given we have motors now - 100g here or there makes no difference, it's mad

 

[Colin228]

Where in the specialized marketing does it say its not suitable for commuting? Actually its great for commuting and mine does that in the week and trails on the weekend. This issue is not the commuting, its the longevity of the motor. In my opinion, and on my second motor since November, I think its not fit for purpose.

 

[R120]

I think we are going a bit round and round in circles here - Specilizeds quality control is a different matter to the expected use of consumables. Given the Levo's reputation it would be the last bike I would buy if my number one requirement was it turning on each morning and having it work!

You can use any bike to commute on, but buying one designed for a commute and low maintenance will mean that you get better "value" out of the bits on for the milage you are doing, using a bike that's primarily designed for going fast off road, or a super lightweight TDF replica, or a BMX, or whatever other kind of bike takes your fancy might make your commute more fun, but it will also mean more parts that need replacing and more often.

 

[Tetsugaku]

My argument is that parts have been far too over optimised for weight, not durability, making cycling a more and more expensive hobby or mode of transport for people. Given we have motors now - 100g here or there makes no difference, it's mad

I'm going to quote myself

 

[Doomanic]

Given we have motors now - 100g here or there makes no difference

Makes no difference to you.

If you read the rest of the forum you’d see just how important it is to almost everyone else.

 

[R120]

I'm going to quote myself

Ans that why my familys Bosch powered hybrid weighs 3 kg more than my EMTB - its got heavy duty parts on designed to do big miles, whereas your Levo has parts designed to do Fun miles

 

[Tetsugaku]

Makes no difference to you.

If you read the rest of the forum you’d see just how important it is to almost everyone else.

Well - they're wrong, innit. That weight weenie attitude matters for racing, sometimes, but it makes no difference when you have - a motor and a battery. You might as well start making special light weight socks it's laughable.

 

[Doomanic]

Given the Levo's reputation it would be the last bike I would buy if my number one requirement was it turning on each morning and having it work!

???

And...

Not sure what @Gary is doing in the mob though...

 

[Tetsugaku]

Ans that why my familys Bosch powered hybrid weighs 3 kg more than my EMTB - its got heavy duty parts on designed to do big miles, whereas your Levo has parts designed to do Fun miles

My name Is Miles so this makes me smile

So - given the three bits that have broken so often are the chain, the cassette and the chainring - what, specifically, is rated for durability over weight and I'll just put those on and see what happens

I do have the bike booked in for a service and a new cassette, I asked them to put the most durable cassette that can find in - bonus it's cheaper! by about 75%!

 

[R120]

Well its all a bit subjective, but I am guessing you have an 11 speed drivetrain? Going down to a 10 or 9 speed may well be a good idea, and using a Steel rather than an alloy cassette.

 

[RoJo]

While I'm not really surprised that these components have worn out, I do think that Tetsugaku makes a good point. The cost of those parts are higher than the service costs for a modest car!

I think I speak for most people when I say shifting/gears/drivetrain durability is terrible on eBikes, and probably the main issue with them today. Please please please could the manufacturers incorporate a gearbox into the motor housing. Then we can ditch all these fragile drivetrain parts which were frankly not designed to cope with the output from an eBike.