How long will your EMTB last you?

[Noobster]

Hey all.

So I get that anything can last a lot longer if it's treated right with love and care and serviced properly etc etc. But has anyone any idea of how long a EMTB should reasonably last. 10,000 miles, 20,000 miles. Not necessarily the battery but more the motor and components.

This is all done with an average rider mind with a normal amount of care. E.g cleaned and lubed once a week and a service every 6 months to a year.

It interests me as with cars when they get to a certain mileage we get a bit 'oooh she hasn't got long left before I swap her', but not sure EMTBs have been around long enough to have a realistic lifespan, but would love to hear thoughts ?

 

[Pdoz]

It interests me as with cars when they get to a certain mileage we get a bit 'oooh she hasn't got long left before I swap her', but not sure EMTBs have been around long enough to have a realistic lifespan, but would love to hear thoughts ?

So what's this magical number with cars?

I guess my 21 year old ute must be getting close, although reflecting on those 310000 km some were much harder than others - bouncing along dusty rocky tracks must be harder on a vehicle than cruising along a freeway? But it wasn't age that made me retire her - I just decided abs brakes, cruise control, electric windows , air conditioning, bluetooth audio, comfortable seats, and the ability to sit at the speed limit might be helpful . Aka I got sucked in by the advertising.

So back to your question - when there's a bike that feels significantly nicer or does something significantly better than my bike, I might consider buying it ? Or perhaps when technology moves on and they get rid of deraliers

 

[N1ck]

When it's broken beyond economical repair. Will E7000/8000 motors be available in 5 years time??

 

[Peaky Rider]

They won't last very long if my experience is anything to go by.
My Shimano motor has been back to the dealer twice and tonight, my mates Yamaha powered Giant made even more noise than usual and clearly has something seriously wrong with it and will be going back to the dealer.. Neither bike is more than 9 months old
I am starting to think that I will need a backup e-bike and am watching the price of the Canyon Spectral On 6 waiting to see if it drops below £3000

 

[iainc]

I normally keep regular MTBs for 2-3 years so hoping for same with ebike.

 

[iXi]

The motor is the killer, I reckon the bike will be going strong but as for the motor that's another story. 1700ks and my first motor has been replaced, now 1000ks later there is a click on the right side, I'm hoping it's a crank or pedal but even if it is I know this motor will be toast before warranty is out. They are ridden hard and in shit conditions it's inevitable they'll die young. It's an expensive hobby.

 

[33red]

I guess about 3 years for my battery so after 6 years with the cost of replacing my second battery it might be time to replace it. We realy do not know. Maybe it will be tough economic years and no budget for toys. Maybe people will buy to use instead of car? Maybe people will buy from walmart for 975$US or pesos?

 

[Neverbeentomoab]

I’ll replace it once the warranty is up.

 

[Mikerb]

A lot depends on the growth of e bikes in general. Just like the car industry a second hand market could develop alongside non OEM spares and repair. That would provide the option to sell, part exchange, or continue to maintain an e bike. The current technology is pretty basic so like older cars DIY maintenance would be an option for the electrical aspects as well as the mechanical.

 

[Rusty]

Dunno - have had over 40 bikes since i started riding 20 years ago. Guess I need to check my pictures folder one day and count them up. Currently have 2 x 2019 eMTBs and my 3 year old Scott Genius Carbon. Expect I will flick that off and keep 2 eMTB in the shed - maybe 1 short travel or HT and 1 squishy ... IDK

 

[jerry]

I normally keep regular MTBs for 2-3 years so hoping for same with ebike.

Thing is.... you can easily still sell a 3-year bike (albeit for little money), but you cannot ever sell a 3-year old e-bike with Motor or Battery visibly/audibly worn… it's residual value will be 0.

 

[33red]

Thing is.... you can easily still sell a 3-year bike (albeit for little money), but you cannot ever sell a 3-year old e-bike with Motor or Battery visibly/audibly worn… it's residual value will be 0.

Ya that is my concern, the idea of sell when no warranty is more like get rid of it.
What is that #? After 2 years you are on your own?

 

[Russell]

I'm hoping that the motor can be rebuilt when needed and batteries can be re-celled. For me it will be if/when the frame cracks and although it could be welded, if it's near the head set (can't remember the name of tube) I will have to replace it.

 

[wepn]

Not sure what others are but Specialized’s 2 years is a generous motor warranty in my mind. Motors and batteries can be rebuilt or replaced easily after that time.

I’ve had a few bikes with 50,000-100,000 km on the odometer and motors are still fine on all of them, battery on one of them needs replacement.

 

[Ananda]

A timely thread since I am on the hunt for my first ebike. If the info I get from internet fora about the longevity of motors is anything close to represent reality, then I am extremelly pissed off! I tend to keep my toys and not throw them away when warranty expires. Pockets arent too deep either.
So I am seriously thinking that I am better off getting myself a good frame and build a bike up with a tsdz2 motor or something similar. You can get parts online for cheap or even a new motor without breaking the bank, plus you still have a good analog bike. I spend time on my bike and I expect my ebike to clock 5-10k/year

Maybe as mentioned above it is too soon for ebikes or is it that the internet info is biased towards the dark side or reliability?

To end the runt, as per the original question of the thread, I expect my ebike to cost less to run over time than a small capacity motorcycle and have affordable replacement parts.

 

[Dirtnvert]

I still think bike companies should supply an adapter for every emtb so you can bolt the adapter with a traditional bottom bracket on the frame motor mounts to keep your bike going while we send our motors for replacement or service. It would eleviate atleast some buyers anxiety and would be a minimal expense(probably a fraction of the cost of the extra lights, triple a batteries, reflectors, cheap pedals, etc, etc that came with my decoy)

 

[Akiwi]

Not sure what others are but Specialized’s 2 years is a generous motor warranty in my mind. Motors and batteries can be rebuilt or replaced easily after that time.

I’ve had a few bikes with 50,000-100,000 km on the odometer and motors are still fine on all of them, battery on one of them needs replacement.

100,000KM, Holy cow!! I thought I was doing well with close to 5,000. But I got a new motor recently so motor odomoter is reset. At 400km now

 

[33red]

100,000KM, Holy cow!! I thought I was doing well with close to 5,000. But I got a new motor recently so motor odomoter is reset. At 400km now

Did it come with a new warranty ?

 

[Rusty]

Not sure what others are but Specialized’s 2 years is a generous motor warranty in my mind. Motors and batteries can be rebuilt or replaced easily after that time.

As far as my Levo Comp goes - for a $9K NZD bike I expect 5 years minimum on the motor. If they can't guarantee one for that long they should not be selling them.

 

[Noobster]

I agree I thought people would be saying minimum 3 years etc etc. Not 1000km before motor needed changing.

Abit un nevering really. We sold my wife's car as I live fairly local to work and the Ebike is on interest free finance for 2 years but will cost a hell of a lot less finance than having a 2nd car in the household and all the insurance and fuel costs.

But what I DONT want to be doing is paying finance in a year for something that's already on it's way out. I reckon I'll do 3k-4k miles a year. As it's now how I get to work too.

 

[Brendog78]

Wheel sets are expensive and so are suspension components and group sets. Motors and batterys are just another layer. While some people will sell there bike at the first sign of an issue outside of warenty and give the second hand market a bad name. Others will maintain there bikes and offer a quality reliable bike experience for the new owner.

Its really up to us which way we want the second hand market to go.

 

[Dirtnvert]

Maybe bike reviews should start focusing on tge actusl size of the bearings used in these motors and how theyre sealed. Seems like bearing durability is the problem in most cases. Reviews could highlight the motor that has the most durable battery and use that as a base for comparison. Ignite the bearing size/durability competition between brands

 

[outerlimits]

I’ll be keeping mine till I snap the frame. I plan to do a full rebuild, using all new components and also give it a paint while I’m at it. I plan to do this when the current battery reaches 300 charge cycles.

 

[Akiwi]

Did it come with a new warranty ?

They didn't mention that when I picked it up.

 

[Pukmeister]

I intend to treat my bike with mechanical sympathy and respect, ride it for fun, clean and maintain it and keep it for years. It represents a serious financial investment to me.

My well engineered Panasonic battery, albeit slightly heavier than others, was a major buying decision over other brands, it seems built to last. The rest of the bike is also pretty durable. I will do a deep discharge/recharge every 3 months and store at 60% charge when not used, as per the user manual, to preserve the cells capacity.

Giant give a 2 year warranty on motor and battery, lifetime on frame.

I hope to get 6 years out of mine.

 

[Peaky Rider]

I intend to treat my bike with mechanical sympathy and respect, ride it for fun, clean and maintain it and keep it for years. It represents a serious financial investment to me.

My well engineered Panasonic battery, albeit slightly heavier than others, was a major buying decision over other brands, it seems built to last. The rest of the bike is also pretty durable. I will do a deep discharge/recharge every 3 months and store at 60% charge when not used, as per the user manual, to preserve the cells capacity.

I hope to get 6 years out of mine.

My mate has the exact same bike as you, bought on my recommendation.

In nine months it has needed a new front wheel hub, a new freewheel, complete brake overhaul (twice) and a new handlebar remote. It is now at the dealers again with a knackered motor.

He quite literally keeps it in showroom condition but has clearly got a Friday afternoon bike.

Hope you get six years out of yours, he's ready to put his in the skip.

 

[Noobster]

My mate has the exact same bike as you, bought on my recommendation.

In nine months it has needed a new front wheel hub, a new freewheel, complete brake overhaul (twice) and a new handlebar remote. It is now at the dealers again with a knackered motor.

He quite literally keeps it in showroom condition but has clearly got a Friday afternoon bike.

Hope you get six years out of yours, he's ready to put his in the skip.

So worrying that these are large investments to 99% of people, more than a descent second hand motorbike or even car and yet this thread has opened a can of worms on reliability. With the majority seeming they are not very reliable ?

 

[Fivetones]

I'm not worried. There are a few folk now who rebuild motors and I anticipate Shimano at least will keep parts going.

As for batteries, I expect to see battery rebuild/upgrade companies pop up too alongside the motor rebuilders. These are expensive things and we are willing to pay to get them fixed so the economics for people to run services should be there.

I'd like to see more backward compatibility though (E7000 being same mounting bolt pattern as E8000 is encouraging).

As for my bike, 2-3 years. Until the technology has significantly moved on I'll stick.

 

[Pukmeister]

My mate has the exact same bike as you, bought on my recommendation.

In nine months it has needed a new front wheel hub, a new freewheel, complete brake overhaul (twice) and a new handlebar remote. It is now at the dealers again with a knackered motor.

He quite literally keeps it in showroom condition but has clearly got a Friday afternoon bike.

Hope you get six years out of yours, he's ready to put his in the skip.

I hope that is the case. Its early days for me and my bike but it seems well made, perhaps quality control on earlier bikes/components is lacking, or its just a Friday bike as you say. Despite its showroom condition, does he punish it on every ride ?? That sounds like a lot of hassle he's had, the two other riders I know with Giants have no issues. The freewheel and controller issues are well known and now resolved, the front hub, brakes and motor not so.

 

[33red]

The problem is most companies are not building 2 wheels toys with a +, the motor.
They are building cellphones that have 2 wheels.
Allways new, specefic batteries so when you need a new one they decide what you pay because others wil not fit.
That price will make many say i will just rent a new one with new technology.
I have the 2017 old style 500Wh so i will be able to shop around for a decent price and keep an Ebike on the trails rolling for years at a decent cost.
There should be standards, maybe 400Wh, 500Wh, 650Wh and the 3 of them compatibles.
The industry will be loosing customers to new companies at lower prices if they try to allways extract more money from customers.