Is Orbea customer service horrible

[theremotejuggernaut]

Yeah why?

You sure?

 

[irie]

You sure?

Weeksy is located in England.

 

[theremotejuggernaut]

Weeksy is located in England.

Hence why I asked if he was sure.

The UK isn't part of EU

 

[Raili’s People]

The industry needs to change. Orbea needs to change. We need to change and not be dependent of China. The battery is a vital part of the system and it’s not acceptable that you can’t use your 2 year old bike if the battery (or the obsolete motor) has gone bad. Shimano, I’m looking at you too.

 

[Guyt]

I am in Canada, ordered a part directly from Orbea, it took 15 days to arrive. Last year, I ordered via my LBS a charger, took also about 2 weeks.

Once I got the confirmation from Orbea my part has been shipped from Spain, it took 5 days to arrive here, so I don't think there would be a huge shipping time saving if the part came from the North America distributor. And, because of low sales volume, I don't expect my LBS to carry any spare parts specific to my Orbea Rise.

I wrote to Orbea to ask them a specific question (I am not happy with my present local shop, can I continue service with another bike shop?), got the answer the next day. A detail that pleased me: I asked the question in English. They must have figured out from my profile that I was french-speaking, so the answer was in French.

Once my season is over, I will try to have replaced under warranty my Linkcreakage. I'll see how that goes, but so far, I am satisfied with the service I am getting from Orbea.

 

[kevtp19]

I am in Canada, ordered a part directly from Orbea, it took 15 days to arrive. Last year, I ordered via my LBS a charger, took also about 2 weeks.

Once I got the confirmation from Orbea my part has been shipped from Spain, it took 5 days to arrive here, so I don't think there would be a huge shipping time saving if the part came from the North America distributor. And, because of low sales volume, I don't expect my LBS to carry any spare parts specific to my Orbea Rise.

I wrote to Orbea to ask them a specific question (I am not happy with my present local shop, can I continue service with another bike shop?), got the answer the next day. A detail that pleased me: I asked the question in English. They must have figured out from my profile that I was french-speaking, so the answer was in French.

Once my season is over, I will try to have replaced under warranty my Linkcreakage. I'll see how that goes, but so far, I am satisfied with the service I am getting from Orbea.

I think they are OK with all the bits they manufacture, but the battery is made by a Taiwanese company, not Shimano nor Orbea. The only way you can get one is through warranty. So when the bikes over 2 years old you are screwed. Was going to keep mine but will try to sell 2nd hand now once the warranties up.

The new linkage is better, be careful the driveside bolt behind the seat tube doesn't keep loosening, loctited mine in now, as mine did. The bolts are in a silly place where you cannot get a torque wrench on them.

 

[Guyt]

I think they are OK with all the bits they manufacture, but the battery is made by a Taiwanese company, not Shimano nor Orbea. The only way you can get one is through warranty. So when the bikes over 2 years old you are screwed. Was going to keep mine but will try to sell 2nd hand now once the warranties up.

The new linkage is better, be careful the driveside bolt behind the seat tube doesn't keep loosening, loctited mine in now, as mine did. The bolts are in a silly place where you cannot get a torque wrench on them.

Thanks for the linkage info.

It is a bummer that Orbea does not offer the replacement batteries outside of warranty. If I would have know that, I would not have bought a Rise ( I actually bought 2 ) .

I just checked on internet if a battery for my Rise H10 2023 (Orbea 540Wh 36v Gen 2). I did find a few retailers, but they are all out of stock, like this one:

https://www.ibksport.eu/internal-battery-orbea-540wh-36v-gen-2-2023-24-models-rise-urrun-kemen/p?srsltid=AfmBOoqHd0oqrXqc4GgVw2VAZKgJQIyy0uUDE_IZdars6_9wHx2Ituy5

I can only hope they will be available in the future, but one thing for sure, I will never buy an E-MTB with a custom battery ever again.

Edit: found another source. Orbea 540Wh 36V Internal Battery For RS GEN 2 | Westbrook Cycles

 

[Raili’s People]

Thanks for the linkage info.

It is a bummer that Orbea does not offer the replacement batteries outside of warranty. If I would have know that, I would not have bought a Rise ( I actually bought 2 ) .

I just checked on internet if a battery for my Rise H10 2023 (Orbea 540Wh 36v Gen 2). I did find a few retailers, but they are all out of stock, like this one:

https://www.ibksport.eu/internal-battery-orbea-540wh-36v-gen-2-2023-24-models-rise-urrun-kemen/p?srsltid=AfmBOoqHd0oqrXqc4GgVw2VAZKgJQIyy0uUDE_IZdars6_9wHx2Ituy5

I can only hope they will be available in the future, but one thing for sure, I will never buy an E-MTB with a custom battery ever again.

Edit: found another source. Orbea 540Wh 36V Internal Battery For RS GEN 2 | Westbrook Cycles

There’s been quotes for months for a battery, possibly warranty cases. And that was for the 360wh battery which even was changed somewhere between M and H or the at the facelift. So there are multiple different batteries for the same bike and they are next to impossible to buy in the future. Correct me if I’m wrong, got the info on the forums or fb.

 

[Guyt]

Lesson learned, I will never buy another E-Bike that uses a "custom" battery, not being sure I will be able to replace it after warranty. Too bad we don't have international laws protecting us against "planned obsolescence". For example, even though I had a one year warranty on my Samsung stove, I was able to get a new one after 3 years, under a local law. When I talked on the the Canadian Samsung distributor I just had to mention "Québec's planned obsolescence law" and that was it. But I don't think that would work with Orbea

That said, should we worry with the battery in our Orbea Rise? It is most likely that, for most of us, the battery will outlast the rest of the bike. Batteries are most likely made with 18650 lithium-Ion cells, the same ones used in electric cars. We are talking of a life expectancy of 8 to 10 years, with full recharge cycles varying from 300 to 1000.

I have 2,000 km on my 2023 Rise so far, did approx. 60 partial recharges (I like to keep my battery between 20 and 80% charged) . But even with the worst case scenario, I'll get at least 10 000 km out of my Rise. That takes me in 4 years from now.

Sure, the battery could have a flaw to start with. But like any other product, problems will probably show up before the end of the warranty period.

 

[Raili’s People]

Lesson learned, I will never buy another E-Bike that uses a "custom" battery, not being sure I will be able to replace it after warranty. Too bad we don't have international laws protecting us against "planned obsolescence". For example, even though I had a one year warranty on my Samsung stove, I was able to get a new one after 3 years, under a local law. When I talked on the the Canadian Samsung distributor I just had to mention "Québec's planned obsolescence law" and that was it. But I don't think that would work with Orbea

That said, should we worry with the battery in our Orbea Rise? It is most likely that, for most of us, the battery will outlast the rest of the bike. Batteries are most likely made with 18650 lithium-Ion cells, the same ones used in electric cars. We are talking of a life expectancy of 8 to 10 years, with full recharge cycles varying from 300 to 1000.

I have 2,000 km on my 2023 Rise so far, did approx. 60 partial recharges (I like to keep my battery between 20 and 80% charged) . But even with the worst case scenario, I'll get at least 10 000 km out of my Rise. That takes me in 4 years from now.

Sure, the battery could have a flaw to start with. But like any other product, problems will probably show up before the end of the warranty period.

Where I live, you had to know a certain code to get Samsung fix your phone. Otherwise they said warranty doesn’t fix that. Kinda lame. Same is with cars, i.e. Audis with their piston rings. You had to mention a code to get service. Not possible to get a buyback like in US. Expensive fixes when you need a new engine on a badly engineered car.

My friend’s Rise M20 has done 12000kms. Original everything. So if you’re lucky you can ride your bike for a few years. You would think the battery goes bad pretty fast if it’s left empty or full for a longer time so it’s also up to the owner.

Battery cells are different in the newer Rise if I remember correctly.

 

[Guyt]

Well, Raili's People, you have nothing to worry about, you don't have a Rise and have no intention to buy one, as I read in your previous post.

Don't want to rewrite my previous post, but it is most likely that I'll get quite a few years out of my battery, not just with luck.

​

 

[Raili’s People]

Well, Raili's People, you have nothing to worry about, you don't have a Rise and have no intention to buy one, as I read in your previous post.

Don't want to rewrite my previous post, but it is most likely that I'll get quite a few years out of my battery, not just with luck.

​

True. This is the reason I didn’t buy one. Otherwise I would be riding a Rise and not a different bike. So that is why I also wrote the reasons behind the decision. Isn’t it logical? Don’t know what was behind your post but I think we agreed on the matter.

 

[DaffyD]

I was told by the local Orbea dealer that my bike was accessed by an application other than e tube. They said they won’t ever update my software because of that. All I did was look at my settings with ST Unlocker, because it has more detail.

the shop said it was Orbea’s policy to abandon anyone who even looks at their settings. They claimed it was for “liability reasons “. What BS!

 

[Guyt]

I was told by the local Orbea dealer that my bike was accessed by an application other than e tube. They said they won’t ever update my software because of that. All I did was look at my settings with ST Unlocker, because it has more detail.

the shop said it was Orbea’s policy to abandon anyone who even looks at their settings. They claimed it was for “liability reasons “. What BS!

We would have have to check with the programmer that wrote the ST Unlocker/ST Ride, , but I would think that ST Ride opens a Read Only bluetooth connection, while ST Unlocker opens a Read/Write connection. I doubt that ST Ride voids the warranty, since it only reads data, but I can see the motor's software detecting a connection that can modify its data, such as ST Unlocker. For that reason, I would not use ST Unlocker if I only want my app to read data.

Did you tell your Orbea dealer that you used an application other than E-TUBE or they figured it out when trying to update the software?

Also, is your motor a EP-800 or EP-801?

 

[DaffyD]

We would have have to check with the programmer that wrote the ST Unlocker/ST Ride, , but I would think that ST Ride opens a Read Only bluetooth connection, while ST Unlocker opens a Read/Write connection. I doubt that ST Ride voids the warranty, since it only reads data, but I can see the motor's software detecting a connection that can modify its data, such as ST Unlocker. For that reason, I would not use ST Unlocker if I only want my app to read data.

Did you tell your Orbea dealer that you used an application other than E-TUBE or they figured it out when trying to update the software?

Also, is your motor a EP-800 or EP-801?

2022 Rise ep 800
iI was told that ANY unauthorized access however slight, not only void’s warranty (which I could understand) but ALL future support of the bike Regarding software updates, patches, etc. And that is BS.

 

[Guyt]

DaffyD, I think your dealer is full of BS indeed. Again, I would not use an unauthorized app that can modify data on the bike. Specially if it's an EP-801 that now generates a critical error when tampered. But I doubt very much that an app like ST Ride that only reads data would void the warranty. Here's the answer that gave the developer of ST Ride gave to someone that worried for his warranty (click on it for the specific reply):

ST Ride App - Tracker/dash/logger for STEPS motors

I think that Strava Beacon, that works as Garmin Live Track Ok. It's nice feature. But I think I will have a big problem with Apple/Google when approving the App, because I will have to prove to them that I securely store personal data on my server and do not use it for my own "selfish" purposes ;)

www.emtbforums.com

Simply said, the app doesn't establish a one-to-one connection, it just picks up data send freely by the bike.

 

[DaffyD]

DaffyD, I think your dealer is full of BS indeed. Again, I would not use an unauthorized app that can modify data on the bike. Specially if it's an EP-801 that now generates a critical error when tampered. But I doubt very much that an app like ST Ride that only reads data would void the warranty. Here's the answer that gave the developer of ST Ride gave to someone that worried for his warranty (click on it for the specific reply):

ST Ride App - Tracker/dash/logger for STEPS motors

I think that Strava Beacon, that works as Garmin Live Track Ok. It's nice feature. But I think I will have a big problem with Apple/Google when approving the App, because I will have to prove to them that I securely store personal data on my server and do not use it for my own "selfish" purposes ;)

www.emtbforums.com

Simply said, the app doesn't establish a one-to-one connection, it just picks up data send freely by the bike.

This isn’t a dealer issue, it’s an Orbea order to dealers to not support the customer’s bike. Who cares what app I use to look at my bikes data? This isn’t about the warranty that’s been expired For over a year. What if I put different forks on it, does that mean Orbea won’t provide parts for the rest of the bike anymore?

 

[Bndit]

This isn’t a dealer issue, it’s an Orbea order to dealers to not support the customer’s bike. Who cares what app I use to look at my bikes data? This isn’t about the warranty that’s been expired For over a year. What if I put different forks on it, does that mean Orbea won’t provide parts for the rest of the bike anymore?

I don't think you can blame Orbea if you used third party software, blame ST Unlocker.

 

[Guyt]

Here's what the warranty says:

"In no case does this warranty apply to electrical system components which have been dismounted or modified to change their functions without the prior consent of ORBEA."

So, if someone uses an app that can modify data on the motor but uses it only to read data from the motor, it does not void the warranty, since no functions were modified. There are no specific mention in the warranty that "read-only" third party apps are not allowed.

I still would not use ST Unlocker that has to do a one-to-one "read-write connection", just in case I push on a wrong button.

 

[kevtp19]

This isn’t a dealer issue, it’s an Orbea order to dealers to not support the customer’s bike. Who cares what app I use to look at my bikes data? This isn’t about the warranty that’s been expired For over a year. What if I put different forks on it, does that mean Orbea won’t provide parts for the rest of the bike anymore?

If you purchased forks that increased the max travel by a certain amount it could actually. They would argue that it threw the geometry out and put excessive stresses on components. But like for like travel no, we'll they shouldn't be able to!

 

[Guyt]

So, I went to the LBS two days ago for the famous linkage creakage problem, the guy at the shop just called me to say Orbea will replace it. We'll see when the part arrives, but I'm not in a hurry, MTB season is over for me, switched to E-Fatbike season!

 

[Weeksy]

So, I went to the LBS two days ago for the famous linkage creakage problem, the guy at the shop just called me to say Orbea will replace it. We'll see when the part arrives, but I'm not in a hurry, MTB season is over for me, switched to E-Fatbike season!

Mine was 4-5 days from confirmation to it arriving at LBS, it took me about an hour to fit. Not a hard job. I've had a little bit of dirt noise since, but a quick wipe down and it's all good. The newer linkage is deffo better than the old one, although both are a little weak in some ways but still work well enough