Is the e13 crank issue now fixed?

[neilo]

Which points to the fact that the first domino, is the pre-load end cap coming off. Then the splined interface and pinch bolts, seem to fail at their respective tasks, which causes the crank arm to walk off.

I'm also not a mechanical engineer, but given the forces and leverage involved I suspect the opposite is true. The walking of the crank arm under load is either deforming or unwinding the end-cap as a symptom, not a cause. Once the pinch bolts are tightened, you should be able to remove the pre-load cap and keep riding with no ill effect. The same is not true for the pinch bolts - if you removed those the end-cap would be destroyed in a few pedal strokes.

The Rise upper suspension pivot arm is another (not so good, as it also suffers from walking off) example of this design concept - the pre-load cap is temporary and is designed to be removed once the pinch bolts are tight.

 

[Singletrackmind]

Is this an issue effecting other brands of emtbs or primarily an Orbea issue? Have these cranks on my YT Decoy with absolutely no issues. Used locktight and torqued to revised method on an E8000 motor.

 

[hind-corners]

I swapped to 160mm XT cranks as well today. What I noticed when I removed e13 cranks was that left side endcap was lot thighter than 4nm. Only reason I can think of is that crank has started slowly move off from the original place and pushing towards endcap. No hairline cracks in spindle and everything looks fine otherwise

 

[mike_kelly]

My observations when I removed my E13 and installed XT is that the endcaps are longer from E13 and I wonder if the longer endcap is causing a stress riser on the axle. I replaced the E13 stuff immediately when I first got the bike. I once had a crank come off a pedal bike during a small rise on a trail at speed. No amount of risk is worth having that happen again.

 

[Shjay]

Is this an issue effecting other brands of emtbs or primarily an Orbea issue? Have these cranks on my YT Decoy with absolutely no issues. Used locktight and torqued to revised method on an E8000 motor.

The fitment for E8000 & EP8 is different. E13 rushed into EP8 design with not enough research so effectively same crank with rubber o ring attached!!

 

[Pezzar]

My Shimano goodness arrived today, will take off the e13's and check the spindles later.

 

[Pezzar]

Hello all - in need of advice. So I swapped my cranks yesterday (no issues with the spindles thankfully - but I'm a little confused - there was a sort of rubber washer behind the drive side e13 crank, do I just discard that? I know the XT cranks wouldn't go fully on with it in place - and if so do I need anything to replace it with? there now seems to be just an ugly space behind the crank - any help appreciated.
See pics (apologies for the quality - it was all a bit rushed.

 

[Shjay]

Hello all - in need of advice. So I swapped my cranks yesterday (no issues with the spindles thankfully - but I'm a little confused - there was a sort of rubber washer behind the drive side e13 crank, do I just discard that? I know the XT cranks wouldn't go fully on with it in place - and if so do I need anything to replace it with? there now seems to be just an ugly space behind the crank - any help appreciated.
See pics (apologies for the quality - it was all a bit rushed.

View attachment 104181 View attachment 104182

It was designed to be used with the E13 cranks so can leave out, I replaced mine without the rubber washer back in the summer

 

[Pezzar]

It was designed to be used with the E13 cranks so can leave out, I replaced mine without the rubber washer back in the summer

Thanks for putting my mind at rest - it does look odd, like something is missing which messes with my OCD a bit but as long as others have done the same with no issues.
I'm used to working on 'normal' drivetrains and BB's etc but am totally new to ebike maintenance.
At least now I have peace of mind that the spindles aren't cracked and in case of any issues I have Shimano cranks. The e13's are going in the bin.

 

[cookie70]

The Rise upper suspension pivot arm is another (not so good, as it also suffers from walking off) example of this design concept - the pre-load cap is temporary and is designed to be removed once the pinch bolts are tight.

I agree, any thoughts on fabricating a preload cap that is permanent? My experience is it is only the preload arm that gets loose.

 

[Grendel]

One of my e13 cranks just fell off and I'm dead in the water. Contacted the bike shop twice with no response. Have now gone straight to Orbea and they responded with a standard email giving their telephone number and instructing me to go to the dealer at which I purchased the bike. I'll call them on Monday to work through it but, as of now, my bike is unridable. I should have paid more attention at these forums. I was unaware of this issue until it happened to me. Will keep everyone updated as this progresses so people know how Orbea is handling the crank issue now.

 

[Pezzar]

One of my e13 cranks just fell off and I'm dead in the water. Contacted the bike shop twice with no response. Have now gone straight to Orbea and they responded with a standard email giving their telephone number and instructing me to go to the dealer at which I purchased the bike. I'll call them on Monday to work through it but, as of now, my bike is unridable. I should have paid more attention at these forums. I was unaware of this issue until it happened to me. Will keep everyone updated as this progresses so people know how Orbea is handling the crank issue now.

I contacted Marin direct (I have the Alpine Trail E2) and they sent me out free XT cranks, which Shimano recommend for the EP8. Maybe Orbea will do the same?

 

[cookie70]

I fixed mine by buying shimano cranks.. seemed to be too hard for the dealer/orbea to sort out. Not had a single issue with them coming loose unlike the e13

 

[DanMcDan]

I didn’t have any issues with either pairs of E13 cranks on our M20 or H30, but I did replace mine on the H30 with shimano EM900 as they became available

 

[Grendel]

I appreciate the help! The bike shop where I purchased the bike has been entirely unresponsive. I finally emailed Orbea directly and they've been responsive but we have just started the process. I want to get back riding and will probably just buy and install the cranks myself. If Orbea sends me some, I'll have backups. You mention the EM900s above. I went to the Orbea website and the M10 is currently shipping with EM600s. They are $200 and $60 at Amazon respectively. Do you like the 900s over the 600s? Is the difference weight? Sorry for all the questions but I"m relatively new back to mountain biking after a long hiatus and not that up on the gear anymore.

 

[Shjay]

The 600s basically Shimano Deore
8150s XT & 900s XTR

 

[Grendel]

The 600s basically Shimano Deore
8150s XT & 900s XTR

That's EXACTLY what I needed. Thanks!

 

[Grendel]

The 600s basically Shimano Deore
8150s XT & 900s XTR

I just ordered a set of the 900s and there's an option to pay extra for 2 day delivery so I should be back up and running before the weekend. Again, I appreciate all your help.

 

[b33k34]

So I serviced my main pivot M10 yesterday and fitted Shimano Cranks...

My wife's M10 is the job for today. And on removing the E13 crank from the drive side theres a horrible little crack running from the hole in the axle to the end of it. (her non-drive crank is actually a shimano as she hit it on a treestump and bent the e13 on, I think, the second ever ride).

Anyway, so even correctly fitted Cranks, using a torque wrench with thread lock applied as per tech bulletin, are still resulting in cracking axles.

 

[Pezzar]

So I serviced my main pivot M10 yesterday and fitted Shimano Cranks...

My wife's M10 is the job for today. And on removing the E13 crank from the drive side theres a horrible little crack running from the hole in the axle to the end of it. (her non-drive crank is actually a shimano as she hit it on a treestump and bent the e13 on, I think, the second ever ride).

Anyway, so even correctly fitted Cranks, using a torque wrench with thread lock applied as per tech bulletin, are still resulting in cracking axles.

Mate get onto Orbea. Marin replaced my E13 cranks for XT cranks for free as soon as I told them I was worried about this issue. Hope your motor is in warranty!

 

[Grendel]

Thx for the tip. I finally got the bike shop involved and Orbea has shipped me some new cranks. I didn't want to wait so bought some Shimano EM900 on Amazon and had the bike shop put those on. I'll use the ones I receive from Orbea as back ups. Appreciate all the help!

 

[Pezzar]

Thx for the tip. I finally got the bike shop involved and Orbea has shipped me some new cranks. I didn't want to wait so bought some Shimano EM900 on Amazon and had the bike shop put those on. I'll use the ones I receive from Orbea as back ups. Appreciate all the help!

Much the same as me, bought some XTs myself but when Marin sent the replacements I sold em on.

 

[LeeS69]

I have checked both my cranks and refitted them, no sign of any issues at all.... If I see some shimano ones at a decent price I will buy a set though.

 

[b33k34]

Latest advice (via my dealer) on fitment of e*thirteen cranks - note that they're upside down to how you'd fit a shimano crank (which has the safety tab/pin that drops into the hole).