Is the EMTB world plagued with reliability issues?

[Nick van winkle]

Its the 2nd time my emtb has gone back on a warranty issue this year. This time 26 days and counting!
Engine replacement. Failed Ohlins fork. Failed seat post. Thats just to name a few.
I love this sport but i'm spending to much time without a bike.
Who else is having reliability issues?

 

[RazorBlade]

Its the 2nd time my emtb has gone back on a warranty issue this year. This time 26 days and counting!
Engine replacement. Failed Ohlins fork. Failed seat post. Thats just to name a few.
I love this sport but i'm spending to much time without a bike.
Who else is having reliability issues?

Fork and seat are normal bike parts so I don't think you have much ebike specific faults, the motor is obviously, so you could have had 2/3 returns on a normal bike.

In other words you answered your own question, not really any more than a normal bike.

 

[Nick van winkle]

Fork and seat are normal bike parts so I don't think you have much ebike specific faults, the motor is obviously, so you could have had 2/3 returns on a normal bike.

In other words you answered your own question, not really any more than a normal bike.

True with what I stated above. But I maybe should have included the full list of what got replaced in 1 year. 4500km ridI got. It’s more of I didn’t expect components to wear out so quickly. 3 chains. 1 rear cassette. 1 front ring. Monthly brake bleeding (code) head bearings. Wheel bearings. And I’m a pretty light rider on my feet. 28 years on “analog” Mtb’s so I’m not a gear cruncher! Is this classed as normal in the emtb world.

 

[RazorBlade]

True with what I stated above. But I maybe should have included the full list of what got replaced in 1 year. 4500km ridI got. It’s more of I didn’t expect components to wear out so quickly. 3 chains. 1 rear cassette. 1 front ring. Monthly brake bleeding (code) head bearings. Wheel bearings. And I’m a pretty light rider on my feet. 28 years on “analog” Mtb’s so I’m not a gear cruncher! Is this classed as normal in the emtb world.

Brakes bleeding that often, I'd be changing them for different ones clearly some issue there.

As for the rest, most ebikes will amplyfy what you can put in x3 so with that in mind you are still not changing things three times as often as a normal bike?

As famous saying goes the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long.

 

[MattyB]

I would agree wrt EMTB drivetrains; chains and cassettes do wear quickly, and motors (all of them) are not yet reliable enough for consistent hard riding in wet conditions. The other items on your list (brakes, headset etc) I don’t think there will be any difference in failure rates between an EMTB and a conventional bike.

 

[Kaelidoz]

Been riding my yamaha PW in pouring rain and mud since Apr 17' and no problem so far...

Yeah the drivetrain wears quickly, that's why I'm keeping up with an inexpensive 9speeds. My wheels bearings also wear fast but i'm using cheap xc wheels.

Bad luck with the forks and seat post, sorry to hear that.

Something's definitely fucky with your brakes

 

[urastus]

Well, the "e" in emtb is problematic. The mtb part seems pretty good.

 

[Nick van winkle]

Well, the "e" in emtb is problematic. The mtb part seems pretty good.

Very well put. Will use that sentence again ?

 

[MrBrownstone]

My ebike hasn’t required anymore maintenance than my acoustic bike after its 1st 2250 miles Since I got it late last November and counting....

Im on the 3rd chain on original cassette and chainring, the second set of brake pads front and rear, second set of tires. And that’s it.

I ride in all conditions all year including 4 solid months of snow and temps down to 0 degrees F. Keep yer chain lubed, bolts snug, keep battery topped off, and DONT hose your bike down ever and it’ll go a long time especially if yer running Shimano E8000.?

 

[flash]

I have 3 eBikes. None of them have had any *e* related issues. I do feel for those who do have issues though. Being without a bike is a pain.

Gordon

 

[Stihldog]

My ebike hasn’t required anymore maintenance than my acoustic bike after its 1st 2250 miles Since I got it late last November and counting....

Im on the 3rd chain on original cassette and chainring, the second set of brake pads front and rear, second set of tires. And that’s it.

I ride in all conditions all year including 4 solid months of snow and temps down to 0 degrees F. Keep yer chain lubed, bolts snug, keep battery topped off, and DONT hose your bike down ever and it’ll go a long time especially if yer running Shimano E8000.?

I could almost copy/paste this post except I have a Bosch cx. Regular torque checks, sprinkle wash, 2nd set of brake pads, 2nd chain, 2nd set of tires, 2800km, same chain ring, same cassette, snow, rain, rivers/creeks, multiple crashes, finger nail paint, band-aids and 1 calm-down plan.

 

[MrBrownstone]

I could almost copy/paste this post except I have a Bosch cx. Regular torque checks, sprinkle wash, 2nd set of brake pads, 2nd chain, 2nd set of tires, 2800km, same chain ring, same cassette, snow, rain, rivers/creeks, multiple crashes, finger nail paint, band-aids and 1 calm-down plan.

I’ll be passing 3000 miles this week. Just finally installed a new cassette and chain. E8000 motor running as good as day 1 and battery range great.

 

[wepn]

My '19 Kenevo with Rohloff Speedhub has been trouble free and maintenance free. No mud or torrential rain so it's possible my rides haven't been that punishing or I've been lucky. But I doubt it.

 

[Stihldog]

Holy crap…I thought I rode a lot. We’ve been lucky …

I’ll be passing 3000 miles this week. Just finally installed a new cassette and chain. E8000 motor running as good as day 1 and battery range great.

…not everyone has a trouble free ride. I don’t want to jinx this but I think some regular tinkering helps.

 

[Varaxis]

7500 miles on my emtb, which is Astro Engineering's catalog version of the Vitus E-Sommet. No major issues with the e-components. Had the battery mount loosen a little. Had to learn nuances like making sure the speed sensor magnet was properly installed. Had to also swap to shorter cranks, after learning how 27.5+ tires sagged deeply and were liable to pedal strike.

Everything else was just a learning experience regarding how stuff like normal tires, rims, rear hubs, brakes, and even suspension components could use a bit more beef to them.

The motor is not being treated gentle. I regularly ride moto/4x4 "trails" where there's hardly a smooth line, and the climbs and descents are straight along the hillside's fall line, strewn with rocks, ruts, and the challenge of having little traction due to things being at their angle of repose. Getting rattled relentlessly, though not as severely as I've seen in some of the UK videos that seem somewhere between a dried up pond and thick/coarse gravel road. I work hard to climb up, because I dread pushing the behemoth up steep & loose terrain, and because it feels good to personally master the climbs that get depicted as 20+% grade on strava.

 

[naharris212]

I think motor related issues are bound to happen wherein the sport is still quite young. With that said I do think technology has taken serious leaps and bounds, i.e. you can't even compare a 2020 to a 2018 model, pretty unreal how fast everything is moving.

Drivetrain wear makes sense since your amplifying the load 2-4x what an acoustic is. I've been buying cheap nickel plated cassettes off amazon and they hold up amazingly well. I also buy the cheap $20 chains and they seem to hold up just as well as the overpriced ones.

If you bleeding your brakes once a month there must be a larger underlying issue...