Levo turbo 2019. Cassette poor quality?

[Pipkin]

After 9months I've had motor replaced. Now I can't use top gear as chain slips. (surely it should be years not months) All other gears are fine to use. Have I a duff bike? I'm tempted to stray from Specialized for the cassette/chain. Any advice?

 

[paquo]

serious? casettes wear, cassettes wear more quickly on ebikes. My sram xx1 is starting to go at 2k km. I would prefer a shimano for durability but i got a cheaper sram replacement

 

[Pipkin]

I didn't realise the cassette wore down quicker on E-bikes. Luckily it's still under warranty. It's annoying that going at a good pace, changing to top gear and then slipping chain rears it's head. I'll see what bike shop says on replacement (via specialized) or me buying one and keeping one as a spare.

 

[33red]

Usualy regular wear and tear is not covered, good luck.

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

That's like saying your tyres wore down on a car. . 9 months is about right for use out of that item. It's not a warranty issue.

 

[miPbiP]

I didn't realise the cassette wore down quicker on E-bikes. Luckily it's still under warranty. It's annoying that going at a good pace, changing to top gear and then slipping chain rears it's head. I'll see what bike shop says on replacement (via specialized) or me buying one and keeping one as a spare.

you probably do more miles than on a regular bike, and even if not those you do are under more power.

you'll probably need to change your chain too.

it's not a warranty issue. chains cassettes chainrings are consumables just like brake pads.

good job on riding it lots and wearing it out!

 

[SlowNoob]

i'm a heavy rider, and when i first got my ebike id use the highest gears a lot, trying to get the motors to do the work for me. eventually the two highest gears got to the point where they would just constantly slip (less than 100 miles from new) I knew i needed to take it back and be checked out, but didnt really have an oppertunity to do so....i continued to use the bike in the meantime, just without the top 2 gears working. i soon got used to spinning my legs faster and still happily sit at 15 mph.....now that ive had the casette and chain replaced under warrenty, i find the highest two gears dont really feel useable at 15mph, and im happier pedalling at a higher cadence in a lower gear....If i do try to use one of the higher gears, i now actually feel like im putting a much higher strain on the drivetrain

it's similar to the way driving up a steep hill in your car at 30 mph when its struggling....even if it can maintain the speed, is putting so much more stress and wear on your engine and drivtrain than if you change to third and let the car easily climb the hill....even though the rpm is higher its a lot easier on your engine.

i really feel you need to ride ebikes with mechanical sympathy.....you should only go up a gear on an ebike if you feel your legs are spinning too fast, not because you can and it still feels easy.

edit just to say i did think my slipping was due to badly adjusted gears, as did the shop, until it was checked and they were pretty much perfectly set up.

when i look back at how massive the chain and sprocket teeth were on my old kawasaki AR50 moped....and how low powered it was, 30mph max, and how worn out my chain and sprockets were after a few thousand miles.....i'm actually amazed these tiny chains and sprockets dont snap or slip the first time you try to ride them........

 

[Mikerb]

the 2 smallest cogs on my cassette are practically redundant...rarely use them. I like the car analogy above and I ride my bike in the same way, high cadence, minimal resistance on the pedals means the entire drive train and the motor are under the least strain. The most efficient use of the motor assist is at cadences in excess of 60.

 

[HORSPWR]

I didn't realise the cassette wore down quicker on E-bikes. Luckily it's still under warranty. It's annoying that going at a good pace, changing to top gear and then slipping chain rears it's head. I'll see what bike shop says on replacement (via specialized) or me buying one and keeping one as a spare.

When you say top gear are you referring to the largest cog on the cassette?
If so I don't know how they get worn down so quickly on an ebike, I don't think I have ever been into 1st gear or even 2nd on my ebike and I have some very steep technical trails here, just use a higher assist mode for when the going gets tough and stay away from 1-2, they should be rarely needed on an ebike.

 

[33red]

When you say top gear are you referring to the largest cog on the cassette?
If so I don't know how they get worn down so quickly on an ebike, I don't think I have ever been into 1st gear or even 2nd on my ebike and I have some very steep technical trails here, just use a higher assist mode for when the going gets tough and stay away from 1-2, they should be rarely needed on an ebike.

Obviously he talks about fast so probably 10 or 11 teeth, the smallest cog on his cassette. Using the easiest one extend our range. You might not like that but there is no reason for you to decide how others ride. A faster cadence(smaller gear) is smart, it puts less stress on the transmission, extends his life. Now you can say you learned something today. You are welcome.

 

[HORSPWR]

Obviously he talks about fast so probably 10 or 11 teeth, the smallest cog on his cassette. Using the easiest one extend our range. You might not like that but there is no reason for you to decide how others ride. A faster cadence(smaller gear) is smart, it puts less stress on the transmission, extends his life. Now you can say you learned something today. You are welcome.

Easy champ!
I'm not deciding how he rides, just saying how I ride. Anyway I still don't know how you wear out the smallest gears. And obviously he's not extending any gear life because he is here complaining about worn out gears, Now you can say you learned something today. You are welcome.

 

[33red]

Easy champ!
I'm not deciding how he rides, just saying how I ride. Anyway I still don't know how you wear out the smallest gears. And obviously he's not extending any gear life because he is here complaining about worn out gears, Now you can say you learned something today. You are welcome.

Here is something for you to learn less pressure longer knees life.
I like to ride, i like my easy gear, i practice my balance and i can beat you at the slowest climbing challenge.

 

[outerlimits]

I go through a cassette every 4-6 months.
It’s important you keep an eye on chain wear as if you let it go too far it will wreck the cassette.
As for warranty, it’s classed as a wear item, like tyres, brake pads, bearings ect. They don’t cover that stuff under warranty for wear.

 

[HORSPWR]

Here is something for you to learn less pressure longer knees life.
I like to ride, i like my easy gear, i practice my balance and i can beat you at the slowest climbing challenge.

Can somebody please translate that for me, I don't understand jibberish

 

[Rusty]

Here is something for you to learn less pressure longer knees life.
I like to ride, i like my easy gear, i practice my balance and i can beat you at the slowest climbing challenge.

Obviously you are referring to higher cadence which not only puts less stress on grear & chain but also your knees.
Was out with a guy on Giant the other day and while I am a big unit and only get around 40km per charge he was rarely getting more than 30 and was 5-10 kegs lighter than me. However, he was in like 4-5-6 gears and using the power on near every little rise.

Complained that in 18 months he had used 1 front ring, 4 chains and 2 clusters. I explained some basic ideas to him and got a call this weekend that using all his gears he got 45km Saturday.

 

[33red]

Obviously you are referring to higher cadence which not only puts less stress on grear & chain but also your knees.
Was out with a guy on Giant the other day and while I am a big unit and only get around 40km per charge he was rarely getting more than 30 and was 5-10 kegs lighter than me. However, he was in like 4-5-6 gears and using the power on near every little rise.

Complained that in 18 months he had used 1 front ring, 4 chains and 2 clusters. I explained some basic ideas to him and got a call this weekend that using all his gears he got 45km Saturday.

Exacto, some focus on power, it is an option, not the only 1.
I helped my mom after her knee replacement surgery for her rehabilition twice a day. She wishes that was never needed because of the pain and so so results. I am 61, lean with little power but i have lasting power. In 4 hrs i never drain my 500Wh. I try to be faster than mosquitos, we are in a record season.

 

[Mikerb]

Think we need some consistency of gearing terminology here folks! The lowest gear is the biggest cog on the cassette....the highest gear is the smallest cog. Changing gear down means moving into a lower gear....ie moving to a bigger cog. Obviously for the same amount of drag being experienced by the bike a lower gear requires a higher cadence to maintain the same speed but at the same time reduces the amount of force required. That translates into reduced strain on the drivetrain and more efficient use of the motor on an e bike

 

[paquo]

with the stock 32 tooth chainring i was spinning out all the time and using 10 th and 11th gear too much, especially derestricted. With the 36 tooth hopefully this will take some of the load off 10 and 11 while making 1 st gear useable