My brand new Orbea Rise M10 has a very noticeable motor drag

[Amird]

I have tried the Orbea Rise over 60 miles of test ride and LOVED the superb rolling capabilities and no motor drag when in zero assist mode.
Bought a brand new Rise M10 and from day 1, I feel that pedaling in zero assist mode encounters significant resistance, probably a motor drag. Break pads are not the reason.
Anyone had it and knows how to fix that?

 

[Mteam]

Assuming there is nothing wrong with the brakes - ie they are not sticking on, then it sounds like you have a fault with the motor. I guess its time to take it back to the shop.

 

[Jackware]

Have you taken the chain off to see if it is motor drag?
Has your M10 got different tyres to the one you tested?

 

[Amird]

Have you taken the chain off to see if it is motor drag?
Has your M10 got different tyres to the one you tested?

Same tires, did not take the cain off

 

[Amird]

So, I did change the rotors from 180 to 203. Do any of you see a possible connection to the drag?

 

[cookie70]

Do any of you see a possible connection to the drag?

If not aligned then yes, they can drag. Easy to test, lift the bike up and spin the wheel apply the brakes a few times.

 

[Bigtuna00]

So, I did change the rotors from 180 to 203. Do any of you see a possible connection to the drag?

Did you install the adapters to move the calipers out?

 

[soundwave]

Have you taken the chain off to see if it is motor drag?

Can you please elaborate this test?

I have always noticed drag or something when pedaling with zero assist in my M10. I have thought this is just a feature of an emtb…

 

[spxxky]

I have noticed what I perceive to be drag when I switch from assist to off when reaching the top of a hill for example, but what I think is happening is the feel of the motor being cut off as the perceived drag only lasts until reaching flat. To be honest, I couldn't believe that the motor was off on flats as I couldn't feel any drag at all. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Amird]

I have visited 2 Orbea dealers today (one for second opinion) and both couldn't find any drag issue. Having said that, my test bikes were M20 and my new bikes are M10. Both technicians claimed claimed this could be it as the longer fork travel in the M10, means less rolling momentum and climbing efficiency. Sounds reasonable????

 

[Gary]

no. those technicians are talking bollocks.
the drag you're feeling is almost definitely mainly going to be coming from tyre rolling resistance and weight of the bike and you're probably just weaker than you think.
Your test ride probably had different tyre compounds and/or pressures.

 

[RickBullotta]

I have visited 2 Orbea dealers today (one for second opinion) and both couldn't find any drag issue. Having said that, my test bikes were M20 and my new bikes are M10. Both technicians claimed claimed this could be it as the longer fork travel in the M10, means less rolling momentum and climbing efficiency. Sounds reasonable????

No. That's a load of crap. A longer travel work would have nothing to do with the sensation you're feeling.

 

[Dick Dastardly]

My Rise M10 has a lot if motor drag as well. When the motor is cold there is no percivable drag. It is only after the motor heats up that it begins to drag a lot. Maybe a clutch problem? Haven't taken it to the dealer yet.

 

[Amird]

no. those technicians are talking bollocks.
the drag you're feeling is almost definitely mainly going to be coming from tyre rolling resistance and weight of the bike and you're probably just weaker than you think.
Your test ride probably had different tyre compounds and/or pressures.

Many assumptions , let's set the record straight. Tires are the same as the test bikes, weight is roughly the same and I am riding mountains for 20 years and riding my non electric Ibis Ripley till 10 days ago (never rode eMtb before) so I am as strong as I've always been . Bottom line, it is somewhere in the bikes. Differences: test bike Rise M20, my new bikes M10. Test bikes size L, I have now XL (bit heavier on the size but lighter at the components so roughly the same), 140 fork travel on the test bikes, 150 on the new bikes. Both technicians tested the pedaling resistance both with and without the chain, with motor off, on and zero assist, on with assist.

 

[BobR]

I have the same bike, M10 XL and on flat it is faster off than in first level of assistance and only come in to play when on an incline. I will go off power assist sometimes and get drag but it is because I have collected moss or pine needles in either the gears or the hubs.

 

[Amird]

Guys, I appreciate all ideas and like you, I doubt the fork travel is the root cause. While professional articles confirm that longer travel affects rolling and climbing, It doubt is at a level riders really feel in flat or very mild climbs (maybe in steeper climbs).
After ruling out everything else, It leaves the possibility of clutch not disengaging when assist level goes down to zero. Any ideas on how to check that?

 

[MikeL_mtb]

Interesting, I've felt like my M10 is very picky pedaling with the motor off, for example, if I'm in a parking lot, if feels fine, but get on a trail, and if it's flatish, it feels fine, but trying to pedal up a steeper section, and at high cadence, I feel something resisting against me pedaling. My friend also has one, but I haven't actually ridden his with the motor off, it's a m20, but with a swapped fork, and his is a '22 I believe, I have a '21. I'll see if there is any difference. I also figured out that the torque limit kicks in for me in eco pretty easily since I'm on the heavier side, if I set similar torque and assistance settings on boost as eco, I can pedal harder in boost without it "fighting" me, keeping the assistance happy is more complicated than I initially thought, I keep cadence up on my data screen and it helped me balance my pedaling input with the motor output so the ride feels more normal.

 

[Longfellow78]

I just posted a new thread about this exact issue. Did anyone who experienced this issue ever track it down?

 

[MikeL_mtb]

I just posted a new thread about this exact issue. Did anyone who experienced this issue ever track it down?

I haven't gotten it to a shop to check it out, but I did swap bikes with my friend and we both rode up a mellow grade trail, and his bike was for sure easier to pedal with the motor off. (my '21 to his '22) Maybe it's the one way bearing not fully disengaging, I'm not sure.

 

[BobR]

On my wife M-Team when they swapped the cranks from e-13 to Shimano the lbs left a washer in that prevented the crank from free spinning backwards… the Shimano cranks did not need it and when I took it out the cranks would freely spin backwards… wander if you have something similar?

 

[Barney]

So I get the same on my m10. If I set off first thing with no assist it behaves just like a normal bike.
if I put assist on and climb then turn it off it feels like it drags. Stop for a min (eat something quick chat etc) then set off no assist it feels fine again. If I’ve been pushing hard in boost it takes a longer rest before it’ll go easy. It is like the clutch doesn’t want to disengage. When you feel it drag you can’t hear that click that it givesas the clutch skips. Mine is still in warranty so I will not be playing with it yet
@BobR was there a reason for swapping the cranks or personal preference? Im personally not sure if I like the e13’s still very undecided. As for the rest of the bike I love it.

 

[Longfellow78]

So I get the same on my m10. If I set off first thing with no assist it behaves just like a normal bike.
if I put assist on and climb then turn it off it feels like it drags. Stop for a min (eat something quick chat etc) then set off no assist it feels fine again. If I’ve been pushing hard in boost it takes a longer rest before it’ll go easy. It is like the clutch doesn’t want to disengage. When you feel it drag you can’t hear that click that it givesas the clutch skips. Mine is still in warranty so I will not be playing with it yet
@BobR was there a reason for swapping the cranks or personal preference? Im personally not sure if I like the e13’s still very undecided. As for the rest of the bike I love it.

I think I fixed the problem for me. Basically it was that for some reason the low levels of assist character in the etube app seem u der powered. When I put assist character for eco around the middle, and trail at around 7, all of a sudden there is noticeable support in all modes and terrain. I think the "motor drag" is actually an illusion because there is very little support. Try it. I have adapted my etube settings quite a lot and now it's great.

 

[Barney]

I think I fixed the problem for me. Basically it was that for some reason the low levels of assist character in the etube app seem u der powered. When I put assist character for eco around the middle, and trail at around 7, all of a sudden there is noticeable support in all modes and terrain. I think the "motor drag" is actually an illusion because there is very little support. Try it. I have adapted my etube settings quite a lot and now it's great.

I tried stopping once whilst pulling full power up a hill, and put it into the easiest gear. There was definitely a noticeable drag. I didn’t have the time to sit and wait to see if it would come off unfortunately.

 

[Longfellow78]

I tried stopping once whilst pulling full power up a hill, and put it into the easiest gear. There was definitely a noticeable drag. I didn’t have the time to sit and wait to see if it would come off unfortunately.

I think that when it's flat, the small amount of assist when assist character is low makes up for the bike weight so it feels "like it's working". When the trail starts going up, the amount of assist is so puny it feels like drag. As the motor is whirring it seems like its assisting but it barely is. I noticed the drag issue all day on a big ride in Wales on the Friday. Changed my settings and on the Sunday didn't notice the issue once on a nearly 4 hour ride. Maybe your issue is different but I think that our selective attention and flat vs up inconsistent testing is the cause. Try it! I upped the torque 2 clicks from default on profile 2 on eco and trail with assist character 5 on eco, 7 on trail, and all maxed on boost. It was like another bike and I spent way more time in the lower modes when before it felt like boost or nothing.

 

[Barney]

I think that when it's flat, the small amount of assist when assist character is low makes up for the bike weight so it feels "like it's working". When the trail starts going up, the amount of assist is so puny it feels like drag. As the motor is whirring it seems like its assisting but it barely is. I noticed the drag issue all day on a big ride in Wales on the Friday. Changed my settings and on the Sunday didn't notice the issue once on a nearly 4 hour ride. Maybe your issue is different but I think that our selective attention and flat vs up inconsistent testing is the cause. Try it! I upped the torque 2 clicks from default on profile 2 on eco and trail with assist character 5 on eco, 7 on trail, and all maxed on boost. It was like another bike and I spent way more time in the lower modes when before it felt like boost or nothing.

My settings on the day were max boost max assist. I stopped turned it off put it in the easiest gear and it was definitely to hard to push the peddles. I need to do the same climb with time on my hands stop and take a break then set off and see if it drags on no assist. It definitely relates to heat and load on the motor. If I’ve been running profile 1 original settings in eco and a short amount of trail if you turn it off it feels like it should.

 

[Longfellow78]

My settings on the day were max boost max assist. I stopped turned it off put it in the easiest gear and it was definitely to hard to push the peddles. I need to do the same climb with time on my hands stop and take a break then set off and see if it drags on no assist. It definitely relates to heat and load on the motor. If I’ve been running profile 1 original settings in eco and a short amount of trail if you turn it off it feels like it should.

Ohhh. Well I think that may be another problem I've heard about then. If the motor is actually turning off under load? That's a new motor needed I've read on other threads....

 

[BobR]

So I get the same on my m10. If I set off first thing with no assist it behaves just like a normal bike.
if I put assist on and climb then turn it off it feels like it drags. Stop for a min (eat something quick chat etc) then set off no assist it feels fine again. If I’ve been pushing hard in boost it takes a longer rest before it’ll go easy. It is like the clutch doesn’t want to disengage. When you feel it drag you can’t hear that click that it givesas the clutch skips. Mine is still in warranty so I will not be playing with it yet
@BobR was there a reason for swapping the cranks or personal preference? Im personally not sure if I like the e13’s still very undecided. As for the rest of the bike I love it.

Orbea gave me them as my wife’s bike was suppose to come with carbon cranks but the e13 versions were failing so she had aluminum ones.. the Shimano cranks were their replacement solution

 

[2WheelsNot4]

I think the 'drag' is the effect of the pedals turning the internal mechanism of the motor, and I dont think it can be entirely drag free because of that.

On a regular bike, if you exceed the speed that a particular low gear engages your pedals spin,noticeable when going down hills, and to get more speed you go lower etc. But what i noticed quite quickly that in a scenario of freewheeling at say 20mph on an ebike, if i pedal, the pedals dont spin freely as they would on a regular bike but do so with some resistance.
Its not the weight of the bike, because even there the pedals would still spin quickly, so it has to be something else and the only thing it can be is resistance from the internal mechanism.