Newbie to forum, sharing an inconvenient truth about the e-mtb industry, specifically specialized

[nicknguyenOC]

Hey all,

Name is Nick, from southern California, I pedal A LOT 42,000+ miles since COVID, road, mtb and etmb. I have had several e-mtbs (Several Haibikes, Norco Range, Specialized Kenevo). My most recent was a 2019 specialized Kenevo. To date I have had 3 motors seize on me, 2 shimanos and now a brose. Shimano actually took care of me even though I was well out of warranty, but unfortunately it doesn't look like specialized will be as honorable, I reached out to brose, and they said they cant offer any help cause there contract with specialized, they cant offer me any help.

As someone who has dealt with a lot of bikes and motors. This industry has some serious issues, these bikes cost as much as cars do, and when something goes wrong with the bikes motor or battery (usually around the 2 year mark) , the only solution is to buy a replacement motor or battery, which is quite costly.

So when you buy a pre owned e-mtb, its like purchasing a vehicle, and should anything go wrong with the motor (even minor), your local mechanic will glance at it and simply say, you need to buy a new motor.

I find this to be unacceptable, and as someone who is mechanically and electrically inclined, my immediate resolve is to try and fix it myself, but I run into another infuriating issue, there is no technical manuals or mechanics manuals so I can properly repair my own motor. This all seems to work out quite nicely for specialized revenue tho.

I really enjoyed riding e-mtb, unfortunately I dont have the money to buy a new bike, and I seriously cant justify buying another used bike after this ordeal.

Thanks for letting me vent, hoping to maybe find some miracle solutions here, so i can get back on my e-mtb and ride with my friends again.
-Nick

PS In case anyone was wondering, my brose motor is mechanically fine, I believe its a electrical problem, cause on my garmin is shows the bike is traveling at 254 mph all the time, and a cadence of 159, but 0 watts, i suspect this is preventing the motor from activating. I have tested the power cable and it shows 41 volts and tested aux and that shows around 1.75 voltage, so there is power running to the motor, which leads me to believe the control board in the motor is fried. And apparently since i have an older brose 1.3 or something there is no way to run a diagnostic or firmware update on it (atleast thats what my LBS told me). Thats my current predicament.

 

[Emteebee]

Frustrating it is. Here in the Netherlands there’s only 1 company I could find which can perform emotor refurbishments. They can replace anything on Bosch, bearings, parts, electronics. One of my bikes has an Impulse Evo RS of which they replaced noisy bearings. Cost me €100 instead of a full motor replacement of €800 that was diagnosed by official Kalkhoff dealer. Mechanically they could do a lot on Impulse but electronic failures wasn’t possible, that would mean new motor and apparently that is a bit of a weak point where they all seem to fail in the end. So cross fingers, I got 2 ebikes with Impulse.

 

[Doomanic]

@Bearing Man I think you can help here.

 

[Tooks]

I’m not sure we should try to put e-bikes in a different category to any other electrical appliance we buy.

Try getting warranty on a 5 year old kitchen appliance and see how far you get.

Your 5 year old washing machine can be repaired, but just like an e-bike it might need a motor replacement to fix it. An e-bike motor isn’t the same as an internal combustion engine, there are few moving parts and a lot of failures are electronic. Worn bearings can be replaced of course, even for quite obscure motors but rarely individual boards.

It’s worth factoring in the cost of post warranty maintenance with e-bikes, nothing lasts forever, support those manufacturers who will ensure that motors (and batteries) are available to buy years down the line so you can keep your bike going.

It’s not exactly an inconvenient truth, it’s more just the reality of mechanical and electrical things.

 

[Amber Valley Guy]

Isn't the EU making the 'Right to Repair' law? I don't know if it's in place yet or not, but it specifically states technical manuals and spares should be available for the consumer and third party businesses. Hopefully that'll kick Shimano (for example) up the backside and force them to release tech manuals and spares for the home mechanic.

 

[Doomanic]

The OP isn't in the EU, and neither are we for that matter...

 

[ThierryGTLTS]

I find this to be unacceptable, and as someone who is mechanically and electrically inclined, my immediate resolve is to try and fix it myself, but I run into another infuriating issue, there is no technical manuals or mechanics manuals so I can properly repair my own motor. This all seems to work out quite nicely for specialized revenue tho.

E-bike market is very well protected.

Specialized has one of the best warranty, but they don't repair the motors.

They exchange for one new or one refurbished motor.

Ask your dealer.

But don't be surprised that if he hasn't sold the bike, he probably will charge you for the labor.

Have a Nice Day.

Thierry

 

[RustyIron]

Name is Nick, from southern California, I pedal A LOT 42,000+ miles since COVID, road, mtb and etmb. I have had several e-mtbs (Several Haibikes, Norco Range, Specialized Kenevo).

Hey, Nick.
Rob from North Orange County here. Like most everything else in life, with mountain bikes, e or otherwise, you gotta pay to play. What's a new motor going to set you back? A thousand bucks? Your 2019 bike has lasted five or six years, so the cost per year is about what it costs to fill up my truck twice.

Another approach is to sell off that extensive stable of old bikes, and use the cash buy one GOOD eMTB. I just browsed on over to a couple of our bigger local stores, and there are some very capable bikes under five grovers--and a couple under four!