Vitus E-Mythique LT Enduro EMTB - Bargain of the year

[clSAP]

I have the same problem. My battery failed for no apparent reason, I managed to get it working again by checking the cells, I had a bare cable, I fixed this, the battery turns on, but not the bike.

I contacted the seller, Vitus Bike US directly and they have closed their operations. I have no warranty, no response.

 

[Freddy-mountain]

That’s too bad but I could suggest 2 options
- get a new one for $270+shipping, customs, VAT
- a battery repair center. I was in touch with a shop nearby specializing on batteries rebuilds for bikes, PV storage etc. They told me that they could replace bad cells , when they can open the case without damages. Its probably not much cheaper but you can save time.
Don’t know whether that helps, but at least there are some options. Once one of my batteries dies I will try to get a rebuild with smaller capacity to be able to put them in the backpack

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

That’s too bad but I could suggest 2 options
- get a new one for $270+shipping, customs, VAT
- a battery repair center. I was in touch with a shop nearby specializing on batteries rebuilds for bikes, PV storage etc. They told me that they could replace bad cells , when they can open the case without damages. Its probably not much cheaper but you can save time.
Don’t know whether that helps, but at least there are some options. Once one of my batteries dies I will try to get a rebuild with smaller capacity to be able to put them in the backpack

That’s the plan for now. I’m going to order a new battery as soon as I hear something back from them. I will then either take the bad battery apart or send it to a repair center to fix it and have a spare.

 

[Freddy-mountain]

Once you order the battery, you might also get some spare battery release triggers. My wife just lost one as the screw has probably come loose.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

Once you order the battery, you might also get some spare battery release triggers. My wife just lost one as the screw has probably come loose.

Funny you mention that. My bike lost the battery release trigger and I lost the key. I ordered an upper battery mount, spare display and controller and rear wheel sensor all at the same time. I’m trying to build up spares so I won’t have to be without the bike. I truly enjoy riding it.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

I gave up on ordering a battery though Bafang. They never got back to me so I ordered one through Changzhou Fieldebikes. It wound up being a little more than I was expecting after shipping and fee's but not terrible.

Odd thing is they said it would ship air. I didn't think they could ship batteries by air but apparently so.

 

[Freddy-mountain]

mine one also had an air freight sticker on it so i assume they have special containers for hazardous freight? So you are first to try to make a 350Wh battery out of your 620 case?

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

mine one also had an air freight sticker on it so i assume they have special containers for hazardous freight? So you are first to try to make a 350Wh battery out of your 620 case?

Thats a great idea. My usual after work rides rarely use %50 battery so it would be nice to shave a couple pounds off because my bike is heavy!

 

[blacklab14]

How is everyone finding their bikes so far?
For me its been great to get me back into MTB and was a great price point to do so.
No modifications to mine just some Conti Kryptotal tyres, and a new stem as it was cross-threaded when it arrived.
Taken up to Lake District and Helvellyn and has been great for throwing around the Surrey Hills.

What if anything do I need to do next and what do your recommend for servicing?

 

[jezhumphrey75]

thats good going, i thought they had all broken by now lol

 

[Neeko DeVinchi]

I'm currently fixing the 13th E-Mythique for an owner who's travelled far to get this bike working.

Withn 30sec of using the Besst Tool, it explained that the motor's controller had failed.

Unfortunately, this person had already purchased a new display and battery totalling £400 (which is around the same price as a new motor).

The look on the owner's face when I showed him that the motor was the problem, he looked like his heart had just sank.

Thankfully, a new controller and new motor are on the way. So (as always), I'll get this chap back out on the trails...one way or another.

To add context to this particular bike, this is what the owner told me,
"He had ridden the bike up Lake District. It was a muddy day. He had washed the bike. And after wiping it down/drying it, inserted the battery. He heard a spark once the battery was fully seated into the frame. He immediately thought "that didn't sound good". He attempted to turn the bike. Nothing happened. He unplugged and replugged the display. The bike didn't turn on. He removed the battery and checked if the battery was on. The battery showed a green light indicating that it had charge. He repeated the steps of plugging connectors and battery. The bike still wouldn't turn on. He then opted to buy a new display a week later. The bike still wouldn't turn on. He then saw the batteries being advertised on Ebay and bought another one. THE BIKE STILL WOULDN'T TURN ON!!!"

By now, I'm sure the above story for E-Mythique owners may sound familiar. I won't lie, the story continues as the owner even contacted Bafang directly. Spoiler alert, they didn't help him. Despite having a genuine receipt confirming that he is the original owner and the bike isn't 2 years old.

So for any of you who spot these ebikes on the second hand market, be warned. For you will have to treat this bike no different than a diy ebike. And know how Bafang works. Otherwise, be prepared to spend more than what the bike cost initially.

Rant over!

 

[Freddy-mountain]

So is it water ingress mainly to the Motor Unit?

 

[Neeko DeVinchi]

No.
The spark sound the owner heard when connecting the battery was what shorted out the motor.

If it was water ingress, the motor internally would show signs. Mechanically, it's fine. But the controller ignition board is fried.

 

[jezhumphrey75]

god im glad i didnt take a punt on one of these when they were 2k!!

such a shame

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

My bike has been great other than the above battery issue. I've got well over 1000 miles on it and even with the battery issue (and no warranty from Bafang) I'm still happy with the purchase. I gave $2100 for mine, so even with the new battery I'm still well under what anything else would cost.

I finally got around to taking my bad battery apart and checking it out. There's not really much you can do to the batteries, they are largely epoxied into the case. I saw nothing obvious wrong with it so I tried something on a whim. I unplugged the ribbon cable to the button on the top of the battery. I rode 2 miles around the neighborhood yesterday at 650-700 watts and all was well. I'm going to do a trail test today.

 

[Freddy-mountain]

There's not really much you can do to the batteries, they are largely epoxied into the case. I saw nothing obvious wrong with it so I tried something on a whim. I unplugged the ribbon cable to the button on the top of the battery. I rode 2 miles around the neighborhood yesterday at 650-700 watts and all was well. I'm going to do a trail test today.

Great to hear and is a match to my experience with our 2 bikes here. 850 and 600km so far and nothing serious apart from some mechanical issues (loose bolts, disconnected cables ..)
After the messages on water ingress I tried to seal the joint and have a neoprene cover when it’s pouring down.
Keeping the contacts free of water and debris seemed to work good up to now.
I am planning to open the motor during winter to check the inside.
Still happy with the bike and the diy possibilities

 

[ZR1]

I've had mine about a year and rode 500miles - tend to only use it for steeper rides

so far its been reliable -

changed the fork when I first got it, battery lock lever thing bolt came loose, connector into screen was loose and would'nt turn on one time.

Chain snapped this week and i've smashed the rear wheel but those are user induced as I've been neglecting it maintence wise, bit paranoid about water ingress so i've not even washed the bike once.

Overall happy, like the riding position/geometry just not looking forward to when something big goes wrong and firing the parts cannon at it.

 

[Neeko DeVinchi]

FYI.
If you ever find yourself not being able to turn the E-Mythique on, try removing the battery. Then whilst holding the power on button on the remote, insert the battery.
Provided the display isn't the culprit, you should be able to force start the bike.
Just remember to bring the key in any circumstance

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

so I ordered one through Changzhou Fieldebikes

Finally received my battery. Was waiting around on the Fedex guy on Friday to drop it off and immediately left on a 3 day big ride. Rode over 50 miles and 10,000ft in 3 days with zero problems. Forgot how much I love this bike. I struggled with range on the first charge or two but it got noticeably better every charge. Rode almost 4 battery's complexly dead over the weekend.

My eventually pick up another battery to be able to swap out on big days.

 

[jezhumphrey75]

these are back up for sale 2300 from sportdirect.....no mention of warranty though

 

[ZR1]

Spoke too soon regarding reliability! on a descent error 27 came up, turned it off and on again and now it's error 12.

In the UK buying on credit card give some protections (section 75) so will try that but it's not a quick process at least a couple months before they decide if the credit card company will pay to fix it.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

In the UK buying on credit card give some protections (section 75) so will try that but it's not a quick process at least a couple months before they decide if the credit card company will pay to fix it.

Sounds like the controller may have died. Would be a pretty simple fix if you get no where with the credit card.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

I just fixed my wife's battery mount so the key was no longer needed to remove the battery. I did this to mine several months ago and have not had any issues. I took some pic so show in case anyone else wanted to try it.

First remove the upper battery mount.

Next remove the cylinder retaining pin.

This allows you to insert the key and remove the cylinder

Now you can remove the key and get access to the wafer pins

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

Now you can remove the wafers and springs

This leaves the cylinder empty

Now you can align the bolt and reassemble.

I was worried at first that without a detent it would unlock by itself. I had no problems of this sort and now it can be unlocked by any key or flat screwdriver. It has saved me more than once on the trail.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

If anyone was wondering what the inside of the battery looks like, I took my defective one apart.

 

[Freddy-mountain]

Hi, when are you going to publish your service offering in Europe? I will order the full package. Great to see how you dig into all details. Thanks for all those details and keep doing what you’re doing!

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

Thanks for all those details and keep doing what you’re doing!

I’m just a tinkerer by nature and determined to make this bike last!

 

[Anssi]

If anyone was wondering what the inside of the battery looks like, I took my defective one apart.

Do you know what went wrong? Cells, electronics or connections?

 

[Tooks]

If anyone was wondering what the inside of the battery looks like, I took my defective one apart.

View attachment 150108
View attachment 150109
View attachment 150110

Thanks for the look inside, look like decent Samsung cells, same as in a lot of higher end garden tool power packs, although I always frown when I see an XT60 connector, good as they are at handling high current they aren’t moisture or vibration resistant etc.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

Do you know what went wrong? Cells, electronics or connections?

It had to be a connection somewhere. The battery got to the point where it would shut off when it was bolted locked. There's a "slam" latch that holds the battery in and then when you turn the key there's a bolt that engages and locks the battery in place. When I would turn the key the battery would shut off.

I took it apart a while ago and didn't see anything obvious wrong so I just ordered another battery.