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'The big problem is water': UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

theguardian.com

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Re: 'The big problem is water': UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

#11

Post by serf »

it's not surprising to me that the bosch mid-drives are failing, they're typically placed at an angle that catches all the run off from every tube at the lowest point on the bike (except on recumbents), and the controller is (usually) integrated.

mid-drives are great, the gear advantage rocks; the bosch units suck but unfortunately they had so much industry sway that a lot of ebike frames are coming out built around the unit -- which is absolutely unlike any other unit out there aside from vague similarities to the bafang units in the same range -- so it forces replacement with the same garbage, or a total re-engineer of the gear train; a big pain.

one thing to be said about the bosch unit : it looks sleek and it integrates well. This is likely a lot of the reason behind the mass adoption, aside from Bosch's presence itself.

Re: 'The big problem is water': UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

#12

Post by andrewshadura »

TacticalCoder wrote: post #8
andrewshadura wrote: post #3

Somehow this is not a big deal across the Channel in the Netherlands. Yet another case of the British not learning from the Dutch?

> Yet another case of the British not learning from the Dutch? This apparently affects Bosch motors. Bosch is a reputable company. Maybe they screwed up on these motors but I don't see how bikes used in the Netherlands, if they're using the same Bosch motors, wouldn't be affected. Especially seen the shitty all year weather we're all "enjoying" in our countries (UK / .nl / .be / .lu etc.). It's been, what, 8 months o…

I guess the bicycles are better designed?

Re: 'The big problem is water': UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

#13

Post by jajko »

andrewshadura wrote: post #10
_oyks wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do the same bikes magically not fail and have cheaper replacement motors in the fabled Dutch paradise?

It's not the same bikes, that's the point.

How come? Article doesn't seem to mention that. That Cube bike for 5k ain't British producer, manufacturer is german.

Re: 'The big problem is water': UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

#14

Post by cqqxo4zV46cp »

krisoft wrote: post #2

From my perspective water is only at best a proximal cause. The big problem is that if the motor needs replacing five times during a two year waranty period that is a lemon and the manufacurer should give back the money one paid for it.

I’m not sure how this adds any perspective beyond what’s said in the article?

Re: 'The big problem is water': UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

#15

Post by andrewshadura »

jajko wrote: post #13
andrewshadura wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not the same bikes, that's the point.

How come? Article doesn't seem to mention that. That Cube bike for 5k ain't British producer, manufacturer is german.

Cube is not a very popular brand of ebikes in the Netherlands as far as I'm aware. Definitely not for city bicycles. Gazelle, Batavus, Cortina, Vogue, Azor, but Cube? Not so much.

Re: 'The big problem is water': UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

#16

Post by lostlogin »

I’ve been doing a bit of (non e-bike) riding in poor weather of late, and it’s really surprising just how wet and dirty everything gets. After a wet road ride, every surface is covered in black, greasy dirt. It rots fabric, makes grinding paste in mechanical parts and generally makes everything worse. You need really good seals to keep that crap out.

Re: 'The big problem is water': UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

#17

Post by markus92 »

andrewshadura wrote: post #3

Somehow this is not a big deal across the Channel in the Netherlands. Yet another case of the British not learning from the Dutch?

My uncle ran a bike shop, the amount of bikes that came in with broken displays cus of water damage is high. Usually it’s warranty.

Re: 'The big problem is water': UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

#18

Post by dwb »

makingstuffs wrote: post #9
_oyks wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do the same bikes magically not fail and have cheaper replacement motors in the fabled Dutch paradise?

As someone living in London and travelling to The Netherlands on a regular basis (intending to migrate), I have to say, pretty much everything from public transport to supermarket design seems of a much, much higher standard than its British equivalent. Further to that, it generally feels as though the UK is a country massively in decline and this transcends down to the quality of goods which we pass as acceptable. T…

I was born in England, live in London, have a Dutch partner, and also travel to the Netherlands often enough. I agree completely. They have their problems too (from the political to having to tap out on buses), but the overall level of quality and care seems rather higher. The sense of decline and disengagement is strong too. Difficult to say much objective about that (though keep an eye on the turnout in the upcoming general election), but I see it from all political persuasions.

Re: 'The big problem is water': UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

#20

Post by t0mas88 »

_oyks wrote: post #5
andrewshadura wrote: post #3

Somehow this is not a big deal across the Channel in the Netherlands. Yet another case of the British not learning from the Dutch?

Do the same bikes magically not fail and have cheaper replacement motors in the fabled Dutch paradise?

Different bike brands, but the same motor is very common in NL as well. Never heard a lot of failures and e-bikes are absolutely everywhere.

One factor may be that in most of the UK biking is done on the road mixed with cars which may have more oil, sooth or other things in the water that gets on the bike, compared to dedicated bike lanes in the Netherlands. A lot of those lanes here aren't just a part of the same road, they're a few meters away from the road.

Another factor may be that there is more of a longer term bike culture, so more people know about simple bike maintenance (spray the chain etc) or have a bike shop around the corner.

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