Help new electric bike as died :(

[flash]

My father recently bought an electric bike off Ebay like the one in the link below

36V Power-assisted Electric Bike with Aluminum Frame on eBay, also, Bikes, Cycling, Sporting Goods (end time 12-Apr-09 18:48:00 BST)

All went well for 2 weeks but yesterday a fault occurred. When he switches it on all the lights on the throttle light but as soon as he pedals or touches the throttle all the lights go out also the battery condition lights go out. If he then switches the battery off then on again all the lights come back on but the same thing happens when he tries to operate the throttle or pedal. He has charged the battery. There appears to be a slight click from the battery case when the lights go out.

Any ideas?

 

[OneWayTraffic]

Yes. Don't buy ebikes off ebay. Nobody to turn to in the event of problems. Best thing for him to do would be to either try and get the vendor for support, or should this prove fruitless, try checking the connections to see if any are loose, and also checking the battery voltage with a multimeter.

If the battery voltage is ok, then there's a problem with the controller or motor. If the battery seems to be the problem there may be a blown fuse or something inside.

If you really want help, you'll need to post more info. Name and make of bike. SLA or NimH battery. Type of controller.

If you can identify the faulty part then fixing or replacing becomes simpler.

 

[Mussels]

Give them a chance to fix it but don't let them stall as there is a 3 month limit on PayPal disputes, PayPal is rubbish at disputes so keep chasing them.

 

[Fecn]

All went well for 2 weeks but yesterday a fault occurred. When he switches it on all the lights on the throttle light but as soon as he pedals or touches the throttle all the lights go out also the battery condition lights go out. If he then switches the battery off then on again all the lights come back on but the same thing happens when he tries to operate the throttle or pedal. He has charged the battery. There appears to be a slight click from the battery case when the lights go out.

Any ideas?

That sounds like a bad connection or faulty switch inside the battery to me.

 

[torrent99]

That sounds like a bad connection or faulty switch inside the battery to me.

Sounds like one of:
a) Duff battery.
b) Duff BMS inside the battery.
c) Duff controller.

(The battery seems able to supply a little power, but as soon as he demands more power [by turning the throttle or pedals] the battery "can't" supply anymore and in the controller senses "a dead battery" and cuts everything off)

It's pretty clearly a duff one... send it back!

My routine with "bad" ebayers is to send them a complaint email (via Ebay or paypal NOT directly), if they haven't replied satisfactorily within a week lodge an official Paypal claim... they take notice then as paypal often prevent them getting the money.

These guys look like they've been around on ebay a while though so they shouldn't need that.

Cheers

Steve

 

[flash]

Thanks for the replies. Firstly it was my father that bought the bike off Ebay despite me advising him to buy one locally and to be fair to him the spec does look good in the advert. The Ebay seller has told my father he will replace the bike, the only problem with this it means a drive to Preston for yours truly to take it back, hence my original message. The battery is a li-on and when I put my voltmeter across the terminals coming from it, the reading is 39 volts and it stays at this when I try to operate the motor. However the battery condition lights go out, very puzzling, so I assume it is a problem with the controller but does the controller affect the battery condition lights ( they work when the battery is removed from the bike)

 

[bersh]

Second the notion: please reveal brand name/supplier

My father recently bought an electric bike off Ebay like the one in the link below

36V Power-assisted Electric Bike with Aluminum Frame on eBay, also, Bikes, Cycling, Sporting Goods (end time 12-Apr-09 18:48:00 BST)

All went well for 2 weeks but yesterday a fault occurred. When he switches it on all the lights on the throttle light but as soon as he pedals or touches the throttle all the lights go out also the battery condition lights go out. If he then switches the battery off then on again all the lights come back on but the same thing happens when he tries to operate the throttle or pedal. He has charged the battery. There appears to be a slight click from the battery case when the lights go out.

Any ideas?

 

[flash]

Thanks for all the replies. I took my father to Preston today and the dealer replaced the bike with a new one which seems to work fine.

The question of who the bike is made by is anybody's guess it says Powersmart on the frame. I am certain it is an import from China.

Any way now it is sorted I need to find out what will be the best bike for myself

 

[Shroppielass]

The question of who the bike is made by is anybody's guess it says Powersmart on the frame. I am certain it is an import from China.

I'd never heard of Powersmart either but I see Onbike are selling them too

 

[flash]

found this site about PowerSmart bikes -

Electric Bike Sales - Buying Guide For Electric Bikes