How long do you expect to keep your bike?

[aroncox]

Electric bikes of course are very dependent on batteries, and as we know battery technology is continually changing. On top of that new bike models are continually coming out.

Do you expect to be able to find replacement batteries for your current bike in the future? How far into the future, two years, five years, ten years?

How long do you expect to be able to get replacement batteries? What do you think would be a fair time for the manufacturers to keep a battery type in stock?

As a computer nerd, I have seen technology go obsolete and unavailable many times, so I'm not overconfident that we will be able to find batteries five to ten years from now.

 

[flecc]

About five to eight years availability is a probable figure for complete lithium batteries from mainstream companies, but recelling NiMh means they have an almost infinite life, so no problem even for the non technical since there are recelling services.

With lithium batteries it would always be possible to rack mount a non standard replacement.
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[Ian]

I hope to keep my bikes for as long as I'm healthy enough to ride them, I don't see batteries as being a limitation for the same reasons as Flecc in his previous post. In addition to that Ezee have a common battery casing and voltage accross their entire range and it's likely that any new battery technologies adopted and new bikes developed will also use this ensuring total compatibility with, and extending the lifespan of existing products.

 

[Steven Brandist]

What about other parts

...but what about other parts such as motors and motor controllers - which can very specific to one model from one manufacturer. They may fail at some point and certainly not as easily replaceable as batteries.

 

[Ian]

A good point Steven, while nothings certain it is reasonable to expect those items to last for many tens of thousands of miles, unlike the battery which is a consumable in the same way as brake pads, tyres and chain.

 

[flecc]

Mainstream bikes are usually very reliable once running ok.

Motor and controller faults, if any, tend to show up at very early stages in the life, and once a few hundred miles have passed they usually run on for many years. Even the cheapest e-bike hub motors and controllers tend to outlive the cheap bikes they are fitted to, and the motors are often seen on the second hand market long after the bikes have been junked.
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[aroncox]

Well you say that, and of course I'm just one, perhaps unlucky, case, but after 18 months the 'planetary gears inside the motor seized' (I'm sure someone knows what that means) and I needed a new motor. Thankfully 50Cycles replaced it free of charge (extended warranty), and once I get a working battery everything ought to be okay. However if it happens again in the future, outside of warranty, I don't know what I'll do, maybe someone can tell me if I did anything wrong, or if there's something I can do to reduce the chance of this happening again.

Mainstream bikes are usually very reliable once running ok.

Motor and controller faults, if any, tend to show up at very early stages in the life, and once a few hundred miles have passed they usually run on for many years. Even the cheapest e-bike hub motors and controllers tend to outlive the cheap bikes they are fitted to, and the motors are often seen on the second hand market long after the bikes have been junked.
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[flecc]

The Torq motor gears are nylon to give it's relative quietness at cruising speeds, and nylon is well up to job. However, the construction that gives it's free running and performance depends on the gear assembly running in good balance, and out of balance distortion in the assembly can lead to failure.

One thing to avoid is full power starting from standstill, since this is the most likely circumstance under which distortion can occur due to the high magnetic forces of the powerful motor. It's best to pedal away with just a touch of throttle initially and not reach full throttle opening until at around 10 to 12 mph. There is a warning about this in the handbook.

In a tiny number of cases the original assembly can be at fault, but those failures occur within a very few miles and are covered by the warranty of course, and in any case appear to have been in the early examples. Most of these motors are good for years of use just like the others.
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[HarryB]

Well you say that, and of course I'm just one, perhaps unlucky, case, but after 18 months the 'planetary gears inside the motor seized' (I'm sure someone knows what that means) and I needed a new motor. Thankfully 50Cycles replaced it free of charge (extended warranty), and once I get a working battery everything ought to be okay. However if it happens again in the future, outside of warranty, I don't know what I'll do, maybe someone can tell me if I did anything wrong, or if there's something I can do to reduce the chance of this happening again.

I meant to ask this yesterday - what state is your present battery in? Is it refusing to accept charge or has the cutting out become intolerable?

 

[aroncox]

It charges just fine, there's no indication while charging that there's a problem. It lasts about 5-10 minutes with no apparent problems, after that it cuts out whenever I go above about 10 mph (which is basically all the time). It will cutout, and then immediately come back on again(after I re-twist the accelerator). It started cutting out quite a while ago, but it's now at the point that I can perhaps make it to the shops and back okay, but not the commute to work.

I meant to ask this yesterday - what state is your present battery in? Is it refusing to accept charge or has the cutting out become intolerable?

 

[flecc]

Those cells are at end of life, the cathodes spent. Definitely a new battery needed.
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[HarryB]

It charges just fine, there's no indication while charging that there's a problem. It lasts about 5-10 minutes with no apparent problems, after that it cuts out whenever I go above about 10 mph (which is basically all the time). It will cutout, and then immediately come back on again(after I re-twist the accelerator). It started cutting out quite a while ago, but it's now at the point that I can perhaps make it to the shops and back okay, but not the commute to work.

..and what do the battery lights do when the cutouts happen - do they go into the red or just the yellow? This is different to my problem which is cutting out with any real demand. If it stays on red for more than a few seconds or yellow for a minute then the controller cuts the power. It sometimes helps to give the contacts a really good clean (not relavent in your situation). Have you tried restricting it? Not popular I know but the power demands are much less and once you have adjusted to the lack of speed it is quite acceptable (and legal!). This would give you breathing space until the NiMH come in.

 

[aroncox]

The lights go to red (if they aren't already there which they usually are now, but no when it first started hapenning) then all flash then all turn off for a very short period, then come back on on green, at that point I can re-twist the accelerator and the motor starts again (temporarily).

I did try restricting it, but at that point I had both the cutting out and the broken motor (I didn't know at the time it was two separate issues) and it didn't seem to help. I think restricting it now is too late as it really only works if I go as slow as I possible can which is slower than the restricted limit.

..and what do the battery lights do when the cutouts happen - do they go into the red or just the yellow? This is different to my problem which is cutting out with any real demand. If it stays on red for more than a few seconds or yellow for a minute then the controller cuts the power. It sometimes helps to give the contacts a really good clean (not relavent in your situation). Have you tried restricting it? Not popular I know but the power demands are much less and once you have adjusted to the lack of speed it is quite acceptable (and legal!). This would give you breathing space until the NiMH come in.

 

[flecc]

The fact that it doesn't need to be switched off and on first to reset it to running again, just the throttle twist doing that, indicates the cells have had it. It won't be continuously usable under any circumstances, since the cathodes are unable to pass even the minimum current to sustain full operation.
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[HarryB]

The fact that it doesn't need to be switched off and on first to reset it to running again, just the throttle twist doing that, indicates the cells have had it. It won't be continuously usable under any circumstances, since the cathodes are unable to pass even the minimum current to sustain full operation.
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Yes I can see that the battery is in a worse state than mine being completely shot. It gives me hope that I can stagger on with mine for a month or so. The constant turning off and on is a pain though - now we can see why Wisper made a point of putting the key on the handlebars!

 

[flecc]

Yes I can see that the battery is in a worse state than mine being completely shot. It gives me hope that I can stagger on with mine for a month or so. The constant turning off and on is a pain though - now we can see why Wisper made a point of putting the key on the handlebars!

Good point you make on that Wisper Harry, though I doubt they'd admit cutouts were the reason!

As you'll have found, keeping the throttle opening and current use as small as possible will help extend the run without cutting out, and that's why Li-ion works much better with low powered bikes as Scott unintentionally illustrated with his mention of the Panasonic etc.
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[Mumblefun]

I had a Heinzmann electric Nevis 2000 from Glasgow in December 2000. It's lasted me until today, when it's got so knackered that I've ordered a brand new Heinzmann Estelle Sport (£2300 with 2nd battery, ouch!).

* During that time, the battery went kaput after a little over 3 years of regular use (a hot day, one of the cells went) and it was replaced rather than waiting ages for it to be refurbished and returned. The replacement is still going strong, after more than three years.

* About six rear battery carriers were gone through (various forms of metal fatigue), and these are now no longer made for the older style Heinzmann. Currently it is held against the seatpost with one of those long strong hooked braids that people use to strap things to the tops of cars - which works rather well actually. I'm hoping Heinzmann's new carriers are more resistant to metal fatigue.

* During the first two years the back axle cracked about five times, due to the weight of the bike. Eventually it was replaced at the bike shop with a top-of-the-range Shimano axle and I've never had such a problem again.

* The front motor went kaput after about three years (nasty knocking sound - one brush needed replacing) and it took almost a whole summer to get the front wheel replaced and returned. It's just "gone" again, and is making an awful racket, but the motor still works.

Overall, I spent about £2400 on it in total (buying + fixing it) which is equivalent to about £350 a year + the small amount of electric for it. I reckon seven years is about right for one Heinzmann bike that's in regular off-road commuter use, unless you're someone who cossets it and rubs every microbe of dirt off it every single time you get home.

 

[flecc]

I was a bit surprised to read how many breakages you've had, until I got to he bit about off-road commuting. I think you'd probably have had a lot less trouble if it had been on reasonable roads all the time.

Nonetheless, I agree seven years for a daily use commuting bike is probably about as much as anyone can expect, though the best Hall motor bikes could well do more.
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[nigel]

Nigel

I would change my torq only if ezee brought out a faster machine so iam still waiting but in the meantime my torq is still my NO 1 a sleek speed machine

 

[Footie]

I am hoping to keep my bike for a while. I'm thinking the SLA battery should last me three maybe four years (I don't use the bike for commuting) and if everything else is all going well, renew the battery so I can ride some more

PS: I still have my normal Mountain bike and it's 25 years old. So if the battery goes flat I can always bring out old faithfull
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