NCM Moscow 29 (ex Leon Cycles (leon.de)0 via eBay

jokskot

Pedelecer
Jul 14, 2018
156
47
75
First a bit of background which should allow you to determine the relevance and value of my opinion...
I am 70, weigh ca.93kg and ca.1.85m tall. In my youth I was a regular bike rider. From the age of about 50 to 62, I rode a MTB on country lanes where I live for about 30km or so most summer evenings. Around 8 years ago, I broke a leg in a walking accident in Montenegro and my MTB had been idle since then until the spring of 2018 when I fitted a Voilamart 250w front wheel drive to it. The bike has since been improved somewhat with voltmeter/thumb throttle being fitted and an in-cable motor cut-out switch fitted to the right (front) brake. Since early May last year I've ridden the bike for around 25km everyday when I've been at home and it hasn't been either very wet or blowing a gale. So I've got a reasonable amount of experience of bikes and e-bikes. While the gurus seem to prefer bottom bracket motors I had been happy with the front wheel hub motor, and as someone has observed, if your chain breaks you can still get home with the motor, though I haven't had to resort to this.

I'd had my eye on the NCM Moscow 29
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NCM-Electric-Mountain-Designer-Mechanical/dp/B078JFPFJR
via Amazon's wish-list since around July, because it had attracted excellent reviews on Amazon and seemed to offer high specification for a modest price (£999). The bike appears not to have been on offer in the UK by Leon.de until around six weeks ago, when it became available on eBay and I purchased it.

I've now done around 250km on it and concur with the reviews on Amazon, all of which, bar one, are five stars.
I find the bike very responsive and the suspension (though the Suntour XTC gets rather poor reviews elsewhere) irons out all the imperfections in the road which I used to dread on my previous ebike. The motor seems to have adequate power and I've ascended hills with minimal effort which have required dismountingand pushing a non-motorised bike. I have found I set one level of assistance and leave it there; it's not really appropriate to change it according to the terrain and once travelling at more than 25/26km/h the motor cuts off but cuts in again when the speed drops below ca. 23km/h. I'm still determining what my default assistance setting setting should be - probably between 3 and 5.
The guidance for range is 40 to 120km depending on external factors and that seems about right to me though I haven't tested it, it's just an impression based on distances ridden and the information from the display.
The delivery was very quick, I had the bike before I received the notification from the couriers. The bike was well packed and protected in a cardboard box and assembly required only the front wheel and handlebars to be fitted. I have used my own clip in pedals. The instructions provided were fine and a couple of spanners, a screwdriver and some Allen keys included.
Although the brakes were set up for the UK with the RH brake controlling the front wheel the motor cut-out was on the rear (left) brake. Leon.de were responsive and sent me a replacement right brake which included a cut out switch which I have fitted. It has meant moving the controller/display to the right side of the handle bars, because of the limited length of the cables on the brake and display which makes it more awkward to adjust the controller, but as I've indicated, it's unlikely one would want to change settings on-the-go. If you decide to buy this bike and you think the cutoff should be on the front and right brake I suggest you make this point to Leon.de when you buy. Another minor irritation has been finding full(ish) mudguards which fit the bike, though I have located, bought and fitted some. If you need to identify these I can point you in the right direction.
I hope this has been helpful and I'm very pleased with my purchase.
If you have any detailed questions, please raise them by pm.
 

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
Looks like a good bike for the money. Das Kit stuff is normally quite good. The only thing is he normally reverses all the connectors, so you have to buy spare parts through him.

48v makes a big difference to power and hill-climbing compared with 36v. It makes hub-motors viable for hilly areas.

I would have preferred the brake cut-offs on the rear, as that's the one I use the most on a bicycle, and you can use it to cut the motor while you negotiate a tight corner or other delicate manoeuvres. I don’t think that would work with the cut-off on the front brake, though if you have both brakes with cut-ofs you can't lose.

Please make sure you post again after every thousand miles.
 

Webby

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 22, 2019
8
0
First a bit of background which should allow you to determine the relevance and value of my opinion...
I am 70, weigh ca.93kg and ca.1.85m tall. In my youth I was a regular bike rider. From the age of about 50 to 62, I rode a MTB on country lanes where I live for about 30km or so most summer evenings. Around 8 years ago, I broke a leg in a walking accident in Montenegro and my MTB had been idle since then until the spring of 2018 when I fitted a Voilamart 250w front wheel drive to it. The bike has since been improved somewhat with voltmeter/thumb throttle being fitted and an in-cable motor cut-out switch fitted to the right (front) brake. Since early May last year I've ridden the bike for around 25km everyday when I've been at home and it hasn't been either very wet or blowing a gale. So I've got a reasonable amount of experience of bikes and e-bikes. While the gurus seem to prefer bottom bracket motors I had been happy with the front wheel hub motor, and as someone has observed, if your chain breaks you can still get home with the motor, though I haven't had to resort to this.

I'd had my eye on the NCM Moscow 29
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NCM-Electric-Mountain-Designer-Mechanical/dp/B078JFPFJR
via Amazon's wish-list since around July, because it had attracted excellent reviews on Amazon and seemed to offer high specification for a modest price (£999). The bike appears not to have been on offer in the UK by Leon.de until around six weeks ago, when it became available on eBay and I purchased it.

I've now done around 250km on it and concur with the reviews on Amazon, all of which, bar one, are five stars.
I find the bike very responsive and the suspension (though the Suntour XTC gets rather poor reviews elsewhere) irons out all the imperfections in the road which I used to dread on my previous ebike. The motor seems to have adequate power and I've ascended hills with minimal effort which have required dismountingand pushing a non-motorised bike. I have found I set one level of assistance and leave it there; it's not really appropriate to change it according to the terrain and once travelling at more than 25/26km/h the motor cuts off but cuts in again when the speed drops below ca. 23km/h. I'm still determining what my default assistance setting setting should be - probably between 3 and 5.
The guidance for range is 40 to 120km depending on external factors and that seems about right to me though I haven't tested it, it's just an impression based on distances ridden and the information from the display.
The delivery was very quick, I had the bike before I received the notification from the couriers. The bike was well packed and protected in a cardboard box and assembly required only the front wheel and handlebars to be fitted. I have used my own clip in pedals. The instructions provided were fine and a couple of spanners, a screwdriver and some Allen keys included.
Although the brakes were set up for the UK with the RH brake controlling the front wheel the motor cut-out was on the rear (left) brake. Leon.de were responsive and sent me a replacement right brake which included a cut out switch which I have fitted. It has meant moving the controller/display to the right side of the handle bars, because of the limited length of the cables on the brake and display which makes it more awkward to adjust the controller, but as I've indicated, it's unlikely one would want to change settings on-the-go. If you decide to buy this bike and you think the cutoff should be on the front and right brake I suggest you make this point to Leon.de when you buy. Another minor irritation has been finding full(ish) mudguards which fit the bike, though I have located, bought and fitted some. If you need to identify these I can point you in the right direction.
I hope this has been helpful and I'm very pleased with my purchase.
If you have any detailed questions, please raise them by pm.
I have recently purchased an NCM Moscow and am very impressed. I would like advice or links on mudguards please if still have them.
 

DBye

Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2016
166
78
I bought a set of these for mine: https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/sks-germany-bluemels-set-28-mountain-range-b65-black-54049
Needs P-clips to fit onto the front forks as no eyelets. https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/281785671205?ul_noapp=true
I bought 38mm. They're tight enough but could have got a size smaller I think.
Also there was no through-hole in the arch of the front forks, so needed short bolt and applied some thread lock (possibly controversial, but I don't want it moving anywhere!).

Fitting was straightforward. The main issue was I needed to make a cut in the read mudguard as it interferes with the front derailleur when changing into the smallest cog. I found I didn't need to make a cut out, only a slit below the derailleur cage where it hit the mudguard, about 1 cm long. The mudguard the flexes sufficiently to allow change down.
 
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Wicky

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2014
2,823
4,011
Colchester, Essex
www.jhepburn.co.uk
29kgs with battery. 24kgs without apparently https://ncmbikes.de/produkt/ncm-moscow-plus-275

Am I right in thinking the KTM is easily twice the price?
My KTM 48v hub drive was half-price as it was a demo model (& now discontinued). Still very happy with it but interesting to see new models and developments . Also a friend of a friend is interested in getting a bike. However she wants a folder (as she 's seen a cheap one in Argos) for commuting up hills and occasional long trips, plus light weight. Trying to convince her to get the bike best suited for core role of commuting - test ride would be important as she's petite with short legs. I see ebay has an XS framed Moscow https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NCM-Moscow-27-5-Electric-Mountain-Bike-E-Bike-250W-E-MTB-48V-13Ah-624Wh-black/143112421257 but weight might be OTT for her
 

DBye

Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2016
166
78
Ah I see where you're coming from now. It is a lump and I wouldn't like to regularly lift it.
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,991
8,173
60
West Sx RH
My Boardman 700c fully kitted out (set up for touring type riding) comes in at about 36 kgs more with extra wh for longer rides, I don't lift it over obstacles except for low ones up to 300mm. Surprisingly I don't feel the weight out riding as the bike it self is nicely balanced on the move and it gets used on the N & S downs on winding tracks.
 

jokskot

Pedelecer
Jul 14, 2018
156
47
75
I have recently purchased an NCM Moscow and am very impressed. I would like advice or links on mudguards please if still have them.
Looks like we've got quite a little community of NCM Moscow enthusiasts.

The Mudguards I fitted are SKS (I think that's the old Bluemels, though that name doesn't appear anywhere) Velo65Mountain, 65 being the mudguard width in mm. Both the front and rear guards are "waisted" slightly to fit through the forks and seat stay. The front of the rear mudguard clips round the seat tube and is held with a heavy duty grommet round two lugs. I haven't experienced any issues of interference with the front mech. which was mentioned elsewhere. For the front forks, I initially used 35mm stainless steel P-clips with a rubber liner but subsequently changed to lined 32mm P-clips with the fixing of the stay clamped between the two ends of the clip. The mudguards were bought from Westbrook Cycles, Stokesley, North Yorkshire and IIRC cost about £17. In addition to being an excellent bike shop they have a significant on-line presence.
I hope this helps.
 

Steve searle

Just Joined
May 19, 2020
2
0
I've had my ncm moscow for just over a year now battery isn't charging , any one know where to get a new one from ? I've tried leon cycles and ncm Germany but they dont seem to like replying or answering the phone
 

DBye

Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2016
166
78
I've had my ncm moscow for just over a year now battery isn't charging , any one know where to get a new one from ? I've tried leon cycles and ncm Germany but they dont seem to like replying or answering the phone
Go to Jimmy at INSAT and have it recelled.

He will replace the BMS if needed too. It will be cheaper and he may be able to increase the capacity if you wish too.

He may be able to diagnose the charging issue, so you may not need a new battery either.

Also check the battery to see if there is a blade fuse that may be blown.
 

DBye

Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2016
166
78
Thinking on this a bit more, I've just remembered I got my charger changed under warranty. Check the V output with a multimeter if you can. If it is below 54V then it is likely to be faulty. Mine was reading 49V. Not enough to charge the bike.

Contacting Leon Cycles is a challenge though. You should be able to buy a suitable replacement charger from ebay or Jimmy.

If you send your battery to Jimmy he may ask for your charger too, to check it as well!
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,991
8,173
60
West Sx RH
Sound advice from DBye , check the charger voltage and the battery voltage a sit is.
Some batteries and chargers have an internal charge fuse, sometimes they blow.
 

Steve searle

Just Joined
May 19, 2020
2
0
Thinking on this a bit more, I've just remembered I got my charger changed under warranty. Check the V output with a multimeter if you can. If it is below 54V then it is likely to be faulty. Mine was reading 49V. Not enough to charge the bike.

Contacting Leon Cycles is a challenge though. You should be able to buy a suitable replacement charger from ebay or Jimmy.

If you send your battery to Jimmy he may ask for your charger too, to check it as well!
hi thanks for that
went to jimmy he found the cells were unknown to him and dead plus the control board was badly corroded so replaced the board and re-celled not cheap but runs like a dream now , trying to get some compo from leon cycles but as it was a few wks out of warranty they dont want to know