The Reality of Owning and Maintaining a Pedelec

[georgehenry]

My 2015 Yamaha Haibike gets hard use and has as of my return from work tonight covered 12,426 miles. Not all trouble free, a motor replaced under warranty, and some battery and charger connectors changed by me. I am also on my third rear wheel. And plenty of consumables used, chains, cassettes, chain rings, brake pads and tyres but it is proving to be a tough work horse carrying me and two full panniers 12 miles cross country to work and 10 miles back home on the road all year round. Its original battery is still working well.

I also have a 2011 Oxygen rear hub bike that is still going strong but is on its third rear motor wheel and third battery.

All mechanical things need to be maintained and occasionally repaired.

 

[WheezyRider]

I needs to be said that e-bikes in their current form have only been around for a relatively short space of time. It is a rapidly developing and growing market, so there is a lot of optimisation still to be done. There is also a huge range of bikes from a few hundred £ to many thousands, so you can't readily compare one with another (not that price is always a good guide to reliability). Then there are different types of drive, all with their advantages and disadvantages.

Generally I would say if you get a hub motor from a decent manufacturer, and a decent controller and battery, in most cases you will get many years of good service, if you look after your bike and carry out basic maintenance. There will always be exceptions, but that is true of all things mechanical. Look at the number of issues even brand new cars have.

The reason you go for an e-bike is so you can increase your range, even if you are not as able to cycle as you used to be, you get to work fresh and able to get on with the day, but are then able to turn down the PAS on the way home to burn the calories. It saves on gym costs, makes you healthier, saves money, reduces congestion, improves mental health, reduces pollution, reduces noise...etc etc...