Thoughts on Carrera Crossfire-E

egroover

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 12, 2016
970
575
56
UK
The spoke issue is down to the angle that they leave the rim. I'm considering at the moment in having the wheel rebuilt as I have already replaced about 4 spokes in 9mths. My previous crossfire-e was the same. The rebuild will use stronger spokes but more importantly the rim will be heavy duty and the spoke holes are angled. Cost will be about 130 quid delivered back to me. Waste of time with halfords, you'll be down there every few weeks getting them to swap out broken spokes.
As for the battery, i run mine in full power on the commute, but I've only got a 12 mile round trip and recharge every day. Remember your warranty is 60% capacity for up to 500 charges or 2 years I think, so if its within that that's all they will cover
 

egroover

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 12, 2016
970
575
56
UK
Also, if you hold down the battery power button for 10 sec the number of bars will show capacity health all 5 bars lit is what you want, more info in hesc manual
 
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moax

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 22, 2018
10
1
52
2500 mile update
I've been commuting on my crossfire virtually every weekday this year doing about 25 miles each day and have now passed the 2500 mile mark so thought I would give an update on how it's doing. Unfortunately not all is well at the moment !
Cut-outs - I along with everyone else it seems have experienced the cut out problem and I am suprised that Halfords haven't come up with a solution for this by now. It is very irritating when it happens and for me the only solution that seems to work everytime is to unlock the battery and remove it, put it back in and restart and all is well. It tends to come in waves for me, with no cutouts for several weeks, then a several for a few days running. It does tend to happen to me at similar points on my journey in or home but I can't really pinpoint why it would do it at that point.
Battery - I have been very careful to follow the instructions on recharging the battery and to try and run it down to below 20% before recharging. For the first 6 months of use this would mean putting the power setting up to max for the final 5 miles of my journey. However in the last couple of months I've noticed that the battery is not charging to full. It shows it as 99% but after a few pedals on the bike and it's down to 91%. So it has obviously degraded already. In addition to this the range is reducing dramatically and now I dare not use the bike on full power unless I'm within 1/2 mile from home as the battery drains very fast. So whereas previously I could easily do my daily commute and get home with plenty of battery to spare I have to manage the power to ensure I get home ! I have referred this to Halfords and apparently they have to send the battery off for it to be fully tested (3 week turnaround) but have suggested that I may be riding it incorrectly ! Apparently riding it in Tour mode all the time will have a detrimental effect on the battery life. Really, what I am meant to do then, ride it on Eco all the time. Also they have said that I should always use the Climb setting for hills rather than full power. I can understand this on long hill climbs where the battery could overheat, but my hills are short but steep. So I will wait and see what they come back with.
Spokes - A couple of months back I had a blowout puncture which turned out to be a broken spoke that had penetrated the inner tube. Halfords repaired the spokes affected (4 in the end) and all seemed well until last week. Once again some of the spokes have gone leaving the bike unridable and me having a 7 mile walk home! I suspect that this has been caused by the original spoke failure and although the broken spokes were repaired others were weakened and the wheel not balanced properly once repaired. It should also be noted Halfords don't keep the spokes in stock for this bike. They have to be ordered in specially. Halfords are now suggesting that the bike is not suitable to take a weight over 17st in total and this could be why the spokes are failing. Now I am very tall and overweight so I am definitely over this limit, but they never mentioned this when I was purchasing the bike originally. So what do I do ? Do I just have to accept that this is going to be a regular occurrence going forward unless I can shed a couple of stone.

It's a shame because the bike when it is running well is a very nice ride but if the battery is going to wear out much faster than the 400 recharges indicated by Halfords then it's going to become a much more expensive commute.

Has anyone else had issues with their battery ?
Really helpful to hear your experience 2500 miles on, thanks. I commute 32 miles a day but only twice a week so I could expect to hit 2500 miles and possibly new battery territory in a little over 1 year, not 2 years as expected. Battery life is great at the moment, hitting nearly 60 miles in Eco mode, 40 miles in Tour/Climb, even with my weight, which is another point...

I am really overweight at over 17st (110KG) and 6ft, and so I am concerned about what Halfords are saying to you about max load! The max rider weight is quoted as 120KG (19st) and I checked that before buying, plus I also accounted for my laptop on the luggage rack (2-3Kg)... It looks like might be taking a trip down the old broken spoke corral too.

I have been dealing with Cycle Republic and although they have been pretty good so far, replacing my display and fixing my cutout (for now). Like most shops they're going to fix the bare minimum and stick to the letter of the warranty. So with the spokes, potentially £130 for a wheel rebuild, and £400 for a battery, that's basically close to the difference to upgrade to a Bosch powered Crossfuse.

BUT!

Wouldn't it just have the same problems with battery lifespan?

In fact, these battery issues, and 2 year lifespan, aren't they more or less the same with ALL e-bikes including the more expensive Bosch powered models? Maybe you get another 6 months then you'd be facing the a new battery bill? Although, the wheel and spokes might be more robust without the hub motor and you might also have a more reliable commute without cut-outs.

Or is it better to get a Crossfire on the Cyclescheme for £600 every 2 years, with new motor, battery and everything? Maybe less if you can trade-in your old one like some shops offer.

Also I really like the sidestand, I'd really miss it if I went to a Crossfuse :)

You expect the battery life to drop off after a year or so as it does with phones. I don't think you've done anything wrong BTW, Halfords are just giving you some BS about the usage I am sure. If my battery was getting to the same state as yours I'd be taking my charger and charging it up at work. That said, less range, makes it less useful, I took mine on a 24 mile trail (light) ride over the weekend, turned the power off in a few places - Damn! That's one heavy bike to ride, it would not be fun if the battery left you stranded :eek:
 
Last edited:

MikeS

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 29, 2018
299
73
73
Halfords fitted a nice kickstand to my Crossfuse. It was listed on their computer as an extra but they didn’t charge me
Mike
 
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Julzei

Just Joined
Sep 17, 2018
1
0
33
I have just bought this bike. Does anyone know how to reset the trip distance? I read somewhere you press i and - together but that doesn’t work for me.
 

moax

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 22, 2018
10
1
52
I have just bought this bike. Does anyone know how to reset the trip distance? I read somewhere you press i and - together but that doesn’t work for me.
If you've just got it ,the odometer and trip may well read the same, foxed me at first, and the "i" and "-" only resets when you've selected the trip?
 

moax

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 22, 2018
10
1
52
Just an update, my bike cut out again after Cycle Republic replaced the display mount, and I complained and got them to check it out at the 6 week service 2 days ago. They replace the actual display unit this time... Cut out 4 times in a row this morning on my first commute! The battery button trick didn't work I had to pull over and do a full battery removal to reset it. Note, just before it cuts out the display briefly shows empty battery.

I have complained again today, and they are going to look at it again! Each time I suggest to them that I might want to swap or upgrade to a more reliable bike, they are reluctant and assert their ability to keep fixing it. When it goes back it will be my 3rd visit to the workshop to have the cutout looked at in just over 6 weeks.

Despite really enjoying the Crossfire-E when it works, the unreliability is annoying me now. Not sure what to do next.
 

Nick4266

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jan 12, 2018
5
2
58
Bristol
2500 mile update
I've been commuting on my crossfire virtually every weekday this year doing about 25 miles each day and have now passed the 2500 mile mark so thought I would give an update on how it's doing. Unfortunately not all is well at the moment !
Cut-outs - I along with everyone else it seems have experienced the cut out problem and I am suprised that Halfords haven't come up with a solution for this by now. It is very irritating when it happens and for me the only solution that seems to work everytime is to unlock the battery and remove it, put it back in and restart and all is well. It tends to come in waves for me, with no cutouts for several weeks, then a several for a few days running. It does tend to happen to me at similar points on my journey in or home but I can't really pinpoint why it would do it at that point.
Battery - I have been very careful to follow the instructions on recharging the battery and to try and run it down to below 20% before recharging. For the first 6 months of use this would mean putting the power setting up to max for the final 5 miles of my journey. However in the last couple of months I've noticed that the battery is not charging to full. It shows it as 99% but after a few pedals on the bike and it's down to 91%. So it has obviously degraded already. In addition to this the range is reducing dramatically and now I dare not use the bike on full power unless I'm within 1/2 mile from home as the battery drains very fast. So whereas previously I could easily do my daily commute and get home with plenty of battery to spare I have to manage the power to ensure I get home ! I have referred this to Halfords and apparently they have to send the battery off for it to be fully tested (3 week turnaround) but have suggested that I may be riding it incorrectly ! Apparently riding it in Tour mode all the time will have a detrimental effect on the battery life. Really, what I am meant to do then, ride it on Eco all the time. Also they have said that I should always use the Climb setting for hills rather than full power. I can understand this on long hill climbs where the battery could overheat, but my hills are short but steep. So I will wait and see what they come back with.
Spokes - A couple of months back I had a blowout puncture which turned out to be a broken spoke that had penetrated the inner tube. Halfords repaired the spokes affected (4 in the end) and all seemed well until last week. Once again some of the spokes have gone leaving the bike unridable and me having a 7 mile walk home! I suspect that this has been caused by the original spoke failure and although the broken spokes were repaired others were weakened and the wheel not balanced properly once repaired. It should also be noted Halfords don't keep the spokes in stock for this bike. They have to be ordered in specially. Halfords are now suggesting that the bike is not suitable to take a weight over 17st in total and this could be why the spokes are failing. Now I am very tall and overweight so I am definitely over this limit, but they never mentioned this when I was purchasing the bike originally. So what do I do ? Do I just have to accept that this is going to be a regular occurrence going forward unless I can shed a couple of stone.

It's a shame because the bike when it is running well is a very nice ride but if the battery is going to wear out much faster than the 400 recharges indicated by Halfords then it's going to become a much more expensive commute.

Has anyone else had issues with their battery ?
 

Nick4266

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jan 12, 2018
5
2
58
Bristol
3000 mile update

I wish I could say things have got better, but unfortunately I'm still having issues with my crossfire.
Firstly the good news - after waiting nearly 4 weeks and with me constantly chasing Halfords they eventually relented and gave me a knew battery, albeit with a different set of instructions on charging routines (they now recommend not letting the battery drop below 20% and it can be topped up at any time).

So I took to the road with an allegedly new rear wheel and new battery. Almost straight away I noticed the wheel didn't seem to running true, but gave it the benefit of the doubt and rode the bike for a week. Needless to say this was probably not the best idea and sure enough after a week the wheel seemed to be getting worse. On returning to Halfords they advised that another 5 spokes had come loose and needed replacing. Obviously not very happy about this and in my mind they obviously hadn't checked the wheel properly when it was replaced. Once again they had to order the spokes in, did the repair and I got the bike back again. 2nd ride and slow rear puncture. Took it back again and they found a slither of sharp metal embedded on the inside of the tyre. Obviously some remnant from the workshop when they last had the bike. Replaced the inner tube, tried bike again. As soon as I started to ride it, it was obvious something was wrong as everytime I went round any sort of bend it felt like the rear wheel was skidding from underneath me. Took it straight back to Halfords and after a lot of phaffing around with the wheel they decided it needed to be trued up, for which I would have to wait another week..
At this point I was begining to lose my rag, so had it out with the manager of the store. To be fair to Halfords they decided straight away that I should have another wheel and even though they didn't have a brand new one they put on one from the store demonstrator that had don't very little mileage. They also replaced the chain at this time as the old one had stretched by 1 link.
1st ride with new wheel - perfect, until the chain started to slip. I suspected that the teeth on the cassette and front chain wheel would have worn down and I would need to have these replaced as well. Returned the bike to Halfords and they agreed that the cassette would need replacing. Then the bombshell, if the front chain wheel also needed replacing, then it's the whole unit that has to be replaced costing £90 + VAT.
For a part that is going to wear down on a regular basis then this seems ridiculous.
Anyway Halfords said they would call me to let me know if the front chain wheel would need to be replaced or not. Needless to say I'm still waiting for the call 2 days later !
I've calculated that in the 11 months I have owned the bike, it has been with Halfords for 2 of those. I've obviously been a bit unlucky but it would seem that the Crossfire-E is obviously not the bike to get if you are going to be doing any serious mileage every day.
 
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egroover

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 12, 2016
970
575
56
UK
I did 4500 miles on my previous crossfire-e, no noticeable wear on the front chainwheel, the lad who bought it off still running it fine. My current crossfire-e is 2k miles, chainwheel fine like new. I do clean and oil my chain and cassette every 6 weeks or so
 
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DBrown67

Pedelecer
Feb 26, 2017
77
27
57
Leeds
The Crossfire-E is just not fit for purpose. Mine cut out twice in the first forntight so it went back to Cycle Republic for a refund. They didn't quibble at all but I was prepared for it. Once they get to fix it a bit then it gets past the refund status and they just want to fix it under warranty. I wasn't going to allow that to happen.
 
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MikeS

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 29, 2018
299
73
73
Yes they let me up-swap to the Crossfuse even though I'd done about 600 miles on the Crossfire. The Crossfuse has been magnificent and it's a real pleasure to ride. Just back from two 25 mile loops in the hills of south west scotland. Probably done about 1500 miles now and only the one problem which I spotted before it became a problem and Halfords fixed for me
Mike
 

unzippy

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 12, 2017
24
1
46
London
While my Crossfire was in for a service, I was told that it's the torque that knackers the chain/spokes/cassettes.
 

moax

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 22, 2018
10
1
52
I got mine in August and have used a lot to commute on, it started cutting out within the first couple of days of owning it and has been back 3 times for "repairs". I persevered because I got it cheap on Cyclescheme and couldn't afford to upgrade. I am definitely past the "refund status" window now, they are very reluctant to swap and "will always be able to fix it" but I was informed the warranty is different for the bike (1 year) vs the the motor/battery (2 years).

After a lot of consideration, I've decided to live with it and perhaps trade-in or sell on in 2 years and take out another Cyclescheme voucher. However bearing in mind the mechanical issues people are reporting, and warranty, I might actually do that next year depending on how mine fairs.
 
G

g_608215

Guest
to change the trip back to 0 on the Carrera Vulcan
Turn the unit on use the mode button to go to trip distance , use mode button to move to no assist , now hold down mode button and press I button and the trip will reset to 0
hope this helps
 

ceejay

Just Joined
Dec 8, 2019
4
0
Anyone know what usb cable I need to charge my iPhone to the mini-usb port? Just bought a new Crossfire from Halfords and can't seem to get anything on the internet?
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,973
6,292

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,973
6,292


 
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