jrmch

bad to worse Thanks for all your input. mj8765 - Pedelec assist is supposed to switch off when crank rotation stops - no need for brake levers. Fordulike - I tried recommendation (1) - GM simply didn't reply to any emails. Only when I raised a PayPal claim did they respond - send the kit back for a refund but cough up another US$ 300 for shipping !! No way. PayPal said GM had delivered the goods so there was zero assistance in that direction as well. Regarding recommendation (2) - I am not concerned for myself - I can easily control the bike. My concern is for a youngster who maybe just 'borrows' the bike for a spin not knowing that the motor doesn't switch off when you stop pedalling - comes up to the first traffic junction and then...that's exactly how accidents happen. However, the foregoing is now purely academic as the controller has packed up. Emails to various GM recipients over the last 2 weeks have produced the single majestic reply of "controller broken" and nothing else. No "Dear customer", no apology for the crap electronics that pack up with less than 2 kilometres 'on the clock', no mention of repair / replacement - but nothing. I'm US$ 1000 out of pocket with an e-bike that goes nowhere - basically worthless and I can't even get a single meaningful reply from this company. It's no consolation, but the simple fact is I am by no means alone - just read the GM forum - it's bursting at the seams with dissatisfied customers ( goldenmotor.com - Index ). This company appears incapable of treating paying customers with simply courtesy - just not good enough.

Thanks for the replies. Fordulike - The fact that you also have the same 'over-run' does not reduce its danger in inexperienced hands. Pedelec functionality is a legal requirement for Europe and Switzerland and, properly implemented, is an excellent system. NRG - Why ever should I have to start modifying a new piece of kit that should perform correctly in the first place ? You both describe difficulties in controlling these modified bicycles - exactly the point I'm making - it shouldn't be like that ! GM know exactly the standard of Pedelec system they implement - it is crude and potentially dangerous. They knowingly sell a sub-standard product.

Hi Forum, At the beginning of July, I ordered an e-bike conversion kit (Prokit 901 with Pedelec option) from Golden Motor Technology company in China (goldenmotor.com) with a view to converting my mountainbike into an electric bike. Some two weeks later, the goods had arrived, conversion was complete and I set off to test the bike. Immediately on switching to 'Pedelec' mode, I observed the following... 1) When starting to pedal, the motor assist can take as long as a complete revolution of the pedal crank before it provides any assist. The actual time taken varies randomly. 2) The amount of motor assist applied bears zero relation to the current pedal torque - it is simply on or off - full power or nothing. 3) This is the dangerous part - When pedalling stops, this system continues to apply motor power for as much as 3 seconds - AFTER pedalling stops. The standard reaction when stopping pedalling is an expectation of the bicycle to slow down - not this one ! The first time I got caught out with this was at a junction. I stopped pedalling but the bike just kept on accelerating. I braked - a fraction of a second later than usual - but I was still one metre into the path of moving traffic. Mercifully it was slow-moving so no disaster but imagine a youngster on the bike and fast traffic. If you're a parent, it's your worst nightmare. And worst still, the child would most likely be blamed for careless cycling when the whole time it would have been the Golden Motor product at fault ! The scenario does not bear thinking about. I contacted the Golden Motor forum (which seems to be their Customer support centre, but simply got fed rubbish by some contributor - not a company representative. Then, I contacted Golden Motor directly but did not receive any reply to 3 e-mails - flatly ignored. I contacted PayPal to raise a claim via their "Buyer protection scheme". They simply said that as the goods had been delivered, they were closing the case. Although PayPal are making money from these transactions, they refuse to take any liability or responsibility. I've ridden a standard Pedelec bike and it performed accurately and predictably - this conversion kit is a cheap, sub-standard attempt at power assist. The product is dangerous and potentially fatal. This is simply fraud on the part of Golden Motor - their system is miles short of any Pedelec standard - they well know it - yet they advertise their products as having a 'Pedelec' option. They are dishonest with complete disregard for user safety and should, somehow, be brought to task on this. If the reader cares to have a look round the Golden Motor site, you will see what is supposed to be a Certificate of CE conformity for, I presume, Golden Motor products - a masterpiece of obvious fabrication. My particular problem is that, living in Switzerland, electric bikes over 500W have to have an official inspection before they can be used on the public roads. I'm sure there's just no chance that something like this will get the nod. I'm already as good as US$1000 out of pocket and no bike and the last thing I want to do is put more hard-earned money into this tale of woe. I'm of a mind to take this further but thought I drop it in here in case any forum users know anything else about this company or their activities. Or, maybe any good suggestions as top further tactics ? Thanks for your time, jrmch.