Hi all

 

I have an aging e-bike (2.5 years old) and the rear wheel hub motor has a couple of broken spokes and some loose ones. As a result, it feels very unstable and I am not riding it anymore. The retailer who sold it to me has gone out of business and the local bike shops in Hull (e.g. Halfords and Cliff Pratt) won't touch it citing various reasons so I have it in storage as I don't know how to fix it.

 

Could you recommend any reputable bike shops (or individuals) in the UK that could carry out the necessary repairs? Though I am located in Hull, I can ship anywhere in the UK (within reason). If I am not mistaken, the bike is a 1500W VooDoo HooDoo MTB with a 60v/18ah battery pack and a 60v sinewave controller.

 

Thanks

You can buy the whole 1500W ebike kit from Amazon or Ebay for about £150 that includes the motor wheel, controller, throttle and everything. just swap the wheels and keep the rest for spares.

 

If you're totally ham fisted, Hammer Bikes in Northampton will probably sort it for you if you ask them nicely.

https://hammer-ebikes.com/contact

You might have more luck if you can remove the wheel from the bike, then the tyre and tube and take it to a LBS to replace the broken spokes and true the wheel. I think alot are put off working on ebikes, esp. kit built ones, because they don't understand them well enough.

I doubt that LBS will touch it. The motor wheel is extremely heavy and won't fit any standard wheel-building fixture. When I did one, I had to build a fixture out of timber and other hardware first. If you were paying a shop an hourly rate for all that, the total cost would be more than the cost of a new motor wheel.

Thanks vfr, I didn't realise those big DD hubs didn't fit a standard jig, guess true in frame is the next best way.

They have 14mm axles. It's the weight more than anything. You just can't conceive how heavy they are if you're used to dealing with 250w geared motors.

Op could if capable and with in reason manage the job him self by upturning the bike and trueing the wheel in situ once spokes have been replaced.

The wheel doen't need lacing just a case of measuring a good spoke order some new ones and replace them with a bit of manipulation.

When only needing to true a wheel in situ I use a cable tie attached to the bottom stay and cut the tail to use as my rubbing gauge, and adjust the rim to this. Buy a good spoke key and a cheapish £15 tensiometer for good spoke tension and he should be good to go, use U-tube for a how-to in spoke tensioning and trueing and the job shouldn't be too hard given a bit of patience and hour or so of his time.

Thank you all for the replies.

 

I contacted Hammer Bikes in Northampton but they said they only service bikes bought from them. Perhaps I didn't ask nicely enough.

 

Any other bike shops that are worth contacting?

 

I'll try what vfr400 suggested only as a last resort as I am severely ham fisted.

I have an aging e-bike (2.5 years old)

Don't you mean 'I have an almost new e-bike (2.5 years old)'?

"I have an aging e-bike (2.5 years old) "

Don't you mean 'I have an almost new e-bike (2.5 years old)'?

 

I was thinking the OP accidentally added a decimal point by mistake ....

Or a not very old moped as it has a 1500w hub motor.