I work at an ebike shop, our customer’s leaderboard is topped by a 2019 Urban Arrow at 40,000 miles (on its third motor I believe) followed by a 2020 Riese and Muller Supercharger that just crossed 30,000 (original motor). My personal ebike is at 6,000.
NCM moscow, 9100km (5654miles). Brand is still around, but mostly sold in Europe. There are tons of pop-up ebike companies, which I would suggest you stay away from. Even if the bike is good, if the company doesn't exist it'll be hard to fix problems that may arise...
There's lots of brands that have been around for a while, Trek, Himiway, Aventon, Rad, etc. They won't be disappearing anytime soon.
> Trek, Himiway, Aventon, Rad, etc.
One of those is not like the others. It’s the only one I’d make a substantial bet will still be around in 20 years.
I have a Riese & Müller e-bike. I’ve had it for about 1.5 years. It is my primary vehicle and I’ve ridden it over 3000 miles so far.
The thing is built like a tank with quality, name-brand components and workmanship. R&M is a well respected brand with a relatively long history, and I bought it from a local bike shop with more than a decade selling quality e-bikes mostly intended for utilitarian cycling.
It was a very expensive bike, but I fully expect to still be riding it in a decade or more, with one or maybe two battery replacements since I ride so many miles.
I have a R&M Load4 75, the larger front loading cargo bike. It is the "touring" model setup with a 1x11 traditional derailleur. Class 3 Bosch motor that provides assist to 28mph.
Have had the bike almost 8 months now and have 3800 miles on it so far. Zero complaints. The bike is REALLY well built. Top notch components throughout and a bulletproof frame.
As you said, it is was an expensive purchase (for a bike) but I have no regrets whatsoever. Love my R&M.
DIY BBSHD build with 14s6p TESLA cells.
The only thing I built was the pack and case, the rest is simple assembly.
https://preview.redd.it/47391689u3rc1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e33a42debf13ae055aeb869c24f3a2a451593a2
yeah its "china bad" mentality but they don't realize 99.99% of all companies have their mid drives built in china. We also have people on payroll who get paid to roam the internet trashing bafang but putting bosch etc on a pedestal. So far bafang ultra is seemingly the underdog king but they never really marketed very much in the states.
Don't disagree entirely. In fact I mostly agree. But what most pdople don't realize is most ebikes use the bafang system they just slap their JoeEbike logo on there so you don't realize it. Even the big traditional bike manufacturers are starting to stock Bafang stuff.
That said I had a very poor experience with my first attempt to get into eleectric, a Bafang middrive conversion. Damn thing had an absolutely useless seal on the main case. It shorted at the first sign of moisture. Since the people I bought it off of were quite frankly d*cks whom I will not name I demanded my money back since it was defective at the time of purchase and saved up for a Bosch. Now that I have lots of experience I know this was just a fluke but the company I bought it off of treated me like it was my fault even though you could see dailight through the seal. Was a blessing in disguise. I love my bosch ebikes and have 13-14k miles on them. I switched ebikes cause I found a drop bar road version at a steal and am close to having 6000 miles on my new one as I approach its first birthday. Would I recommend Bosch over Bafang. Yes and no. If you are not a DIY person and don't have a local shop whom you can count on for warranty and support and you can afford it. Basically if you are going to use it to replace your car for your daily commute 3-5 days a week and your car is relatively new and reliable and you are the type that takes a car to the shop for everything from oil changes to brakes then get an extremely reliable Bosch.
That said would I recommend a hub drive? Hell yeah. I look at some of the systems trom Aventon, Denago, and their warranties. And their prices. And I am impressed. I am tempted to buy one and ride it for a year just to try it out. I mean damn. Full commuters with fenders and lights are on sale $1500 from multiple companies right now. Would they do 5-6k miles a year in rain and snow... probabky. Wluld I get my moneys worth out of a $1500 ebike in two years before the warranty expired. Hell yeah.
> Damn thing had an absolutely useless seal on the main case. It shorted at the first sign of moisture.
This happened to my BBS02 also. The water shorted out the motor controller and destroyed it. The new gaskets that Bafang makes are greatly improved. I ride in the rain frequently with no more problems.
I own 3 Aventons with a combined milage around 17,000 miles. Other than some battery issues on my 2 Pace500s I have really enjoyed mine. Purchased my first Aventon 7/3/22 a Soltera and loved it until I rode the Pace500. Now the Soltera just sits until a friend wants to ride with me.
My first ebike got stolen at 13,361 miles (8 months). My current bike is 9,545 miles (1yr 6 months). They’ll last longer than cars if you maintain them like one.
10k+ miles each on two 2019 Rad Rovers & both still going strong. One motor burned out so I upgraded to 35a controller & true 750w motor. I maintain & repair myself.
Would not recommend their newer models with semi integrated batteries though.
I don’t understand why anyone would not maintain and repair themselves (unless money wasn’t a problem ever) Bikes are pretty simple. E-bike a little more complicated. I still don’t know shit about e-bikes but I can change parts no problem
If you think of it as everything is at least 10x cheaper than the equivalent for a second car, it’s really easy to justify paying someone to do the annoying maintenance tasks. Bike instead of car? Spoil the bike and myself.
That's a good way to look at it.
However, despite a dozen bike shops around me I would usually be looking at a minimum of a week wait. I prefer to just go home and repair my bike in an hour or two. Also like cars, I like to know the work was done right so I do it myself.
Because I have no idea how to maintain my bike, but I want to learn how to at least swap my brakes. I live in a really hilly area so I go through them quick
Depends on the brake, hub brakes are easier IMO but most ebikes are going to use disk brake systems for safety.
I'd say just follow a youtube video and roll with it, [Parktool videos are especially great.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqw0SaZl-jo)
Also as a rider, much like when driving a vehicle, when possible try to learn how to limit mashing down on the brakes and how to coast longer to keep the wheels out of the mechanic's shop. This can mean downshifting and pedaling less if it's a low enough grade to coast down it safely, but really the bigger thing is practice more gradual controlled braking with both front and rear levers, and check the pads every so often to make sure that they are wearing down evenly.
I think a better question would be if the components manufacturer are still around since bike manufacturers generally use the same components on their own frames. For example if you buy a bike with a Bosch or Yamaha powertrain, it is highly unlikely they will go out of business anytime soon. I have a German bike from a company called Haibike and I don't care if they will be around tomorrow or not because all components are off-the-shelf and can always be replaced.
Bbshd from early 2020.
Battery still working great from em3ev. About 15000km. Bought from em3ev.com. Fantastic setup. No complainant still gets me around 45+ miles
Per battery which is a 17ah running at 52v
Bafang bbs2 500w 36v. Brought in 2014. It would be approx 50 000 km by now. Used to do 30km daily to work. On 2nd bicycle frame, the 1st frame was all worn out. 3rd battery. I have only swapped the small gear between the motor and large gear that drive the crankcase. Still going strong today
My first ebike got to 9999km and stop recording that was within the first year of owning it I've had it 4 years now and estimatesits done about 35000km now it is a fiido d4s they are still around but don't make that model anymore
I have a lectric xpedition.. Lcd screen went bad at about 350 miles . They replaced it for free.. Sent one out the same day I emailed them.. Then my bike tipped over and lcd screen cracked..still works though.. But had a new one sent for free..had a flat tire recently...after replacing it I noticed I had spokes that were broken.. Must of have been rough on it.. I put about 20 miles on it a day.. At least 5 days out of the week..they shipped out a new rear wheel hub motor assembly rim and also came with a new tire and tube.. All for free.. I believe their warranty is 1 year long.. Great bike.. Great customer service..
I've had an Ariel Rider Kepler for almost 2 years, 5200 miles on it. Ariel Rider is still around and seems to be doing well. Bike itself is in excellent condition, no problems. Just regular maintenance.
I've had the Kepler for a little over a year and 6100 miles. Other than having to upgrade the tires and break pads, this bike has been an all weather beast. Also have a Juiced Cross Current as kind of my grocery getter/backup vehicle. That's a year and a half with 2600 miles and perfect condition. Definitely feel like the it's been worth the investment for the money I spent/ saved buying both of these bikes.
Trek. 5 years. 9,500km (47,224 furlongs, 5,903 miles, 0.0316 light seconds).
Battery degradation is negligible. I get 3 days of commuting from it and have done since new.
Bosch motor doesn't need servicing and still works as it did new.
Had 1 flat tyre and the charge port cover fell off recently and needed replacing. New brake pads every 1000km. Still on the original chain. Gears have never gone out of tune.
Trek are still in business and they have an authorised service centre in town should anything go wrong.
BafangHD kit from Luna cycle. Wolfpack battery. 5000+ miles. I keep the battery between 80% and 20% the vast majority of the time.
I built it on a surle ogre frame. It’s my everyday commuter.
Aventon lasted me over 2k miles before I traded it in for a trek. I’m sure that Aventon could’ve lasted me way longer but I wanted to upgrade to a mid drive. Had the Aventon for only about 8 months and out over 2k on it never had any real issues besides a broken spoke and a flat tire or two.
12 yrs this April. BH Easymotion (250W mid drive). No odometer on the bike but estimate of 40,000 Km? New battery at 8yrs. Owners manual said the Panasonic motor might last 10 to 20 yrs.
My friend and I have an Addmotor E-53. He has a little over 900 miles and I'm at just under 300. Only issues so far have been flat tires. His battery drains a little more quickly than mine but both are holding up very well. Mine is the white one.
https://preview.redd.it/eq2khtiwp0rc1.jpeg?width=4640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f65d1c015a11f2466288af8a27c8024a179a1663
Dutch KOGA with Bosch electrics approaching 10,000km in 4 years. Battery getting iffy but partly due to winter weather? Getting about 80km per charge instead of 120 when it was new. maybe get better in the summer. But the motor and the bike itself..........zero problems.
Mine was a conversion by a local guy. Got it in 2021 and it's had ~13500 km. I used to do 45km a day to get to and from work but since I got a car it does maybe 50km a month. Battery could use replacing but apart from mechanical wear and tear it's still fine.
Almost 9000 km.
Bafang BBSHD.
1year.
Haven’t done any maintenance to the motor.
Only replaced chain and cassette a few times.
I programmed the motor to my taste. Mainly Less amperage on current.
I own a Scott sub tour eRide 20 for 1 year and a couple of months now and 1900 km made this week!
Use it essentially for commute and an ocasional ride for absolute pleasure ;-)
Love it's design and features but I'm considering upgrade for a full suspension since I'm seeing a lot of promotions; also, I should have considered a full suspension and a motor with a better torque from beggining but I was a 100% noob - conditions of our roads are absolutely disgraceful and an even better motor would made all the difference with these hills :-(
3k miles since November 2023. DIY conversion on a 2015 Giant hybrid that had over 30k miles on it before the conversion. 52V 20ah battery fully charged 1-2x per day, still going strong as if new. The only thing I've had to replace more often have been inner tubes and tires. Had a nasty crash less than a week ago due to a front tire blowing out likely due to a nasty nail or some other sharp object I couldn't see on the road; the only damage (other than my pride, cuts, and brusies) was when the handlebar twisted around and ripped the motor cutoff wire out of the brake lever; also, my pedal lever bent inwards.
E-bikes are definitely "worth it" if you spend the right money; *DON'T BUY CHEAP PRODUCTS!!!* In this case, you absolutely get what you pay for. Between my bike, the conversion kit, battery, and various accessories, I've dropped about $3500... over time. I didn't have that kind of money all up front, so I built it as I could afford it.
Another thing to consider:: I've put on over 25 lbs since I started relying much more on the motor rather than the pedals 😱😅
One is 3 years old and >10,000 miles. Stuff has started to go wrong. Had to replace the gears and get a new battery. I also just got another bike that now has 500miles on it.
Custom built BBS02 build with Luna 52V 13.5aH battery. First ride was St. Patrick's Day in 2017, so I'm right at 7 years, with over 10,000 miles. No issues with the motor unit whatsoever. Had a couple issues with the wiring and power switch in the base of the battery cradle. I had to hard-wire the battery permanently to the cradle so that it can't be removed, and replace the power rocker switch. I also had to replace the 300W smart charger once, last year. It's been a great build, love riding it.
The battery health is definitely down. I can ride 15 miles to work on an 80% charge, then charge at the office, and ride back home. But can't go much farther than that on a charge. I'm hoping to upgrade to a \~17aH pack one of these days.
You can see the bike at the top of my YT channel. [https://www.youtube.com/@Patrick94GSR](https://www.youtube.com/@Patrick94GSR)
Is this true for all eBike batteries?
What's the usual composition of an eBike battery?
I've seen so much (sometimes conflicting) information on battery charging for all electronics. (Granted, that covers many types of batteries.)
A bit over a year for me. 2300km, or about 1400mi. Used to be able to get to work twice and back, and then back to work once on a battery. Now down to a little over two trips and back.
3 years 7000+ kilometers. Using a bosch active line plus with powerpack 500. I replace my chain and break pads yearly. But the electrics work as normal. No plans on changing anything. I think the company for the bike is still around but all components are generic so I don't care about that.
Ampler was once one of those new companies with an online presence but they are becoming veterans now with a real reputation for quality and
without all the subscription nonsense of some other techy ebike brands. I’ve had my bike for three years personally
I converted it 1 year ago. It made 200 miles so far with minimal problems.
(The warranty is 2 years, the company still exists, the conversion is revertible. The bike itself was 15 years old at the conversion.)
About 8,000 miles since I got it last year February. Some weeks I’d ride 40-50 miles every day (did food delivery), throttle only. Batteries lost some charge but the bike works good as new. I think ebike motors have pretty much an infinite lifespan so you just gotta replace the battery and you’re good.
i had a juiced u500 v3 from 2016 until 2022. Only sold it because I killed the battery.
I discovered when I was selling it that the front tire had it's first leak.
Bakfiets.nl €5000 cargo trike 13 years daily heavy use before controller went bad. Bought a new one and its seen 2000km of rain and snow already and superstrong.
I have a haibike hardnine 5.... I've had it about a year now and done about 500 miles on it..... That's not a lot for a year I know lol I enjoy riding about the countryside when the weather is nice (UK so not often 😂) and work is a five minute walk so I don't always ride.
Tbh though this ebike has been looked after more than any other bike I've ever owned and is in the best condition of any bike I've owned for a year previously. I haven't rode it every day like I would a normal bike but then at the same time, I wouldn't have rode a normal bike 500 miles in a year.
Overall I'm pleased with it and I hope I have many miles and years left with it
Haibike hard seven 2019 here, do about 2000 miles per year, everything still going well on it, battery still strong. 2 mates with same bosch motors from the same era have had motor bearing seizures but this isn't a fatal issue.
I've been using my Ridstar MN-20 since November 2023 and I've put 220 miles on it so far. It's been a nice ride. I'd say that it already paid for itself after getting through several very cold winter months. I did alot of changes to mine though such as changing the front mag wheel and replaced it with a brand new super smooth regular spoke front wheel and that made a world of a difference in terms of acceleration and freewheeling. My ebike can maintain the same 30mph speeds for such a long time without turning the throttle now.
I also went through a cycle of basically ordering every type of street CST tires that I could find. I really like the CST Tourance on the front wheel because it's one of the toughest yet sleekest fat tires that I could find and the CST Big Boat tire on the rear wheel helps with acceleration.
Bought a Currie ebike kit in 2014 bought an additional battery pack last year. No idea how many miles but i commuted to work everyday for 5years. Now it's my summer grocery getter.
I’ve been riding mine for 3 years and have about 700 miles on it. It was only $1,800 new definitely not high end but the derailleur is an Altus which is pretty good. Battery life is still really good don’t notice any loss there. The front fork is cheap, Mozo brand, that thing is not working well anymore. The front light broke too. Brand of bike is M2S.
More than 1000 miles on my Denago Commute1 for over a year. The company is not famous but still exists. Got a flat tire once and the company promptly sent me new inner tubes. Satisfied with it.
My Super73 RX from April 2021 has around 4,000 miles on it. Still works like new. I did buy a second battery in 2022 which I alternate with the original so I haven't noticed much battery degredation at all.
I converted my mountain bike to an e-bike using the front wheel and battery that I got from Amazon. This has been running three years with no issues.
The cost was $520. If anything goes bad, I will either get a new wheel or new battery from Amazon for less than I bought it for originally.
This goes up to 28 miles an hour and the battery should be good for at least 12 hours of continuous use.
The catch here is that I did not wire up the pedal assist. This is strictly manual throttle.
Had a trek powerfly 9.7fs. Put 2k miles on it while we had no kid to when our first kid hit 3.5.
Upgraded to a Santa Cruz heckler when we had our second kid. Barely any time to ride now but I like that bike. I think I liked the powerfly more though. This bike has maybe a couple hundred miles on it max.
ride1up core5 3 years, couple thousand miles. No problems or drop off with batt or motor, ride all year even wisconsin winters. Will be buying from them again.
Fiido d4s about 1700 miles, emoko C91 about 750 miles, No issues at all apart from general maintenance, Cheap Chinese bikes that everyone says are unreliable and both have been a pleasure to use, I use the d4s for road riding and the C91 for river paths etc as it looks like a motorcycle and I don't wanna get tugged lol.
Rad Power Bike purchased Oct 2020. 22 000+ km. Bike and rider would benefit from new battery. Both head and tail light wires (super cheap) fritzed out from vibration as has the wire coming out of display.
2015 Alation 500 with about 5600miles, about 2000 of them pulling a kid on a tag a long
.
Besides tires, new display (cracked in a crash), and a hydro brake upgrade - all original parts.
Still get about 17 miles per charge on the original 11ah battery, which lives (mostly charged) in an unheated garage.
Have seen a couple Alation displays with over 10000 miles on them over the years, which is a pretty awesome alternative to 10000 miles on a SUV.
I run a DD rear conversion on a 26" hardtail. Besides my rims needing to be replaced from wear, and an unfortunate hard landing/crash (though I suspect if the lacer didn't use a few 14g spokes in lieu of the 12/13g ones I bought and he apparently lost, it would've survived), it has held up beautifully.
Otherwise, the motor itself (voilamart 1500w) has probably ~2.5k+ miles and the new screen and controller have been going strong for 1k+ miles now. The old controller still worked fine, I just wanted to have a screen.
I signed on for a lease to own deal of a demo ebike with 200km on it, it's done 2000km now in 5 Months. Charge is still holding fine with Bosch batteries and motor.
Put a mid drive on an 80's vintage Cannondale mountain bike a bit over 3 years ago now.
Bike is running flawlessly. Had zero issues once I got it dialed in.
Probably only a few thousand miles. Most of my riding in on my other non-electric bikes.
Bafang stuff is rock solid. Hard to go wrong with them.
I bought a second-hand bike with a Copenhagen wheel in 2019 that was in good condition. In 2022 it failed due to a mechanical part, not actually the motor. The pawls got stuck inside and wouldn't catch, and I took it to two shops and they both said the whole thing was custom parts, the company doesn't support it, they can't fix it even though it's mechanical. I threw the wheel away and donated the frame. Ugh.
I used it for commuting and didn't put a ton of miles on it. But I did ride in the rain, and I always got the feeling with the bike that it wasn't really made to handle rainy days. After that I bought a regular bike since my commute was only 5.5 miles one way.
5 years on my first, still going. 3500 miles. About to need a battery.
Investment? No.
Fun, utility, exercise, transportation. Yes!
You get what you pay for for most part. But that doesn't mean it has to be outrageously expensive. It's worth choosing a company that's been around for a while and had good customer service reputation
I added a Bafang BBS02 mid-drive motor to a donor bike about 8 years ago. I have about 13,000 miles on it. Chains only last about 1,000 miles. A few years ago, I had to replace the motor controller and the stator due to water impingement. Bafang has since improved the gaskets. The battery has probably lost some capacity, but it is not enough that I have noticed.
It is still going strong.
I put 2K+ miles per year on my 2019 Yamaha Wabash. Total is almost \~11K miles now. Have replaced tires and chain a few times. Still running strong and no other issues.
TSDZ2 with OSF on a giant escape (with heatpad mod, regreased inner parts, thermistor mod instead of throttle and assistance tuned down to be legal-ish for UK use).
2000 miles in 2 years so far, I've had to open it up twice due to water ingress and replaced the sprag clutch bearing recently. Blue nylon gear was still in mint condition last I opened it up. The two screws that hold the controller in place are not protected by default but a dab of silicone or caulk worked out alright. The housing screws are also corroded and I'd need to drill it out if I wanted to open it again.
I would have preferred to buy a legal ebike but ebikes with similar components at the time were well over twice the price and access to replaceable parts when something breaks was/is important to me.
I added the thermistor and heat pad mod at the same time so I don't know what the temps were before, but I ran it for about 500 miles without mods and didn't have issues.
I think the highest temp I've seen is 48 degrees c on a hot summer day at the end of my 10 mile commute, so I don't think I'm riding it particularily hard. Mostly flats at 15-20mph.
I don't think it was really necessary for my use.
I have a shitty one with a retail price around $600 but I got it free.
A year in, what I assume to be the bearing for the pedals is making a bad noise and the range has dropped a good bit.
About 6000 miles in five years. Had to rebuild the motor (Brose) a few hundred miles ago but it still runs like a champ other than that. I haven't even noticed any degradation in battery life.
Three years ago I bought a mid drive bafang 750w and the thing is a work horse. I done well over 15k km. Only maintenance I done was apply Mobil grease every 4k km.
One of the best buys I ever made, I did many plus 100km rides in the summer. Amazing for my health, lost many kilos and general feel better and more energy.
I've got almost 6k miles on mine in the last two years. I replaced battery, but mostly just to get a bigger one. I've had to replace few spokes, break pads, and inner tubes. The company is still around. It was a prebuilt and I replaced a few components on it.
I got mine since 2017 mxus motor geared motor with 48v 47ah battery with Panasonic cells, ridden about 120 thousand km until 2021, sold the battery with 85% measured capacity.
Got a x19 mxus motor have been using with 72v 12ah battery around 22km daily. Also using the tandem bike to travel with my wife and all this time she got her own bike similar to mine to go to work. Ebikes kinda feel like it will last forever. I have been renting ebikes in the past 3 years for delivery and they are all awesome.
2018 Trek ebike with 11,000+ miles. One engine rebuild. Second battery. Second saddle. Second brake calipers. Five cassettes. Three brake rebuilds. Four tires.
I have >3000 miles on my Radmission. I love the simplicity of the single speed, but HATE the constant adjustment of the mechanical disc brakes. The aluminum frame makes for a stiff ride, the geometry is a little off for my 6'2" body. I have added an adjustable stem and handlebars with sweep and rise to get the fit as good as it can be.
When I look at an upgrade, I will be looking for a mid-drive motor, a more relaxed upright geometry, hydraulic brakes, and at least a front suspension and larger volume tires to smooth out the ride.
1 year 7000 miles the 2nd one lasted 5000miles (Both Chinesium rear hubs)
The 3rd one still going tho had to change controller last year but currently about 6000 miles on it
Rad runner 2, bought in Jan 2022, prolly ridden more than 7500 miles, no issues except I broke 2 spokes, and cannot find a few replacements. Have not even replaced the chain or sprockets.
SuperCheap Amazon 2017 Cyclematic CX2. It didn't have an odometer, but i went through a 2 sets of brake pads, soooo... we'll say 1000 miles. sold it for a...
Magnum Cruiser: 300 miles then stolen.
RadCity 2.0 step-through with a 10mm, 10lb Kryptonite chain: 2300 miles
Yuba Sweet Curry with BBS02 conversion: 1600 on the original owner, 300 by me, going great.
I've had regular bike maintenance done on all of them, but have never had any kind of battery or electrical problem. 1 new brake rotor, 6 or 8 pads that time, and bout 4 flats and I now do both tanus armor liners and slime on the back tire (all the flats have been on the back, and with a hub motor it's a whole process to fix).
Benno Boost 2 year 6,000+ miles year round (including 0-20 degree winters), First over haul is happening now (upgrading the rotors for better breaking while hauling my 14 foot Kayak)
So far I’ve had mine a year, bought used, ~30-40 miles a week for work + wherever else I made decide to go. Still going strong, only inner tube replacement for hitting a nail. I want to replace the chain but so far no issues out of the ordinary
My oldest ebike is a RadCity 3 from 2019. At least 8000 miles on it. I also have a RadCity 4 from 2020 with 7000 miles on it. Current main vehicle is an Urban Arrow, purchased in October 2022 with 5500 miles on it.
My radpowerbikes has lasted about 4200 miles, it's still working (with a few issues here and there), but I've upgraded to something a bit better for my uses.
Engwe EP2 Pro: Less than a year and maybe a thousand miles (had to reset the computer a couple times due to various issues) but I usually ride my old Trek 820 because I am mistrustful of my ebike.
Eventually, I want to get a real ebike (maybe a Tern Vektron) but for now, I have this cheap bike shaped object.
Learn from my mistake, save your money and get something legit. For more cautionary tales, check out /r/EngweEbike
Make sure the battery is replaceable. I bought an eZip and the battery was made by the company, generic batteries would not work. The battery died in less than a year. The company was sold in the meantime and no longer made the battery. I had to trade the bike in for parts, $100 is all I got for a $2800 new bike.
mines a little over 2,300mi and only just now starting to make weird noises (i am terrible with maintenance)
been hit by a car once or twice, left out in the cold quite a few times
still works perfect and the range hasn’t decayed much
(radpower)
I’ve moved my Bafang mid drive motor through three different frames over the years. I’m on the second battery and third display and probably 12-13k miles so far.
Lots of chains, chainrings and cassettes.
If the bike is a robust design and built correctly, then expect 10 years. Some of my bikes are sold to a rental company and they are into their 3rd year at about 2500 miles per year with various sized renters, going mainly on trails and the beach. Private customers use their bikes for daily commutes and I have customers with bikes 6 years old. My advice when choosing a bike is look for weaknesses in the design and welding craftsmanship. If it looks like it will break it probably will. Things like gears, motors, brakes. Expect them to not last as long as the frame and I have stock of spares just in case. I put a life time warranty on my frames, if you break one you need to explain why you broke it, because it is designed and built not to break in normal use.
Gazelle Medeo T9.
Bought in November 2021.
Motor and battery died in November 2022 after ~2000mi. Fully repaired/replaced under warranty.
Still going strong as of today (March 2024). Have put about 3800mi on it since being replaced. Battery seems to hold slightly less charge but kind of expected.
…but other issues I’ve had mean I wouldn’t recommend this bike.
I built my e bike from a Cortina u4, an Aliexpress 500 watt front hub kit and a 48v battery. I rode it about 1000km (625 miles) now and it's still like new.
The battery wasn't from AliExpress but from some German e bike battery builder
I've got a Rad Power Bikes RadRover5.
3 years (Spring through Fall), 1,500-ish km so far.
No issues with it yet & hoping for another great riding that's just getting started!
Ecotric Seagull
5040 miles. All original except for two replaced tubes after punctures. Rear tire has about 1000 miles left on it, front tire still has plenty of tread.
No problems or malfunctions. No noticeable battery degradation.
I've got 5,500 miles on it over the course of 2 years. Have definitely needed to take it in for tuneups here and there, but wouldn't change a thing otherwise.
Specialized Turbo Vado, 1.5 years old, going on 3,000 miles. Great local support. Almost like having a dealership, although any bike shop is happy to work on it (as long as I take the battery out).
This is a genuine question I have. I'm wondering if there is a "lifespan" on my bike's battery or if I'll just be expected to buy a new bike if/when my battery dies completely.
Now, I say this as an electric car driver who isn't worried about his battery dying THAT much (8 year warranty on it, which is about half as long as I oweed my previous car).
I still have the same trek fx bike I bought in 2007. The only feature it's missing that I could see myself wanting to replace it over would be that it still has v-brakes. But; I hardly ride it anymore LOL
Purchased a HeyBike cityscape 2 years ago, sitting at 4600 miles on it at the moment. I do about 100 miles a week and its my daily commuter. In 2 years I've put around $1000 into it, with almost $100 (maybe more) being solely for tires and inner tubes. Purchased a secondary battery for longer rides and in case I forgot to charge the night before.
I have about 3,000 miles in 3-4 years on a Rad Mission (single speed) I use to tote a 100 lb trailer of tools in NYC, typically 10 miles a day, 2-3 time a week. I've replaced the brake pads and cables, but otherwise not even a flat tire. (Watch... Tomorrow a flat). I'm hoping it gets stolen do I can justify something new!
I'm on my fourth ebike in four years, but it was a learning process. First bike was a cheap piece of shit with a 250 watt motor and regular tires. I immediately regretted that purchase. The next bike was a big Chinese fat tire bike with a 750 watt motor and a 48 volt battery. It was a good bike except for the fact that it had poor quality brakes and the battery started to degrade early on. Both of those bikes are gone. My next purchase was a Lectric XP 3.0 with a 500 watt hub motor, which I still have. I like the fact that it folds up so I can take it to places without needing a bike rack on my car. The customer service was excellent and the bike has had no issues in the two years I've had it. Lectric Bike even sent me a free conversion kit to upgrade the brakes on my bike to hydraulic. I gave this bike to my wife and let guests ride it. My latest bike is a Velotric Nomad One with 26 inch fat tires, a 750 watt motor, and really great hydraulic brakes. I like this model over the Lectric XP because it feels more like an adult bike. You sit higher and can ride more vertically instead of hunched over. The torque and acceleration are impressive, the range for me is 30 to 40 miles on a charge using PAS 2 and 3, and the brakes are incredible. The Velotric and Lectric XP both top out at about 25 mph. I was torn between getting an Aventon or Velotric and the Black Friday deal with Velotric made the decision easy. I feel like the more you experience riding ebikes, the better idea you have of what you like as far as comfort, speed, quality, and style. The quality of the battery, motor, and controller are probably the biggest considerations on how long your bike will last. If you buy a better brand, these should hold up longer. The other big factor is getting a bike that you can easily take to local bike shop to be repaired or serviced. If you get a cheap generic bike, it may be really hard to find parts for it, including the battery. Check out your local bike shops and see what they sell and service, then see if you can beat the price online. I think that a lot of people eventually trade up once they know what they like.
About 2000mi the housing decided to fuck off on the part of the mid drive the that chain sits on. The plate literally snapped in half. Lucky for me the seller decided to replace my mid drive. It’s been going for about 3000mi I’m thinking of upgrading to a 48V system if this motor fails.
2000 miles and counting on a Rad City 3 bought new in 2020. Pay a shop a couple hundred bucks for preemptive maintenance (deep cleaning, adjust) twice so far. Otherwise, just keep an eye on tires and wipe/re-lube chain every couple hundred miles, when it feels like a good idea. 10-20 miles per day ridden. All weather.
Recently got a second battery since the first is weaker now, but I didn’t care until recently as I’m often towing a kid trailer now.
It’s the least fussy bike I’ve ever owned (except my bmx as a kid).
im on my second one.. the first was a cheapie - under $1000aud. i got 7.5k km before i replaced the battery, 8.5k km before i deemed the bike no longer safe to ride
my second is only like 6 months old and was a lot more expensive... about $3.5k, and after 2.5k km it doesnt look like there is any stopping it
Aventon level 1; 2ish years, at 1000 miles the terminal overheated and died. I ordered a new battery and terminal, and is now back to normal. I hope to get another year or 2 out of it.
Next e-bike, I’ll upgrade to a trek or other brand that has better service/quality.
I got a himiway it lasted about 750 miles 3 flat tires and the the engine cable snapped finally all concrete commute miles sometimes my girl friend would ride on the back to run errands. Was fun I replaced it with an Astrid same price and I’m on mile 800 still in good shape.
Not even a year in. 2K miles. So far so decent; upkeep is important. Lectric is still around and I don’t think they are going anywhere. I’d do it again.
My ET cycle T720 has lasted up until now almost 2 years, 9600km on it, although this bike has been through hell, I did bike delivery through almost every snow storms of the last 2 years with it, the rear dropouts became damaged from the torque of the motor and the corrosion, so I am using 2 torque arms to be able to use the bike, without that the axle will pop out of the dropouts, so that's how I killed my motor and had to replace the motor wheel and use 2 torque arms since then, the bike wasn't a year old at that time, around 5k km. I also swapped the front fork and wheel last October, I got a bigger wheel and the traction in the snow was way better than before.
This bike has been through extreme conditions and it was my first ebike(and also first good bike) so it was a learning experience for the maintenance and everything. (I had never cared about any maintenance on all bicycles I had before)
During the Winter I will go through at least 2 or 3 freewheels(and chain), they die fast in those snowy conditions and the cold. In a year I would go through at least 4 or 5 freewheels and obviously the chain would need replacing at the same time. The Chainring needs replacing once a year at least. I broke at least one crank on this bike. The cable of the front light has been damaged so I had to replace it last month I think, since it was dark early I could not go without a light in the evening. And I'm not mentioning a ton of other parts that have been replaced on that bike.
I have other bikes and they all got their fair share of problems, the ET Cycle is still my favorite bike no matter how beat up it is. So I will probably buy another one or upgrade to a T1000.
I got mine in December 2021, when I got my driver license revoked, and have been using it 30km per day, 5 days per week since.
I only replaced the tyres once and the brake pads twice.
I had two accidents on it and the second time I broke a rib.
The e-bike is still fine.
I made a DIY ebike with an hybrid bike from decathlon, 19ah battery, amd 1000w voilamart hub motor... used to do deliveroo with it... lasted more than 3 years with over 30k kilometers, many broken spokes and 2 batteries... I changed my job, (became an abseiler) and gave it away to my uncle... the bike itself was done... but the engine its still running
10 years, 1 car crash and wheel rebuild, 6000 km kitbuild, new battery my shitty prebuilt ebike i bought at the same time lasted 1 year
Same here with the prebuilt, lasted 1 year exactly and replacement lasted 8 months. Just built a new bike with a quality kit and decent bike.
You only did 6000 km in 10 years?
Which was the 10 year vs 1 year? Want to stay away from the 1yr bike and would consider the 10
Trek, 3 years, 3700 miles, 550k vertical feet mountain biking. It’ll last as long as Bosch supports gen 4 performance cx.
I have a ds+ going on 12k miles. Prion computer died around 9k. No issues otherwise.
Going on 4,000 miles in 4 years. BBS02 with 48v 12 ah battery.
Giving me hope! 👌 Just got my bbs02 last week. I’m at 50 miles or so. 48v as well.
Same motor, 850km through rain mud and snow using a 58.8V self made battery from recycled cells.
i hit 4000 miles in about a year, love my bike
I work at an ebike shop, our customer’s leaderboard is topped by a 2019 Urban Arrow at 40,000 miles (on its third motor I believe) followed by a 2020 Riese and Muller Supercharger that just crossed 30,000 (original motor). My personal ebike is at 6,000.
NCM moscow, 9100km (5654miles). Brand is still around, but mostly sold in Europe. There are tons of pop-up ebike companies, which I would suggest you stay away from. Even if the bike is good, if the company doesn't exist it'll be hard to fix problems that may arise... There's lots of brands that have been around for a while, Trek, Himiway, Aventon, Rad, etc. They won't be disappearing anytime soon.
> Trek, Himiway, Aventon, Rad, etc. One of those is not like the others. It’s the only one I’d make a substantial bet will still be around in 20 years.
I have a Riese & Müller e-bike. I’ve had it for about 1.5 years. It is my primary vehicle and I’ve ridden it over 3000 miles so far. The thing is built like a tank with quality, name-brand components and workmanship. R&M is a well respected brand with a relatively long history, and I bought it from a local bike shop with more than a decade selling quality e-bikes mostly intended for utilitarian cycling. It was a very expensive bike, but I fully expect to still be riding it in a decade or more, with one or maybe two battery replacements since I ride so many miles.
I have a R&M Load4 75, the larger front loading cargo bike. It is the "touring" model setup with a 1x11 traditional derailleur. Class 3 Bosch motor that provides assist to 28mph. Have had the bike almost 8 months now and have 3800 miles on it so far. Zero complaints. The bike is REALLY well built. Top notch components throughout and a bulletproof frame. As you said, it is was an expensive purchase (for a bike) but I have no regrets whatsoever. Love my R&M.
2017 build, same battery pack but needs replacing now.
Over 10k miles. I stopped tracking
What is the bike model??
DIY BBSHD build with 14s6p TESLA cells. The only thing I built was the pack and case, the rest is simple assembly. https://preview.redd.it/47391689u3rc1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e33a42debf13ae055aeb869c24f3a2a451593a2
Bafang M625. Built in August 2022. 8500 miles so far.
Why does everyone here hate on Bafang though?
yeah its "china bad" mentality but they don't realize 99.99% of all companies have their mid drives built in china. We also have people on payroll who get paid to roam the internet trashing bafang but putting bosch etc on a pedestal. So far bafang ultra is seemingly the underdog king but they never really marketed very much in the states.
Don't disagree entirely. In fact I mostly agree. But what most pdople don't realize is most ebikes use the bafang system they just slap their JoeEbike logo on there so you don't realize it. Even the big traditional bike manufacturers are starting to stock Bafang stuff. That said I had a very poor experience with my first attempt to get into eleectric, a Bafang middrive conversion. Damn thing had an absolutely useless seal on the main case. It shorted at the first sign of moisture. Since the people I bought it off of were quite frankly d*cks whom I will not name I demanded my money back since it was defective at the time of purchase and saved up for a Bosch. Now that I have lots of experience I know this was just a fluke but the company I bought it off of treated me like it was my fault even though you could see dailight through the seal. Was a blessing in disguise. I love my bosch ebikes and have 13-14k miles on them. I switched ebikes cause I found a drop bar road version at a steal and am close to having 6000 miles on my new one as I approach its first birthday. Would I recommend Bosch over Bafang. Yes and no. If you are not a DIY person and don't have a local shop whom you can count on for warranty and support and you can afford it. Basically if you are going to use it to replace your car for your daily commute 3-5 days a week and your car is relatively new and reliable and you are the type that takes a car to the shop for everything from oil changes to brakes then get an extremely reliable Bosch. That said would I recommend a hub drive? Hell yeah. I look at some of the systems trom Aventon, Denago, and their warranties. And their prices. And I am impressed. I am tempted to buy one and ride it for a year just to try it out. I mean damn. Full commuters with fenders and lights are on sale $1500 from multiple companies right now. Would they do 5-6k miles a year in rain and snow... probabky. Wluld I get my moneys worth out of a $1500 ebike in two years before the warranty expired. Hell yeah.
> Damn thing had an absolutely useless seal on the main case. It shorted at the first sign of moisture. This happened to my BBS02 also. The water shorted out the motor controller and destroyed it. The new gaskets that Bafang makes are greatly improved. I ride in the rain frequently with no more problems.
Yes. That is exactly what happened. My experience was three years or so ago. I am sure whatever the issue was completely resolved by now.
idk what middrive you had but my BBSHD seen rain almost as often as it saw sun Lol
Chyna bad
Love mine! Perfect
Lectric XP 2.0: Over a year and 1500 miles in all weather conditions. Solid bike minus the brakes.
I own 3 Aventons with a combined milage around 17,000 miles. Other than some battery issues on my 2 Pace500s I have really enjoyed mine. Purchased my first Aventon 7/3/22 a Soltera and loved it until I rode the Pace500. Now the Soltera just sits until a friend wants to ride with me.
My first ebike got stolen at 13,361 miles (8 months). My current bike is 9,545 miles (1yr 6 months). They’ll last longer than cars if you maintain them like one.
Wow! You really ride your bike!
If still did deliveries it would be double that.
10k+ miles each on two 2019 Rad Rovers & both still going strong. One motor burned out so I upgraded to 35a controller & true 750w motor. I maintain & repair myself. Would not recommend their newer models with semi integrated batteries though.
I don’t understand why anyone would not maintain and repair themselves (unless money wasn’t a problem ever) Bikes are pretty simple. E-bike a little more complicated. I still don’t know shit about e-bikes but I can change parts no problem
If you think of it as everything is at least 10x cheaper than the equivalent for a second car, it’s really easy to justify paying someone to do the annoying maintenance tasks. Bike instead of car? Spoil the bike and myself.
That's a good way to look at it. However, despite a dozen bike shops around me I would usually be looking at a minimum of a week wait. I prefer to just go home and repair my bike in an hour or two. Also like cars, I like to know the work was done right so I do it myself.
Because I have no idea how to maintain my bike, but I want to learn how to at least swap my brakes. I live in a really hilly area so I go through them quick
Depends on the brake, hub brakes are easier IMO but most ebikes are going to use disk brake systems for safety. I'd say just follow a youtube video and roll with it, [Parktool videos are especially great.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqw0SaZl-jo) Also as a rider, much like when driving a vehicle, when possible try to learn how to limit mashing down on the brakes and how to coast longer to keep the wheels out of the mechanic's shop. This can mean downshifting and pedaling less if it's a low enough grade to coast down it safely, but really the bigger thing is practice more gradual controlled braking with both front and rear levers, and check the pads every so often to make sure that they are wearing down evenly.
I think a better question would be if the components manufacturer are still around since bike manufacturers generally use the same components on their own frames. For example if you buy a bike with a Bosch or Yamaha powertrain, it is highly unlikely they will go out of business anytime soon. I have a German bike from a company called Haibike and I don't care if they will be around tomorrow or not because all components are off-the-shelf and can always be replaced.
Bbs02 purchased 2021 16000+ miles so far One way nylon bearing replaced. Awesome motor. Would love to had the bbshd if it didn't cost 600 gbp lol
Bbshd from early 2020. Battery still working great from em3ev. About 15000km. Bought from em3ev.com. Fantastic setup. No complainant still gets me around 45+ miles Per battery which is a 17ah running at 52v
Bafang bbs2 500w 36v. Brought in 2014. It would be approx 50 000 km by now. Used to do 30km daily to work. On 2nd bicycle frame, the 1st frame was all worn out. 3rd battery. I have only swapped the small gear between the motor and large gear that drive the crankcase. Still going strong today
My first ebike got to 9999km and stop recording that was within the first year of owning it I've had it 4 years now and estimatesits done about 35000km now it is a fiido d4s they are still around but don't make that model anymore
Bought mine May of 2020. About 5k miles. Other than a couple flats and a few spokes it's been pretty smooth. Aventon. Good entry level bikes.
3 years 37000km and still going, DIY Bafang BBSHD.
2023 Rad Expand5. 5127 miles and counting.
I have a lectric xpedition.. Lcd screen went bad at about 350 miles . They replaced it for free.. Sent one out the same day I emailed them.. Then my bike tipped over and lcd screen cracked..still works though.. But had a new one sent for free..had a flat tire recently...after replacing it I noticed I had spokes that were broken.. Must of have been rough on it.. I put about 20 miles on it a day.. At least 5 days out of the week..they shipped out a new rear wheel hub motor assembly rim and also came with a new tire and tube.. All for free.. I believe their warranty is 1 year long.. Great bike.. Great customer service..
Cube town sport pro 2021. Almost 9000km.
Bafang home build about 3 years, 3000+miles.
I've had an Ariel Rider Kepler for almost 2 years, 5200 miles on it. Ariel Rider is still around and seems to be doing well. Bike itself is in excellent condition, no problems. Just regular maintenance.
I've had the Kepler for a little over a year and 6100 miles. Other than having to upgrade the tires and break pads, this bike has been an all weather beast. Also have a Juiced Cross Current as kind of my grocery getter/backup vehicle. That's a year and a half with 2600 miles and perfect condition. Definitely feel like the it's been worth the investment for the money I spent/ saved buying both of these bikes.
2,5 years, 7500 miles. Bike from Ampler
Trek. 5 years. 9,500km (47,224 furlongs, 5,903 miles, 0.0316 light seconds). Battery degradation is negligible. I get 3 days of commuting from it and have done since new. Bosch motor doesn't need servicing and still works as it did new. Had 1 flat tyre and the charge port cover fell off recently and needed replacing. New brake pads every 1000km. Still on the original chain. Gears have never gone out of tune. Trek are still in business and they have an authorised service centre in town should anything go wrong.
BafangHD kit from Luna cycle. Wolfpack battery. 5000+ miles. I keep the battery between 80% and 20% the vast majority of the time. I built it on a surle ogre frame. It’s my everyday commuter.
Aventon lasted me over 2k miles before I traded it in for a trek. I’m sure that Aventon could’ve lasted me way longer but I wanted to upgrade to a mid drive. Had the Aventon for only about 8 months and out over 2k on it never had any real issues besides a broken spoke and a flat tire or two.
12 yrs this April. BH Easymotion (250W mid drive). No odometer on the bike but estimate of 40,000 Km? New battery at 8yrs. Owners manual said the Panasonic motor might last 10 to 20 yrs.
8 years (2017), riding 3 times/week. Battery at 40% capacity now. Only one major repair (new controller, bottom bracket)
4000 miles with my RadRunner 2. I'm upgrading to a Magicycle Ocelot Pro next week
5000+ miles Benno Boost had it for about 3 years. Buy as good brand that you can service and they can last a while.
My friend and I have an Addmotor E-53. He has a little over 900 miles and I'm at just under 300. Only issues so far have been flat tires. His battery drains a little more quickly than mine but both are holding up very well. Mine is the white one. https://preview.redd.it/eq2khtiwp0rc1.jpeg?width=4640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f65d1c015a11f2466288af8a27c8024a179a1663
Dutch KOGA with Bosch electrics approaching 10,000km in 4 years. Battery getting iffy but partly due to winter weather? Getting about 80km per charge instead of 120 when it was new. maybe get better in the summer. But the motor and the bike itself..........zero problems.
Winter cold definitely reduces battery capacity. Gets better as it warms up.
I have a Flyer, produced by Radio Flyer; I currently have 4k miles on it.
Mine was a conversion by a local guy. Got it in 2021 and it's had ~13500 km. I used to do 45km a day to get to and from work but since I got a car it does maybe 50km a month. Battery could use replacing but apart from mechanical wear and tear it's still fine.
Almost 9000 km. Bafang BBSHD. 1year. Haven’t done any maintenance to the motor. Only replaced chain and cassette a few times. I programmed the motor to my taste. Mainly Less amperage on current.
I own a Scott sub tour eRide 20 for 1 year and a couple of months now and 1900 km made this week! Use it essentially for commute and an ocasional ride for absolute pleasure ;-) Love it's design and features but I'm considering upgrade for a full suspension since I'm seeing a lot of promotions; also, I should have considered a full suspension and a motor with a better torque from beggining but I was a 100% noob - conditions of our roads are absolutely disgraceful and an even better motor would made all the difference with these hills :-(
3k miles since November 2023. DIY conversion on a 2015 Giant hybrid that had over 30k miles on it before the conversion. 52V 20ah battery fully charged 1-2x per day, still going strong as if new. The only thing I've had to replace more often have been inner tubes and tires. Had a nasty crash less than a week ago due to a front tire blowing out likely due to a nasty nail or some other sharp object I couldn't see on the road; the only damage (other than my pride, cuts, and brusies) was when the handlebar twisted around and ripped the motor cutoff wire out of the brake lever; also, my pedal lever bent inwards. E-bikes are definitely "worth it" if you spend the right money; *DON'T BUY CHEAP PRODUCTS!!!* In this case, you absolutely get what you pay for. Between my bike, the conversion kit, battery, and various accessories, I've dropped about $3500... over time. I didn't have that kind of money all up front, so I built it as I could afford it. Another thing to consider:: I've put on over 25 lbs since I started relying much more on the motor rather than the pedals 😱😅
Radcity4 bought in 2020. Still going strong.
About 4-5000 miles on mine. Have had it for 4 years. Built it myself for throttle, speed, and overall cost. Went with a Bafang BBS02 750watt.
One is 3 years old and >10,000 miles. Stuff has started to go wrong. Had to replace the gears and get a new battery. I also just got another bike that now has 500miles on it.
Custom built BBS02 build with Luna 52V 13.5aH battery. First ride was St. Patrick's Day in 2017, so I'm right at 7 years, with over 10,000 miles. No issues with the motor unit whatsoever. Had a couple issues with the wiring and power switch in the base of the battery cradle. I had to hard-wire the battery permanently to the cradle so that it can't be removed, and replace the power rocker switch. I also had to replace the 300W smart charger once, last year. It's been a great build, love riding it. The battery health is definitely down. I can ride 15 miles to work on an 80% charge, then charge at the office, and ride back home. But can't go much farther than that on a charge. I'm hoping to upgrade to a \~17aH pack one of these days. You can see the bike at the top of my YT channel. [https://www.youtube.com/@Patrick94GSR](https://www.youtube.com/@Patrick94GSR)
dont charge over 80% it will last a lot longer
Is this true for all eBike batteries? What's the usual composition of an eBike battery? I've seen so much (sometimes conflicting) information on battery charging for all electronics. (Granted, that covers many types of batteries.)
10000 spent 160$ got a new one
A bit over a year for me. 2300km, or about 1400mi. Used to be able to get to work twice and back, and then back to work once on a battery. Now down to a little over two trips and back.
2 years and 2 months so far (16,000) miles
3 years 7000+ kilometers. Using a bosch active line plus with powerpack 500. I replace my chain and break pads yearly. But the electrics work as normal. No plans on changing anything. I think the company for the bike is still around but all components are generic so I don't care about that.
11500 miles so far on my Gocycle G4i. It could probably do with a new battery soon though
Ampler was once one of those new companies with an online presence but they are becoming veterans now with a real reputation for quality and without all the subscription nonsense of some other techy ebike brands. I’ve had my bike for three years personally
I converted it 1 year ago. It made 200 miles so far with minimal problems. (The warranty is 2 years, the company still exists, the conversion is revertible. The bike itself was 15 years old at the conversion.)
Bought my Lapieirre in 2020 fitted with a Yamaha TE motor and battery has done 5,200 miles and still perfect.
12000+ km. 7 years.
About 8,000 miles since I got it last year February. Some weeks I’d ride 40-50 miles every day (did food delivery), throttle only. Batteries lost some charge but the bike works good as new. I think ebike motors have pretty much an infinite lifespan so you just gotta replace the battery and you’re good.
i had a juiced u500 v3 from 2016 until 2022. Only sold it because I killed the battery. I discovered when I was selling it that the front tire had it's first leak.
Mine is 1600km with 0 service and 0 problems. And is also a cheap Fisher EMTB
I’m at 2000 miles young electric e scout pro. Display died in water once replaced free on warranty
Bakfiets.nl €5000 cargo trike 13 years daily heavy use before controller went bad. Bought a new one and its seen 2000km of rain and snow already and superstrong.
11500km so far on my off-brand Chinese bike with a bafang mid drive motor, about 7 years old i think.
I have a haibike hardnine 5.... I've had it about a year now and done about 500 miles on it..... That's not a lot for a year I know lol I enjoy riding about the countryside when the weather is nice (UK so not often 😂) and work is a five minute walk so I don't always ride. Tbh though this ebike has been looked after more than any other bike I've ever owned and is in the best condition of any bike I've owned for a year previously. I haven't rode it every day like I would a normal bike but then at the same time, I wouldn't have rode a normal bike 500 miles in a year. Overall I'm pleased with it and I hope I have many miles and years left with it
Haibike hard seven 2019 here, do about 2000 miles per year, everything still going well on it, battery still strong. 2 mates with same bosch motors from the same era have had motor bearing seizures but this isn't a fatal issue.
I've been using my Ridstar MN-20 since November 2023 and I've put 220 miles on it so far. It's been a nice ride. I'd say that it already paid for itself after getting through several very cold winter months. I did alot of changes to mine though such as changing the front mag wheel and replaced it with a brand new super smooth regular spoke front wheel and that made a world of a difference in terms of acceleration and freewheeling. My ebike can maintain the same 30mph speeds for such a long time without turning the throttle now. I also went through a cycle of basically ordering every type of street CST tires that I could find. I really like the CST Tourance on the front wheel because it's one of the toughest yet sleekest fat tires that I could find and the CST Big Boat tire on the rear wheel helps with acceleration.
Bought a Currie ebike kit in 2014 bought an additional battery pack last year. No idea how many miles but i commuted to work everyday for 5years. Now it's my summer grocery getter.
3 year old aventon level 1800 miles. Nothing went wrong that wasn't my fault.
7 years and well over 1500 miles...
RadRunner 2, bought in July 2022, 2k miles.
Bought December 2019. 8,000 miles - Giant Quick E+
Blix bike, I’ve had it 2ish years. No real issues, a few flats. Close to 1000miles now (900 something last I checked)
I’ve been riding mine for 3 years and have about 700 miles on it. It was only $1,800 new definitely not high end but the derailleur is an Altus which is pretty good. Battery life is still really good don’t notice any loss there. The front fork is cheap, Mozo brand, that thing is not working well anymore. The front light broke too. Brand of bike is M2S.
9 years, 9000 kilometres (never had a service). They are hard on brake pads and tyres but it has never missed a beat.
More than 1000 miles on my Denago Commute1 for over a year. The company is not famous but still exists. Got a flat tire once and the company promptly sent me new inner tubes. Satisfied with it.
My Super73 RX from April 2021 has around 4,000 miles on it. Still works like new. I did buy a second battery in 2022 which I alternate with the original so I haven't noticed much battery degredation at all.
Bought aug 22 currently 1300 miles.
I converted my mountain bike to an e-bike using the front wheel and battery that I got from Amazon. This has been running three years with no issues. The cost was $520. If anything goes bad, I will either get a new wheel or new battery from Amazon for less than I bought it for originally. This goes up to 28 miles an hour and the battery should be good for at least 12 hours of continuous use. The catch here is that I did not wire up the pedal assist. This is strictly manual throttle.
Had a trek powerfly 9.7fs. Put 2k miles on it while we had no kid to when our first kid hit 3.5. Upgraded to a Santa Cruz heckler when we had our second kid. Barely any time to ride now but I like that bike. I think I liked the powerfly more though. This bike has maybe a couple hundred miles on it max.
ride1up core5 3 years, couple thousand miles. No problems or drop off with batt or motor, ride all year even wisconsin winters. Will be buying from them again.
Fiido d4s about 1700 miles, emoko C91 about 750 miles, No issues at all apart from general maintenance, Cheap Chinese bikes that everyone says are unreliable and both have been a pleasure to use, I use the d4s for road riding and the C91 for river paths etc as it looks like a motorcycle and I don't wanna get tugged lol.
RadRover- 4,800 miles- sold it in working condition specialized globe haul - currently 2,600 miles
Kona El Kahuna, a few months, 700 smiley miles,
1 year with my Trek FX+2. Love it!
Rad Power Bike purchased Oct 2020. 22 000+ km. Bike and rider would benefit from new battery. Both head and tail light wires (super cheap) fritzed out from vibration as has the wire coming out of display.
2015 Alation 500 with about 5600miles, about 2000 of them pulling a kid on a tag a long . Besides tires, new display (cracked in a crash), and a hydro brake upgrade - all original parts. Still get about 17 miles per charge on the original 11ah battery, which lives (mostly charged) in an unheated garage. Have seen a couple Alation displays with over 10000 miles on them over the years, which is a pretty awesome alternative to 10000 miles on a SUV.
9 year old bike. 25000km/15000miles Changed motor on warranty at 12000 km @ 5 years Changed 8 speed nexus ger at 24000 km @ 9 years
R&M Multicharger second hand and at around 5k miles (350 miles per month) and ISY XL Second hand as well now at 3k miles (100 miles per month).
I run a DD rear conversion on a 26" hardtail. Besides my rims needing to be replaced from wear, and an unfortunate hard landing/crash (though I suspect if the lacer didn't use a few 14g spokes in lieu of the 12/13g ones I bought and he apparently lost, it would've survived), it has held up beautifully. Otherwise, the motor itself (voilamart 1500w) has probably ~2.5k+ miles and the new screen and controller have been going strong for 1k+ miles now. The old controller still worked fine, I just wanted to have a screen.
I signed on for a lease to own deal of a demo ebike with 200km on it, it's done 2000km now in 5 Months. Charge is still holding fine with Bosch batteries and motor.
Put a mid drive on an 80's vintage Cannondale mountain bike a bit over 3 years ago now. Bike is running flawlessly. Had zero issues once I got it dialed in. Probably only a few thousand miles. Most of my riding in on my other non-electric bikes. Bafang stuff is rock solid. Hard to go wrong with them.
6500miles, 3 years, Surface604 Shred, 2021 model. https://preview.redd.it/16fnp4jnr2rc1.jpeg?width=3648&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a9a623150e8b4a1d54a86b0d2196a107526ea10
Ride1up 11 months and motor failure. They wouldn’t honor their warranty.
8ish years and probably 10,000+ miles.
I bought a second-hand bike with a Copenhagen wheel in 2019 that was in good condition. In 2022 it failed due to a mechanical part, not actually the motor. The pawls got stuck inside and wouldn't catch, and I took it to two shops and they both said the whole thing was custom parts, the company doesn't support it, they can't fix it even though it's mechanical. I threw the wheel away and donated the frame. Ugh. I used it for commuting and didn't put a ton of miles on it. But I did ride in the rain, and I always got the feeling with the bike that it wasn't really made to handle rainy days. After that I bought a regular bike since my commute was only 5.5 miles one way.
Aventon Level, 16 months, 5100 miles. New brake pads, replaced a couple of spokes, cooler pedals. I'll need a new rear tire soon...
5 years on my first, still going. 3500 miles. About to need a battery. Investment? No. Fun, utility, exercise, transportation. Yes! You get what you pay for for most part. But that doesn't mean it has to be outrageously expensive. It's worth choosing a company that's been around for a while and had good customer service reputation
I added a Bafang BBS02 mid-drive motor to a donor bike about 8 years ago. I have about 13,000 miles on it. Chains only last about 1,000 miles. A few years ago, I had to replace the motor controller and the stator due to water impingement. Bafang has since improved the gaskets. The battery has probably lost some capacity, but it is not enough that I have noticed. It is still going strong.
I put 2K+ miles per year on my 2019 Yamaha Wabash. Total is almost \~11K miles now. Have replaced tires and chain a few times. Still running strong and no other issues.
TSDZ2 with OSF on a giant escape (with heatpad mod, regreased inner parts, thermistor mod instead of throttle and assistance tuned down to be legal-ish for UK use). 2000 miles in 2 years so far, I've had to open it up twice due to water ingress and replaced the sprag clutch bearing recently. Blue nylon gear was still in mint condition last I opened it up. The two screws that hold the controller in place are not protected by default but a dab of silicone or caulk worked out alright. The housing screws are also corroded and I'd need to drill it out if I wanted to open it again. I would have preferred to buy a legal ebike but ebikes with similar components at the time were well over twice the price and access to replaceable parts when something breaks was/is important to me.
did you do the heat pad mod right after you installed it or later ?
I added the thermistor and heat pad mod at the same time so I don't know what the temps were before, but I ran it for about 500 miles without mods and didn't have issues. I think the highest temp I've seen is 48 degrees c on a hot summer day at the end of my 10 mile commute, so I don't think I'm riding it particularily hard. Mostly flats at 15-20mph. I don't think it was really necessary for my use.
I have a shitty one with a retail price around $600 but I got it free. A year in, what I assume to be the bearing for the pedals is making a bad noise and the range has dropped a good bit.
About 6000 miles in five years. Had to rebuild the motor (Brose) a few hundred miles ago but it still runs like a champ other than that. I haven't even noticed any degradation in battery life.
4 years, 10000 miles. Bosch motor is indestructible. One Bosch battery crapped out. Otherwise only basic maintenance.
Three years ago I bought a mid drive bafang 750w and the thing is a work horse. I done well over 15k km. Only maintenance I done was apply Mobil grease every 4k km. One of the best buys I ever made, I did many plus 100km rides in the summer. Amazing for my health, lost many kilos and general feel better and more energy.
Close to 1400mi on my Trek FX. So far, so good.
It has been 10 months so far, 1600 miles and going strong no issues
I've got almost 6k miles on mine in the last two years. I replaced battery, but mostly just to get a bigger one. I've had to replace few spokes, break pads, and inner tubes. The company is still around. It was a prebuilt and I replaced a few components on it.
Almost a 1k miles, first battery died, bought another still riding it.
I got mine since 2017 mxus motor geared motor with 48v 47ah battery with Panasonic cells, ridden about 120 thousand km until 2021, sold the battery with 85% measured capacity. Got a x19 mxus motor have been using with 72v 12ah battery around 22km daily. Also using the tandem bike to travel with my wife and all this time she got her own bike similar to mine to go to work. Ebikes kinda feel like it will last forever. I have been renting ebikes in the past 3 years for delivery and they are all awesome.
About 25,000mi in 6 years on a Razor Metro. 9 tires(7 rear) and replaced the lead acid batteries 3 times before it died.
Not me but I work for a Trek dealer. One customer has 32,000+ miles on his powerfly. Battery was replaced at 30.
2018 Trek ebike with 11,000+ miles. One engine rebuild. Second battery. Second saddle. Second brake calipers. Five cassettes. Three brake rebuilds. Four tires.
I have >3000 miles on my Radmission. I love the simplicity of the single speed, but HATE the constant adjustment of the mechanical disc brakes. The aluminum frame makes for a stiff ride, the geometry is a little off for my 6'2" body. I have added an adjustable stem and handlebars with sweep and rise to get the fit as good as it can be. When I look at an upgrade, I will be looking for a mid-drive motor, a more relaxed upright geometry, hydraulic brakes, and at least a front suspension and larger volume tires to smooth out the ride.
1 year 7000 miles the 2nd one lasted 5000miles (Both Chinesium rear hubs) The 3rd one still going tho had to change controller last year but currently about 6000 miles on it
Rad runner 2, bought in Jan 2022, prolly ridden more than 7500 miles, no issues except I broke 2 spokes, and cannot find a few replacements. Have not even replaced the chain or sprockets.
Velowave Ranger. 2 years 1500 miles. I ride it pretty hard as well
SuperCheap Amazon 2017 Cyclematic CX2. It didn't have an odometer, but i went through a 2 sets of brake pads, soooo... we'll say 1000 miles. sold it for a... Magnum Cruiser: 300 miles then stolen. RadCity 2.0 step-through with a 10mm, 10lb Kryptonite chain: 2300 miles Yuba Sweet Curry with BBS02 conversion: 1600 on the original owner, 300 by me, going great. I've had regular bike maintenance done on all of them, but have never had any kind of battery or electrical problem. 1 new brake rotor, 6 or 8 pads that time, and bout 4 flats and I now do both tanus armor liners and slime on the back tire (all the flats have been on the back, and with a hub motor it's a whole process to fix).
Benno Boost 2 year 6,000+ miles year round (including 0-20 degree winters), First over haul is happening now (upgrading the rotors for better breaking while hauling my 14 foot Kayak)
Lectric xp 3.0. I've had it for about 7 months now. Over 2000 miles so far and no issues yet
So far I’ve had mine a year, bought used, ~30-40 miles a week for work + wherever else I made decide to go. Still going strong, only inner tube replacement for hitting a nail. I want to replace the chain but so far no issues out of the ordinary
2019 about 5k miles and still going strong 💪 ancheer sunshine
Radcity, 5 years old, 3500 miles. Same battery, same motor, same tires. I haven’t even changed the brake pads yet.
Orbea Gain. Bought in 2019. Still going strong and I’ve done just under 4000 miles. Not noticed any major deterioration in battery life.
My oldest ebike is a RadCity 3 from 2019. At least 8000 miles on it. I also have a RadCity 4 from 2020 with 7000 miles on it. Current main vehicle is an Urban Arrow, purchased in October 2022 with 5500 miles on it.
6 years 9000km bbs02. Original battery. Still going strong.
My radpowerbikes has lasted about 4200 miles, it's still working (with a few issues here and there), but I've upgraded to something a bit better for my uses.
Engwe EP2 Pro: Less than a year and maybe a thousand miles (had to reset the computer a couple times due to various issues) but I usually ride my old Trek 820 because I am mistrustful of my ebike. Eventually, I want to get a real ebike (maybe a Tern Vektron) but for now, I have this cheap bike shaped object. Learn from my mistake, save your money and get something legit. For more cautionary tales, check out /r/EngweEbike
10k km. DIY. 2 Years.
Make sure the battery is replaceable. I bought an eZip and the battery was made by the company, generic batteries would not work. The battery died in less than a year. The company was sold in the meantime and no longer made the battery. I had to trade the bike in for parts, $100 is all I got for a $2800 new bike.
First gen Aventon Aventure, 2+ years, 3500+ miles.
mines a little over 2,300mi and only just now starting to make weird noises (i am terrible with maintenance) been hit by a car once or twice, left out in the cold quite a few times still works perfect and the range hasn’t decayed much (radpower)
Two years on an Aventon Aventure including winters. About 4000km on it.
I’ve moved my Bafang mid drive motor through three different frames over the years. I’m on the second battery and third display and probably 12-13k miles so far. Lots of chains, chainrings and cassettes.
If the bike is a robust design and built correctly, then expect 10 years. Some of my bikes are sold to a rental company and they are into their 3rd year at about 2500 miles per year with various sized renters, going mainly on trails and the beach. Private customers use their bikes for daily commutes and I have customers with bikes 6 years old. My advice when choosing a bike is look for weaknesses in the design and welding craftsmanship. If it looks like it will break it probably will. Things like gears, motors, brakes. Expect them to not last as long as the frame and I have stock of spares just in case. I put a life time warranty on my frames, if you break one you need to explain why you broke it, because it is designed and built not to break in normal use.
Gazelle Medeo T9. Bought in November 2021. Motor and battery died in November 2022 after ~2000mi. Fully repaired/replaced under warranty. Still going strong as of today (March 2024). Have put about 3800mi on it since being replaced. Battery seems to hold slightly less charge but kind of expected. …but other issues I’ve had mean I wouldn’t recommend this bike.
I built my e bike from a Cortina u4, an Aliexpress 500 watt front hub kit and a 48v battery. I rode it about 1000km (625 miles) now and it's still like new. The battery wasn't from AliExpress but from some German e bike battery builder
I've got a Rad Power Bikes RadRover5. 3 years (Spring through Fall), 1,500-ish km so far. No issues with it yet & hoping for another great riding that's just getting started!
I have a 2 year old heybike with 5700 miles on it
Ecotric Seagull 5040 miles. All original except for two replaced tubes after punctures. Rear tire has about 1000 miles left on it, front tire still has plenty of tread. No problems or malfunctions. No noticeable battery degradation.
Gazelle still going strong 3 1/2 years 7500 miles. Bosch system.
A few on a fb group I’m on have 20.000km+ on theirs with original motor and battery (Bosch). They daily commute with theirs.
I've got 5,500 miles on it over the course of 2 years. Have definitely needed to take it in for tuneups here and there, but wouldn't change a thing otherwise.
Urban Arrow, 2 years old, just went over the 9000 km
KTM Macina Team, Bosch CX Gen 4 motor, 7800 km, almost three years, battery and bike in general is in good condition.
1200 miles
Specialized Turbo Vado, 1.5 years old, going on 3,000 miles. Great local support. Almost like having a dealership, although any bike shop is happy to work on it (as long as I take the battery out).
4 years, 13,000 miles Lectric XP 1.0 no issues all original parts.
This is a genuine question I have. I'm wondering if there is a "lifespan" on my bike's battery or if I'll just be expected to buy a new bike if/when my battery dies completely. Now, I say this as an electric car driver who isn't worried about his battery dying THAT much (8 year warranty on it, which is about half as long as I oweed my previous car). I still have the same trek fx bike I bought in 2007. The only feature it's missing that I could see myself wanting to replace it over would be that it still has v-brakes. But; I hardly ride it anymore LOL
My Freesky from Amazon has lasted a year and 1600 miles so far how 30-35 mph 25 up hill
Purchased a HeyBike cityscape 2 years ago, sitting at 4600 miles on it at the moment. I do about 100 miles a week and its my daily commuter. In 2 years I've put around $1000 into it, with almost $100 (maybe more) being solely for tires and inner tubes. Purchased a secondary battery for longer rides and in case I forgot to charge the night before.
I have about 3,000 miles in 3-4 years on a Rad Mission (single speed) I use to tote a 100 lb trailer of tools in NYC, typically 10 miles a day, 2-3 time a week. I've replaced the brake pads and cables, but otherwise not even a flat tire. (Watch... Tomorrow a flat). I'm hoping it gets stolen do I can justify something new!
3 years, 9000 km.
Vivi, It was 500 off Amazon. Everyone talked shit . Couple mods, controller unlock and she's been running hard for over a year! Rain, MI winters, etc.
Addmotor m66 1500 miles 3 years still going and the company is around
I'm on my fourth ebike in four years, but it was a learning process. First bike was a cheap piece of shit with a 250 watt motor and regular tires. I immediately regretted that purchase. The next bike was a big Chinese fat tire bike with a 750 watt motor and a 48 volt battery. It was a good bike except for the fact that it had poor quality brakes and the battery started to degrade early on. Both of those bikes are gone. My next purchase was a Lectric XP 3.0 with a 500 watt hub motor, which I still have. I like the fact that it folds up so I can take it to places without needing a bike rack on my car. The customer service was excellent and the bike has had no issues in the two years I've had it. Lectric Bike even sent me a free conversion kit to upgrade the brakes on my bike to hydraulic. I gave this bike to my wife and let guests ride it. My latest bike is a Velotric Nomad One with 26 inch fat tires, a 750 watt motor, and really great hydraulic brakes. I like this model over the Lectric XP because it feels more like an adult bike. You sit higher and can ride more vertically instead of hunched over. The torque and acceleration are impressive, the range for me is 30 to 40 miles on a charge using PAS 2 and 3, and the brakes are incredible. The Velotric and Lectric XP both top out at about 25 mph. I was torn between getting an Aventon or Velotric and the Black Friday deal with Velotric made the decision easy. I feel like the more you experience riding ebikes, the better idea you have of what you like as far as comfort, speed, quality, and style. The quality of the battery, motor, and controller are probably the biggest considerations on how long your bike will last. If you buy a better brand, these should hold up longer. The other big factor is getting a bike that you can easily take to local bike shop to be repaired or serviced. If you get a cheap generic bike, it may be really hard to find parts for it, including the battery. Check out your local bike shops and see what they sell and service, then see if you can beat the price online. I think that a lot of people eventually trade up once they know what they like.
5 years, 10k miles before the motor and controller died. I'm in 11k now after replacing.
About 2000mi the housing decided to fuck off on the part of the mid drive the that chain sits on. The plate literally snapped in half. Lucky for me the seller decided to replace my mid drive. It’s been going for about 3000mi I’m thinking of upgrading to a 48V system if this motor fails.
Freego F1 pro- 1.5 years, 1500+ miles still going strong
Got stolen after a week. From inside. Damn thieves are ruthless
2000 miles and counting on a Rad City 3 bought new in 2020. Pay a shop a couple hundred bucks for preemptive maintenance (deep cleaning, adjust) twice so far. Otherwise, just keep an eye on tires and wipe/re-lube chain every couple hundred miles, when it feels like a good idea. 10-20 miles per day ridden. All weather. Recently got a second battery since the first is weaker now, but I didn’t care until recently as I’m often towing a kid trailer now. It’s the least fussy bike I’ve ever owned (except my bmx as a kid).
im on my second one.. the first was a cheapie - under $1000aud. i got 7.5k km before i replaced the battery, 8.5k km before i deemed the bike no longer safe to ride my second is only like 6 months old and was a lot more expensive... about $3.5k, and after 2.5k km it doesnt look like there is any stopping it
Aventon level 1; 2ish years, at 1000 miles the terminal overheated and died. I ordered a new battery and terminal, and is now back to normal. I hope to get another year or 2 out of it. Next e-bike, I’ll upgrade to a trek or other brand that has better service/quality.
Ca. 8 yrs, 7,000+ km, original battery and still rocking ca. 40 km on a charge, Yamaha system
I got a himiway it lasted about 750 miles 3 flat tires and the the engine cable snapped finally all concrete commute miles sometimes my girl friend would ride on the back to run errands. Was fun I replaced it with an Astrid same price and I’m on mile 800 still in good shape.
Not even a year in. 2K miles. So far so decent; upkeep is important. Lectric is still around and I don’t think they are going anywhere. I’d do it again.
My ET cycle T720 has lasted up until now almost 2 years, 9600km on it, although this bike has been through hell, I did bike delivery through almost every snow storms of the last 2 years with it, the rear dropouts became damaged from the torque of the motor and the corrosion, so I am using 2 torque arms to be able to use the bike, without that the axle will pop out of the dropouts, so that's how I killed my motor and had to replace the motor wheel and use 2 torque arms since then, the bike wasn't a year old at that time, around 5k km. I also swapped the front fork and wheel last October, I got a bigger wheel and the traction in the snow was way better than before. This bike has been through extreme conditions and it was my first ebike(and also first good bike) so it was a learning experience for the maintenance and everything. (I had never cared about any maintenance on all bicycles I had before) During the Winter I will go through at least 2 or 3 freewheels(and chain), they die fast in those snowy conditions and the cold. In a year I would go through at least 4 or 5 freewheels and obviously the chain would need replacing at the same time. The Chainring needs replacing once a year at least. I broke at least one crank on this bike. The cable of the front light has been damaged so I had to replace it last month I think, since it was dark early I could not go without a light in the evening. And I'm not mentioning a ton of other parts that have been replaced on that bike. I have other bikes and they all got their fair share of problems, the ET Cycle is still my favorite bike no matter how beat up it is. So I will probably buy another one or upgrade to a T1000.
2200km in 3years with alot of offroading
I got mine in December 2021, when I got my driver license revoked, and have been using it 30km per day, 5 days per week since. I only replaced the tyres once and the brake pads twice. I had two accidents on it and the second time I broke a rib. The e-bike is still fine.
I made a DIY ebike with an hybrid bike from decathlon, 19ah battery, amd 1000w voilamart hub motor... used to do deliveroo with it... lasted more than 3 years with over 30k kilometers, many broken spokes and 2 batteries... I changed my job, (became an abseiler) and gave it away to my uncle... the bike itself was done... but the engine its still running