Certain model Bosch eBikes were affected by a noisy popping, cracking, clunking noise on each pedal revolution. The model years affected were between early 2012 and mid 2013. It normally occurs after the first few months of riding from new. Don't worry if this has happened on your eBike motor. It won't harm your motors at all. It does need attending too but in the meantime you can still ride your electric bike without causing any damage. Although wearing headphones is advised as the noise can get annoying. Official words from Bosch themselves- The noise does not result in damage to the drive unit, however, disturbs the driving pleasure. The good news is that there is a fix, and whilst Bosch will refer you back to the original place of purchase, we have found many 'dealers' scratching their heads when it comes to resolving the problem. We have many calls where people have had multiple visits back to the dealer with no avail. We (as a Bosch UK Service Center) are now providing a service to fix this issue. You can click the link at the bottom of this post to purchase. After checkout we will call you to arrange a convenient time for your to bring your Bosch powered eBike in for inspection and to address the problem. Please check that it sounds the same as in our video below. It will be a popping noise at roughly the same point on every pedal rotation - Please Note: This service is free to any of our previous customers on proof of original sales invoice. (Please call us prior to bringing your bike in) From around the time of the fault being noticed we then proceeded to address the issue on every new ebike that left us from that point. So the chances are if you purchased your eBike from us after May 2013 then you will be OK. Bosch have addressed the issue with a simple modification to any motor that comes on a 2014 eBike onwards.
I thought I would write a little more in depth about whats new for the 2014 Bosch system, this should save half my day on the phone. So to start off, everyone knows the latest Bosch motor has made some significant changes to the motor design. On the outside its completely different in shape, most of you will have seen the tiny front sprocket and wondered why it’s so small? Well... Bosch have standardised the way motors are mounted, so for one it’s easier for manufacturers to integrate the motor into their frame design. By changing the motor shape and using a small sprocket it gives a much higher ground clearance. (Previously not being a problem for Haibike who sent their engineers to work and patented the idea of inverting the motor up into the frame so its tucked out the way and give a much higher ground clearance anyway). At this point your probably thinking - How am I supposed to pedal that cycle around with such a small sprocket on the front? Well the drive is actually geared inside out. Basically as you turn the cranks (pedals) it turns a gear inside the motor, which in turn is geared back to the small sprocket on the outside. So in fact with 1 full pedal revolution the small sprocket on the outside will turn 2.5 times.This also allows the sensors within the new motor to measure gear changes much more precisely, therefore as you change gear the motor can detect this and actually reduces the torque applied at exactly the right time so that it ensures a smooth gear changes and reduces pressure on both the motor and chain significantly. Ultimately leading to a more durable system.The small sprocket also means that it’s much harder for the chain to come off at any point. Which is a big plus point where manufacturers are continuing to use ever-expanding ratios of gears at the back. On a side note – It also means less grubby trouser ends as the chain will be more tucked out the way running on the tiny sprocket! What else is new? The new motor's internal sensors (power, cadence & speed) process 1000 readings per second to make the ride as smooth and efficient as possible also has a new more modern 32-bit processor to handle all of these readings.The rest of the system has only taken slight changes, for example the colour of both the active line and performance line are different. The Intuvia screen size has been increased slightly with easier to see readings.The battery has been slimmed down a little into a more clean line design and is still offered in the current 300wh and 400wh options.So the new system is neater, smaller & a little lighter. The performance line can now also assist up to 275% in Turbo mode as opposed to 250%. The drive can put out up to 60Nm of torque through a derralier system but is limited to 50Nm of torque through any hub gear.The motor is the same 250w power to comply with current EU legislation.The new system will be less versatile to "tinker'ers" as the sprocket will be less easy to swap out to change the gearing for people who want to up the gearing / speed. But as far as I can see it should still be compatible with the 'tuning dongle'.This new motor design will run alongside the current 'Active line' system. Manufacturers will continue to use both systems for future ranges. Continued support? Bosch are continuing to offer firmware updates / improvement through the USB port for both Active line and the newer system. Being a Bosch UK dealer we have all the official Bosch diagnostic tools do perform these actions for previous customers in-store. Retrofit to my existing Bosch eBike? Finally before I get more phone calls - NO the complete Bosch system is not available as any sort of add on kit. It will only come with new complete ebikes.AND no I cannot take cash as a ‘back hander’ to order a motor through Bosch for anyone to use. The only way we can supply a new motor is with the old one in my hands in (in the event of a warranty case) Read how Haibike xDuro 2014 models overcome the bad chain line with the new Bosch eBike motor.View the latest Electric Bikes with the new style Bosch motor.
Time for another of my structured explanations of how something technical works. Now before you 'Switch Off'.. This is not a copy and paste explanation, this is written in my own words (and time) for others to learn how the new S.E.S (Sprocket Equalizing System) system works on the latest Bosch motor. Although nice for people to know about this it also cuts down the amount of time I spend on the phone every day explaining to people various factors; so well worth my time writing it! Before you start make sure you have read my other post explaining the new 2014 Bosch System in Detail. This explains the changes the newer Bosch motor has undertaken. The position of the small sprocket and the way the newer motor has to be mounted means that the bikes swing arm has to be much longer to situate the motor on a full suspension bike. Ultimately making the bikes wheel base a lot longer. This is because the pivot point of the swing arm has to be behind the motor. See image below Now some of you may say what's the difference if the swing arm is just a few inches longer?... Well it makes a massive difference to the bikes agility and how well it performs over terrain. A short wheel base is very important.. Its the difference in handling between an sports car and a family estate!. By bringing the swing arm pivot in, the design looks like this See image below: Now this creates another problem. Note in the picture difference in position between the highlighted 'R' & 'S'. The 'S' is where the chain would normally run from. The 'R' Is where the rear end pivots from. This not only creates chain line problems as their is such a big drop in chain line when using the massive sprocket ratio's at the back. But as the bike travels over bumps in terrain the whole rear end will move up and down with the suspension which causes the chain to move with it. This has major implications on the gear system. The chain will move all about the place causing loss of energy and be very noisy / rattly. This is not welcomed on mountain bikes at all. So to overcome this Haibike have created the S.E.S (Sprocket Equalizing System). Its basically a small jockey pulley wheel mounted exactly on the pivot point See image below: Not only does this pull the chain up to work perfectly with the rear swing arm, but it holds the chain in exactly the right place and keeps it under tension, ultimately leading to more engagement and no chance at all of the chain coming off. It also brings the chain up to allow smooth changing of the rear cassette even on the biggest sprocket. The chain length also stays the same whether the suspension is pushed all the way down or in its fully extended position. Perfect! So here you can see the final design before and after See image below: Now that's pretty much job done... But Haibike doesn't stop there. To finish it all off they stick on a really neat chainguide over the S.E.S pulley wheel. This neatens everything up, it also makes sure that its almost impossible for the chain to come off in pretty much any condition! See image below Haibike have always been ahead from the start with their previous inverted motor design. This again proves that Haibike is way ahead of the game when incorporating the Bosch motor into a MTB frame. Haibike currently holds a Patent Pending Approval over the new design. As the UK's largest Haibike dealer we are always the first in the country to receive these models into stock. Although not currently advertising these models we are taking deposits and expecting the first drop in limited numbers in early Jan 2014. Contact me should you require any further details. P.S - This is the only brand of ebike I saw at the NEC this weekend that have finished off the motor integration by mounting a bash plate under the motor so it all sits snugly. Not only does this plate protect the motor further from debris but in my mind it looks unfinished without it! View the Latest Haibike Gen2 Electric Bikes with S.E.S Read more about the new Bosch eBike motor system for 2014
Just come to fix the famous knocking noise / grinding on a Bosch motor this morning. I am used to working on nice clean motor internals with the inverted mounted Bosch drives.Couldn't believe what I found when I opened this one up.. I understand for town / commuter / trekking bikes the under-swung motor doesn't matter too much about being so close to the tarmac, but I think on off-road machines shouldn't be configured like this and is asking for trouble. The pictures are of the inside of the motor cover, but some of this had made its way into the actual motor gearing. It was a bit of a mess in there with dirt and grit. Makes me wonder how the motor could wear far more quickly in such conditions.The purpose of this post it not to slate under swung motors in anyway - BUT to make people aware that if you are using an under swung motor for mountain biking, its probably worth having the motor cleaned out regularly to avoid any decay of the motor and therefore ensure a good long term e-MTB'ng experience. I normally work on Haibikes with the motor inverted up out the way. As they are mounted above the frame not only does it look neater and give more ground clearance but it is out of the firing line of all the muck that gets chucked up by the front wheel. Haibike have patented this design so no other manufacturers can mount the motor up in this way. See image above. Read more about how Haibike mount the Bosch electric bike motorView Haibike Electric Bikes that have the motor inverted
The Shimano friction clutch mechanism built into modern rear mech's is designed to eliminate chain slap and also keeps the chain under tension between the cage and the cassette. It works by using a one way friction place that keeps the chain taught and consistently under tension, it allows a small amount of movement for chain growth but pretty much eliminates the chain pulling on the rear cage over rough terrain, ultimately improving gear change too. It is in my opinion a great step forward and one of the best creations in cycling, I have ridden with it extensively and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Now the drive chain is that much quieter you can actually pick up on other noise from your bike, tyre resistance, motor noise etc. Although initially it was only featured on Shimano's top end rear mech's it has worked its way down the grape vine and the technology is now available on lower spec rear mech's (Shimano SLX for example). This in turn means that it is now featured on many mid - top end eBikes. Mainly of the MTB genre. Although it has been around for a few years now, I still get asked about it on a regular basis so I though I would do a little write up on it, to give users a little info on how it works and how it is maintained.If you have bought a eBike in the last couple of years and the drive chain is SLX level or above you probably have this technology on your eBike. It will have an on and off switch as follows. The switch is here only to allow you to be able to remove the rear wheel easily from the frame, as the mech is difficult to move when the clutch is engaged its a real nice touch to be able to turn it off. It is clearly marked on and off and there is an easy lever to operate each way. Now many eBikes will be shipped out with the clutch in the off position so make sure it is turned back on prior to riding. This switch also makes it easy to see what a difference the clutch makes. For example go for a ride with it turned off, then mid ride turn it back on and you can feel/hear the difference straight away! Anyway, enough about how it works, I bet a lot of you reading this are thinking.. "Its just one more thing to go wrong!". Well I have been dealing with these in the workshop for a few years now and although Shimano offer spare parts for all their rear mech's including the clutch mechanism it self I am yet to actually replace parts here. Seeing as the rear mech takes such a beating on the trail and it such a vital part of the drivetrain I think its really durable for what it is. Over extended use the clutch mechanism can fade slightly but it can actually be adjusted by the end user, its fairly easy to do as well on the newer ones. There are probably many how to guides for how to adjust it with a quick google search. But the gist of it is, you remove the plastic cover with 3 allen bolts, the clutch itself can be adjusted using an allen key, its simple to adjust the tension, turn it clockwise for more tension and counter clockwise for less tension. But don't crank it right up, just make quarter turn increments at a time, until the tension is set. (This is how to adjust the SLX and XT models, the XTR is slightly more tricky, google it!) Anyway enough of my babbling now, many of you probably already know all of this, but for those who don't, by me spending ten minutes to write this up will probably save me that triple amount of time on the phone..When I get the call 'What's the switch all about on my rear mech?'.. Maybe I should say, switch it on - and your eBike will float over water! View Electric Bikes that come with this Mechanism