What I’ve Learned Owning Ebikes for 12 Years

CleanTechnica contributor Steve writes that after owning seven ebikes over 12 years, only three remain operational, with four abandoned because repairs were too costly or replacement batteries were unavailable. He reports that Brose motors required repair or replacement four times and advises against them, while noting that ebike-specific parts often must be shipped back to the US distributor. At age 86, he says riding an ebike makes him feel like he's 20, despite a compromised balance system from a 2017 water ski accident.

What I’ve Learned Owning Ebikes for 12 Years Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription https://cleantechnica.substack.com/subscribe , on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cleantechnica , or on Stripe https://cleantechnica.fundjournalism.org/contribute/ . Help us produce all of the high-quality, original content we publish week after week https://cleantechnica.com/2026/07/14/10/ despite the challenges of content-scraping AI, antisocial media, inflation, and other hurdles. I’ve purchased a total of 7 ebikes electric bikes , of which only 3 operational ebikes remain. I had to abandon bikes 1, 2, 3, and 4 described below because it was too expensive to fix them or the manufacturer could not supply a functioning battery. If you have a problem with wheels, tires, derailleur, or brakes on a regular bike or an ebike, you can get parts and repairs at any full-service bike shop. However, with an ebike, you often must go back to the shop where you bought it to get any problem with the motor, battery, or controls repaired. Even then, problems with an ebike-specific item will almost always require shipment back to the US distributor for repairs or purchase of those parts from the distributor. There are now hundreds of manufactures selling their ebikes in the US, but with none actually making their bikes in the US. Also, the batteries for each manufacturer’s bikes are usually specific to that bike. If the manufacturer of your ebike goes out of business or can’t supply a replacement battery, you can’t get the bike repaired and must abandon it. You may still have a beautiful bike, but without a functioning motor, battery, and controls, it is probably not a good bike to ride around because it is too heavy.The two most common types of ebike motors are Brose and Bosch. I have mostly ridden with Brose motors and would not recommend them. I have had to repair or replace my Brose motors four times. I now have bikes with a Brose motor, a Bosch motor, and a Shimano motor. My Ebike Story In 2012, I got to demo a European Cannondale electric bike. The bike store owner had picked them up at a trade show and they weren’t even for sale because there was no warrantee on the European ebikes in the US. However, the owner let me take one out for a demo ride. A short distance from the bike store was a very steep bike trail. I was immediately sold on ebikes. I quickly learned that ebikes solve the three worst problems of bicycle riding: 1 Pedaling up steep hills, 2 Pedaling into a stiff headwind, and 3 Riding too hard and/or too long and getting too sweaty and exhausted on your commute. Why, at age 86, riding an ebike makes me feel like I’m 20: I have a compromised vestibular balance system from a water ski accident in 2017. It is so bad that walking on uneven ground or climbing stairs without a railing are a challenge for me. The amazing thing is that even with a compromised balance system, I do not feel balance compromised on a bicycle . In fact, I can even still ride some difficult single track off-road trails on my bike. For reasons I don’t understand, balance is not a problem. Furthermore, the electric motor makes up for the loss of leg strength and endurance that come with my age. In 2014, I purchased my 1 stof seven electric bikes — a n Emotion Erace rear-hub-drive with hybrid tires. You see it as the lead photo for this article. It’s my only ebike with a throttle. Five of my others are Class 1 bikes that are limited to 250-watt motors and are power assist only. They are also limited to a top assist speed of 20 mph. Not long afterwards, I made my first complete Mount Timpanogos 10,200 ft Utah Alpine Loop, starting at my house, up the Provo River Parkway, and then up the killer grade past the Sundance Ski Resort, over the 8,000 ft summit, around Timpanogos, and back to my house on the Murdock Canal bike trail for a total of 33 miles. I nearly died the one time I did it on my carbon fiber road bike solely powered by me. My 2 Swiss made rear-hub bike with front suspension and disc brakes that goes 28 mph. Because it is a heavy bike with rear-hub drive, like my Easymotion ebike, it has a front derailleur with three gears and 9 on the back for a total of 27 combinations see photo of my brother with the black Stromer below . This is a deluxe, very well built bike made in Switzerland. However, even with 27 gears, the steep part of the Alpine Loop was still a struggle, because even at full electric motor assist, you need considerable human power on the grade. Although, with a single bigger battery, I could make the whole 33-mile loop without running out of power if I rode the level sections at low assist. Unfortunately, after five years, the Stromer bike stopped working. I purchased a new battery for $400, but that wasn’t the whole problem. Crazy Lenny’s Ebikes in Madison Wisconsin wanted another $1,500 for a new motor. By then, I was not a fan of rear-hub motors, so I abandoned the bike.ndebike: a 2015 Stromer ST1 — Class 3 — My 3 It was my first mid-drive ebike, which could climb hills like a mountain goat even though it had only 7 gears, all on a rear derailleur. I learned that unlike on rear-hub-motor ebikes, the motor on a mid-drive, as well as the human rider, get the advantage of the gears on the rear derailleur. This means that you can climb very steep hills with only moderate effort.rdebike was the iZip mid-drive bike shown above. My 4 thebike was a 2018 Class 3 Bulls E-Stream EVO FS AM 45 mid-drive mountain bike purchased November 13, 2019, as a demo for $3,000 from Salt Lake Ebikes. You see it on the left in the photo below. It has full suspension, disc brakes, an aluminum frame, 2.2” tires with a Brose 350W mid-drive motor TF 90NM 380% and a big 648 Wh battery. I didn’t realize what a wonderful bike I had just purchased, but after more than 8,000 miles of riding, I had come to love it. It felt great underneath you, handled the difficult sections of single-track off-road trails extremely well, and had a big battery. As a Class 3, you get assist up to 28 mph downhill and also on the level if you are strong enough. The full suspension softens the ride even on the smooth Murdock trail, which, however, has rough transitions across city streets. The full suspension makes gravel easy and off-road possible without rattling your teeth. Both wheels on this bike are 27.5”. This bike still had a two-gear front derailleur and 9 gears on the back for a total of 18 combinations. This bike weighed about 50 lb. My 5 It has full suspension and disc brakes. It was my first bike with a drop seat. I had just driven 100 miles to the Bulls dealer at Cycle City Out-Doors in Escanaba, Michigan, only to learn it would be several weeks for the Brose motor on my favorite bike to be repaired. It would need to be sent back to Seattle to be rebuilt. I ride every day and couldn’t live for weeks without a great bike. To my amazement, Cycle City had the wonderful Fantic mountain ebike in stock, so I broke the bank and paid $6,000 for the bike. The Italian Fantic company is famous for competition motorcycles, but was new to ebikes. It’s also a wonderful bike, and while it is limited to 20 mph, you can ride up to that speed with less effort. The drop seat has a lever you push that drops the seat down as much as several inches. This is mainly used for extreme downhill mountain biking, but it is also handy for setting the seat to a lower level for a shorter person. The bike has 2.2” tires with a larger front wheel, which is 29” in diameter. The back wheel is the standard 27.5 inches. The larger front wheel makes it a little easier to ride over large rocks, roots, etc. when riding off-road. On the latest mountain ebikes, the front derailleur has been eliminated, but the rear derailleur has 12 gears and a large range. This bike also weighs 50 lb.thebike: a 2021 Fantic XMF 1.7 Class 1, 20 mph, Brose 250 Watt, S-MAG-90 NM, mid-drive motor, 720 Wh battery mountain bike. My 6 This is a full suspension big-battery, mid-drive, Class 1, economical mountain bike. It has only a rear derailleur with 10 gears.thebike is a $2000 BESVY. My 7 , for which I could no longer purchase a functional battery. The big innovation with this bike is a control unit that pairs by Bluetooth with my smartphone. I will describe its unique features in a future article.thebike: a Bulls Copperhead full suspension big battery, mid-drive, Class 1 mountain ebike to replace my original Bulls bike 3 I usually have two ebikes at any time. More often than I would like, one bike is in the shop. Since I ride a bike nearly every day, I almost always have a bike available to ride. It also gives me a second bike so that a family member or guest can ride with me. Moral of the story: Buy Ebikes only from the biggest brands e.g., Specialized, Trek, or Bulls and from a well-established ebike shop like Salt Lake Ebikes in Salt Lake City if you want to be able to have it serviced over a long period of time. Also don’t buy anything with a Brose motor. A discount bike like the BESV described above was purchased at Salt Lake Ebikes, but I’m prepared to walk away from it if it can’t be repaired or the company goes out of business. 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