Warranty replaced motor with speedbox attached

[scoffcrudle]

I have a Cube reaction race, I've had it less than a year and only done about 250 miles on it. I keep the bike in the spare room inside so I'm forced to keep it meticulously clean. I don't use it a lot, maybe twice a month. Recently I went to grab it for a ride and noticed the crank has seized tight (a bit like when your car has sat for a while and the brakes stick) I gave the crank a swift kick to free it which worked and didn't think much more of it.

Later that day while out on the ride I noticed a terrible grinding noise coming from the motor whenever the crank was turned. It was definitely not normally there and it sounded to me immediately like some kind of bearings failure. I compared the sound of my motor to my friends and both agreed something was definitely grinding away that shouldn't.

No problem I thought, the bike is less than 1 year old so Its an easy warranty job. But then I remember I fitted a Speedbox 2 within weeks of buying the bike and knew full-well that this invalidates my warranty! Hmmmm.

I couldn't find a conclusive answer to whether a dealer could tell if the bike had been tampered with or not. So I decided to see what happens and take the bike back, I removed the derestricting chip and took it back to the shop from where I purchased it to see what happens.

They hooked it up and ran the Bosch diagnostic on the bike. Nothing was flagged in the report bar a firmware update on the headunit, the motor, and the battery. The issues were obviously mechanical but crucially no tampering was found meaning I had the motor replaced under the warranty with no questions asked.

Its now running like new again but I've yet to fit the Speedbox, I'm not sure yet if I will fit it, still undecided. I'm not even sure if it will work anyway with the new firmware now installed on the bike.

I'm quite certain the derestricting chip fitted was not the root of the problem and it was more likely a seal had failed and water ingress had caused the crank to seize tight and the bearing failure. That's what the tech in the shop said too. The old motor has been sent back to Bosch.

 

[Beekeeper]

Do you have any idea of what might have contributed to the water ingress? Pressure washing, submersion etc?

 

[scoffcrudle]

No. It's never been pressure washed. Always hand cleaned and dried as it keeps it in the house. It has been on some fairly soggy trips in the Highlands of Scotland but not complete submersion. Nothing outwith what a mountain bike is expected to encounter I'd say.

 

[Akiwi]

Nice to hear they couldn't detect you used a speedbox. Everything I have read up to now sais the opposite that they know immediately.
I haven't installed anything like that on my bike. Where I ride I don't need it.
I now have the new 2020 version which is apparently more tamper proof.

 

[Beekeeper]

I believe the new speedbox 3 will work with the Gen 4 motor.

 

[Beekeeper]

No. It's never been pressure washed. Always hand cleaned and dried as it keeps it in the house. It has been on some fairly soggy trips in the Highlands of Scotland but not complete submersion. Nothing outwith what a mountain bike is expected to encounter I'd say.

I also have a Cube reaction Race (2019). Water ingress is always a worry and I suspect that water could enter and you would not know about it immediately until many weeks / months later when the bearings / gears have had time to rust and grease has emulsified

 

[scoffcrudle]

I also have a Cube reaction Race (2019). Water ingress is always a worry and I suspect that water could enter and you would not know about it immediately until many weeks / months later when the bearings / gears have had time to rust and grease has emulsified

I have wondered too. I was also thinking about the way I transport the bike. If I'm heading anywhere with it I transport it within my car. Putting the back seats down and lifting and sliding the bike in as carefully as possible into the back on its side, obviously. After I've been out I tend to leave the bike in the car overnight and the next day I set about cleaning it. All the mud and crud is then dry and it just brushes off, but I was wondering if leaving the bike like that, on its side for a prolonged time after a soggy run will let any water run down and allow ingress to the motor that way?

Just a thought.

I should also add, when I was stripping the motor cowl off etc to take the speedbox out, inside around the motor was surprisingly clean with very little residue mud or gunk any certainly no evidence off a breached seal leaking or anything.

 

[scoffcrudle]

Nice to hear they couldn't detect you used a speedbox. Everything I have read up to now sais the opposite that they know immediately.
I haven't installed anything like that on my bike. Where I ride I don't need it.
I now have the new 2020 version which is apparently more tamper proof.

I am tempted by the 2020 models with the new motor and almost zero resistance above the cut-off. If I did get one, I wouldn't get it chipped even if the new version of Speedbox does work.

 

[Beekeeper]

I have wondered too. I was also thinking about the way I transport the bike. If I'm heading anywhere with it I transport it within my car. Putting the back seats down and lifting and sliding the bike in as carefully as possible into the back on its side, obviously. After I've been out I tend to leave the bike in the car overnight and the next day I set about cleaning it. All the mud and crud is then dry and it just brushes off, but I was wondering if leaving the bike like that, on its side for a prolonged time after a soggy run will let any water run down and allow ingress to the motor that way?

Just a thought.

I should also add, when I was stripping the motor cowl off etc to take the speedbox out, inside around the motor was surprisingly clean with very little residue mud or gunk any certainly no evidence off a breached seal leaking or anything.

Yes I’ve heard that leaving a wet bike on its side with the small chainring uppermost can cause some issues as gravity can force water through the main bearing.

I’ll also be transporting the bikes inside the car. With seat tube out, pedals off and both wheels off there should be plenty of room for one on top of the other with cushioning in between.

 

[lightning]

Wow only 250 miles in 12 months!!
l got my Kona Ebike three months ago and have done close to 1,000 miles.
l can't keep myself off the thing, l've been out on it almost every day.

lt's been wet a few times but has been fine so far.
At first l washed the bike after every ride, but having read about issues with water ingress l decided to only clean it when it really needs it.