buy battery? or should i upgrade the bike?

[bighairbrian]

Hi All- ive lurked the halls of the forum for years but never joined

I have a 2018 devinci dc - with the shimano steps e8000 motor and a 504wh battery.

Due to age, my battery is beginning to give shorter and shorter rides the shimano app does not tell battery health but differnet app says 89%- but the rides are getting shorter. And i dont know how valid that health score is. bike has 2400kilometers i bought it in 2019. and im finding the battery is not giving the range it used to.

Im considering a replacement battery which is 900$ - a local shop has one brand new in stock, but they are not beign made anymore.


My struggle is if it is worth putting 1100 into this bike, or trying to sell it and upgrade to what would be a lessor specked norco sight, but has new 630wh battery and ep8 motor. I think for what i can sell my DC for, it would be about 3k to upgrade.

If i have to replace my e8000 motor then i think id be happier with the newer but lesser specked bike and greater range. I saw a youtube video of a e8000-ep8 upgrade but there is still the battery issue and i dont beleive Shimano is making the battery i currently have anymore.

Id love some feedback or suggestions.

Would you sell and upgrade?
Would you replace the battery and hope the motor hangs in there a few more years?

thanks!

 

[RustyIron]

If you're otherwise happy with the bike, $900 is a lot less than $3000.

If it helps, my bike is 19 months old. It's got an EP8 and 504wh battery. It was showing 3350 miles, 131 charges, and 85% health. The longevity was noticeably diminished. It would be on its last legs at 16 miles and 3000 feet of climbing.

I had the battery replaced, and yesterday's ride was 23 miles and 4700 feet of elevation gain. In this instance, the replacing the battery REALLY improved the usefulness of the bike.

 

[bighairbrian]

If you're otherwise happy with the bike, $900 is a lot less than $3000.

If it helps, my bike is 19 months old. It's got an EP8 and 504wh battery. It was showing 3350 miles, 131 charges, and 85% health. The longevity was noticeably diminished. It would be on its last legs at 16 miles and 3000 feet of climbing.

I had the battery replaced, and yesterday's ride was 23 miles and 4700 feet of elevation gain. In this instance, the replacing the battery REALLY improved the usefulness of the bike.

Hi Rustyiron - thank you for the comments-

I like hearing the improvement your replacement battery made- that is what I'm wanting again! My reluctance to replace my bike is that component wise, my bike is much nicer than the norco sight a2 - but battery and not being certain of the motor- but my motor only has 2400 kilometers so not much i suppose

Yes im actually very happy with my bike- and am happy to buy the battery- perhaps my issue is longer term- if the motor caps out on me, then its another grand for a replacement e8000 or maybe i can do an ep8 swap - but that is only if the battery is compatible.

Im thinking the battery it is

 

[Paulquattro]

Welcome

I can only reflect above comments
If you like the bike then you can’t worry about the what ifs as for as breakdowns are concerned
Buy your battery and be happy also you will have a second battery for them all day rides

 

[Richywalker64]

I would probably say upgrade
I did both, I bought an extra battery for my Merida e160 and a frame mounted bracket to carry it on those long adventure rides but still ended getting a new Cube stereo hybrid 160 with a 750wh battery when I saw it discounted.
I've still got the Merida and can't bring myself to sell it

Welcome

I can only reflect above comments
If you like the bike then you can’t worry about the what ifs as for as breakdowns are concerned
Buy your battery and be happy also you will have a second battery for them all day rides

 

[maynard]

Fix it . And buy a new bike so you have a spare

 

[jimbob]

I'd say get the battery. If you like the bike, it's a lot cheaper than getting a new one!

 

[bighairbrian]

I went ahead and bought a replacement battery- Ill be pretty happy if i get 5 years out of it like the original one and i have a spare which is good foor about 50% capacity as well

 

[jimbob]

Enjoy!

 

[maynard]

Good choice .

 

[John Beedham]

I bought a second battery faced with the same ..... my bike still rides great (5 year old E8000, with 8000kms on rough stuff, well maintained, suspension damper upgrade, all consumables replaced when near worn out), a new bike with equal but updated spec would cost at least $A8K ... for me no brainer.

 

[Strindberg]

How much longer Shimano will still offer BT-E8010 Gen 1 à 504 Wh or BT-E8016 Gen 1 à 630 Wh ?

Shimano 2nd Generation Batteries

Recently Shimano has announced new 2nd Generation batteries for their EP801 motor, and it was raised the question whether they are compatible with older E8000 motor. So I searched the Shimano documents and these are my findings: This is the summary of the current line of batteries, including...

www.emtbforums.com

 

[Janc]

Hi All- ive lurked the halls of the forum for years but never joined

I have a 2018 devinci dc - with the shimano steps e8000 motor and a 504wh battery.

Due to age, my battery is beginning to give shorter and shorter rides the shimano app does not tell battery health but differnet app says 89%- but the rides are getting shorter. And i dont know how valid that health score is. bike has 2400kilometers i bought it in 2019. and im finding the battery is not giving the range it used to.

Im considering a replacement battery which is 900$ - a local shop has one brand new in stock, but they are not beign made anymore.


My struggle is if it is worth putting 1100 into this bike, or trying to sell it and upgrade to what would be a lessor specked norco sight, but has new 630wh battery and ep8 motor. I think for what i can sell my DC for, it would be about 3k to upgrade.

If i have to replace my e8000 motor then i think id be happier with the newer but lesser specked bike and greater range. I saw a youtube video of a e8000-ep8 upgrade but there is still the battery issue and i dont beleive Shimano is making the battery i currently have anymore.

Id love some feedback or suggestions.

Would you sell and upgrade?
Would you replace the battery and hope the motor hangs in there a few more years?

thanks!

My bike is also 2019 and my battery is down about 10% on range down from 61 miles to 55 on display in ECO after full charge. Is your battery internal or external? Mine is external and the frame has room for the larger Shimano battery. I would have to add the new mounting kit too. COMMENCAL | SHIMANO STEPS BT-E8016 630WH EXTERNAL BATTERY and kit COMMENCAL | SHIMANO E8016 BATTERY MOUNT. Commencal ship to as I'm UK.

 

[Truckee Robert]

! see it as 2 options as long as the "bike" is to your liking, components etc.
1) keep the bike and upgrade the battery, this will get you another 2 yrs at least and by then the newer bikes will be far better and it will be time to start upgrading your components. then its time to buy a new bike anyway.
2) Sell your bike and get the Norco. this bike will also need upgrades to bring it up to your standards but you can do it over time and you'll get more yrs out of the bike and the newer motor and bigger battery plus upgrades in the geometry ect.
The used market has gone way down in my area California. I had a similar decision 2 yrs ago and decided to upgrade the bike and keep it for several yrs. Ive just started upgrading my components this season (3rd yr of ownership) and look forward to riding what will feel like a new bike for a lot less than another upgraded bike. The motor and battery are still fresh and now I have the top of the line components without shelling out big bucks to upgrade the whole bike.

 

[BobR]

Just like cars… if you like your bike keep maintaining it… I self maintain for almost everything so it makes it cheaper that way for sure.
There is always aftermarket for batteries btw.
If you find a great deal on a new one and can afford to keep both then do that too! If the market ever gets hot again, sell the old one and make a profit. That is how the rich do it! Have more than you need and you can enjoy them and sell when they are expensive and buy when they are cheap. The key is to have fun on your mountain bike!

 

[E-MAD MALC]

Just like cars… if you like your bike keep maintaining it… I self maintain for almost everything so it makes it cheaper that way for sure.
There is always aftermarket for batteries btw.
If you find a great deal on a new one and can afford to keep both then do that too! If the market ever gets hot again, sell the old one and make a profit. That is how the rich do it! Have more than you need and you can enjoy them and sell when they are expensive and buy when they are cheap. The key is to have fun on your mountain bike!

I agree with this
Ive done a few private jobs in the business i work in and i actually bought a spare battery with some of the spoils
Because i like my bike enough to keep it until it falls apart