As much as I enjoy riding my EMTB I think I'm done with owning one. In the summer of 2023 I was rehabbing from a hip injury and I hadn't done much riding in the previous year. I purchased a new Trek Rail 7 from my local Trek dealer, and after a lengthy delay with delivery (bike was damaged multiple times during assembly and prep, this was my first red flag) I was able to get a few rides in before winter hit. The next spring I started riding the Rail a little more enthusiastically, but I quickly ran into an issue where the stock drive side crank arm failed. This was a warranty issue so I took the bike back to the shop for a crank arm replacement. After six weeks of waiting I learned that the replacement part hadn't been ordered so I took my bike home and purchased a crankset and installed it myself. Please note that I'm a former bicycle mechanic, professionally trained and experience in multiple shops. Recently I decided to replace my shift cable and housing, and in my experience this is overly complex for something that should be relatively simple. A mechanic shouldn't have to drop the motor in order to route a shift cable through the bottom bracket area. This adds at least an hour of extra labour if everything goes well, and is prohibitive to home mechanics and their right to repair. When I dropped my motor one of the wires caught up inside the frame and pulled out of it's connector. Now I'm stuck going back to the shop where I purchased the bike and have had nothing but problems, because they are the only Trek dealer within 150km of me. As much as I like the idea of EMTB, the inability to do my own repairs is a massive turn off. That coupled with the major trail centres in my area prohibiting e-bikes, and the low BB clearance causing multiple cracked motor covers has turned me off of EMTB. Apologies for the rant, hopefully the manufacturers can get to a point where maintenance becomes a little more user friendly.
I Think I'm Done With EMTB
- Thread starter BuckSaw
- Start date
I feel your pain 
. I’m not as skilled a bike mechanic as you are but I’ve only returned 3 of my EMTB’s to Trek (local Bike Shop) for warranty issues once. (Wheel on the Fuel EXE was assembled incorrectly).
I installed the AXS dropper and Derailer systems after dropping the motor a few times. Those weren’t cheap upgrades but they made my life a little easier.
. I’m not as skilled a bike mechanic as you are but I’ve only returned 3 of my EMTB’s to Trek (local Bike Shop) for warranty issues once. (Wheel on the Fuel EXE was assembled incorrectly). I installed the AXS dropper and Derailer systems after dropping the motor a few times. Those weren’t cheap upgrades but they made my life a little easier.
Most of your problems seem linked to a poor relationship or service with your dealer. The crank arm problem seems ridiculous, why didn't you get a new crank arm as soon as it was diagnosed?
I've fitted a new dropper to my mate's Levo SL and it wasnt too much bother dropping the motor. My Levo Gen 2 didn't need the motor dropping and specialized put manuals and videos online showing how to do it.
I've probably talked it up now but my Levo has been no bother...
I've fitted a new dropper to my mate's Levo SL and it wasnt too much bother dropping the motor. My Levo Gen 2 didn't need the motor dropping and specialized put manuals and videos online showing how to do it.
I've probably talked it up now but my Levo has been no bother...
- Thread starter
- #4
That's a great question, for the shop. They told me 2-3 days when I dropped it off.
Replaced my wife's derailleur and shifter cable couple of weeks ago and also reused the housing.
Joecrow
Active member
Repairability often plays second fiddle to appearance and cost in many modern products, wasn't it a BMW car that required the engine to be removed to change the front light bulbs? So not unusual to have to carry out serious disasembly to replace or fix something simple.
What really winds me up though is being forced to go to a dealer to activate a power socket that is designed to enable the retrofit of additional options.
Firstly Id'd like to know why on earth they actually are deactivated, all unused ports on a Bosch motor are fitted with a dummy plug from new so it's not as though water is going to get in and short it out? If there is some valid reason for deactivating a power port why can't I activate it via the Flow app, compared to upping the torque to 100Nm and customising the riding modes it has a very minor mpact!
What really winds me up though is being forced to go to a dealer to activate a power socket that is designed to enable the retrofit of additional options.
Firstly Id'd like to know why on earth they actually are deactivated, all unused ports on a Bosch motor are fitted with a dummy plug from new so it's not as though water is going to get in and short it out? If there is some valid reason for deactivating a power port why can't I activate it via the Flow app, compared to upping the torque to 100Nm and customising the riding modes it has a very minor mpact!
Apple business model, anytime you do something with your product, you need to pull out your credit card. With that being said, margins are declining for retail bike shops and there needs to be a way to fill the gap. For a bike shop who stands to earn a diagnostic fee, it becomes a form of reoccurring revenue instead of just a one time sale income.
Meybe title should have been "I'm done with Trek emtb and my LBS"? Looks like some of your problems are related to the shop and as mechanic you should know that there might be some issues with parts ordering/delivery? What comes to the cable management, bikes are different, ebikes also. Same thing with BB drop and motor protection, not all ebikes have these issues.
Joecrow
Active member
That may well be part of it but I can't see either Bosch or the bike manfacturer, who are the decission makers of the deactivation, getting anything out of it. The bike shops have other means of getting recurring revenue by servicing and repair. In the case of power port activation I have had bike shops refuse to do it (bike not bought here) do it for free, do it for a small fee or have not the faintest idea how to do it! It's a damn nuisance and if nothing else I am fed up with being asked "why do you want to do that". BOSCH PLEASE NOTE
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What parts last forever?
Am i not the only only one miffed as to why trail centres ban e bikes?
if it wasnt for my e bike,i couldnt ride(lung issues)
regardless of having a battery,its still a mountain bike
what am i missing here?
Valve caps.
I'm struggling to see the proportionality. A bad LBS is one thing & I sympathise with that but dropping a motor for a time served mechanic should not be a big deal, it's six bolts on a Trek Rail, an idiot like me can do it in ten minutes. The rest of the issues were foreseeable. a little research would have revealed what can & can't be ridden locally, same with cable routing which is hardly unique to Trek in any event & pulling a wire out of a connector is straight user error of the kind that people do all the time.
mmcengineer
Active member
pretty sure it was the wheel and part of the inner wheel-well liner to reach the bulbRepairability often plays second fiddle to appearance and cost in many modern products, wasn't it a BMW car that required the engine to be removed to change the front light bulbs? So not unusual to have to carry out serious disasembly to replace or fix something simple.
What really winds me up though is being forced to go to a dealer to activate a power socket that is designed to enable the retrofit of additional options.
Paulquattro
Meet & Greet Elite
Ive never had any bother working on my Rail at all in the 4 yrs ive owned it
In fact its been the best emtb ive had in the last 10 yrs and the one ive kept the longest
Sounds like you have a bad LBS and service regime personally
In fact its been the best emtb ive had in the last 10 yrs and the one ive kept the longest
Sounds like you have a bad LBS and service regime personally
Well, maybe eMTB's are not for you. There's always the old style mountain bikes, road bikes, or stationary bikes in the gym. Good luck to you!
hctagalong
Member
This is an interesting thread to me. The problems OP has had, pretty frustrating. To add some perspective, though, I'll share my eMTB experience.
In late 2023 I bought a Canyon Spectral:ON. Upon arrival, it was speed restricted to EU (I'm in the US). At first, I was just going to leave it b/c 16mph seemed fine. Until I rode it more and then it was just annoying because a class 3 in my location is a max of 20mph and I found it was hitting the max frequently. That lead to a very frustrating experience to get the region switched (which took a few trips to a LBS and coordination with Canyon).
Worse, I had a LOT of problems with random cutouts that had no identifiable pattern. Multiple trips to the LBS and a lot of very frustrating coordination between them and Canyon. Various things were tried over the course of the riding season in 2024, none of which addressed the problem. And then the Canyon battery recall happened. Shesh....
My point? Yep -- eMTBs can have challenges above and beyond analogs. More stuff to wrong. A bad experience with a single rig equates to giving up on eMTBs completely? I'm glad I didn't take that path because eMTBs are so much fun! I ended up selling my Canyon back to Canyon (I viewed that as a season and a half lease) and picked up a Gen4 Rail at the beginning of this riding season -- love it! Has it been problem free? Nope. I've been fortunate to have excellent support from my LBS, though.
If eMTB isn't for you, that's cool. If giving up because of a poor experience with a specific rig and LBS? It's worth it to try something else IMO.
In late 2023 I bought a Canyon Spectral:ON. Upon arrival, it was speed restricted to EU (I'm in the US). At first, I was just going to leave it b/c 16mph seemed fine. Until I rode it more and then it was just annoying because a class 3 in my location is a max of 20mph and I found it was hitting the max frequently. That lead to a very frustrating experience to get the region switched (which took a few trips to a LBS and coordination with Canyon).
Worse, I had a LOT of problems with random cutouts that had no identifiable pattern. Multiple trips to the LBS and a lot of very frustrating coordination between them and Canyon. Various things were tried over the course of the riding season in 2024, none of which addressed the problem. And then the Canyon battery recall happened. Shesh....
My point? Yep -- eMTBs can have challenges above and beyond analogs. More stuff to wrong. A bad experience with a single rig equates to giving up on eMTBs completely? I'm glad I didn't take that path because eMTBs are so much fun! I ended up selling my Canyon back to Canyon (I viewed that as a season and a half lease) and picked up a Gen4 Rail at the beginning of this riding season -- love it! Has it been problem free? Nope. I've been fortunate to have excellent support from my LBS, though.
If eMTB isn't for you, that's cool. If giving up because of a poor experience with a specific rig and LBS? It's worth it to try something else IMO.
Its not just BMW (see post #15). I went to my Audi dealer because I got a dashboard message advising me to do so. After an hour of waiting while they investigated, the service manager came out and said it's the thermostat. I stood up and said "Good news then!" 
He gave me a strange look and said "Not really, it's five hours of work plus the cost of parts!" I was stunned! The last thermostat I changed cost me 50p plus a gasket for a lot less. It was at the top of the engine and it took me ten mins to change. I thought I was done being stunned, until he told me how much it was! Then I was really stunned! Over £900 for a thermostat! And that was a few years ago.
I made my excuses and left. I went to the local tyre & exhaust place that also does servicing and that I've been using for the last 40 years. The manager (I remember him as a tyre fitter!) confirmed the hours required, but he offered to do the work for £750, and he included for free a new water pump. Why? Well, it seems that the water pump requires almost as long and water pumps are so cheap, you might as well do them en passant as it were.
If you are going to lock in cheap parts, you really should make them indestructible!
He gave me a strange look and said "Not really, it's five hours of work plus the cost of parts!" I was stunned! The last thermostat I changed cost me 50p plus a gasket for a lot less. It was at the top of the engine and it took me ten mins to change. I thought I was done being stunned, until he told me how much it was! Then I was really stunned! Over £900 for a thermostat! And that was a few years ago.
I made my excuses and left. I went to the local tyre & exhaust place that also does servicing and that I've been using for the last 40 years. The manager (I remember him as a tyre fitter!) confirmed the hours required, but he offered to do the work for £750, and he included for free a new water pump. Why? Well, it seems that the water pump requires almost as long and water pumps are so cheap, you might as well do them en passant as it were.
If you are going to lock in cheap parts, you really should make them indestructible!
I'm not a bike mechanic, but just always been mechanically minded. When there is nothing on Tele at night. I strip down my EMTB. Service it. Reassemble. I clean it. I polish it. It's a passion.
If any component is not working absolutely perfectly. I buy a better one and fit it. Always buying and trying different improvements. Some work. Some are crap. But always ...... Love working on my EMTB.
If any component is not working absolutely perfectly. I buy a better one and fit it. Always buying and trying different improvements. Some work. Some are crap. But always ...... Love working on my EMTB.
Maybe you should take up pickle ball....
From the rest of your rant I see why you are a former bicycle mechanic, I don't think you should be touching anyone's bikes.
I can understand the frustration. I have the benefit of time (not on the clock) so I approach issues a little differently. I don’t maintain or repair at the same speed .
Maybe you should take up pickle ball....
From the rest of your rant I see why you are a former bicycle mechanic, I don't think you should be touching anyone's bikes.
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Swiss Roll
Member
Its not apple per se, sony, panasonic et al used to block outgoing firewire signals with firmware, just needed a download of hacked software to fix it, you coulbd buy cameras with 2 way connection, for a significant chunk of change, even though it was just blocked by firmware.
Mario Antony
Active member
Last time I did a service, I prefered to disassemble everything
Cranks, Motor, battery (easy), chainstay, seatstay, links, even went to take out fork.
Installed new brakes, changed RD housing, new cable, new RD hanger, new RD, clean and fresh grease on all frame bearings and headset.
Everything installed, torque to spec, and it's like new!
I'm not a mechanic, but work on all my 2 wheel toys since a kid.
Sure it's harder than a bike, but not more than mainting a 4 stroke MX machine.
Of course changing brake sets or shifting cable housings, isn't a "let me check those" the night before the ride job.
It takes time and more patience than a normal bike, nothing more.
Cranks, Motor, battery (easy), chainstay, seatstay, links, even went to take out fork.
Installed new brakes, changed RD housing, new cable, new RD hanger, new RD, clean and fresh grease on all frame bearings and headset.
Everything installed, torque to spec, and it's like new!
I'm not a mechanic, but work on all my 2 wheel toys since a kid.
Sure it's harder than a bike, but not more than mainting a 4 stroke MX machine.
Of course changing brake sets or shifting cable housings, isn't a "let me check those" the night before the ride job.
It takes time and more patience than a normal bike, nothing more.
Downhillr
Active member
Here in my area (SF Bay, USA) this is same issue as “no bike” resistance from 30 years ago in many forest districts. The board of directors/management of public forests were under influence (thus control) of hiking and equestrian groups who considered the public trails “their trails” and the rule-making bodies acted on their behalf. After decades of resistance mtb’s became accepted in most public forests and now e-bikes face the same ‘ol resistance with BS concerns about “trail damage” with no science to back them up. Guess we have to right for the right once again.Am i not the only only one miffed as to why trail centres ban e bikes?
if it wasnt for my e bike,i couldnt ride(lung issues)
regardless of having a battery,its still a mountain bike
what am i missing here?
edruid
Member
Yeah the move to wireless dropper worked for me too, taking the bijke apart to fit a new cable was asking for trouble. Would go to wireless rear meach too if they were cheaper/I feel your pain
I installed the AXS dropper and Derailer systems after dropping the motor a few times. Those weren’t cheap upgrades but they made my life a little easier.
ValActionT 750
Member
Also OP created the problem when he dropped his motor. Granted, that sucks. I’ve had zero issues with my almost two year old Cube stereo 140 Actionteam. Or my year old Yamaha,yet.
Agree OP’s LBS sucks & he likely has a lemon (again that sucks). His tale of woe shouldn't be an eternal damnation for the ebike industry. In my very uneducated opinion.
mmcengineer
Active member
You should sue trek and tell them they overran