We all love bibycles, and the e-bike revolution excites us. It opens cycling to a much larger population, and provides a sustainable and ecological transport solution.
Unfortunately, there is a problem with e-bikes and that is their maintainability and serviceability. Most e-bike manufacturers do not provide spare parts or repair manuals. As far as they are concerned, motors are sealed units, to be replaced once they show problems. This is OK while the unit is in warranty, but at cost of a new motor of 700 - 1200 euros, an e-bike 3-4 years old may be split for parts instead of being repaired (and this does happen).
This isn't a sustainable model, and that's why we have started SparkRAD - to ensure there is a place for people wishing to keep their e-bike running, where they can find support, tools, parts and service.
These are the people who work on your motors.
Service Technician and Owner
Service Technician and B2B Manager
Many bicycle brands like to make their bikes with specific and custom made components, not relying on industry standarts. That is often a good decision, as it pushes the progress of bikes, but too often many of the propriatery parts have no other function than to lock customers to the brand. This is a problem, because bicycles aren't disposable items - if properly maintained they could run for five, ten or more years.
It is not uncommon to see a bike built in the 1970 still running without issues on the streets, but will modern e-bikes be able to go on for 50 years? I don’t think so, and I think that manufacturers should be more responsible when designing their products, especially when they are selling millions of them. If these products don’t have sustainability built into them, they will just end up in the landfill in a few more years.