My experience with Prodeco electric bike

[liennehill]

I bought my first ebike last month, the Prodeco Mariner. I am not an avid cyclist, this was just to "get back in the saddle" to enjoy a good work out when I want, and use the motor option when I don't want to work too hard. I love riding it! I am averaging about 20 miles/week during the school year, and about 10-20/day now that I am on summer break.

1) I did have a problem with the rear tire rubbing on the v part of the frame while I was on vacation this week and decided to ride 9 miles to the beach with my 13 year old. The rubbing of the tire caused considerable difficulty pedaling (talk about resistance training), which caused me to want to throw the whole thing in the trash. I temporarily solved the rubbing by adjusting the quick release lever, but this didn't actually fix the problem and eventually the chain came off once because of misalignment. We ended up riding the 9 miles back home with the same problems in 94 degree weather! The next day I found a local bike shop and they said the bearings in the rear hub were off and $20 later it was like new

2) Also, the plastic case that holds the battery cracked on both sides on the way home from the store. It appears to only be cosmetic since the battery attaches to the metal frame fairly securely, but it would be nice to have a frame that supports the weight and the cosmetic appeal that should go with purchasing a new bike.

3) The rear LED light plastic covering popped off within the first week with one of the two tabs breaking. This was easily fixed by applying a small drop of super glue to the plastic where the tab should be. I didn't have any problems with the light until tonight when returning home from vacation (it was in the car with me) when I realized that the rear light was ON. When I tried to turn it off it just dimmed slightly, but wouldn't turn OFF. After two hours that I know of the light is still on and I can't get it to turn off no matter how many times I press the button and try to wiggle it to see if it will pop out further with one more push. I am hoping that once the battery wears down I will be able to turn the light on and off as expected.

And @ corbretti, I would love to see the battery pack have at least one USB port to plug in a cell phone! What a great suggestion!

All in all, a great product with a few minor flaws. Lots of bang for the buck on the Prodeco Mariner!

 

[xinfamous]

I purchased new a 2013 Phantom X Li in Feb 2014. I ride it almost every day. The Midwestern winter is approaching, so usage will go way down. This is my first e-bike and I like it quite well. Being into my 9th month of usage, I do have some negatives. I am still overall, very positive about the bike.

I like the dual leg kickstand, but it has already broken twice. The first time it took forever to get the removable lower foot replaced on a warranty basis. This time I am making a repair of the hollow foot, and will do the same with the other side foot. The bottom of the feet wear quickly with only normal usage. Recently I needed a left hand brake lever (non-warranty) and called Prodeco to purchase one. I was not able to speak to parts and the message I left continues to be ignored. I then called the dealer I ordered the bike through and tried to place a cash parts order. They said they would return a call to me when they were able to get through to Prodeco. Yes, they acknowledged the same problem that irritates me. Prodeco has the poorest customer service I have encountered in many many years.

I ordered this bike with an upgraded 12ah battery. With only two battery rack struts instead of four, the heavier battery requires consistent attention for rack maintenance. Yesterday, even though my battery rack struts were tight, I hit a pothole and the battery flew off into the street. The rear bottom battery retainer (plastic) broke which allowed this to happen. The battery broke into three pieces and pieces were also broken off of the battery rack side covers. I don't consider this a warranty defect, but there's no denying the bike is not a durable product.

This model has the Continental Traffic tires as standard. I diligently watch my tire pressures because I'm frequently getting flats. Between the two tires I have about 10-12 patches. I have now replaced the tubes with a heavier aftermarket tube and hope that increases reliability. If so, I would have to question original tube quality.

I purchased a second battery @ May 2014 at a good discount, but it is already showing signs of decreased range. Obviously my advice is to always buy a new fully warranted battery. I'm going to re-engineer problems I encounter for two reasons: One, I will have a better repair than replacing with the same broken part. And two, it's too frustrating to deal with a company who wants sales, but refuses to serve or help their customers.

If you can't repair your own, buy somewhere else.

 

[Lightningkickbox]

Prodeco Customer Service is terrible. I have been waiting for three weeks for a battery connecter for a Prodeco Outlaw which snapped off the second time I took the battery off for transport. I live in Ft Myers Florida and the factory is located in South Florida also. I need my bike to travel a good distance each day and pedaling such a heavy bike without any help of the electric motor absolutely sucks.

I have been calling the dealer every few days to check the status of the part, and feel bad that I need to keep pestering him about the problem. He is a good guy and is as pissed off as I am right now saying that if this is the way Prodeco treats people he does not even want to carry the bikes anymore.

The Prodeco Outlaw Bike was purchased brand new in May of 2014 and this problem should have been taken care of quickly and has not. I am beginning to wonder if I should have bought a competitors bike instead.

 

[MeanGene36542]

I have a Prodeco Phantom X3. Its about 8 months old with 3k miles. I agree that customer support is sadly lacking. I do think they've made some attempts to improve their product, e.g. now the battery supports have extra brackets and appear reasonably stout. I haven't had any significant issues with my bike and I'd have to say that it has exceeded my expectations in all ways, specifically general quality of build, reliability and range (36V / 15AH, 500 watt DD hub motor). The "standard bike" components appear pretty good, the "ebike parts" unk. chinese?... and build quality from what others I've read can fluctuate considerably so I do realize that I have been lucky. I probably would not buy one again unless I had a local dealer who I had a lot of faith in...

Yes... I am ready for 25+ speeds... at least some of the time

 

[jdaltonpe]

Product purchased was a Phantom O foldable marine version. Frame, construction and gearing are not bad. Battery mounting and kickstand are unacceptable. The kickstand is narrow and does not provide sufficient base width to hold the bike up securely - slight breeze and it falls. The battery rack is poorly designed. Right from the beginning the key operated locking pin did not line up correctly with the hole in the battery so removing and replacing the battery always involves trial and error, jiggling, tapping, etc. to get the battery mounted. While riding over a speed bump (not particularly fast or violent) the plastic tabs on the bottom of the battery both broke and the battery flew off and hit the ground. I velcroed the battery on to the rack using straps to surround both battery and rack. Shortly after the battery stopped working. Charger shows green light but battery does not hold charge. I called in for warranty service and left a message. Call was returned 6 days later. Service agent commented that most people velcro the battery to the rack which indicates this is a common problem. He told me to check the fuse in the battery which is under a plastic screw with a Phillips head. I tried to unscrew it to get the fuse out but the plastic was so soft that it immediately stripped. I will have to try and modify the head of the fuse holder to see if I can get the fuse out. Very disappointed with the battery setup. For now I am riding a non-electric bike that has much more drag than a normal bike.
I am traveling internationally by boat which makes it difficult, expensive and time consuming to send back for warranty service but that is the only way. A new battery would be $500 + shipping. I really don't want to purchase a new battery as a spare considering the poor design and short life. I notice that they have totally changed the design and the newer bikes have a bottle style battery right onto the frame. I sure hope they tested the new design better than they tested the original.

 

[dumbassjon]

I own a 2013 model Phantom Xli. I bought it new and have owned it now for 16 months. The bike came with wrong battery and I was promptly shipped the correct battery with return shipping labels and hazmat stickers. Fedex messed up the shipping for four months, so I picked up the battery I was trying to return and purchased it from Prodecotech at a fair price. I now have two batteries The kickstand legs broke twice. The hollow feet on the double legged kick stand wear out quickly and snap off. The electrical system failed, no motor action. Prodectech suggested I had a bad battery, but I explained I had two and they each tested 43 volts under analog load. under whatever means of troubleshooting they determined the throttle assembly was bad and sent me one. Waste of time. I sent it back with the motor controller to have that checked. They sent a new motor controller and motor harness. NO go. I sent the front wheel and hub motor down to Florida which cost $100 for packing and shipping. The motor checked okay. I should mention I had 20+ years in component level electronics experience, plus another 20 in industrial electrical. The prodeco system is all 'plug and play', no brain work needed. So they finally sent a complete throttle, controller, harness system that was checked out with my motor. Success.

Yesterday I was returning home on the bike and on entering my driveway, a weld on the aluminum frame snapped and dumped me to the concrete. The frame is under a two year warranty. Anticipating a long slow resolution, I purchased a cheap mountain bike to fill in. I posted the frame failure pictures on their web site, and they promptly were deleted. Sent an e-mail, but don't expect to hear anything soon. Trying to reach them on the phone is very chancey.

I'll keep this post active for those that are interested.

 

[2old]

Really interested; I think the company was sold about a year ago.

 

[IdleUp]

Hello guys - super informative forum here thanks for the opportunity to join you guys!

I just bought a Outlaw 1200 and I'm totally disappointed with the power of the bike - while it will reach 25+ mph - the motor is virtually powerless at slow speeds where you need it. even moderate paved road hills the bike dies and slows to a stop if you quit pedaling. I have a 500 watt Pedego bike that will climb twice as fast as this bike. myself I feel that the motor should be geared to have the torque needed to climb hills. Most guys are not going to be doing 25-30 mph on off road tracks.

I'm hoping there will be other Outlaw owners that could tell me if this is normal or do I have a problem.

Another problem is after 20 minutes of hard running in 88 degree heat the motor shuts off then as I release the throttle and hit it again it runs for a few more seconds the quits this continues . . . I put my hand on the motor and its very hot is this a safety thing to cycle the motor?

Thanks in advance

 

[IdleUp]

I just bought a prodecotech outlaw 1200 and it's almost powerless from a stand still and falls on its face with any incline if you don't pedal. I also have a problem with either too much heat on the motor or controller. After I ride for 20 minutes the throttle keeps shutting off and I have to let off and hit the throttle agin and it only runs for a second or so..

Anyone else having this low power problem I have a 500 watt Pedego that has more power than this 1200 watt bike.

 

[newrivervalleyretired]

Figured i'd add my thoughts to this as it is becoming a go-to thread.

tl;dr this is a good value product. company gave me great service. i recommend you buy one

Just bought a new-in-box but older prodecotech phantom x2, 36V 9Ah 500W serial number indicates 2013 manufacture, i think they call it the V3. I got a good deal and decided to risk it despite reviews and temptations of the new model with the fixes (Called v5)

Bike was shipped and had to be worked on a little bit (bent brake rotors, battery mount bracket had pulled it's threads and needed a heli-coil, etc.) and the throttle had a "Surge-y" quality to it that didn't feel natural.

I called prodecotech and dealt with a louis on the phone who was *awesome* despite not being under warranty he answered all my questions and send me the throttle part that was defective (or possibly broken by the wholesaler i bought it from or by me). I fixed other stuff myself. When you get a bike in the mail.... that stuff can happen.

Motor Power when stopped on incline ain't great, but that is how direct drive motors work. They won't have the Torque at zero/low speed of any geared solution (geared to me means any middrive or a geared hub motor). Power output is good. I pretty much never coast, i always pedal a little bit so if you ride like that the motor is great. I'm actually an employee at a company that designs electric vehicle motors, so we naturally tried to draw the T-S curve on a whiteboard with some friends when i got this bike. If any electric motor engineers have done a torque speed curve or done an estimate or the params or efficiency map in SPEED of this motor i'd love to skype sometime.

I do a 15 mile roundtrip commute with a one way elevation change +350ft, -250ft (i'd call medium hilly). I have the 9Ah battery and if i crank the throttle the whole time the battery is barely enough. I don't ride like that normally so it would normally be good for two days. I'd reccommend getting larger than the 9Ah battery.

Sorry for the long post, i love electric bikes!

 

[bike567]

Their website https://www.prodecotech.com/ cannot be reached.