EbikeTestLab
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- Joined
- May 17, 2019
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Here are the results of the first ever Ebike Test Lab Reliability Survey, which we plan to do every Spring and Fall moving forward.
The rankings are based solely on the survey responses. An algorithm was developed to take into account the total number of miles, number of failures, severity of failure, rating of reliability, and rating of the manufacturer. The end result is the EBTL Miles per Failure rating, so the higher the number the better. I only included brands with at least 10 surveys (except for one, which I marked with an asterisk). More data would have been better so I’m hoping to get more responses when we do this in the Fall! Here are the results:
#1 Riese & Müller – 6,342 miles/failure
Riese & Müller came in at the top, which as a premium brand shouldn’t be too surprising. There was one report of a battery connection issue inside the frame and a Rohloff E-14 failing from faulty connections. All of the other respondents reported high mileage with zero issues, moving R&M to the top of the list.
#2 Pedego – 5,730 miles/failure
Pedego surprised me with their reliability. Only two respondents had any failures of note (a motor with one and a controller with the other), but they all had fairly high mileage. The manufacturer received high marks across the board, which helped their score, even the respondent with the controller failure gave Pedego a top mark of 5 in both the reliability rating and manufacturer rating.
#3 Wattwagons – 4,400 miles/failure
Wattwagons only had 4 respondents but I included them here as, out of the four, the only failure was a brake light switch and all four had fairly high miles for such a new bike brand. None of the other brands with less than ten responses would have broken into the top 5. In addition, the ratings given by the survey respondents were all 4’s or 5’s for reliability and manufacturer. I expect them to climb up the rankings in the next survey this fall.
#4 Haibike – 4,308 miles/failure
Haibike did well with several high mileage ebikes without failures. One especially high mileage respondent, with 12,700 miles, did have a motor and battery failure but both were replaced for free by Bosch.
#5 Juiced – 3,285 miles/failure
Juiced had the most respondents in the survey and several had zero failures but the mileages weren’t as high as some of the other brands above. There were five respondents who had issues with the battery connection, which also brought down their ranking. However, none of the respondents indicated a major failure (motor, battery, controller) but several did state incorrect parts arrived on the bike when new (which is more of an initial quality issue vs. reliability).
#6 Giant – 2,847 miles/failure
Much like Juiced, none of the surveys respondents with Giant ebikes reported any major failures, however several had broken spokes and their was even a report of wheel bearings failing at 4,600 miles. Most of the respondents didn’t have a lot of mileage and nearly all had some sort of issue, which brought down their ranking.
#7 BH Easymotion – 2,603 miles/failure
Several of the respondents with BH Easymotion ebikes had zero failures, but also had low mileage. One had a major failure with the hub motor failing at 2,860 miles. One respondent had over 12,000 miles with only the spokes failing and a finicky battery mount causing concern. The manufacturer did receive high ratings.
#8 Trek – 2,409 miles/failure
Much like BH Easymotion, Trek’s ranking was mostly hurt by the low mileage of most of the respondents. In addition, several had minor failures but they did receive 4’s or 5’s for reliablity and for manufacturer.
#9 Rad Power – 2,029 miles/failure
Rad Power had the second most respondents in the survey and their ranking was severely hampered by low mileage and numerous failures including major failures (battery, motor). Several minor failures like a rear light falling apart also hampered the number of miles per failure. There were several respondents without issues and the manufacturer rating averaged 4.2 and several respondents indicated great customer service.
#10 Aventon – 1,822 miles/failure
Owners of Aventon ebikes reported several motor failures. In addition, several respondents had minor failures such as a display not working, broken spokes, and a kick stand breaking. As a value brand, their position in the ranking isn’t too surprising and several respondents stated they had zero issues.
#11 Specialized- 1,261 miles/failure
Specialized had the third most respondents and several had major failures, with numerous battery failures, battery mounts, controllers, etc. There were also several minor failures such as a rear rack cracking. In addition, most ranked Specialized low in the ratings, which also hurt their ranking. There were only two respondents without some sort of failure and they were both under 1,000 miles.
The rankings are based solely on the survey responses. An algorithm was developed to take into account the total number of miles, number of failures, severity of failure, rating of reliability, and rating of the manufacturer. The end result is the EBTL Miles per Failure rating, so the higher the number the better. I only included brands with at least 10 surveys (except for one, which I marked with an asterisk). More data would have been better so I’m hoping to get more responses when we do this in the Fall! Here are the results:
#1 Riese & Müller – 6,342 miles/failure
Riese & Müller came in at the top, which as a premium brand shouldn’t be too surprising. There was one report of a battery connection issue inside the frame and a Rohloff E-14 failing from faulty connections. All of the other respondents reported high mileage with zero issues, moving R&M to the top of the list.
#2 Pedego – 5,730 miles/failure
Pedego surprised me with their reliability. Only two respondents had any failures of note (a motor with one and a controller with the other), but they all had fairly high mileage. The manufacturer received high marks across the board, which helped their score, even the respondent with the controller failure gave Pedego a top mark of 5 in both the reliability rating and manufacturer rating.
#3 Wattwagons – 4,400 miles/failure
Wattwagons only had 4 respondents but I included them here as, out of the four, the only failure was a brake light switch and all four had fairly high miles for such a new bike brand. None of the other brands with less than ten responses would have broken into the top 5. In addition, the ratings given by the survey respondents were all 4’s or 5’s for reliability and manufacturer. I expect them to climb up the rankings in the next survey this fall.
#4 Haibike – 4,308 miles/failure
Haibike did well with several high mileage ebikes without failures. One especially high mileage respondent, with 12,700 miles, did have a motor and battery failure but both were replaced for free by Bosch.
#5 Juiced – 3,285 miles/failure
Juiced had the most respondents in the survey and several had zero failures but the mileages weren’t as high as some of the other brands above. There were five respondents who had issues with the battery connection, which also brought down their ranking. However, none of the respondents indicated a major failure (motor, battery, controller) but several did state incorrect parts arrived on the bike when new (which is more of an initial quality issue vs. reliability).
#6 Giant – 2,847 miles/failure
Much like Juiced, none of the surveys respondents with Giant ebikes reported any major failures, however several had broken spokes and their was even a report of wheel bearings failing at 4,600 miles. Most of the respondents didn’t have a lot of mileage and nearly all had some sort of issue, which brought down their ranking.
#7 BH Easymotion – 2,603 miles/failure
Several of the respondents with BH Easymotion ebikes had zero failures, but also had low mileage. One had a major failure with the hub motor failing at 2,860 miles. One respondent had over 12,000 miles with only the spokes failing and a finicky battery mount causing concern. The manufacturer did receive high ratings.
#8 Trek – 2,409 miles/failure
Much like BH Easymotion, Trek’s ranking was mostly hurt by the low mileage of most of the respondents. In addition, several had minor failures but they did receive 4’s or 5’s for reliablity and for manufacturer.
#9 Rad Power – 2,029 miles/failure
Rad Power had the second most respondents in the survey and their ranking was severely hampered by low mileage and numerous failures including major failures (battery, motor). Several minor failures like a rear light falling apart also hampered the number of miles per failure. There were several respondents without issues and the manufacturer rating averaged 4.2 and several respondents indicated great customer service.
#10 Aventon – 1,822 miles/failure
Owners of Aventon ebikes reported several motor failures. In addition, several respondents had minor failures such as a display not working, broken spokes, and a kick stand breaking. As a value brand, their position in the ranking isn’t too surprising and several respondents stated they had zero issues.
#11 Specialized- 1,261 miles/failure
Specialized had the third most respondents and several had major failures, with numerous battery failures, battery mounts, controllers, etc. There were also several minor failures such as a rear rack cracking. In addition, most ranked Specialized low in the ratings, which also hurt their ranking. There were only two respondents without some sort of failure and they were both under 1,000 miles.
