Buying a second hand E-bike , risky business?

barrymanilow

Hi ,

Im wondering about buying a used E-bike as I have an opportunity to get one (bh hardtail ).

I know a little about bikes from tinkering over the years . If I were to pick up a second hand bike (non-ebike) I could check it out there and then and see if chain or drive is worn , if the headset or hubs or BB is knackered , if the tyres are worn ,state of brake pads , any rust , cracks on frame etc and make an estimate of any repairs it needs so that I could make a fair offer or walk away etc .

But with an e-bike ,

I have no way of knowing how many charge cycles the battery has gone through and has left in it , I have no way of knowing if the motor is a few hundred k from giving in the ghost .I have no way of knowing if there is an issue in the electrics just waiting to happen.I have no way of knowing if a difficult to source controller is on its way to blinking out.

If i were to pick up a second hand e-bike for say half its retail value and then the battery and motor went soon after then the bike could easily end up costing me well over its retail value in the end .

That is if the company that make the e- bikes even have a stock of older batteries.

Also I don't know who would want a third hand e-bike so I would say sell on ability is low .

At least on a regular bike most parts are available relatively cheap and they can be kept going and going apart from the frame snapping in half .

Is buying an e-bike risky like buying a used car ?

fat bloke

I guess it's like buying anything with a battery - phone, laptop, Nissan Leaf.

One has to presume, if the item is in good nick and functioning properly, that it will continue to do so. And if you buy from a major, reputable manufacturer that ultimately parts will be replaceable

droidus

As you say, battery condition is the issue. The average e-bike battery is good for about 500 charges, but this depends on a lot of variables. You can ask how long they've had the bike and how often they charged, but bar a professional test of the battery you really have no way of knowing how long it will last.

magicbastarder

i'd be looking up how much it would cost to replace the battery, and factor that in to your decision on what you're willing to pay.

rubadub

My battery costs a fortune, when mine eventually does being to go I would look at replacing the cells inside it. It has held up better than I expected though.

On some of them I think with the right equipment you can tell how many times it was charged etc. I would want to be buying it from a shop second hand with some sort of comeback or warranty.

Joe1919

barrymanilow wrote: »

Hi ,

.....I have no way of knowing how many charge cycles the battery has gone through and has left in it....

Some batteries can be checked.For example, my Phylion battery has a red button that can be pressed for 10 seconds and the 5 green lights indicate the remaining 'total capacity' from less than 60%, to 90% +. There is also a fault indicator with combinations of flashing green lights.
Ask the seller if he has original manual or get details and make of battery and see can it be checked.

Ferris

Good article on Bosch batteries here. Seems like they can be checked for number of times charged etc. Bosch warranty the battery for 500 charges or 2yrs, whatever comes first but they’ll likely last a lot longer than that.

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/blog/post/how-to-look-after-and-extend-the-life-of-your-bosch-ebike-battery/amp/

ED E

The 500 cycles ratings are usually conservative, as in 90% at 500 but 70% at 1000 which can still be quite usable.


If the battery doesnt have self test but does provide straight terminals to the cell you can test capacity with a cheap enough desktop Li/Lipo charger. At say 5A (getting more would require an expensive charger) it will take about a day, but it can be done.