A colleague thought this one might get taped up on a few shop walls.
From the October 2019 issue of BRAIN.
As noted on Day 9, e-bikes have their ups and downs. Like any other bicycle, only more so.
They ask more of their owners — check out this article from an REI master tech in Portland — and of their friendly neighborhood mechanic.
Sometimes, a fella just longs to see one of the old bikes. V1.0. The kind that doesn’t give you much help, but doesn’t give you many headaches, either.
Tags: 12 Days of ’Toonsmas, Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, e-bikes, Shop Talk
Mad Blog Media 
December 29, 2019 at 7:54 am |
The beauty of the bicycle for me is simplicity. I have a wireless gizmo on the handlebars of my sporty bikes, mostly to keep track of mileage for service intervals on the chain, but otherwise simple is better.
My guess is E-bikes used for transportation are gonna get the same care and service those folks observe with their other transportation devices – probably zero until it stops working. Does AAA rescue these folks now?
My non-E shopping bike gets as much attention as I used to give our car(s) – a wash now and then, semi-regular checks on lube and tire pressure and that’s about it – but if it needs anything more, I can take care of it without electronic diagnostic equipment or a hydraulic lift.
I put this stand in my new shop so I could work on bikes like these without taking the wheels off. No thru-axles here, but anti-theft type skewers. Unless the wheels need to come off, I’ll leave ’em where they are. http://www.bicisupport.it/index.cfm/STAND-DUEMILA/?fuseaction=skdArticoli&id=366
December 29, 2019 at 10:48 am |
Actually, yes, some regional AAA chapters offer succor to downed two-wheelers, though I’ve heard e-bikes are not covered. So does the Better World Club. Lift with your legs, fellas.
December 29, 2019 at 8:22 am |
Good morning. I wouldn’t even know what a Version1.0 bike looks like anymore.
December 29, 2019 at 8:38 am |
It looks a lot like this, Bubba.
December 29, 2019 at 9:46 am |
OK, I’ll take one please.
December 29, 2019 at 7:01 pm |
What’s that thing in the back with the two pulley wheels? Why, in my day, if you needed a second gear …
You know what Henri Desgrange’s wife says …
December 29, 2019 at 10:22 am |
Alas, the dude who made this one is now a rug merchant. And a happier fellow, I expect. Not many “smart” e-carpets out there. Or so we may hope, anyway. …
Whoops. Spoke too soon.
December 29, 2019 at 11:12 am |
I’m thinking Mr. Steelman. I found him. Nice gig it seems.
https://rugrabbit.com/profile/1183
December 29, 2019 at 9:09 am |
I suspect that when you get into the electronics, these ebikes also have a lot of “no user serviceable parts; send back to Germany/Japan/China for warranty service”. Suddenly you have a fifty five pound non-e bike.
I had three recalls arrive in the mail on my spouse’s ’17 Subaru Impreza last month and one on the Forester. We had zero recalls on the 07 and 09 (the one that lady totalled in front of our house or we would still be driving it). I asked the dealership when it was that Subaru forgot how to build cars. I think I will wait on any e-bike until the jury comes in with reliability analysis.
December 29, 2019 at 10:31 am |
My man Hal has nothing good to say about Subarus. His wife has been through a few of the newer models, and up Weirdcliffe way, anyway, it seems they have been the proverbial vale of tears. She’s driving some class of GMC SUV these days.
My 2005 Forester (knock on wood) has been reliable, and I don’t regret trading the 1998 Tacoma for it (though I occasionally miss having a truck).
Now and again I think about getting some new-used vehicle with a little less white hair in its ears. And then I think again. Lord, do I ever hate the whole process of acquiring a new auto-mo-beel. It helps that nobody seems to be making anything that I want.
December 29, 2019 at 11:22 am |
The older the Soobie, the better. They’re move to a full line of CVTs paid off in mpg ratings but not reliability.
That five speed manual boxter will run forever.
December 29, 2019 at 2:25 pm |
We had two failed timing belt tensioners on our 2002 Impreza. Fortunately they just got loose rather than crashing valves into pistons and were fixed under warranty. Nothing ever went wrong on the 07 and 09 other than user error. Sadly, I traded my 07 when I had all those injuries in 2016 and couldn’t work a manual due to a broken foot and shoulder surgery, so got the CVT. I have a friend with 220,000 miles on her Impreza with a CVT; its running fine. We shall see….
December 30, 2019 at 12:36 am |
Oh how I enjoy no longer having a car! But I sort of have one at our resort each summer so there’s that. But all I have to do with that one is install/remove the stickers and roof rack and wash it regularly. Most of ’em are nearly new and rarely give me any trouble (even when they are FIATs like this season) but I’m glad to hand ’em back at summer’s end, jump on the plane and return to two-wheels (or two-feet) to get around here in Sicily.