Problems with electric bike service availability.

Tabaz
Tabaz Member Posts: 2,421
in Products and Accessories
I love my electric bike.  I ride it much more often than my steam-powered Roper.  However, it is impossible to find a bike shop that will service an electric bike of a brand they don't carry.  I cannot find anyone in Phoenix to work on my Rad Rover.  This is true even if all you need is non-electric service.  I can see this being a serious problem for those of us who aren't adept at bike maintenance while traveling the country.  
2016 Outback 320
2024 Ford F150 Supercrew short bed.
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Comments

  • SubaruLou
    SubaruLou Member Posts: 122
    When I ordered my Rads, they offered a mobile bike service to come assemble and tune up in Dallas. Have you tried contacting Rad for a referral? I ended up using the Giant bike shop in my neighborhood to adjust the derailleurs and they didn’t question it at all. 
    2019 T@B 320 S  |  2019 Subaru Ascent
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  • Verna
    Verna Member Posts: 6,876
    @Tabaz, you know the Mesa area better than me. A bike shop there replaced my street tires with knobby tires so I could ride in the gravel at Usery Park and the packed sand elsewhere. Now, I don’t know if they would work on the electronics or not, but it would be worth trying to call the bike shops in that area to check it out.
    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • Tabaz
    Tabaz Member Posts: 2,421
    SubaruLou - No joy on a referral from Rad.  I was able to get a flat fixed by a local shop.  The purpose of my post was to alert potential purchasers of any electric bike of this issue.  Would be nice if we had a "McDonalds" of electric bikes - boring, but oh so reliable.
    2016 Outback 320
    2024 Ford F150 Supercrew short bed.
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  • Ron
    Ron Member Posts: 137
    There is a a shop in Scottsdale or Phoenix that rents fat tire bikes and scooters.  I looked at a Rad there last month.  They might work on it.  Not many tourists right now.  Might be the place you found.

    2016 T@B MaxS, 2018 Jeep Rubicon 4dr, Rural Scottsdale, Az.
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  • Dalehelman
    Dalehelman Member Posts: 2,414
    Checkout YouTube. You will soon know more than the guy you will pay to fix it. Amazon for parts.
    1. Hash  T@B Fun
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  • MuttonChops
    MuttonChops Member Posts: 1,939
    Tabaz said:
    I love my electric bike .  . . 
    However, it is impossible to find a bike shop that will service an electric bike of a brand they don't carry.
    So far that has not been my experience with local bicycle shops.
    I do pick businesses that have more than one shop location as they seem to carry more brands, stock more parts, and have a wider bike-technician skill base.

    Everyone I've asked, or used, say yes we can handle your eBike, basic systems are same.
    Most do have a cost adder on services related to the electric drive and some have non-shop-brand eBike fees.
    Evelo Aurora Limited
    mid-drive motor, belt drive, NuVinci Hub, disc brakes, fat tires
    '18 320 S,  pitched axle, 3020HE; PNW based
    TV: '17 Colorado V6 Z71 4x4, Tow Package, GM Brake Controller
    TV: '25 Canyon AT4
    Adventures:  58   Nights:  405  Towing Miles 50,180
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  • Denny16
    Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    The issue our local bike shop has with Rad electric fat tyre bike, is their wheels, rims, spokes, tires, and chain are not standard sizes normally stocked in general bike  shops, and these parts have to be specially ordered from Rad, which is an added cost and delay in getting these bikes fixed.   Most Rad bike parts are OEM specific and are hard to get, especially for a non Rad dealer shop (only two of these to my knowledge, Seattle and Dallas area.

     General service and adjustments, can be done, but are more time consuming to do in E bikes than the same tuneup on a standard production bike, due to the wheel hub motor setup.  So E bike tuneup costs more.
    cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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