A note for newbies
- Thread starter Smaug
- Start date
If you don't need the full charge, and you run it down, just charge it to about 80% using an outlet timer and some basic math:
For example, if you have a 10 Ah (Amp-hour) battery pack, and your display shows it's down to 20%, you want to put 6 Ah into it to get it back to 80%. (or 8 Ah)
If your charger's output is 2 A, that takes 3 hours. (6 Ah ÷ 2 A = 3 hours) Set your outlet timer for 3 hours.
As for why, there is a lot of energy in a Li-Ion battery at full charge, enough that it is stressful to the pack to stay there. Think of filling up a balloon: which stresses the balloon more, 100% full or 80% full? Same idea. Also, at 80% full, the balloon still contains a decent amount of energy in the form of compressed air.
Annieolnie
Well-known member
Hi, you might want to start a new thread for this with a title that includes the error code, so people can help. E08 is often the throttle and the hall sensors in it. You can check your connections and make sure each plug is correctly seated. Also, twist throttles can get stuck if they are too tight against other components and keyed throttles seem to have alot of problems all there own. A new throttle might be the easiest solution, why don't you repost and we will see what people who have had this code have to say.
- Local time
- 7:22 AM
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2021
- Messages
- 4,258
It's been moved. https://ebikesforum.com/threads/error-code-e08.6670/
I didnt know if you wanted your posted move with the other one.
designengine
New member
I suppose the charger has a shut-off switch so the battery can't be overcharged. I usually set my phone to go check the battery on the charger so it's not going to overcharge. Can anyone comment on this?
Bart Brejcha
Designengine.com
Bart Brejcha
Designengine.com
Lovetoride
Member
Good to know how that works. I print this out so this old Dog does not forget this new Trick - Thanks
Welcome to the forum, Marjory!
(from cloudy SE Wisconsin)
MikeDuf
Member
I'll chime in, I am a newbie to ebikes and I have been reading quite extensively and test writing as many as I can. One thing that I required was a 700c wheel set and at least 85 NM torque.. class 3 for sure. So with that knowledge I reviewed tested and questioned a lot of different vendors for different types of support.
I ended up pulling the trigger and going with the Dutch gazelle ultimate T10 Plus High Step. It seemed to get good reviews all the way around and the company has been in business for 120 years.
I should have the bike next week and start giving it a good workout before it gets too cold.
Thanks for the informative post it was a good read.
I ended up pulling the trigger and going with the Dutch gazelle ultimate T10 Plus High Step. It seemed to get good reviews all the way around and the company has been in business for 120 years.
I should have the bike next week and start giving it a good workout before it gets too cold.
Thanks for the informative post it was a good read.
Attachments
Josh Electricbike
New member
There are SO many brands of eBikes now. Many of them are what I call "mushroom brands" out of China. They copy an existing design, build it in China, sell direct-to-consumer, then don't provide good service.
Reading here for awhile, they seem to be a crapshoot. Sometimes good, sometimes not.
Sometimes the brands get bigger and are OK in customer service. Sometimes, they disavow as soon as the package is shipped.
I don't consider myself a newbie any more, but even after riding hundreds of miles on many different bikes and eBikes, I only have experience with a handful of brands, as eBikes are expensive to buy and expensive to sell. (lots of depreciation)
The guys who DO have experience with dozens of brands are usually reviewing bikes for a living and may be in the manufacturer's pocket, hesitant to point out faults or to let them appear as major as they are. One example: My neighbor here at work bought a Himiway Cruiser because his in-laws have them and were happy with them. His came with a faulty seat clamp. Himiway offered to give him a replacement but shipping was $25, and they considered that to be warranty support. If it were a sponsored reviewer (oftentimes paid with letting them keep and resell the review bike) they would of course ship the part for free and ask the reviewer not to mention it. Or if the reviewer mentions it, that's his last free review bike from that company! When you watch professional reviews on YouTube, realize that when they mention ANY type of drawback, it is likely to be worse in real life than the reviewer makes it seem like. They mention it out of a sense of duty, but minimize it out of a sense of self-preservation.
So newbies, if you're here asking about your first eBike purchase, my general advice to you is to ask first how the brand of ebike you're consider is with regards to after-sale support. If you've narrowed down on a bike from a brand that no one's heard about, it's not a good sign:
Tier 1: A brand that no one's heard about and you can't find more than a couple reviews online from what seem to be legitimate buyers. (as opposed to shill reviews posted by company employees) Avoid these, unless you're mechanically and electrically inclined and are ready for a "project."
Tier 2: A brand that we've heard of, but that is not generally known for great quality or after-sale support. (ex. BikTrix, Himiway, heybike) These are not a great value, as they cost the same as a Tier 3 bike; see below.
Tier 3: A brand that we've heard of and that is respected in terms of bike quality and after-sale support. (ex. Lectric, Ride1Up) At the time of this writing, these are in the $800 - 2500 price range. They range from basic but good quality (Lectric XP Lite @ $800) to pretty advanced. (Ride1Up Prodigy V2 @ $2400)
Tier 4: Just like Tier 3, but with local shops/dealers. (ex. Aventon, Rad Power Bikes) At the time of this writing, these are starting to come down to the US $1300-2000 price bracket. With Tiers 3 & 4, it would be good to have some mechanical know-how, but you can probably take them to a shop that is more or less local. (might be a 100 mile drive in some cases) Rad has mechanic vans, for instance. Aventon has local dealers you might not expect; I bought mine from an Indian motorcycle shop, for example. If I had a problem I needed help with, they may have to consult with Aventon, but I'm confident their mechanics could handle anything I couldn't.
Tier 5: A "bike shop brand" that has widespread support and superior quality. (ex. Trek, Electra, Specialized, ) These bikes are without fail more expensive, because it costs the manufacturer money to support local shop who supports you in the long run. Buy with confidence, once you have the money together! These commonly start now at $1800 (for a no-frills hub driven bike) and go up to $14k. (for a high-end carbon road eBike)
16 December 2024 Addition: There is something that can happen called "ghost pedaling" that newbies should know about ahead of time. It means that, due to the gearing choice of the manufacturer, the rider can't pedal fast enough to keep up with the motor. This bothers some people enough that they look to raise the top gear ratio so that they can help the motor. While this is an admirable attitude by the rider, he should realize that the rider's input doesn't amount to much at speeds over 20 mph. Also, if the gearing is changed at the front sprocket (chainring) then he will lose out on the low gearing, so that if the rider runs out of battery, it may no longer be realistic to pedal the bike home.
Ghost pedaling can also be done intentionally on bikes with older-style cadence sensors*. The rider would set the Power Assist System level (PAS) to a given level, but then pedal slower. The bike's motor controller will sense the rider is pedaling, then use motor power to accelerate the bike to that preset speed. The bike doesn't know or care that the rider is not pedaling fast enough to help, only that he is pedaling and that means it's OK to provide the power needed to get to the given speed.
* I said "older-style" because modern cadence sensors can be set up with a power limit, rather than just using whatever power is available to accelerate the bike up to the set speed. This makes it feel more natural, but without the expense of a full-on torque sensor. (torque sensor-equipped eBikes provide power in proportion to the power the rider contributes himself.)
This is such a helpful and well-thought-out guide for anyone trying to figure out the e-bike market! I really like how you broke everything down into tiers—it makes it so much easier to understand the trade-offs between quality, support, and price. You're spot on about after-sales support being a huge factor; no one wants to be stuck with a bike they can't get parts or help for.
The bit about "ghost pedaling" is such a good tip, especially for newbies. A lot of people probably don’t realize how gearing choices or older cadence sensors can affect their riding experience. It’s also refreshing to see someone call out the potential bias in YouTube reviews—so many people take those at face value without considering the behind-the-scenes dynamics.
For anyone starting out, I’d totally agree that going for a Tier 3 or 4 brand like Lectric, Ride1Up, or Aventon is a solid choice. They’re affordable, reliable, and still come with decent support. Thanks for putting this together—it’s super useful!
Great insights! Your tier system really helps in understanding the eBike landscape. It's crucial for new buyers to consider after-sale support and brand reputation, especially given the wide range of quality and service levels out there. Your tips on ghost pedaling are also super helpful—definitely something to watch out for. Thanks for sharing your experience!There are SO many brands of eBikes now. Many of them are what I call "mushroom brands" out of China. They copy an existing design, build it in China, sell direct-to-consumer, then don't provide good service.
Reading here for awhile, they seem to be a crapshoot. Sometimes good, sometimes not.
Sometimes the brands get bigger and are OK in customer service. Sometimes, they disavow as soon as the package is shipped.
I don't consider myself a newbie any more, but even after riding hundreds of miles on many different bikes and eBikes, I only have experience with a handful of brands, as eBikes are expensive to buy and expensive to sell. (lots of depreciation)
The guys who DO have experience with dozens of brands are usually reviewing bikes for a living and may be in the manufacturer's pocket, hesitant to point out faults or to let them appear as major as they are. One example: My neighbor here at work bought a Himiway Cruiser because his in-laws have them and were happy with them. His came with a faulty seat clamp. Himiway offered to give him a replacement but shipping was $25, and they considered that to be warranty support. If it were a sponsored reviewer (oftentimes paid with letting them keep and resell the review bike) they would of course ship the part for free and ask the reviewer not to mention it. Or if the reviewer mentions it, that's his last free review bike from that company! When you watch professional reviews on YouTube, realize that when they mention ANY type of drawback, it is likely to be worse in real life than the reviewer makes it seem like. They mention it out of a sense of duty, but minimize it out of a sense of self-preservation.
So newbies, if you're here asking about your first eBike purchase, my general advice to you is to ask first how the brand of ebike you're consider is with regards to after-sale support. If you've narrowed down on a bike from a brand that no one's heard about, it's not a good sign:
Tier 1: A brand that no one's heard about and you can't find more than a couple reviews online from what seem to be legitimate buyers. (as opposed to shill reviews posted by company employees) Avoid these, unless you're mechanically and electrically inclined and are ready for a "project."
Tier 2: A brand that we've heard of, but that is not generally known for great quality or after-sale support. (ex. BikTrix, Himiway, heybike) These are not a great value, as they cost the same as a Tier 3 bike; see below.
Tier 3: A brand that we've heard of and that is respected in terms of bike quality and after-sale support. (ex. Lectric, Ride1Up) At the time of this writing, these are in the $800 - 2500 price range. They range from basic but good quality (Lectric XP Lite @ $800) to pretty advanced. (Ride1Up Prodigy V2 @ $2400)
Tier 4: Just like Tier 3, but with local shops/dealers. (ex. Aventon, Rad Power Bikes) At the time of this writing, these are starting to come down to the US $1300-2000 price bracket. With Tiers 3 & 4, it would be good to have some mechanical know-how, but you can probably take them to a shop that is more or less local. (might be a 100 mile drive in some cases) Rad has mechanic vans, for instance. Aventon has local dealers you might not expect; I bought mine from an Indian motorcycle shop, for example. If I had a problem I needed help with, they may have to consult with Aventon, but I'm confident their mechanics could handle anything I couldn't.
Tier 5: A "bike shop brand" that has widespread support and superior quality. (ex. Trek, Electra, Specialized, ) These bikes are without fail more expensive, because it costs the manufacturer money to support local shop who supports you in the long run. Buy with confidence, once you have the money together! These commonly start now at $1800 (for a no-frills hub driven bike) and go up to $14k. (for a high-end carbon road eBike)
16 December 2024 Addition: There is something that can happen called "ghost pedaling" that newbies should know about ahead of time. It means that, due to the gearing choice of the manufacturer, the rider can't pedal fast enough to keep up with the motor. This bothers some people enough that they look to raise the top gear ratio so that they can help the motor. While this is an admirable attitude by the rider, he should realize that the rider's input doesn't amount to much at speeds over 20 mph. Also, if the gearing is changed at the front sprocket (chainring) then he will lose out on the low gearing, so that if the rider runs out of battery, it may no longer be realistic to pedal the bike home.
Ghost pedaling can also be done intentionally on bikes with older-style cadence sensors*. The rider would set the Power Assist System level (PAS) to a given level, but then pedal slower. The bike's motor controller will sense the rider is pedaling, then use motor power to accelerate the bike to that preset speed. The bike doesn't know or care that the rider is not pedaling fast enough to help, only that he is pedaling and that means it's OK to provide the power needed to get to the given speed.
* I said "older-style" because modern cadence sensors can be set up with a power limit, rather than just using whatever power is available to accelerate the bike up to the set speed. This makes it feel more jollibee menu natural, but without the expense of a full-on torque sensor. (torque sensor-equipped eBikes provide power in proportion to the power the rider contributes himself.)
I would not buy a bike that does not have a charger that shuts off automatically when the battery is fully charged. Again it's 2025. There have been car and motorcycle battery chargers and maintainers that do that for decades. You can't stay around just waiting for the battery to charge.
Beware of all reviews made by Lance Armstrong types. You can spot them right off the bat. They talk a lot more about the pedal bike parts than the battery and motor. It is getting easier to find good estimated no pedal ranges for many bikes now. I see a lot more people riding ebikes that are not pedaling at all. I'm one of them. If I could pedal, I wouldn't need a motor. I rode pedal bikes for decades. I am now older and disabled, and can no longer pedal, but still enjoy riding bikes. My bike will get almost 30 miles of range with no pedaling at around 10 mph on a flat surface.
Beware of all reviews made by Lance Armstrong types. You can spot them right off the bat. They talk a lot more about the pedal bike parts than the battery and motor. It is getting easier to find good estimated no pedal ranges for many bikes now. I see a lot more people riding ebikes that are not pedaling at all. I'm one of them. If I could pedal, I wouldn't need a motor. I rode pedal bikes for decades. I am now older and disabled, and can no longer pedal, but still enjoy riding bikes. My bike will get almost 30 miles of range with no pedaling at around 10 mph on a flat surface.
