Hello! Oh ... and Serious Cube Bosch E-bike problems with Hybrid CROSS PRO 400

faunus

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I have read these forums for years an they have been a great help for me in selecting bikes. Thanks to everyone!!

So what made me finally post? Well ....

I've been an E-bike user for the last five years. I regularly travel over 5K every year - almost exclusively on gravel/dirt roads. I have owned four different E-bikes in that time and have had few problems really with any of them. Until I purchased the Cube Hybrid Cross Pro 400!

Over the first month of ownership of this bike I have only been able to use it properly for two weeks. First the Bosch motor casing split in two and the chain guard caught in the chain and locked up the wheels. And no, I've not dropped the bike once or hit anything.

It took a while for the bike store to react (Gears Bikes in Toronto) but after insistent prodding from me they "repaired it" after about four days. Initially it was going to take weeks, but after I called quite a few times and pressed home my points, they moved on it. The manager of the store told me he had personally fixed it and it could never come apart again.

Well, blow me down, less than five days or so later it fell apart again. Along with both tires splitting! (I replaced the tires at my own expense - the dealer gave me ONE super cheap tire to replace the two - laughable).

And I have now waited two weeks for them to come up with a solution to the faulty motor casing!

I can use the bike (I've tied the motor casing together with heavy duty duct tape) but I am concerned about all the road grit and sand that has worked its way into the motor and am reluctant to use it too much in case they refuse to replace the motor. There are no phone numbers for Cube and the dealer will not give me one. I have sent emails through their site, but still no reply. It seems that I am on my own.

I have covered about 800K on the bike. Surely it should not do this after such minimal use? I would like them to replace the entire motor - it is undoubtedly damaged - but they don't seem keen on fixing my problem.

And this is what's bothering me. I am in this situation through no fault of my own, and it has cost me hundreds of dollars so far. The dealer (the nearest) is 100Km away and when I talk to them I can tell by their tone that my problem is not theirs! There is no rush on their part at all.

Are Cube bikes reputable? Do they offer proper service? Is the dealer helpful? Not in my view. This problem could be solved in a day by simply replacing the motor from another stock bike - they have lots! But oh no - that's too inconvenient for them, their needs clearly come before mine.

When the bike works it is great - the best one I've ever ridden. But without service and/or product reliability, the fact that it rides well is meaningless. And I'm still only a month into my ownership!

I'm 65 years old and need a reliable, safe bike. Perhaps I am old fashioned to expect a quality product and proper service? As of now my Cube Cross Pro 400 is terribly unreliable - even dangerous.

Any suggestions on what I should do next are very welcome ....
 
the motor is fine, it is in a metal casing, what split is the plastic dust covers
 
Sometimes posting the dealers name and the bike model on every e-site you can locate will precipitate action. I would also inform Bosch (if there's a Canadian office (of course, the Cube office too); there's one in Irvine, CA) even though they're only involved peripherally.
 
Thanks for your answer!

So no dust and grit will get into the works? And how come the cover is so fragile ... particularly for a hybrid that is used in the gravel and dust? This is a very open spot on a bike. To split twice in less than a week??

I was assured by the manager of the bike store that this was a "one in a million" event that would not happen again.

Not so ...
 
Good ideas, thanks.

What I don't understand is why it takes weeks to respond to my problem.

Perhaps I'm not attractive enough?
 
First the "the Bosch motor casing split", but now it's just the plastic guard?

I would say that Cube is a total write-off.

Please send it to me :)
 
I know what you mean ... happens to the hood of my new car every time the hinges come loose.

Still... no big deal right? ;)
 
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I see no reason to get all worked up over a couplet bolts rattling loose. What i would do is seal the two plastic dust covers with bathroom sealant. That way they won't come apart for sure, and the connector box where all the sensors plug in to the motor will be protected from water in case you wanna do a pressure wash.
 
If only that was all it was. Perhaps you didn't fully read my post. I had to replace two tires with seriously cracked sidewalls - one of which split while I was riding the bike, causing me to almost lose control and fall, which is no minor thing for a Senior. The dealer replaced the tires with two super cheap ones - one of which had a serious defect (a large bubble in the tread!) which made it unusable and unsafe. I had to spend $200.00 replacing the tires myself with good quality ones.

As I mentioned, the chain guard caught in the chain - again almost causing an accident. Cube admitted that the guard was badly designed and had been recalled and changed on all models. Yet for some reason mine was not?

These problems took up hours of my time, cost me hundreds of dollars and several hours of driving. One of my staff, a full time 45 year cyclist whose son and daughter are competition riders, was appalled at the lack of quality control shown by Cube and the dealer - particularly for a brand new bike costing several thousand dollars. And today I still do not have a properly put together bike that I can use reliably after spending this money.

I am assuming that you are young and a product of the Microsoft age, where you are sold products with built-in defects that you are expected to deal with yourself (I have worked with computers since 1967, it was not always like this!). No one buys a car, a TV, a stove or whatever, and shrugs off issues like these.

I expect that all major purchases that I make be fully fit for purpose and meet reasonable standards of quality. Accepting poor quality control and safety issues as no big deal, is not for me. I have better standards and expectations than that.
 
I'm of the old school mentality, agree with you and would be appalled by the product and dealer response. One last thing is whether Canada has a functional group like the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. They were extremely helpful to me once. Your issues seem safety-related.
 
We are not that young around here.

Yes you have been terribly wronged. Get rid of the Bike and the dealer, and spend your golden thoughts on more positive aspects.

In future, avoid cutting edge products.
 
Thanks for your comment - much appreciated.

It seems that Cube is ignoring me! I have sent emails on their web page - no reply.

I posted on their Facebook page - my post appears to have been deleted, with no attempt to contact me.

It seems pretty obvious that they have no interest in contacting me.

I have never purchased a defective product and been ignored like this. Perhaps I am being punished for my temerity in questioning them? :unsure:

I guess I need to consider my next options ,,,
 
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Sadly not so ... they are ignoring me. I've posted on their FB site and emailed them at Cube.ca.

No response at all.

It's weird, you'd think they'd bee keen to help a customer not ignore them.

What to do next ...
 
Tried calling them or contact another dealer? I got a complete new frame when only a bolt broke and some paint and bearings were damaged because of that.

 
You must have an excellent dealer who goes to bat for you. My dealer just doesn't care. Two weeks since I notified them of the broken motor casing and still no reply! And I've phoned three times - the store manager will not speak to me. It's weird :unsure:

Perhaps I should write and send a registered letter to Gears bikes Toronto??
 
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You need to send registered letters to your BB bureau, your state/province consumer affairs department, your local police consumer fraud and bunco division and to all your local TV news stations and newspapers with special attention to any local columnists and consumer advocates. Also any state or national Consumer Product Safety agencies. Detail exactly what has happened with a timeline and photos. Include all email and phone conversations to the best of your ability. Then see what happens.

If you want some entertainment, wait five days then send the dealer and Cube the same information packet with a cover letter that lists the other recipients.

As it stands now, your dealer has made this product failure into Your Problem, the thing to do now is to turn it into His Problem. He will be motivated to fix his own problems, he obviously is not motivated to fix yours.
 
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