Newbie Here Clutch Question

[Jim]

A local guy has a used EBike for sale for $275. He says it was $1,800 new plus $220 for accesories . . . needs clutch and tubes. I searched your message archives for "clutch" and no hits, so I suspect this is more like a rear hub drive which must be rebuilt or replaced? And how much does that cost? Other used and running EBikes here on Craig's List are in the $600 range -- and there are several of them. How does one determine what year an EBike was made? Thanks for any help . . . the sooner, the better . . . I might go look at it today after work.

 

[brenton]

Is this a gas powered or electric (I think e in E-bike stands for electric but some people use the term for gas powered bikes). I think the clutch only makes sense to me for a gas powered bike as it may have something to do with engaging the motor so it can spin the chain in which the chain spins the rear tire. I don't think the same applies to electric. Right off the bat, I would be wary of buying this bike especially if he is saying it cost him $1,800 + $220. What moron spends that much on a e-bike unless they are seriously customizing it. I had an old mountain bike that I converted to and E-Bike using a electric hub motor kit. It cost me $400 for the conversion kit, comes with motor, throttle, controller, battery and rack (rack is a little flimsy). Every thing you need.

Does he have pictures of the bike?

At any rate, maybe you could ask him what he means by the "clutch needs to be replaced". (It also seems he could be talking about the gear shifters, maybe not)

 

[Jim]

The bike I was asking about for $275 is an EBike brand (just like the bike in the pic at this group's home page). Apparently they sold for $1,800 when new . . . some of the features which might justify the cost?

"The E-Bike is powered by two 12 volt batteries hooked in series. They take about 4.5 hours to recharge. The system shuts itself off at about 15% capacity in order to save wear on the batteries. The battery case has a built in charger which can be plugged into the wall, or removed and carried into the house (or workplace) for recharging indoors. Speed is up to 20mph. The bike is very comfortable with shocks on the front fork AND seat post, a large seat, and big tires. It is also very ruggedly built with a chromium steel frame."