Repair (if possible), donate, trade-in (if possible) or ride into the ground?

[tgianco]

Looking for advice.

I have a 3+ year old Himiway Cruiser w/ a hair over 2,700 miles on it. For the last 700-800 miles, there is a weird grinding noise from the motor. I still ride it fine, but that grinding noise is, literally, like nails on a chalkboard. Think it might be the planetary gears or the magnets inside, so is this something that can be repaired reasonably?

Also, my front forks are shot. I am looking to have those replaced but would like a repair estimate before I do since this bike, while I love it still, is not worth a ton on the resale market at this point, so don't want to spend more to repair (or even near) as I would on a new ebike. I’d consider trading it in on something else, even though I just bought a new Himiway A7 Pro.

I can't see how this bike with 2,700 miles on it, which I've ridden hard (lots of scratches, etc), potential repairs needed, etc is worth much more than a few hundred $$$.
Other considerations include donating it, riding it into the ground or, if possible, trade it in on a new bike. If anyone has any ideas of what making these repairs might potentially cost or other ideas, I'd appreciate it.

 

[tennisbiki]

Riding nearly 3K miles, looks like you got your money worth out of your Himiway Cruiser.

I would try passing it onto someone who might get more use out of it if you are not going to. I would put it on Craigslist. Though lately I do not have much luck selling old bikes. I bought my 2019 Haibike cheap last month with a busted display clamp. It rides great but the display moves around a bit.
Good luck.

 

[CrossRoads]

I just quickly googled the bike and it looks like a geared rear hub motor is that correct? Geared hub motors don't have a fantastic reputation for durability. If it's a bafang, then you could just replace it with another bafang-hub rear wheel for probably $250. For the front shock, consider replacing with a rigid fork for a lower price-tag and lower long-term maintenance.

 

[m@Robertson]

I can't see how this bike with 2,700 miles on it, which I've ridden hard (lots of scratches, etc), potential repairs needed, etc is worth much more than a few hundred $$$.

In this depressed market, with ebike manufacturers loaded with inventory and deep discounts on new bikes being the normn and not the exception, you should figure your used ebike in need of repair to be worth nothing or next-to-nothing to a buyer. If you can find a place to donate it and get a receipt with a good nunber on it for a tax deduction, thats the most money you can make off the bike. Or if you know of someone in need, you can give yourself the personal satisfaction of helping them out. Otherwise it will be sheer luck to be able to get any money out of it.

A new fork is typically going to be around US$200 for a basic air fork. Maybe a little more. A quick Google of 'himiway cruiser' shows a fat bike, so the motor is probably a Bafang G060. A new motor core dropped in will be about US$250 off of Ebay if you get a reasonable deal. New nylon gears or magnets coming loose will cost less in parts, but unless you are willing to commit the time needed to do the repair work, you'll need to just buy a new motor and swap in the core.

That roughly US$450 in parts are going to be more money than the whole bike is worth assuming everything was in working order.

 

[m@Robertson]

...For the front shock, consider replacing with a rigid fork for a lower price-tag and lower long-term maintenance.

Chances are that will not work. A suspension fork is a fair bit longer longer than a rigid fork, unless the rigid fork is 'suspension-corrected' meaning its extra-long. Swap in a shorter fork and you learn a lesson on how bicycle geometry works. The shorter fork on a frame designed for the longer kind will make for a miserable ride. It'll be less stable, and while riding the bike will want to wander off course, so the rider will have to make steering corrections almost constantly. Not hard to do except you have to do it constantly and it becomes a real chore.

I learned this lesson the hard way. Bike is still in the garage waiting for a fork swap back to the original that thankfully I kept.

 

[Bohemoth]

Give it to that smart kid down the street! He deserves it and he will fix it