# Boardman ADV 8.9 E



## TyrannosaurusTreks (6 Sep 2019)

Popped into halfords to pick up some polish & noticed this new machine.
Not bad for 16kg
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/boardman-adv-8-9e-mens-adventure-electric-bike


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## Cycleops (7 Sep 2019)

Very nice but you might illicit cries of 'Oi, cheat' when other cyclists spot the thick downtube as you speed past.


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## goo_mason (10 Sep 2019)

I have one on order, and an application submitted for a 4yr interest-free loan from the Energy Saving Trust 

It's going to be my autumn/winter bike - it has the clearance to fit spiked tyres for when it gets icy (which my road bike can't do), plus the pedal-assist will remove the sheer dread (and reason to opt for the bus instead) of cycling 10 miles to - or from - work into ferocious winter headwinds.

Of course, it'll also occasionally be my spring/summer bike on the days when strong headwinds are forecast!

Can't wait. Anyone already got one?


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## goo_mason (24 Sep 2019)

Picked it up on Saturday, but so far have only ridden it home from the shop. I had hoped to be commuting to/from work on it from today, but I'm having trouble getting my insurers to acknowledge my request to add it to my policy and I don't want a to leave a £2.5K bike around at work whilst it's uninsured!

The 10 minute ride back from the shop felt great though - very nippy, even without assist on.

I spent the afternoon with it up on the workstand, swapping the toe-clip pedals for my usual SDP-SLs, fitting lights and a Garmin mount, adding a set of 3rd-party Garmin-compatible speed and cadence sensors, attaching a saddlebag and fitting mudguards.

I couldn't ride it on Sunday as I was out with my parents and my daughter.

I've got a day off on Friday so I'll be taking it out for a decent ride then (unless the insurance is sorted before then and I can start commuting straight away).

More thoughts on the bike as and when I've put a few miles in on it.....


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## TyrannosaurusTreks (24 Sep 2019)

I thought it was a good looking bike, enjoy many miles on it.


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## CXRAndy (25 Sep 2019)

goo_mason said:


> I don't want a to leave a £2.5K bike around at work whilst it's uninsured!



I bought a forgettaboutit 20mm U lock for the wife's ebike ~£70


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## goo_mason (25 Sep 2019)

I have a Kryptonite Keeper 12 Long Shackle U-lock and Kryptoflex Bike Lock Cable permanently in the secure bike cage at work, which I've been using on my road bike for the last year. We have the double-decker bike racks in there, which the bike is stored on and locked to. It's accessed via an alpha-numeric keypad, but for the last few months the cage door hasn't been closing properly the lock isn't engaging (even slamming it hard no longer works). I've reported it twice to Property, who claim it's been fixed - but it hasn't been. I've come out to pick up my bike to go home, only to find the cage door open for anyone to walk in and steal the bikes.

After a number of thefts of bikes this year from the company multi-storey car park where the cage is situated, I'm not chancing my new pride and joy without having it covered by insurance.


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## goo_mason (1 Oct 2019)

I finally got the bike insured last Thursday, and took it out for a ride along the seafront at Cramond after I'd done a three mile run earlier that morning. I thought it'd be a good test of tired legs plus a stiff headwind!

Thoughts and learning points so far:

1. Ensure that the battery pack is locked properly into the frame. Mine dropped out within 30 secs of setting out on my first proper ride, and I didn't realise because the sound it made hitting the cobbles outside the flat was the same sound a plastic bottle being run over makes. I thought I'd just run over an empty bottle & thought no more of it. It was only a mile later when I thought I'd power the bike up that I realised with slowly dawning horror why nothing would switch on. A quick feel under the downtube confirmed my fear. There's nothing like a panicky ride back, wondering if any of the frequent buses and cars along the road outside my flat had demolished my £400 battery pack before I'd even got a proper ride on my new bike. Fortunately it was still in the road and hadn't been run over. It just had a few superficial scrapes (removing the matt black paint) and tiny dings.

2. The bike is so much lighter than the eMTBs I've ridden for the day on holiday over the last few years, so most of the time no assistance is required and I was able to turn the power off and ride as normal. Unlike the big Bosch, Yamaha or Shimano Steps drives, there's no resistance or drag from pedalling against the motor when it's switched off or you've exceeded the assistance speed, as it disengages completely.

3. You need to get used to backpedalling where the chainring and chain don't move. It's like having a freehub in the bottom bracket and the loud ratchet-clicking comes from there. It's annnoying when you're giving the chain a quick wipe - I'm used to turning the pedals anticlockwise on my road bike whilst running the chain through a rag! 

4. That battery is fast and heavy when it drops out of the frame when you're unlocking it to turn it off. On my first commute to work this morning, I dropped it twice from the frame onto concrete because the autumn full-fingered gloves I was wearing were slipperier than I thought. The poor battery now looks like it comes from a bike that's been ridden for years through the wars, and this is only my 2nd real ride on the bike!

5. The assist works best at a certain cadence; I've not measured it yet, but you can feel when it starts to come in with the power once you hit that rpm with the legs.

6. Smooth pedalling and keeping that cadence going is best - I noticed that if you don't keep the same pressure on the pedals all the way round a pedalling rotation, there's a definite 'clunk' that's louder than I get with lazy pedalling on my road bike. I'm not sure if this is a consequence of the Fazua drive system or if it's just the nature of the bigger resonance chamber of the enlarged downtube amplifying the sound/vibration.

7. Even on the lowest assistance level (green, 'Breeze'), you get a good boost. It was enough to make the strong headwinds vanish without feeling like you weren't still having to make a bit of an effort.

8. Larger tyres make the rides so much smoother and less teeth-rattling than my 23c road tyres!

All in all, so far it's rewarded me with a lovely ride and seems worthy of the investment. I just need to be a hell of a lot more careful with that battery.....


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## Smudge (1 Oct 2019)

I really like the look of this bike. I would be tempted if it was more reasonably priced.
£2.5K is too much.


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## Scaleyback (1 Oct 2019)

Blimey ! I thought having a removable battery was an advantage over the fixed one on my Orbea Gain, however after reading your report above I am not so sure ? Interesting read, thanks. I guess your learning curve was a bit of a crash course.


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## goo_mason (1 Oct 2019)

Yeah, I was lucky that I had the money (many years of living frugally and saving any spare money after being broke for a long, long time following my divorce has left me with a decent pot). 

I've been thinking about getting an eBike for about 4 or 5 years, so it's taken me a lot of time to decide to spend that much. However, when you look at the prices of many non-eBikes, they're about the same price for a semi-decent one.

The other thing to look at when you consider the bike cost is the price of the battery, motor, drive system in the BB and even the controller on the bars. A spare battery alone is over £300, the charger is over £100, the control unit on the handlebars is £100, and I dread to think what the motor and BB units would each cost. Even buying a plastic cover for the battery hole in the frame for days you wanted to ride without the battery and motor will set you back £70 - £100). Altogether, they'll be much more expensive than my current road bike was when I got it in 2008 (it was £550 - a Giant SCR2, now a Defy frame with SCR2 components after the frame cracked within warranty and the SCR frame was no longer made).

Chuck in Sram Apex 1 hyraulic disc brakes and levers where the shifters alone are around £180 each, and it all soon adds up. Frame, bars, stem, carbon fork, through-axle disc-compatible wheekset, tyres, saddle etc - none of them cheap either.


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## goo_mason (1 Oct 2019)

Scaleyback said:


> Blimey ! I thought having a removable battery was an advantage over the fixed one on my Orbea Gain, however after reading your report above I am not so sure ? Interesting read, thanks. I guess your learning curve was a bit of a crash course.


Yeah, I really thought I was being careful and ended up being cack-handed instead! If I do it one more time, I'm going to see if I can devise some kind of restraining strap & hook that I can attach to both the inside of the frame and the battery casing, so if it drops again through my own stupidity, it doesn't fall to the ground.


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## TyrannosaurusTreks (1 Oct 2019)

goo_mason said:


> Yeah, I really thought I was being careful and ended up being cack-handed instead! If I do it one more time, I'm going to see if I can devise some kind of restraining strap & hook that I can attach to both the inside of the frame and the battery casing, so if it drops again through my own stupidity, it doesn't fall to the ground.


Never had any problems with the giant road e or the trek battery, admittedly I don’t need to remove it very often as I turn off via the controller.
Is your battery tight when it’s in the frame as there is adjustment on the catch.
How about a pillow below when you remove it.😀


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## goo_mason (2 Oct 2019)

TyrannosaurusTreks said:


> Never had any problems with the giant road e or the trek battery, admittedly I don’t need to remove it very often as I turn off via the controller.
> Is your battery tight when it’s in the frame as there is adjustment on the catch.
> How about a pillow below when you remove it.😀


Nah, just being cack-handed! 

I did manage to turn it back on yesterday as I left work without dropping it on the ground, so that's a start. I might have finally mastered the 'hold on to the dropping battery' grip .... 

I hadn't realised until last night that there's a standby mode where you turn it off on the controller only, and the battery will then turn off after 8hrs of inactivity - so from today I'm not removing it to turn it off/on unless it's shut down by itself after 8hrs; I'm just turning it off at the controller (which puts it into standby).

(I also realised last night that there's a mobile app which links to your bike drive system via bluetooth and gives you all kinds of drive info, stats, mapping and bike computer-like functions. Cool!)


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## GlasgowGaryH (2 Oct 2019)

goo_mason said:


> Nah, just being cack-handed!


 I had same problem with battery first few times, dropped the blasted thing as it was heavier than I thought. Now my system is to unlock battery, pull battery into frame, this I feel releases the tension on the lock, push lock and gently drop the battery on to the front tyre, turn lock and release key, switch on battery, pull battery back into frame until I hear it click home, then push lock to test it wont fall out. Well it works ok for me.


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## TyrannosaurusTreks (2 Oct 2019)

I’m lucky enough to have a handle


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## goo_mason (3 Oct 2019)

GlasgowGaryH said:


> I had same problem with battery first few times, dropped the blasted thing as it was heavier than I thought. Now my system is to unlock battery, pull battery into frame, this I feel releases the tension on the lock, push lock and gently drop the battery on to the front tyre, turn lock and release key, switch on battery, pull battery back into frame until I hear it click home, then push lock to test it wont fall out. Well it works ok for me.


Never thought about pulling the battery into the frame whilst pushing the lock - I'll give that a try.

Couldn't ride it to work today as it started clunking noisily on each pedal rotation yesterday on the way in and got much worse on the way home. Took a look when I got into the flat and as I suspected, the bottom bracket unit was loose. I went to get my allen keys to tighten the loose bolts and then found they were Torx bolts. Tightened one a little with an allen key to see how loose it was, but didn't use any pressure for fear of stripping the Torx head. It was actually VERY loose.

Torx set on order from Amazon and should be arriving at the private Amazon locker at work today.


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## TyrannosaurusTreks (3 Oct 2019)

I would use some lock tite on the threads as well.


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## Pale Rider (4 Oct 2019)

TyrannosaurusTreks said:


> I would use some lock tite on the threads as well.



The Fazua system is designed to be detachable, so the OP ought to think about if he will ever want to remove it.


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## goo_mason (4 Oct 2019)

Pale Rider said:


> The Fazua system is designed to be detachable, so the OP ought to think about if he will ever want to remove it.


I'm pretty sure TyrannosaurusTreks mean Loctite Threadlocker rather than Loctite glue. Threadlock will stop them loosening off by themselves through vibration etc, but you can still loosen the bolts off and remove them when required.

I ordered some the other day and it's due to be delivered on Monday. I already received my Torx key set and was able to tighten the loose bolts up, but I'll remove and apply threadlock to each one once it's arrived. That should stop any further unintended loosening issues!


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## Scaleyback (4 Oct 2019)

goo_mason said:


> I'm pretty sure TyrannosaurusTreks mean Loctite Threadlocker rather than Loctite glue. Threadlock will stop them loosening off by themselves through vibration etc, but you can still loosen the bolts off and remove them when required.
> 
> I ordered some the other day and it's due to be delivered on Monday. I already received my Torx key set and was able to tighten the loose bolts up, but I'll remove and apply threadlock to each one once it's arrived. That should stop any further unintended loosening issues!



Poor Halfords 'ready to ride' check ?


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## CXRAndy (5 Oct 2019)

Blue thread lock fluid or paste. Clean threads off oil and grease as best as possible. The threadlock will seal the threads to stop moisture and stop them coming loose.


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## TyrannosaurusTreks (5 Oct 2019)

Sorry I meant thread locker, at least you no they won’t come loose.


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## goo_mason (7 Oct 2019)

Scaleyback said:


> Poor Halfords 'ready to ride' check ?


I don't know - compared to two previous bikes I got on my previous employer's Bike to Work scheme, this one was very well put together and the two guys in the shop were extremely knowledgeable and both were bike addicts (we had a long discussion about N+1 and how we all had houses full of bikes and bike bits). 

Previous staff have been hopelessly clueless about bikes & basic bike maintenance and I'd had the saddle slide off the rails of the first bike within 10 minutes, the gears were totally unindexed on the first & second bikes and various fittings dropped off both previous bikes before I'd done 5 miles (oh, and they lost a wheel I'd had to hand back for a total rebuild after spokes were snapping daily by the 2nd week of ownership of the 2nd bike)

I think I've just been unlucky with the eBike and the bolts have likely been tight but not super-tight and have eventually rattled themselves loose on the cobbles outside my flat and the awful road & path surfaces in Edinburgh.


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## Smudge (10 Oct 2019)

I notice they also do a flat bar version, 300 quid cheaper at £2,200...

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/boardman-hyb-8-9e-mens-hybrid-electric-bike

A few other differences apart from the flat bar. 10 speed instead of 11, plus different tyres and prob other differences i haven't noticed. But for my riding, often canal paths & easy tracks, i think i would prefer flat bars and the slightly lesser specced gears wouldn't bother me. Its also 1/2 kilo lighter at 15.5kg. This weight would be just about low enough for me to carry the bike up steps on bridges over canals & railway tracks. My previous & current ebike is too heavy for that, and i end up taking a longer route to avoid them.
Still a bit hesitant about whether i could live with a 7amp/hr battery, but guess that's the trade off to get a lightweight ebike.
£2.2k, is still more than i would want to pay for this ebike, but with Halfords many sales & discount codes that come around regularly, it could be a viable deal for me. 15% reduction would bring it down to £1,870 and could be enough to make it a fair deal for me.


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## goo_mason (11 Oct 2019)

Smudge said:


> I notice they also do a flat bar version, 300 quid cheaper at £2,200...
> 
> https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/boardman-hyb-8-9e-mens-hybrid-electric-bike
> 
> ...


To be honest, you will likely get away without using an e-assist for quite a bit of any journey (unless it's all uphill or into a roaring headwind all the way - or both!), so the battery is likely to last a lot longer than you might think, and even then you may get away with using the lowest power setting when you DO use it, so you can eke more life out of it.

Or, at £300 cheaper, you could buy a second battery with that saved money and carry it with you for extra range....


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## Smudge (11 Oct 2019)

goo_mason said:


> To be honest, you will likely get away without using an e-assist for quite a bit of any journey (unless it's all uphill or into a roaring headwind all the way - or both!), so the battery is likely to last a lot longer than you might think, and even then you may get away with using the lowest power setting when you DO use it, so you can eke more life out of it.
> 
> Or, at £300 cheaper, you could buy a second battery with that saved money and carry it with you for extra range....



I doubt i'd get away with using lowest power setting, prob mid or even high in places. But its hard to tell until i've rode this particular ebike. My current and previous ebikes have been hub drive, without the torque of this CD motor, so i've only them to gauge against it. Even so, i would be able to do more distance and hills on this bike that i really struggle with on my unassisted bikes. 
I've had to remove the ekit from my hybrid, after 6 years its had its day, the hybrid itself is pretty low spec anyway. So this winter i'll be looking for a decent ready built ebike to replace it. I still have my Raleigh ebike and its great for what i use it for, but its too heavy and utilitarian for other uses.
If Halfords do a good deal on one, then i'll be taking a serious look at it to purchase.


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## Smudge (28 Oct 2019)

Well, the flat bar version that was £2,200, is now down to £1,980 and you can get price down even further to £1,782 with code Payday10.
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...utm_source=drytinder&utm_campaign=phgreferral

Soooooo tempted to get this now.


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## Smudge (29 Oct 2019)

Well the £418 discount was enough to make me pull the trigger on this bike. Ordered a L with C&C & pay instore, so i can check i'm happy with the fit before i pay for it.
This will be the most expensive bike i've ever bought, i've bought many motorcycles cheaper than this, so i hope it lives up to expectations.


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## Jenkins (29 Oct 2019)

Don't forget you should get an extra 10% discount on top of that if you are a British Cycling member paying in-store.


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## Smudge (29 Oct 2019)

Jenkins said:


> Don't forget you should get an extra 10% discount on top of that if you are a British Cycling member paying in-store.



I did think about that, but it would mean joining, plus its some sort of voucher you have to get now. Also there is some disagreement whether they will honour it after stacking two sorts of discount already.


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## Smudge (1 Nov 2019)

Well, i went to pick up this Boardman ebike today. Unfortunately as soon as i saw it i knew it would be too small. Couldn't get the bars anywhere near high enough for me, even with trying different stems, the bars were then too close and still lower than the saddle height. Shame they dont do an XL in it. Although my Raleigh ebike and my Giant road bike are both large and they fit me great. I may look at adding an ekit to the Giant, or i'll just have to look for something else.


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## goo_mason (5 Nov 2019)

An update a number of weeks into riding the bike:



goo_mason said:


> 4. That battery is fast and heavy when it drops out of the frame when you're unlocking it to turn it off. On my first commute to work this morning, I dropped it twice from the frame onto concrete because the autumn full-fingered gloves I was wearing were slipperier than I thought. The poor battery now looks like it comes from a bike that's been ridden for years through the wars, and this is only my 2nd real ride on the bike!



I've never dropped it again. Now I only unlock and drop the battery out of the frame when I'm leaving work at night; I just leave the bike turned off as the battery then turns itself off after a few hours anyway.

I've also discovered via an online manual that there's a catch within the frame which you can engage to hold the battery partially dropped-out for charging. (This wasn't mentioned in the printed manual I got with the bike).



goo_mason said:


> 6. Smooth pedalling and keeping that cadence going is best - I noticed that if you don't keep the same pressure on the pedals all the way round a pedalling rotation, there's a definite 'clunk' that's louder than I get with lazy pedalling on my road bike. I'm not sure if this is a consequence of the Fazua drive system or if it's just the nature of the bigger resonance chamber of the enlarged downtube amplifying the sound/vibration.



That clunking was actually the first sign of a loosening bottom bracket (or in the case of a Fazua-driven eBike, the entire motorised crank unit). It gradually worsened until one morning it was making an awful clunking with each pedal stroke, and I realised what the issue was. Once I got home that night, I got my allen keys out to tighten the obviously-loose bolts, only to find they were Torx bolts! Thank goodness for Amazon Prime and next-day delivery of a Torx set and eventually some threadlock too.



goo_mason said:


> 7. Even on the lowest assistance level (green, 'Breeze'), you get a good boost. It was enough to make the strong headwinds vanish without feeling like you weren't still having to make a bit of an effort.



The only time the boost really shows how weak it is compared to a mid-drive Bosch, Yamaha or Shimano Steps motor's power is going uphill. You do get some assistance, but you still need to be putting in a fair amount of effort. On an eMTB with one of those motors, you can go uphill whilst still pedalling as though you're on the flat. Fazua drives just lack the torque they have. (Mind you, me being 6ft 3 and 17 stone may have something to do with it too )

However, forget you're in the highest level of boost and touch the pedal to set off from a standing start on the flat and you're lurching forward unexpectedly fast! Great for getting away quickly from the lights.


It's still a fabulous ride, and I'm still getting a decent workout from it on hills or when I'm already exceeding the assist limit and pedalling under my own power. No regrets (yet)!


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## Winslade (12 Nov 2019)

goo_mason said:


> I finally got the bike insured last Thursday, and took it out for a ride along the seafront at Cramond after I'd done a three mile run earlier that morning. I thought it'd be a good test of tired legs plus a stiff headwind!
> 
> Thoughts and learning points so far:
> 
> ...


I was interested to read your comments on the Boardman, particularly as I have also had some issues;

Yes the drive unit is pretty heavy ! I also have managed to drop it when trying to remove it from the bike. Clearly its aimed at the Martian market as they all have three hands.

I also 'lost' the unit from the bike - only noticing it had gone when I discovered the light had disappeared from the controller. Fortunately it was only 100 yards away down the track I had just come down. I am not sure how I can check that the unit is firmly locked in place though. I tend to push / try to dislodge the unit after it is back on, but I always set off with a bit of concern. And yes, I remember it 'clicking' into place on the day I lost it. 

I also had a problem with a noisy bike. The rattling / clunking was coming from the pedal area so I took it back to Halfords who diagnosed a loose bracket - which they said should have a factory set torque. So same problem as you.

But, the big problem I currently have is unlocking the drive unit. It has become progressively stiffer and stiffer such that I had to use both thumbs to release the catch ( wife caught the unit when it finally dropped out). I took it back to Halfords when it wouldn't work at all and they packed the internal release with chain lube. It was then ok for a couple of weeks, but now has locked up again. I am now in discussions with Halford regarding a refund or new bike.

I really like the bike, it's light, the power output is great and the battery duration fine for what I normally get up to. So I would be loathe to move to another make, but if the drive unit release mechanism is a common fault, I may have to.


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## goo_mason (12 Nov 2019)

Winslade said:


> But, the big problem I currently have is unlocking the drive unit. It has become progressively stiffer and stiffer such that I had to use both thumbs to release the catch ( wife caught the unit when it finally dropped out). I took it back to Halfords when it wouldn't work at all and they packed the internal release with chain lube. It was then ok for a couple of weeks, but now has locked up again. I am now in discussions with Halford regarding a refund or new bike.
> 
> I really like the bike, it's light, the power output is great and the battery duration fine for what I normally get up to. So I would be loathe to move to another make, but if the drive unit release mechanism is a common fault, I may have to.



Now you come to mention it, there have been a couple of times where I've been trying to release the battery and the button seemed so stiff that I checked whether I'd maybe locked it rather than unlocked it. Otherwise it seems OK so far (fingers crossed).

Hope you get something sorted out with Halfords soon.


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## Winslade (12 Nov 2019)

goo_mason said:


> Now you come to mention it, there have been a couple of times where I've been trying to release the battery and the button seemed so stiff that I checked whether I'd maybe locked it rather than unlocked it. Otherwise it seems OK so far (fingers crossed).
> 
> Hope you get something sorted out with Halfords soon.


Thanks for that, I will keep you posted. I 'phoned Halfords yesterday and they are awaiting a reply from Boardman.

Out of interest I bought the bike at the start of August and reckon I have done around 300Km on 50/50 dirt track / road.


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## Winslade (18 Nov 2019)

Well, I will collect my Boardman bike (HYB 8.9e) tomorrow from Halfords. They have removed the drive unit (battery + motor) and replaced the internal lock mechanism, which apparently was missing one plastic component. So I will pick it up tomorrow and hope I have an easy to operate switch mechanism. They initially said that they might have to replace the entire frame, but then found a Fazua instruction manual on-line.

If anybody else has a Boardman e bike it would be great to hear your thoughts and experiences. I am now hoping for a smooth ride (pun intended) from my bike !


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## goo_mason (19 Nov 2019)

Winslade said:


> Well, I will collect my Boardman bike (HYB 8.9e) tomorrow from Halfords. They have removed the drive unit (battery + motor) and replaced the internal lock mechanism, which apparently was missing one plastic component. So I will pick it up tomorrow and hope I have an easy to operate switch mechanism. They initially said that they might have to replace the entire frame, but then found a Fazua instruction manual on-line.
> 
> If anybody else has a Boardman e bike it would be great to hear your thoughts and experiences. I am now hoping for a smooth ride (pun intended) from my bike !


I can't believe they were thinking they'd have to replace the entire frame to sort the lock-catch, which is a small unit at one end which you can clearly see and examine when you drop the battery/motor unit out for charging! But then again Halfords are notorious for their ineptitude in some cases. (They lost a rear wheel I was told to return for a rebuild on my weeks-old road bike 9 years ago after it started breaking spokes every ride, but rather than admit it they just stopped responding to my emails and calls when I asked when it would be ready. I was told it would take a week, and two months later I still hadn't had it back! As it was through my employer's Bike2Work scheme, it took the coordinator's intervention before they admitted what they'd done and apologised).

My ADV8.9e is still going well. I swapped over to studded winter tyres at the weekend and had my first ride on them to work this morning, where it got down to -6.2C on my route to work and there was a fair bit of ice on the paths. I certainly noticed the drop in comfort (they're thinner tyres) and a drop in speed, as the studded surface adds significant drag.

If I had the money, I'd source another wheelset, cassette & speed sensor magnet so I could just swap the wheels over when the appropriate tyres were required. Maybe I'll take a look at prices and see what Santa can do


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## Winslade (27 Nov 2019)

-6C ! We don't have those sorts of temperatures down here. With the Winter barely here you will be putting snow chains on next. Down on the Wirral we have only just picked the last of our bananas and turned the air conditioning down.

My new locking mechanism has been working fine, although I am overly cautious putting the drive unit back in and removing it. I now leave it on the bike and don't bother about turning the battery off when the bike is not in use. The auto turn off after 8 hrs is quite useful in that respect.

I have been recharging the battery after some short runs but I have now reverted to running it down to 20%, then removing and recharging it. After reading several recommendations on 'battery care' I find there seems to be some disagreement on best practice. My gut instinct though is that constantly recharging the battery can't be good for it. Similarly running it down to less than 10-20% is probably bad news as well. I suppose I should log how many times I have recharged it but I have been a bit lazy.


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## GlasgowGaryH (28 Nov 2019)

Winslade said:


> I suppose I should log how many times I have recharged it but I have been a bit lazy.



I have used the toolbox to update firmware and am sure there is somewhere on it to show how many times the battery had been charged

https://fazua.com/en/drive-system/digital-tools/toolbox-software/


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## Tenkaykev (29 Nov 2019)

Winslade said:


> My gut instinct though is that constantly recharging the battery can't be good for it. Similarly running it down to less than 10-20% is probably bad news as well. I suppose I should log how many times I have recharged it but I have been a bit lazy.



I'm not sure if electric bikes are the same but electric vehicles have a reserve capacity which is there to protect the battery from damage through over discharge ( the display might read empty and the vehicle not move but the battery will have shut everything down to protect itself)


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## Smudge (29 Nov 2019)

Tenkaykev said:


> I'm not sure if electric bikes are the same but electric vehicles have a reserve capacity which is there to protect the battery from damage through over discharge ( the display might read empty and the vehicle not move but the battery will have shut everything down to protect itself)



My last and current ebike have both done this.


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## Pale Rider (29 Nov 2019)

The Bosch system cuts the motor before the motor is dead flat for two reasons.

One is battery protection, the other is to leave the user with bike lights for the slow pedal/push home.


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## Winslade (29 Nov 2019)

Thanks for the info on battery discharge, I will check with Fazua but I suppose you are right, they have probably put battery protection software in there.



GlasgowGaryH said:


> I have used the toolbox to update firmware and am sure there is somewhere on it to show how many times the battery had been charged
> 
> https://fazua.com/en/drive-system/digital-tools/toolbox-software/



I will look into this, I have briefly looked at the Fazua app., but not yet downloaded it.


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## Scaleyback (30 Nov 2019)

Hi guys, I ride the Orbea Gain but am a big fan of Boardman bikes so have been following these posts.
Some discussion recently about battery care so I thought I would share This link I think this will also apply to your Boardman batteries. I’m betting they all come from the same supplier ? 
Incidentally I have previously owned a e-mtb with the Bosch 500w battery and the battery care advice I received was very similar to that contained in the included link.


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## Winslade (30 Nov 2019)

GlasgowGaryH said:


> I have used the toolbox to update firmware and am sure there is somewhere on it to show how many times the battery had been charged
> 
> https://fazua.com/en/drive-system/digital-tools/toolbox-software/



I have now looked at the Toolbox software described in the Fazua manual, then after a few hitches, got the drive unit connected up;

Download software from Fazua
Purchase Torx size 10 (to remove cover to USB connection on drive unit)
Obtain USB cable ( fortunately my camera cable had correct mini USB connector)
Connect drive unit to computer

After bringing up the software and plugging in the drive unit I can now see the total Km cycled and the number of battery cycles. Unfortunately the battery cycle figure was 0. Looking at the link from Scaleyback above, his link defines a battery cycle as a charging from 0 to 100%, which I don't believe I have ever done. I guess 20% up to 100% is the closest.


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## goo_mason (2 Dec 2019)

GlasgowGaryH said:


> I have used the toolbox to update firmware and am sure there is somewhere on it to show how many times the battery had been charged
> 
> https://fazua.com/en/drive-system/digital-tools/toolbox-software/


The Fazua phone app, 'Rider', shows you how many times the battery has been charged (along with other system data.) It connects to the system via Bluetooth, so there's no need to buy cables and download software. I _think _it can also check your software version and download/install any updates.


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## GlasgowGaryH (4 Dec 2019)

I never really spent much time on the phone app, turned it on and it seemed to be another garmin, strava type of app, maybe will look at it again


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## Mandauk40 (5 Jan 2020)

I bought the womens boardman hye 8.9E from cycle rebublic, part of the halfords group. Ive never spent this much money on a bike before. Im a complete amateur and my previous bike was a cheap front wheel hub ebike.
I assumed the more money i spent, the better the bike.
I had my first proper 20 mile ride out today, on the way home was an awful clunking noise coming from the bottom bracket, after reading the comments on here i discovered the problem. All loose torx bolts. 
Ive tightened them up but 1 of the 4 snapped off. 
Either i fix this myself or have cycle republic pick it up as my nearest shop is 70 miles away. 
I also have trouble removing the downtube battery as when i turn the key to open, it doesnt always unlatch itself.


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## Pale Rider (5 Jan 2020)

Very disappointing.

On the plus side, the Fazua motor fitted to , or in your case thrown at, the bike is reckoned to be good quality.

This looks to be another case of dreadful or non-existent pre-delivery inspection by Halfords, sorry, Cycle Republic.

Seems a leopard can change its name, but not its spots.


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## CXRAndy (6 Jan 2020)

Shame a bolt has snapped. I was going to suggest you remove one bolt in sequence, apply thread lock to prevent repeated loose bolts


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## TyrannosaurusTreks (6 Jan 2020)

It’s a shame these so called bike shops are keen to take our hard earned money,but can’t even be bothered check the bike over properly.😡


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## Smudge (6 Jan 2020)

The ebike manufacturers really need to raise their game on the quality and the reliability of their products. People are paying a high price for what is essentially just a bicycle with a battery and an electric motor. One would have thought they could manufacturer something as simple as this, without any of the problematic issues people are experiencing.
There also needs to be more standardisation of batteries and none of this refusing to sell parts to the customer, like Bosch are fond of.


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## CXRAndy (7 Jan 2020)

Smudge said:


> The ebike manufacturers really need to raise their game on the quality and the reliability of their products. People are paying a high price for what is essentially just a bicycle with a battery and an electric motor. One would have thought they could manufacturer something as simple as this, without any of the problematic issues people are experiencing.
> There also needs to be more standardisation of batteries and none of this refusing to sell parts to the customer, like Bosch are fond of.




I was looking at Stromer. Lovely looking (to me) S Peds. But being ££££. About the same as a 150mph motorcycle

That's why I built my wife an ebike for peanuts-relatively


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## Ellie454 (15 Jan 2020)

Mandauk40 said:


> I bought the womens boardman hye 8.9E from cycle rebublic, part of the halfords group. Ive never spent this much money on a bike before. Im a complete amateur and my previous bike was a cheap front wheel hub ebike.
> I assumed the more money i spent, the better the bike.
> I had my first proper 20 mile ride out today, on the way home was an awful clunking noise coming from the bottom bracket, after reading the comments on here i discovered the problem. All loose torx bolts.
> Ive tightened them up but 1 of the 4 snapped off.
> ...


I've had the same bike since September. I really enjoy riding it, but I often struggle to release the battery. I've just taken it into Halfords for them to take a look, as I couldn't get the darn thing off at all after today's ride. Interested to see it's not just me.....
Have also had the battery drop out, just the once, but that's once too many.


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## goo_mason (16 Jan 2020)

I sometimes find the battery release button a bit stiff/stubborn, but so far it's worked OK. Hopefully it'll stay that way - but the release is just a mechanism attached by a few screws inside the oversized tube, so hopefully it's a simple part to swap out and replace.

Might take a closer look at mine next time I have the bike on the workstand for a clean, and see if there are any points on the release that might benefit from a spot of lube.


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## balin5954 (19 Jan 2020)

Does the bike have mudguard fitting connections?


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## TyrannosaurusTreks (19 Jan 2020)

balin5954 said:


> Does the bike have mudguard fitting connections?


Weighing in at just 4.6kg for the whole system, the Fazua Evation system keeps the *Boardman ADV 8.9E Mens Adventure Electric Bike* lightweight and practical to live with. The battery and motor can also be removed and replaced with a lightweight cover (sold separately), meaning you can ride your e-bike just like a normal bike with barely any weight penalty and no extra drivetrain resistance if you decide you don’t need any assistance.* Pannier rack and mudguard ready,* this bike is also a brilliant commuting option.


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## goo_mason (20 Jan 2020)

It does. I fitted a set of black 'SKS Commuter Mudguards with Mud Flaps 700 x 45mm' to mine, with only minimal bodging. There were some missing bolts (I used spare SPD_SL cleat bolts, which were the same size), and I had to use two cable ties (one to create a loop on the guard and the second to hook through that loop) to pull the end of the guard tight against the seat tube, as there was no way to attach it using a bolt.

They work really well, and don't rattle about (unlike the guards on my Giant Defy road bike, which rattle horrendously, despite being bolted on properly).


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## richtea (29 Jan 2020)

Hello all, I just joined, and am looking after a womens Boardman HYB 8.9E (slightly off-topic to the original poster).
My thoughts after 3 weeks ownership / fettleship:

Overall:
- it's a game changer if you've reached the 'I can't be bothered to cycle today' stage
- there are several minor irritations, but nothing that would stop us buying another one.

Pros:
- it works seamlessly, and has transformed our rides. Hills are no problem (my better half spins up on the Boardman, with me battling to keep up on a normal bike)
- the design is 90% there, I'd say. It's very tidy, relatively light, and simple to use.

Cons:
- battery removal could be easier, as mentioned by several owners previously. It's easy after practice, but it probably the least friendly part of the design.
- The battery lock has no positive action, you just turn it fully clockwise with no resistance, click, etc. There's no indicator on frame as to which way is locked/unlocked. Unlocked = fully clockwise
- you have to take the key with you. If you set off without switching the battery on, you'll need the key to unlock and press the (now hidden) start button.
- odd exposed area underneath where the sensor wires enter the bottom bracket. Looks like a cover was thought about, not not supplied/created, since there are clip holes for one.
- app has poor support for different phones*. The failure seemed to be linked with Android 9. Android 7 & 8 devices worked fine. I'd be interested to know if that fits other people's findings.

- Boardman-specific cons: 
- the screw at the bottom of the seat tube (for mudguard attachment) has the Fazua cables directly behind it. Screwing a long bolt (longer than the brazing) in there will damage the cables at quite a cost, so beware.
- the screw holes on the rear are blocked with paint (someone else mentioned this)

Front mudguard fitting is tricky (well, for me) There are no eyelets at the bottom of the forks. There is a screw hole on the inside of each fork about 1/3rd up, and that's where you have to attach the mudguard stay. This requires two things:
- a spacer to keep the stay away from the fork / disk brake caliper
- and a bit of stressing of the stay, since you're no longer fitting the stays in a near-perfect radius to the wheel. For that reason you also have to cut a lot of excess off the bottom stay.

Also, a couple of comments on points raised in the thread:
> People are paying a high price for what is essentially just a bicycle with a battery and an electric motor. One would have thought they could manufacturer something as simple as this, without any of the problematic issues people are experiencing.

It's a simple system to understand and use. It's not a simple system to create (mechanical complexity, battery tech, motor tech, sensors, software, throw in some Bluetooth for fun, and finally design to the smallest size). I can understand the reason why they currently cost a fair chunk - although I'd agree the pricing is probably loaded 50% on having recover all those upfront design costs.

> The Fazua phone app, 'Rider', shows you how many times the battery has been charged (along with other system data.) It connects to the system via Bluetooth, so there's no need to buy cables and download software. I think it can also check your software version and download/install any updates.

Updates are only via the PC/Mac/Linux software, not the app. The cable is standard, but two iterations out of date compared to phone cables:
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable £3.89


*I'm an app developer, so I tested it with several of our phones. Some worked, some didn't, so I emailed the app developer. Initially, he talked, but then went quiet on me after I gave him all my findings. Shame. So I don't bother using the app.
Many companies consider apps to be an add-on, whilst completely forgetting they're a very direct contact with customers. Fazua obviously think the same. They need to consider it as part and parcel of the e-bike experience, not some afterthought.


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## Winslade (6 Feb 2020)

Ellie454 said:


> I've had the same bike since September. I really enjoy riding it, but I often struggle to release the battery. I've just taken it into Halfords for them to take a look, as I couldn't get the darn thing off at all after today's ride. Interested to see it's not just me.....
> Have also had the battery drop out, just the once, but that's once too many.



My locking mechanism is now packed with chain lube and seems to be working ok but it does seem a pretty crude part of the bike. I always arrive at the bike wondering if the lock is going to work or not. I think it will be a good 6 months of trouble free cycling before I start to believe it will be ok.


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## Notxal (10 Feb 2020)

Mudguards - Just fitted some *SKS Chromoplastics *to my standard ADV 8.9E. Size ordered (Wiggle) were 700mm x 45mm. The fit well but you need access to some basic tools to modify some parts.

Modifications needed -
Front mudguard - Only modification was cutting the stainless wire stays to length and did this with a rotary tool with a small cutting discs (Dremel type tool).

Rear Mudguard - Ran a 5mm tap through the bike's pre-tapped bolting holes as I think the paint overspray had clogged them a little. Had to the extend the shaped cutouts on the actual mudguard where it bolts to the bottom crank bracket, did it with the Dremel with a cutting disc. Also as with the front stainless stays, shorten them to length when fitted. Had to shorten one bolt before fitting.


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## gzoom (3 Mar 2020)

Had my 8.9 hybrid E for 3 weeks now, using it to get me back into cycling, commuting roughly 10 miles a day. Really loving the bike, its fast (when there isn't a 20 mile headwind blowing), handles well, and the electrical assistance gives the boost I need to get to work without becoming sweaty. 

Halfords fitted some clip on mudguards which are working well, I've lowered the stem, got some toe clips, and decent lights. Am getting around 50-70km on a charge, and as my legs are getting use to having some miles put into them the Fazua system is really starting to make its presence known - the harder I push, the more assistance is given, and the faster I go, love it .

I had my doubts my spending so much on a Halfords bike, but my last Carrera Subway lasted me well (till it was nicked). Am hoping by the summer all the commuter miles will get my legs into shape to take my Trek Madone road bike back out without feeling like the old man I am these days.


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## Pale Rider (3 Mar 2020)

There was a test of a Fazua bike which reported problems with mud thrown up from the front wheel getting into the motor.

I think that was in mountain bike use, but you could consider fitting a traditional deep mudguard with a flap that sits just a few inches off the road.


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## richtea (5 Mar 2020)

The motor/battery pack has a drain hole! I kid you not. Sensible design, since water getting in would have no way out, which would be much worse. It's a small 3mm hole just above the USB port (the little bump on the motor/battery unit), and should be kept clean/open.

But I think you would have to be doing some serious off-roading to get water in, though. Commuting isn't going to get water in there.

The little weakness in the electrics design, IMHO, is the exposed sensor wires underneath the crank. They have insulation on them, but I'd like to see a small cover fitted too - with a similar 3mm drain hole, as above. I asked, but Fazua don't sell one.
I'm waiting for an intelligent Fazua owner with a 3D printer to create one, and I'll be your beta customer.


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## richtea (5 Mar 2020)

It looks like Fazua have re-designed their lock mechanism, which is the source of mild irritation on existing bikes (stiff, slightly awkward to use, but not a showstopper):

New:
https://fazua.com/en/drive-system/evation/locker-px/
Old:
https://fazua.com/en/drive-system/evation/locker/

From the picture, it looks like instead of pushing the release button on top of the frame, you now flick a lever under the frame.
That makes sense because your hands need to be underneath to catch the battery as it drops out.

It doesn't appear that you can retro-fit the new lock.


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## gzoom (13 Mar 2020)

Really getting use to the bike now. The wide tyres and low central of gravity makes trying to do track stands very easy!

The weight of the battery on the downtube also really helps with stability in cross winds, even in 40mph gusts the bike is very stable, much for so than my Trek carbon road bike.

Taking it back to Halfords this weekend for the 'free' intial service, headset keeps coming loss, and a slight intermittent noise from the BB.


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## Notxal (14 Mar 2020)

gzoom said:


> Really getting use to the bike now. The wide tyres and low central of gravity makes trying to do track stands very easy!
> 
> The weight of the battery on the downtube also really helps with stability in cross winds, even in 40mph gusts the bike is very stable, much for so than my Trek carbon road bike.
> 
> Taking it back to Halfords this weekend for the 'free' intial service, headset keeps coming loss, and a slight intermittent noise from the BB.


Would like to know what Halfords say or diagnose about the intermittent bottom bracket noise as mine does the same. Reported it to Boardman Customer service and all they said was take it to your local Halfords. I also have an issue with the battery latch being insecure which apparently is a common issue.


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## Mike Ayling (15 Mar 2020)

goo_mason said:


> The other thing to look at when you consider the bike cost is the price of the battery, motor, drive system in the BB and even the controller on the bars. A spare battery alone is over £300, the charger is over £100, the control unit on the handlebars is £100, and I dread to think what the motor and BB units would each cost. Even buying a plastic cover for the battery hole in the frame for days you wanted to ride without the battery and motor will set you back £70 - £100). Altogether, they'll be much more expensive than my current road bike was when I got it in 2008 (it was £550 - a Giant SCR2, now a Defy frame with SCR2 components after the frame cracked within warranty and the SCR frame was no longer made).


A hundred quid for a charger - Crikey!


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## richtea (15 Mar 2020)

> ...a slight intermittent noise from the BB...

If you haven't do so already, it's worth checking the bottom bracket bolts are tight. I checked my better halfs, and one was loose (no BB noise, mind - I was just checking), and I know someone further up the thread had the same problem. I don't know the formal torque required, but it shouldn't be loose. And carry the Torx key with you - 10 grams of 'security'!


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## richtea (15 Mar 2020)

> A hundred quid for a charger - Crikey!

As far as I can tell, this is the charger:
http://www.mdacharger.com/charger36v/88.html

And this is the (quite high tech) connector:
https://www.rosenberger.com/en/products/automotive/ropd.php

I haven't tried creating / buying one, but that's where I'll be looking first, should I ever need a replacement charger.

MDA make chargers for other e-bikes (GTech have the same 42v 2A output, I think), so it's worth checking their prices if you can find one with the same characteristics. I've seen a few at £30-40, but you'll need to graft your own Rosenberger connector on.

Or just email MDA, and see if they sell direct.


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## gzoom (20 Mar 2020)

The noise in the bottom bracket was loss bolts that need tightening, also had loss headset which was partly down to disc brake mount bolts not tight.

Would be nice to have problems, but local Halfords sorted the issues quickly and on the spot. 

Loving the bike overall, yesterday when going up hill into wind I thought I try what it was like to ride with the motor off......Needless to say I turned the motor back on pretty sharpish .

I've got the hand of the battery pack latch now, no issues so far but still only early days.


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## richtea (30 Mar 2020)

richtea said:


> > A hundred quid for a charger - Crikey!
> I haven't tried creating / buying one, but that's where I'll be looking first, should I ever need a replacement charger.



Just in case someone comes to read this in a year's time, looking for a broken Boardman charger solution:
- A cheap near-match MDA charger came up on eBay for £20 (made for an iconBIT scooter). I bought it, opened it and compared it to our genuine Fazua-branded one.

The volts & amps match the Fazua, both boards and components are near-identical, just a few changes, with nothing to suggest it wouldn't work.
The iconBIT one is slightly older I think - it had a datestamp of 1805, so I guess that's May 2018.

The interesting bit is that although the Fazua one has the fancy Rosenberger power + data connectior, it only uses the power connectors, i.e. just two wires coming out. I was expecting to find clever digital internals - but there's none, so the smart part is within the Fazua battery pack, not the charger. Hmm, why the fancy price for the charger then?

I also found the Rosenberger connector is expensive at £25+ - pretty annoying since the Fazua just requires 2 wires, no intelligence. Due to no Rosenberger connector, I haven't tested the cheap replacement yet.


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## Pale Rider (30 Mar 2020)

Before the Boardman was released, Fazua ebikes were typically £3k to £4k.

For that you got a £750 ally roadie with the Fazua motor.

There did seem to be a substantial premium being charged for the motor.

Bosch ebikes are not cheap, but £1,750 would get you one bolted to a £500 trekking bike.

Also bear in mind the most expensive component to buy - the battery - is twice the size, so one might think a Fazua motor should add less than a Bosch motor to the price of the bike, not more.

Everyone has to make a living, but the dearer Fazua bikes looked close to profiteering.


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## richtea (31 Mar 2020)

You're right, Pale Rider, the premium is around £1000-1250 for the battery system. I'll wait for a Fazua-based model to drop below £2k before buying another. Because of my height, I need a an XL frame so it has to be the ADV not the HYB model.

In terms of battery value, I don't need the extra energy (or the extra wattage that some others offer), and I appreciate the tidy Fazua design.
I really just need a little extra up the hills - but as ever, it's horses for courses. Give it another 10 years, and I'll want double the power!


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## Smudge (31 Mar 2020)

richtea said:


> You're right, Pale Rider, the premium is around £1000-1250 for the battery system. I'll wait for a Fazua-based model to drop below £2k before buying another. Because of my height, I need a an XL frame so it has to be the ADV not the HYB model.
> 
> In terms of battery value, I don't need the extra energy (or the extra wattage that some others offer), and I appreciate the tidy Fazua design.
> I really just need a little extra up the hills - but as ever, it's horses for courses. Give it another 10 years, and I'll want double the power!



I had the same problem of the HYB model only going up to L, wasn't big enough to fit me right. I probably would have bought one if they did it in an XL. Especially as Halfords was doing it for £1,850 around last November.


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## Pale Rider (31 Mar 2020)

richtea said:


> You're right, Pale Rider, the premium is around £1000-1250 for the battery system. I'll wait for a Fazua-based model to drop below £2k before buying another. Because of my height, I need a an XL frame so it has to be the ADV not the HYB model.
> 
> In terms of battery value, I don't need the extra energy (or the extra wattage that some others offer), and I appreciate the tidy Fazua design.
> I really just need a little extra up the hills - but as ever, it's horses for courses. Give it another 10 years, and I'll want double the power!



You've weighed it up nicely.

A Fazua bike is not for everyone, but it looks like it will suit you.

At least you are getting some quality engineering for the cash premium.

The eBrompton is close to daylight robbery, unless you bought one in the dark.

It's a £100 hub motor and a £300 battery in a Brommie bag - total about £500.

Yet they charge £2,700 for it fitted to a £1,000 Brompton, albeit neatly fitted.

A true victory of style over substance.


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## gzoom (4 Apr 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> Everyone has to make a living, but the dearer Fazua bikes looked close to profiteering.



I think the marketing strategy of Fazua, much like other brands (eg Apple/Tesla etc) they are aiming for the 'premium' end of the market. I have to say the fact the Boardman shares the same e drivetrain as a Look/Pinarello road bike was enough to convince me to get one as my first eBike rather than any other system. For Boardman its a great move to use the Fazua system.

Now that I've done decent miles on the bike, am itching at my next ebike purchase. The Boardman is a great commuter bike, but the laid back geometry, very very flexible frame compared Trek Madone frame, fat tyres means I don't think the true potential of the Fazua system can ever be truly realised on the Boardman frame. For example attacking a 5-6% climb on the Boardman is simply not as 'fun' as on my Trek road bike despite its having electrical assistance.

This is what am now saving up for, yes there are much cheaper ways to get on a eRoad bike, but much like everything else in life there is a market at every price level. Given my last Trek roadbike is still serving me despite been nearly a decade old, I'll be more than happy to splash on a more special frame/setup to pair up with Fazua system.........Yes just like the Pinarello Nytro, its an obscene amount to even think about spending on a pedal bike, but the world events of late have shown everyone how short life really is. If you can afford it, why not?? But I do think I'll wait another 12 month for the inevitable, 40%+ sales .


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## TyrannosaurusTreks (4 Apr 2020)

....Yes just like the Pinarello Nytro, its an obscene amount to even think about spending on a pedal bike, but the world events of late have shown everyone how short life really is. If you can afford it, why not?? But I do think I'll wait another 12 month for the inevitable, 40%+ sales 

I totally agree with you on that😁, I have the domane + & it is a beautiful ride.
Love the colour of the Lt🤪


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## gzoom (4 Apr 2020)

Off topic, but I do love Trek bikes, ever since I had a ride on a USPS spec bike from the Armstrong eria...






This is the road bike I have now, pretty old by modern standards with no internal cabling or ability for disc brakes, but as they say 'it's not about the bike' .






The 2020 Domane is mouth watering, my Boradman is average bike made great because of the Fazua system, but the Trek looks like an awesome bike full stop .


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## gzoom (16 Apr 2020)

So my bike ended up needing to be 'rebuilding' by local Halfords to finally sort out a crank noise that was persistent.

Yesterday Fazua released an software update for their eBike motor, now allows quite a lot of customisation of how the motor kicks in. Will give it a go tomorrow to see if it makes any difference to my average speed on the commute. 

Overall over 200 miles done now, really enjoying the bike despite the trips back to Halfords to sort out crank noise.


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## richtea (20 Apr 2020)

richtea said:


> It looks like Fazua have re-designed their lock mechanism, which is the source of mild irritation on existing bikes (stiff, slightly awkward to use, but not a showstopper):
> New:
> https://fazua.com/en/drive-system/evation/locker-px/
> It doesn't appear that you can retro-fit the new lock.



Turns out I was wrong - as ever!

You can retro-fit the new lock & remote to existing bikes. £149 gets you the pair - Locker pX + Remote fX.
The lock replaces the existing mechanism, and the remote fills the hole of the old lock's push button.

Fazua suggests you get your local (Fazua) dealer to fit them.

I haven't tried them, but I'd say the replacement lock looks simpler to use (a lever instead of the existing quite tough button), but not so sure about the remote. Having controls on the handlebar might be more conveneient for many than stretching to the down tube.

For anyone considering a new Fazua-enabled bike, I suggest you try and get this update for free, or use the info to get an equivalent price reduction on your bike.


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## gzoom (20 Apr 2020)

Had the email about the new lock/remote retrofit today, am not sure its worth the money. Am quite happy with the current lock at present. 

Am more excited about the up and coming phone app. Overall though great to see a company offering retrofits and supporting all their customers rather than force you to buy a new bike .


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## gzoom (27 Apr 2020)

Getting some miles in now with the new software update. The effect is quite noticeable, the assistance on the flat with no wind is almost too much, doesn't feel like cycling when you are hardly having to put the effort in but still going along at a reasonable pace.

For the commute though it's very useful though. Getting very settled with the bike and the commute, half considering some Chinese Carbon wheels to make climbing more engaging though am not sure if they will survive out pot hole covered roads, but otherwise have no plans to modify the bike.


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## Ralphbostie (18 May 2020)

goo_mason said:


> Never thought about pulling the battery into the frame whilst pushing the lock - I'll give that a try.
> 
> Couldn't ride it to work today as it started clunking noisily on each pedal rotation yesterday on the way in and got much worse on the way home. Took a look when I got into the flat and as I suspected, the bottom bracket unit was loose. I went to get my allen keys to tighten the loose bolts and then found they were Torx bolts. Tightened one a little with an allen key to see how loose it was, but didn't use any pressure for fear of stripping the Torx head. It was actually VERY loose.
> 
> Torx set on order from Amazon and should be arriving at the private Amazon locker at work today.


Had the same problem, clunking noise on pedal rotation, been searching online and found the answer on here from your post, tightened all four bolts (one was very loose) the noise has now gone, thanks for the advice.


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## CXRAndy (20 May 2020)

Ralphbostie said:


> Had the same problem, clunking noise on pedal rotation, been searching online and found the answer on here from your post, tightened all four bolts (one was very loose) the noise has now gone, thanks for the advice.



Best would be to apply Loctite thread locker to stop vibration loosening


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## Bovis (21 May 2020)

gzoom said:


> Had the email about the new lock/remote retrofit today, am not sure its worth the money. Am quite happy with the current lock at present.
> 
> Am more excited about the up and coming phone app. Overall though great to see a company offering retrofits and supporting all their customers rather than force you to buy a new bike .
> 
> View attachment 516561


Hi. Just new to this forum and I have a quick question about the new fazua lock mechanism. I've just ordered a new Boardman Adv 8.9e from Halfords but due to the current setup in Halfords I wasn't able to get to speak to anyone there that was able to answer the question would the Boardman adv 8.9e come with this new locking mechanism. As I understand the new locking mechanism is better than the previous mechanism for ensuring the motor enclosure is secured.

Would any of you kind readers on this forum know if I could expect Halfords to be selling their Boardman's Adv 8.9e with this new mechanism?

Thanks a million


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## gzoom (21 May 2020)

No idea if Halfords are doing the new lock, but I wouldn't be too bothered if they haven't. Having gotten use to the lock it's not hard to use, and I personally have has no issues.

The moving of the remote to the down tube would make it harder to change the support level.


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## richtea (21 May 2020)

> Would any of you kind readers on this forum know if I could expect Halfords to be selling their Boardman's Adv 8.9e with this new mechanism?

I suspect it's unlikely. Having scanned a few bikes only the most recent models seem to have it (Canyon, Trek etc). You can tell by the small lever sticking out of the down tube in the images. Examples with the new lock:
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/e-bikes/e-road-bikes/endurace-on/endurace-on-7.0/2486.html
https://www.e-velo.uk/electric-bicy...amont-e-grandurance-rd-expert-fazua-2020.html

However, rather than guess, you could ask Boardman direct. They should be able to point your query to a knowledgable person within the company:
Email: contact@boardmanbikes.com 

And please tell us the result!
Cheers...


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## Bovis (21 May 2020)

richtea said:


> You can tell by the small lever sticking out of the down tube ...


Thanks all. I have emailed Boardman and I will let you know as soon as I hear. Thanks for the tip on how to spot if the bike has the new locking mechanism. The post covid19 shopping experience in Halfords isn't very conducive to asking presales questions. While queuing outside the politely efficient Halfords guy told me that noone would be able to answer such a question in store but recognised that it was a significant purchase hence he said order it online anyhow and don't collect/pay for it unless I am 100% happy with the mechanism when it's ready. Can't say fairly than that.


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## gzoom (22 May 2020)

Have a look at this as well, I didn't realise the S3 was actually the same price as the 8.9, I probably would have ordered one instead of the 8.9 had I done my eBike research in more detail.

https://www.vanmoof.com/en-NL

Though the online reviews about lack of support is worrying. My Boardman went back to Halfords 3 times for them to sort out a creaking crank- needed rebuild to fully sort out. And knowing I have 2 year warranty + longer on the frame is very reassuring.

Despite my bike needing to go back to them for work the customer service has been fab, even during this COVID lock down, the fact there are 3 stores in town I can go to is also really convenient. 

I've been so happy with their customer service I've now bought a 3 year service plan on the bike, given it's now used daily knowing I can just drop the bike off at any shop for maintenance is a great, and saves me any worries about on going upkeep.


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## Winslade (22 May 2020)

Bovis said:


> Hi. Just new to this forum and I have a quick question about the new fazua lock mechanism. I've just ordered a new Boardman Adv 8.9e from Halfords but due to the current setup in Halfords I wasn't able to get to speak to anyone there that was able to answer the question would the Boardman adv 8.9e come with this new locking mechanism. As I understand the new locking mechanism is better than the previous mechanism for ensuring the motor enclosure is secured.
> 
> Would any of you kind readers on this forum know if I could expect Halfords to be selling their Boardman's Adv 8.9e with this new mechanism?
> 
> Thanks a million


 
If I was in your shoes I would definitely ensure you got a bike with the new locking mechanism. My bike has already been back to Halfords as the plastic inside the lock had broken off. They fixed it, but another issue is that the release button can be very stiff (particularly if not used for some time) and I seem to be wearing my thumb out at the moment trying to get it to operate. I have now resorted to using chain lube to try and ensure it works a little easier. One last problem; most people will tell you that they listen for a loud 'click' to ensure that the drive unit has fully located into the lock. Unfortunately that does not always work and you may well hear the click but ocassionally the unit will still drop out ( for me at least).

If the mechanism is so good, you would have to question as to why Fazua have gone to the trouble of re-engineering it and providing a retrofit. One more thing, if you do try and fit the new mechanism yourself it apparently the warranty is null and void.


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## richtea (22 May 2020)

>


Bovis said:


> ...it was a significant purchase hence he said order it online anyhow and don't collect/pay for it unless I am 100% happy with the mechanism when it's ready. Can't say fairly than that.



Ah, be careful.
It comes in a box delivered by a bloke in a lorry who has less connection to Boardman than the Halfords guy, and has no interest in it. Love the irony of the text in the pic - it wasn't damaged, phew:







Mr Delivery Man isn't going to wait 10 minutes whilst you crack open the box, strip the foam off the frame, and check if the locking mechanism is new:


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## Bovis (23 May 2020)

Thanks for the photos of the packaging/box. I won't be rushed into taking the bike if not 100% happy as I genuinely tried to get my questions answered in the store but they weren't able to answer and said just order online and check it out when it arrives. 

By the way, does any else who owns a Adv 8.9e have a similar noise to this poster?

View: https://youtu.be/iKxTJTDmEMM


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## gzoom (24 May 2020)

@Bovis You might be in danger of looking up every fault possible on a product and getting panicked over nothing even before the product arrives!!!

The problem with the internet is if you ask the question you will ALWAYS find an answer you didn't like or worry about.

All I can say about Fazua system in Boardman is that it's the SAME system found in bikes by Look, Pinarello, Trek, Focus etc. These are not 'cheap' brands targeting the bargain basement customer, and will realise the consequences a poor performing system will do to their brand image.

The issues I have with my Boardman surrounds the bike it self (cheap frame, cheap wheels, not put together properly leading to a need for rebuild), rather than the Fazua system, which am very pleased with and would happily buy again but on a much more expensive bike.


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## gzoom (24 May 2020)

Bovis said:


> Thanks for the photos of the packaging/box. I won't be rushed into taking the bike if not 100% happy as I genuinely tried to get my questions answered in the store but they weren't able to answer and said just order online and check it out when it arrives.
> 
> By the way, does any else who owns a Adv 8.9e have a similar noise to this poster?
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/iKxTJTDmEMM




I cannot quite work out what noises are been described, but the motor does 'clunky' when engaging on occasions, though am sure thats because Halfords haven't 'tuned' the torque delivery well, the latest 2.0 software let's you do that your self though.

It shouldn't make a noise when you free wheel, but if you back pedal it'll make a noise as itll disengage from the BB. The noise isn't too dissimilar from the noise a good wheel set makes when free wheeling.

Why didn't you just order it from Halfords for them to build and you collect from the store? My local Halfords is open to customers and I've been to them numerous times during lock down to sort out the build issues on my 8.9e?

If you collect from the store you can check out the bike on handover, raise any worries or reject it there and than!


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## richtea (24 May 2020)

The ratchet noise normally only occurs when you pedal backwards. It's from the bottom bracket and the ratchet is needed to disconnect the motor from the rest of the bike.
On the video he isn't pedalling backwards, but he's stopping pedalling quite quickly and his feet do go slightly back on each stop.

Nothing to worry about, but some people find the ratchet noise annoying.
It's quite noisy compared to say a rear wheel ratchet, but not many people pedal backwards.


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## Ralphbostie (24 May 2020)

CXRAndy said:


> Best would be to apply Loctite thread locker to stop vibration loosening


Cheers for the advice Andy, something I will look into. Another guy I met on the trails said he’d had the same problem, also his catch to release the battery wouldn’t work, he took it back and they fitted a different catch for him.


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## Ralphbostie (24 May 2020)

Bovis said:


> Thanks all. I have emailed Boardman and I will let you know as soon as I hear. Thanks for the tip on how to spot if the bike has the new locking mechanism. The post covid19 shopping experience in Halfords isn't very conducive to asking presales questions. While queuing outside the politely efficient Halfords guy told me that noone would be able to answer such a question in store but recognised that it was a significant purchase hence he said order it online anyhow and don't collect/pay for it unless I am 100% happy with the mechanism when it's ready. Can't say fairly than that.


Hi Bovis, collected my Boardman Electric Hybrid bike nearly two weeks back, the handover was non existent, I went to the front door entry, gave the woman my order number, was told to go around the back to collect the bike, a woman came out and gave me the bike and charger and went straight back inside. It hadn’t got the new locking system on it though. A guy I met on the trails took his back because he was having problems and they fitted a lever underneath and he said it works great now? Must say, it’s a great bike though, feels really sturdy and light considering it has a battery. Just looking into buying a pannier set if anyone has any ideas best suited for the Boardman Hybrid 8.9E?


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## Ralphbostie (24 May 2020)

Winslade said:


> If I was in your shoes I would definitely ensure you got a bike with the new locking mechanism. My bike has already been back to Halfords as the plastic inside the lock had broken off. They fixed it, but another issue is that the release button can be very stiff (particularly if not used for some time) and I seem to be wearing my thumb out at the moment trying to get it to operate. I have now resorted to using chain lube to try and ensure it works a little easier. One last problem; most people will tell you that they listen for a loud 'click' to ensure that the drive unit has fully located into the lock. Unfortunately that does not always work and you may well hear the click but ocassionally the unit will still drop out ( for me at least).
> 
> If the mechanism is so good, you would have to question as to why Fazua have gone to the trouble of re-engineering it and providing a retrofit. One more thing, if you do try and fit the new mechanism yourself it apparently the warranty is null and void.



Hi Winslade, I guy I spoke to had the same problem and they fitted a lever underneath and blanked the button off for him and he says it works fine now?


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## richtea (24 May 2020)

That's good - the 'lever' is the new lock mechansim. So:
1) buy from Halfords
2) complain about the lock
3) they'll retro-fit the newer, better version.

Job done.


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## gzoom (24 May 2020)

For anyone playing with the Fazua 2.0 software I've finally found a set of configs that work for me. Essentially if you push the 'ramp up speed' to 'max' (so low time), the motor 'over boosts' and motor ends up not spinning freely because it wants to run at a higher RPM than your legs.

I've found on some very very light off roading I did today (up a grassy hill), these setting offer a good balance, and you can feel the 'rocket' mode offering useful support.

I recon though there is a 400Watt setting which activates in 'Rocket' mode Fazua hasn't made obvous as it feels stronger than 'Breeze' even though both have the same power setting on the config page.


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## Ralphbostie (25 May 2020)

gzoom said:


> @Bovis You might be in danger of looking up every fault possible on a product and getting panicked over nothing even before the product arrives!!!
> 
> The problem with the internet is if you ask the question you will ALWAYS find an answer you didn't like or worry about.
> 
> ...


Hi gzoom, I had the Halfords bike build, when I collected the bike and rode it home, there wasn’t any noise coming from the Crank area, I went out for several rides and the noise started to appear only when peddling and got louder, I was going to take it back but when I checked online I got the answer to the problem on here, the four torq bolts that was illustrated on here were loose, one was very loose, I tightened the four bolts up and the noise went and everything appears fine. I checked online first because Halfords would have taken ages to book me in again due to the COVID 19 problems, I emailed Fazua to warn them that several people were having this problem and they got back to me and told me to check the bolts after a few more rides just in case and they wouldn’t have caused any permanent damage. I agree the Fazua is a great system and I do like the bike, not very happy with the Halfords bike build though, even though it’s free.


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## Winslade (26 May 2020)

Ralphbostie said:


> Hi Winslade, I guy I spoke to had the same problem and they fitted a lever underneath and blanked the button off for him and he says it works fine now?


Yes as mentioned, the 'fix' is the new re-engineered lock (Locker px). Anyway, I went out for a short ride this morning and when I got back.......... I couldn't get the release button to work, so I have booked the bike back into Halfords for an inspection on the 2nd June. I am hoping they will replace the whole lock with the new Locker px, particularly as this is the third time I have had to take the bike back. The first occasion was loose bolts on the BB which quite a few people seem to have had a problem with.


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## Ralphbostie (26 May 2020)

Winslade said:


> Yes as mentioned, the 'fix' is the new re-engineered lock (Locker px). Anyway, I went out for a short ride this morning and when I got back.......... I couldn't get the release button to work, so I have booked the bike back into Halfords for an inspection on the 2nd June. I am hoping they will replace the whole lock with the new Locker px, particularly as this is the third time I have had to take the bike back. The first occasion was loose bolts on the BB which quite a few people seem to have had a problem with.


Hi Winslade, hope everything gets sorted, poor design that button.


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## gzoom (26 May 2020)

Starting the mods, got some cheapo Chinese carbon seat+tube.....must have saved oh 100grams or half the weight of a number 2 .







Been lower the stem height to try and get a more aero position, if its not too bad on the back I'll need to trim the steerer tube, as we all know a bike is only as good as it look.


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## ferdinand2000 (29 May 2020)

Can I thank everyone who has contributed to this thread for an interesting read, which I have enjoyed. And it is good to see more flexible e-bikes coming in with attainable prices. 

I have been running a Boardman Hybrid Team with a Gruber Assist for a little under 5 years (I got the ex-demo Gruber so it was merely very very expensive rather than horribly excruciating), and there are some interesting contrasts. At the time the Hybrid seemed to have the same frame as the Cyclocross version with differences being drop bars and maybe a couple of bits of kit - but not very much. 

I have the Gruber as I occasionally run with bikepacking or shopping loads, or I want to get somewhere non-sweaty whilst out on the posh. 

This is a good chance for a review, and a compare and contrast:

- 8.9 ADVe has much more control over the electrics / assist, but is less stealthy with that console. I have on/off and perhaps more sensitive control via the pedals. 
- 8.9 ADVe has more power.
- 8.9 ADVe has that 25 kph speed limit on the assist.
- 8.9 ADVe is rather heavier. By the time it has lights and tech, pump and puncture kit and bits, it could add another kg or two. Mine is just under 15kg all in, including a small front rack. Not sure how much of the weight difference is down to battery - the one I have is 270 Wh.
- 8.9 ADV-e those tyres look interesting - I will take a look. I run Marathon Supremes, which are great but slippery on mud/offroad.

Would I get one?

Very possibly. Concerns would be:

- That speed limiter - one of my things is to get the extra 3-4mph from the electric on a smooth path; I would want a way to disable the limit.
- Range of gears. I make the ADCe 27-102 Gear Inches (ish). That 27 would not be low enough at the low end for me - want 20, and I cannot see an easy way to change it.
- Visibility / security when locked. Can the console be removed and taken away?

Looks like a really great bike overall.

Ferdinand


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## Manno (5 Jun 2020)

Just bought the Boardman electric bike and noticed underneath there’s an open section with 2 cables should there be 3 cables and also should this have some sort of cover on it


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## gzoom (5 Jun 2020)

^Mine is the same, it's how they come. The cover for the wires I believe is an optional extra which Boardman clearly didn't pay for.


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## richtea (11 Jun 2020)

Yup, ours has no cover either. I'm happy to pay for one, if there are any 3D printer gurus out there prepared to create one.


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## Mokum (12 Jun 2020)

Is there anyone noticing any ratchet sound pedaling forward from the bottom bracket?
Not as loud when pedaling backward, but with the chain off I sense a clicking sound which I thought wasn’t there in the beginning.Haven’t noticed it before so could be there to begin with. I did only 200km on it. Like to know if this is normal?


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## gzoom (12 Jun 2020)

I thought I check up on the battery compartment after a week or so of commuting in light rain. 

There does appear some water ingression into the battery/motor casing, its not too bad, not much more than a smudge but I can see how if you are riding in torrential rain/mud all the time it will cause issues. 






You can see the fluid build up at the bottom, there is suppose to be a drainage hole but I couldn't see one? 






I'll be keeping an eye on this, if the issue becomes a problem I'll be pushing for a refund on the bike, at nearly £2K its not a cheap Halfords special which you might expect issues on.


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## gzoom (12 Jun 2020)

Mokum said:


> Is there anyone noticing any ratchet sound pedaling forward from the bottom bracket?
> Not as loud when pedaling backward, but with the chain off I sense a clicking sound which I thought wasn’t there in the beginning.Haven’t noticed it before so could be there to begin with. I did only 200km on it. Like to know if this is normal?



There should be no noise at all when pedalling normally, if possible record the sound and take it back to Halfords for them to sort it out.


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## Mokum (12 Jun 2020)

gzoom said:


> There should be no noise at all when pedalling normally, if possible record the sound and take it back to Halfords for them to sort it out.


Thought so. It’s a Canyon but with the same drive system, so thought you guys have the experience here. Since most seem to ride the Boardman with the Fazua evation drive system. Trying to post the video. But that’s not working. 
So give Canyon a call on Monday I guess 😡


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## richtea (12 Jun 2020)

> You can see the fluid build up at the bottom, there is suppose to be a drainage hole but I couldn't see one?

It's just above the USB cover - well hidden in the fins.
I have to say I can't see any light coming through once the battery is removed though, so whether it drains OK I don't know.







One of us needs to tip water in there - without the battery in place.
OK, I'll do it: :-)






I'd say it works very well indeed. And maybe yours has already drained.


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## gzoom (12 Jun 2020)

^Great find, mine had some mild road debris over it, so probably just need to keep it clear. Not the best place for a drainage hole though, I imagine if you did proper off roading with the bike that area will be covered in mud pretty quickly!


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## gzoom (19 Jun 2020)

A week of commuting in the rain, pleased to report no water ingress.


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## Ralphbostie (6 Jul 2020)

Has anyone had a red light on the remote? Went out yesterday and a red light came on, checked the website and it said to clean the connector’s, done this but the red light has stayed on?


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## Mocaccino (27 Jul 2020)

goo_mason said:


> Never thought about pulling the battery into the frame whilst pushing the lock - I'll give that a try.
> 
> Couldn't ride it to work today as it started clunking noisily on each pedal rotation yesterday on the way in and got much worse on the way home. Took a look when I got into the flat and as I suspected, the bottom bracket unit was loose. I went to get my allen keys to tighten the loose bolts and then found they were Torx bolts. Tightened one a little with an allen key to see how loose it was, but didn't use any pressure for fear of stripping the Torx head. It was actually VERY loose.
> 
> Torx set on order from Amazon and should be arriving at the private Amazon locker at work today.


I have had my 8.9E for 2 months and it has been running like a dream and brought back the childhood joy of cycling. I'm getting a lot of stares from other cyclists which at first I thought was because I'm easy on the eye but have now come to realise they are checking out the bike 

There was an embarrassing moment when riding home from Halfords where I couldn't figure out how to shift down as I have never come across double tap levers but a quick web search came to the rescue 

I haven't dropped the battery yet (famous last words), I always use both hands when releasing with both thumbs pushing on the release button and the fingers cradling the battery like a newborn baby.

I just started getting the creaking/clunking on pedal rotation and have hand tightened the Torx bolts and no more annoying noise. There is some thread locker on order to help it stay in place. You have saved me a load of time and effort with multiple trips back to Halfords. 

THANKS GOO_MASON YOU ARE A LEGEND


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## Winslade (30 Jul 2020)

richtea said:


> That's good - the 'lever' is the new lock mechansim. So:
> 1) buy from Halfords
> 2) complain about the lock
> 3) they'll retro-fit the newer, better version.
> ...



Well..... not quite. Over the past year I have taken the bike back to Halfords four times because the lock mechanism locked up (no pun intended).
So after getting an email from Fazua advertising their new lock 'Locker px' and reading on here that someone had managed to get their old mechanism replaced I took the advice and asked for a retro fit with the new locking mechanism. That was over six weeks ago ! The Halfords technician apologised profusely but said he had ordered the part on 3 separate occasions but had not received it and had not had an email as to why it had not been delivered. When I now go onto the Fazua website I can not find the locker px advertised ( unless I am in the early stages of senile dementia, which is quite possible). After 6 weeks without the bike the manager of Halfords offered me a refund - which I immediately accepted.

I love the Fazua motor I think it's a great piece of engineering and I like the ability to tune the power delivery and remove the battery for charging. But I have simply had enough of the hassle with the lock and have now started to look for a replacement ( Ribble at the moment is a possibility although you can't remove the battery). Great pity because I really loved that bike.


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## Beachbuggy (22 Aug 2020)

It's great to have found you guys (and women) and this Boardman forum, having been searching for answers to my various questions on the ADV 8.9E .
I found the Biketest review of the Cairn E-Adventure 1.0 in the August/September 2020 edition of Cycling UK magazine very interesting and I pretty much agree with their conclusion - " .... the whole thing is great fun if, perhaps, not as slick overall as the main opposition." That referred to the Orbea Gain M20 (£3,999) and Boardman ADV 8.9E (£2,399).
Before I made my decision to purchase the Boardman, I visited the Cairn factory/showroom at Partridge Geeen to look at the bike and give it a short spin around the business park to make my comparions. Having already decided that I preferred the ADV 8.9E, alhough Halfords don't allow you to try out the bike, the trial ride did not change my mind. I decided that I didn't really need the Hunt wheels and hydraulic discs at an extra cost of £600, plus pedals. And I also got a special 10% discount at Halfords with the Cycling UK monthly voucher on everything I purchased, although the voucher does state that the discount does not apply to e-bikes.
Winslade, I'm just about coming to the decision that you have already made; I love the bike, but the very poor locking mechanism is negating all the positives about the bike. On Monday I will go back to Halfords to see if they can provide a solution, other than keeping the mechanism well lubricated. I am loathe to spend another £70 on the new Locker pX just now.
In your experience, is it essential to replace the Fazua battery/motor with the red locking mechanism open before clicking shut, or can it also be inserted with it the red lock "in" and then locked out with the key?
I have recently been using the bike without the battery and motor with just the Downtube Cover in place. That was another £74!
I too have found a slight rattle developing in the bottom bracket and tightened the locking screws as others here have suggested. In your experiences, did the T20 and T30 screws all work loose, and about how much torque should be put on them in tightening?
I'll be using the bike a bit more next week and let you know how it feels after making these adjustments.
Meanwhile I will continue playing with the new Fazua Toolbox 2.0, which I have found really can make a difference to the bike's response and performance.


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## gzoom (22 Aug 2020)

I've had a recent interesting 'experience' with my 8.9e. Since new its made a slight clinking noise when in Rocket mode. I finally got around to taking a video and sending it to Fauza.

I was pleasantly susprised how quickly Fazua got back to me, and informed me the whole BB/Crankset needed replacing.

It took 2 weeks for Halfords to get new parts, first ride today on my commute to work and in Rocket mode I absolutely smashed my previous PB, averaging nearly 18mph on a 15kg hybrid during a commuting ride, thats the kind of speed I aim for on my road bike when going for it!!





.

I've also taken it on some minor off roading which was fun of sorts, though am not sure the risk of falling into Thistle is any nicer than a close pass by a lorry on the road .






Thankfully I've has no issues with the lock, maybe its because I open/close it everyday, I may get the 12V switch to allow the remote to power it on/off.

Overall now that the Fazua motor on my 8.9e is working well am very pleased with the bike. My daily commute on it is about to increase from 6 miles to 15 miles, and as the weather worsens the 8.9e will be taking up more miles at the weekend as I put the road bike to rest till next year .

The bike is fab but you do have to chase Halfords to sort out issues which shouldn't really exist on a £2k pedal bike .


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## richtea (23 Aug 2020)

> I'm just about coming to the decision that you have already made; I love the bike, but the very poor locking mechanism is negating all the positives about the bike. On Monday I will go back to Halfords to see if they can provide a solution, other than keeping the mechanism well lubricated.

That bad? Ours can be stiff, but it's still pretty usable. It takes practice - maybe 2 or 3 removals before you get into the swing of it. Same goes for the lock position, which may fool some new owners into thinking the lock is stiff/faulty when it's simply locked:
- Locked = turn key anti-clockwise, and when the key is vertical remove it. The battery is now locked in. Pressing the release button now does nothing.
- Unlocked = turn key clockwise, and when the key vertical you can press the release button firmly with two thumbs, whilst supporting the battery.

You can always insert the battery, regardless of the lock position. Insertion is a positive action - you'll hear it click in (sometimes a double click), and the top of the battery will be flush with the frame.

However, for all that, the new lock mechanism must be an improvement - otherwise why would Fazua have designed it?!


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## Beachbuggy (24 Aug 2020)

richtea said:


> > I'm just about coming to the decision that you have already made; I love the bike, but the very poor locking mechanism is negating all the positives about the bike. On Monday I will go back to Halfords to see if they can provide a solution, other than keeping the mechanism well lubricated.
> 
> That bad? Ours can be stiff, but it's still pretty usable. It takes practice - maybe 2 or 3 removals before you get into the swing of it. Same goes for the lock position, which may fool some new owners into thinking the lock is stiff/faulty when it's simply locked:
> - Locked = turn key anti-clockwise, and when the key is vertical remove it. The battery is now locked in. Pressing the release button now does nothing.
> ...


richtea, Thanks for your advice but I have been using the bike for six months, and following your guidance on (attempting) to open and close the battery compartment each time, having removed it dozens of times. Sometimes it just plain jams up and no amount of pushing the button will release it. If I bounce the bike a bit on the ground a few times it sometimes loosens it, and I can sometimes insert a wooden spatula to prise it open as I squeeze down forcibly with my other two hands on the release button. 
I have also invested in a downtube cover for cycling without the battery, when the frame develops an irritating clicking sound when I push down hard on the pedals going uphill; this I put down to the slightly reduced stiffness of the frame without the heavier cover.
Only small irritations, but enough to put me off what otherwise is a brilliant bike.


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## richtea (24 Aug 2020)

Beachbuggy said:


> If I bounce the bike a bit on the ground a few times it sometimes loosens it, and I can sometimes insert a wooden spatula to prise it open as I squeeze down forcibly with my other two hands on the release button.


Yup, I agree that sounds much worse then ours. That's a shame.
Worthy of a free exchange of the locking unit, if you can esasily reproduce it in front of Halfords. It's not fit for purpose if you can't get the battery out!


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## gzoom (24 Aug 2020)

Had more time on the bike last few days since getting the motor sorted. Have to say am very impressed, it delivers more than enough assistance for the commute which means I can hit a higher average speed and extend my commute ride home just for fun .

On a 5.6% average gradient which hits 11% in parts with Rocket mode am matching the best times I get on my road bike (green circle), and significantly quicker than before when the motor wasn't working properly (red circle).

Interestingly the Strava power estimates seem reasonable as the last two rides up the hill I had Rocket mode on which is suppose add 300Watts almost exactly the same difference between the ride pre motor fix and post .






On the flat the motor doesn't add much if at all, this is on a 3km stretch of 0% gradient. But because I wasn't as knackered when I got the segment I was able to go pretty hard, so usefully quicker than before. But you can just how much quicker my road bike is, with a best time of nearly 10km/h quicker.






Overall am really looking fowards to see how the bike handles the coming winter's commute.


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## Wooly67 (6 Sep 2020)

GlasgowGaryH said:


> I had same problem with battery first few times, dropped the blasted thing as it was heavier than I thought. Now my system is to unlock battery, pull battery into frame, this I feel releases the tension on the lock, push lock and gently drop the battery on to the front tyre, turn lock and release key, switch on battery, pull battery back into frame until I hear it click home, then push lock to test it wont fall out. Well it works ok for me.


no matter what I do I can’t undo the battery, don’t seem to have strength in my thumbs, have to get other half to take it off for me, the new model for 2020 as rich Tea says - has a catch which you lift up to release the battery, wish I had known that . I also just bought the cover for £70, tried that thinking less weight, I still can’t get it off.ha. .... weakling....


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## Wooly67 (6 Sep 2020)

My 8.9e has just gone back in to Halfords today, for the clinking and clicking, they had a new tech Who said he would look at it... the last tech just got sacked .... the one that built my bike no doubt... any way fingers crossed.....


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## gzoom (6 Sep 2020)

@Wooly67 Well worth sticking with it to get the Halfords to sort the bike out, once working as designed its a fantastic machine. 

See my other post, but I may now enjoy riding it more than my road bike!!


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## Wooly67 (6 Sep 2020)

Yes I will thanks, I’ve been following what you said , glad yours is sorted now.


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## Wooly67 (10 Sep 2020)

My bike went back On Sunday as previously stated so gave Halfords a call for update Wednesday and the new tech guy who has been really great said he wouldn’t do the repair as it would keep happening, so they have ordered me a new bike. He said it should be delivered to them on Friday, so hopefully this one will be problem free . Fingers crossed.


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## Ralphbostie (10 Sep 2020)

Wooly67 said:


> My 8.9e has just gone back in to Halfords today, for the clinking and clicking, they had a new tech Who said he would look at it... the last tech just got sacked .... the one that built my bike no doubt... any way fingers crossed.....


Hi Wooly67, I bought my first 8.9e in May this year, when I left the shop with the bike, I had a clicking noise develop within 3 days, I contacted Fazua and told them the four crank bolts had worked loose, they said tightening them up wouldn’t do any harm. About a month later I had a red light show on the remote, so the battery and drive pack wouldn’t work, Fazua suggested taking it back to Halfords. Six weeks later Halfords still hadn’t sorted the problem out, so I demanded a new bike, my 90 days warranty was nearly up, they did agree and gave me a new bike.

i picked my new bike up, just before leaving the shop I asked the guy to check the four bolts was tight, to his surprise three were loose to which he tightened them up for me. They Then worked loose again in no time, so I contacted Fazua and Boardman, both saying the bolts shouldn’t come loose, I took photos of the bolts and sent them to Fazua showing no Loctite had been used. Fazua sent me back four new bolts with Loctite on saying tighten and leave for 24 hours. I think it’s a factory problem not at the Shops, Fazua has been in touch with Boardman about it so hopefully they get to grips with it? The bolt size were M6 x16 they arrived within about four days from Fazua, I haven’t had a problem since.


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## Wooly67 (10 Sep 2020)

Ralphbostie said:


> Hi Wooly67, I bought my first 8.9e in May this year, when I left the shop with the bike, I had a clicking noise develop within 3 days, I contacted Fazua and told them the four crank bolts had worked loose, they said tightening them up wouldn’t do any harm. About a month later I had a red light show on the remote, so the battery and drive pack wouldn’t work, Fazua suggested taking it back to Halfords. Six weeks later Halfords still hadn’t sorted the problem out, so I demanded a new bike, my 90 days warranty was nearly up, they did agree and gave me a new bike.
> 
> i picked my new bike up, just before leaving the shop I asked the guy to check the four bolts was tight, to his surprise three were loose to which he tightened them up for me. They Then worked loose again in no time, so I contacted Fazua and Boardman, both saying the bolts shouldn’t come loose, I took photos of the bolts and sent them to Fazua showing no Loctite had been used. Fazua sent me back four new bolts with Loctite on saying tighten and leave for 24 hours. I think it’s a factory problem not at the Shops, Fazua has been in touch with Boardman about it so hopefully they get to grips with it? The bolt size were M6 x16 they arrived within about four days from Fazua, I haven’t had a problem since.


Thanks Ralphbostie for letting Me know, I have read a similar thing on this site so I will make sure when I pick it up that they have done that.


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## Ralphbostie (10 Sep 2020)

Wooly67 said:


> Thanks Ralphbostie for letting Me know, I have read a similar thing on this site so I will make sure when I pick it up that they have done that.


If they are loose Wooly67, I wouldn’t just let them tighten them back up, insist on Loctite being applied again or do it yourself, otherwise they will loosen again. They have to be tightened to a specific torq, I think it’s 8.8n or something near this figure. I’ve also bought the plastic down tube which I use when I mostly do the trails and when I don’t need the battery. I’ve found the best mudguards to use and fitted are SKS Raceblade pro, the front one protects the down tube Vent from muddying.


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## Wooly67 (10 Sep 2020)

Ralphbostie said:


> If they are loose Wooly67, I wouldn’t just let them tighten them back up, insist on Loctite being applied again or do it yourself, otherwise they will loosen again. They have to be tightened to a specific torq, I think it’s 8.8n or something near this figure. I’ve also bought the plastic down tube which I use when I mostly do the trails and when I don’t need the battery. I’ve found the best mudguards to use and fitted are SKS Raceblade pro, the front one protects the down tube Vent from muddying.


Yes I will make sure they are done with loctite And torqued up properly.
I just bought the down tube cover as well, got it for £70, thanks for the tip on mudguards as I have been looking for some, I will check them out. Seems a very good idea to stop as much dirt as possible getting on the vent. thanks again. 
Just looked at the mud guards , am going to get some.


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## Ralphbostie (10 Sep 2020)

Wooly67 said:


> Yes I will make sure they are done with loctite And torqued up properly.
> I just bought the down tube cover as well, got it for £70, thanks for the tip on mudguards as I have been looking for some, I will check them out. Seems a very good idea to stop as much dirt as possible getting on the vent. thanks again.
> Just looked at the mud guards , am going to get some.


If you do get the mudguards, I bought two small L shaped brackets from Wilko, drilled a small hole in the top of the mudguard to take a small bolt, fitted the L shape bracket to the plastic guard and bolted it into the hole in the fork to secure them better, same with the rear. These mudguards were recommended by Boardman when I emailed them, i got mine from Tredz, they give you a discount if you join their newsletter.


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## Wooly67 (10 Sep 2020)

Ralphbostie said:


> If you do get the mudguards, I bought two small L shaped brackets from Wilko, drilled a small hole in the top of the mudguard to take a small bolt, fitted the L shape bracket to the plastic guard and bolted it into the hole in the fork to secure them better, same with the rear. These mudguards were recommended by Boardman when I emailed them, i got mine from Tredz, they give you a discount if you join their newsletter.


Thanks Ralphbostie, will do . Good advice thanks.


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## gzoom (11 Sep 2020)

I've got these fitted on my mine by Halfords, they been on since Feb and I've done about 700 miles now. They work very well even in heavy rain, no issues with rubbing, and I've even taken them on very 'light' off roading with no issue. They are secured with only one nut I think.


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## Ralphbostie (11 Sep 2020)

gzoom said:


> I've got these fitted on my mine by Halfords, they been on since Feb and I've done about 700 miles now. They work very well even in heavy rain, no issues with rubbing, and I've even taken them on very 'light' off roading with no issue. They are secured with only one nut I think.
> 
> View attachment 546499
> 
> ...


Very nice Gzoom, they look ok. I do mostly trails the Vent part on the down tube was always muddy that’s why I had the mudguards and ever since it’s not been a problem.


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## Wooly67 (11 Sep 2020)

What kind are they Gzoom, they are good match for your bike.!


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## gzoom (11 Sep 2020)

They are these.

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/mudguards/sks-beavertail-xl-mudguard-set-118046.html

Been on a virtual training conference last 3 days, managed to grab a quick 15 minute ride yesterday, cannot wait to go out on the bike again this weekend .


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## Wooly67 (11 Sep 2020)

gzoom said:


> They are these.
> 
> https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/mudguards/sks-beavertail-xl-mudguard-set-118046.html
> 
> Been on a virtual training conference last 3 days, managed to grab a quick 15 minute ride yesterday, cannot wait to go out on the bike again this weekend .


Thank you. Can’t wait to get my new one......


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## Ralphbostie (11 Sep 2020)

Wooly67 said:


> Thank you. Can’t wait to get my new one......


When do you pick it up Wooly67? I’ve been doing sections of the Trans pennine trail, Chesterfield to Doncaster about 72k, came back on train, then following week I caught train to Doncaster and went up to Hornsea, stopped off overnight at Hessle near Hull. The bike handled really well, Hartley had to use the battery because it was so flat. Next week Daughter is dropping me off at Leeds Station, then I’m cycling back to Sheffield on the TPT. I haven’t gone for pannier bags, just use a saddle bag 11 litres, it’s enough for a couple of nights out, even fitting the charger in.


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## Pale Rider (12 Sep 2020)

Ralphbostie said:


> When do you pick it up Wooly67? I’ve been doing sections of the Trans pennine trail, Chesterfield to Doncaster about 72k, came back on train, then following week I caught train to Doncaster and went up to Hornsea, stopped off overnight at Hessle near Hull. The bike handled really well, Hartley had to use the battery because it was so flat. Next week Daughter is dropping me off at Leeds Station, then I’m cycling back to Sheffield on the TPT. I haven’t gone for pannier bags, just use a saddle bag 11 litres, it’s enough for a couple of nights out, even fitting the charger in.
> View attachment 546600



I'm not familiar with the Fazua charger, but some ebike owners have had problems with the moulded/charger end of the low voltage cable severing when carried on the bike.

Answer, of course, is to pack it very carefully.

The mains lead isn't usually a problem because many of those unplug.

If yours doesn't, that also needs careful packing.


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## Ralphbostie (12 Sep 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> I'm not familiar with the Fazua charger, but some ebike owners have had problems with the moulded/charger end of the low voltage cable severing when carried on the bike.
> 
> Answer, of course, is to pack it very carefully.
> 
> ...


Cheers for that, I didn’t know about the problem and I think they are costly to replace am I right? Might put it in a plastic type sandwich box next time and pack it in a small back pack. The mains lead does unplug so that can be packed separate if theirs not enough room.


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## Pale Rider (12 Sep 2020)

Ralphbostie said:


> I think they are costly to replace am I right?



Almost certainly, most branded ebike kit is a lot of money.

The charger may be a little more complicated than a simple trickle one.

My Bosch charger has a relay in it which I can hear clicking when it is charging both batteries on the bike.


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## gzoom (12 Sep 2020)

@Wooly67 Hope you get the new bike soon, only had just over 1hr free this for a quick ride due to family duties, wanted to go exploring off the beaten track a bit so took the Boardman instead of my road bike.

Ended up facing this guy, decided best not to go across his field!!







Managed to average 18mph with a decent amount of climbing, using about 35-40% of battery. Legs feel just knackered as I would expect on my road bike, but only quicker, love it .


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## Wooly67 (12 Sep 2020)

I’ve not had my bike yet was kind of hoping to get it today, maybe tomorrow ...
0


Ralphbostie said:


> When do you pick it up Wooly67? I’ve been doing sections of the Trans pennine trail, Chesterfield to Doncaster about 72k, came back on train, then following week I caught train to Doncaster and went up to Hornsea, stopped off overnight at Hessle near Hull. The bike handled really well, Hartley had to use the battery because it was so flat. Next week Daughter is dropping me off at Leeds Station, then I’m cycling back to Sheffield on the TPT. I haven’t gone for pannier bags, just use a saddle bag 11 litres, it’s enough for a couple of nights out, even fitting the charger in.
> View attachment 546600


I was hoping to get it today , maybe tomorrow ...can’t wait , I’ve got a 50 mile sponsored ride next Sunday so looking forward to trying it before then. That‘s some ride you’ve done there , Sounds great. it’s handy when you can get on the train too. I found when I did my first ride on mine I didn’t use battery until on way home. I do love it, just hope all is well with my new one.


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## Wooly67 (12 Sep 2020)

gzoom said:


> @Wooly67 Hope you get the new bike soon, only had just over 1hr free this for a quick ride due to family duties, wanted to go exploring off the beaten track a bit so took the Boardman instead of my road bike.
> 
> Ended up facing this guy, decided best not to go across his field!!
> 
> ...


yes that a good ride with a good climb, it’s really good that you can still feel it in the legs and feel like you have had a good ride. With the assist for the hills of course..lol
I should get my bike tomorrow hopefully.... was hoping for it today , but not to be... As long as all is ok with it I will ring up in the morning. Watch this space ! You could have out pedalled that fellah ok. Haha


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## gzoom (12 Sep 2020)

Wooly67 said:


> Watch this space ! You could have out pedalled that fellah ok. Haha



Let us know how you get on.....I did think about opening the gate, but than remembered am still recovering from this argument I had with the tarmac not that long ago .


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## Wooly67 (12 Sep 2020)

gzoom said:


> Let us know how you get on.....I did think about opening the gate, but than remembered am still recovering from this argument I had with the tarmac not that long ago .
> 
> View attachment 546758


Ugh. Now that looks nasty, that’s the trouble with skin and tarmac ha... I’ve got One on my shin from a month ago ouch. Let you know how the bike goes.


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## Ralphbostie (13 Sep 2020)

Oh dear, that looks a bad one Gzoom, bet that was painful. Glad to see your ok 👍


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## gzoom (13 Sep 2020)

Took the opportunity today to get some nice shots of the bike, lovely looking machine compared to most other eBikes .







Also been educating my daughter on bike photography...


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## Wooly67 (13 Sep 2020)

gzoom said:


> Took the opportunity today to get some nice shots of the bike, lovely looking machine compared to most other eBikes .
> 
> View attachment 546861
> 
> ...


It is a lovely bike and your daughter looks like she has got it covered !!! Lovely garden too !


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## Wooly67 (14 Sep 2020)

At last.... got my new replacement bike today. Despite them losing the keys and a wait of 45 mins while they looked for them!! However, so far so good, no nasty noises on way home. Going on a longer ride tomorrow to see how it is.


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## Wooly67 (15 Sep 2020)

I recently asked Fazua about the clicking problem with my last bike and the cover for the sensor cables underneath.. I know everyone knows what it is but this is what they Said and attached a very good video :-


Thanks for using a Fazua system.
The noise may be caused by the incorrect tightening of the bottom bracket screws.
I recommend that you (or your local bicycle retailer) check all the fasteners as indicated in the following video and the attached document :

View: https://youtu.be/t5rO2_7FPYk

I would start from the 4 screws that hold the bottom bracket to the bike frame.

Regarding the cover: The bottom bracket is supplied from us to manufacturers without any cover (as in your case). It is then a manufacturer's choice whether to apply protection or not. Some add it and others do not. You should ask Boardman if they offer it.

Regards,


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## gzoom (16 Sep 2020)

Been playing the Wahoo phone app which can take a power reading from the Fazua motor. I've never used a power meter before so really interesting to see on a flat bit of road pushing 20mph into a headwind I was producing 300Watts peak power. 






Going up a hill in 'Rocket' mode added 200watts+ of power as expected. 






Next couple of days I'll try riding in no assistance mode to see just how much power am normally generating......This isn't good for my wallet though as a powermeter alone for my other bikes is £££!!


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## TyrannosaurusTreks (20 Sep 2020)

These guys are fazua trained & say you should only use crank bolts once & only use fazua thread lock when changing bolts.
which they have in stock.
https://ebikeufo.co.uk/


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## Ralphbostie (21 Sep 2020)

TyrannosaurusTreks said:


> These guys are fazua trained & say you should only use crank bolts once & only use fazua thread lock when changing bolts.
> which they have in stock.
> https://ebikeufo.co.uk/


Yes that’s the impression I got as well.


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## Wooly67 (21 Sep 2020)

Did 50 miles yesterday on a sponsored ride with my club, first ride out on my new bike and all was great, I really enjoyed It, the bike is now ready for a good clean as we went coastal so sand and dust galore.


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## Wooly67 (21 Sep 2020)

Wooly67 said:


> I recently asked Fazua about the clicking problem with my last bike and the cover for the sensor cables underneath.. I know everyone knows what it is but this is what they Said and attached a very good video :-
> 
> 
> Thanks for using a Fazua system.
> ...


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## gzoom (27 Sep 2020)

Loving this bike with aero bars, 40 miles today (Garmin error first 5 miles), minimal assistance but I was glad it was there on a 14% incline into a 20 mph headwind. No way would I have tried the same ride on my sub 8kg road bike with aero wheels and rim brakes....fun it would not have been!!






Used 40% charge to do 40 miles, so in theory 100 miles range .


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## gzoom (15 Nov 2020)

Been commuting on the Boardman nearly daily, actually misjudged charging and ended up with no battery for half my commute to work today. But I couldn't resist still taking the scenic route home. Big advantage of eBikes, is unlike electric cars, when you run out of charge you can still keep going .


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## gzoom (4 Dec 2020)

Just under 20 miles in rain/sleet/wind today, was glad to have disc brakes/mudguards/30mm+ tyres and the occasional motor boost up some hill when the feet/hands started to freeze!!


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## sonic10 (16 Jan 2021)

Wooly67 said:


> Did 50 miles yesterday on a sponsored ride with my club, first ride out on my new bike and all was great, I really enjoyed It, the bike is now ready for a good clean as we went coastal so sand and dust galore.


Hi I went on my bike yesterday and only got 23 miles with 20% left how do u get 50 ?and well done on your ride !


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## sonic10 (16 Jan 2021)

Hi went out on my bike yesterday was not pleased because it’s says 60 miles u can get from it I would be happy with just 40 or 50 but got 23 miles with 20% battery left 😞also going up hill bike was helping then stopping like it was going forward the pulling backwards any help please


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## gzoom (17 Jan 2021)

sonic10 said:


> I would be happy with just 40 or 50 but got 23 miles with 20% battery left 😞also going up hill bike was helping then stopping like it was going forward the pulling backwards any help please



Was it into wind? The Fazua motor is actually really strong, I think it'll easily peak at 400watts if de restricted but the 250watthr battery is small. If you are constantly using the assistance you will burn through the pack in less than hour, so 20-30 mile range is quite feasible, especially when cold as that also drops the range.

What was you're average speed? If it was below 16mph than it simply because the motor was always on.

You can always turn the assistance off when you don't really need it.you


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## lyn1 (18 Jan 2021)

sonic10 said:


> 😞also going up hill bike was helping then stopping like it was going forward the pulling backwards any help please


My wife and I experienced similar issue when we first got the Canyon (Fazua) bikes. As you slow on a climb cadence tends to drop. That is when we found the drag effect. There appears to be an optimal cadence range for smooth power transmission. (maybe in manual). Try to change into an easier gear before cadence falls too low. Experience should let you know when.


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## Ralphbostie (9 Feb 2021)

sonic10 said:


> Hi went out on my bike yesterday was not pleased because it’s says 60 miles u can get from it I would be happy with just 40 or 50 but got 23 miles with 20% battery left 😞also going up hill bike was helping then stopping like it was going forward the pulling backwards any help please


Hi Sonic, it just depends on how much and what power level you used. Regarding the surging, have you checked the magnet alignments or cleanliness on the wheel? Does it throw a yellow light up on the remote, this would indicate poor connection between remote and bottom bracket. Just a thought.


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## richtea (10 Feb 2021)

Surging doesn't sound right - that's not something I've experienced. I'd get the bike checked.

I definitely agree with the cadence point - keep it spinning. 55-125 rpm is recommended by Fazua. Even 55 rpm can seem quite fast spinning if you're a novice rider. Or Dutch. 😊


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## Littgull (10 Feb 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Very nice but you might illicit cries of 'Oi, cheat' when other cyclists spot the thick downtube as you speed past.


To whom I would reply "I wasn't aware I had entered a race against you!"


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## Drago (11 Feb 2021)

As an ebike rider myself I wonder where all these unfit riders who can be bested by an overweight ebike that cuts out at 15.5 mpg live? Im in my 50's and not the lightest athlete out there, but on a normal bike can run rings around ebikes. Hell, my average is 5mph higher on my regular bikes.

Im guessing all the grossly unfit smokers and burger munchers are clustered in just a few areas.


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## gzoom (11 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> Hell, my average is 5mph higher on my regular bikes.



Stop showing off now, if you can average 20.5mph thats quicker than most people can go on any bike.


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## Ralphbostie (11 Feb 2021)

Littgull said:


> To whom I would reply "I wasn't aware I had entered a race against you!"


I don’t understand them, I just don’t know who I’m cheating, if it wasn’t for the pedal assist bike I wouldn’t have got back into cycling.


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## Ralphbostie (11 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> As an ebike rider myself I wonder where all these unfit riders who can be bested by an overweight ebike that cuts out at 15.5 mpg live? Im in my 50's and not the lightest athlete out there, but on a normal bike can run rings around ebikes. Hell, my average is 5mph higher on my regular bikes.
> 
> Im guessing all the grossly unfit smokers and burger munchers are clustered in just a few areas.


I’m guessing you don’t need an E Bike then?


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## Ralphbostie (11 Feb 2021)

richtea said:


> Surging doesn't sound right - that's not something I've experienced. I'd get the bike checked.
> 
> I definitely agree with the cadence point - keep it spinning. 55-125 rpm is recommended by Fazua. Even 55 rpm can seem quite fast spinning if you're a novice rider. Or Dutch. 😊


I had it not long after picking up my bike from Halfords last year, the assist would kick in then stop, I couldn’t understand it, then I noticed a yellow light on the remote so I googled it and it pointed to the magnet not being aligned, so I re arranged and it has been fine ever since.


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## ianmac62 (27 Feb 2021)

Hello everyone! Really grateful to have found this thread towards the end of a long time researching into / dithering about an e-bike. Everyone's comments have been really helpful to me; I've appreciated the photos too, both the ones in the wild and the ones going into those parts of a bike that you just don't see on manufacturers' / retailers' websites or in commercial reviews.

It's usually invidious to pick anyone out for special thanks in these situations ... but I'll give it a go. So thank you especially to @goo_mason @richtea and @gzoom for so many words and photos of wisdom; and to @Mandauk40 and @Notxal for their photos. You were very helpful.

I've ordered on the Halfords website an ADV 8.9e, a spare Fazua battery, and an empty battery compartment cover. I collect the bike "built" from my local Halfords in eleven days time. Yippee!

I've also spent a long time looking in my shed at torx sockets that will fit on the end of a small torque wrench. I was also pleased to discover that I had a small screwdriver set, purchased years ago in Lidl, that has a choice of torx heads! The first job will be to check that the bike has been "built". And then check that the firmware is up-to-date, I guess.

Other stuff - saddle, pedals - I know I've got. I'll want to fit mudguards (thanks for the advice and photos) and a pannier rack. I'll give the bike a few miles before deciding on better bar tape.

So many, many thanks!

P.S. I read somewhere, possibly on the CTC site / forum, that I can reduce the gearing further by swapping to a Sunrise 11 - 46 cassette (with a longer chain). Does any have any thoughts about this?


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## CXRAndy (27 Feb 2021)

ianmac62 said:


> P.S. I read somewhere, possibly on the CTC site / forum, that I can reduce the gearing further by swapping to a Sunrise 11 - 46 cassette (with a longer chain). Does any have any thoughts about this?



The difference between 11-42/46 is 26" to 24" gear inches (lower number,easier gearing).

To be honest, if the motor is half as strong as my Tsdz2 then hills will be fine. My wife literally rides away from me on steep hills.


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## gzoom (28 Feb 2021)

ianmac62 said:


> P.S. I read somewhere, possibly on the CTC site / forum, that I can reduce the gearing further by swapping to a Sunrise 11 - 46 cassette (with a longer chain). Does any have any thoughts about this?



You don't need to worry about gearing, the motor will get you up anything without much effort.

The first thing to do when you get the bike is to make sure the firmware on the motor, controller and battery is uptodate. You can also than setup the support levels to how you want including pushing the max watts to 300watts.

Connecting a bike up to your latop as one of the first jobs on getting a new pedal bike.....crazy times we live in .

Ps: If you connect up the battery pack to the computer with pack still on the bike you can also access Bottom Bracket info using the computer software.

https://fazua.com/en/drive-system/software/toolbox-software/


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## ianmac62 (28 Feb 2021)

Thank you, @CRXAndy


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## ianmac62 (28 Feb 2021)

Thank you, @gzoom - noted and will do!


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## Ralphbostie (28 Feb 2021)

ianmac62 said:


> Hello everyone! Really grateful to have found this thread towards the end of a long time researching into / dithering about an e-bike. Everyone's comments have been really helpful to me; I've appreciated the photos too, both the ones in the wild and the ones going into those parts of a bike that you just don't see on manufacturers' / retailers' websites or in commercial reviews.
> 
> It's usually invidious to pick anyone out for special thanks in these situations ... but I'll give it a go. So thank you especially to @goo_mason @richtea and @gzoom for so many words and photos of wisdom; and to @Mandauk40 and @Notxal for their photos. You were very helpful.
> 
> ...


Hi Ianmac, when you pick the Bike up get them to check that the Torx bolts are tight, on two occasions (they swapped my first bike) the bolts wasn’t tight. I’ve emailed Boardman and Fazua about this problem, Halfords just build the bike up as like per delivered to your house, i think the problem has been traced back to manufacture build up.


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## ianmac62 (28 Feb 2021)

Thanks, @Ralphbostie - added to my notes of things to ask / check when I go to Halfords!


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## Ralphbostie (28 Feb 2021)

ianmac62 said:


> Thanks, @Ralphbostie - added to my notes of things to ask / check when I go to Halfords!


My first Bik


ianmac62 said:


> Thanks, @Ralphbostie - added to my notes of things to ask / check when I go to Halfords!


I don’t know if your bike will come with the new Locker PX, I’ve just had it fitted to my bike, it’s made such a difference getting the battery out.

https://ebikeufo.co.uk/products/fazua-evation-locker-px


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## ianmac62 (28 Feb 2021)

Ralphbostie said:


> new Locker PX


Also on my list when I go to collect the bike! 👍


----------



## CXRAndy (28 Feb 2021)

The motor bolts coming loose seems to be a common issue. I would check myself, remove each bolt clean and apply blue thread lock torque down to setting


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## Ralphbostie (28 Feb 2021)

CXRAndy said:


> The motor bolts coming loose seems to be a common issue. I would check myself, remove each bolt clean and apply blue thread lock torque down to setting


When I asked them at Halfords to check mine, they said “they hadn’t heard of the problem” I told them to check on here and see how many had had the problem. So I took delivery of my bike and asked them to check the bolts and three of the four bolts were loose backing up my claim. If we keep doing it ourselves the issue never gets sorted, Fazua said they shouldn’t be loose and to keep reporting it to Halfords.


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## ianmac62 (28 Feb 2021)

CXRAndy said:


> The motor bolts coming loose seems to be a common issue. I would check myself, remove each bolt clean and apply blue thread lock torque down to setting





Ralphbostie said:


> Fazua said they shouldn’t be loose and to keep reporting it to Halfords


Added to my to do list 👍


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## ianmac62 (9 Mar 2021)

Collect my ADV 8.9e tomorrow morning from my local Halfords (I've had an e-mail & a text from them) so 🤞🤞 for the build. Spent quite a while this evening rereading this thread. Now have a long checklist for the shop and for when I get home (so long it's a spreadsheet).

Thanks again to all contributors and for all the photos too. I let you know how I get on.


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## Ralphbostie (9 Mar 2021)

ianmac62 said:


> Collect my ADV 8.9e tomorrow morning from my local Halfords (I've had an e-mail & a text from them) so 🤞🤞 for the build. Spent quite a while this evening rereading this thread. Now have a long checklist for the shop and for when I get home (so long it's a spreadsheet).
> 
> Thanks again to all contributors and for all the photos too. I let you know how I get on.


Good Luck Ianmac, I’ve been out today around Hardwick Hall, 32k and loved it, just brought a Polaris frame bag (mini) large doesn’t fit, for my tools and spares. Have you paid for it yet Ianmac? If you join British cycling for £25 it gives you a 10% discount off Halfords?


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## ianmac62 (10 Mar 2021)

Thanks @Ralphbostie I aim to fit a pannier rack rather than a frame bag (I'm old skool). I *think* that Halfords exclude e-bikes from the discount from British Cycling. I have paid and went through a link from the Barclays Bank website (rather than directly to the Halfords website) where Halfords are signed up to that bank's "Blue Rewards" scheme. Should receive a small cashback into a current account I have with that bank. Also a small cashback from using a cashback credit card. Not great but helps! (Another online retailer that is signed up for "Blue Rewards" is Apple who don't appear to offer any discounts elsewhere.)


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## CXRAndy (10 Mar 2021)

ianmac62 said:


> I aim to fit a pannier rack rather than a frame bag



The Topeak MTX panniers touring are excellent, folding away when not needed and quick slide removal.


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## ianmac62 (10 Mar 2021)

Thanks @CXRAndy - I've got a spare Tubus rack that I'm thinking of using but I've noted your suggestion.


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## ianmac62 (10 Mar 2021)

Well, I've collected my new Boardman e-bike. Didn't ride it home; the weather is a bit unkind at the moment - for the same reason, no photos in beautiful sunshine. Will either wait a day or two for good weather, or when I've fitted mudguards, for a proper test ride as I'd read the earlier comments about the exposed cables under the bottom bracket. (OTOH all my non e bikes have cables running there; but those cables will be wire or pneumatic rather than electric.)

First impressions:

love the colour as it's an understated blue and not as shiny as shown on the Boardman and Halfords websites
the down tube is just a little bulkier than shows on the websites
the battery is lighter than I thought it would be
The kit on the bike:

the controller (the remote) is in the top tube; I think I'm going to prefer that to on the handlebars, partly because it's clearly not likely to be detached and partly because it leaves more bar space for Garmin, lights etc
the battery lock is the newer model with the little lever
I like the flared drop to the bars; leaves the "on the hoods" position nice and narrow for a thin chap like me
the saddle is a Fizik Tundra M7
The tyres are Vittoria Terreno Zero TLS Graphene 2.0; the TLS stands for "tubeless ready" which is marked on the tyre; 700x38; recommended pressure 45-80psi also marked on tyre.
How I got on at Halfords:

the first thing that happened was that the assistant gave me the key (& spare) before I got my checklist our of my pocket; so no chance of leaving without it
the charger (both parts) was in a plastic bag firmly attached to the handlebars together with two manuals: a generic Boardman owner's manual and a Fazua Evation quickguide; so again no chance of leaving without them
moving on to stuff this thread had advised me to check - when I asked him, the assistant checked the torx bolts of the bottom bracket/cranks in front of me; nothing at all moved (and he was a good strong lad)
he then gave me a sheet filled in and signed by the assembler/mechanic with a list of what he'd done (and he spoke to him by phone); I *think* the numbers he'd filled in indicate the torque for four items (seat post, saddle, stem & bars, and those bb bolts) and the pressure in the tyres; he'd tightened the BB bolts to 40Nm - which is a great deal more than the 8.8Nm I saw earlier in this thread - but coincidentally that's the same number as the tyre pressure (!) he'd filled in, so I'll double-check
the same sheet had the frame number on it
I'm not used to thru' axles; the assistant didn't give me a demonstration but talked me through removal; this isn't in the generic Boardman owner's manual which is solely concerned with QR axles
Next steps while the weather is lousy:

put a Garmin mount on the bars
order SPD pedals; I have two sets of spares but they are well used (and it is a new bike!)
order mudguards; thanks for the advice above
fit mudguards first, then pannier rack
download & install desktop app and mobile app; update firmware/software; check power settings as above (or I might leave that until I've put in some miles)
visit the Boardman and especially Fazua websites for detailed instructions / videos - again thanks for the links posted above - there are no online references / addresses in the manuals I received
check the recommended torque of those BB bolts!
and charge the batteries!!
I don't think I'll go with the blue threadlock recommendation above at first as the bolts really did seem very tight in the shop.

But any thoughts on those recommended torques?

I've been really helped by this thread and so hope that this post gives a little help to future readers.


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## gzoom (10 Mar 2021)

@ianmac62 The weather isn't great am sure you will love it after a ride....am contemplating if I should commute tomorrow. 40mph gusts, I wouldn't try it on my road bike, but these eBikes are heavy things.....


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## richtea (10 Mar 2021)

Excellent, and congrats!


ianmac62 said:


> > the battery is lighter than I thought it would be



Ah - and the amusing bit is that the piece you remove from the bike is battery PLUS motor! An impressively small motor.

The battery then pops out from that chunk, but you've probably noticed that already (push the button that says 'Press', at the same time as a Spock-like Vulcan death grip on the other two grip spots, and pull).

You don't need to remove it to charge it, of course, but you can buy a second battery if you're planning long trips.



ianmac62 said:


> > But any thoughts on those recommended torques?


I couldn't see it in our manual either. I'd email Boardman, and ask. They do reply.


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## ianmac62 (10 Mar 2021)

gzoom said:


> @ianmac62 The weather isn't great am sure you will love it after a ride....am contemplating if I should commute tomorrow. 40mph gusts, I wouldn't try it on my road bike, but these eBikes are heavy things.....


Ah, that's the difference between commuting and retirement. I'm not the first to observe this: that one commutes in all weathers (adds a minute to put on waterproofs, another minute to take them off); but in retirement, one looks out of the window and mutters, "Not this morning. This afternoon perhaps. Definitely tomorrow."


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## ianmac62 (11 Mar 2021)

I didn't mention the tyres in my bullet points about kit on the bike. They are Vittoria Terreno Zero TLS Graphene 2.0; the TLS stands for "tubeless ready" which is marked on the tyre; 700x38; recommended pressure 45-80psi also marked on tyre. They received a good review here on Road.cc; the reviewer rode them for several winter months. He noted their "robust (construction) so happily take crappy tarmac and potholes in their stride". Suits me, particularly for touring. I'll make up my mind after several months, I think.

The saddle is indeed Fizik, the Tundra M7. The "M7" is boldly displayed under the nose. It doesn't feature on the Fizik website where the different Tundras come out as M1 M3 & M5. It's mentioned on the big online shops websites but always "out of stock." I'm guessing had the lowest specs of the Tundra range and it's no longer manufactured.

I'll edit my overall "first impressions" post above.


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## Ralphbostie (11 Mar 2021)

ianmac62 said:


> Well, I've collected my new Boardman e-bike. Didn't ride it home; the weather is a bit unkind at the moment - for the same reason, no photos in beautiful sunshine. Will either wait a day or two for good weather, or when I've fitted mudguards, for a proper test ride as I'd read the earlier comments about the exposed cables under the bottom bracket. (OTOH all my non e bikes have cables running there; but those cables will be wire or pneumatic rather than electric.)
> 
> First impressions:
> 
> ...


Hi Ianmac, yes the Torques should be 8.8Nm, I had four new ones sent me from Fazua last year with the blue thread lock on and the torq setting Recommended at this figure.


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## ianmac62 (12 Mar 2021)

Ralphbostie said:


> Hi Ianmac, yes the Torques should be 8.8Nm, I had four new ones sent me from Fazua last year with the blue thread lock on and the torq setting Recommended at this figure.


Thanks, @Ralphbostie - good to know! I think the Halfords assembler / mechanic muddled his torque and his tyre pressure (on the written report he gave me, I hope)


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## Ralphbostie (12 Mar 2021)

ianmac62 said:


> Thanks, @Ralphbostie - good to know! I think the Halfords assembler / mechanic muddled his torque and his tyre pressure (on the written report he gave me, I hope)


These are the bolts they send for replacement, not very big at all Ianmac, about 3/4 of inch long, I thought they was a longer bolt.


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## CXRAndy (12 Mar 2021)

Ralphbostie said:


> These are the bolts they send for replacement, not very big at all Ianmac, about 3/4 of inch long, I thought they was a longer bolt.



Torque numbers will be very low with small bolts into aluminium material


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## ianmac62 (13 Mar 2021)

CXRAndy said:


> Torque numbers will be very low with small bolts into aluminium material


Yes 8.0 - 8.5 Nm for those bolts. Mentioned earlier in the thread but I couldn't find it as first; and again on a Fazua YouTube video linked from an earlier post too. If that's what Fazua say, that must be it!


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## ianmac62 (13 Mar 2021)

It may be me - YMMV - but Fazua seem to have taken down several pages of their website. When, for example, I click on several earlier hyperlinks in the thread from @richtea and @gzoom instead of being directed to the actual page (which I was a few days ago when I started reading this thread), I get to this:







The only link that works for me is the very first from @GlasgowGaryH 

As I say, perhaps it's me but has anyone else found this?


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## ianmac62 (13 Mar 2021)

Ah! There is a website at https://old.fazua.com/en/ - although I don't recognise the home page, there are pages within which I do. I don't know if this solves all the link problems I came across.


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## richtea (13 Mar 2021)

They've rebranded their pages. The system is now called Evation 50.
Adding a number to it, to my mind, suggests they'll have another version coming soon. But I could be wrong - I'm not known for my marketing skills. 

They also seem to have a smaller number of bikes, but with useful weights & prices - at the bottom of the page.


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## Mocaccino (18 Apr 2021)

Hello all, It's coming up to a year with my ADV 8.9E and it's still going like a dream, thanks to all the posters with the useful tips, keep up the good work!

2nd Bike - I bought a SLR 8.9 as a 2nd bike but have hardly used it because the ADV 8.9E is better in every way so have lent it to a friend to get him into cycling.

Mudguards - I bought some mudguards (SKS Edge AL Road 46mm) to fit onto the bike for the winter months but they were a challenge to fit and required cutting, drilling and bodging (too wide to go through front fork and to reach rear bottom bracket) so wouldn't recommend if you want an easy fit. They work well to keep the muck off but have taken them off now as much prefer the cleaner look and the Sun is making more of an appearance 

Horn - I have tried the traditional bell and a wireless electric one which were not loud enough so I decided to try the Hornit dB140 which does get the attention of most people before they wander into my path without looking both ways as it sounds more like a motorbike horn so makes them jump thinking they are about to be hit by something heavier than a bicycle, makes me smile and saves us all from an unfortunate collision


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## scoobs (21 Apr 2021)

Hi all, new here. Still own a Boardman Hybrid Pro but have had a lay off from cycling and very much want to get back. Given the addition of time and lock down lard and to help the legs I’ve purchased an 8.9E. Ordered to be built and delivered to my home address. Arrived yesterday and I have to say in great condition in that it has the lever mechanism on the battery pack and, following advice here, on checking, the BB bolts are all nice and tight. Having finished putting the finishing touches to the build (bar and pedal etc) I charged the battery pack.
Now comes the bit where I seek help from the forum please. On trying to update software and firmware I seem to have hit an impasse. The battery (?) software has, I think, updated. At least it appeared to with the blue bar going L to R on screen having pointed the programme at the .bin file downloaded to the desktop. However I seem unable to find the update for the motor. Watching the Fazua video it talks about holding the battery pack as there will be movement. There is no movement at all whilst performing the above update. 
I would very much appreciate it if somebody in the know can explain in very simple terms (the ‘simple’ bit is important) what I should be doing and where I get the downloads from, with links if possible please. Really looking forward to get this out on the road but want it fully ready first.

Thanks for reading my plea for help.


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## gzoom (21 Apr 2021)

If you plug in the battery/motor you should be able to access the software for changing the support setup.

I personally haven't bothered to update to the latest firmware as am very happy with the motor performance already. I believe the latests software updates are to enable you to wireless change support setting via a phone app, so if you aren't interested in doing that there is no need to get too worried about software updates.

Mine is currently getting its 1st 'service' after spending a pretty hard 12months+ commuting in all weather/conditions.


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## scoobs (21 Apr 2021)

Hi @gzoom thanks for responding. Appreciated. Do yo get those advanced settings only on the latest update? I ask because I have those advanced options. My confusion is that my motor doesn’t move/calibrate at the end of the update process where the Fazua video how to states that it will and one must hold it still. It’s quite possible the unit shipped with the latest FW already installed so hence no movement during the process.
Thanks again.


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## gzoom (21 Apr 2021)

I know there has been more updates pushed out by Fazua recently. Try joining the Facebook group.

It only takes a few seconds for the motor to update with new settings on my bike. The software is probably coming on 8 months old so I would have thought a new bike today will already have the latest firmware.


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## scoobs (21 Apr 2021)

gzoom said:


> I know there has been more updates pushed out by Fazua recently. Try joining the Facebook group.
> 
> It only takes a few seconds for the motor to update with new settings on my bike. The software is probably coming on 8 months old so I would have thought a new bike today will already have the latest firmware.


That’s my thoughts as well now you say that. Thanks.
FB group? Fazua?


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## Mocaccino (2 May 2021)

scoobs said:


> Hi @gzoom thanks for responding. Appreciated. Do yo get those advanced settings only on the latest update? I ask because I have those advanced options. My confusion is that my motor doesn’t move/calibrate at the end of the update process where the Fazua video how to states that it will and one must hold it still. It’s quite possible the unit shipped with the latest FW already installed so hence no movement during the process.
> Thanks again.



Hi, I wouldn't worry about the motor not moving when updating. On my first update from v1.0 to v2.0 the motor moved but on my last update to v2.04 the motor didn't move. You can check the firmware version on the Fazua Rider app, click on Menu > Vehicle > click the icon. If it's showing as below then you're on the latest v2.04.


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## inveral (3 May 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Very nice but you might illicit cries of 'Oi, cheat' when other cyclists spot the thick downtube as you speed past.


“Oi cheat”is an out of date concept. People ride e bikes for many reasons. I now use an e bike because I have arthritic knees and can no longer manage the hills. I would like to be able to continue using a non e bike but it is not possible. E bikes allow many people to maintain fitness and enjoy cycling as they are pedal assist, especially bikes like the Boardman which gives minimum assist.


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## inveral (3 May 2021)

TyrannosaurusTreks said:


> Popped into halfords to pick up some polish & noticed this new machine.
> Not bad for 16kg
> https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/boardman-adv-8-9e-mens-adventure-electric-bike


I,ve been looking at this bike but am a bit worried about the sizing. I’m 5ft 10inches and the size chart shows this as small. I have an Orbea road bike that is a perfect fit medium. They don’t have the Boardman in any of the showrooms so it is difficult to gauge the correct size. Do you have any information.


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## CXRAndy (3 May 2021)

inveral said:


> I,ve been looking at this bike but am a bit worried about the sizing. I’m 5ft 10inches and the size chart shows this as small. I have an Orbea road bike that is a perfect fit medium. They don’t have the Boardman in any of the showrooms so it is difficult to gauge the correct size. Do you have any information.




5'10" is medium size usually. I'm the same and have 56cm frame bikes which are generally classed medium. 

Which model Boardman are you looking at? Also what size and model Orbea? I can compare for you


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## gzoom (3 May 2021)

I'm 5'11, my Boardman is a Large and I find the fit fine. My Trek road bike is a 58cm frame. At 5'10 I would have thought you 100% need a medium at the very least.


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## inveral (3 May 2021)

CXRAndy said:


> 5'10" is medium size usually. I'm the same and have 56cm frame bikes which are generally classed medium.
> 
> Which model Boardman are you looking at? Also what size and model Orbea? I can compare for you


I was looking at the Boardman adv gravel bike.My Orbea is a d30 Gain in medium(55cm)


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## CXRAndy (4 May 2021)

The two bike frames geometry are for medium 

Orbea Gain D30






Boardman Adv E gravel


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## CXRAndy (4 May 2021)

There is very little difference in the medium spec, unfortunately Boardman neglect the reach and stack figures. However the head tube are the same length, the top tube is 5mm different and the images of the bikes look very similar in shape. The only noticeable difference is head angle with Boardman having a more relaxed 70.5 degrees. This will make the bike feel more stable at speed 

My own bike has a 70 degree head angle and is extremely secure in high speed descents 50+mph. Some might say 70 degree is slow but my own experience it is not the case.


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## inveral (4 May 2021)

CXRAndy said:


> The two bike frames geometry are for medium
> 
> Orbea Gain D30
> 
> ...


Thanks for the information. I must have missed it some


CXRAndy said:


> The two bike frames geometry are for medium
> 
> Orbea Gain D30
> 
> ...


thanks for the information. I must have missed it. Looks like I’ll be going for medium.


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## theboxers (6 May 2021)

goo_mason said:


> Nah, just being cack-handed!
> 
> I did manage to turn it back on yesterday as I left work without dropping it on the ground, so that's a start. I might have finally mastered the 'hold on to the dropping battery' grip ....
> 
> ...


Iirc the new controller are headunit compatible. You should see them on Garmin and wahoo units at least. My controller is pre BT.


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## Swidy (10 May 2021)

Hi everyone, I new on here and have just picked up my new Boardman 8.9 adv e bike, I have a question if I may, the lock on the battery doesn't seem to work, it feels very loose around the key hole, my question is when the battery clicks into place does it lock as in, I would need the key to release it again as mine doesn't?


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## Swidy (10 May 2021)

ianmac62 said:


> Thanks @Ralphbostie I aim to fit a pannier rack rather than a frame bag (I'm old skool). I *think* that Halfords exclude e-bikes from the discount from British Cycling. I have paid and went through a link from the Barclays Bank website (rather than directly to the Halfords website) where Halfords are signed up to that bank's "Blue Rewards" scheme. Should receive a small cashback into a current account I have with that bank. Also a small cashback from using a cashback credit card. Not great but helps! (Another online retailer that is signed up for "Blue Rewards" is Apple who don't appear to offer any discounts elsewhere.)


I picked my 8.9 adv e bike up today and got £269 discount with British cycling membership


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## richtea (12 May 2021)

Swidy said:


> Hi everyone, I new on here and have just picked up my new Boardman 8.9 adv e bike, I have a question if I may, the lock on the battery doesn't seem to work, it feels very loose around the key hole, my question is when the battery clicks into place does it lock as in, I would need the key to release it again as mine doesn't?


On our Boardman (a year older than yours) the battery lock has no positive action, you just turn it fully clockwise with no resistance or click, etc. There's no indicator on frame as to which way is locked/unlocked, but unlocked = fully clockwise.
The key is vertical when locked or unlocked. Anything else is 'in between' on ours.

Take the key with you. If you set off without switching the battery on, you'll need the key to unlock and press the (now hidden) start button.
[Note: I think the latest Fazuas may turn on from the buttons now, so it may depend on which one you have.]


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## Swidy (16 May 2021)

richtea said:


> On our Boardman (a year older than yours) the battery lock has no positive action, you just turn it fully clockwise with no resistance or click, etc. There's no indicator on frame as to which way is locked/unlocked, but unlocked = fully clockwise.
> The key is vertical when locked or unlocked. Anything else is 'in between' on ours.
> 
> Take the key with you. If you set off without switching the battery on, you'll need the key to unlock and press the (now hidden) start button.
> [Note: I think the latest Fazuas may turn on from the buttons now, so it may depend on which one you have.]


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## Swidy (16 May 2021)

Hi Richtea
Cheers for the reply, its been back into halfords and they have repaired the lock. It is now working as you describe but seems very loose to me, but Ill see how it goes, im enjoying the bike, got my first puncture today on it, I have been riding a boardman road team on 25mm tyres and not had a puncture in 5 years 🤪.


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## mandesk (24 May 2021)

nice bike


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## inveral (26 May 2021)

Smudge said:


> I really like the look of this bike. I would be tempted if it was more reasonably priced.
> £2.5K is too much.





goo_mason said:


> Picked it up on Saturday, but so far have only ridden it home from the shop. I had hoped to be commuting to/from work on it from today, but I'm having trouble getting my insurers to acknowledge my request to add it to my policy and I don't want a to leave a £2.5K bike around at work whilst it's uninsured!
> 
> The 10 minute ride back from the shop felt great though - very nippy, even without assist on.
> 
> ...


can you tell me the make and model of the mudguards you have fitted. I had asked the local store to fit mudguards but they said they didn’t have any that would fit. I contacted Boardman and they sent me a PDF version of the owner’s manual.


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## richtea (27 May 2021)

Our HYB8.9e (not the ADV but same wheel size I believe) has SKS Blumels mudguards:
Blumels 10433
They're good quality.
Other suppliers are available.


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## Swidy (27 May 2021)

richtea said:


> Our HYB8.9e (not the ADV but same wheel size I believe) has SKS Blumels mudguards:
> Blumels 10433
> They're good quality.
> Other suppliers are available.


I have just fitted the sks longboard to my 8.9 adv, they look good but front one seems too long, they were a pain to fit, the front spokes are only just long enough, took me ages.


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## Swidy (27 May 2021)

Mine with sks longboard mudgaurds


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## richtea (27 May 2021)

My goodness, they are *really *long!
No chance of catching on rocks, is there?


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## TyrannosaurusTreks (1 Jun 2021)

Keep the bike clean😁


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## Scaleyback (3 Jun 2021)

When your 'clipped in' and you turn the steering full lock, do your toes catch the mudguards ?


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## Swidy (7 Jun 2021)

I used then 2 days around Whitby last weekend, I took the flared rubber bit off on the bottom front and back as this waved about when at speed and today I've taken the front on off completely due to it rattling at speed. 


Scaleyback said:


> When your 'clipped in' and you turn the steering full lock, do your toes catch the mudguards ?


haven't noticed so I guess not,


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## Scaleyback (7 Jun 2021)

Swidy said:


> I used then 2 days around Whitby last weekend, I took the flared rubber bit off on the bottom front and back as this waved about when at speed and today I've taken the front on off completely due to it rattling at speed.
> 
> haven't noticed so I guess not,



Is it the clearance between the 'fat' tyres and the mudguards that is insufficient ? There will always be some 'movement' on plastic guards when going over bumpy surfaces. I had some SKS long guards and 40mm tyres and the zz, zz of the tyres vibrating against the guards drove me 'nuts'
I changed to 35mm tyres and that little extra clearance stopped the irritating noise.


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## Swidy (7 Jun 2021)

Scaleyback said:


> Is it the clearance between the 'fat' tyres and the mudguards that is insufficient ? There will always be some 'movement' on plastic guards when going over bumpy surfaces. I had some SKS long guards and 40mm tyres and the zz, zz of the tyres vibrating against the guards drove me 'nuts'
> I changed to 35mm tyres and that little extra clearance stopped the irritating noise.


the mudguards are for up to 45 mm tyre so should be, I think the rattling noise was coming from where the steel supports are riveted to the plastic, there is some movement between the steel and the plastic, now I'm home I'm going to see if I can seal/secure the connection which may help


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## theboxers (8 Jun 2021)

Scaleyback said:


> When your 'clipped in' and you turn the steering full lock, do your toes catch the mudguards ?


Unfortunately my feet are that large that no matter where I put the cleats I can catch a wheel when riding very slow with a lot of steering lock even without mudguards


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## gzoom (8 Jun 2021)

Finally got my Boardman back after some repairs, it performed beautifully.

Today with the sun out, me needing to hop between different size in the city, I thought I just sit back on max boost to save getting sweaty and hot. Also got a new HR monitor recently so couldn't resist having a geek session with getting data.

Strava thought I was putting out 180watts for the mid day trip from A to B, even managed a PB on a big climb. Got to love electrical assistance


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## gzoom (15 Jun 2021)

Fazua has launched their new App. Now you can change support levels on the phone, but it currently doesn't seem to record ride, so you will still need to use the Wahoo app to get power readings. Still good to see consistent updates from Fazua


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## DynaMike30 (17 Jun 2021)

Hi everyone! New Boardman adv8.9e owner here. 

Just joined so I can ask if any other Boardman adv8.9e 2021 version owners can actually lock their batteries into the frame?

I turn the key all the way but the key won’t lock the battery in. It just hits a stop and I can’t remove it until I turn it back again.

Do I have a factory faulty lock? it seems the key is not used for anything?

I’m worried about leaving the bike anywhere unattended with an unlocked battery.


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## DynaMike30 (17 Jun 2021)

DynaMike30 said:


> Hi everyone! New Boardman adv8.9e owner here.
> 
> Just joined so I can ask if any other Boardman adv8.9e 2021 version owners can actually lock their batteries into the frame?
> 
> ...



I took it to Halfords and it was indeed a faulty key barrel. The battery should be permanently locked if the key isn’t in which it wasn’t.

They changed the barrel there and then from another bike they had and it’s sorted now..

kudos to Halfords for that but shame on Boardmans poor QC . Really disappointing…


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## Swidy (17 Jun 2021)

DynaMike30 said:


> Hi everyone! New Boardman adv8.9e owner here.
> 
> Just joined so I can ask if any other Boardman adv8.9e 2021 version owners can actually lock their batteries into the frame?
> 
> ...


I have the same thing, took it back to Halfords they stripped it and repaired it and been ok since, the key turns anticlockwise to release the key and the battery should then be locked on, i.e you then cannot lift the catch to release battery


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## gzoom (20 Jun 2021)

Really impressive by the software support provided by Fazua. When I bought the bike it could barely connect to my phone, now I can push personalised support profiles via the phone/bluetooth, and get more data reads outs from the battery without having to connect up the USB cable. 

Apparently Fazua is releasing an updated motor/battery soon, I wonder if it would be compatible with the older bikes or offer retrofit options. I wouldn't say no to an bump in battery capacity from 250Wh to 300Wh.


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## dilip1186 (1 Jul 2021)

Just I would share my experiences with the Boardman 8.9 e as there seem to be some common issues. First issue I had was the locking mechanism for the battery was very fiddly and hard to tell what position to have the key in before pushing the release button. After it got gradually more fiddly it finally refused to release so had to take it back to Halfords. 
At the same time the crankshaft bottom bracket gearing mechanism started to develop a clunking noise which got worse. Discovered 4 star drive bolts were coming loose on the underside. Tightened these as much as I dared but still continued to come loose after a few miles.

When I returned the bike to Halfords they replaced the four bolts which seemed to deal with the loosening problem and they more or less admitted that the battery retaining system had a design fault and this was replaced with a completely different design that Boardman had clearly been working on which involved blanking off the push button release and installing a small release lever on the underside of the down tube.

Since return of the bike the battery removal has improved but still fiddly and easy to drop without your third hand to assist. 
Everything seemed OK for about 100 miles of use before the drive crank started to clunk again. Checked the four bolts and they were tight. After some more checking discovered that there are also four bolts on either side of this mechanism (how many bolts do you need to hold a gear drive in place!) Some were loose so I tightened these and it hasn't clunked now for about 150 miles.

I do quite like this bike especially when everything is working OK.

My main gripes are:- 

The fact that you have to remove the battery from the frame to charge.
The battery goes into hibernation mode after about 6 hours. You can't reawaken it using the handle bar controller so you have to remove the battery from the frame and press the button on top of the battery.
When Halfords replaced the battery securing mechanism with a new improved design they clearly had been working on this modification for some time and new the old mechanism was crap. So why did they not do a product recall rather than wait for customers like me to be stuck with a bike they couldn't charge.
The bolt loosening issue on the crankshaft gearing mechanism appears to be common, I have seen it mentioned in this thread and others. So again if Halfords new there was an issue and the solution was a different style of bolt why not a product recall rather than to potentially allow customers to ride around on bikes where the mechanism is gradually loosening and getting damaged.
These two design flaws on this bike suggest to me that when they designed and built this model there was no proper robust road testing to expose any flaws, that is bad marketing that will often back fire and affect their reputation.
As I said before I do like this bike, it's a lovely firm stable ride, reasonable weight for the price and the power assist is good, however I did reach a stage where I very nearly returned it to Halfords to ask for my money back.


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## gzoom (2 Jul 2021)

@dilip1186 In defense of the bike all the issues mentioned are to do with Fazua.

I've been using mine as the commuter, roughly 2-3 times a week for the last 18 months. I've covered some 2500 miles now, and very happy with it.

I have the original locking mechanism and find it quite easy to use, looking at the Fazua FaceBook group the new mechanism seems far more unreliable, with the plastic lever often snapping. 

My 8.9e is used much more than my road bike, its really abused constant by pot holes, rain, and rarely cleaned. I would really miss it now if you took it away from me.


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## Wooly67 (28 Jul 2021)

Boardman 8.9e - Finally managed to get the cover for the wires on the bottom bracket, from Upgrade bikes Ltd.
cost £20 plus postage. Haven’t fitted it yet ..... watch this space...


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## Tom... (28 Jul 2021)

£20


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## Wooly67 (28 Jul 2021)

Yes for a piece of plastic..... and......£6 postage ....😬


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## Wooly67 (28 Jul 2021)

dilip1186 said:


> Just I would share my experiences with the Boardman 8.9 e as there seem to be some common issues. First issue I had was the locking mechanism for the battery was very fiddly and hard to tell what position to have the key in before pushing the release button. After it got gradually more fiddly it finally refused to release so had to take it back to Halfords.
> At the same time the crankshaft bottom bracket gearing mechanism started to develop a clunking noise which got worse. Discovered 4 star drive bolts were coming loose on the underside. Tightened these as much as I dared but still continued to come loose after a few miles.
> 
> When I returned the bike to Halfords they replaced the four bolts which seemed to deal with the loosening problem and they more or less admitted that the battery retaining system had a design fault and this was replaced with a completely different design that Boardman had clearly been working on which involved blanking off the push button release and installing a small release lever on the underside of the down tube.
> ...


I had all the same problems . Eventually...after a lot of back and forth with Halfords, they ordered me a new bike. Touch wood this ones has been fine. ‘


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## gzoom (28 Jul 2021)

Mine is now a well used commuter tool. It really is fantastic for getting me from A to B instead of taking the car.


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## DavidTyland (9 Sep 2021)

I have lived with the usual problems associated this bike (battery compartment and lower bracket) since I bought it in February 2020 and managed to carry out all of my own servicing to keep it fairly roadworthy, despite having a 3 year service agreement. Today I took it back to Halfords for a service "assessment" before deciding whether to keep it or sell it for spares! I was told that I cannot even purchase the new Locker, as fitting it would leave a hole where the push button is located, thereby invalidating the guarantee. It would seem that I have the earlier model that is not compatible with this new, upgrade locking mechanism? The drive "clunking" has just recently stopped since I Locktited the holding bolts in. I also asked about upgrading my tyres to tubeless, as they are stated to be "tubeless-ready", but it seems that they are not. Apparently, because the valve holes are drilled offset, the bike technicians cannot get the tubeless valves to seal properly. Has anyone tried this upgrade? Otherwise "Slimeing" my tubes every few months seems to keep the tyres puncture free. I suppose I will still be able to use the new tyres and valves that I have just purchased on another one of my bikes. Meanwhile I'm waiting for Halford's call and their proposals?


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## CXRAndy (9 Sep 2021)

Not had a problem with tubeless valves not sealing. Using the correct rim tape and having a double layer over the valve hole. I find a 6-8" overlap sufficient. Once inflated, you will find the valve rim nut needs tightening down, this is a good sign the valve has sealed


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## richtea (9 Sep 2021)

DavidTyland said:


> I was told that I cannot even purchase the new Locker, as fitting it would leave a hole where the push button is located, thereby invalidating the guarantee.


The 'new' remote (new as in 6-9 month ago) fits in that hole, and Fazua were offering a deal to buy both the lock and remote at the same time as an upgrade. It was named: 'Bundle Locker pX + Remote fX'
I can't see it being offered in English, but it's here in French:
https://www.ebike24.fr/fazua-pack-locker-px-remote-fx

I would email Fazua directly, and ask them if they will sell you the pair, and also maintain your warranty.
Quite an expensive fix for a hole though, it has to be said.


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## theboxers (12 Sep 2021)

One trick I heard about with tubeless setup was to seat the tape with a tube.

Clean the rim so no grease or contaminents are present. Install your tape of choice. Then use a tube in your tyre of choice to seat/seal the tape to the rim bed.

I have not fully tried this method yet, my brother has borrowed my tubeless ready wheelset because he has damged a few spokes on his wheelset. When I get them back it will be one of the first things I try.


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## Wooly67 (13 Sep 2021)

My 8.9e was replaced by Halfords in Sept 20 for a new bike due to bottom bracket problems.
my bike was stolen from my shed in August 21, however they didn’t get the back wheel or the battery.
so now I have a nearly new battery for sale. I also have the original charger plus a brand new one unused that I got with the second bike. The back wheel also up for grabs, if anyone is interested.
looking for Battery - £200, Charger £60, New charger £70, Rear Wheel with cassette, £60
would prefer pick up , if anyone interested. All well looked after.
this will help towards a new bike, as I am getting a different bike, don’t want to deal with Halfords again.
thanks.

Also advertised elsewhere .👍


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## gzoom (13 Sep 2021)

@Wooly67 lll PM you about the battery and charger later .


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## bidsb (4 Oct 2021)

Just picked up my new 8.9e (and many thanks to everyone who posted here, it really helped me in making a decision about what to get). One nice surprise is that it comes with the very newest Fazua controls (they are now on the crossbar not the down tube).


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## legitsan (11 Oct 2021)

bidsb said:


> Just picked up my new 8.9e (and many thanks to everyone who posted here, it really helped me in making a decision about what to get). One nice surprise is that it comes with the very newest Fazua controls (they are now on the crossbar not the down tube).


Glad to know that its got the latest Fazua control I like you wish to thank everyone who posted here.
I have yet to buy one .I wonder if I could ask how much cadence is needed, the new update is 50 to120 ,
but my average speed is 10 miles per hr ,so I think my cadence is around 60 ,is this too slow ,I can go all day
at that speed .Would I have to switch it off most of the time ? or can I set it for say 11miles hr on the flat ,
Also where I live in Derbyshire we have lots 20% plus hills I can just get up some still but I am so slow
if a car is behind me I can't concentrate on my effect .So would the Fazua motor be man enough for these
hills ?I tried to hire one from Halfords but the only ones you can try are none Boardmans ?
Thank's in Advance


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## gzoom (12 Oct 2021)

The Fazua motor support kicks in at pretty much any cadence. At slow cadence its really noticeable especially if you are trying to do slow speed manoeuvres and you get a sudden kick of torque .

I wouldn't worry about a lack of power the motor can provide more than enough. With full assistance on with reasonable effort I can get up the sleepiest hill in Leicestershire (not that step), nearly 1 minute quicker than without the motor support.

Yes you can switch it off, but once you get use to the boost its hard not to use it. I see mine as essentially a car replacement, that's how easy it makes cycling if you let the motor do the work.


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## Taff 006 (19 Oct 2021)

Just bought one. Three charges and 156 miles later and I am delighted with the bike. Deals with Welsh hills well and so much easier to pedal ‘off power’ than an EMTB.
Sks guards going on for winter and a frame bag for some extra ‘light storage of jacket etc.


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## Taff 006 (19 Oct 2021)

Have changed out the front 42 for a 38 tooth chainring for hillier terrain in Brecons and Mid Wales.
Fantastic bike so far.


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## Ed Branch (19 Oct 2021)

I've just joined the forum and glad to be here. I have a Boardman Adv8.9 which I bought in Feb this year. Up to now I have covered around 1,600 miles and am very pleased with it. I've been viewing the posts in this thread for some time and gained a lot of info. - many thanks to you all.
My battery range varies from around 25 miles to 50 miles, depending on terrain etc, I was considering buying a second battery to extend my range.
Unlike my original battery (500) which has a switch on it, the new ones (500X) don't. Can anyone tell me if it's still possible to switch the new type batteries on without using the new type Fx or Bx remotes? (Like does it automatically wake up when you insert it in the downtube or does it sit there like an expensive paper weight?)
I did try emailing Fazua but they didn't seem to understand the question.


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## legitsan (25 Oct 2021)

Thanks to gzoon and Taff 006
First off I sorry that I didn't reply but been on Grandad duty ,my daughter had her gallbladder removed ,and her partner had to go back to University.Don't know about other people but I like my own bed ,its not far as a Crow view on the map but its been a bus train bus there and back .Its about 30 miles one way.That's one of the reason's I looking at fazua power Electric bikes.
About the new Fazua Battery The associated battery is usually always the Energy 250X. 
these links my help you but its not clear ,but don''t know how you find out about your bike if its a Boardman's if you phone Halford's the call center is in South Africa
Ride 50 Street and Ride 50 Trail: new ebike drives from Fazua 
Fazua Energy 250X I 252Wh e-bike Battery | CANYON CH 
The first one is about the latest updates and backward compatible 
the second one shows in detail the new battery and that you now don't need to take it off the bike to charge it which is a plus point for me
If you find out leave word please
All the best everybody


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## gzoom (14 Nov 2021)

Heading into the 2nd winter of commuting duties on the Boardman.

Fitted some new heavy duty Marathon+ tyres and the spare battery/charger I got from @Wooly67 has been game changers for me....as I now can just go fully out in 'Rocket' mode for my entire commute and just charge up/change batteries at work rather than worry about saving enough charge for the return leg.

Will need a new rear cassette soon I think, along with brake pads, but the bike is earning its keep and helping me to keep the car in the garage.


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## Ed Branch (20 Dec 2021)

Ed Branch said:


> I've just joined the forum and glad to be here. I have a Boardman Adv8.9 which I bought in Feb this year. Up to now I have covered around 1,600 miles and am very pleased with it. I've been viewing the posts in this thread for some time and gained a lot of info. - many thanks to you all.
> My battery range varies from around 25 miles to 50 miles, depending on terrain etc, I was considering buying a second battery to extend my range.
> Unlike my original battery (250) which has a switch on it, the new ones (250X) don't. Can anyone tell me if it's still possible to switch the new type batteries on without using the new type Fx or Bx remotes? (Like does it automatically wake up when you insert it in the downtube or does it sit there like an expensive paper weight?)
> I did try emailing Fazua but they didn't seem to understand the question.


Since my last post I have bought a new 250X battery for £395 from https://electricgarageshop.co.uk/c/e-bike-battery
It arrived within a couple of days and I am really pleased with it. I was finding that on my rides, after around 40 miles I was starting to get battery anxiety - but not any longer! I now carry the spare battery in my bag and I realise it is similar to the old type 250 battery as it DOES include a switch & capacity LEDs. I just have to remember to switch it on before inserting it into the frame. (I've just edited my mistake - I typed 500 battery instead of 250 - it must have been wishful thinking...)


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## DavidTyland (21 Jan 2022)

gzoom said:


> The Fazua motor support kicks in at pretty much any cadence. At slow cadence its really noticeable especially if you are trying to do slow speed manoeuvres and you get a sudden kick of torque .
> 
> I wouldn't worry about a lack of power the motor can provide more than enough. With full assistance on with reasonable effort I can get up the sleepiest hill in Leicestershire (not that step), nearly 1 minute quicker than without the motor support.
> 
> ...


After more than a year of lockdown, I managed to take my Boardman back to Halfords a few months ago because the locking mechanism was faulty and often I could not get access to the motor and battery. Halfords refused to upgrade the Locker so I went directly to Fazua in Germany with my complaint and they promptly sent me a new Locker and blanking piece. Since last summer the bike has been perfect.
However, now that I am getting more adventurous and testing myself with longer, faster and steeper club rides to find out what is the maximum distance I can achieve, I have just found a new problem.
The bike is fine on the flat and moderate hills up to 1:10, but on a long, continuous climb, even in Rocket mode with quite high cadence, I can suddenly get a loss of power from the motor and have to rely on leg power and then usually have to come to a stop, even though I still have more than 50% battery power. Very embarrassing having to get off a pedelec and walk.
Has anyone else faced this problem? I am still waiting for a reply from Fazua to my enquiry. I don't think the battery is overheating at all and can't think of another possible cause. I've tried all the Fazua software settings. Any Ideas? Thanks.


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## gzoom (22 Jan 2022)

^Have you checked the magnet position? When you loss power do you see a yellow error display on the remote?

It wouldn't be overheating, the way I use mine the motor is running at 200watts+ constantly till the battery pretty much drains. If you don't see a remote error, it'll be the gearbox/BB, which cannot be fixed and will need a replacement unit from Fazua. I had to have a new gearbox/BB fitted when I first got the bike as it was simply not measuring torque properly so the motor just stayed off 50% of the time.


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## richtea (22 Jan 2022)

DavidTyland said:


> Very embarrassing having to get off a pedelec and walk.



Never be embarrassed. Embarrassing is slumping on the sofa instead of getting out there. Walking with any bike is a fact of life for some of us.

Our Fazua has never weakened on steep climbs, but you could always try feeling the cooling ribs on the underside to see if it's getting warm, and maybe pop one of those temperature stickers on to gauge it.

Oh, and it's worth cleaning the ribs if they're jammed up with mud, otherwise they're not going to be able to do their job.


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## Beachbuggy (22 Jan 2022)

gzoom said:


> I know there has been more updates pushed out by Fazua recently. Try joining the Facebook group.
> 
> It only takes a few seconds for the motor to update with new settings on my bike. The software is probably coming on 8 months old so I would have thought a new bike today will already have the latest firmware.


Has anyone an idea why my Fazua drive suddenly cuts out when I'm climbing a steep incline, even though I am in Rocket mode and I have a reasonably high cadence?


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## Beachbuggy (23 Jan 2022)

gzoom said:


> ^Have you checked the magnet position? When you loss power do you see a yellow error display on the remote?
> 
> It wouldn't be overheating, the way I use mine the motor is running at 200watts+ constantly till the battery pretty much drains. If you don't see a remote error, it'll be the gearbox/BB, which cannot be fixed and will need a replacement unit from Fazua. I had to have a new gearbox/BB fitted when I first got the bike as it was simply not measuring torque properly so the motor just stayed off 50% of the time.





gzoom said:


> ^Have you checked the magnet position? When you loss power do you see a yellow error display on the remote?
> 
> It wouldn't be overheating, the way I use mine the motor is running at 200watts+ constantly till the battery pretty much drains. If you don't see a remote error, it'll be the gearbox/BB, which cannot be fixed and will need a replacement unit from Fazua. I had to have a new gearbox/BB fitted when I first got the bike as it was simply not measuring torque properly so the motor just stayed off 50% of the time.


Thanks gzoom. The magnet position seems OK and there is no yellow error display.
The gearbox/BB seems to be running smoothly now I tighten up the bolts regularly.
I'm not sure my Halfords branch is capable of checking and replacing the BB.
Perhaps the model jut wasn't designed for hard club rides of 40-50 miles over the South Downs??


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## gzoom (23 Jan 2022)

Beachbuggy said:


> I'm not sure my Halfords branch is capable of checking and replacing the BB.
> Perhaps the model jut wasn't designed for hard club rides of 40-50 miles over the South Downs??



I would just keep on Halfords, or go direct to Fazua. They have a support page on their website, and you can than go back to Halfords with what Fazua says.

The motor+battery is more than up to the job of sustained power delivery.


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## Beachbuggy (24 Jan 2022)

Thanks gzoom. I'm still waiting for a reply from Fazua - they are a bit understaffed.


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## Beachbuggy (28 Jan 2022)

Beachbuggy said:


> Thanks gzoom. I'm still waiting for a reply from Fazua - they are a bit understaffed.


After a couple of emails to Fazua, they asked me to send them a Diagnostic Check, and within a day they had replied and quoted a reference number for Halfords to use to order me a replacement BB/Drive under guarantee. the DC showed that several faults had developed. What a great service! Unfortunately I don't think I will receive the Fazua Ride 50 BB upgrade, but perhaps I can might order that later.


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## DeeGee (26 Feb 2022)

Thanks to all the posters on this thread, lots of great information. 

I have an Adv 8.9e on order which I should get on Tuesday.

Really looking forward to getting out and about on it


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## Mo1959 (27 Feb 2022)

My old neighbour is picking one of these up next week. He is 80 now and starting to struggle so I am looking forward to hearing how he gets on with it. The state of my legs with sciatic nerve damage means I might be looking for one long before 80 methinks.


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## theboxers (28 Feb 2022)

Mo1959 said:


> My old neighbour is picking one of these up next week. He is 80 now and starting to struggle so I am looking forward to hearing how he gets on with it. The state of my legs with sciatic nerve damage means I might be looking for one long before 80 methinks.


Where restriction exists, be it medical, physical or whatever they can be a great help.

I set out to use mine for weight loss and fitness improvement. Being able to get out and about around where I live, not very flat, at 120 Odd kilos the assist was invaluable. I can ride up 6 to 7% slopes but any steeper and I'm in trouble.

So I set out to use the assistance only where I absolutely had to. It has worked. I got down to 112kg and had the highest FTP I'd ever achieved outside of 230 odd watts over 2w/kg for the first time.

It just depends on how you use them. As an easier way to ride around you'll not see many gains. As a way to assist you to improve if you stick with it like I have and you'll see the gains fairly quickly. That will encourage you to keep trying to get better.

My rides with my brothers are done on normal bikes, they don't like me using my Cube ebike road bike with them .


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## Beachbuggy (17 Mar 2022)

Beachbuggy said:


> After a couple of emails to Fazua, they asked me to send them a Diagnostic Check, and within a day they had replied and quoted a reference number for Halfords to use to order me a replacement BB/Drive under guarantee. the DC showed that several faults had developed. What a great service! Unfortunately I don't think I will receive the Fazua Ride 50 BB upgrade, but perhaps I can might order that later.


I finally got Halfords to return my Bottom Bracket to Fazua in Germany, and they fixed it and returned it to Halfords within a few days. Another week for Halfords to install it, but now it works perfectly - in fact better than when I first bought it. Top marks to Fazua. Just keep persevering with Halfords to get what you want.


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## vornstar (24 Mar 2022)

Hi, new here. I'm looking at getting one these through the C2W scheme. Is this the best sub £3k ebike for a 16 mile commute (with a big hill)?


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## richtea (24 Mar 2022)

vornstar said:


> Hi, new here. I'm looking at getting one these through the C2W scheme. Is this the best sub £3k ebike for a 16 mile commute (with a big hill)?



Define 'big'! What's the distance, gradient, surface? Give us a Google Maps link.
And how fit are you, if it's not a rude question?

However, as a lightweight ebike they're pretty good IMHO. The Fazua system is well designed with a fair bit of thought gone into it.
They aren't the most powerful, but then again, they're close to the lightest, along with ebikemotion-based bikes (Orbea Gain, etc), which means they feel quite close to a normal bike.

(General rule of thumb for my own rides: If it's more than 1-in-8 for more than a few hundred metres, then it will be tough, but probably doable. Whereas without a motor, it's a guaranteed walk for me.)


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## gzoom (25 Mar 2022)

vornstar said:


> Hi, new here. I'm looking at getting one these through the C2W scheme. Is this the best sub £3k ebike for a 16 mile commute (with a big hill)?



I do roughly speaking a 15 mile round trip commute daily on the Boardman, and after 2 years and roughly 3500 miles I can honestly say I love the bike. Hills are not am issue, this is what an extra 250watts of power does to the steepest hill in Leicestershire - essentially nearly 50% faster than my best time on my sub 8kg carbon road bike!!







Over the last 2 years I have learnt there are some 'must buys' though to make the commute easier.

Decent mudguards - Mine was fitted by Halfords on delivery and have been great.
Get some Marathon Plus tiers ASAP, they really are worth their price interms of puncture protection.
Decent lights in winter - I run x2 front lights and x3 rear lights in winter.




An extra battery or charger at work - Really does make life easier as you just don't need to worry about charge status.
The final 'essential' item I would say is very controversial. Let's just say I manage to average nearly 20mph on my commute at times. That's with wearing my work cloth and hardly sweating......to achieve that may or may not require you to fit something on the bike to over come the legal 15.5mph max support limit.






Overall the Boardman is a great commuter tool, 2 years in and it feels like the bike is now fully settled into its role. I'm looking fowards to many more years of happy commuting ahead .


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## vornstar (26 Mar 2022)

Thanks for the replies. The hill is 3.1 miles long. I have ridden it on my road bike a couple of times in the past but my fitness has declined somewhat since then. This is the hill.




I've ordered the bike anyway as I can't see anything better for the money that fits my needs. I like that I'll be able to change the wheels if I want to. I need to try it without trying to get past the 15.5mph restriction before I start messing with that. I was hoping that would just be a software update rather than a physical mod.


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## gzoom (27 Mar 2022)

There is software options to overided the 15mph limit, the Facebook group have all the details, it costs the same as the other options- I may or may not have something clipped to the magnet sensor .

Hope you enjoy the bike, cannot see that hill been an issue. Do make sure you put the latest software update on the bike though, and set the support level to 300watts and max support from basically zero user input, this can now be done on the App.


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## richtea (27 Mar 2022)

vornstar said:


> Thanks for the replies. The hill is 3.1 miles long. I have ridden it on my road bike a couple of times in the past but my fitness has declined somewhat since then. This is the hill.
> View attachment 637067
> 
> I've ordered the bike anyway as I can't see anything better for the money that fits my needs. I like that I'll be able to change the wheels if I want to. I need to try it without trying to get past the 15.5mph restriction before I start messing with that. I was hoping that would just be a software update rather than a physical mod.


3.1 miles is 16,368 feet, so overall the gradient is 446/16368 = 2.7%.
However, I can see the first half mile (1/6th) of that 3.1 miles is steep - 223/(16368/6) = 8% or 1-in-12.

From my experience ("...more than 1-in-8 for more than a few hundred metres, then it will be tough") I think you'll be OK, even though half a mile is quite a long way at 1-in-12. The other 2.5 miles will be sweet, since you won't have completely burned out on the first part.


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## vornstar (28 Mar 2022)

I think it's the start of the hill that has burned me out in the past and made the rest of the hill just miserable. Added to that I suspect I may have long covid now given that I was doing 40 mile rides last year at 16mph average and now I'm struggling to do a flat 6 miles at 12mph since getting covid last October. I've got lots of work to do. Thanks for the info.


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## richtea (28 Mar 2022)

Please do let us know how you get on, once you've got rid of the long Covid. And go easy!


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## vornstar (2 Apr 2022)

Picked up my bike this morning and took it for its first ride, which included the hill which will be part of my commute. Once I'd figured out the assistance (didn't read the instructions before I headed out), it was a dream going up the hills. I still had to work hard but it was easy on my legs. The bike is alright. A few build quality issues which I'll get Halfords to look at and it feels like I'm riding a £300 bike rather than one 9 times that value, but I know the money is in the motor and battery. The weight (of the bike and of me) made cycling above 16mph feel like I'm cycling through mud. It's not a light bike. Totally fine for the commute I'll be doing, which I might try out tomorrow when I don't have to be at work for a set time.


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## richtea (2 Apr 2022)

> it was a dream going up the hills. I still had to work hard but it was easy on my legs.
I'm really glad to hear it does the trick. It's not a free ride, but it's a darned sight easier than no assistance. A nice balance.

> The weight (of the bike and of me) made cycling above 16mph feel like I'm cycling through mud. It's not a light bike.
Not light for a non-assisted bike - quite true, but try picking up a 'standard' ebike at 20-25Kg - ooof!

I'd be interested to know what the build quality problems are. Something to watch for (on our 2020 bike at least) is the Fazua bottom bracket Torx bolts coming loose because they weren't tightened enough at the factory, but that was about it. An easy fix if you have Torx keys, or get Halfords to check/tighten them.


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## vornstar (2 Apr 2022)

richtea said:


> > it was a dream going up the hills. I still had to work hard but it was easy on my legs.
> I'm really glad to hear it does the trick. It's not a free ride, but it's a darned sight easier than no assistance. A nice balance.
> 
> > The weight (of the bike and of me) made cycling above 16mph feel like I'm cycling through mud. It's not a light bike.
> ...


Slight buckle on rear wheel, the battery doesn't sit flush, the brakes are very spongie (the front one won't stop the bike) but the worst thing is the bottle cage bolt sheared off when I tried to unscrew it as it was obviously cross threaded when built and the bolt is made of plasticine. It's very rattly too.


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## gzoom (2 Apr 2022)

vornstar said:


> The bike is alright. A few build quality issues which I'll get Halfords to look at and it feels like I'm riding a £300 bike rather than one 9 times that value, but I know the money is in the motor and battery. The weight (of the bike and of me) made cycling above 16mph feel like I'm cycling through mud. It's not a light bike. Totally fine for the commute I'll be doing.



Your views on the rest of the bike isn't far off, without the motor support its nothing special, however the frame is very sturdy. I've hit the tarmac with mine a few times now, and the bike has survived much better than me!!

I would 100% suggest swapping the tyres for Marathons+ ones for puncture protection, and a quick use of Google will show you plenty of options on how to make the bike work more effectively at over 16mph .

I've actually just picked up mine after its 2nd service. It really hasn't had an easy life, but works really well with the various bits I've now added.


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## vornstar (2 Apr 2022)

Funny you should mention the Marathon tyres. They were supposed to give me the Marathon Green 38c tyres I ordered but they've given me the marathon plus 25c so got to take them back tomorrow.


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## richtea (3 Apr 2022)

vornstar said:


> Slight buckle on rear wheel, the battery doesn't sit flush, the brakes are very spongie (the front one won't stop the bike) but the worst thing is the bottle cage bolt sheared off when I tried to unscrew it as it was obviously cross threaded when built and the bolt is made of plasticine. It's very rattly too.


That's an annoying list, agreed:

Slight buckle - factory fault but Halfords can fix that easily. A quick spin of the wheel and let your fingernail tap on each spoke - you can find the loose ones by the different tone. Repeat after they've finished to make sure they've done a reasonable job. Only one positive, with discs any small buckles don't matter much because you won't get any (rim) brake rubbing.

Battery doesn't fit flush - is it as flush as gzoom's (above)? That's what ours looks like. There is a part-open position on our 2020 bike which is a bit of an odd design, but your 2021/22 catch is a different design. Ours is like a safety catch design - you try to release the battery and it partially unlocks it - it's no longer flush with the down tube - and then a second press properly releases it. I just wondered if the newer lock has a similar partial unlock position and you're seeing that. The easy way to test is the give it a good squeeze and see if it will go further into the frame. It will click in audibly if so.

Brakes: - they must need bleeding. Again Halfords can fix that easily. Hydraulic discs are usually (almost) too good on bikes.

Bottle cage: it doesn't seem to be standard fitment, so incompetance at Halfords, not Boardman factory? Hopefully the frame thread was stronger than the plasticine bolt.


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## vornstar (3 Apr 2022)

richtea said:


> That's an annoying list, agreed:
> 
> Slight buckle - factory fault but Halfords can fix that easily. A quick spin of the wheel and let your fingernail tap on each spoke - you can find the loose ones by the different tone. Repeat after they've finished to make sure they've done a reasonable job. Only one positive, with discs any small buckles don't matter much because you won't get any (rim) brake rubbing.
> 
> ...


It doesn't look as flush as the one in that photo. Halfords man said it's adjustable and will have a look. Halfords have the bike now to have a look at the bolt and give it a check over. Forgot to mention the slight buckle. 

I did a 32 mile ride this morning. I had 4% battery remaining at the end. Most of the ride was on the lowest level of assistance as I could see I was going to struggle to make it. I definitely need a better saddle. I do love the bike though.


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## gzoom (3 Apr 2022)

vornstar said:


> .
> I did a 32 mile ride this morning. I had 4% battery remaining at the end.



Is that the return trip for the commute. A battery charger at work or 2nd battery will become very hand especially if you end up going over 16mph support limit. Not having to worry about charge status due to having charging at work has made my commute much more enjoyable as I can use the full power of the bike with no worries.


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## vornstar (3 Apr 2022)

That's there and back. I'll be taking my charger to work initially. Not looked into how much a second one will cost yet. I was experiencing range anxiety for much of the ride today.


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## quilkin (5 Apr 2022)

Most of the posts here are about commuting and/or day rides. Just wondering if anyone uses their ADV for touring? It seems to have fittings for a rack. But I'm wondering how comfortable an Al frame would be for touring. I would normally do around 100 km a day touring ( I know the battery won't support that but I'm reasonably fit so would probably only use the motor for hills more than 4-5%)


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## gzoom (6 Apr 2022)

I see no reason why you cannot tour with the bike. Its nothing special though the motor support. At a push I think you can get 40-50 miles out of the battery if you stay within the 15.5mph cut off and aim to go above that speed on most flats. A second battery however will give you more room to cover 60-70 miles in a day.


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## vornstar (9 Apr 2022)

Halfords fixed the broken bottle cage bolt but I noticed on my maiden commute yesterday that they'd fitted the bottle cage on upside down 😂. 

Left the assist on 'rocket' and got home with 52% charge (charged at work before I left). I'm reasonably please with that for a 16.5 mile ride given my weight plus the weight of the bike. 

I'm finding the ride very harsh. I've ordered a suspension seatpost (arriving today) to try and take a bit of the sting out. I have coccydynia and while I don't want to change the saddle for something that looks like a medical aid, I do need to change the fizik one that comes with it for something more suitable. 

Keen to get fitter and go faster. Averaged 14.9 mph on the way there and 15.1 on the way back. The assistance is nice but I'm shattered. Slept the rest of the day.


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## gzoom (9 Apr 2022)

vornstar said:


> I'm finding the ride very harsh. I've ordered a suspension seatpost (arriving today) to try and take a bit of the sting out.



Have you tried just reducing the tire pressures. The frame is actually really compliant, but Halfords for some reason wants to pump the tyres up to 70PSI when they can run at 50PSI.


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## vornstar (9 Apr 2022)

I do run the pressures quite high. I'll try reducing them.


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## quilkin (9 Apr 2022)

quilkin said:


> But I'm wondering how comfortable an Al frame would be for touring.





vornstar said:


> I'm finding the ride very harsh.





gzoom said:


> Have you tried just reducing the tire pressures. The frame is actually really compliant, but Halfords for some reason wants to pump the tyres up to 70PSI when they can run at 50PSI.



A potential harsh ride is what I meant by my question about touring (long days in the saddle on successive days). 50 psi sounds quite low; prone to pinch (snake-bite) puntures?


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## gzoom (10 Apr 2022)

quilkin said:


> A potential harsh ride is what I meant by my question about touring (long days in the saddle on successive days). 50 psi sounds quite low; prone to pinch (snake-bite) puntures?



Punctures off any sort is an issue, but Marathon+ tyres are just fantastic on an eBike, the extra weight of the tyres just isn't noticeable .

The frame really isn't harsh at all, there is hardly any road 'buzz' and pot holes/uneven surfaces handled much better than my Trek road bike. You really do need the battery support though, even on the lowest level it makes a noticeable difference. The weather was too nice today for me not to take the long way home from work.......


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## fasteasyfree (17 Apr 2022)

Purchased the ADV 8.9e nearly four weeks ago, so thought I'd register to share my thoughts as this is pretty much the only forum I can find discussing the model.

Anyway, initially things are pretty positive. There's essentially no drag from the motor when going above the cutoff, so it's pretty easy to maintain speed. Very handy for commuting and not building up too much of a sweat.

Range varies massively, but I see the motor as there to flatten hills, not do all the work for me. So to that end I keep it to minimal assist and only use the higher modes when the gradient warrants. The other day I managed 53K and 900 metres of climbing and still had 39% left by the time I got home. I weigh 15 stone, so I was pretty happy with that.

I've made a few changes, such as swapping the seat (which is honestly haemorrhoid inducing), inverting the stem for comfort and replacing the tyres with something tougher than the tereno zero pair it came with. I've also converted to tubeless, though after ordering a new set of valves from DT Swiss because only they seem to sell ones specifically for asymmetric wheels that the Boardman is supplied with.

At some point I also plan on changing up the drive train somewhat. I'm going to change down to a 38t chainring and also try a 11-46 cassette which I'm pretty certain will fit. A new 650b wheelset with 47mm tyres is also on the cards which means I'll have a bike that can be geared and specced for flatter and faster as well as steep and rough.

As for downsides: 
One of the seatstay mounts for a rack was crossthreaded from the factory so I had to use pliers to get the bolt out after rounding off the hex head. 
The lock is a bit finicky sometimes and requires an uncomfortable amount of force to turn on occasion.
The torx bolts on the gearbox weren't tightened correctly so I had creaking from the 'bottom bracket' after a few miles.
There also appears to be a missing cover plate on the back of the gearbox so you can see exposed wires. It's this normal?
The brake levers weren't lined up properly so out of the box they were pointing in completely different directions.
I wish the downtube unit sat more flush.
Fazua specifically, I can't figure out for the life of me why it only connects about one time in ten to my Garmin head unit to display battery and power etc.

Overall I'm happy. Wish the discounted Vitus e-substance was on sale at the time I bought it, mind, as that's more suited to the type of riding I do, but that's just one of those things!


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## vornstar (17 Apr 2022)

fasteasyfree said:


> Purchased the ADV 8.9e nearly four weeks ago, so thought I'd register to share my thoughts as this is pretty much the only forum I can find discussing the model.
> 
> Anyway, initially things are pretty positive. There's essentially no drag from the motor when going above the cutoff, so it's pretty easy to maintain speed. Very handy for commuting and not building up too much of a sweat.
> 
> ...



The exposed wires is normal. You can buy or 3d print a cover but it does seem like a strange omission. The cross threaded bolt does not surprise me. My bottle cage bottle was the same. I've read lots of stories about the loose torx bolts. Mine haven't started creaking yet but I'm ready for it.

What Garmin unit are you using? I didn't realise they could connect to the Fazua unit. What wheels are you looking at?


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## fasteasyfree (17 Apr 2022)

It's a 530. You download the dashboard from the Garmin 'app store' and sync it to the unit. It's literally worked twice. I've also heard that you can add the bike as a power or speed/cadence meter, but haven't figured it out yet.

I'll probably go with Hunt wheels. Pretty lightweight, high spoke count. Come tubeless ready and supplied with the valves. For the price they're fantastic value.

I've tightened those bolts up on the trail so far, but keep forgetting to break out the torque wrench and threadloc so should really get around to that!


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## gzoom (18 Apr 2022)

fasteasyfree said:


> I can't figure out for the life of me why it only connects about one time in ten to my Garmin head unit to display battery and power etc.



Is the both the latest blue tooth and battery pack software up-to-date? The latest software is very reliable at connecting versus older versions. The Fazua website had details on how to update.


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## fasteasyfree (18 Apr 2022)

gzoom said:


> Is the both the latest blue tooth and battery pack software up-to-date? The latest software is very reliable at connecting versus older versions. The Fazua website had details on how to update.



Yep, as far as I can tell. Checked via the app as well as Windows tool by plugging in via USB. If I can get the power meter working over BLE then that won't be an issue.

Going back to the wheel discussion, some fortuitous timing sees road.cc publishing a review of the ones I was referring to: https://road.cc/content/review/mason-x-hunt-650b-adventure-sport-disc-wheelset-291953


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## richtea (18 Apr 2022)

fasteasyfree said:


> The torx bolts on the gearbox weren't tightened correctly so I had creaking from the 'bottom bracket' after a few miles.
> There also appears to be a missing cover plate on the back of the gearbox so you can see exposed wires. It's this normal?


Both standard niggles.

Fazua sell a cover for 15€ but won't sell online to the UK - yet another Brucey Brexit Bonus™. I'm pretty sure someone said they're now available via UK dealers.


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## gzoom (7 May 2022)

Spent 2hrs on the bike today, and actually used the bike for 'fun' rather than commuting. Used only 25% over 25 miles, mixture of unpaved paths and segregated cycle/walking paths. 

Really enjoyed it, for what really is a 'budget' eBike from Halfords compared to the £5k+ machines, the Boardman really is punching way above its price tag. Love it .


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## gzoom (11 May 2022)

Last bit of commuting kit fitted, pannier rack. So in little over 2 years I've gone from buying a saddle that saved 20grams on my road bike (The new saddle managed to get it below 8kg). To now adding 500g+ of metal to the bike, total weight of the bike unladen (but with D-lock) just under 20kg....Thank goodness for the Fazua motor


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## vornstar (11 May 2022)

I've been using mine for a few weeks now for my commute to work at least two days a week. I've changed the saddle, added a suspension seatpost and stem, pannier rack, and changed the tyres (a sharp stone punctured the original one and ruined the tyre). I have bought an additional charger to leave at work (best price is through Halfords I've found). I'm enjoying my 16.5 mile commute. Issues I've had: paint job is naff (chips off easily), those torx bolts creaking and tyres made of play dough. I need to change the bar tape at some point to something more comfortable. Things I don't like: damn, it's heavy, and the gears are really clunky.


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## MBosh (12 May 2022)

Smudge said:


> Well, the flat bar version that was £2,200, is now down to £1,980 and you can get price down even further to £1,782 with code Payday10.
> https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...utm_source=drytinder&utm_campaign=phgreferral
> 
> Soooooo tempted to get this now.



Saw your post from 2019. I've been looking to get this bike, but now it's at the silly price of £2,299. Where do I get these Halfords discount codes people speak about? Why on earth does a bike from 2019 continue to increase in price? I wish I could have got it for £1,782.


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## ashearwig (13 May 2022)

If you know a British Cycling member, or better still join that organisation (which promotes cycling in general) from just £26, you can get 10% off e-bikes for the month of May; there are other benefits of joining BC of course.

Not only that, many employers operate schemes where you can buy store vouchers at discounted prices. Our local council, KCC, has such a scheme for school and other public or quasi-public organisations (Natural England, for instance). You can buy Halfords vouchers with a 10% discount this way. When this is paired with the BC discount, it means you can get 19% off the list price (price paid = list price x 0.9 x 0.9).

And, for the record, I do not work for British Cycling, Halfords or Boardman Bikes!


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## Gctips (4 Jun 2022)

Hi I was just about to join British Cycling in order to get the discount to use at Halfords but I see its not available on E bikes? Are you sure about this?


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## legitsan (5 Jun 2022)

Hello everybody I feel abit of a traitor to be asking for HELP off people on this Boardman chat site
,I would have been a Boardman adv e owner but there was a sale on a Vitus Fazuapower bicycle 2021
model ,so I bought that one instead ,So what is my problem , I have found out like GZOOM did that I 
need two battery ,no problem you would think , you can't buy a new one for love or money ,
so had to a look on eBay , there was a 3 day auction , so I ask if it had been look after , yes only showing 5 charges
from new , how had he stored it , he reply as Fazua advice for storage of their battery , he sent me a another
photo showing it charging so everything seems OK , but to be on the safe side I got in touch with Fazua , because 
I was not happy in having to look at a used battery and this was was the old type 250 which you have switch on , 
I was advised as long as the battery was OK it would perform just as well as the 250x the only thing you have to 
do is switch it on .So here lies the problem ,it a arrived late ,it was the day before the Bank holidays , well it didn't 
look well look after , still I thought its whats under the bonnet that matters ,so fitted it and using Fazua app ,
it reads 5 charges but battery heath only 95% ,now I have done 500 miles and 10 charges and the battery heath is 100% ,
1 went a couple of miles on it then using Fazua app , it returned a reading of 5 charges battery heath this time 93%,
I discharge the battery to 7% then charge it up to 100% , it now showed 6 charges but battery heath this time 96%.
I am hoping that GZOOM will be reading this because I am sure he will have the answer , Fazua didn't tell me that the 
250 is not a sealed battery like the250x , it got 8 screws fastening the cover on , and I can't find any tamper paint on 
any of the screws .? Any help on the above would be a great help , PS Don't think this was a cheap eBay deal I paid 
more for this battery than when it was new , if you remove the VAT at 20% . Any help on the above would be great .


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## ianmac62 (5 Jun 2022)

gzoom said:


> I see no reason why you cannot tour with the bike. Its nothing special though the motor support. At a push I think you can get 40-50 miles out of the battery if you stay within the 15.5mph cut off and aim to go above that speed on most flats. A second battery however will give you more room to cover 60-70 miles in a day.



Just catching up with this forum. The ADV 8.9e worked very well for me on a tour last year and I'm off again in two weeks time.

In 2021, seven days of Cambridgeshire & Lincolnshire (The Fridays' Fenland Fling). Average daily mileage about 60. I carry a second battery (in the nifty, but expensive bag made by Evok for Fazua - I think it's worth it). I only swopped batteries during a ride once and that was on the longest day (72 miles) when, delayed by my wish to visit Little Gidding (it's a T S Eliot thing), half the group chased down the others at quick speed. Generally, on tour, I only use assist for hills and possibly a headwind so your mileage may vary. Otherwise I just swopped the batteries overnight.

The thing is that, after a lung operation and a heart attack, I wouldn't keep up with the group without some e-assist.

Mudguards were needed - and a pannier rack fitted solidly to the rear triangle.

In two weeks I'm off for nine days on The Friday Genteel Tour - and very confident that my ADV 8.9e will be just the job.


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## CXRAndy (6 Jun 2022)

My Daughter has a HYB 8.6. She is not a keen rider. We now live where there are some hills. I will most likely install a Tongscheng TSDZ2 motor kit with OSF.


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## gzoom (6 Jun 2022)

@legitsan Not sure what you mean by paint on the screws, but on the battery packs I have the screws are painted over, though am not sure how tamper proof they are or if you could tell they have been opened. 

For battery health, they do degrade (like all batteries), the older battery is currently at 94% health after 75 cycles, and the newer battery at 96% health after 28 cycles. Battery degradation is never linear, and in reality/usage I cannot tell any difference the range of either battery new compared to now. 

I suspect the battery you have just hasn't been used for a while, or has some 'calendar' degradation - Most commercial battery cells will degrade a bit in usable life just from sitting there idle. 

Essentially I wouldn't worry about it, battery degradation is a fact of life with any EV, as long as you can get replacement packs its fine though its worrying getting hold of a new pack from Fazua appears so hard.

For interest our EV (Car) battery has done roughly 290 cycles over 4.5 years, and its currently only showing 6-7% degradation. So the battery in these eBikes are clearly not the same quality/standard as the cells you find in EV car. It would be interesting to see if you could put in automotive grade cells into these packs as an DIY project, though probably not worth the effort or fire risk .


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## Gctips (7 Jun 2022)

Seems I was getting ahead of myself. Just had a reply to a message I sent to Boardman.

"We do apologise but by the looks of it the bike you have requested wont be available till 2023. Sorry for the inconvenience that this may have caused."


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## quilkin (8 Jun 2022)

Gctips said:


> Seems I was getting ahead of myself. Just had a reply to a message I sent to Boardman.
> 
> "We do apologise but by the looks of it the bike you have requested wont be available till 2023. Sorry for the inconvenience that this may have caused."


What model / size were you hoping to buy?


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## Gctips (9 Jun 2022)

quilkin said:


> What model / size were you hoping to buy?



HYB 8.9e 54cm


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## richtea (9 Jun 2022)

Gctips said:


> HYB 8.9e 54cm



Banbury Halfords:
' Item is available in selected store'

That's what the website claims, if you're anywhere near.


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## Gctips (10 Jun 2022)

richtea said:


> Banbury Halfords:
> ' Item is available in selected store'
> 
> That's what the website claims, if you're anywhere near.
> ...





richtea said:


> Banbury Halfords:
> ' Item is available in selected store'
> 
> That's what the website claims, if you're anywhere near.
> ...


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## Gctips (10 Jun 2022)

Yes it's very confusing!! They have now stock anywhere but I have found at least 6 stores showing stock!! There answer to that was it's a mistake??


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## Swidy (12 Jun 2022)

Hi There,
I have the Boardman 8.9 Adv e bike and I am very happy with it, I bought it last year when I was having problems with my left hip, after complete Hip replacing in January I'm back riding and am now riding without assistance on some rides so, I'm looking for the blank downtube and saw one on eBay in different colours and wondered if anyone has bought one, £34 cheaper than the cheapest aluminium one and weighs 1.2Kg less-

sorry couldn't get the link to work but this is the description on eBay 

FAZUA Evation fit e-bike downtube cover tube for Fazua Evation based e-bikes


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## richtea (12 Jun 2022)

Swidy said:


> FAZUA Evation fit e-bike downtube cover tube for Fazua Evation based e-bikes


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165488872649
They're not genuine, but then again the original one is just a hollow tube with caps, so as long as it fits well enough to stop water ingress (or you ride in the dry), it seems like a good way to save money.

They also sell bottom brackets covers for Fazua:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165419336502
Not such good value. The original Orbea one is cheaper - if you can get one at Euro list price in the UK.


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## legitsan (14 Jun 2022)

gzoom *Thanks for your reply , I just be too busy with eBay ,all good in the end the battery has gone back . THE BATTERY *past all tests , it was the seller description that was the problem , I wouldn't have bid that amount of money on a battery with that state of health ,below is parts of two emails from Fazua , The 8 screws hold the plate on the 250 battery ,but on my 250x its looked sealed with one screw at each end .​Thank you for the fast reply and for sending me the diagnostic report.
All the the values in the report look okay and I couldn't find any problem.
The SoH (state of health) also depends somewhat on the age and storage of the battery, not just the number of charge cycles.
Since you have nought the used battery, it is very hard to say the details, but in the report looks all good.
SoH is only a rough guide and can therefore vary slightly in the app.
I hope this answer could help you.
I hope you have a nice week and please let me know if you have any additional questions. 
Best regards,
Luka - FAZUA ServiceLuka Maksimovic 09.06.2022, 10:49 
Thank you for the fast reply.
There is no anti tampering noticeable by the customer. The battery is sealed however, its housing has an integrated sealing - but besides the manufacturer there is no safe way to find out if the battery has been opened before
But from our experience after being opened one time it can be seen as the housing will not again close with a 100% fit, so you most likely would notice bigger gaps around the screws where the housing is fixated
Ocourse, we will not forget our Ride50 drive system.
We will always offer the spare parts and try to improve our product.
Best regards,
Luka - FAZUA
I asked Luka about the future of our system now Porsche have taken over.
Its a pity ,because you can see that when Porsche bought 20% the next thing was the motor being built in ,so only the battery can be removed .
i was holding out to buy the new ride 50 trail and uprated bottom gear box ,but saw what was happening and was lucky that I got 20% off last year model.
I more than happy with old system , not been a hill yet that it and I haven't climbed ,
I post in a bit about the way I take the motor/battery out !


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## cartman (18 Jun 2022)

richtea said:


> Our HYB8.9e (not the ADV but same wheel size I believe) has SKS Blumels mudguards:
> Blumels 10433
> They're good quality.
> Other suppliers are available.



Thanks for that, I am trying to work out how to attach the front mudguard because there aren’t any bolt holes in the carbon forks and the wheel nuts are recessed. Any chance of posting a couple of photos please showing the front and back attachments? Cheers.


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## richtea (18 Jun 2022)

cartman said:


> Thanks for that, I am trying to work out how to attach the front mudguard because there aren’t any bolt holes in the carbon forks and the wheel nuts are recessed. Any chance of posting a couple of photos please showing the front and back attachments? Cheers.



Can't post photos for a day or two but I'm pretty sure the bolt holes are on the inside of the forks, maybe a 1/3rd the way up.
Can't remember for the back - sorry, but I'll post something on Monday.


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## richtea (20 Jun 2022)

Photos as promised.

[Edit: these are SKS Blumels mudguards - Blumels 10433]

The front mudguard attaches behind the fork and to the *inside *of both forks, 1/3rd up.
You'll need to cut/hacksaw one pair of the metal stays short (the top ones) and spring/bend them to get this angle:






The two inner holes, with bolts in before I fitted the mudguard.






The rear mudguard is attached in 3 places, as per normal:





- behind the bottom bracket (bit grubby down there!):





Behind/below the saddle where the frame splits either side of the wheel:





And lastly at the rear of the frame near the quick release axle:


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## fasteasyfree (23 Jun 2022)

Out of curiosity, what's the widest tyre anyone's managed to install on the ADV? I've got some 2" (50mm) Vittoria Mezcal tyres I'm planning on testing tomorrow, so will report back my findings.


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## fasteasyfree (24 Jun 2022)

fasteasyfree said:


> Out of curiosity, what's the widest tyre anyone's managed to install on the ADV? I've got some 2" (50mm) Vittoria Mezcal tyres I'm planning on testing tomorrow, so will report back my findings.



No chance! 
I think a 45 may work but it would be a squeeze.


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## bobbypuk (3 Jul 2022)

This thread is so useful! Thanks for all sharing your experiences.
Got the ADV8.9e about a month ago. Will be my daily commuter from September (7 miles each way) so have been kitting it out.

Never been much of a cyclist but the ADV8.9e is so much fun. My commute has some trails and the acceleration coming out of the corners is wild. Love it. 

having the power/cadence meter link with the Garmin is a great bonus. Have added a rack, converted tyres to tubeless. Reckon it’s all ready to go.


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## CXRAndy (4 Jul 2022)

bobbypuk said:


> This thread is so useful! Thanks for all sharing your experiences.
> Got the ADV8.9e about a month ago. Will be my daily commuter from September (7 miles each way) so have been kitting it out.
> 
> Never been much of a cyclist but the ADV8.9e is so much fun. My commute has some trails and the acceleration coming out of the corners is wild. Love it.
> ...



Cracking setup there. I have the same Topeak bag and rack on my ebike. 

Does the Boardman have built in lights? 

If not, I would suggest a Shimano front wheel dyno hub and get Busch Muller front and rear https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/busch-muller-lumotec-iqx-headlight-for-hub-dynamos-black/
You can get cheaper from European supplies.


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## ianmac62 (4 Jul 2022)

Quick post to say how satisfying my 9-day tour was on my ADV 8.9e; but also to ask about a problem that reared its ugly head.

Nine days and just short of 500 miles door-to-door. Everything worked well. My set up in this photo:






Shimano pedals; SKS mudguards & Tubus rack; Ortlieb panniers; second battery in Fazua/Evok bag from top tube (one battery is a 250, the other a 250X); Sigg water bottle.
Changes to original spec: Brooks C15 saddle; Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus tyres.

Now my problem! On the last day, changed the batteries when half-way home. But the 250 battery (not the 250X), fully charged, simply turned off when attached. When switched on, all five LEDs on the battery come on together, then either come on one after another and go out, or simply go out. So far, quite similar to my 250X battery. But the 250, when placed in the bike, and having been switched on, did not come on at all when I used the remote.

I have never experienced this before. I always alternate the batteries ride-by-ride. Throughout this tour I used a single battery on the first seven days, changing them over at the start of each day. On the penultimate day, for the first time, I changed the batteries mid-ride. Everything worked. Then, on the last day, no joy from the 250 battery at all when I tried to use it mid-ride!

Has anyone else come across this? Thanks.


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## CXRAndy (4 Jul 2022)

ianmac62 said:


> Quick post to say how satisfying my 9-day tour was on my ADV 8.9e; but also to ask about a problem that reared its ugly head.
> 
> Nine days and just short of 500 miles door-to-door. Everything worked well. My set up in this photo:
> 
> ...



Obvious question did you charge it before use or thought you had? Do you own a multi meter, so you can check battery voltage? 

Has the issue with said battery been resolved later?


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## ianmac62 (4 Jul 2022)

CXRAndy said:


> Obvious question did you charge it before use or thought you had? Do you own a multi meter, so you can check battery voltage?
> 
> Has the issue with said battery been resolved later?



Thanks. Good obvious question - I began to question my own routines! Had I? Did I only think I had? But checked when I reached home. Charger light went immediately to green. Today, checking before posting, charger light went to red for a few seconds then to green. Battery LEDs showed full battery - all five lit up.

I don't have a multi-meter to check voltage. TBH I know next to nothing about electrics.


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## richtea (4 Jul 2022)

ianmac62 said:


> When switched on, all five LEDs on the battery come on together, then either come on one after another and go out, or simply go out. So far, quite similar to my 250X battery. But the 250, when placed in the bike, and having been switched on, did not come on at all when I used the remote.



At risk of teaching Grandma to suck eggs....

The LEDs aren't random, although they can appear to be.

On powering up they all light up sequentially, and then depending on the battery charge state, some flick back off again, until the charge state is displayed - 20% for each of the 5 LEDs - so it's worth watching what they settle at.

For example 3 LEDs lit means it's 60% charged:






Having shown the charge status for a couple of seconds they all go out, but the battery is enabled.
A quick tap will show the charge status again.
A long hold of the button will cause the battery to power off, and you'll get the reverse sequence of the LEDs going out one by one until they're all off. A quick tap after that shows nothing = battery is definitely off now.

I have been caught out once by not watching the LEDs carefully before a ride. I saw them all light up and thought, ah 100%, excellent. What I had actually watched was just the turn-on sequence. I'd failed to wait for the status part that comes immediately after the sequential turn-on. The battery was actually at 20%. Needless to say, the ride was quite short & hard that day. 

That doesn't explain your problem, but just supposing a charge didn't go well, one can been fooled into thinking the battery is 100% unless you double-check the status either by watching the full startup LED sequence, or by a quick tap once you've switched it on.


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## ianmac62 (4 Jul 2022)

richtea said:


> At risk of teaching Grandma to suck eggs....
> 
> The LEDs aren't random, although they can appear to be.
> 
> ...



Hi @richtea Grandma here and thank you for that. I am starting to doubt my own sanity. I've taken to video-ing the charging of the 250 battery (as, over a few days, it will lose a tiny percentage and is no longer full) and of the switch on process to observe what you've described. 


I can't play with the actual bike until the day after tomorrow as tomorrow I'm baby-sitting all day in my real-life role as Grandad!

[I have a friend here who bought an ADV 8.9e and a second battery on my recommendation and he got into a right pickle by failing to observe the difference between his 250 and his 250X batteries. He couldn't work out why one would switch on from the remote and the other wouldn't. He went back to Halfords and they puzzled over it for several days until he went back with my e-mail explaining the difference in the batteries' switch-on methods. The Halfords people didn't know there was a difference! I hope I haven't made a similar schoolboy mistake.

Worth noting that I bought my bike and second battery together from Halfords in March 2021. The bike came with a 250X battery fitted and the separate second battery was a 250. Exactly the same for my friend in April 2022 - 250X on the bike; 250 for the separate battery.]


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## CXRAndy (5 Jul 2022)

This is my gripe with manufacturers using proprietary systems to lock out aftermarket parts. I have an e-bike with two batteries, I just swap them over, no need to know which is which. If the battery goes faulty. I could just get it re-celled or new BMS. It would work with no programming


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## ianmac62 (5 Jul 2022)

CXRAndy said:


> This is my gripe with manufacturers using proprietary systems to lock out aftermarket parts. I have an e-bike with two batteries, I just swap them over, no need to know which is which. If the battery goes faulty. I could just get it re-celled or new BMS. It would work with no programming



I agree with you up to a point. I really like the Fazua system yet its aftermarket comes at a premium. In this respect, it is like Apple or Brompton. Once you're into these phones, or these folding bikes, you're locked to a considerable degree into the Apple or Brompton premium-priced aftermarket.

But so far for me, until this recent problem with my 250 battery, the Fazua system has worked well for me.

P.S. We're also a household which has Apple phones/laptops/desktops and Brompton bikes. When they work well, which is 99% of the time, they are brilliant.


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## gzoom (6 Jul 2022)

CXRAndy said:


> This is my gripe with manufacturers using proprietary systems to lock out aftermarket parts. I have an e-bike with two batteries, I just swap them over, no need to know which is which. If the battery goes faulty. I could just get it re-celled or new BMS. It would work with no programming



The only thing I would say is batteries aren't benign, unlike a normal pedal bike. Though alot less dangerous than say petrol, they are still a large energy source, and if you don't respect them things go wrong.

https://www.guardian-series.co.uk/n...ning-battery-fire-destroys-walthamstow-house/

I personally would be very reluctant to do a third party repair on any EV traction battery, even people who know what are doing (and make a living from working with EV battery cells) have been brunt - literally. Yes eBikes have tiny number of cells compared to cars, but the same thing can happen.


View: https://youtu.be/WdDi1haA71Q

https://electrek.co/2021/10/17/gruber-motors-catches-on-fire-again-tesla-roadsters-lost/


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## johnno60 (8 Jul 2022)

Hi, I will soon be attempting 'King Alfred's Way' and would like some fatter knobbly rubber to help with the various surfaces I will be encountering. Has anyone fitted larger width tyres? I have tried researching what the maximum recommended width is but can't find any info. I am looking to fit MAXXIS RAVAGER KEVLAR 700X40 EXO T.R., but would like to go even wider if possible. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.


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## CXRAndy (8 Jul 2022)

Measure the gap from the side of the tyre to frame. Check the size of the current tyre. That should guide you how much more width can be accommodated. 

Another method which is more expensive is to drop wheel size. My bike will take upto 42mm with 700C wheels, but this increases to 50mm if I fit 650b size wheels


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## Brandane (9 Jul 2022)

fasteasyfree said:


> I've also heard that you can add the bike as a power or speed/cadence meter, but haven't figured it out yet.



Go to settings.
Select "Sensors".
Select "Add sensor".
Select "e-bike".
Garmin 530 will instruct you to switch on the bike, and it should detect it.
Select your bike and tick the box using select button on the Garmin. 
Then, don't make the same mistake I made and expect it to sync itself! You have to scroll back up to "add sensor" after ticking the box, and press select. 
That should be it done.
I haven't as yet used the function, so no idea what it actually does.
My bike is a Merida e-Scultura, but presumably the process will be the same., the Garmin being an Edge 530.


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## johnno60 (9 Jul 2022)

CXRAndy said:


> Measure the gap from the side of the tyre to frame. Check the size of the current tyre. That should guide you how much more width can be accommodated.
> 
> Another method which is more expensive is to drop wheel size. My bike will take upto 42mm with 700C wheels, but this increases to 50mm if I fit 650b size wheels



Cheers Andy will give that a go.


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## ianmac62 (14 Jul 2022)

Just to say that the 250 battery on my ADV8.9e corrected itself and provided power as mysteriously as it failed to provide power two weeks ago. The 250X battery hadn't been a problem. Took the opportunity to update the motor firmware to Ride 50 v2.12. Fingers crossed that everything is OK now. Thanks everyone!


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## mrburns (17 Aug 2022)

Hi All,
The Fazua design is robust and they have continually upgraded over the last 2 odd years so I was wondering now the bikes have been out there for a while has anyone discovered play in the crank of their bottom bracket?


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## gzoom (18 Aug 2022)

^No issues with mine, 2.5 years in and about 3000 miles.


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## ianmac62 (20 Aug 2022)

mrburns said:


> Hi All,
> The Fazua design is robust and they have continually upgraded over the last 2 odd years so I was wondering now the bikes have been out there for a while has anyone discovered play in the crank of their bottom bracket?



No, no issues with mine either. 1.5 years in; and about 3,250 miles.


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## joey70 (22 Sep 2022)

Hi. 
Just joined, thanks for everyone who has posted so far. Just received an ADV 8.9E as a commuter from tredz with a cyclescheme voucher. 
Tredz were excellent and deliver was super fast. Surprisingly the bike has come with the latest firmware installed.


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## ianmac62 (22 Sep 2022)

joey70 said:


> Hi.
> Just joined, thanks for everyone who has posted so far. Just received an ADV 8.9E as a commuter from tredz with a cyclescheme voucher.
> Tredz were excellent and deliver was super fast. Surprisingly the bike has come with the latest firmware installed.



Many happy miles!


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## fasteasyfree (2 Oct 2022)

Brandane said:


> Go to settings.
> Select "Sensors".
> Select "Add sensor".
> Select "e-bike".
> ...



Apologies, I forgot to reply! That worked great. Seems intermittent, however, as on some rides it works perfectly and others I'll have constant alerts on the head unit stating "power meter found".

I have noticed recently a 'click' when the left crank is at the top of the stroke. Anyone else experience this? It's not the creaking sound from loose bolts, but a distinct click. This is mentioned in step 7 of the troubleshooting doc, but all it says is to contact service partner as it's due to too much pressure on one side of the clutch. Was hoping there'd be a fix I could perform without having to visit halfords...


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## bobbypuk (26 Oct 2022)

mrburns said:


> Hi All,
> The Fazua design is robust and they have continually upgraded over the last 2 odd years so I was wondering now the bikes have been out there for a while has anyone discovered play in the crank of their bottom bracket?



Only 400 miles on mine and was getting a dreadful creaking sound when pedalling which I think may have been bottom bracket related. Had it in Halfords for 6 week service and they’ve tightened it up so hopefully that’s sorted. 

Possibly related question; my chain (the KMC one that came with it) is apparently 50% worn on 400 miles. This seems like a very low mileage. Anyone else had similar? I’m thinking I might swap the chain for an SRAM one. What replacement chains have you all used?


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## ianmac62 (26 Oct 2022)

bobbypuk said:


> Only 400 miles on mine and was getting a dreadful creaking sound when pedalling which I think may have been bottom bracket related. Had it in Halfords for 6 week service and they’ve tightened it up so hopefully that’s sorted.
> 
> Possibly related question; my chain (the KMC one that came with it) is apparently 50% worn on 400 miles. This seems like a very low mileage. Anyone else had similar? I’m thinking I might swap the chain for an SRAM one. What replacement chains have you all used?



I had a new chain at 2,150 miles by my LBS while being serviced (rather than at Halfords). If I understand these things properly, an e-bike benefits from having an e-chain; I presume there's extra power applied to it. Back in February this year it took ages to source the chain (and other parts); again I presume the delay was linked to shortages from the Far East and the closure of the Suez Canal.


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## bobbypuk (26 Oct 2022)

ianmac62 said:


> I had a new chain at 2,150 miles by my LBS while being serviced (rather than at Halfords). If I understand these things properly, an e-bike benefits from having an e-chain; I presume there's extra power applied to it. Back in February this year it took ages to source the chain (and other parts); again I presume the delay was linked to shortages from the Far East and the closure of the Suez Canal.



Yeah you see that sounds like the right sort of mileage. Wonder if there’s an issue causing my excessive wear. About half those miles are on gravel/muddy trails. Wonder if that makes a big difference?


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## ianmac62 (26 Oct 2022)

bobbypuk said:


> Yeah you see that sounds like the right sort of mileage. Wonder if there’s an issue causing my excessive wear. About half those miles are on gravel/muddy trails. Wonder if that makes a big difference?



I'm rarely riding trails; mainly I'm riding with friends on country lanes or touring. Perhaps someone else will come along and compare.


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## richtea (26 Oct 2022)

bobbypuk said:


> Only 400 miles on mine and was getting a dreadful creaking sound when pedalling which I think may have been bottom bracket related. Had it in Halfords for 6 week service and they’ve tightened it up so hopefully that’s sorted.



The bottom bracket has three Torx bolts on either side. They just need tightening up if it happens again. Torx sets are pretty cheap - a fiver - so consider buying a set and carry the right one on the next few trips. I can't remember which size it is, sorry, but it will be in this set: 

View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001JJLV6I


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## kapelmuur (3 Jan 2023)

I have been reading all 24 pages of this thread because I would like to buy the Boardman, if only it was available!

I have had a Fazua powered Cube C62 road bike for 2.5 years and the system suits me very well. I ride mainly rural routes and the volume of mud on the roads results in me using my non assisted mudguard equipped bike much of the time. At 75 years old I getting to the stage where assistance is preferred at all times. The Cube is a lovely machine and I don’t want to fit it with mudguards.

So it makes sense for an assisted winter bike to be Fazua powered in the expectation that batteries etc will be interchangeable.

The issue with torx bolts isn’t confined to Halfords, I had the same problem even though the Cube came from a LBS. They used Araldite to fix it.

I also find the lever release for the battery very stiff, the force needed is worrying as I think I could snap it off.

I’m a convert to tubeless and would want to run tubeless on the Boardman, are the wheels suitable or should I look at an upgrade?


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## robgul (3 Jan 2023)

kapelmuur said:


> I have been reading all 24 pages of this thread because I would like to buy the Boardman, if only it was available!
> 
> I have had a Fazua powered Cube C62 road bike for 2.5 years and the system suits me very well. I ride mainly rural routes and the volume of mud on the roads results in me using my non assisted mudguard equipped bike much of the time. At 75 years old I getting to the stage where assistance is preferred at all times. The Cube is a lovely machine and I don’t want to fit it with mudguards.
> 
> ...



My Boardman adv, dropbar model, has tubeless ready wheels - I assume the flat bar has too?

Very pleased with the bike (I have others as well) after nearly a year . . . I swapped the awful splayed bars for normal drops, swapped tyres for Schwalbe Marathons, fitted mudguards and a rack . . . as well as a Brooks B17. I've been trying to buy a second battery but they seem like rocking horse droppings unless you're prepared to pay massively over the price.


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## ianmac62 (3 Jan 2023)

Some good points there, @kapelmuur, and in @robgul's reply.
1) I'm 74 and perhaps a lung operation after pneumonia and then a heart attack make me 75 in the real world too. 
2) I use my Boardman all year round because (picture earlier in the thread) it makes a good tourer as well as a winter bike. Pootling around on my own I have other non-e bikes. So good that a good friend in my weekend riding group bought one soon after.
3) I don't know about availability. When I bought mine in early 2021 I had to wait just ten days. Things have changed.
4) Don't know that the battery lever release is stiff. My problem is that sometimes the battery is reluctant to drop out. I've learned not to do it in a hurry!
5) Like the earlier reply from @robgul my Boardman came with "tubeless ready" rims and tyres, although actually equipped with tubes.
6) I've come to like the "splayed" bars (which I understand may be common for gravel bikes).
7) Agree Schwalbe Marathons are a great improvement on the Vittoria tyres that came with the bike.
8) I swapped saddles to a Brooks C15 but saddle choice is always going to be personal and you may get on with the Fizik that came with my Boardman.
9) Bought the second battery at the same time as the bike. Halfords had them in stock back then!
10) Finally, although you don't mention this, I find that replacement parts (when I have the bike serviced at a good LBS) of, for example, the drive chain, are (a) sourced after a long wait and (b) seem expensive.
Hope this helps! Cheers, Ian.


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## kapelmuur (3 Jan 2023)

ianmac62 said:


> Some good points there, @kapelmuur, and in @robgul's reply.
> 1) I'm 74 and perhaps a lung operation after pneumonia and then a heart attack make me 75 in the real world too.
> 2) I use my Boardman all year round because (picture earlier in the thread) it makes a good tourer as well as a winter bike. Pootling around on my own I have other non-e bikes. So good that a good friend in my weekend riding group bought one soon after.
> 3) I don't know about availability. When I bought mine in early 2021 I had to wait just ten days. Things have changed.
> ...



It’s the lever that’s stiff, it doesn’t want to disengage from the catch.

I recently found out that there’s a Fazua trained ebike shop in Wilmslow which is close to where I live so I’ll use that for servicing in future.

I had read that ebikes need more robust drive train components than non assisted bikes but I don’t understand the logic. Even on full epower I’m generating fewer watts than a young, fit rider, so am putting less strain on the drive train.


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## ianmac62 (4 Jan 2023)

kapelmuur said:


> It’s the lever that’s stiff, it doesn’t want to disengage from the catch.
> 
> I recently found out that there’s a Fazua trained ebike shop in Wilmslow which is close to where I live so I’ll use that for servicing in future.
> 
> I had read that ebikes need more robust drive train components than non assisted bikes but I don’t understand the logic. Even on full epower I’m generating fewer watts than a young, fit rider, so am putting less strain on the drive train.



No Fazua-trained bike shop near me. I haven't gone back to Halfords. My independent LBS was recently taken over by Rutland Cycling (an expanding chain owned by venture capitalists who seem to have thrown money at the owner enabling him to take very early retirement in comfort). Fortunately the two technicians / mechanics have remained and I've known them for years. So they see to the mechanical parts of the bike when it needs a service; and I simply keep the Fazua kit up-to-date in terms of software / firmware (though only after other people have run updates and reported their effects on a Fazua Facebook page I look at from time to time.

The bike has covered 3,750 miles and required two mechanical services. On both occasions the mechanics judged it required new chainring, chain and cassette. The chainring and chain are "for e-bikes" while I don't think the cassette is. The mechanics swapped the SRAM cassette for a Shimano one at the first service. But I'm with you - I don't understand (a) why "e-bike" parts are necessary or (b) why they are more expensive. Mind you, at that LBS they told me that most e-bikes they sell overall at Rutland Cycles are sold to people in their twenties and early thirties who want to get uphill as fast as they can in order to enjoy the downhills both on- and off-road. So maybe the majority of users of e-bikes need to have sturdier components. 

Does your experience with your Fazua-equipped Cube suggest that the Fazua components need more servicing than just keeping the firmware / software up-to-date?


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## kapelmuur (4 Jan 2023)

ianmac62 said:


> Does your experience with your Fazua-equipped Cube suggest that the Fazua components need more servicing than just keeping the firmware / software up-to-date?



No! I have to confess to being useless at anything practical, so I just clean the bike, inflate the tyres and lubricate moving parts.

It hasn’t had a lot of use because it was an expensive buy and comes out only when conditions are perfect. I have a gravel bike with mudguards for wet roads, which seem to be most of the time.

In 2.5 years the Cube has covered 2030 miles with the battery/motor removed and 2450 miles as an e assisted bike.

I had it serviced last April by a mechanic who treated it as a conventional bike and replaced the cassette and chain with standard Shimano components.

Last November the battery refused to turn on and in desperation I downloaded the Fazua app and it updated the software. Immediate success and improved performance.

So my experience is that the system is robust, it had no problems with the Flandrian cobbles during a holiday last year.

I will start reading the Facebook page from now on!


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## robgul (4 Jan 2023)

In response to the question about e-bike specific cassettes and chainrings - the cassette will be no different from the average product, arguably the chains sold as e-bike specific MAY be different but the word from the KMC supplier rep when I was managing a bike shop was that they are just the same as the regular chains with an E prefix on the box (although there are of course different qualities of chain . . . if you believe that there's any difference beyond the packaging, with a very few exceptions)


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## gzoom (4 Jan 2023)

It cost me £300 in servicing for 3000+ miles of commuting in all weather's with zero maintenance in-between. That cost included new chain, cassette, brake pads, brake fluid, gear change cable, and wheel turinig, so essentially new drivetrain. 

My spare battery did die though, almost certainly cell failure out of warranty, not going to get another one (got a whole new bike instead).

Overall as a car replacement, the Fazua/Boardman setup works pretty well. But you can very much tell the bike bit of the setup is the 'weaker' part of the package.


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## ianmac62 (5 Jan 2023)

gzoom said:


> My spare battery did die though, almost certainly cell failure



Was the failure as a result of something else you've identified? It sound a disaster. I don't think of my "second" battery as a spare; I alternate them between rides. I'd hate it if one of them packed in.


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## gzoom (5 Jan 2023)

ianmac62 said:


> Was the failure as a result of something else you've identified? It sound a disaster. I don't think of my "second" battery as a spare; I alternate them between rides. I'd hate it if one of them packed in.



Battery cells fail all the time in all kinds of devices. The manfactures usually have different 'Cut off' limits for different applications- for example cells in EV (cars) are usually really high quality vs cells found in a cheap £10 light off eBay.

I suspect Fazua (despite their premium price), aren't sourcing the top spec/best cells - ie Automotive grade. If you go on the FaceBook group pack failure isn't uncommon given the relative small number of bikes they sell.


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