# Pedalling heavier over night



## Scottmartin99 (11 Apr 2020)

I’m interested to get the view of you experienced cycling folk on here.

I purchased the electric Carrera Crosscity Halfords bike 6 weeks ago. I absolutely love it because it’s so low impact on my knee that I barely know I’m riding. However, around 3 days ago, the peddling suddenly felt heavier. Almost like something was pulling it back as I peddled. I pumped up the wheels, put oil on the chain and the breaks where aligned. yet still the same problem. I noticed that when I’m NOT peddling and moving, the bike feels perfectly fine. When I peddle without the electric motor on, it was fairly heavy before, now it feels 3 times heavier than it did before.

Halfords are looking into it, but I’m keen to know what you guys think it might be and if you think it is something I might be able to fix at home.

I look forward to your replies and stay safe my friends.

Scott


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## boydj (12 Apr 2020)

Do the wheels spin freely when lifted off the ground?


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## Scottmartin99 (12 Apr 2020)

boydj said:


> Do the wheels spin freely when lifted off the ground?



Yes 👍


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## ebikeerwidnes (12 Apr 2020)

My wife has one of them so I ride it sometimes
I have never had that problem so it is not normal (obviously)
I was wondering if something is rubbing against the pedal/cranks or chain at some point. If it freewheels OK then the wheels and brakes must be moving OK - so it must be something else

I would suggest that you make sure Halfords fix it - and if they give it back and it still has a problem makes sure everything is in writing. I have had problems with Halfords before - but when I started documenting everything they were OK.

Anyway - great ebike for its type - I was amazed when my wife got it as it was soooooo much more powerful than my old Powacycle (OK that was 10 years old which may have been the reason!!)

If you have any problems and want me to try something out on mywife's bike - let me know!


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## Pale Rider (13 Apr 2020)

The Carrera is a great ebike for the money, but there are persistent reports of problems with the Suntour hub motor.

I know Halfords has replaced quite a few.

All will be well if you get a good one.


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## Scottmartin99 (13 Apr 2020)

ebikeerwidnes said:


> My wife has one of them so I ride it sometimes
> I have never had that problem so it is not normal (obviously)
> I was wondering if something is rubbing against the pedal/cranks or chain at some point. If it freewheels OK then the wheels and brakes must be moving OK - so it must be something else
> 
> ...



Thank you for replying. Very kind of you.

Yes, with my limited knowledge, I assume if can only be the pedal or cranks.

I took it back to Haldords and was treated appallingly. After riding it everyday for 6 weeks, I told the guy that I noticed a significant difference in its performance overnight and 2 days later my left knee problem started coming back. The cycle guy at Halfords said there was nothing wrong with it. I politely insisted that there was something not right. He picked up the bike, put it over the Barrier (2 meter virus Barrier) and said “I can’t do anything for you” and walked in, locking the side door behind him. Disgraceful attitude, especially after I was respectful, kind and cooperative throughout our conversation to try and find a solution. It will be my first complaint in many years against anyone. That was unacceptable.

Actually there is something you can check on your wife’s bike if you don’t mind. There is a bit, I’m not sure if it should be slightly bent onwards or not. It’s Sending photo now. Thanks again for your help


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## Scottmartin99 (13 Apr 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> The Carrera is a great ebike for the money, but there are persistent reports of problems with the Suntour hub motor.
> 
> I know Halfords has replaced quite a few.
> 
> All will be well if you get a good one.



Thanks. The peddling is heavy even when the motor is off. Do you think it could still be a problem with the Motor still? As you can tell, my knowledge isn’t very good 🙂


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## Smudge (13 Apr 2020)

Are you sure the motor is engaging at the right assistance level ?..... It could be that its stuck on a low level of assistance.


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## Scottmartin99 (13 Apr 2020)

Smudge said:


> Are you sure the motor is engaging at the right assistance level ?..... It could be that its stuck on a low level of assistance.



The motor seems okay. It is stronger on each level. It’s just harder to pedal than it was before, whether the motor is off or on. The problem seemed to occur overnight. I’m working a little harder to pedal than I was.


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## Smudge (13 Apr 2020)

Scottmartin99 said:


> The motor seems okay. It is stronger on each level. It’s just harder to pedal than it was before, whether the motor is off or on. The problem seemed to occur overnight. I’m working a little harder to pedal than I was.



You are going to have to go through everything, bb bearings, drivechain and gears, check tyres aren't rubbing on brakes or mudguard. Also check tyre pressures, a loss of pressure will make the tyres more draggy.


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## Scottmartin99 (13 Apr 2020)

Smudge said:


> You are going to have to go through everything, bb bearings, drivechain and gears, check tyres aren't rubbing on brakes or mudguard. Also check tyre pressures, a loss of pressure will make the tyres more draggy.


F
That’s what I was thinking too. I’m plumped the wheels, oiled the chain and got the brake pads aligned. So it’s none of them. 

But I purchased the 3 year cycle car with Halfords. Plus, they extended the returns policy to 90 days, 2 days before I purchased it. So I’m trying to return it like for like.

Do you think a Halfords cycle worker could know there was nothing wrong with it, within 10 minutes, without stripping it apart?


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## Phaeton (13 Apr 2020)

I'm not excusing Halfords as if this is the case it should have been clearly advised to you, but it could be that they are currently not allowed to take back bicycles, again slightly different but my son works in retail & they currently cannot accept any returns, they are advising customers to keep their receipts & the 30 days they normally get will be extended until they are clear to accept them. Do Halfords have a CS phone number might be worth ringing & asking, also might be worth putting in a formal email complaint, so at least the ball is rolling.


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## Scottmartin99 (13 Apr 2020)

Phaeton said:


> I'm not excusing Halfords as if this is the case it should have been clearly advised to you, but it could be that they are currently not allowed to take back bicycles, again slightly different but my son works in retail & they currently cannot accept any returns, they are advising customers to keep their receipts & the 30 days they normally get will be extended until they are clear to accept them. Do Halfords have a CS phone number might be worth ringing & asking, also might be worth putting in a formal email complaint, so at least the ball is rolling.



If there is a reason they can’t take items back then I would have been satisfied if he had told me that. I would have followed their current procedure.

Iv contacted CS about exchanging the bike. As soon as I get his name, I will put in a big complaint. It will hopefully help him change his attitude or change to a non customer facing position within the company


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## gbb (13 Apr 2020)

How do you feel in yourself Scott ?
I ask because when I was at my peak, just once in a while I'd jump on the bike, full of expectation for the ride ahead, get 5 miles down the road and quickly realise, it's just not there, I'm carrying a virus or something, I feel I'm struggling. I'd turn round and rest up for a day or so. There can be something health wise, not necessarily really bad, in you that you dont realise until you start to exercise. Exercise just tips you into the red perhaps.
Next ride out, a few days later, no problem


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## Scottmartin99 (13 Apr 2020)

gbb said:


> How do you feel in yourself Scott ?
> I ask because when I was at my peak, just once in a while I'd jump on the bike, full of expectation for the ride ahead, get 5 miles down the road and quickly realise, it's just not there, I'm carrying a virus or something, I feel I'm struggling. I'd turn round and rest up for a day or so. There can be something health wise, not necessarily really bad, in you that you dont realise until you start to exercise. Exercise just tips you into the red perhaps.
> Next ride out, a few days later, no problem



Im lucky really that my health is in a really good place at 41. I had symptoms of Covid a few weeks ago, and I felt tired riding the bike for a couple of days. It passed and I was back to normal before I felt this pedal resistance thing started to happen.


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## ebikeerwidnes (13 Apr 2020)

Scottmartin99 said:


> Thank you for replying. Very kind of you.
> 
> Yes, with my limited knowledge, I assume if can only be the pedal or cranks.
> 
> ...



Hi - just seen your message
I have got my wife's bike out and looked around but I am a unclear where those photos are from on the bike
can you show me and I'll have another look

BTW - I wouldn't fiddle with it much as you may give Halford an excuse to reject the guarantee. If they still won't fix it I would be sending a recorded delivery letter to their Head Office as well as a copy to the store manager

I have to say that I don;t like Halfords but a while ago they cocked up a service on my 10 year old ebike (it was a special offer when we bought my wife's bike) and, although it took them 3 weeks to fix it, they did bend over backwards to find a solution.
You could potentially take the bike and the receipt to another Halfords store???

ANyway good luck with it


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## gbb (13 Apr 2020)

Scottmartin99 said:


> Im lucky really that my health is in a really good place at 41. I had symptoms of Covid a few weeks ago, and I felt tired riding the bike for a couple of days. It passed and I was back to normal before I felt this pedal resistance thing started to happen.


Glad your better now. Be interesting to see if the bike problem persists, I may be wrong with my theory, equally.....


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## Scottmartin99 (13 Apr 2020)

gbb said:


> Glad your better now. Be interesting to see if the bike problem persists, I may be wrong with my theory, equally.....



Thank you 🙂


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## Scottmartin99 (13 Apr 2020)

ebikeerwidnes said:


> Hi - just seen your message
> I have got my wife's bike out and looked around but I am a unclear where those photos are from on the bike
> can you show me and I'll have another look
> 
> ...



Yes I agree about not tampering with it. Even if that bit is bent, I won’t be touching it. As you rightly say, they could get out of replacing it. It surly must be the terms & conditions that you can’t work on the bike whilst it is under warranty.

Yes, there are good workers at Halfords. I left first class feedback on the guy who sold me the Bike. He was very easy to deal with and didn’t push me into buying anything. Another worker helped me a week later. This guy was a rouge on that day. Maybe he’s okay in general, just a bad day. But still unacceptable because he left me feeling angry. Which isn’t like me at all. 

I actually did go to a different store that day, but there was no tech guy until the next day.

Thank you for you help 👍


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## Scottmartin99 (15 Apr 2020)

Halfords are changing the back wheel. They think that bent back wheel spokes might be causing drag


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## Pale Rider (15 Apr 2020)

Scottmartin99 said:


> Halfords are changing the back wheel. They think that bent back wheel spokes might be causing drag


Sensible response - at last - by Halfords.

I reckon that may cure it, although I'm not certain where the controller is installed in the Suntour system.

It may be in the battery case or under it, so replacing that is the next step if the fault persists.


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## Scottmartin99 (15 Apr 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> Sensible response - at last - by Halfords.
> 
> I reckon that may cure it, although I'm not certain where the controller is installed in the Suntour system.
> 
> It may be in the battery case or under it, so replacing that is the next step if the fault persists.



I had asked if them and I could use their ebike which they used for 30 minutes testing before the covid-19 outbreak. Then compare them both. That would immediately let us know if I was right or wrong about the performance. But they said they wasn’t allowed to ride my back. But yes, we are getting somewhere .

I tried looking at where the is located. It must be small !!!.

Thanks for the tip on the Battery Case. I might need all the help that I could get.


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## Pale Rider (17 Apr 2020)

Scottmartin99 said:


> I had asked if them and I could use their ebike which they used for 30 minutes testing before the covid-19 outbreak. Then compare them both. That would immediately let us know if I was right or wrong about the performance. But they said they wasn’t allowed to ride my back. But yes, we are getting somewhere .
> 
> I tried looking at where the is located. It must be small !!!.
> 
> Thanks for the tip on the Battery Case. I might need all the help that I could get.



You may have grasped there are three main components to an ebike propulsion system - battery, controller, and motor.

Few people have the expertise to service these, so finding a fault is a matter of changing each one in turn.

The battery and motor is obvious, but the controller may be hidden in either the battery or the motor.

The other bit to consider is a magnetic sensor which may be on the cranks, or the chain stay where it picks up info from a spoke magnet.

I'm not familiar with the sensor arrangement on the Suntour system, but it might be worth carefully comparing the crank area of your bike with a new one.


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## gbb (19 Apr 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> You may have grasped there are three main components to an ebike propulsion system - battery, controller, and motor.
> 
> Few people have the expertise to service these, so finding a fault is a matter of changing each one in turn.
> 
> ...


Yes, the sensor, I'd not thought of that.
It's a bit of a faff but remove the drive side crank...carefully, and the sensor is attached by three mall pozi screws and it's only on a short loom, easily tugged if you allow the crank to pull away unsupported.. Apparently theres a lug that can break off. The sensor is actually optical I think. Definately worth considering as a reason for OPs problem.


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