Boardman ADV 8.9 E

[ebikeerwidnes]

Yes - you cannot trust factories and shop with batteries
Often mostly otu of ignorance or carelessness rather than evil intentions

When I was looking for a new ebike I tried one at Halfords - turned out that it would not work
They said they would put it on charge and I could try it in an hour or so if I came back - so I went for a coffee

When I came back it still would not work - in spite of being on charge for an hour and a bit

I am pretty sure that it had been in the shop for a while but not charged properly and hence would no longer hold charge
but it was on sale in the shop and someone could have easily just come in and bought it

Always worth checking

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

I like the idea that you can remove the motor and battery from these and replace the void with a cover that costs ~£90, making them a slightly heavier than normal adventure bike.

The ~16Kg weight is appealing too, as all my bikes live inside our first floor flat, my arms are pathetically weak these days but this Boardman ebike would only be ~3.5Kg heavier than my Voodoo Marasa hybrid.

 

[ianmac62]

replace the void with a cover that costs ~£90

To me that's the downside of Fazua - the cost of plastic! And the little plastic cover for under the bottom bracket? About £20! It's a great system and the removal of motor and battery is a real advantage. But once you're tied in to Fazua, the other bits are expensive. See also: Brompton, Apple.
PS I'd recommend the little plastic cover for under the bottom bracket for its peace of mind alone!

 

[robgul]

To me that's the downside of Fazua - the cost of plastic! And the little plastic cover for under the bottom bracket? About £20! It's a great system and the removal of motor and battery is a real advantage. But once you're tied in to Fazua, the other bits are expensive. See also: Brompton, Apple.
PS I'd recommend the little plastic cover for under the bottom bracket for its peace of mind alone!

If you poke about online you can find a couple of cheap options for the BB cover and the battery replacement cover - 3d printed. I don't have a 3d printer but I think there are some files online at the Inventables website?

 

[gzoom]

PS I'd recommend the little plastic cover for under the bottom bracket for its peace of mind alone!

You don't need it. Mine Boardman is 4 years old now, done 5000 miles, all weathers. Ridden through plenty of flood water, no BB cover, no issues.

 

[ianmac62]

Agreed! It’s just that peace of mind thing.

 

[BromleyBoy]

I've not had an electric bike before but have borrowed a friend's HYB 8.9E for a day a few years ago and enjoyed cycling up and around Hartside in Cumbria. I'm a little tempted by a second-hand ADV 8.9e going for £650. The seller says the battery isn't working, probably from having left it and bike in a cold shed for several months after an injury. He says the bike is two years old but has no receipt or manual, but does (strangely) have a receipt for an original charger. He says the bike was working fine before his injury. I'm wary of buying a bike I can't test beforehand with a working battery. A refurbished battery from Halfords seems to cost £315, but there might be other problems with the electrics on the bike. Having read the previous posts on this thread and the Fazua Riders Facebook page about problems experienced with the Fazua motor, I'm erring towards not buying this particular bike at least.

 

[robgul]

I would continue to err to a decision not to buy it (the age of the bike could be identified from the serial number and asking Boardman/Halfords) - and a "refurbished battery" sounds dubious too - and why is there a separate bill for a charger when it comes with the bike? Stolen bike?

But don't be put off by the bike model - I've had one for about 3 years and can't fault it (other than a cracked wheel rim ... when I replaced both wheels with much better quality hand-builts)

 

[ianmac62]

I've not had an electric bike before but have borrowed a friend's HYB 8.9E for a day a few years ago and enjoyed cycling up and around Hartside in Cumbria. I'm a little tempted by a second-hand ADV 8.9e going for £650. The seller says the battery isn't working, probably from having left it and bike in a cold shed for several months after an injury. He says the bike is two years old but has no receipt or manual, but does (strangely) have a receipt for an original charger. He says the bike was working fine before his injury. I'm wary of buying a bike I can't test beforehand with a working battery. A refurbished battery from Halfords seems to cost £315, but there might be other problems with the electrics on the bike. Having read the previous posts on this thread and the Fazua Riders Facebook page about problems experienced with the Fazua motor, I'm erring towards not buying this particular bike at least.

As soon as you wrote “the battery isn’t working” you’ve made your decision. 😊

 

[gzoom]

He says the bike is two years old but has no receipt or manual, but does (strangely) have a receipt for an original charger.

A new battery is fine, as Fazua battery packs do fail, but a 2 year bike from the original owner should come with an receipt, it's all emailed these days.

The bikes all came with chargers so no reason to buy another charger especially if use is low....as others have said, the bike will be fine with a new battery but it doesn't sound like the seller is been honest about how they 'acquired' the bike.