The Subway E and other Carrera E bikes thread.

[Drago]

Halfords have knocked £115 off the price of a new battery, and theyre now £385, available in store. Now thats not bad, as cheap as having an old batter re-celled if you ever needed it, although a re-cell would probably boost the capacity.

Still, worth noting if you ever need a spare or want a second to extend range even further.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

If the costs is about the same then having a second battery would be a good idea
I did that with my old ebike and it meant I could carry the second battery and hence have extended range

I dunno know why but the range of my old battery seemed to increase over time when it was used only a few times a months rather than as the main battery!

 

[gbb]

I'm convinced the battery on my Crossfire has dropped away, not terribly but noticeably. Its done over 3k miles so no surprise really. It's fine for now, trouble is I dont do long trips now and tend to top up regularly so you dont get a clear picture.

 

[gbb]

The Carerra E bikes are very well made in my opinion. The wheels on mine, at 3k plus miles display no wear, play or roughness, they're as smooth as the day I brought it.
Brakes, Tektro hydraulics ditto.
BB has needed some maintenance but it was used heavily in its first winter and it's never been spared the dirt.
Everything else about the bike is good. Occasional motor cut outs are a minor nuisance, shame it happens but a good strong system otherwise.

 

[Drago]

I have to say that in my experience Carrera's have always been very well finished, and the Subway E is no execption. Wheels beautifully trued, flawless finish on the frame, and dilligently assembled (although I assembled it myself!).

Surfing the net this morning looking at reviews the Subway E gets glowing reports, without exception. One £1000 group test included the Subway, wven though it's £1099, because its so good its easy to justify stretching a £1000 budget by another ton. Clearly Mrs D did her due dilligence before buying me mine (she tells me she did extensive research and asked around a fair bit).

 

[gbb]

At a minimum of 3300 miles (I had the screen replaced so lost the total mileage) I feel the motor on my Crossfire is a little noisier than when new. Functions perfectly, just a bit more whine perhaps.
The maintenance engineer in me wants to maintain it, even knowing they're probably not designed to be ,
Has anyone had a motor stripped ? Cant see anything on YT etc.

 

[CXRAndy]

I'm convinced the battery on my Crossfire has dropped away, not terribly but noticeably. Its done over 3k miles so no surprise really. It's fine for now, trouble is I dont do long trips now and tend to top up regularly so you dont get a clear picture.

Have you mainly charged to 80-90% or 100%? The latter will shorten the life of your battery rapidly.

I bought a 80/90/100% charger but rarely charge to 100%.

I do have the original charger, used it once.

 

[ColinJ]

How noisy was the motor when new? A friend is probably going to either buy an e-bike such as this one, or a kit to convert her bike. She said she doesn't want something noisy. Audible is one thing, loud is another! She is pretty light so wouldn't be a huge load for the motor, but OTOH we would be tackling some very tough hills together.

 

[CXRAndy]

At a minimum of 3300 miles (I had the screen replaced so lost the total mileage) I feel the motor on my Crossfire is a little noisier than when new. Functions perfectly, just a bit more whine perhaps.
The maintenance engineer in me wants to maintain it, even knowing they're probably not designed to be ,
Has anyone had a motor stripped ? Cant see anything on YT etc.

Other than bearing check over, and electrical wiring not much for hub

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

My old Powacycle was almost silent
My wife's Carrera folder makes some noise - but not a huge amount - although it has started screaming at certain revs in high assist

My old Raleigh made about the same as the Carrera - and the new Raleigh is about the same

bearing on mind that the Powacycle was pre 2016 reg hence lower power so I put the quiet running down to that

A couple of clearly illegal ebikes that have wizzed past me with no sign of pedalling have made far more noise - hence supporting my theory of the noise being power based!

 

[Drago]

Mine makes a slight whine when the motor is engaged, but its unobtrusive. Certainly no louder than any other geared motor, be it hub or mid drive.

I've often wondered it the unit is officually serviceable, iit despite much sesrching can find no information about and maintenance needs or "how to" guides. Not even amateur how to guides on youtube. This leads me to think that there is no official requirement for servicing the motor, and the lack of amateur serving or repair info also leads me to think theyre very robust.

 

[gbb]

Have you mainly charged to 80-90% or 100%? The latter will shorten the life of your battery rapidly.

I bought a 80/90/100% charger but rarely charge to 100%.

I do have the original charger, used it once.

I do try to avoid 100% charges, to spare excess heat in the battery and the charger...heat equals shortened life is my thought process

How noisy was the motor when new? A friend is probably going to either buy an e-bike such as this one, or a kit to convert her bike. She said she doesn't want something noisy. Audible is one thing, loud is another! She is pretty light so wouldn't be a huge load for the motor, but OTOH we would be tackling some very tough hills together.

It isnt loud, just seems a bit louder than when new...but it may be my imagination.

Other than bearing check over, and electrical wiring not much for hub

I suspect you're right. As in the OP, im a maintenance engineer, its one of my first thoughts with new machinery, what needs doing to extend its working life.

Mine makes a slight whine when the motor is engaged, but its unobtrusive. Certainly no louder than any other geared motor, be it hub or mid drive.

I've often wondered it the unit is officually serviceable, iit despite much sesrching can find no information about and maintenance needs or "how to" guides. Not even amateur how to guides on youtube. This leads me to think that there is no official requirement for servicing the motor, and the lack of amateur serving or repair info also leads me to think theyre very robust.

I think you're right, the total lack of any even amateur intervention infers its probably a robust unit.

 

[Tenkaykev]

I do try to avoid 100% charges, to spare excess heat in the battery and the charger...heat equals shortened life is my thought process

It isnt loud, just seems a bit louder than when new...but it may be my imagination.

I suspect you're right. As in the OP, im a maintenance engineer, its one of my first thoughts with new machinery, what needs doing to extend its working life.

I think you're right, the total lack of any even amateur intervention infers its probably a robust unit.

As a maintenance engineer aren’t you tempted to take it apart?

 

[gbb]

As a maintenance engineer aren’t you tempted to take it apart?

Yes, absolutely .
But I've also seen videos where someone trashed the casing because it wasnt obvious how it came apart. So you sit back until you have something more useful to work with than guesswork.

 

[fossyant]

Told the 'old man' that it's a good bike. He will be giving me a bell when he want's to get one (for discount).