Electric Bikes - BEFORE you buy an electric bike......

Recently purchased a Sparta ION, only wish I'd checked if they would provide a technical service manual first, as even for a "simple" real wheel puncture repair, the bike has to go back to a Sparta dealer for repair, AND unlike Holland, here in the UK this may involve a very long journey indeed. Unlike some e bike manufacturers, Sparta refuse to provide this information, so won't be buying a Sparta next time.

... even for a "simple" real wheel puncture repair, the bike has to go back to a Sparta dealer for repair ...
Why? The rim and tire look pretty standard and I'd expect any bike shop and most bicyclists to be able to fix a flat. The wheel doesn't really even need to be removed from the bike - just get the tire off the rim, locate the hole in the tube, patch it, and put the tire back on the rim.

OK, so what if it perhaps needs a new tube or tyre? It's the principle that I'm raising, why can't they, like some other e-bike manufacturers, provide even the most basic of date (like, for example, the toque setting when refitting the load cell if you have to remove the rear wheel?). Hebb, for example provide an excellent service manaul as a free download here: http://www.hebbebikes.com/pdf/Hebb-ebike-EG500-Service-Manual.pdf . Have you seen anything better from any other manufacturer?

What information are you looking for? Looks like a pretty standard hub motor to me.
-Disconnect wires to motor from controller, loosen hub nuts, pull wheel, change tire/tube, reinstall.

What is "refitting the load cell" ? I have never heard of that before.

-DS

The load cell detects the torque demand from the pedals via the chain (it's fitted to the rear wheel hub) and you have to remove it with a "C spanner" to get the wheel off. To refit it, and keep it in calibration, it has to be torqued back down to a particular setting, undisclosed in the simple used manual, but included in the service manual that they won't provide (quite happy to pay for it).

Get your torque wrench, set it at a low value. Tighten existing, unremoved bolt. Up the torque until it moves. Slightly less than that is your re-installation torque.

As a drives, conveyance and software engineer (and hence very familiar with load cells), I’m aware of ways around these things, but it’s the refusal of the manufacturer to provide this data that I find unacceptable. Just about every other bit of technical kit that I buy I can get a technical service manual for, even if the kit needs specialist kit to maintain it, so why can’t they? Where I failed was not checking the availability of a technical service manual before I bought it, but it won’t happen again.

DarthSensate, surprisingly, the Sparta front wheel motor does not have connections near the motor, but I’m assured that there should be enough slack in the “inside frame” wiring to get the wheel far enough away from the frame to fix front wheel punctures, but not a lot of help when fitting new tyre/tyre of course.