Kevin the Giant

Got a call from the Veloteq dealer. My parts are (mostly) in. So I took my Veloteq around. The bad news is that the nut on the front axle was totally seized in place with rust so that I had to leave it overnight at the dealer in a WD-40 bath. The good news is that since this was warranty work I'm not paying for it or for my e-bike loaner.

The loaner is their 2007 Milan e-bike. It may be seen on sale on their web site at:


https://www.segwayofontario.com/ebikes.htm



MSRP of $1499 which is in the Veloteq price range. However, in my opinion, after I finished doing today's errands with it, it is inferior to the Veloteq for several reasons. Most importantly, there are zero on-board anti-theft devices. No wheel lock. No alarm. No nothing. This is Toronto! So I'm now riding around with the heavy padlock and chain that normally stay put at my Veloteq's parking space at home.

It has also got a weird charging system that requires it to be plugged into two standard outlets at the same time.

There is this incredibly annoying beeping sound when the turn signals are on. The purpose of this is so that one will not forget that the signals are on, but I don't have too serious a short-term memory loss so far.

It is also much smaller, which in many ways is an advantage. It is more manoeverable in taking onto an elevator.

On the whole, however, I'll stick with my Veloteq.

Kevin the Giant

I'm definitely NOT impressed with the Milan. It developed an electrical fault and everything went dead. I suspect that this was due to a defective charger. It looks like the battery was actually discharging through the charger. In any case, everything is dead.

My Veloteq should be repaired and back to me today. That will be good!

Digikid

Milan? Never heard of it.

Sorry to hear of your troubles though.

I just dug my Cavalier out of the basement today....purring away perfectly as always.

Veloteq IS Quality

Kevin the Giant

I'm not quite so sure that I agree with the "Veloteq is Quality" statement. Since it came off warranty on February 13 I've experienced two major faults. The first is the erratic tail light. The second is the failure of the onboard charging port. The Veloteq dealer is undergoing a move and temporarily unable to fix these problems. I'm not happy about the defects or the lack of service.

On the other hand, my Veloteq is otherwise a great bike that I go everywhere in Toronto with each day. Since I got the spare battery all range limitations are gone. The spare battery sits right on the footplate. Very convenient and I am hardly aware that it is there while I am biking. I just broke 3,000 km on the odometer.

Digikid

Can you provide a picture of this mod of yours? Sounds interesting but on the other hand the added weight of the extra battery may be slowing you down as well.

Kevin the Giant

It probably does slow me down a little bit, particularly when going uphill. The extra battery weighs 28 kg. However, the bike weighs 85 kg and I weigh 115. With a total weight of 200, an extra 28 is less than a 15% increase. Not a big deal.

Kevin the Giant

Sorry, I don't have a digital camera. There really isn't a mod. I just put the extra battery on the back of the footplate. When one battery gets low, I just take it out and swap it with the other one. I also bought a spare charger so as to be able to charge both at once.

Kevin the Giant

A little update on my ebiking. Since I've had the two batteries I've taken a lot of trips on the Veloteq that I previously would have taken the TTC or GO transit for. Recent trips include to Bloor and Islington, Yonge and Steeles and Ellesmere and Kennedy. For those unfamiliar with Toronto, the round trip distances were in the 20-30 km zone.

My youngest sister lives in Oakville. Mapquest is telling me that the distance to her is 38.7 km. So the next time that I go to visit her for supper I'll take both chargers to recharge the batteries during the visit.

Right now my range estimate in city traffic is that my original battery is giving me 20 km and the new one 25 km. So my sister is about as far as I would ever want to go.

Kevin the Giant

I'm in Quebec for the summer. The Route Vert is excellent for getting around.

The bad news is that going up a steep hill, there was a grinding sound from the rear of my Veloteq and then the motor stopped working. At first I thought that it just tripped the circuit breaker. Nope. There is no local Veloteq dealer, so I called Segway and had a chat with their mechanic.

The upshot is that I'm going to get the necessary tools and remove the controller and motor and mail them to Segway in Toronto for testing.

The Veloteq is an excellent concept of ebike, but I've been having nothing but breakdowns. So I'm officially a dissatisfied customer.

In the meantime, until I can get my Veloteq fixed, I'm buying one of the Schwinn I-Zip ebikes now on sale at Canadian Tire. Although it is a lot slower, less capable and lower range, at $500 the price is irresistable. Even after my Veloteq gets fixed, I'll keep the I-Zip as a backup for my Veloteq's frequent breakdowns.

Autoworker

If you can't ride 20-30km without electric assist, you seriously need to get in shape, you don't need an electiric bike.

Personally I HATE THESE E-BIKES that masquerade as bicycles. If you can't pedal the ******** bike home on your own power, it ain't a bike.

If you want to ride a scooter, then get your scooter license, and ride a scooter. Just don't pretend you're a motorcycle rider when you're not, by riding a 175 lb. fake scooter on MUP's and sidewalks.

Can you spell POSER???

Let's just hope the Ontario Ministry or Transport bans these abominations at the end of the trial period.

Autoworker

Check out https://www.jvbike.com/elbikes.htm for some real e-bikes, and quit wasting your time at Crappy Tire.

Buy the best, cry once.

Golectric

Unbelievable, I hope most readers of this post can sort through the misinformation and pure crap comments.

Autoworker your sign on says it all. Do you really think giving people alternative choices for non polluting transportation is a bad thing. Many people(taxpayers) can't ride a standard style bike. The scooter style bikes are safer, more comfortable and are a benefit to many people. Just because you don't like them(have you even ridden one?) we should ban them???

Kevin, What a crock! Your a dissatisfied customer??? You buy a used bike, ride it through the winter without proper maintenance. Load a 500 watt motor down with 120lbs plus of batteries and yourself which I suppose by your sign on of Kevin the Giant is How much over 200lbs?? And you wonder why your motor craps out when your going up a steep hill???

Oshawaebiker

Well Autoworker , time for a reality check. I also ride a scooter style. It is my commuter, I do no own a car.
Had my leg crushed by a cage 4 yrs ago and can not peddle a conventional bike. I love my E-Bike and the freedom it gives me. I can bring home $100 plus of groceries on mine, can you on yours. Or would you prefer I get myself a cage and add to the environmental problems or just waste away staying home not going anywhere.
Scooter style have a nitch in the transportation system and as alternate transportation. So don't go condemning something just because it does not fit into your narrow sighted view of things.

karma

i enjoy being a poser when its high 30's and humid, im going to look real good going to work stinken up the place


i Cycled Professionally for years as a kid i have had my share of riding. now i have a bad back shoulder
and nerve damage in my hands

thats hardcore lol

dewdad

I will have to agree to disagree with Auto Worker. Open your mind a bit Auto Worker to the hundreds of people who purchase the scooter style because of a physical disability and do not have the option of pedaling. They are pollution free and great for short commutes. The idea of people NOT driving their car and using an alternative form of transportation like a bike or an e-bike instead is great....The options of alternate transportation to fit specific needs is imperative to certain individuals. You sound like a typical disgruntled Auto Worker, who fears losing their job...Perhaps one day you will need an e-bike because you won't be able to afford a car when they lay you off...then maybe you will see the need for them.

Kevin the Giant

Dear Golectric,
It must be amazing how God has gifted you with such clairvoyance that you know exactly how I have (or have not) been following the maintenance schedule laid out in the owners' manual.

Of course, if you had actually bothered to READ the owners' manual you would see on page 11 a description of the circuit breaker that is supposed to trip while going up long hills and/or under adverse load conditions.

Fully upholding the finest traditions of Chinese manufacturing Quality Assurance, this circuit breaker was defective and failed to protect the motor while going up a long hill. So it burnt out.

And yes, I am therefore a dissatisfied customer. There were numerous manufacturing defects with the Veloteq. Nonetheless, the Veloteq is a good concept and I like the design. I just wish that it had been built better.

Golectric

Hey Kevin, Lets not turn this into typical forum verbal pissing match. You make some pretty broad claims on a public forum about manufacturing defects. What are your actual qualifications in manufacturing and quality Assurance? I know the owners manual pretty well and the warranty does not cover damage due to environmental corrosion. You keep blaming your problems on manufacturing defects when I strongly believe that most of your problems are directly related to how you used and abused the machine. Not a problem, they are pretty tough and can take some hard abuse and are actually cheap to maintain, but don't go on a public forum and say it is the manufactures fault.

You are correct, It is a great concept and there is always room for improvements.

no cc

Good Day,just My 2 Cents For Veloteq Maintenance.use Non Permanent Loctite Threadlocker On The Pedal Screws Or A Outside Toothed Lockwasher To Secure.get A Few Hydraulic Hose Caps To Cover The Pedal Screw Access.to Avoid Electrical Problems Secure The Rubber Boots On The Back Of The Ignition(haha)switch And Headlights With Zip Ties.check Under The Seat Box Area For Insecure Or Pinched Wires And Secure With Zip Ties.a Little Graphite Key Lube Will Help The Locks And Key Switch Free.intermittant Rear Turn/brake Lights Could Be Loose Ground Wires Accessable By Removing 4 Seat Mount Screws.

Kevin the Giant

Golectric asked "What are your actual qualifications in manufacturing and quality Assurance?"

My answer: I hold a Certified Quality Engineer designation from the American Society for Quality. If you wish to know exactly what that involves, please see their official website at:

www.asq.org


I have also worked as a Quality professional in the automotive industry for 21 years. What do you bring to the table?



He also wrote that I "...abused the machine."

Kevin's comment: Us manufacturing quality types have a useful definition of abuse. Abuse is use in violation of the standards set out in the owners' manual or any other specifications or agreements. For example, the Veloteq owners' manual specifies that the machine is not to be operated at ambient temperatures less that -15 degrees or the battery charged at temperatures less than -10 degrees. Doing so constitutes abuse.

I have never operated my Veloteq in an abusive manner.

When parts fail under normal use, for example the circuit breaker, then this constitutes a defect. Indeed, for as long as the warranty on my Veloteq was in effect, all of the defects were repaired by Veloteq under warranty. Veloteq has no issues with my use of their bike and responded appropriately to defects by fixing them at their own expense during the warranty period.

Now that the warranty period is over, I have to pay for these repairs. I'm a dissatisfied customer because the Veloteq continues to fail when I am using it in accordance with the Owners' Manual.

no cc

Tough To Say What's Right Regarding Bike Paths And Full Bodied Ebikes.while The Primary Purpose Is Commuting,should A Full Bodied Bike Be On A Bike Path In A Residential Area?i Doubt It,but On The Other Hand There Should Be Specified Bike Path/trails That Are Friendly To Those That Choose Alternate Ways To Get To Work And Not Add To The Street Congestion.i Don't Think There Should Be Battles Over Size Or Design Since It's Individual Choice For How We Get To Work.if It's Legal -fine,let It Go.internal(ebikers)bickering Is Only Going To Cause Severe Restrictions We'll All Have To Answer For.one Says The Full Body Bikes Are Too Fast,others Say To Slow.how Do You Design A Bike To Please Both?a Place For Everything Etc.

cerewa

I suspect you pay more attention to the owner's manual than most people.

electrogreen

Ahmen to that! These things are not one or the other. They are not a bike, because you can't really pedal them and they are not a scooter because they are so under-powered. I say let's make them legal an electric scooter with more power than the ebike legislation.

fodhunter

Hello, all.
Just received an email from a company in the Phoenix, AZ area selling an ebike for $800. Their site is www.HyBike.com
Anybody have any info on them?
Regards,
Dave Hunter (aka, fodhunter)

fodhunter

Sorry. The website is HyBikes.com...with an "S""
fodhunter

Bill Tarling

Things were so much easier in Ontario back in '74 [*sighing as my age starts to show*]

When mopeds first came out, you only had to be 14 years old to ride them. To tell the truth, if I could ever find the same Peugeot moped I had back then, I would buy it in a heartbeat: 200mpg (I put on over 3000 miles [5000 km] a month on it), rode it throughout the winter snowstorms, and it usually ran about 45mph [unmodified] -- I hit 60mph with a good tailwind one day. It handled like a charm, and was great in traffic...

Oh well, times change.

I did, however, buy a Veloteq (I live in BC now), and it's doing a great job getting me back and forth to work. Not as fast as my old moped -- my ebike does just the speed limit allowed [32kmh] -- but the biggest relief was that it seems to handle the BC hills here pretty well. Most hills it climbs on its own at a pretty steady 25kmh, though it slows to 15kmh on the really steep climbs -- a real test would be to see if it can make it up the hills in New Westminster BC (those things took forever just to walk up when I leved there).

I added a full size motorcycle case to the back [tons of room], plus the under seat storage holds my charger, toolkit, extension cord, stereo, accessories, and large thermos: I need my morning coffee when I get to work.

I also added rear lighting strips along the back end (wired into my running lights), and some flashing led brake lights for better road visibility by drivers. I find drivers now give me way more road space than before I put the extra lights on.

I'm only putting on 600-700km a month travel on the bike so far, but the single charge seems to be holding out pretty strong at about 70-80km runs that I've done [with running lights on].

Price wise, the gas we've saved in just the first month means the bike will pay for itself pretty quickly.