Originally Posted by
StuartB
Hi,
I was originally one of the participants who was positive about the Vello Bike+ electric folding bike, however with hindsight I now recommend that people avoid this bike.
I have had continuous problems with the bike since I got it three years ago; the biggest previously were (1) when the motor charging terminal fell off because they hadn't glued it on (that took months to get fixed), and (2) when the belt snapped while I was at a junction on a major road (Gates, the belt maker, says the fault is with the bike design, which doesn't allow the wheel to be moved forward so the belt can be removed without twisting it). It has spent months off the road while Vello / Zehus got around to sending replacement parts. The drop-out screws have also snapped twice, which Gates also suggested was a possible reason for the belt snapping.
Now... the entire rear wheel shifts from side to side while I am cycling, which is because part of the folding axle is not connecting. Either it is broken or loose, however I cannot get at it to see because of a bolt that is fixed in place with permanent locktite. Vello spent four weeks of ignoring me - apart from telling me to point a hairdrier at the bolt (which I tried) - and now they tell me that I must arrange a courier and pay for it to be transported to them in Austria, from the UK, in order for them to have a look at it.
That response is despite there supposedly being a 5 year frame & fork warranty on the bike - and this is NOT a cheap bike.
Link to video showing the axle movement: -
After telling me I must arrange delivery to them, and me kicking up a fuss, Vello then told me that they didn't meant to cause confusion but that they "cannot" arrange delivery from UK. They mentioned that they would usually have me return it to the retailer, who has since stopped selling bikes.
They suggested that I could find a retailer who could look at the bike. That left me somewhat restricted as (1) the bike is my main mode of transport since the pandemic started, and (2) I only live near to a Halfords store.
So I took it into the Halfords store over the weekend; two mechanics looked at it. They think that some bearings might have gone in the axle. They are checking the details for the Schlumpf gear before they do anything to the bike. Unfortunately they aren't allowed to talk to the manufacturer directly - company policy.