FAQs – Bearings

Can I re-grease the bearings?

The bearings in all ebike motors are already greased and should be good for the life of the motor. If a bearing has been damaged by water or dirt ingress, it will be permanently damaged and no amount of special grease will help. You will just make the inevitable quieter.

Why are ebike bearings so bad?

Ebike bearings are often high quality, over engineered bearings. Way bigger and stronger than they need to be. The bearings are not to blame, it’s normally more to do with the environment that the bearings have to deal with.

What if I just keep riding, noisy bearings last for ages don’t they

Not with an ebike motor ridden in harsh conditions or washed regularly they don’t. Lets look at a crankshaft bearing for example: As the bearing wears the ball bearings within it become smaller, this allows movement of the bearing and can usually be felt as play in the crankshaft. This “play” lifts the bearing seals from their seats and this allows water and dirt to enter the bearing, speeding up the total failure. If you can hear the bearings whilst riding, it is already too late!

What type/quality of bearings do you use?

We always try to use original or better bearings. There are some cases where a manufacturer may favour a low friction bearing over a well sealed bearing. If we have seen a particular bearing is failing frequently in the field then we will change it for a better sealed bearing for example.