Wombat
1 mW
Give this product? a big miss; even second hand.
Unless it only costs about $20, and with a free lunch at a local pub thrown in, give this product a big miss if offered to you albeit now second hand. You won't know what's in the motor, you won't be able to repair it.
I first met A Dow at AusBike (Melbourne Australia) 2010 where he was showing off his then new v3 elation kit. It surprised me as I had been following the eLation stuff for some time while waiting to put together money for adding motor assist to my bike (genuine permanent disability, pensioned, and in my early sixties stops me from driving ever again).
The guy did not impress much but the product appeared sound IF SUPPORTED BY intelligent design "choices" (nothing but perhaps the support bracket is Aus made). Unethical actions, paranoia, and almost complete lack of responsibility and empathy towards individuals buying his product (the business's only product: that alone should have warned me off at the start) only really came to light long after the money had been paid. I should have retained my concern for the tentioner idler wheel not included on the model "3" too.
After a plea via email just before Christmas to help "an aussie battler" and receive a few tools for free for paying in full early, I still had to wait a couple of months for delivery... and when asked at eventual delivery time what was the courier tracking ID he "didn't have time to bother with that". By then I began wondering if I should continue to show reasonable respect for so little in return.
1. rear carrier-to-axle mounts missing... fair-enough, replacements were sent with an apology about the poor delivery of OS components he was experiencing (and I didn't use them in the end as I created my own much sturdier AND disk brake friendly mount method).
2. obviously not packed out of harms way the aluminum controller box was severely damaged by edged / pointed object in the packaging to a depth less than a millimetre shy of the circuit board and solder tabs (after so long to arrive I couldn't wait for a replacement - which was offered - and dismantled and repaired the box myself).
Eventually assembled and hung off ground off of a clothes line I fired up the installation and gently tested the twist control... no problems apparent and let motor run for some time to bed it all in. Great lets try it... DOH!
Lowered from its four point hanger I DID NOT get on the bike and simply turned power handle slightly expecting to have the bike ease forward under its own weight....
CLUNK CLUNK and SILENCE and NO GO; not even an inch. Oh CRAP.
FIRST RETURN to eLation; cost about $23 insured registered mail.
Received motor back bit over a week later. Great all happening again, lets test it on ground. Beaudy, it slowly crawled forward; all's well... yeaaah heard that before!!
So took it out for a ride, using throttle carefully as the originally supplied letter told us to do just like a new car... at least 200 kms. yaeh yeah alright it's crap product and you don't want us to know for a while.
Traveled almost a whole 200-300 metres and BANG... the motor chain drive sprocket fell on the road; snapped shaft.
SECOND RETURN to eLation; cost about another $23 insured registered mail.
Got motor back a week or so later again with no explanation and this time traveled almost 4 kilometres before... OH CRAP something seems to be causing some sort of rough resistance when I pedaled WITHOUT POWER. Had experienced a couple of wierd quick little bangs or thumps which seemed just like the chain was jumping (which it wasn't but that's just what it felt like). Sent A. Dow some video showing dead motor.
THIRD RETURN to eLation; cost about another $23 insured registered mail.
Never once did I get openly agro or snappy; just let the "little aussie battler" sort it.
Well next time with the trip computer I was using each time now totaling almost a wopping great 18Km since the first day MUCH THE SAME AS the previous time occurred again.
This time when I sent A Dow a video of the FOURTH failure all I could comment on it was "bloody useless". And this time the motor even stopped the bike from rolling backwards.
An even half decent business person would have replaced the whole motor after just the second failure but oh no not our Allan.
I had my own two serious health incidents to sort out and I didn't get around to being distracted by and bothering with this crap product for a few months. So low and behold what do I discover when I do, the "little s..t", sorry aussie battler had closed shop, de-registered his business, and gone unobtainable in to hiding. Obviously he just couldn't handle or cover up the poor manufacturers deliveries and bad quality any more.
If health issues did have something to do with the eLation demise (re eLation website now) that's no reason at all to not give his clients a way out when problems occur.
His paranoia over having his (heh) "ideas" copied to avoid any one manufacturer knowing what the others were making (basically his words at Ausbike 2010) was one of (of many) the rotten fundamental business decisions he has made. Along with all the bad publicity he gave himself on quite a number of forums he has left us all in the lurch with out any recourse to circuit diagrams and motor / gear box manufacturers identities etc. Why Allan? Pointless. For years heaps of businesses and privateers have been toying with the same principles. You only had something that gullible Australians thought was unique after watching a so-so TV program and your rhetoric.
The only thinga "unique" is the aesthetics of the mod "3" motor mount and perhaps the retaining of all three drive gears (if on bike beforehand). But as one bike shop pointed out if you ride a motorised bike you almost for sure won't need the third and biggest gear (which it so happens is all but useless / too much for our Aus 200 watt motors).
There was other forewarning A Dow was in trouble. He hadn't even booked at all for Melbourne AusBike 2011. A business in trouble is a business probably taking shortcuts!
DID ANYONE KNOW his so called model "3" became what should of at least been model "3Plus" or "4".
From the first couple of batches of this crappy quality model "3" in well under a year he has changed the motor and gearbox TOTALLY. I discovered this on these forums where some photos show the latest versions. AND IN THIS SECRECY HE REGRESSED JUST BEFORE MID YEAR TO NYLON GEARS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THOSE OF ANOTHER MANUFACTURER LONG WELL KNOWN FOR GEAR MUNCHING. WHAT THE...
In the gear box of these original model "3"s I discovered catastrophic failure of the free wheeling gear clutch and the point of what appears to be the latest? primary failure is a design fault that even a 12 year old should pick up. So if you have one of these models and have been successful so far good luck and don't put on any weight. It just needs clutch pins to swivel with force at just the right place and bang; fragmented outer clutch ring and damaging bits of steel all over.
The Pedal Drive Gears are made of rubbish metal and I'm not the first to comment on that. Leaving them on the bike 'till now even while without the motor I've had to straighten teeth a number of times. Also another reported weakness is the free-wheel gear added to the pedal gears but I did not have that problem.
TO TOP IT ALL OFF
The original model "3" gears had THREE gears driving off the motor spindle, two identical and opposed sharing the power load to the main out put shaft, BUT I DISCOVERED NOW OPENING IT ALL UP ONE OF THOSE TWO IS COMPLETELY MISSING bearings and all!!!... so, used as a replacement on some one elses buggered motor or because it was damaged and he couldn't afford to replace it or perhaps and so BADLY STUPID to try to make the gear box quieter, whatever that's the work of a scammer.
Note it's not guesswork. The missing gear is evidenced by bearing wear in the well the shaft fits in, top and bottom, PLUS a visual comparison of a simple diagram of the gear box in a .PDF file created and supplied by eLation.
Over the last few years or so I have only been able to manage 30-40 nights of casual work per year. I cannot work any more. The last shifts I did were for events during the second half of 2010. That's where I got the money to pay for an Alan Dows eLation ebike kit. But all I've got for it is a $1250+ bunch of useless bits and pieces and without any support for tracking down the REAL manufacturers. What a smuck, what a poorly designed product. Don't get caught out with a possible soon-to-be dud purchase.
I hope A Dow never attempts business ever again especially for anything in manufacturing; he just doesn't have a clue and the eLation v"3" is proof of that.
(moderator edit: Moved this separate review to it's own thread out of someone else's review thread (http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=31674).)
Unless it only costs about $20, and with a free lunch at a local pub thrown in, give this product a big miss if offered to you albeit now second hand. You won't know what's in the motor, you won't be able to repair it.
I first met A Dow at AusBike (Melbourne Australia) 2010 where he was showing off his then new v3 elation kit. It surprised me as I had been following the eLation stuff for some time while waiting to put together money for adding motor assist to my bike (genuine permanent disability, pensioned, and in my early sixties stops me from driving ever again).
The guy did not impress much but the product appeared sound IF SUPPORTED BY intelligent design "choices" (nothing but perhaps the support bracket is Aus made). Unethical actions, paranoia, and almost complete lack of responsibility and empathy towards individuals buying his product (the business's only product: that alone should have warned me off at the start) only really came to light long after the money had been paid. I should have retained my concern for the tentioner idler wheel not included on the model "3" too.
After a plea via email just before Christmas to help "an aussie battler" and receive a few tools for free for paying in full early, I still had to wait a couple of months for delivery... and when asked at eventual delivery time what was the courier tracking ID he "didn't have time to bother with that". By then I began wondering if I should continue to show reasonable respect for so little in return.
1. rear carrier-to-axle mounts missing... fair-enough, replacements were sent with an apology about the poor delivery of OS components he was experiencing (and I didn't use them in the end as I created my own much sturdier AND disk brake friendly mount method).
2. obviously not packed out of harms way the aluminum controller box was severely damaged by edged / pointed object in the packaging to a depth less than a millimetre shy of the circuit board and solder tabs (after so long to arrive I couldn't wait for a replacement - which was offered - and dismantled and repaired the box myself).
Eventually assembled and hung off ground off of a clothes line I fired up the installation and gently tested the twist control... no problems apparent and let motor run for some time to bed it all in. Great lets try it... DOH!
Lowered from its four point hanger I DID NOT get on the bike and simply turned power handle slightly expecting to have the bike ease forward under its own weight....
CLUNK CLUNK and SILENCE and NO GO; not even an inch. Oh CRAP.
FIRST RETURN to eLation; cost about $23 insured registered mail.
Received motor back bit over a week later. Great all happening again, lets test it on ground. Beaudy, it slowly crawled forward; all's well... yeaaah heard that before!!
So took it out for a ride, using throttle carefully as the originally supplied letter told us to do just like a new car... at least 200 kms. yaeh yeah alright it's crap product and you don't want us to know for a while.
Traveled almost a whole 200-300 metres and BANG... the motor chain drive sprocket fell on the road; snapped shaft.
SECOND RETURN to eLation; cost about another $23 insured registered mail.
Got motor back a week or so later again with no explanation and this time traveled almost 4 kilometres before... OH CRAP something seems to be causing some sort of rough resistance when I pedaled WITHOUT POWER. Had experienced a couple of wierd quick little bangs or thumps which seemed just like the chain was jumping (which it wasn't but that's just what it felt like). Sent A. Dow some video showing dead motor.
THIRD RETURN to eLation; cost about another $23 insured registered mail.
Never once did I get openly agro or snappy; just let the "little aussie battler" sort it.
Well next time with the trip computer I was using each time now totaling almost a wopping great 18Km since the first day MUCH THE SAME AS the previous time occurred again.
This time when I sent A Dow a video of the FOURTH failure all I could comment on it was "bloody useless". And this time the motor even stopped the bike from rolling backwards.
An even half decent business person would have replaced the whole motor after just the second failure but oh no not our Allan.
I had my own two serious health incidents to sort out and I didn't get around to being distracted by and bothering with this crap product for a few months. So low and behold what do I discover when I do, the "little s..t", sorry aussie battler had closed shop, de-registered his business, and gone unobtainable in to hiding. Obviously he just couldn't handle or cover up the poor manufacturers deliveries and bad quality any more.
If health issues did have something to do with the eLation demise (re eLation website now) that's no reason at all to not give his clients a way out when problems occur.
His paranoia over having his (heh) "ideas" copied to avoid any one manufacturer knowing what the others were making (basically his words at Ausbike 2010) was one of (of many) the rotten fundamental business decisions he has made. Along with all the bad publicity he gave himself on quite a number of forums he has left us all in the lurch with out any recourse to circuit diagrams and motor / gear box manufacturers identities etc. Why Allan? Pointless. For years heaps of businesses and privateers have been toying with the same principles. You only had something that gullible Australians thought was unique after watching a so-so TV program and your rhetoric.
The only thinga "unique" is the aesthetics of the mod "3" motor mount and perhaps the retaining of all three drive gears (if on bike beforehand). But as one bike shop pointed out if you ride a motorised bike you almost for sure won't need the third and biggest gear (which it so happens is all but useless / too much for our Aus 200 watt motors).
There was other forewarning A Dow was in trouble. He hadn't even booked at all for Melbourne AusBike 2011. A business in trouble is a business probably taking shortcuts!
DID ANYONE KNOW his so called model "3" became what should of at least been model "3Plus" or "4".
From the first couple of batches of this crappy quality model "3" in well under a year he has changed the motor and gearbox TOTALLY. I discovered this on these forums where some photos show the latest versions. AND IN THIS SECRECY HE REGRESSED JUST BEFORE MID YEAR TO NYLON GEARS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THOSE OF ANOTHER MANUFACTURER LONG WELL KNOWN FOR GEAR MUNCHING. WHAT THE...
In the gear box of these original model "3"s I discovered catastrophic failure of the free wheeling gear clutch and the point of what appears to be the latest? primary failure is a design fault that even a 12 year old should pick up. So if you have one of these models and have been successful so far good luck and don't put on any weight. It just needs clutch pins to swivel with force at just the right place and bang; fragmented outer clutch ring and damaging bits of steel all over.
The Pedal Drive Gears are made of rubbish metal and I'm not the first to comment on that. Leaving them on the bike 'till now even while without the motor I've had to straighten teeth a number of times. Also another reported weakness is the free-wheel gear added to the pedal gears but I did not have that problem.
TO TOP IT ALL OFF
The original model "3" gears had THREE gears driving off the motor spindle, two identical and opposed sharing the power load to the main out put shaft, BUT I DISCOVERED NOW OPENING IT ALL UP ONE OF THOSE TWO IS COMPLETELY MISSING bearings and all!!!... so, used as a replacement on some one elses buggered motor or because it was damaged and he couldn't afford to replace it or perhaps and so BADLY STUPID to try to make the gear box quieter, whatever that's the work of a scammer.
Note it's not guesswork. The missing gear is evidenced by bearing wear in the well the shaft fits in, top and bottom, PLUS a visual comparison of a simple diagram of the gear box in a .PDF file created and supplied by eLation.
Over the last few years or so I have only been able to manage 30-40 nights of casual work per year. I cannot work any more. The last shifts I did were for events during the second half of 2010. That's where I got the money to pay for an Alan Dows eLation ebike kit. But all I've got for it is a $1250+ bunch of useless bits and pieces and without any support for tracking down the REAL manufacturers. What a smuck, what a poorly designed product. Don't get caught out with a possible soon-to-be dud purchase.
I hope A Dow never attempts business ever again especially for anything in manufacturing; he just doesn't have a clue and the eLation v"3" is proof of that.
(moderator edit: Moved this separate review to it's own thread out of someone else's review thread (http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=31674).)
