Grit, rain and worn bearings: Steve Jones on what kills eBike motors
EMBN took its camera into a specialist repair shop after a wet winter of breakdowns, and the comment section turned into a call for motors riders can service themselves.
Electric Mountain Bike NetworkStory of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 54,513 views a day, 25 times a normal first day on this channel (2,182).
This Is What Kills eBike Motors. Here's How To Avoid It
Mud gets in. That is the plain message of "This Is What Kills eBike Motors. Here's How To Avoid It," and EMBN viewers have plainly been waiting for someone to say it out loud. Nineteen hours after it went up, the video had close to 50,000 views, on a channel where a new upload usually ends its first day at around 2,000.
The starting point is last winter, which the description says brought a record spike in motor breakdowns across the UK and Europe. Presenter Steve Jones visits the eBike Motor Centre, a repair specialist, to ask why. The chapters walk through how water and grit get past the seals and wear out the internal bearings, what a motor repair costs, how manufacturers test their motors in extreme mud, and finally what riders can do to keep water out.
The comments arrived nearly three times faster than on a usual first day, and they read like a workshop logbook. Riders list their own failures: Bosch motors replaced under warranty, a Specialized Levo that gave up near a stream while a Bafang conversion kit survived being ridden underwater. A viewer in Portugal describes a run of winter storms that wrecked the local trails. The most liked thread asks why motors cannot come with a proper service schedule and seals a home mechanic could replace, and two other busy threads want to know who the uncooperative manufacturers are. There is room for a joke too: several viewers enjoyed Jones saying he has not had a motor problem in twelve years.
It is the second fast start of the week for the channel. Episode 454 of the EMBN Show ran well ahead of its usual pace a few days earlier, as we reported here, and Steve Jones's tyre upgrade guide from Friday has been travelling well too. Both of the long videos that took off are practical questions about money spent on a bike.
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What viewers say
I had to laugh when Steve said he hasn't had a motor problem in 12 years. Could be due to the fact that he gets a new bike every time he rides. 😂
@eBikerHowieSee it on YouTubeAt the end of the day, ebike motor are just very expensive bottom bracket.
@jblecozSee it on YouTubewashing a warm motor straight after a ride cools the motor down quickly which sucks the soapy water into your bearings , even more so with a pressure washer , use a brush to clean near the crank
@gregstew6736See it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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- Subscribers
- 306,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 473,628
- Channel views, pace per day
- 24,514 (on a normal day: 65,962)
- Video published
- October 4, 2026
- Video views so far
- 49,379 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 54,513
The numbers
A how-to on motor care opened far beyond what a new EMBN video usually manages, and its comments came in nearly three times faster too.
💡 Test your knowledge
Specialized, maker of the Turbo Levo that several viewers mention, is headquartered in which town?
Specialized Bicycle Components has had its headquarters in Morgan Hill, California, in Silicon Valley's south end, for decades.
