We ask our customers to be aware of how warranty differs in the cycle industry from that of other consumer sectors, and, if you believe you have a claim for defective goods under warranty, to review the manufacturer’s warranty policy before contacting e-Bike Barn.
Nobody wants a problem with a defective or faulty e-bike or component. Here at e-Bike Barn we are committed to achieving the best possible resolution for our customers by working closely with manufacturers and distributors who are responsible for supplying products to you, the end consumer, that are free from faults incurred in the manufacturing process.
How warranty works in the cycle industry
The cycle industry’s warranty process differs from that of most other industries because of the extent of non-proprietary products found on a bicycle. E-bikes, like any pedal cycle, are a composite product assembled by a bike brand such as Riese & Muller or GoCycle, comprising the frame and a wide range of other components – e.g. suspension forks, motors, batteries, gearing systems, wheels, hubs and other parts – which are manufactured by other brands such as Bosch, Fox, DT Swiss, Shimano etc.
All the products we sell are from official suppliers and are covered by their individual and respective UK warranty, typically covering the first two years of the original owner’s usage since purchase day. If individual components are faulty, they are considered in isolation from the bike as a whole. For example, a faulty motor does not render the whole e-bike faulty as a complete product. Warranties are time-limited and restrictive and vary from brand to brand (see warranty table below), covering defects or faults arising from defective source materials or manufacturing error. They are also non-transferable.
Warranty does not cover wear and tear
A warranty will not cover wear and tear to an e-bike, its componentry or accessories, that is incurred during its regular use in the activity it was intended for e.g failure of a frame on a road e-bike incurred by riding off road would not be covered under warranty. Manufacturers have specific and individual lists of exclusions in their warranty policies which can be viewed online (see table below).
Many components fitted to expensive eMTBs in particular are oriented to achieving optimal sporting performance, rather than optimal durability and longevity e.g. suspension forks and shocks, brakes and drive-train systems. As such these parts may wear out quickly e.g. drive-train components like chains, cassettes and chainrings may need replacement purely through normal (and intended) use after 600-800 miles. In this circumstance, and similar, a warranty claim for low durability would not be successful.
A replacement warranty part does not reset the customer’s warranty policy to (for example) two years from the date of a replacement product being supplied, but instead continues to roll forward from the original purchase date e.g. a warrantied frame at 6 months after purchase, will have a further 18 months protection under warranty, not 24 months (2 years).
What to do if you believe you have a warranty claim for faulty or defective goods
In the event of a warranty claim we will act as the manufacturer’s agent and proceed with your warranty request following their guidance and under the terms of their warranty. If it is established by the manufacturer that the goods are faulty and are covered by the terms of the individual manufacturer’s warranty, we will send a replacement or repaired product free of charge.
Please be advised that e-Bike Barn does not have the authority to approve or deny a warranty claim, as this decision rests solely with the manufacturer of the impacted part.
The warranty policy does not guarantee an exact like for like replacement of a part. For example, a damaged frame replaced under its warranty policy by a bike manufacturer may be a different colour to the original one.
Please notify e-Bike Barn as soon as possible of a potential warranty claim, having first checked the manufacturer’s warranty policy following the links provided below. In the first instance, email us at info@e-bikebarn.com with pictures of the impacted part(s) together with a description of the fault(s). This is invaluable in helping us understand the nature of the damage or defect and being able to liaise effectively with the manufacturer on your behalf.
Throughout the warranty process, e-Bike Barn is the customer’s first and exclusive point of contact. We will notify a customer of the outcome of the warranty claim and will then advise on and manage next steps towards a resolution.
If the e-bike or accessory is subject to a warranty claim , the customer will pay for the cost of freighting the product(s) back to e-Bike Barn, and must provide a data trail of the return including a copy of the freight invoice and tracking information. During transit the customer is responsible for the product(s), and should ensure suitable insurance is in place to cover damage or loss. If a customer is located in The Channel Islands or Isle of Man, it is expected that a warranty claim is pursued using an appropriate, relevant and competent local dealer as the costs of returning an e-bike to us from these locations is prohibitively high. In this case, the local dealer will operate as the manufacturer’s agent in place of e-Bike Barn and labour costs incurred by that local dealer will be paid by the customer to the dealer.
Labour costs
Labour costs incurred under a warranty claim are not charged by us to the customer if you bought the bike from us. If a warranty claim for a product we sell is progressed at another dealer on behalf of our customer, labour costs incurred will be charged to the customer. Similarly if we progress a warranty claim on behalf of a customer who has not purchased the product from us, we will charge the customer our labour costs incurred in the warranty claim.
Manufacturers’ warranty policies
The following table contains warranty information from a manufacturer’s own website. Please note that warranty issues are usually managed on behalf of the manufacturer by their UK distributor or agent, through their retail partners like e-Bike Barn. It is not recommended for our customers to contact the manufacturers directly as, in almost all cases, they will not directly expedite warranty claims for their brand’s products sold in the UK.
The manufacturers included in the table account for approximately 90% of the bikes and components we sell at e-Bike Barn. For a detailed understanding of each manufacturer’s warranty policy, please click on the individual link.
| Bike Part | Manufacturer | Warranty Overview | Link to Policy |
| Frame | Merida | Frames – lifetime, original owner. | Click Here |
| Forks – 5 years | |||
| Rear suspension – 2 years | |||
| Merida-branded parts – 1 year | |||
| Riese and Muller | 2 years from purchase, 5 years, subject to bike registration (frame & rear triangle/swing arm) | Click Here | |
| Gocycle | 2 years battery and non-wearing parts. 3 years frame and motor gearbox. |
Click Here | |
| Wheels | DT Swiss | 2 years | Click Here |
| Components | Shimano | 2 years | Click Here |
| 3 years for Dura-Ace and XTR products | |||
| SRAM | 2 years | Click Here | |
| Magura | 5 years leak proof guarantee on brake masters, calipers and cylinders. | Click Here | |
| Ergon | 2 years | Click Here | |
| Tektro | 2 years | Click Here | |
| Rohloff | 2 years | Click Here | |
| Gates | 2 years | Click Here | |
| Enviolo | 2 years | Click Here | |
| Electrical parts | Bosch | 2 years | Click Here |
| Shimano | 2 years | Click Here | |
| Yamaha | 2 years | Click Here | |
| Selle Royal | 2 years | ||
| Suspension | Cane Creek | 1 year | Click Here |
| Fox/Marzocchi | 2 years | Click Here | |
| Rockshox | 2 years | Click Here | |
| Suntour | 2 years | Click Here |
Legal Information regarding e-bikes
- What are the legal regulations for e-bikes?
- What counts as an e-bike?
- What are the considerations for modifying an e-bike?
- Tampering & tuning e-bike drive units
Electric bikes: what are the legal regulations?
You can ride an electric bike if you’re 14 or over, as long as it meets certain requirements. These electric bikes are known as ‘electrically assisted pedal cycles’ (EAPCs). You do not need a licence to ride one and it does not need to be registered, taxed or insured.
What counts as an EAPC?
An EAPC (e-bike) must have pedals that can be used to propel it. It must not have a twist grip for power delivery.
The drive unit (motor) must have a maximum power output of 250 watts, and should not be able to propel the bike when it’s travelling more than 15.5mph. E-bikes can be ridden at speeds higher than 15.5mph, but propulsion above this limit must come entirely from the rider i.e. not be motor-assisted.
Any electric bike that does not meet the EAPC rules is classed as a motorcycle or moped and needs to be registered and taxed. You’ll need a driving licence to ride one and you must wear a crash helmet.
Modifying your e-bike after purchase
E-bikes are UKCA or CE* certified as complete systems, whereby the whole system and each part of the system is selected or designed for specific e-bike usage. As a result, modifying your bike after purchase could have safety implications and could negatively affect your bike’s warranty, so we strongly advise customers to discuss your potential changes with ourselves so neither safety nor warranty is compromised.
Guidelines for Parts Replacement
We are often asked by our customers if certain components can be swapped out on their e-bikes in order to improve their comfort, performance or ride characteristics. For example, very tall riders may be interested in a longer stem in order to gain a more comfortable riding position, or smaller riders may want to swap their 29 inch mountain bike wheels for 27.5 inch wheels to reduce their bike standover height.
On these occasions we stress to customers that a new part must be e-bike certified, and we also check if the type of replacement part needs the manufacturer’s approval to do so. E-bike parts are placed in one of four approval categories. For instance a motor or a charger is in Parts Replacement Category 1 and requires specific manufacturer approval before replacement, while a pedal or bell is in Category 5 which does not require a specific approval.
This is primarily in the interests of safety e.g. using a different battery pack or charger with an e-bike may be dangerous, but also has a warranty consideration: if a customer replaces a part without approval, when it is required, subsequent warranty claims may be rejected.
In all cases we will offer guidance and support to customers considering parts replacement, and where applicable, such as a different sized stem, we will recommend the new part is sourced from the bike in question’s brand.
A full guide to parts replacement and approval requirements is here: https://www.ziv-zweirad.de/headline-text-bauteile/
Tuning e-Bike Drive Units
There are many apps and devices available that claim to override an e-bike system’s maximum permissible assist speed, which in the UK is 15.5 mph. Some of these are phone based apps, others are physical products that connect to the motor. All are sold with the disclaimer that a “tuned” e-bike may only be used legally on private land and NEVER on a public road, byway, bridleway or UK National Park.
Whilst this legal statement is true, there are a couple of key points that potential customers may be unaware of. Firstly; that key drive unit manufacturers like Bosch, Shimano and Yamaha are actively improving tampering detection in their drive unit, and are now legally obliged to do so; and, secondly, that a drive unit’s warranty is invalidated as soon as suspected tampering is reported by the motor’s software. We have observed a number of cases where drive units shut themselves down permanently and irreversibly when tampering has been detected and an error code reported on the bike’s display unit.
At e-Bike Barn, we believe that tampering with e-bikes to increase the assist level above the legal limit on public roads and trails seriously risks the designation status of an e-bike as a bicycle, and the market for e-bikes will be quickly curtailed if the machines were re-classified as mopeds or similar, requiring licensing and rider insurance.
We do not allow tuned bikes into our workshop, and we ask all service customers to sign a disclaimer to say that their bike has not been tuned or tampered with before we undertake a service.
*UKCA & CE marking
The letters ‘CE’ appear on many products traded on the extended Single Market in the European Economic Area (EEA). They signify that products sold in the EEA have been assessed to meet high safety, health, and environmental protection requirements. The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marking is a new UK product marking that is used for goods being placed on the market in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). It covers most goods which previously required the CE marking , known as ‘new approach’ goods. The UKCA marking came into effect on 1 January 2021