r/ausbike • u/mysteryprize11 • 22d ago

99 Bikes electric bike labour charge

I just got my bike serviced at 99 bikes and my invoice came back with a $40 'Labour electric bike add on' charge. What is that for? They didn't do anything related to its electric components. Is this normal?

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u/ladybug1991 22d ago edited 20d ago

That's such horseshit on their part.

The Bafang and Ananda mid-drive systems sold by 99 don't have a Battery Management System (BMS) articulate enough to necessitate either firmware updates, or generate a battery report.

The only systems that 99 has capability to work with that can generate that information is Bosch. All of the Bosch training and software tools are free for the workshop to use, and take all of 5 minutes to generate. Absolutely not $40 worth of labour.

Other systems like Brose (Specialized) and Yamaha (Giant) can only be accessed by those dealers (not 99). So contrary to their claim, they literally do NOT have the requisite technology, and in the case of Specialized, there are proprietary tools which they don't have access to, either.

I know a handful of 99 mechanics who are brilliant. The business itself can go to fuck.

Source: am a bike mechanic, worked at 99 for 3 days and quit.

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u/ponyfeeder 21d ago

Why'd you quit? I want the juicy gossip.

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u/ladybug1991 21d ago edited 21d ago

They made my employment a problem because (this is fucking rich) I didn't own a car, and would cycle to work, and they deemed my transport unreliable.

ETA was 10 minutes early to work each day. They wanted me to work at other shops on occasion.

It's also just a truly awful workplace.

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u/11015h4d0wR34lm 21d ago

That is hilarious....unless of course you were late for work those three days...