The Grin Cyclery

Welcome to the online storefront for Grin Technologies Ltd. We have the following list of items stocked in Vancouver, Canada, for sale to Personal Electric Vehicle enthusiasts around the world. Our goal is to maintain a large unique selection of electronic accessories, hub motors, controllers, batteries, and bundled conversion kits suitable for ebikes and other PEVs. We also have a selection of specialized unicycles and unicycle gear.

Our physical shop space is now located at 20 E 4th Ave. just east of Ontario St. in Vancouver BC. We are busy at work most of the time, but have set aside hours on Tuesday-Friday where the store will be open for walk-in customers and pick-ups. Contact Us

Please click the tabs above to browse the online catalogue. The "Conversion Kits" tab has several options for bundled kits, while you can find all the individual components, like hub motors and Cycle Analysts from the "Parts" tab.

Purchasing

There are several ways to go about purchasing your order:

1. Use the online shopping cart to select your items. After selecting all the parts that you want, choose the 'email checkout' option and include your shipping address and any questions you may have in the comments. We will get back to you with a formal sales quote and answer any questions, and can then work out the payment details once the final order is confirmed.
2. If you know exactly what you want, have a paypal account, and don't have any questions, then use the online cart as above and then after selecting your shipping method choose the 'Paypal Checkout' option. This will redirect you to a paypal site and allow you to pay immediately. Please note that in this case, we will ship to the address included in your paypal account unless there are very explicit instructions otherwise.
3. Email us at sales@ebikes.ca with the items you want to purchase.
4. Call during the day. We can now easily process credit cards over the phone. Please note, though, that the phone line is frequently busy and when this is the case you will go to the voicemail after 4 rings. Please leave a message if you like, though email is usually responded to much quicker and is more efficient.  
5. Come by our shop at 20 E 4th Ave during store open hours.

Notice that all orders in Canada are billed in Canadian dollars and are subject to 5% GST. Click the flag icon on the top of the price column to switch to Canadian currency. All orders outside of Canada are charged in US funds based on our US pricing.

Understand what you are Getting Into

Note that there are no printed instructions, manuals, or documentation with any of parts that are ordered from our site with the one exception of the Cycle Analyst. We have tried to make as much information as we know available through the website. Please be aware of this if you are not comfortable ordering components and figuring out how to make them work together in a complete vehicle. We have made a considerable effort to make everything as simple as possible to put together, but we are not pretending that this is like buying ready to assemble furniture from IKEA. You are buying parts for a project, your project, and not a consumer product.

We will be increasing the number of products sold as complete 'conversion kits' as time goes on, and these will come with installation guides and similar instruction. If you are unsure about picking and choosing controller, motor, and battery parts to build a system, then these kits will usually be the best option. Note though that even the kits are do-it-yourself projects. You are modifying a bicycle to include a motorized drive system, something that the bicycle was not explicitly designed for, and fitting/compatibility/strength issues are common. For most people who are doing a first conversion we would almost always recommend the eZee kit, which has the best overall bicycle compatibility and for which we have written an installation guide.

Shipping

We will gladly welcome orders from pretty much anywhere in the world. The map below shows where some of our 2007 customers ordered from; all over the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia/NZ, and even South Africa and Korea. Interest in ebikes is poised to be a global phenomenon but hasn't caught on in many places, and if you can't find a local source for your parts yet we'll be glad to help you out. You can get an instant shipping quote from the "View Cart" tab for your order.

How long does it take to ship?

Most small orders normally take about 1 day to process, pack and ship. For larger orders and kits, it will usually take us 2-3 days to have all the parts put together and tested before the package is ready to go. We usually have to replace poorly crimped connectors, check and adjust wheel truing, discharge test battery packs, and verify operation of all the parts before we arrange them into a box for shipping. Orders such as wheel builds and custom modifications can sometimes take a little longer and it's best to ask us for an estimated timeframe if you want to receive the order against a personal deadline.

Canada

For shipments within Canada we send items using Canada Post, either regular parcel service for non-rush orders or Xpresspost for those that are more pressing. Within the western provinces, regular parcel usually only takes 1-3 days, but to the east it is over a week. Shipping a hub motor kit to Western Canada is on the order of $20, and on the order of $30 to Eastern Canada.

USA

For shipping to the United States, we offer both Canada Post and Fedex Express options. Canada Post offers an Expedited Parcel service taking 7-11 business days, and an Express Post choice of 3-5 days, depending on the state. Both services are transfered to USPS at the border and offer delivery confirmation and insurance, but only the Express Post is trackable on a day-by-day basis. We also offer next-day service via Fedex. Finally, for smaller packages, there is an option to ship items using small packet airmail. This usually arrives in less than a week, but there is no tracking or confirmation number. Shipping a hub motor box is on the order of $30 for Western states, $40 for central, and $50 for Eastern states. Small air mail orders ship for $15 or less.

Rest of the World

For large shipments going everywhere else, we use either Fedex or TNT. Both can offer 2-7 day delivery to just about any destination on the planet, at a rate that is less than parcel mail with the post. Small shipments under 2 kg are sent using regular air-mail; for example, shipping a Cycle Analyst worldwide is $15 US by air mail (no tracking number).

Duties, Brokerage, and Taxes

All shipments within Canada will have 5% GST applied to the total. Orders shipped within BC or picked up in person are taxed at the current 12% HST rate.

For shipments to the USA, there is no tax and no brokerage or import fees either. We no longer use couriers such as UPS, TNT, DHL, etc. who would would sometimes apply unexpected charges to the receiver. Large orders may be broken into several smaller boxes to reduce the value per parcel as necessary.

For all other countries, the duty and brokerage situation is largely out of our control. Shipments going via TNT or Fedex will usually have the required import paperwork handled by a 3rd party and billed to the receiver at a later date. Air mail shipments are handled differently from country to country depending on the national postal service.

Batteries

At the moment, we are unable to air ship orders of lithium battery packs. We are working to find a Class 9 HAZMAT shipping arrangement in order send lithium batteries in compliance with the very confusing set of new rules that govern the transport of lithium batteries larger than 100 watt-hours.

Purchase In Person

Customers in the Vancouver area are welcome to come by and pick up their order directly during our store hours (outside of store hours, email or call us about possibly scheduling a time). If you plan to pick up a kit in person, it's best to let us know at least a day before so that we can have all the items prepared for when you arrive. Store Location

Warranty and Returns Policy

We strive to make sure our items are accurately described so that people are clearly aware in advance of what they are getting, and anyone who has any doubts or questions we ask that you please contact us before placing an order. Nevertheless, it happens often enough that goods need to get sent back here whether for refund, exchange, or warranty.

Exchange

If you purchased something in error and need to exchange it for a different product or model within 30 days, then so long as the original model is in new and unused condition it is no problem to trade it in towards the desired part. For instance, you may have ordered a Direct Plug-in Cycle Analyst without realizing that your controller is not compatible, in which case you would want to turn it in towards a Stand Alone model. Or you may have purchased a 26" hub motor conversion kit, only to realize later that your bike has 700c tires. In these instances, we will fully credit the amount of the original order to the new device, but you will be responsible for all back and forth shipping costs and for returning the item as described by our RMA shipping guide.

Returns

If you buy something and then change your mind and simply want to return it for a refund within 14 days of receiving it, then that is fine but we will charge a 10% or $10.00 restocking fee, whichever is greater. Shipping is not refundable, and you are also responsible for returning the item to us as per our RMA shipping guide. We don't encourage either impulse purchasing or impulse refunds, so spend the time making sure you are getting suitable goods and email us before hand if you have any doubts.

Warranty

Warranty covers items that fail when used within their normal operating parameters. Unlike big box retailers that pass on all warranty and return claims to manufacturers, we at GRIN generally have to absorb the full warranty cost with 3rd party products whose manufacturing is out of our control. The actual warranty details are particular to each product type:

Hub Motors

We offer a 1 year warranty on Nine Continent and Crystalyte hub motors, and a 2 year warranty on the eZee hub motor. This warranty covers material and manufacturing defects in the motor itself, and not issues related to installation. For instance, the following items would not be covered by our motor warranty:

• Problems resulting from Axle Spin-out. Probably the most common reason motors need servicing is because the axle is not properly restrained from spinning in the bicycle dropout. That is an installation issue and not a faulty motor issue. In fact, it means that the motor is doing exactly as it should. You can get axle spinout from: forgetting to adequately tighten the nuts, regen systems causing nuts to loosen, lack of a torque arm for systems that need a torque arm, inadequate dropout strength, etc. When a spinout occurs, it can damage the threads on the axle, it can sever the motor phase wires, it can short the phase wires against your hall sensors and fry the hall chips, and it can also cause your bike to crash and have other consequences. All of these things can be repaired, but none will be under warranty.
• Water damage: Even on motors that are relatively well sealed such as the eZee and Nine Continent wheels, water can still get inside the motor if the connectors are exposed in a way that water can puddle up and track inside the cable housing. The consequences of water getting in the hub are corrosion of the steel stator, and eventual misbehaviour of the hall signals. Most of the time simply cleaning and drying out the hub will restore normal operation. It is very apparent when a motor has water damage, because on opening up the hub a small pool of rusty water will pour out.
• Overheating damage: Motors that are run for prolonged periods at well beyond their rated power levels will eventually get so hot inside as to cook the windings. This results in the enamel burning off the copper wire, the plastic insulation melting on the phase wires, demagnetization of the rare-earth magnets, and vapourization of oil from the ball bearings. If you want to avoid this, then keep the input power of the eZee, Nine Continent, and Crystalyte 400 series motors below 1000 watts, and the Crystalyte 5300 motor below 2000 watts. Damage caused from running the motors above these levels is not covered under warranty. Higher power levels can work fine for short time periods, but in sustained use the above problems will show up.
• Broken Spokes: Spokes breaking is not something unique to hub motors but is something that can happen to bicycle wheels in general. Heavy people, people who hit potholes at high speeds, people who don't periodically check and adjust spoke tension, are all more likely to experience spokes breaking in the course of their ebike ownership. We recommend checking your spoke tension after the first 2 weeks of riding the bike, as even a wheel that is tight out of the box may need a break in period for the spoke heads to seat properly in the flange.

Examples of things that it would cover:

• Damaged nylon gear in eZee hub
• Damaged freewheel mechanism
• Sheared side covers
• Bad ball bearings
• Cracked spoke flange
• Bad connector: In some cases, either the hall or phase connectors are not done well and become severed or loose. Our warranty will cover supplying new connectors, or even installing them, but it wouldn't cover back and forth shipping of a motor that just needs a connector replaced.

Motor Controllers

The Infineon and Crystalyte motor controllers have a 1 year warranty, and the eZee controller when used with the eZee hub is covered for 2 years. Warranty only covers the controller when used with 36V or 48V battery packs with our own hub motors. Some examples of things that would be covered:

• Severed wire inside the controller pcb
• Random shorted mosfet when not caused from an axle spinout
• eZee controller showing LED flash pattern

Things that are not covered:

• Controller that fails when used with 3rd party motor system
• Corrosion of connectors from water exposure
• Controllers that are modified for more than 60V

We can't really warranty controllers that are used with 3rd party motor systems. It is possible to have a hub with very low winding resistance (think short circuit) which would fry the controller mosfets when throttling from a stall, as none of the controllers have pulse-by-pulse current limiting to protect them in this situation.

72V Modified: Although we currently offer Infineon controllers that use components which can handle 72V operation, we do not currently warranty them in this state.

Battery Packs

Batteries and battery chargers have traditionally been our largest source of warranty support. Right now, we are trying to tackle this and are only selling quality lithium packs developed in partnership with eZee. The battery and charger warranty is 1 year, and it would cover things like:

• Faulty BMS circuits that trips below rated current or cause premature pack cutout
• Pack that delivers less than 80% of its nominal capacity at a 1C discharge rate
• Internal cell tab weld coming loose

Warranty does not cover:

• Lithium batteries that have self discharged below 2V/cell from being left on the shelf for an extended period of time
• Water damage, which does not affect the cells but can lead to unreliable BMS circuit behaviour

Lithium batteries are liable to self-discharge over time because the BMS circuit itself draws current from the battery pack. Although the amount of current is usually small ( < 1mA typically) it is still enough to kill a battery in 1-2 months if it is stored in an initially flat state. If you plan to store a lithium battery, be sure to top it up with a charger at least once a month.

Often, we get issues that are wiring related, such as a fuse holder that starts to melt from being loose, or a connector that gets corroded. In these instances, we will send or replace just the wiring part.

Our policy with NiCad and NiMH packs was that we warranty the battery against cell reversal or other problems for 6 months. After 6 months, we would offer to test the battery for free, but any service work or cell replacement required after this point would be charged at a nominal repair rate.

GRIN Products

We offer a full 3 year warranty and lifetime support on most of the components that we manufacture ourselves, including the Cycle Analyst, DC-DC converters, Cycle Lumenators lights, and torque arms. The one exception is the front and rear waterproof LED ebike lights; on those we offer a lifetime warranty.

With regards to the Cycle Analyst, warranty will cover everything when used within the specified operating range, including water damage caused while using the Cycle Analyst in raining conditions, but not if the Cycle Analyst was submerged in water or similar.

The Cycle Analyst does have advanced features that require the user to do their own custom wiring to the circuit board. Improper wiring can easily damage or fry components on the Cycle Analyst. This is a user fault not covered under warranty, though in most cases the board can still be repaired for a fee.

All Other Products

Anything sold by us not included under motors, batteries, controllers, or GRIN products is covered under a one year warranty. This includes such items as throttles, freewheels and miscellaneous connectors/cables/tools. This warranty does not include water damage.

Return Shipping Procedure

You must email or call us to obtain a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number before sending anything back to our shop. Please explain in detail why you think a part is faulty and under exactly what circumstances it failed. We may request you do several additional tests so that we are confident in the diagnosis of which part needs repair. We will then issue an RMA# for bringing the item back to us. If the item is being shipped, please write the RMA number clearly on the package label, and send to:

RMA# XXXX
Grin Technologies Ltd.
20 E 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC, Canada
V5T 1E8

For international orders, you will also need to fill out a customs form. On this customs form, it is crucial that you indicate the item is a warranty return (with the exception of UPS where it is very important it is listed as "Temporary Import For Repair"), and that it has a declared value of $10 or less. Please do not declare the cost of the broken item as its value, or else there will be brokerage and import charges improperly assessed at the border, and we will likely refuse to accept the shipment. This is especially true for anything sent by courier. For instance, a Cycle Analyst coming back via UPS ground with a value of $100 would have a $55 COD bill.

When packaging an item to return under warranty it is important that the packaging adequately protects the item from damage during shipping. This is particularly so for batteries and motors which are heavy and can be dented and bumped during shipping. If you require any advice about how to properly ship a warranty return to us please ask before sending because we cannot be responsible for damage caused during shipping.

How long does it take to process an RMA?

We are normally able to process an incoming RMA within 3 working days. This includes receipt and initial diagnosis. You will receive an email or phone call to discuss whatever issues we may have found with the item and at the same time we can provide a timeline and estimate for repair if necessary.

The actual repair of hub motors, battery packs, and motor controllers is a specialized and time intensive process. It will usually take at least 1 week and more often 10-15 days for us to get to the bottom of a technical issue and have an item repaired, retested, and ready to ship back. We will keep you informed if the process will take more than 2 weeks.

Who pays for warranty shipping?

That depends on the particular situation:

a) In the majority of cases, the customer would be responsible for shipping the failed device back to us, and we would cover shipping the repaired or replacement part to the customer.

b) In cases where there is a clear failure in a product early in its life, then at our discretion we will cover shipping both ways. We will refund the return shipping after the product has been received and we are shown a receipt with the shipping amount.

c) In instances where the customer sends something back to us for warranty and we find that it is working fine and not defective at all, or has a very minor issue that could have been solved without shipping the entire item, then the customer would be responsible for shipping both ways.

d) In cases where the RMA shipping guidelines are not followed and there is a brokerage fee to receive the warranty item, then we will also charge this back to the customer.

I'm tech inclined and think I can fix it myself; does that void the warranty if I do?

No, we always like to work with and support customers who are resourceful enough to fix an issue on their own, and we will provide plenty of tech support over email to guide you through the process. It saves wasted time and expense in shipping and it can be a useful and fun learning process. Please contact us prior to attempting a DIY repair, however, as some things have non-obvious complications.