Hello everyone, I need some advice.

I have had a Vanmoof S3 since 2021. It barely gave me any issues until last year, when the e-shifter broke. I then had it changed for £350 for it to break again maybe 7 months later. Now, Vanmoof is not producing those e-shifters anymore, and the guys who fixed it are suggesting a dual shifter replacement, which will cost me £350 plus any check-up, which will easily go to £500. My question is: is it time to sell this bike and maybe invest on a Cowboy bike? I pay less since I buy it through my work on the Cycle to Work scheme. I know that I could get around £800 for this bike by selling it.

Let me know your thoughts!

What would you choose?

I’m an S3 owner whose bike is currently broken after multiple failures, so I took the S6 for a proper test ride.

What I liked

• Much more refined and comfortable than the S3
• Looks even better
• Excellent brakes
• Very responsive boost
• Seamless gear changes

What I didn’t

The extra handlebar controls feel unnecessary to me. I’d rather just have boost and bell.

The deal breaker

The 16 mph limit killed it for me.

My S3 does 20+ mph, and at 16 mph the S6 felt no faster than a Lime bike despite costing £3,000.

Worse, once it hit the limit it felt noticeably difficult and tiring to pedal beyond it. That surprised me because I can pedal a Lime bike beyond its assisted limit much more easily.

If the S6 could do 20+ mph, I’d be seriously considering buying one.

What the store told me

Staff said they knew people who had unlocked higher speeds on the S6, “But I haven’t spoken to them since they told me that, so I can’t confirm it.” (seems fishy)

I also asked about the S5 2.0. They no longer sell it and cited reliability issues, although several of the problems they mentioned seemed to me to relate to the original S5 rather than the 2.0.

What would you do?

Repair the S3 again, or move to an S5 2.0 that can be unlocked?

For anyone who has owned both, is the S5 2.0 meaningfully more reliable than the S3?

(I used AI to structure this post after brain dumping my thoughts.)

Hey everyone,
I’m trying to figure out a really weird connectivity issue with my VanMoof X3 and I’m hoping someone here has seen something similar.
The bike itself basically works normally offline:
I can unlock it using the buttons/unlock code.
The bike boots normally and the display/system responds.
Find My has also worked.
So the cartridge/bike itself definitely isn’t completely dead.
Bluetooth is also clearly alive.
Using a BLE scanner, I can continuously see the bike advertising as an ES3 device.
It is marked as connectable and advertises the service UUID:
6ACC5540-E631-4069-944D-B8CA7598AD50
However, when actually trying to establish a connection, it can basically sit on “Connecting…” without completing the connection.
The official VanMoof app also knows the bike, but it just shows:
Disconnected
and I get no live bike data.
Another weird detail: I used VanMoofKit on macOS and successfully logged into/exported my VanMoof account data. My S5 appeared in the account/API export, but the X3 did not appear in the export, despite the X3 being shown in the VanMoof app/account.
Third-party apps have also been inconsistent. Moofment can detect both of my bikes, including the X3, while other compatible apps either fail to properly connect or behave strangely. I also had GoMoof crash while trying this.
So at the moment it looks like:
Bike hardware/offline functions → working
BLE advertising → working
BLE device is detectable → yes
Official app → sees bike but says Disconnected
VanMoof API/account export → X3 missing
Third-party apps → can detect it, but connection is unreliable/not working
This makes me wonder if this is less of a Bluetooth hardware failure and more of an ownership/API/encryption key/token pairing issue between the cartridge and VanMoof’s backend.
The bike is supposed to be mine/registered to me, so I’m especially confused by the fact that the VanMoofKit account export only contains my S5.
Has anyone seen an X2/X3/S3 where:
BLE advertising still worked,
offline unlock worked,
the official app knew the bike,
but apps could never establish the actual encrypted connection?
Could the bike be missing its encryption key / bike key in my VanMoof account even though it appears in the app?
And is there any way to diagnose whether the problem is:
1. BLE hardware/cartridge
2. corrupted pairing data on the bike
3. missing encryption credentials / bike key
4. VanMoof backend ownership/account issue
I’m comfortable using macOS Terminal, BLE scanners and VanMoofKit, so if there are any commands, logs, GATT characteristics or other things I can check, let me know.
Would really appreciate any ideas because the fact that the bike advertises and works offline makes this one pretty confusing.

TLDR, I revived my fully discharged & non-responsive S3 battery without a bench charger/NiMH charger/taking out the main battery from the frame.

Full story,

My S3 has been sitting idle for 5 months, and the battery is completely dead. The screen is non-responsive after pressing the reset button. No sound either. I went through the community posts for solutions. The usual solutions involve a variable DC bench charger or NiMH battery charger, none of which I have. The battery refused to charge when plugged in due to ultra-low voltage. Also, I don't have enough eletricity-related knowledge to carry out a 'surgery' on the batteries due to safety concerns.

Right before I recycled the bike, credit is where the credit is due, my partner stumbled upon a Chinese tiktok video about how to repair the more-common electric mopeds with depleted batteries. Thank you, the Chinese stranger, you saved me a couple hundred pounds.

This method doesn't require extensive electricical knowledge, and it shall impose relatively lower level of risk. I personally haven't seen this method mentioned before, so I would like to share here for anyone not-so-handy like me.

Still, it's electric, it's scary. DISCLAIMER, carry at your own risk.

The solution is as followed,

1. flip the bike upside down.

2. plug in the charger (the charger shows green light, since it refused to charge)

3. spin the FRONT wheel backwards like crazy. (with elbow grease/rotary tool/anything you like)

4. keep spinning for around 15-30min

5. magically, the charger turns red, and the bike will start taking the charge.

6. leave it charging till full like usual...annnd that's it.

I am shocked by the fact this even worked. I assume the backwards-spinning wheel sent trickles of power pulses to trick the smart module to start charging.

I cannot guarantee this solution is as universal as the other methods.
I also need point out there are two things that might make the case different.

1. Since the bike is completely dead, and the bike is not responsive whatsoever. I chose to extract the small battery in the upper frame smart module. I used a 'TP4056' USB-C module to briefly charge it.

2. The charging brick I have is not the official vanmoof charger since it was stolen. Mine is a aftermarket 42V-3A charger that aims at vanmoof users. This supposedly runs at slightly lower voltage than the official charger. I am unsure if this makes a difference.

Not a good writer, might be too long.

Hope this would be helpful for someone in the future.

Hey everyone! I’m looking for VanMoof S3 and X3 owners to help test MoofHub, an independent iOS companion app I’ve been building.

MoofHub connects directly to an owner-authorized bike over Bluetooth and includes:

  - Live bike status and diagnostics

  - Unlock, assistance, lights, bell, theft-protection, and shifting controls

  - Manual and automatic ride recording

  - Optional GPS routes and Apple Health export

  - Maintenance schedules and service history

  - Home/Lock Screen widgets and ride Live Activities

  - Multi-bike support

  - Supported speed-profile controls with verification and recovery

Why I need real beta testers

The app has been tested with automated tests and simulated data, but that cannot fully reproduce real bikes. Bluetooth behavior, firmware versions, iPhone models, background operation, and everyday riding conditions can all affect reliability.

Testing across different S3/X3 bikes and real-world environments will help me collect dependable results, identify hardware-specific problems, and confirm that displayed information and controls match the physical bike.

Requirements

  - An owner-authorized VanMoof S3 or X3

  - An iPhone running iOS 18 or later

  - Willingness to follow test instructions and report results

  - Ability to provide clear steps when something goes wrong

  If you would like to participate, send me a message

  Please include:

  - Your bike model and firmware version

  - Your iPhone model and iOS version

  - Your country

  - How frequently you ride

  - Which features you are interested in testing

  - Why you think you would be a reliable beta tester

This is an early beta, so please don’t rely on it for critical service work.

MoofHub stores bike credentials in the iOS Keychain and currently contains no advertising or analytics SDK. It is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by VanMoof.

Hello,

I’m planning to buy a VanMoof S3 for 600€ (the bike has less than 2,000 km on it). Apart from checking whether the ownership transfer is possible and making sure the bike is working properly (including the boost button and the horn button), is there anything else I should check?

I’ve read through this subReddit, and I can see that the main failures seem to come from:

• The e-shifter, which can easily be replaced with a reinforced model for around €50
• The large/small battery, if the battery hasn’t been charged for a long time: in that case, I may need to reset the BMS, replace a fuse, or recharge it using a bench power supply through the discharge terminals.
• The cable harness: I’m planning to install the part that prevents the handlebars from turning too far, so as not to put too much strain on the cables.

Is there anything else I should know or check? What do you think?

Thanks :)

J’ai récemment fait réparer mon vanmoof s6 pour un changement de kick lock, le réparateur a eu du mal à l’installer et j’ai cru comprendre qu’il a dû démonter l’ecu pour je ne sais quelle raison , mais en le retirant il a déchiré le joint de l’écu et j’ai peur qu’il prenne l’eau , j’habite dans le nord de la France et les pluies sont courantes et très fortes

Ma question est la suivante : est-ce réparable ?
Si oui , uniquement le joint peut être changer ?

Merci pour votre aide les amies 🙂

Hi. Anyone who has repaired or fully successfully taken apart and reassembled the rear sx3 hub? Is there an easy way to do it without the specific hub tools? What are the differences compared to the original SA hub (which is online)? What are the correct lubes used, that are available in the uk? Any other specific tips for correct rear hub maintenance and installation?

On the x3 (7k mi) I never touched the hub and it runs smoothly and freely, no clicking noises whatsoever. When the pedal is kicked backwards, they do 3+ full revolutions.

On the s3 (4k mi), I have taken the hub partially apart and cleaned (after failed shifter) around the bearings and actuator. When the bike is pushed or the wheel is spun, it makes two distinctive clicking noises. Pedals also don’t rotate as freely and only make about 1-1.5 revolutions when kicked.

I’m aware of the original SA hub videos and schematics. I will be grateful for any advice or photos/vids of the actual VM hubs. Thanks in advance.

bike has been sitting for a while that the battery refuses to charge...again.

The e-shifter was gone before this.

I couldnt justify investing more to fix this im afraid..

How do we dispose a broken e-bike? any places that I could sell/recycle with some cashback?

Hey yall :) I am trying to gauge if an e-bike / Vanmoof is the solution to my daily 38km round trip commute compared to an Elizabeth line and a 8km of daily Brompton G-Line rides…

How did you decide an e-bike was right for you?

Is there a comparable e-bike I could hire for a week if not a Vanmoof to get the feel?

Full disclosure: I run OnTheRoad, a mobile e-bike repair service in Amsterdam, so I work on VanMoofs weekly. Not here to sell anything - just sharing what I keep seeing now that official support is patchy.

1. E-shifter acting up? Nine out of ten times it recalibrates fine - don't let anyone talk you into a replacement before trying that.

2. Chain rust/stretch. The enclosed chain case hides it until it skips. If you hear clicking on acceleration, check it now - a chain is cheap, a chewed-up sprocket is not.

3. Battery babying works. S3 cells degrade fast if you store the bike outside through winter and charge to 100% every night. Charge to ~80% for daily use and it lasts years longer.

Happy to answer repair questions in the comments - also fine if you just want to know how to fix something yourself.

Is this something I can do myself or take to the shop? Hoping I can do it myself and I know it involves taking out the fork! In which case could anyone recommend steps such as do I need to remove battery or cartridge as well. Thanks