VanMoof!

How many times have we said this?

I know, all VM riders can relate and to be honest it sucks.
Those cold nights that you just cant unlock your bike because of Error 40, or those windy days that you have Error 44 and your E-shifter doenst work, or the all time favorite...
Waking up, get ready to go to work and you find those amazing Error 6, Error 19, Error 20, Error 21 and your bike doesnt turn on because your battery just died on you.
We as a community of riders have all been trough this, we all love our bikes, when it works...

Having problems with our VM is part of the deal and we just have to learn how to avoid such situations.
Trough out my years of experience I have noticed that most riders treat their VM like a normal bike, which it is, to a  certain degree.
Don't Eye roll me yet, what I'm trying to say that we need to have special attention to certain aspects of our bike.
Even tough VanMoof bikes are Dutch, Like most Dutch people they also don't like the cold. Freezing Temperatures will damage your battery and your smart unit, humidity will damage your buttons and your cables giving you Error 40 and Error 41.
So when the cold days come if you cant put your bike inside my suggestion is covering it with an old blanket or and old jacket, specially on the handle bar area, where the fork connects to the frame, that will help with the change of temperature.

When we ride a normal Bike, we are used to replace the brakes maybe once a year or even 2 years.

That is not the case with your VanMoof

Your Vanmoof Bike is a very powerful machine, and a heavy one as well, 22kgs.
I'm saying this so you understand that your VanMoof brakes will get consumed much faster then on a normal bike that doesn't weight as much or go as fast.
Faster and heavier means more braking power is needed to stop you.
Sometimes costumers are annoyed because they replaced the brake pads six months ago and now they have to replace them again.
To be honest six months is a long time for a VanMoof brakes, that really depend on how much you ride.
If you ride your bike every day like I do, every 3 months or so i must replace my Brake pads.
Off course you can push your brake pads to the limit, but that will only make things worst.
In a nutshell, your brake system is composed of 6 parts that work together to make you stop.
Your brake caliper (the part that is on the wheel), your brake Leaver (the part that is in your handlebar), your Brake pads, your brake cable (the part where your brake fluid travels), your brake disk and brake fluid.
VM brakes are a hydraulic system that when you press the brake leaver, the fluid travels trough the brake cable in to your brake caliper, pushing your brake pads against your brake disk making your bike to slow down.
That being said, if one of these parts isn't doing the job properly, you could be creating more damage to the other parts.
That is why it is so important to keep your bike well maintained, for example, if you neglect your brake pads, soon they will start damaging your brake disk, if you continue to ride with your brake pads worn, they eventually will fly out of the brake caliper and you will loose fluid, then you will have no pressure and it will be dangerous to ride your bike.
And when you contact me for the repair, instead of just having to replace the brake pads, I will also need to add fluid and maybe replace the brake disk.
When all this could be avoided if you would have contacted me before your brakes would be completely gone.

Vanmoof bikes have a electronic gear system, that is why your gears change automatically.
That being said i always recommend my costumers to keep the gear system(on the rear wheel ) clean, meaning if you ever go on muddy, or sandy terrains, to rinse your rear wheel after.
That is not to accumulate dirt and other micro particles on your gear system, because once your rear wheel is full of dirt and sand inside your gear box, that will block your E-shifter and give you error 44.
It is very wise to lubricate your chain every 2 months, that will help your chain to last longer, if you have our tool box still, they come with chain oil, on every repair I always lubricate your chain, so anything, just hit me up.
Keeping you tire pressure not so high will help you get less punctures, specially in Amsterdam where there is glass every where.
These are just a few things that you can do to improve the life span of your bike.
To whatever problem you may find, please just go to contact session, grab my number and give me a call or send me an email, I will be more then happy to assist you in your VM problems.
VanMoof Problems, HanMoof Solutions.
Happy riding and a Amazing 2025