Everything people ask me

All of it. This is the main reason to call me instead of a general mobile bike mechanic. Most mobile bike services in Orange County explicitly decline battery, motor, throttle, and controller work, which means a bike with an electrical fault has nowhere local to go. I diagnose and repair charge ports, battery management systems, controllers, displays, throttles, cadence and torque sensors, brake cut-off switches, wiring harnesses, and hub and mid-drive motors — plus everything mechanical.

Nothing in San Clemente, Dana Point, Capistrano Beach, Monarch Beach, or San Juan Capistrano — that's Zone 1 and there's no trip fee at all. Zone 2 (Ladera Ranch, Rancho Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach) is $35 and Zone 3 is $65, and in both cases the trip fee is credited in full toward any service over $150. For comparison, most mobile e-bike services in Orange County charge $95 to $125 just to show up.

Most jobs get scheduled within two to four days, and I hold same-day and next-day slots for bikes that are genuinely unrideable — no brakes, no power, or a battery showing warning signs. Text a photo of the bike with your ZIP code and what's happening and you'll hear back within 30 minutes during business hours (Monday through Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 8am–4pm).

Every brand. That includes direct-to-consumer bikes with no local dealer — Rad Power, Aventon, Lectric, Ride1Up, Velotric, Heybike, Himiway, Juiced, Super73, Segway — and dealer brands like Specialized Turbo, Trek, Giant, Cannondale, Electra, Gazelle, Tern, Pedego, Blix, Magnum, and Riese & Müller. On the motor side I work on Bosch, Shimano STEPS, Brose, Yamaha, Bafang, Fazua, Mahle, and generic hub systems. One honest caveat: Bosch and some Shimano systems lock firmware and certain diagnostics to authorized dealers. I can do every mechanical and electrical repair on those bikes and I'll tell you upfront on the rare occasion something has to go through a dealer.

Probably not, and this is the most expensive assumption in e-bike ownership. Lost range has at least five common causes and only one of them is a worn battery: low tire pressure, a dragging brake rotor, a worn or dry chain, colder weather, corroded battery mount contacts, and actual capacity fade all produce the identical symptom. A $59 battery health test measures capacity against the pack's rated watt-hours and checks balance across cell groups, which tells you definitively which it is. That fee is waived if you have me do the repair. A new pack is $400 to $1,200 — it's worth $59 to find out whether you need one.

The full price list is published on the pricing page — every service, with real numbers, including the trip fee and the hourly rate for custom work. Tune-ups are $129 Essential, $209 Complete, and $429 Overhaul, with a $99-per-bike rate at three or more bikes in one visit. Diagnostics are $99 for the e-system and $59 for the battery, both waived if I do the repair. Parts are billed at cost plus 15% and quoted before anything is ordered.

90 days on all labor. If something I worked on isn't right afterward, I come back and fix it — no trip fee, no argument, in any zone. Parts carry whatever warranty the manufacturer provides and I'll handle the claim paperwork with the brand for you.

Three things go to the bench rather than the driveway: cell-level battery pack repair (opening a lithium pack in a customer's garage isn't something a careful technician does), full wheel rebuilds and rim replacement, and internal motor rebuilds that need a press. For all three I pick the part or the bike up and bring it back, usually within two to four days. Everything else — including motor removal and reinstall, controller and display replacement, harness repair, brake bleeds, and full tune-ups — happens where your bike is.

No. The van carries its own power, lighting, compressed air, and water. All I need is a flat spot roughly the size of a parking space, within reason of where the bike is. Driveway, street, garage, courtyard, parking lot, or a turnout on a Laguna hillside all work fine.

Only at the start and the end. I need five minutes with you at the beginning to understand what the bike is doing and to confirm the quote, and five minutes at the end to hand it back and show you what changed. In between you can go to work, take a call, or leave entirely.

It depends on the system, because every maker numbers its own faults: 21 is a speed sensor fault on a Bafang display but abnormal current on a Rad, and Shimano's codes start with W or E. The free error code lookup has the makers' own tables for Bafang, Bosch, Shimano STEPS, Rad Power Bikes, KT and Segway-Ninebot, with the maker's first step for each. If a code points at the battery or charger, stop charging and riding until it's checked.

Almost certainly, if you already own it — California's SB 1271 governs what can be sold or leased, not what you already ride. Since January 1, 2026 it bars selling or leasing an e-bike unless its battery has been tested by an accredited lab to a standard referenced in UL 2849 or EN 15194, and the product must carry the lab's mark and the standard. A replacement battery sold on its own has to meet a battery standard referenced in UL 2849 or EN 15194, a charger sold for a battery must be certified for it, and e-scooters must be tested to UL 2272. I check the certification label on every visit at no charge, and I won't install an unlabeled pack.

Twice a year for anyone riding weekly, and that's a real recommendation rather than a sales pitch — an e-bike is heavier than a regular bike, holds higher speeds, and puts motor torque through the chain, so brake pads, chains and tires wear faster. In coastal South Orange County there's a second reason: salt air corrodes charge ports, battery contacts, and connectors within a couple of years, and catching that early is a $45 clean-and-reseal instead of a $700 battery.

Yes. Direct-to-consumer e-bikes arrive mostly assembled and untested — brakes need aligning and often bleeding, the derailleur ships out of index, rotors get bent in transit, and wheels frequently ship under-tensioned. Assembly is $159 for a standard bike and $199 for cargo, fat-tire, or folding bikes, torqued to manufacturer spec with a spec sheet left with you, plus a walkthrough of the display and charging, and I take the box away.

Yes, and it's cheaper. Three or more bikes at the same address on the same visit are $99 each for an Essential Tune-Up instead of $129. For a street, an HOA, a school, or a short-term rental fleet I'll set up on site for an afternoon and work through a sign-up list — everyone gets the volume rate and nobody pays a trip fee. Ladera Ranch, Rancho Mission Viejo, and the Mission Viejo active-adult communities are where this works best.

Card, Apple Pay, Venmo, Zelle, or cash, at the end of the job. No deposit for standard service. For special-order parts over $200 I take the part cost upfront and bill labor on completion.

I stop and call you before doing anything you didn't agree to. You get the finding, the price, and the option to say no — including the option to have me do only what you originally asked for. Nothing gets added to a bill without a conversation first. If I find something genuinely unsafe to ride, I'll tell you that plainly and let you decide.

Yes — general liability coverage on every job. You're letting someone into your garage, and that should come with insurance. I'll send a certificate to any HOA or property manager that needs one on file before a service day.

Regular bikes too — road, mountain, gravel, hybrid, beach cruisers and kids' bikes. Tune-ups for non-electric bikes are $99 Essential, $169 Complete and $299 Overhaul, and brake, drivetrain and wheel repairs cost the same as the mechanical side of e-bike work. If you have both kinds of bike, it's one visit.

Yes — stand-up electric scooters from Segway-Ninebot, NIU, Gotrax, Hiboy, Apollo, Xiaomi and other brands. A flat on a tube-type scooter tire is $69 per wheel with the tube included, a scooter tune-up is $79, and brakes, folding stems, throttles, controllers and displays are all repaired at your home. The $99 e-system diagnostic is waived if I do the repair.

Yes. California Vehicle Code §21235 requires a valid driver's license or instruction permit to operate a motorized scooter. The same section bans passengers, bans sidewalk riding except to enter or leave a property, and requires riders under 18 to wear a bicycle helmet; §22411 limits motorized scooters to 15 mph. E-bikes are treated differently: under §24016 an e-bike rider needs no driver's license, registration or plates.

Usually, yes. Side-mount surf racks attach to the seat post, the head tube, frame bosses or a rear rack depending on the design, so the first step is a fit check of your frame, your board's length and thickness, and the clearance around the battery and handlebars. Most e-bike side racks are rated for about 25 lb of board; shortboard racks suit boards around 7 to 8 feet, and longboard racks are sold for roughly 9½ to 11 feet. Install is $45 for a seat-post rack and $65 for a two-point or frame-boss rack, plus the rack.

Yes. Since January 1, 2026, every e-bike must show a red rear reflector — or a solid or flashing red light with a built-in reflector — at all hours, not just after dark (Vehicle Code §21201(f), added by AB 544). After dark, every bicycle also needs a white front light visible from 300 feet, white or yellow pedal or shoe reflectors, and side reflectors or reflective tires (§21201(d)). Light installs start at $25; wired lights that run off the e-bike's battery are $75.

Many can. A lot of e-bike controllers have a light output, so a headlight and taillight can run off the main battery with nothing extra to charge. The light has to be rated for the voltage that output supplies, and the connections need sealing against salt air. Wired installs are $75 plus the lights; battery or USB lights are $25 to install.