NCM eBikes in Canada (2026): Verified Brand Profile, Warranty Reality & Where to Buy

We verified every claim in this NCM profile against named primary sources before publishing. 📸 Cover by Playcut.ai

NCM is one of the more recognisable value-oriented eBike names in Canada — German-heritage branding, a long-running model lineup, and a presence on both its own Canadian storefront and major Canadian retailers. What is harder to find is a clear answer to the question that matters before you commit roughly $1,000–$2,500: who actually owns this brand, who backs the warranty, and what happens when something goes wrong? This profile answers those questions with named primary sources.

This page is part of an independent directory of eBike brands sold in Canada. Zeus eBikes does not sell NCM and has no commercial relationship with Leon Cycle — this profile is published as a neutral, public-service reference. Every factual claim below is traced to a specific source; manufacturer and marketing claims that have not been independently corroborated are labelled as such.

Who Owns NCM, and What Does It Claim?

NCM markets itself as a German eBike brand, and that framing is doing a lot of work — it is accurate about where the company was incorporated, but not about who controls it or where the bikes are built. Get the ownership picture wrong and you misunderstand who actually backs the warranty, where parts originate, and who you are dealing with if a dispute escalates. Here is what the corporate-registry primary sources show, set against what the brand's own pages claim.

What NCM Claims

The brand presents itself as a German e-bike company. Leon Cycle's affiliated FOObike "About Us" page states: "Since 2014, we at Leon Cycle have been selling electric bicycles from our Headquarters in Hanover, Germany," and that NCM is its main brand, founded in 2014. A 2022 NCM press release (Endurance Sportswire) describes the brand as "originally founded in Hannover, Germany" and references its "European heritage." Separately, some retailer and affiliate pages (not the company's own registry filings) describe NCM as "founded in 2014 by Johann Hiebl and Benjamin Börries" — an attribution that could not be corroborated against any corporate registry and is treated here as UNCERTAIN. Bicycle Retailer & Industry News (2022) traces the company instead to Leon (Lijun) Ding, who studied electronic engineering at Leibniz University Hanover (graduating 2005), set up Leisger Corporation in Hanover in 2007, and launched Leon Cycle in 2014; it reports his family began importing Japanese-made e-bikes into China in 1998.

What Independent Research Found

Independent corporate records confirm Leon Cycle GmbH was registered in Hanover, Germany on 23 July 2014 (Northdata, HRB 211360). Ownership and control are tied to Lijun Ding ("Leon Ding"), recorded by UK Companies House as a Chinese national resident in China who holds 75%+ of the shares and voting rights of Leon Cycle Ltd (UK), and recorded by Northdata as the managing director of the German GmbH (the registry records "No longer Managing Director: Lijun Ding" dated 6 November 2025; the successor and reason are not independently verified beyond that entry). The founder names "Johann Hiebl and Benjamin Börries" appear only in retailer/affiliate material and could not be corroborated against any corporate registry in this research — that attribution is UNCERTAIN; the registry-verified controlling owner is Lijun Ding. The German-heritage framing is accurate as to place of incorporation (Hanover), but ownership is verifiably tied to a China-based individual, and manufacturing and assembly are largely contract-based across Asia and Europe, as the next section details.

Where Are NCM eBikes Made?

NCM bikes are contract- and ODM-built, not made at a single "German factory." Bicycle Retailer & Industry News (2022) reports Leon Cycle uses assembly partners in France, Romania and the Czech Republic, invested $25 million in a manufacturing facility on land it owns in Suzhou, China, and was building its own facility in Budapest, Hungary. The motor and electronics are proprietary in-house "Das-Kit" units.

Components are largely proprietary: the group uses its in-house Das-Kit motor and controller system across NCM models. Bicycle Retailer (2022) also reports that Leon Cycle acquired the intellectual property, patents, trademarks, software and remaining inventory of the defunct Canadian motor maker BionX (which entered receivership in 2018) and stated it intended to manufacture BionX motors at its own facility for higher-end e-bikes. The practical picture: a German-incorporated, China-controlled group building Chinese- and European-assembled bikes around a proprietary electronics ecosystem.

Battery Cells

NCM packs are reported to use Samsung and/or LG cylindrical lithium-ion cells (NMC chemistry — nickel-manganese-cobalt); 36V, 48V and 52V configurations are referenced across product and aftermarket listings. The exact cell supplier per current Canadian SKU should be confirmed on the specific product page, as cell sourcing can vary by model and production run. (Note: the brand's own affiliated pages reviewed here state only that NCM was founded in 2014 in Hanover; the popular claim that "NCM" stands for nickel-cobalt-manganese was not confirmed on a primary company source in this research and is therefore not asserted as fact.)

Motor & Controller Serviceability

Proprietary in-house "Das-Kit" system: Das-Kit geared hub motors paired with Das-Kit displays/controllers. The ecosystem is proprietary and, per forum users on electricbikereview.com, effectively locked down — they report reversed/non-standard connectors that require soldering to fit standard third-party displays and controllers, so service and replacement parts are largely channelled through Leon Cycle/NCM rather than generic e-bike parts. This is a serviceability caution where local dealer support is thin. Per Bicycle Retailer (2022), higher-end models were intended to incorporate hub-motor IP the company acquired from the defunct Canadian maker BionX.

Ownership, Corporate History & Canadian Presence

NCM is a product brand, not a stand-alone company — it is owned and operated by Leon Cycle GmbH of Hanover, Germany, whose controlling owner per the UK and German registers is Lijun Ding. The Canadian operation is real (a Markham address and phone line, plus reported Vancouver and Montreal retail), but the exact registered Canadian legal entity and its tax registration are not fully disclosed on public pages. The verified corporate chain follows.

Corporate Entity

"NCM" is a product brand, not a stand-alone legal entity. It is owned and operated by Leon Cycle GmbH, registered at the District Court of Hanover, Germany under HRB 211360, registered 23 July 2014, registered address Calenberger Esplanade 2 D, 30169 Hannover; share capital EUR 25,000; corporate purpose "trade in cordless, electric bicycles and accessories" (Northdata). Northdata records Lijun Ding as managing director appointed 23 September 2016, and a publication dated 6 November 2025 records "No longer Managing Director: Lijun Ding" (the successor and reason for that change are not independently verified beyond the registry entry). Leon Cycle markets NCM alongside its sibling brands ET.Cycle and FOO/FOObike. The UK arm, Leon Cycle Ltd (company 10681051), lists Hong Kong–registered Leisger Holdings Limited as a ceased person of significant control (ceased 22 May 2019), with Lijun Ding recorded as holding 75%+ of shares and voting rights (UK Companies House).

Parent Company / Investor Ownership

Leon Cycle GmbH (Hanover, Germany). A former holding parent, Leisger Holdings Limited (Hong Kong), is recorded as a ceased person of significant control of Leon Cycle Ltd (UK) as of 22 May 2019 (UK Companies House). Northdata lists Leon Cycle B.V. as a shareholder of the German GmbH per its annual report filing. Ultimate controlling owner per the UK PSC register: Lijun Ding (75%+).

Related Brands & OEM Connections

Leon Cycle markets NCM as its main consumer brand alongside two sibling brands it also owns — ET.Cycle and FOO / FOObike (per Leon Cycle's own brand pages and Northdata's record of the GmbH's brand portfolio). All three are house brands of the same parent rather than independently owned companies. The group's electronics are supplied in-house through the proprietary Das-Kit system rather than a third-party OEM motor brand, and the higher-end motor IP derives from the acquired BionX assets. No separately owned external parent or shared third-party OEM manufacturer beyond these in-house relationships was identified in this research.

Canadian Registration & Tax Compliance

NCM trades in Canada as "LEONCYCLE CA" from the Markham, Ontario address listed above, and operates the leoncycle.ca and ncmbikes.ca Shopify storefronts. Two transparency gaps are worth noting for a Canadian buyer: the exact registered legal-entity name and jurisdiction (federal Corporations Canada vs. Ontario provincial) are not stated on the public pages — "LEONCYCLE CA" is a trading style, and a related name, "Leisger Cycle Inc.," appears in 2018 BionX trade reporting but was not matched to a current registry record here (UNCERTAIN) — and no GST/HST number is disclosed on the public Canadian site as of June 2026. Both are reported here as items not disclosed, not as items that do not exist; the shipping-from warehouse and whether GST/HST is collected and remitted could not be verified from public pages.

Models Available in Canada

NCM's Canadian lineup centres on city, urban and trekking eBikes rather than fat-tire or off-road models — a more European, commuter-oriented catalogue than most North-American direct-to-consumer brands. The representative models below are confirmed by name across Canadian listings and reviews; exact current pricing and availability change frequently and should be confirmed on the live product page, so we do not quote a figure we cannot verify at time of reading.

Model names confirmed across the Canadian brand site and major Canadian retailers as of 2026-06-10. Pricing and availability change frequently — confirm on the specific product page before buying.

The Warranty — What They Promise vs What You Get

NCM's published Canadian warranty is clear and conventional for the segment: 2 years on the frame, 1 year on all electronics, with a strict return policy attached. The catch is not the headline coverage — it is the return cost and the documented service experience. The return policy carries a 14-day window, a 20% restocking fee and a CAD $150 return-shipping fee, the warranty is non-transferable, and customer-service sentiment varies sharply by market. The detail follows.

What NCM States

Per leoncycle.ca (Refund/Warranty/Exchange Policy, accessed June 2026): 2-year warranty on the bike frame; 1-year warranty on all electronic parts (battery, motor, controller, display). Returns must be initiated within 14 days, items unused and in original packaging; a 20% restocking fee plus a CAD $150 return-shipping fee are withheld from refunds. The warranty is non-transferable (original owner only) and excludes commercial use, accidents/crashes, technical alterations made without manufacturer approval, damage from a third-party battery charger, overloading above the ~275 lb maximum, and improper maintenance/storage/transport (e.g., storing a discharged battery over winter, storing the bike outdoors, using an unsuitable car rack).

Warranty Reality

Documented customer experience is mixed-to-negative on warranty responsiveness, concentrated on the UK/EU operations; no large body of Canadian-specific reviews was located, so Canadian service quality is harder to verify. In June-2026 search snapshots, Trustpilot scores varied sharply by market: leoncycle.co.uk rated roughly 1.7–2.3/5 ("Bad"/"Poor"); leoncycle.fr and leoncycle.com.au rated positively ("Great"); the German leoncycle.de page showed mixed sentiment across its reviews. Recurring UK/EU reviewer reports (Trustpilot, plus a Facebook user-group warning post) allege no phone line and unanswered emails for weeks to months even under warranty, battery failures, and assembly/safety issues (one reviewer reported pedals falling off and being injured; others reported loose wheel nuts on delivery). Counter-balancing reviewer reports also exist: some say the company agreed to cover local repair-shop costs and paid out promptly, and rated the bikes good value and quality. These are attributed reviewer accounts that Zeus could not independently verify, and the company has not issued item-by-item public responses to most of them.

Review Authenticity

No credible evidence of paid, fake, or incentivized reviews, and no regulator action regarding reviews, was found for NCM/Leon Cycle as of June 2026. Trustpilot ratings vary widely by country (~1.7–2.3/5 UK vs. positive scores in France and Australia), a pattern more consistent with genuinely divergent regional service quality than with coordinated manipulation. Reported as "none found," with both sides noted: there is neither documented review manipulation nor a published company statement on this specific topic.

Safety Record, Recalls & the 2023 Customs Matter

No NCM- or Leon Cycle-specific recall or safety warning was found in the U.S. CPSC database (cpsc.gov) or the Health Canada / Transport Canada recall database (recalls-rappels.canada.ca) as of June 2026 — targeted searches returned only unrelated products. That is an absence of findings, not a certified clean record. The widely reported CPSC battery-fire warning in this category names Rad Power Bikes, not NCM. A separate legal matter — explained below — concerns the owner, not a product defect.

Individual UK/EU Trustpilot and forum reviewers reported isolated battery failures and an assembly-related injury, but these are unverified consumer reports, not regulator-confirmed defects or recalls. The one significant legal matter on record is not a safety recall: in June 2023, owner Lijun Ding was detained by French customs in connection with an alleged anti-dumping-duty and VAT evasion investigation reported at roughly EUR 26 million. He was released on 10 July 2023; the company publicly denies wrongdoing and stated it was pursuing legal action against the accusers; and no conviction or final judgment was found as of June 2026. It is summarised in the red-flag ledger below and is an attributed allegation, not a finding of guilt.

Source: CPSC recall database, Health Canada recall database, Transport Canada recall database, all searched June 2026. Absence of a listed recall is not a guarantee of safety — it means no government action was found at time of research.

Before you buy any eBike in Canada, confirm it is road-legal where you ride: see our breakdown of Canadian eBike laws by province, including the federal 500W / 32 km/h power-assisted bicycle limit.

The Honest Ledger: Green Flags vs Red Flags

No brand is all one colour. Every flag below is drawn from the named sources cited earlier in this profile — the German and UK company registers, the CPSC and Health Canada databases, leoncycle.ca's own policy pages, Bicycle Retailer's reporting, the 2023 customs trade coverage, and attributed owner-review sentiment. Nothing here is added from opinion alone, and contested items are flagged as contested.