DIY vs. Commercial: How/ Why(not)?

leisesturm

100 W
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Messages
205
Getting old (60+). Still fairly fit, but can't see small parts anymore. Wrenching is getting to be a headache (literally). Want an e-bike because 30mi. (roundtrip) commute. Short-list: Trek Allant+ 8s; Raleigh Redux IE; Giant Quik E+. These are all Class III bikes and look nice to my eyes. I will be in formal business attire, and IMO suspension forks and/or motocross styling just doesn't mesh with FBA.

From talking with dealers I learn that 28mph won't be a cruise speed for any of these bikes. They can reach it, just about, but the rider will be putting in about half the energy. So my question: I could probably build (with help) a true top of Class III bike for less, certainly not any more money than any of the bikes on my list. For sanity's sake I have focused on just one way of doing that: commercially available commuter bike plus TSDZ2 mid-drive.

Short list of 'donor bikes': Raleigh Redux (heh); Salsa Journeyman 650 Flat Bar; Surly Bridge Club. The Surly is the most expensive platform, but even at $1200 plus $1000 for the motor and battery I would be spending 1/2 of what an Allant+ lists for! It's hard to see a downside. Allant+ motor is 75nm torque vs 90+nm torque for the 52V mid-drive.

One immediate difference I notice between commercial e-bikes and 'normal' bikes is that all the decent e-bikes have much longer wheelbases. Like several inches longer. And they use 2.4" clinchers for the most part. So I guess what I am wondering is whether or not to pay the big money and get a commercial product that will have hydraulic brakes, long wheelbase and clearance for big rubber, or kit out a passable donor bike to get somewhat the same functionality? Any thoughts?
 
TSDZ2 ain't gonna cut it, I would say a lot of the commercial bikes hit harder as they are true 700-800w. They de-rate their motors on paper to make it legal, with DIY chinese sellers doing the opposite.

I have a bbs02 and I would buy nothing under a bbshd for DIY. The disadvantages (lack of waterproofing on battery, rough edges) simply don't compensate for the power gained.

Lucky for you the bbshd is about where 25mph cruise becomes feasible. So that would be your goal. Get the biggest battery you can find. You would need a jumbo hailong (shark in western shops):
https://em3ev.com/shop/em3ev-52v-14s5p-jumbo-shark-ebike-battery/
The 35E loadout with 17Ah 52v looks great, ~890wh should deal with your 30mi if you pedal. Without pedaling, it won't be enough, you would need 1.5x of that. If you get a hailong, you would do good to tape it to the frame in 1 or 2 places so it doesn't crack/rip the bottle cage mounts eventually. The mounts are designed for 1/5th the stress a battery puts on it.

I would get a frame that has forks at the very least, if you get a hard tail you can add a suspension post to it later. These rigid bikes are only good if you live in monaco with perfect roads and/or under 20.

A great way to save money on a DIY bike is to get the frame used. You get better stuff for cheaper and there is plenty to chose from. You will be throwing much of the drivetrain in the bin anyway so some worn parts aren't interesting.
 
leisesturm said:
I will be in formal business attire, and IMO suspension forks and/or motocross styling just doesn't mesh with FBA.

Not sure what you mean here. Are you concerned about your appearance while riding?

Realize that the faster you go above regular bicycle speeds, the dirtier you get, so expect your dry cleaning bill to go up.

ST1 X ?
 
Longer frames and fatter tires better ride but at speeds the tires will need to be better. I would want to build my own with a little more battery than you need.
 
I understand when someone wants to pay more to have the ease of a "buy and ride" ebike. However, the hassle of installing a BBSHD is really not too bad. I have ridden dozens of factory ebikes and quite a few kits, too. For me, the lower price and better performance of a BBSHD over the dozens of expensive factory ebikes...makes a kit well worth it.
 
Dont buy a store bought ebike, they are just a waste of money, they have expensive proprietary parts that you have to buy from them which is a total rip off.

Take a look at the Cyclone Elite frame from http://www.cyclone-tw.com/
There is the Enduro which looks like a motorcycle, but there is the Elite which looks like a bicycle.
Picture at the bottom of this post.

Other routes to look at, installing on a bicycle you already have or want to have.
No need for fancy hydraulic fluid brakes, just get mechanical disc brakes.
Get the BBSHD kit including battery from EM3 and get them to match the connectors for plug n play.
Buy a big enough battery, more then you need.
Get a good charger.
Buy a spare throttle.
Buy a Yellow NYC Kryptonite U-Lock.
Buy a volt meter.
Grab a spare sensorless controller from EVFitting which is Greentime on Aliexpress - https://evfittinggreentime.aliexpress.com/store/313864



Cyclone Elite.jpg
 
you really need to give us your budget. i totally agree with the posters here; most commerical ebikes are well put together but not worth it for the raw specs. take a look at CYC X1 Pro Gen 2 as a premium motor and nice looking motor + lcd. it looks nice like $$$ nice. couple that with a 1.5kwH battery and you are golden.

https://www.cycmotor.com/x1-pro-gen-2

again, we need to know your budget.
 
Buying an ebike is good if:

-you can’t build one yourself

-you can’t build by yourself, as good as the one that you want to buy

-You don’t need it to be fast, and don’t need to save money either.

Most of us who are building our own, are doing better for cheaper, or want better performance than those available on the market. And, there are some who just like to build things, to satisfy their own requirements and creativity.
 
Re the commute and the suit.

Regardless of whether you build, or buy, you need a commuter bike. You will need full fenders, and a bike with a full chain guard.

Easy way to get this, is convert a 7 speed beach cruiser with a rear hub motor. For a good bike to convert, look at the electra townie, or something similar. They don't have fenders, but you can add them. The townie is just a good quality cruiser, with comfy pedal forward frame. You will want a good strong rack, preferably one welded in, part of the frame. And likely panniers. You will need a way to carry your morning clothes home in the warmer afternoons. And a loaf of bread, or some beer.

A cheaper option, though heavy, is a steel Schwinn. You can find them with the welded rack and fenders. Weight won't matter unless you have to carry the thing up stairs at the office. Though not a long bike, any beach cruiser is about 3 inches longer than MTB's. IDEAL commuter is often a real long tail bike. Because it can carry a load of groceries home easy. And they ride nicer, than other no suspension bikes. I lengthened my Schwinn to make it a real longtail.

30 mph cruise sounds nice, but in reality, it just means you never see that shit in the road in time, to avoid a big screw or nail in your tire. Not just a flat, but a ruined tire. So the speed does not matter so much at you may think. But you will want a class 3 speed, so 48v system. 30 mph out the door, but as the battery depletes, you will slow to 25 ish. Cruise at the speed you can see a big lag bolt in time to avoid it. It's very fatiguing trying to do this at 30 or 35 mph.. But at 20 to 25 mph, a much more relaxing, rejuvenating ride. Arrive at work energized, not mentally fatigued. Its worth the time this takes.

When I talk about commuting, I did this, 30 mph round trip, for 5 years before I retired to a work from home job. I started out fast, 30 mph. Thrilling.. But it was not long before I slowed down to more like 22 mph.
 
Another rear hub fan here, so I agree with Dan, above.

The only things I would add are the donor bike would have to have disc brakes and room for 2.4" tires. For my own purposes, I would also go with the GMAC/Phaserunner/Ca3 power combo for top shelf performance and custom configuration capabilities. No OEM locked down firmware to put up with, and variable regen, which I think is a game changer, especially for those riding in a rolling/hilly area.
 
Hi and thanks. Thanks for all the good ideas from everyone who has posted. I will try to touch on questions that have been asked. One of them being budget. Of course I would like to spend as little as possible. I do want something that will look good and last for awhile. To put a number on it ... the $3,499 that is the MSRP for a 2019 Raleight Redux IE is about the upper limit.

So, realistically that puts the $4,200 Trek Allant+ 'out of budget' by default. I live near a Trek dealer and have two other recent Treks from them so a Trek e-bike would have been a natural progression. Oh well. I CAN build an e-bike from a donor frame and a kit, it just isn't as easy now, with Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration, as it would have been even 10 years ago.

I have owned (and built up) a lot of bikes over the years, and I have several rideable (9) right now. Any of them really would make a good commuter. I don't know how good an e-commuter they would be though. My wife is blind and she commutes by tandem every weekday with you guessed who as Captain. Without my telling her anything she got all the clothes and shoes and I set up one of the tandems with fenders and a rack and lights. Actually, in Portland everything gets fenders, even the race bikes. We know from fenders.

My main commuter came with 23mm clinchers and 25mm fit with difficulty. It's a race bike when all is said and done. Way too stiff and shortcoupled to be an e-bike. My steel Schwinns take old school 27" tires (1-1/4"). And so on. All the new donor bikes on my short list can at least fit 2" tires, and one can fit 2.4". I've tried to find bikes with 1x drivetrains so I am not throwing away fancy front ends that I am not going to use.

I have noticed that all the commercial commuter focus e-bikes are losing their rear suspensions and a growing number are losing their suspension forks as well. This maybe partly cost, partly weight, and also that even the best of them were using very poor performing suspension components to begin with. In 2020 the 'best' urban suspension system is still, it seems, a large section clincher tire at relatively low pressure. (30psi - 40psi).

This thread has put some new motor systems into my awareness. The Cyclone looks more like an e-motorcycle. Even the Elite E-Bike. Huge amount of wattage and throttle operation. That is my take-away so far but I haven't researched it enough. I've bought used tandems on Craigslist but I haven't had good luck buying single bikes there. The Surly Bridge Club is available as a frameset ($525) and I could get all the contact points from the local co-op or my parts bin. That would eliminate some waste of perfectly good new parts.

I was already thinking that some kind of cruiser would have the kind of wheelbase and clearance for big rubber that would be needed for a bike that was comfortable at Class III speeds. A Townie frame would be made well, better than department store stuff, but I don't know about the crank forward thing. We'll see.

Thanks for all your ideas so far. Keep them coming. :)
 
Suspension is a matter of speed. I mean, unless the streets are mint where you live, you don’t want to ride above 30 mph without suspension. Ebikes are heavier than bicycles, and we don’t ride them with our weight on the pedals either. This is calling for suspension sooner or later.
 
Pedal forward: my wife rides a Townie and I would if I could have found one used at a reasonable price. My ride is a Jamis Hudson Sport, it's pedal forward but not as much as a Townie. Both these bikes use front hub motors, my wife's is small and has gears, mine is big, heavy and direct drive. Both get the job done. Handling is very good with these bikes and stopping on questionable footing has less risk than with a normal bike. These bikes have longer wheelbase than normal bikes but place the rider in about the same relation to the rear axle, so ride quality is not as good as the long tail bikes that Dogman Dan is talking about. I often ride the Hudson too fast in tight, turning conditions, it does very well.

We use rim brakes, they work. Neither bike uses pedal assist, they use throttles, with one exception the several pedal assist systems introduce far too much risk when starting in questionable conditions. I want smooth and predictable power delivery at all times. My Aotema direct drive using throttle does that. My wife's Bafang G3xx gear hub with 20A controller from Grin does not deliver a smooth, low risk, predictable start. The controller is the problem, it just does not have the low power needed, it goes from no power to too much power, much like poorly done pedal assist systems. The pedal assist that worked great for me was on a new Trek, it was a torque sensing system that did exactly what I wanted and was transparent to the rider.

Factory bikes use non-standard batteries. Because batteries are sort of a consumable item they must be standard types that are easy to get at reasonable prices. This fact completely rules out factory ebikes for me. When I go on a 30 mile ride I take my 48V battery and my wife's 36V battery. Mine uses XT-90 connectors, hers uses Anderson Power Poles, I made an adapter so I can use either. The Aotemas controller uses either battery with no problem and no noticeable difference in feel.

Batteries last longer if not fully charged and not fully discharged. I charge my four year old 48V battery to 4.0 volts/cell and my wife's 36V battery to 4.1 V/cell. I don't want to discharge them below 3.5 volts/cell. The 48V battery charger cuts off at 4.0 V/cell, I manually disconnect the 36V charger at between 4.0 and 4.1 V/cell.

Battery use example: My battery is 48V, 13.5AH, 650WH, my wife's is 36V, 10AH, 360WH. When I take both batteries I'm taking 1010WH, watt hours, of battery capacity. Riding between 13.5 mph and 19.5 mph, I use the 650WH battery for 22 miles and then the 360WH battery for 12 miles. 34 miles is as far as I am willing to ride 1010WH of battery. Did I use the whole 1010WH? No, recharge data indicates I'm using about 200WH from the 48V battery and about 200WH from the 36V battery. That's about 400WH total from 1010WH total, about 40 percent. Slower ride speed uses fewer WH than faster speed.

As we age, harsh jiggling is bad for the spine, eyes and the rest of the body. This argues for full suspension. My Hudson has a suspension seatpost, it helps a little bit, huge shock comes up through the handlebars, this is because there is a heavy front direct drive hub motor on a rigid fork. What I really need is a light weight rear hub motor on my full suspension bike.

Bottom line, a light rear geared hub motor on a full suspension bike, using a throttle would be ideal. How to carry the battery or batteries? A seatpost rack with side gizmos for panniers would be just the ticket. I saw those at REI a couple days ago. They are by MTX and fit on the MTX beam rack and can carry MTX trunk bags with side panniers. Were I younger and doing a long commute I'd put drop bars and aero bars on a FS bike and rig it out as described. But now, with some neck pain from living on the aero bars, I use rise and sweep back bars for an upright position.

Hope this helps, keep us posted on what you do.

Best wishes,

Mike S
 
Converting a Townie 21D bicycle that is not an ebike, converting it into a hub motor is a good option. No rear suspension, and only a suspension fork.

Sounds like you dont want mid drive system at all for a diy. So you will have to look at a rear hub motor.
MAC Geared hub motor - https://em3ev.com/product-category/e-bike-kit-motor/hub-motor-kits-motors/
if you want to go uber-durable direct drive (no moving parts, no gear teeth to break) then a Leaf 1500W rear already laced into a wheel - https://www.leafbike.com/ install onto any bicycle you wish.

No need to buy a 250W wimpy store bought ebike. You seem to ride conscientiously, with care and common sense. Dont be afraid of the 1000W+ motors, nothing to fear at all. You can hide the rear hub motor behind some rear pannier bags, throw the battery and controller in there. No one will know.
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=104679
 
Here in the SF Bay area there are many used E-Bikes for sale, just be sure to get one that is only 1 or two years old so that you don't have to buy a new battery .
If you live in Portland Oregon there should be some available.

If you live in a mostly flat area where you will be riding then a rear hub motor is just fine, fine for most people in most areas in fact . The Rear hub Specialized bikes are cheaper these days because they are mostly making mid-drives now.


The Brands that get the best Reviews are the Specialized and the Haibike . If you get a Trek, then get the latest model. Specialized and Haibike seem to be a couple of years ahead of the other Brands in Technology and Ride Quality .

With specialized you find the owners chat group that know how to go in and hack the computer system, they will go up to 28 mph then, ( Which is Legal in most US States )
And I can tell you that is plenty fast, all the time newcomers get on Endless-Sphere and say they want to go faster , but going faster adds allot of weight and cost.

Note : A2B bikes are out of business, as is
Bionx
and many others, do not buy those bikes used .

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/bia?query=E-Bike+%2C++

Or convert this to electric drive .... https://yubabikes.com/cargobikestore/boda-boda

Or just get this .... https://yubabikes.com/cargobikestore/electric-boda-boda

20-25 mph is just fine on a e-bike, I can make my own e-bike that does 30 mph or 30 + mph, but most of the time ride 20 and under around town. For out in the Country then faster is good, because there are No bike lanes out on back country roads, but even then rarely go faster than 25 mph because of wind blast at higher speeds .
when riding back country roads or any road where there is no bike lane then ride near where car tires are on the road, that way it is the cars that pick up the items that would have given you a flat tire. If a car tire hits a screw or other item and does not pick it up to damage it then it is thrown outside of that track,
So in other words do not ride on the far right side of any road that does not have a bike lane.
Check with your local laws as to how far into the lane you can ride, here in California it is the whole lane , but I never ride to much past the area where a car/truck passenger tire contacts the pavement.

When you find a specific bike , let us know what it is and the year and we will tell you yes or no do not even think about it .

This is a good price for a Big Brand E-Bike, and has a step through design as well , which is easier to mount and dismount .

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/d/gilroy-specialized-vado-bike/7090542615.html


leisesturm said:
Getting old (60+). Still fairly fit, but can't see small parts anymore. Wrenching is getting to be a headache (literally). Want an e-bike because 30mi. (roundtrip) commute. Short-list: Trek Allant+ 8s; Raleigh Redux IE; Giant Quik E+. These are all Class III bikes and look nice to my eyes. I will be in formal business attire, and IMO suspension forks and/or motocross styling just doesn't mesh with FBA.

From talking with dealers I learn that 28mph won't be a cruise speed for any of these bikes. They can reach it, just about, but the rider will be putting in about half the energy. So my question: I could probably build (with help) a true top of Class III bike for less, certainly not any more money than any of the bikes on my list. For sanity's sake I have focused on just one way of doing that: commercially available commuter bike plus TSDZ2 mid-drive.

Short list of 'donor bikes': Raleigh Redux (heh); Salsa Journeyman 650 Flat Bar; Surly Bridge Club. The Surly is the most expensive platform, but even at $1200 plus $1000 for the motor and battery I would be spending 1/2 of what an Allant+ lists for! It's hard to see a downside. Allant+ motor is 75nm torque vs 90+nm torque for the 52V mid-drive.

One immediate difference I notice between commercial e-bikes and 'normal' bikes is that all the decent e-bikes have much longer wheelbases. Like several inches longer. And they use 2.4" clinchers for the most part. So I guess what I am wondering is whether or not to pay the big money and get a commercial product that will have hydraulic brakes, long wheelbase and clearance for big rubber, or kit out a passable donor bike to get somewhat the same functionality? Any thoughts?
 
Ok, now you really threw out the red flag. With glaucoma and macular degeneration, you have no business riding 30 mph in the bike lanes.

You simply are not going to see the garbage that abounds in the bike lane. And you are going to get flats. When you spoke about bad eyes, I just thought you meant reading glasses. I'm assuming you still see a person, but slower, if this person steps in your path you can do something about it. At 30 mph, you hit the person.

Again,, 20 mph will do, so suspension gets less mandatory, just some cruiser tires is all you need. Not saying go 36v though. Just saying plan on an hour for the ride, so you can ride there without running the tires over every board full of nails on the way. My flats all but stopped when I slowed down to 20-22 mph. You still pick up invisible staples or small nails, but slime in the tire handles those. Just ride slow enough to see the big stuff, like a bent 6 inch lag bolt.

For the best cruiser ride, look at longer bikes for sure. But true longtails, not those that still have the seat to the rear. But you can start now, with a regular inexpensive steel frame cruiser, while you hunt that ideal ride. The schwinns and huffies are not as pedal forward as the townie.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Schwinn-Costin-Bicycle-Color-Blue-Size-27-5-Style-Men-s-Cruiser/333252091?wmlspartner=wmtlabs&adid=22222222222156407694&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=o&wl2=c&wl3=74973019408853&wl4=pla-4578572589178276&wl5=&wl6=&wl7=&%20wl10=Walmart&wl12=333252091_10000001197&wl14=schwinn%20cruiser%20bike&veh=sem&msclkid=7d8e6fde50411775c4a631b69533f934

Yeah, its a lead sled, with a primitive crank. But you don't care unless you have to carry it up stairs. You can put a cheap suspension fork on the cruiser, but really you don't need it unless you are hauling ass. Do get 30 mph capability for when you must ride in the lane, but at 20 mph a cruiser is fine.
 
If you are In PDX go visit Gunther @ PX Cycles, Brad @ Nomad Cycles for DIY help and Wake @ The Electric Bike Store for store bought options.

PX Cycles house brand 48v mid drive is a good deal but as others here have said a 30mph eBike, while possible, is not all that practical for your situation.
 
While a true believer in diy solutions, I really can't blame people for going commercial. Installing a tsdz2 or a bbs02 surely was easy, but now I'm moving to "serious" hubs and man, is this complicated. And expensive. Finding the right hub. Lacing it. Finding the right controller. Finding the right hall/phase sequence. Programming the controller. Building the battery. Plugged everything together. Debugging. Debuggin. Debugging. Of course, the result if well designed will match exactly one's needs (that why I'm doing it) and will than blow away 80%+ of the commercial stuff - still, not sure a lot of people can put up this level of dedication. Maybe if you plan to go into this buisness anyway. But as a hobby: be prepared to invest a LOT of time.
Interestingly enough I find that going cheap commercial and upgrading is actually often more painful than building the stuff from scratch...
 
I agree!!

"Interestingly enough I find that going cheap commercial and upgrading is actually often more painful than building the stuff from scratch..."

I have an '18 RAD City with very few OEM parts left on it. The battery, the frame and the front end are about it. Seat, handlebars, riser, suspension seat post and tires have all been replaced. ALL electronics are now by KT, and it's got a MAC12T for power. GREAT bike!

I was able to offset some of the cost by selling the original OEM stuff.
 
The key to building a good ebike yourself is to not skimp out on anything.
Buy more motor then you need or want.
Buy a quality motor.
Buy a good, quality controller with more then enough power for the terrain you will ride.
Buy a battery from a reputable builder.
Buy a quality charger that will charge the battery in good time.
Buy a quality bicycle with good components.

Its not that hard to do and everything can come in a plug and play setup if you buy from the right vendors.

Its simple to build ebikes, from your cheap kits to the expensive kits. A couple wires, a few plugs. No big deal.
 
dogman dan said:
You simply are not going to see the garbage that abounds in the bike lane. And you are going to get flats. When you spoke about bad eyes, I just thought you meant reading glasses. I'm assuming you still see a person, but slower, if this person steps in your path you can do something about it. At 30 mph, you hit the person.

... and then there are the folks who like to run in the bike lane at night - in the wrong direction coming at you.
 
Here the power that comes with the flexibility on DIY and OpenSource on TSDZ2:

You will be amazed with the lightweight, performance, cost and advanced features typically from commercial ebikes!! Also note that TSDZ2 has integrated torque sensor.

See here how to install on MTB full suspension, Cargo bike, MTB kid, Trike or Hand cycle:
https://github.com/OpenSource-EBike-firmware/TSDZ2_wiki/wiki


And don't forget to install for free (or buy with support) our develop OpenSource firmware on the motor and on the display :)

You can use this popular displays color 860/850C or Bluetooth SW102:

[youtube]eDENZS4pHvo[/youtube]

[youtube]q0N5W3Fgyjk[/youtube]

casainho_MTB-half.jpg


01.jpg


ICE-Adventure-2B.jpg


v0.20.0-Handcycle-Coaster-Brk.jpg
 
Don't take this wrong, do what you like

but IMO such an enthusiastic promotional tone by the author reduces the credibility of the project.
 
Back
Top