Contraption maker rocket science series#

The Disadvantage of a home ebike builder: Its a good thing that American Ebike makers are demanding china to provide them quick connects…it would be hard to sell a $3,000 commercial ebike to a common consumer it if had a controller that looks like the one below…a typical DIY ebike controller: Also, because commercial ebikes are designed with 3 components selected to work with each other, it is really possible to have super tidy wiring solutions, with no extra wires protruding out of the controller. Much of this is possible because most commercial bikes are low-power and can get by on thin-gauge wires. Quick connectors make replacing the hub motor or controller or throttle as simple as disconnecting one quick connect which is way less complicated because there fewer individual wires.

Check out the latest generation with steel connectors: Through out the commercial ebike industry, quick connectors are becoming a hot item.

Notice the lack of handlebar clutter, which you can think of as a riders feng shui.īut lets just focus on how that nitty griddy of how that ultra neat handlebar wiring is planned out and finally made. The Juiced Rider is a great example of a nicely built commercially built electric bike ( one of my favorites) with only a few visible wires. Lets take a look at typical commercial ebike, and see the one sure way a commercial ebike can put a DIY bike to shame: If you are thinking about building an electric bike, you are going to have to deal with putting together some kind of wiring mess, since as of 2015, DIY components are pretty much straight out of China, and…China couldn’t care less about how cluttered or unattractive your ebike looks.Įxample of how a commercial bike handles wiring: Commercial ebikes keep getting better…DIY components have pretty much stayed the same, with only one or two exceptions. I see it I as the biggest drawbacks to DIY ebike compared to a commercially available ebike. Where as the rest of the technology industry is going wireless, it seems that ebikes have just as many wires as ever. DIY ebikes have an array of wires that can quickly and often times turn into a rats-nest if the builder is not thoughtful. It is not rocket science….it is not even as hard as tuning a car science. Make no mistake about it…there is no great deal of expertise in building a drive system for an electric bike.

Contraption maker rocket science series#

Editor note: Part 2 of a 4 part series on the wiring of DIY ebikes