Go cheap, or wildly exotic?

[recumpence]

So, there seems to be two prevailing mindsets out there for building E-Bikes;

#1 Go as cheap as you possibly can. I mean garbage pick a bedframe, spend dozens of hours cutting, welding and painting, rather than buying a frame. That kind of cheap.

#2 Go as radical as you possibly can (I am of this persuasion). Cost be damned, just build it CRAZY!!!!

There are very few people out there doing a more middle of the road build. You know, get a decent bike, use good components, and just use common sense to buy what needs to be bought, and be ready to make some parts for it and spend a little money without going crazy.

Have you guys noticed that?

Matt

P.S. I know I am one of the extreme guys out there. I am not that budget minded on my builds. But, others are at the other extreme. Very few people fall in the middle.

 

[northernmike]

Matt, it's like everything:

Good, Quick, Cheap - pick two.

If it's Good and Quick, it won't be Cheap.

If it's Quick and Cheap, it won't be Good.

If it's Cheap and Good, it won't be Quick.

 

[GGoodrum]

I think I'm more a "middle of the road" type. Not really going cheap, but not going nuts on high-end parts. I will spend more on some pieces to make sure they last, but I'm not really into form over function. I also don't need nutty DH-type performance either. I want reliability and plenty of low-end torque to get my butt over any hill, and enough top-end to keep up with traffic, when I need to. My only planned downhill ventures will be paved.

-- Gary

 

[Ypedal]

I tend to start off cheap but work my way into a mint once the bug bites lol..

Like the 3 wheelers.. started with an ATC185.. then the 200.. then 200ES.. and a few more inbetween.. until i finally found the top of the line 250SX, spent a fortune on ebay gathering parts to restore it, aftermarket to boost it.. and then i discovered Ebikes...... oh boy...

 

[natem]

Personally I want a nice quality steel bike, that I know will last.

Next after the bike comes the batteries. The batteries are, IMO, the most critical thing about a build, related to performance, and are probably going to be the most expensive. People have been making all sorts of electric motors for quite a while now and performance is not limited by motors in any way... you can build whatever you need to get you as fast as you want. But it's the batteries that are the biggest limitation.

After that then whatever money gets left over goes to electronics, and then last the motor. (which I plan to update later once I get everything else sorted out and money saved up)

That, at least, is my approach to building my first electric bike.

edit:
Or to put it more bluntly... I want a practical, cost effective, but fun, vehicle to get to work and back every day.

 

[John in CR]

I'm going for all 3, good, cheap, and quick, but as usual I end up spending a small fortune going thru the learning curve, trying different things, and changing directions. That's why I call it a hobby. The planned benefit is to end up at a point that is unique, useful, and can be duplicated that is all 3. In the meantime it's loads of fun.

John

 

[liveforphysics]

I don't care about cost or practicality. If I spend 5-10k on my e-bike project, it would still be one of my least expensive toys.

If it breaks after 2minutes, or the Lipos explode on the first crash, I don't really care as long as at it achieved my performance goals in the 2 minutes it ran.

I'm the sort of person that enjoy looking at how and why something broke, and finding ways to make it stronger and stronger, so failures don't bother me much.

I generally enjoy the journey of design and construction of a project more than actaully using the finished product.

 

[northernmike]

I find myself looking to build a bike that will fit me and my needs.

I need it to perform well enough as a commuter in Toronto for most of the year on short trips of 10-15kms, day or night, rain or shine.

And I need it not to look like a science fair project!

For me it's not a question of cheap vs wildly exotic - but of adapting my moped as completely as I can to electric drive. Ideally, I want to be able to drive to work, plug it in anywhere, and drive it home again.

Really, I'll stop for a pint on the way, but you get the idea.

:wink:

 

[swbluto]

Those two mindsets would be among the most noticeable, I agree, but not necessarily the most common. The phrase "the silent majority" comes to mind. Personally, I prefer the cheapest for a given amount of perceived quality and by quality I prefer something that provides the greatest utility with the least maintenance for a given price. This is why I didn't buy a walmart bike the second time around but yet I didn't go buy a DH bike from the LBS. I just bought something that those experienced with the product thought would last and it has.

But, unfortunately, financial constraints enter the picture as well. Not all of us have relatively "unlimited" funds for e-bike endeavors and sometimes money comes to limit perceived optimal choices, so the cheapest as you go, especially for "experiments", would tend to dominate during those periods of time. Personally, I'm not giving up my el-cheapo motor untIl I find maintenance costs exceed the probable costs of a better performing one(Maybe one of david's, but I haven't seen a product yet.) and that remains to be proven.

 

[voicecoils]

I think knowledge and experience come into this as well.

Someone who is involved in bike clubs (road, mtb, etc) or has spent lots of time at bikeshops or seen custom framebuilders at work may have a different perspective then someone interested in a eBike specifically who sees a walmart bike as a means to an end for the lowest perceived cost.

When I visited Portland, OR I was really impressed at how much bicycle commuters were interested and willing to fork out for quality gear (bikes, all weather clothing, panniers etc).

 

[swbluto]

Ohhhh... that reminds me, I need to go visit Portland, OR while I'm here. :lol: Now I just need to plan when.

 

[AussieJester]

I prefer the cheapest for a given amount of perceived quality and by quality I prefer something that provides the greatest utility with the least maintenance for a given price.

Best 'bang' for your buck ....

 

[voicecoils]

Ohhhh... that reminds me, I need to go visit Portland, OR while I'm here. :lol: Now I just need to plan when.

Are you nearby? I made the trip from nearly 8k miles away

 

[swbluto]

According to Google maps, I'm nearly 184 miles away.

Unsurprisingly, they have some kind of annual bicycle trip from Seattle to Portland, but I'm not really keen on bicycling large distances. It seems my legs too easily fatigue after 10 miles.

And, wow, was Portland at the top of your vacation list or something? I can't easily imagine(Ok, not really capable, really) of traveling more than 2k miles.