[funkyfourier]

This summer I went through a lengthy process of replacing one of the cogwheels in my Bosch e-bike motor from 2012. The cogwheel is known to break in this revision of Bosch motors, and an improved replica is available on ebay. This cost me totally around €250. Right after that the brakes had to be replaced probably because of hydraulic liquid leakage which was another €400.

The miracle is that the battery is still chugging along, my guess is that it must be around 70% capacity compared to new. I do realize this was quite a big gamble since who knows how much longer the battery will last.

I wish e-bikes was designed to be more modular and less proprietary so you could easily swap out for example (parts of) the motor and battery for a reasonable sum. As examplified in TFA the frame can last more or less forever and the rest of the parts are changeable and can also last a pretty long time.

Next time I get an e-bike I will probably convert an mechanical bike using a Bafang kit or something like that, since they seem to have more of those traits.

[woleium]

Bosch is awful. three different mounting arrangements for the same model motor, seemingly just to confuse.

Ebikes can be repairable, but a lot of the prefab ones are truly awful, intentionally confusing wiring and controllers that are locked down, etc.

Better to build your own, check the endless sphere forums for some good guides.

this thread covers why prebuilt ones are unfixable https://endless-sphere.com/sphere/threads/tons-of-dead-1-2-y...

[lb1lf]

Bosch is a huge company, and attitudes vary across divisions. I've been spending more time than I care about talking with their hydraulics division - Bosch/Rexroth, earlier known as Mannesmann/Rexroth.

Their manic attention to detail is only surpassed by an almost fanatical devotion to documentation and standardization.

They still make replacement parts for 30+ year old designs, and sounded almost apologetic when explaining to me (very patiently) that a critical component for an embedded device manufactured in Western Germany was no longer available, so I had to upgrade the control to the next generation (introduced way back in 2012 or so...).

No sweat - the replacement device could be configured as a drop-in replacement.

I wish more companies were like that.

[Gud]

Are we in need of a Framework-like company for e-bikes? Or any other industry?

Devices built from the ground up to be modular, not because of regulations, but because of market forces?

[Moto7451]

The original way you built an e-bike was with a motor hub, wires, some sort of speed controller, and a battery pack. You had to figure out what that all meant in practice for your frame of choice but there were several forums for bikes that could help. I’m sure all that is on Reddit now as well.

Framework is solving the “I’d like something modular but slicker than a Clevo and with a support line that is willing to go a bit further than selling an ODM unit to a middle man like Sager.”

If you don’t know who Clevo is but you know who Framework is, that means Framework’s plan is winning.

For E Bikes there are a couple big brands with good support and some boutiques that will take care of you. The big box store stuff using Bosch parts are more of a Wild West.

[Gud]

What I really want are open standards.

Standard battery inter connectors, software APIs, etc.

[wizzwizz4]

We have most of those, but they're high-level abstractions (voltage levels, Vulkan), so you need bulky translation layers (shims, drivers) to interoperate with the hardware.

What I really want is detailed schematics, ideally machine-readable, so I can attach things together at the lowest level that my use-case requires, while still able to use high-level interfaces if I need to.

When two devices that naturally speak the same, simple wire protocol have to interoperate via USB-C because of regulations, I cry a little. This isn't how things were meant to be, and isn't what the regulations were meant to achieve.

[petre]

Actually there is a small bike company named Framework that was featured on Gravel Cyclist YT channel two weeks ago.

https://youtu.be/UlXSB5Inr-A

[Gigachad]

There already are ebike conversion kits like that. The problem is they generally aren’t legal since they aren’t capped at a certain speed. And the battery packs have a history of exploding in flames

[woleium]

most controllers can set a max limit for speed, alternately you could just be a responsible user, like with a motor vehicle.

[ywvcbk]

DIY is mostly hub motors (which are just meh..) though? Or is building a mid-drive one actually feasible?

[woleium]

like this? https://www.sycip.com/shop/p/sycip-specialty-bike

[93po]

I had a mid-drive ebike and while it definitely shined on the extreme hills found in Seattle, i think my next ebike is gonna be a wheel hub motor type and just be really over-powered. Trying to change gears while under power or applying power too early after a shift was super annoying and constantly caused the chain to slip off and made terrible clunky noises.

I think front hub motor + internal geared hub on back + belt drive is the ideal bike for me. Only downside is not getting to do power wheelies :)

[ywvcbk]

Never had a similar experience with a mid-drive. I’ve found every bike with a hub motor I’ve tried disappointing on hilly terrain or with a lot of start/stop and if you only cycle on flat what’s even the point of having an ebike? (Assuming it’s one that’s legal in Europe).

[whamlastxmas]

A Europe legal hub drive is gonna be super weak. My hub drive isnt technically legal but cops literally can’t be bothered to do their basic jobs these days in the US so it’s not like I’m ever gonna get caught

[tcfhgj]

what about something like pinion e-drive system?

[93po]

that's super cool, i hadn't seen that before. hopefully it becomes more common and the price comes down.