Difference between revisions of "Premade or DIY"

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(Created page with "Premade or DIY, the decision can be tough. Most people don't have any experience in assembling mechanical devices or electrical work. Overall, DIY seems to be the way to go if you can. Many premade bikes use proprietary batteries controllers/shapes and some even use controllers that won't work without the exact same brand battery. a DIY bike can be repaired with off the shelf bike parts and the battery/controller/motor can be replaced with pretty much any other batter...")
 
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Premade or DIY, the decision can be tough. Most people don't have any experience in assembling mechanical devices or electrical work.  
Premade or DIY, the decision can be tough. Most people don't have any experience in assembling mechanical devices or electrical work.  


Overall, DIY seems to be the way to go if you can. Many premade bikes use proprietary batteries controllers/shapes and some even use controllers that won't work without the exact same brand battery.
Overall, DIY seems to be the way to go if you can. Often times, Premade E-bikes come with proprietary batteries & controllers. Some may allow batteries of other brands, some may not.


a DIY bike can be repaired with off the shelf bike parts and the battery/controller/motor can be replaced with pretty much any other battery/controller/motor of similar spec. In the event of damage/failure of the frame the entire electrical kit can be swapped to a new bike. This gives you incredible flexibility to repair your vehicle should any particular company shut down in the future or have excessively high prices for some parts.  
Therefore, worst case scenario, if you want to get new batteries (that aren't same brand) or customize your prebuilt bike further, you may need to do wiring/soldering work by replacing controller & program new ones if necessary.
There are many off the shelf parts for batteries & controllers that aren't proprietary on market. Therefore, for long term ownership, DIY Ebike is more stable, but requires more knowledge since you're not relying on manufacturer/dealership warranty.


You can also make sure your batteries are from a name brand battery manufacture with DIY. Most prebuilds give little to no indication on who makes their batteries or who makes their cells.  
Being said, Electrical & Mechanical knowledge is needed due to high current that Ebikes use. This danger goes up as current output increases. If you are not unsure about learning new knowledge or purely due to lack of confidence, Prebuilt Ebikes/mopeds of vetted brand can be a safer bet.


That said, it is a lot easier to just buy a product and ride it. Due to the high currents involved in e-bikes it can be dangerous to DIY if the electrical work is incorrectly done. Same with the mechnical work. We highly recommend you not convert 'department store' bikes such as Walmart, Canadian tire, etc due to their low part and assembly quality and instead stick to bicycles sold by bike shops or 2nd hand bikes.
'''Know your bike!''' We highly recommend you not convert 'department store' bikes such as Walmart, Canadian tire, etc due to their low part and assembly quality and instead stick to bicycles sold by bike shops or 2nd hand bikes.
 
 
 
[[File:EbikeWorkflowDiagv1.2.drawio.png|1000px|frameless|Flow diagram for premade vs diy]]

Latest revision as of 23:04, 3 December 2023

Premade or DIY, the decision can be tough. Most people don't have any experience in assembling mechanical devices or electrical work.

Overall, DIY seems to be the way to go if you can. Often times, Premade E-bikes come with proprietary batteries & controllers. Some may allow batteries of other brands, some may not.

Therefore, worst case scenario, if you want to get new batteries (that aren't same brand) or customize your prebuilt bike further, you may need to do wiring/soldering work by replacing controller & program new ones if necessary. There are many off the shelf parts for batteries & controllers that aren't proprietary on market. Therefore, for long term ownership, DIY Ebike is more stable, but requires more knowledge since you're not relying on manufacturer/dealership warranty.

Being said, Electrical & Mechanical knowledge is needed due to high current that Ebikes use. This danger goes up as current output increases. If you are not unsure about learning new knowledge or purely due to lack of confidence, Prebuilt Ebikes/mopeds of vetted brand can be a safer bet.

Know your bike! We highly recommend you not convert 'department store' bikes such as Walmart, Canadian tire, etc due to their low part and assembly quality and instead stick to bicycles sold by bike shops or 2nd hand bikes.


Flow diagram for premade vs diy