Difference between pages "Safety Tips" and "Premade or DIY"

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(Created page with "E-bikes like all activities have risks and as such it is recommended you take steps to minimize these risks by following these safety tips: ==Always wear a helmet== This can not be stressed enough, many people on bikes suffer head injury due to not wearing a helmet. Consider a full face helmet due to the higher speeds e-bikes often travel at. ==Wear proper clothing== Its best to wear long sleeves that cover the elbows, pants that cover the knees and securely laced up...")
 
(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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E-bikes like all activities have risks and as such it is recommended you take steps to minimize these risks by following these safety tips:
Premade or DIY, the decision can be tough. Most people don't have any experience in assembling mechanical devices or electrical work.


==Always wear a helmet==
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.
This can not be stressed enough, many people on bikes suffer head injury due to not wearing a helmet. Consider a full face helmet due to the higher speeds e-bikes often travel at.  


==Wear proper clothing==
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.  
Its best to wear long sleeves that cover the elbows, pants that cover the knees and securely laced up shoes to protect yourself during a crash. A thick jacket and glove are also highly recommended. Consider tucking your shoe lace ends into your shoe on the right leg to avoid them getting caught in the chain. elastics or Velcro strips can be used to keep baggy pants from being caught in the chain. It is especially important to keep your pants and shoe laces from being caught in the chain if you own a mid drive e-bike.


==Make sure your brakes are in working order==
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.  
You need both back and front brakes in case one fails. This can happen and they tend to fail at the worst time when you need maximum braking. Test that both brakes work and get used to using both of them. The rear brake is good if you have to brake while turning or on slippery surfaces while the front brake is generally much more effective when you are braking in a straight line and have decent traction.  


==Look out for dangerous road conditions==
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.
Ice, wet roads, wet leaves, pine needles, sand, gravel and other road debris can cause loss of traction on a bike, especially bikes with smoother tires. Consider testing the traction you have available with your rear brake when the roads are wet or frosty and ride cautiously enough to ensure you don't need more braking force then that.
 
==Be visible==
Wear bright clothing and/or install bright lighting on your bike. Even during the day time bright clothing and lights on your e-bike greatly help visibility. One popular option is installing daytime running lights powered off the e-bike's main battery with a battery voltage to 12v converter. Consider a wearing a high visibility vest if you want to ride at dusk or night time to greatly improve you visibility, especially if you intend to wear dark clothing.
 
==Learn to ride at lower speeds==
You can expect to crash a few times while learning to ride a bike. if you don't have a lot of experience riding a bike its highly recommended you stick to lower speeds to avoid serious injuries when you crash. Consider each crash a learning experience on what not to do.

Revision as of 08:18, 15 January 2022

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 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.

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.

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.

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