What E-bike Manufacturers Don't Want You To Know. Watch before buying an electric bike!

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This video is not to point out that we buy things from China re-labeled at a higher price. Of course. This video is for people like me who want the best value long term on things they buy and are interested in. Until e-bikes come down in price AND get better quality and performance, the best way to go is to convert a good bike into a great ebike.

Hub vs Mid drive

[mcmak]

This happens with millions of products, not just e bikes

[magicunicorn]

When they say "We 'oversee' the manufacturing process", the spelling that immediately came to mind was more like, "We OVERSEA our manufacturing process."

[hansel]

You’ve literally explained commerce. This happens with everything from flower pots to restaurant food, not just e-bikes.

[nikispaniki]

Most bike brands have been middle men since the early 90s. A Raleigh rep told me in 92 that they were getting bike frames from China for $7 a piece. $7 ! At that time a Trek 930 frame out of Wisconsin cost wholesale $130. Specialized was never a manufacturer. And if you worked in different shops you would find Taiwanese manufacturers who would build you anything you wanted and put your own name on it. Brands, unfortunately, have not meant anything for some time. The public now takes the place of quality control and you just hope for the best.

[dictabeat]

I literally discovered this three days ago. Been seeing similar bike ads popping up while I was looking for one. However there is no way I will ever pay 4K for a bike. That's the price for a used car or fancy moped. So I checked out AliBaba found a certified dealer. Got myself a fully customized bike made to my specs for 1.2k door to door. Sent from an EU warehouse so I skipped all the import hassle. These so called brands in Germany here want an arm and a leg for a bike and I won't let them. :D

[granthostheflatulent]

I bought a £200 front wheel motor and controller from China years ago (200W Bafang 8FUN), added 4 mobility scooter lead acid batteries and a £50 second hand bike. It's still going strong 7 years later (OK it's had new batteries but they cost peanuts compared to light weight batteries). Easy 25 mile range and once its moving, just like a motorbike, the weight makes it feel more solid and stable to ride. It was a time when some modern batteries were catching fire and I figured for battery pack charging under my desk at work the old proven lead acid battery was safer. DIY - save a fortune - Mine is still 100% reliable. One word of warning - at e-bike speeds you need bloody good lights.

[Fullblown]

What you say in this video applies to e-scooters as well. That’s why you see e-scooters that look exactly alike but have different brand names on them. Customer service/support is always promised before you make that purchase. But as soon as you discover a factory defect or something breaks, you’ll be given a hard time from the seller.

[davelocktalk]

I think you will be okay we all know were getting screwed with most things we buy.

[Hoggdoc]

I figured this out pretty quickly when I got serious about buying a new bike. As he said this is why there are so many complaints about after sale customer service for these bikes. Personally I'm not sure that you can protect yourself from these issues even buying from a local dealer as they just add another layer to the whole thing.

[DaveGilbertPhD]

Good for people to know. Of course, this is the case with virtually *every* consumer good, including, of course, non-electric bikes. The one caveat I'd add here is that, for people who don't like to tinker, a relationship with a reputable bike shop is what you're paying (that much extra) for. Like when you buy a car from a dealership. If you don't need that relationship, great! Save some $$$. But most normal customers do.

[Edwinbraun]

I’m surprised that some of you were not aware of it… I live in China and everything you guys think is made by some reputable brands is made just around the corner here in China. And no… nobody is over looking any manufacturers here. It’s not like American guy walks into massive manufacturing plant and demands something. These factories here produce millions of bikes and China is by far the biggest market.
For American clients we just slap some cool looking logo on it and make it look “strong” because of those masculinity issues there. Anyways…
You guys don’t make ebikes and even if you put those parts together, you’re using Chinese parts. Batteries, controllers, frames, motors etc… So, does combining Chinese products by American company or person make it more of a American or Chinese made bike? I leave it for you to judge.

Btw, Bosch has some great motor designs and things… but please don’t assume those motors to be manufactured in Germany. China is the place where the stuff is made these days🤫

[jpsb]

This happened to me. Paid 3K for an electric bike 8 years ago before the craze. Anyway, fast forward to now, I had problems with my controller and the place where I purchased my bike can’t fix it. I contacted the manufacturer and heard nothing back. I ended up buying two Döst bicycles. I really like their customer service.

[mickd]

Bought a £350 FIIDO D1 off aliexpress fourteen months ago, best thing I ever bought, done hundreds of miles on it, sure it’s not perfect but I needed a folder and I’m on a budget and I’m more than happy with it, it’s been places where fourteen inch wheels have no right to go including over the Pennine hills with a trailer .

[truedondivabrokesurvival]

You just saved me $3000 the ebike I wanted comes from China. A friend of mine did an estimate on what I can build it would cost me $1500 thank you for this video

[dust]

Got a hub motor for 8 years and still going strong! What mid drive do you have like that? Hub motors rock!

[Powerstroke]

I suppose one consolation is if you've bought a 'budget' e-bike, you can then switch it over as time moves forward, as you have the frame, and bars, wheels, motor, batteries and displays can always be changed out to newer parts/pieces. Some motors are not made for the long haul, so I assume if the motor doesn't fit a case within the wheel, the whole wheel assembly can be switched, no matter the size and width? Thanks for your input!

[billwilliams]

After doing some research, I bought a LECTRIC brand e-bike. The research I did on several different e-bikes led me to believe that the electronic controls are pretty much the product of a single manufacturer that are shared by most brands, but the physical and mechanical aspects of the various bikes can vary qute a bit. At any rate, buying the LECTRIC was a “no brainer” - best price, best features, best build quality, and best support. Of course it made me question why I would spend $879 for a 60-lb mountain bike that has to be electrically powered (because it is so heavy), as opposed to spending $479 for a 30-lb montain bike that is pedal-only. The answer is simply that an e-bike gives you a whole new cycling experience that involves a collaborative effort between the rider and the machine.

[matthewtoes]

can you design a bike keep the pedals with a hand throttle 110v 80 mile range does 60 mph to solve a commuting problem or put a stop to that cut off at 17 mph and raise it to 40mph

[danford]

As a retired global outsourcing executive, you know what most don't, most everything is a re-labled product made offshore. It is a fact of life these days, and I retired in 2008.

[Flamethrower]

This going on with most products to be honest I use to work for a well known tools manufacturer and all they did was buy Chinese made stuff cheap slap some logos on them and a slightly different casing and charge the customers a hell of alot more for the product.