-You will have to do all of the following yourself:
(1) Manually file the vertical dropouts in the frame to fit the large 16mm diameter X 10.8mm axle flat of the Cromotor
(2) build the passive heat sink (1/8" 5050 aluminum plate)
(3) modify the trunk bag to house the controller (3/16" ABS sheets)
(4) build the battery boxes (1/4" 6061 aluminum bar and 1/8" angle aluminum)
(5) modify the panniers to house the battery boxes
(6) make and fit the torque plates (1/4" 303 stainless steel plate)
(7) change flat tires in the rear
I used a machine shop for my rotor spacers and the D-hole in the torque plates.
-Be very picky about what mechanics and, to a much lesser extent, parts suppliers that you use. Having a knowledgeable, professional electronics technician and bike shop is a very nice thing. If someone gives you trouble, move on and don't look back.
Having just completed the two new bikes, I recall that the ten months it took was very expensive, time consuming and challenging.
I needed to have countless experts come up huge in their expertise to get me through it. The amount of money that I had to throw at the project was shocking. I had to redo several things when I was broke and exhausted. I definitely was running on empty a lot of the time and frustrated almost to the point of crying on countless occasions.
Having endured these challenging times, I ended up learning a great deal about electronics, bicycle mechanics, welding and materials so it was all worth the effort. The journey, however, was rough and challenging rather than smooth and fun.
Of course, riding the bikes is always fun, and I am definitely acquainted with every inch of the machines.
-I have found competent, professional specialists who do the following:
(3) LBS who is willing to work on e-bikes
I like to have as many sets of eyes as possible on my high speed bike (for safety reasons).
-Getting quality parts and service is expensive and can take a long time, but it is worth waiting for. It would be impossible to build a bike like this in less than 5 months--plan on about 10 months. Building a bike like this will set you back about $9,000 and the security measures that should follow it are another $1,000.
-Be patient and willing to redo something again and again until you get it right. This can be an expensive hobby; I made huge sacrifices in my other expenses.
My original battery had a 50A BMS on each 36V battery (in series). I found myself drawing up to 81A, so I put a 100A BMS on each 36V battery.
I no longer make new ebikes, but I am having a very fun time riding, repairing, maintaining and fine tuning the four bikes that I have. I am investing in bike and electronics tools and learning how to fix every aspect of my bikes.
Over the next three years, I will be attending 54 days of bicycle mechanic and frame building classes at United Bicycle Institute in Portland, OR.
Here are some things that I learned the hard way: