Hello builders, I have been trying to find a way to get an e-bike system so that I can design a full suspension mountain bike around one, but it is hard for me to find one. I’m in the US and the motor cabinets that I can easily purchase are Shimano or Bosch Gen 4. My first choice for building would be Intra-drive because they use a shimano cabinet and have a gearbox combined with the motor unit which is appealing for a lot of reasons. However Intra-drive will not respond to my emails or instagram messages. I have looked into buying Bosch or Shimano, but it seems I have to be a business to get anything legit (IE not from Ali express). I can buy an e-bike and strip out the system but that seems really wasteful and expensive because who would buy the stripped out frame. Any tips?
Unless you have an account with a distro or a manufacturer you only real choice is to go the whole bike route. Just shop around for a low spec second hand bike and at least you’ll have all the parts you need. Pinion also have the MGU as well as an all in one option.
I met the folks at vapor propulsion at made last year, and they seemed pretty stoked to make more connections with frame builders.
I have since received my first order for an e-bike, so I’ve reached out to the recently and they’ve been really helpful.
You may need a business entity set up to get the wholesale pricing from them, but you can also buy the components at retail pricing on their site.
Maybe this is one of the distributors you’ve already looked at. If not, check them out at https://vpl.bike
At Reynolds we offer full e-bike solutions including tubes, dropouts and small parts for the MAHLE systems but this is not suitable for MTBs. If anyone here is making other e-bikes, drop us a line… in the image one custom Commuter with MAHLE X20 with DT integrated battery, under 14kg complete.
That Pinion MGU is really appealing, but I also emailed them and they have no immediate plans to sell to the US. I’ll keep an eye out for good second hand deals.
Wow, this is great. A lot of good stuff on this site. Thanks!
I can confirm this. We’ve tried speaking with Pinion about specs. They won’t budge. No US release. We’ll try again at MADE this summer.
I considered using a German forwarding service to buy one of their pinion MGU bikes and strip it, but after looking into it, it looked to cost no less than $12k total and I had to look at myself in the mirror and remind myself that that is completely preposterous and out of my financial reach haha.
My first choice for building would be Intra-drive because they use a shimano cabinet and have a gearbox combined with the motor unit which is appealing for a lot of reasons. However Intra-drive will not respond to my emails or instagram messages.
I do some work with Intra Drive. I’ll give them a nudge to reply to your messages. That said, the drive unit isn’t in full-scale production yet and is likely still a few months away. We’ve talked a lot about selling to smaller builders but the focus for the business has to be OEM so that will almost certainly take priority.
There are a few companies in Europe that will supply a bafang mid drive set up
I’ve spoken to tosa bikes.
A few people have bought carbon frame sets with bafang motors direct from china. Check out rob rides emtb on YouTube
Thank you very much!
Be aware that shipping batteries is not easy and is expensive. Choose a supplier that can guarantee good deliver in expected economical terms.
Also, as far as I know from sources within Pinion, their target market for the MGU is big OEM brands, not the framebuilder. Sad for us but kind of understandable for this type of product…
I have a low miles Gen 4 system in a frame design that failed fatigue testing, so the system needs a new home. It has an internal battery, so maybe not ideally suited for a custom build though.
DM me if you’re interested.