Hi everyone!
Joined this forum because I found an excellent older thread about e-bike motors and things. But it’s a bit old and maybe everything’s changed (one of the motor companies mentioned that looked promising has just recently gone into liquidation…)
I’ve made about 12 frames and 6 forks, all TIG, so I’m fairly confident with the basic process. But this is my first ebike.
I’m thinking mid-motors sound like the best, and I can get a “Bosch Gen 4 motor casing” from Ceeway, which is our framebuilding supplier here in the UK:
https://www.framebuilding.com/what.htm
And then I guess I need to buy a motor, controller, and battery from Bosch? Do they sell them one at a time to custom builders? What about the crankset? Is there a special Bosch one, or does it present an axle on which I can attach regular parts? (Insofar as there is any such thing as a “regular” part these days). What kind of BB shell width and chainline do I end up with?
I’m assuming it doesn’t really care what I have at the back. Would something like a 7-speed Nexus hub gear be suitable? I’m thinking probably MTB style hydraulic disk brakes.
As for the frame itself, e-bikes tend to be quite heavily built. Would “single oversize” work well? (1 1/8" TT, 1 1/4" DT)?
Thanks for any pointers anyone can give!