My job is done here!

Just kidding! I think I can continue to provide a valuable service to e-bike DIYers and those interested in buying factory e-bikes in our area. However, I recently discovered a resource that is about one light year (roughly 5.879e+12 miles for those interested in this sort of stuff) ahead of me in this space. Let me introduce Matt Robertson (no, not this one), but this one. Matt’s blog is ‘Tales On Two Wheels‘ where he writes about things like “How To Build An Ebike From Scratch“. The difference between Matt’s approach and mine is that Matt is MUCH more organized and informative than I have been. Therefore, if you’re thinking about building your own e-bike (from scratch), DEFINITELY consult Matt’s site BEFORE starting your project.

I’m just thinking of all the mistakes I could have avoided had I discovered this resource before I started…

Other helpful advice you’ll get from Matt’s site includes (but is in no way limited to):

• How To Ride a Mid Drive Ebike Without Breaking it
• Li-Ion Ebike Battery Charge Charts
• Range Anxiety? Be Prepared (and Stop Worrying)
• (e)Bike Flat Prevention
• Etc, Etc…

Matt’s ‘Building an E-Bike from Scratch‘ is a work in progress which I plan to follow through to the end. Completed to date (May 2022) are Planning, Hunting, Tinkering, and Buying. Next up is Assembling (can’t wait!), followed by Perfecting. As has been the case with each of my builds, ‘Perfecting’ is a continuous process. Your completed build will mostly work, but then there’s a slight chain alignment issue, or brake adjustment, or you finally decide to ditch your front derailleur because you never use it and you want to go to a larger single narrow-wide chainring anyway, etc.

This matter of ‘Perfecting’ is one of the real benefits of building your own e-bike. You own it, you built it, and you can change it any way you want to without paying a premium for ‘factory’ parts or voiding your warranty. It gives you complete freedom to dial your e-bike in to address your specific needs and abilities.

So again, kudos to Matt for providing this excellent resource to e-bike DIYers – thanks! You’re providing a great resource for those just starting out…