So, the CHEEB frame has just cleared U.K. customs. It should be with me in the next few days.
Motor and battery arrived a few weeks ago. Bafang M500, 95nm, 48v system with EU 250w rating. Battery is a 840Wh huge in tube battery.
View attachment 46798View attachment 46799
Frame:
Full Carbon frame set with fairly (by China frame standards) modern geometry.
I ordered the XL, 510mm in reach. HA is 66 degree but I will run bigger fork and mullet, so likely end up around 64.5 ish.
The frame is from Dengfu. They even supply full leverage curve, anti squat, pedal kickback etc graphs and figures! No idea of accuracy, but at least they are included
Frame is called the Dengfu E10 and
here is the link. For some reason its labelled as E11 on the charts, but the Dengfu E10 is the actual product.
View attachment 46805
View attachment 46800
View attachment 46804
WHY?
Ebikes are getting crazy expensive. Many brands are hitting over £10,000 for the high end builds.
A lot of people would like to get into ebiking but the big barrier to entry can be the price.
Can an ebike be built at a reasonable cost? What if you already own a lot of parts and would like to put them towards something new?
Since frame / motor sets are pretty much non existent in the ebike world, this seems like it could be a viable option to build your own decent ebike at a very reasonable price
I want to build a full carbon 170 / 150mm travel ebike for under £4k. I’m also super curious how it’ll perform against the big dogs.
I want to see what the associated risks of doing this are.How long does it take, shipping, warranty, build etc etc.
It’ll have a RockShox Zeb, Super Deluxe ultimate, DT Swiss H1700 wheelset, Shimano 10 speed drivetrain, and yes, it all comes in at less than £4000 for a full carbon ebike with proper components.
Goal is sub 24KG. I think I can do it!
COSTS:
The frame set, battery and motor costs, including U.K. Shipping and duties had a total cost £1,694.44
Current total build cost, even including tyre sealant is £3888.55. This could further be reduced by ‘downgrading’ fork to a Lyrik, the Shock to a Select, and the wheelset to a H1900 set from DT Swiss. With that kind of setup it’ll be around £3400.
I also want to try this Bafang motor as so many people are commenting about these drive units.
I’ll keep this thread updated with build and updates.
it may ride horribly, creak, crack and fall to bits. But, it may just be a super sweet ebike at a fraction of the cost of a big brand.... stay tuned!!
View attachment 48995
You’ll need some shock hardware. The size is as follows
16.5mm x 8mm linkage
32mm x 8mm frame mount
I got mine from
@Offset
you can find it here -
Shock Bushings | Dengfu E10 Bafang
www.offsetbushings.com
£24
UPDATE 12/12/20
Frame has arrived and so far it seems great. Finish is good quality, cable runs seem decent. Includes headset bearings, seat tube clamp, steerer tube expanding head doctor thing (bit like Hope's version), battery release key, wheel axle, bottom battery cover that can be removed with hex keys (x4 bolts).
View attachment 46914
View attachment 46928
View attachment 46929
View attachment 46930
View attachment 46931
View attachment 49319
EDIT 1/1/2021 New Build Vid: