Today we’re going to be showing you our DIY e-bike,
an electric bike that we built that can hit up to 50mph with an insane amount of torque.
We’ll be detailing all the specs of our eMTB, and showing you all the different components we used.
We even drag-raced it against our Sur Ron to see how it stacks up in terms of speed and torque.
For specs, our Electric mountain bike has a top speed of 50mph,
an average range of 10-15 miles at high speeds using only throttle,
and is built on top of a Trek hardtail. Using a 5,000-watt direct drive motor from CYC,
along with a 72v 12 amp hour battery which totals 864 watt-hours, we built a monster
eBike capable of taking cars off the line on the street, while also tearing the trails off-road.
Looking at the base mountain bike, we picked a Trek Roscoe 7. We chose this bike because
it’s a hardtail, has a great front suspension, a tough drivetrain, with a strong and light frame.
We bought it new for 1,400 dollars. However, you could use your own existing bike frame
and can build to your specifications. We have experience in building DIY ebikes and
our first build was a trek marlin 5 with a less powerful 750-watt motor and a 52 volt 13.5 amp
hour battery - so if you’re interested in seeing that e-bike build, let us know in the comments.
The motor is the X1 Pro Gen 2 by CYC Motor, and we reached out to them after doing research on
which direct drive motor is the fastest on the market. When we told them we wanted to build
an eBike that can beat a Sur Ron off the line, they agreed to send us a full spec'd out motor.
The controller is an ASI BAC2000 which can control up to 8,000 Watts of total power,
making it able to tame the beast that is this bike. For the display and controls, there’s
a screen that shows speed, watt output, and assist levels. You also get a button controller
to change things on the fly - and in case you want more, there’s also a mobile app for more
specific changes to power and timing. To mount the controller, we collaborated with HighVoltageKits
to get a customized 3D mount, and they even printed our logo and CYC’s directly on there.
If you want to see all the details of the assembly process,
then be sure to subscribe since that video is coming soon.
Meanwhile, the battery was supplied by Electrify Bike company, which was recommended to us by
CYC Motors. We reached out to them and they supplied us with a 72v 12ah battery, a charger,
and a spare box drive train. They also sent us a prototype battery mount and we’re glad to say
we are the first to ever use it. The battery charger has 2 rotary dials and a screen that
shows the amps at which it is charging and the voltage that the battery is at. One of the dials
controls the percentage of the charge and the other controls the amperage that it charges at.
For range, we’re getting 10-15 miles on one charge but that’s going 35-45 mph with no pedaling.
If you were to ride with pedaling and low assist you could get up to 30-40miles on a charge.
For real-life testing, so far we've done over 100 miles on the bike.
Riding in the street is exhilarating as you can keep speed with the cars and overtake them in the
bike lane. The tires are 27.5” making them capable of overcoming anything on the road with ease.
Our build has a crazy amount of power and torque,
and we’re calculating around 184 ft lb of torque. For comparison, watch how it
takes off in a drag race next to a stock Sur Ron, quickly getting up to speeds of 50mph.
When riding the trails, the power is great for when there is something inhibiting your path.
The bike has so much power, that unless you’re very careful on the throttle,
you will get wheelspin or an uncontrolled wheelie, but that can also be a lot of fun.
The components hold strong to the bike even with small bumps and jumps,
but you do need to be mindful of the extra weight from all the components.
As for the noise, the direct drive motor is high-pitched and loud,
especially when throttling and going at high speeds.
For waterproofing, because of how we set up the controller under the battery
we were unable to fully waterproof it. The reason for this is to make the center of gravity lower
to make the bike easier to control when riding. However, the BAC2000 and looms are waterproof,
and with extra silicone sealing, you can fully waterproof the enclosure.
Looking at the price, the Trek Bike cost us $1,400 new, and CYC sells the motor and
controller kit for $1,300. The controller mount costs $160.00 from HighVoltageKits.com. And the
battery was a prototype, but Electrify Bike Co will be selling it for $875
and will be available in November. But if you use an existing mountain bike, you
can buy all the components we used and turn your mountain bike into a crazy fast eBike for $2,300.
Now, let’s be honest- building your own DIY eBike isn’t going to be as integrated
and give you the same design and features as other pre-built motorcycle-style bikes like a Sur Ron.
But if you’re on a budget and enjoy DIY projects, you can certainly build
a fast and powerful eBike for a lot less and be proud of your custom creation.
Another advantage of having an eMTB is that you’ll be less likely to run into
issues riding in places where a Sur Ron might not be allowed
or frowned upon since it does look more like a motorcycle than a bike.
The few caveats about our e-bike build are some overheating at times due to the extremely high
power output and chain alignment. The overheating is just part of any motor,
and you can control the severity with how you ride. The chain alignment is an issue with any
e-bike you build, but to combat the issue CYC gives you spacers to help get the best fit.
With a misaligned chain, you get chain skipping, but with the proper alignment you don’t need
to worry. And while things could go wrong, that’s all part of the engineering process.
Alright, that’s it for now. If you want to support our channel so we can do more crazy builds,
check out our new merch including hats and hoodies.
But, you can always support us for free by subscribing to our channel and giving this
video a thumbs up. Next up, check out our other eBike reviews and comparisons
including the Sur Ron, Segway x160, and more.