The 'Dirty Little Secret of the E-Bike Industry'.

[smorgasbord]

While you statement is True it's misleading : Frames may be made by just a few Suppliers : But how things are machined and fitted is what makes the differences : How the crank and Forks fit as well as line up all add up to the differences in Cheap ,Good Quality and Top of the line.

While your statement is also true, the examples you gave aren't very relevant. For instance, cranks attach to the motor, not the frame. Has anyone heard of the frame motor mount misalignment issue, or even a frame-fork bearing misalignment issue? If they have, they're very rare.

That's not to say there aren't differences in quality control. The same manufacturing line in China/Taiwan/etc can produce the same items at different quality levels, depending on how you spec and how you enforce (do you have your own QA people on-site at the factory?). Where you're likely to find differences in frames is in the quality of the welds or consistency of the materials.

Similarly, the guitar example isn't apples to apples. You might as well compare a Specialized to a Seven. The Seven is a hand-built frame designed specifically around you, your measurements and your riding position. Specialized are mass-produced, not hand-built like a couture manufacturer like Seven.

 

[Jimbo08]

Spill it! where did you get the beer bell?

It's one of a hundred designs available from Trek/Electra.

 

[AREM]

Spill it! where did you get the beer bell?

A bike shop in Brampton, Into.

 

[tomjasz]

Google is our friend! I searched beer bicycle bell and went to IMAGES Bob's your uncle!

 

[PDXzap]

Bob's your uncle!

I had to look that one up!

 

[shelglass]

Giant, Trek, Specialized may be tied to real bike shops, but I'm not sure it's that different. Pretty much everything but the frames come from a couple suppliers and the frames often come from
the same factories; they just get painted and badged differently. I imagine the factories will customize for them a bit more, because they're building in bigger lots. For years, Giant was building most everyone's bikes.

Specialized e-bikes are designed by them, tested by them, and warrantied by them.

 

[Explorer-1]

The 'Dirty little secret' was no secret at all, and is in fact no different than most products manufactured in China, everything from silicon spatulas, nail clippers, flashlights, cookware, bikes, electronics, etc. A lot of the companies are oem factories making and selling to retail brands, hence Alibaba.