upgrading components

[birdman518]

Long ago I had a modest racing bike, but I upgraded my components to Shimano
Dura Ace.
Are most ebike components equally upgradeable? Also including things like a
better quality chain...
In a similar vein, does each manufacturer have proprietary attachment systems
for things like front and rear racks? IOW, can I buy and install my own or do
I have to use theirs?
All other comments welcome.

p.s. My Dura Ace components never once helped me win.

 

[AHicks]

Never once helped me win! Yes but you FEEL faster, and maybe have less trouble holding adjustments over a period of time!!

I'm a big DIY'er. I have a tendency to buy a relatively inexpensive bike with solid bones, then modify the daylights out of it, making it MY bike. Seats, seat suspensions, tires, handlebars, grips, and in most cases controllers and displays! Anything I'm not happy with is FIXED.......

I generally work on a bucks spent for bang received basis, with a healthy dose of KISS.......

Regarding proprietary parts, it seems as though the more expensive the bike is the more likely you're going to run into proprietary parts.
A lot of the bike manf's produce proprietary racks - the really nice ones IMHO. Still, there are plenty of racks on the aftermarket if the bike you end up with doesn't have one, and you need one to check a box. -Al

 

[ruffruff]

Racks and fenders tend to specific to a particular frame. Components on the other hand tend to be the Shimano, SRAM groupsets.
There are some exotics out there like IGH Rohloff hubs etc. But 90% of ebikes use typical Shimano and SRAM groupsets.

 

[m@Robertson]

No, racks are to all intents and purposes generic. It is a rare bike frame that has no rack bosses on it, and those bosses are always threaded for standard M5 screws. The rack may want to use a single center mount to the seatstay bridge, or ideally the frame has more M5 bosses on the seatstays themselves. Or you can use a seat clamp that has a pair of 'ears' that are M5 threaded themselves. I have used all of the above.

If you are not so handy at fitting on a rack to your frame, you can go to a user group for your brand of bike and ask, but really... the fitment is generic and the many aftermarket racks out there are adjustable specifically so they can take advantage of those expected frame bosses and still go longer or shorter to match that frame. Not to be deliberately contrarian, but fenders are pretty much the same. It all depends I guess on whether you care to adjust the aftermarket kit to fit or you want to buy what the manufacturer is selling. There are of course exceptions to this. But only the funkiest of funky frames can't be worked with, even for fenders.

As to the electrical bits, that answer can vary widely. Sondors ebikes were highly prized for their use of more or less open market parts which made them easily upgradeable. It was common to take one of their Original fat bikes, and pull the 350w motor core, plug in a 750w core, then remove the 15a controller and replace it with a 35a controller. And top it off by selling the original 36v battery to offset the cost of the 52v battery you fit into the triangle. Not so common was doing the same thing with 60v parts which made a pedelec capable of 40 mph. BUT many ebikes are not so easy to play around with. This is where you need to nose around the user groups for your chosen ride and see what if anything is possible. This is another reason why DIY is popular with more mechanically minded riders. Its easy to build something more capable and less expensive if you take the time to learn what you are doing and have a decent background as a home bike mechanic.

Lacking the latter, you can create a real monstrosity so for some people a much better option is to write a check and leave the bike building to people who know enough to do it right.

 

[AHicks]

Regarding the hot rod aftermarket parts availability for Sonders (plug and play, totally user definable controller and display upgrades), Rad bikes would have those same parts availability, and last I heard, Juiced bikes were on the list to get these, if they haven't already.

 

[Oberst]

I bought a Como3 because it fits how I ride with my wife but I am used to higher level components. My lower end 9 speed drivetrain is now Shimano XT 11 speed but still a class 1 bike so no worries about going on any paths that have restrictions and has a 42 vs 36 tooth rear large gear so hills easier. I may get the battery from the Como 5 to add range.

 

[birdman518]

Thanks to all who replied. I am probably going to just buy turn-key, but am not averse to
upgrading parts if it helps increase overall quality and maintainability....

 

[AHicks]

Thanks to all who replied. I am probably going to just buy turn-key, but am not averse to
upgrading parts if it helps increase overall quality and maintainability....

My advice would be to ride anything you get for a bit before doing anything but maybe a seat change. Get to know the bike a bit, THEN take care of any irritations....

The bigger point I think, at this stage of the game, is to purchase a bike with an absolute minimum of proprietary parts....

 

[ruffruff]

AHicks has it right. Ride it for awhile so you find out what has to go and what you can live with.

 

[6zfshdb]

Like AHicks above, I bought a basic bike and modified it to suit my own preferences. Items like derailleurs, cassettes, chains, handlebar, saddles, tires, etc. are usually not proprietary on many bikes and easily swapped out. I even upgraded the front suspension to suit my riding style.

The bike I chose did come with a proprietary rear rack. It was part of the frame and not replaceable. The tubing size was also too large for my collection of rear rack bags & panniers. To solve the problem, I made adapters. With a little work and just a few $$, this idea can be used on many different bikes. The parts are readily available at most home improvement stores.

I cut up an old rear rack I was no longer using and fastened it to the bike frame using insulated cable clamps. The rubber inserts give a firm grip and don't mar the bike paint.



I used the same principle to adapt the large frame tube size for use with my existing panniers:



There are many ways to modify a bike to suit your needs. Keep your eye open for possibilities when bike shopping.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your choice of e-bikes!

 

[birdman518]

Thanks again to all..

 

[fooferdoggie]

good shifting is a worthwhile upgrade. same with brakes. most other things are nto going to add a benefit. better wheels might but it's not going to be really noticeable for the most part.

 

[retiredNH]

We live in a very hilly area. When I got my ebik3e in March, I found the gearing to be not low enough to comfortably go up the biggest hills, so I was shopping for a smaller front chain ring. Never got around to ordering it and found that by mid summer, I didn't need it. I haven't used the highest power setting in weeks...(I'm not a speed freak...). Same with other mods.

So yes, the advice to live with the bike for a bit is great. I'd add that even on a more up market bike like I got, a Trek Allant+ 8s, most of the parts are generic. The only ones that aren't are the fenders, rear rack, motor, controller, and the speedometer/readout. The last three are Bosch, customized for Trek.

 

[RunForTheHills]

The saddle and pedals always get replaced right away when I buy a new bike. I have also immediately replaced the handlebars on a couple of them. If the bike is for commuting, it needs to have a rack, fenders, and lights. I usually leave the drive train and brakes alone until I have ridden it a few hundred miles.