I have been living carless for the last 16 months relying most on my ebike that I built to get me around. Occasionally I will take public transit or break out the non powered bike for a spin. My city is a dense-ish metropolitan area close to downtown with access to bike lanes and trails. Most things I need like grocery, gym and shopping are within a 5 mile radius. I was able to build a DIY ebike for $1000 that met all my needs.
Is it cheaper to build your own ebike?
| Type | DIY ebike 750 watt | DIY ebike 1500 watt | Store bought ebike 750 watt | Store bought ebike 1500 watt |
| Price | $660 | $1000 | $800+ | $1500+ |
Yes it is 25% cheaper to build your own ebike than buy a store bought one. The prices listed above are conservative estimates for store bought bikes not accounting for battery and bike component quality. 25% is calculated from difference between DIY ebikes and cheapest store bought ebikes I could find.
How much does a DIY electric bike cost
A DIY electric bike will cost between $660 and $1000 depending on engine wattage, battery size and component quality.
There are 2 paths you can go with designing the build of the ebike
Option 1: Low power, low weight DIY ebike for $660
You can build a lower power, light weight and less expensive e-bike. You can do this by using a light street bike frame and street tires with no shock absorption. The light frame of the bike will mean it can require less power to get the speeds required. A 750 watt engine will be sufficient and 36 V 15 AH batteries if that fits your requirements. You can add the 750 watt e-bike kit and battery onto the bike frame chosen. The smaller battery and engine will also make the bike very lightweight and easy to handle.
The capabilities: DIY ebike for $660
A water bottle battery will blend in perfectly making it look like any ordinary street bike.
These work well on cleanly kept sidewalks and trails. Any debris could pop the thin street tires more easily. Make sure you live in an area with good bike infrastructure if you decide to go this route. It also is nice that having lower power will mean the components will be less expensive.
Cost breakdown: DIY ebike for $660
Street bikes, smaller engines and smaller battery packs will reduce the cost of the project significantly. A cheap street bike could be $150, engine kit $200, battery pack $200, lock $30, lights $30, torque arm kit $20, misc $30 and you have a total cost of $660. A solid cheap transportation option that will get you around the city.
Video Tutorial: How to build a powerful DIY ebike for $1000
Option 2: Higher power, more heavy DIY ebike for $1000
You can build an e-bike with higher power, higher weight and more off road capability. Using a mountain bike frame and thick treds with one or 2 shocks over the wheels to reduce bumpy parts. The weight of the thicker frame will need a more powerful engine. I chose a 1500w rear hub motor and 52v 20 AH battery.
The capabilities: DIY ebike for $1000
The bike will be very solid against taking off road or bumpier trails. Across grass fields it can ride pretty fast as well. You will want shock protection to prevent the sensitive battery from shaking too much. For these needs the battery is best affixed to the frame of the bike and not on a bike rack.
If you live in an area with poorer bike infrastructure and more bumpy off-road paths the higher power, hight weight option may be 5hr best bet. In my area the sidewalks can be littered with glass and other debris that can pop tires. I wanted to the the best protection against the conditions of where i was going to travel.
Cost breakdown: DIY ebike for $1000
If you choose a higher power bike you will require higher power engines and bigger batteries that cost more. A powerful hub motor is going to run you $300, the battery may be $200, mountain bike $400, lock $30, lights $30, torque arm kit $30, misc $10 for a total cost of $1000. At this price point you have a very powerful bike and will offer torque up any tough hills. Riding a more powerful bike requires restraint and the property safety gear to operate.
What is the best design for a DIY ebike for $1000?
If I were going to do another e-bike build I would do things a little different. I would try to build something that is more light weight and lower power than my 1500W mountain bike beast. Use a hybrid frame with hybrid wheels that are slightly more beefy than street bike tires. For a hybrid bike I would use a 1000W engine with a 48v 17AH battery.
The perfect bike would include disc brakes, quality gear shifters, quality gears, cassettes and strong rims. Sometimes less is more and when building an e-bike being lightweight and maneuverable is more important than having the most power.
How to build a DIY ebike for $1000
Step 1: Research ebike kits
Find an e-bike engine kit that meets your needs. Do you want a hub motor or a mid drive motor? How much money do you want to spend? Technically in the US any motor vehicle that is over 750W requires a license plate. However lack of enforcement and lack of knowledge from police that ebikes even exist make it a gray area on what is allowed.
Even if you did have a 1500W motor and a cop did want to see it there is no way for them to know the true wattage of the engine. I wouldn’t worry too much about rules. Many ebike engines and battery set ups can be rather stealth and not catch the eye any more than a regular bicycle.
Step 2: Find a battery appropriate for your kit
Find an appropriate battery for the engine that you selected. Make sure the battery and engine are compatible before ordering. If you opted for a 750 W engine or below look at 36v-48v batteries with AH levels of 14 or more. For 1000 W engine you can get a 52 battery with 17 AH. For 1500 W engines look at 52V batteries are at least 20 AH.
The more range you want the higher capacity battery you should choose. I have a 1500 W rear hub engine hooked up to a 52 V 20 AH battery and it has a range of 20 miles when the throttle is used liberally. If you want longer range you should consider bigger batteries with more cells and more AH. The more range and storage a battery has the more expensive that it will be.
Step 3: Find a mountain bike to convert
Find a solid used bike to affix the e-bike kit to. Make sure the bike has quality components that will be able to sustain high speed and hold strong. Since the bike you bought was intended for bicycle use only at low speeds, you will make sure it is a solid enough frame to sustain higher than normal speeds. A crucial element is getting disk brakes over caliper brakes. The stopping power of disk brakes are much higher especially in a high speed scenario.
Consider having at least one set of shocks to absorb sudden jolts. Having high quality shifters and sharp teeth in the cassette, make the ride much smoother. Make sure the bike has a large enough area in the center to house the battery. You can attach the battery holder on the screw holes for the water bottle holder.
Step 4: Aquire the miscellaneous parts
Aquire torque arm kit, lights, lock and any other items the may be necessary. The torque arm kit is a piece you will want to acquire for safety purposes. Since e-bikes go much faster than regular bikes there will be a tendency for the bolts holding the rear hub engine on the bike to become loose and potentially fall off.
The torque arms hold the wheel to the frame so you don’t have a major accident if your nut comes off mid run. If you are biking at night you will need a set of front and rear lights. You will want to acquire a quality U lock to protect you bike from thieves if you lock up in a public area.
Step 5: Assemble the components
After acquiring all of the necessary materials it is time to assemble the engine kit, battery and other components onto the bike. Follow the directions from the engine kit manufacturer to connect the engine, battery and controller. The controller, engine and components should click into each other. The battery is best placed on the frame of the bike where it will be most secure.
Attaching the battery holder
If your bike has a water bottle holder you can take that off and use the screws that held it in place to hold the battery holder. You want to avoid having to drill into the frame of the bike. If you have a hub motor you will take off either the front or back wheel and replace it with the motor wheel.
Ebike controller
If your bike has a rack it is best to put the controller on the rack. The controller should be out in the open so it can cool down. Do not put your controller in a bag otherwise it may overheat leading to a short circuit, frying the controller.
If the controller is attached to the metal bike rack it can act as a heat sink, leaving the controller cooled down. Don’t forget to get a roll of electric tape to wrap up open wires and some zip ties to hold groups of wires to the bike.
How fast does a 750 watt electric bike go?
A 750 watt ebike will go around 20 MPH depending on the weight of the bike frame and battery. Data collected from my personal experience riding ebikes.
How fast does a 1500 watt electric bike go?
a 1500 watt ebike will go around 35 MPH depending on the weight of the bike frame and battery. Data collected from my personal experience riding ebikes.
Conclusion: build a powerful DIY ebike for $1000
Anyone can provide themselves with affordable transportation. In this guide I have provided multiple options for types of ebikes. I personally chose to build a more powerful DIY ebike for $1000 to offer more speed and torque.
More resources: https://www.voilamart.com/