What E-bike Manufacturers Don't Want You To Know. Watch before buying an electric bike! 

When they say "We 'oversee' the manufacturing process", the spelling that immediately came to mind was more like, "We OVERSEA our manufacturing process."

This happens with millions of products, not just e bikes

You’ve literally explained commerce. This happens with everything from flower pots to restaurant food, not just e-bikes.

I bought a £200 front wheel motor and controller from China years ago (200W Bafang 8FUN), added 4 mobility scooter lead acid batteries and a £50 second hand bike. It's still going strong 7 years later (OK it's had new batteries but they cost peanuts compared to light weight batteries). Easy 25 mile range and once its moving, just like a motorbike, the weight makes it feel more solid and stable to ride. It was a time when some modern batteries were catching fire and I figured for battery pack charging under my desk at work the old proven lead acid battery was safer. DIY - save a fortune - Mine is still 100% reliable. One word of warning - at e-bike speeds you need bloody good lights.

Most bike brands have been middle men since the early 90s. A Raleigh rep told me in 92 that they were getting bike frames from China for $7 a piece. $7 ! At that time a Trek 930 frame out of Wisconsin cost wholesale $130. Specialized was never a manufacturer. And if you worked in different shops you would find Taiwanese manufacturers who would build you anything you wanted and put your own name on it. Brands, unfortunately, have not meant anything for some time. The public now takes the place of quality control and you just hope for the best.

Thanks for the video, I have done the full journey, old bike in the garage, put cheap rear hub on, it was OK, and got me hooked. Next a new but basic bike and slapped on a Bafang mid drive, very easy and works very well super quiet. Finally a full sus with a Yamaha system, yes expensive, but it is definitely better than the Bafang, possibly due to the torque sensor,if you have the money buy the best, but the Bafang is extremely good and easy for parts etc. The rear hub bike has gone.

Thanks for the heads up! I lucked out. I decided to be conservative with the cash laid out. It was worth it. I learned a lot: pros and cons. A lot of the decision lies in how much the bike will be used and if the perfection is going to be a passive user (relying on the throttle) or active (pedaling and using the assist).

I literally discovered this three days ago. Been seeing similar bike ads popping up while I was looking for one. However there is no way I will ever pay 4K for a bike. That's the price for a used car or fancy moped. So I checked out AliBaba found a certified dealer. Got myself a fully customized bike made to my specs for 1.2k door to door. Sent from an EU warehouse so I skipped all the import hassle. These so called brands in Germany here want an arm and a leg for a bike and I won't let them. :D

Yes. Like a couple of outboard motors for boats decades ago. They were made on the same production line and went their separate ways when it was time to label them. I'm making trike from my push bike using wooden main, cross rails and rest for the seat. I may not have the fastest but the western red cedar will certainly look stylish.

Thank you for the info bud, that was great to let us know. Now i can make better decision when I'm ready to buy my e-bike.

Great information. I had my 14 year old bike converted nearly 2 years ago - Bafang mid section motor and lithium-ion battery for less than one third cost of a new e-bike. And it's wonderful. I liv e in Wellington New Zealand where everything is super - expensive.

Dude this video keeps paying forward. You helped me know what I needed to know about who I am deling with. I just bought a bike from Aventon, I got the Ramblas Mid mount. They helped create that system. Thanks man!

Great video. Thank you for keeping it real and telling the truth. I’ve recently got into bicycle repair and looking to get into e-bike repair soon, and it’s good to know that there are honest people in the community.

What you say in this video applies to e-scooters as well. That’s why you see e-scooters that look exactly alike but have different brand names on them. Customer service/support is always promised before you make that purchase. But as soon as you discover a factory defect or something breaks, you’ll be given a hard time from the seller.

Thank you, Johnny. It's guys like you that show us the way. Keep it up. I'll be reaching out to you on your website.

Yep happens for most products. I worked in air-conditioning and eventually sales and just from having installed brands like Samsung, Panasonic, LG, and then later in sales, saw that the units were the same just relevantly branded, sometimes only having further differences in the compressor or control unit being different.

Good for people to know. Of course, this is the case with virtually *every* consumer good, including, of course, non-electric bikes. The one caveat I'd add here is that, for people who don't like to tinker, a relationship with a reputable bike shop is what you're paying (that much extra) for. Like when you buy a car from a dealership. If you don't need that relationship, great! Save some $$$. But most normal customers do.

I suppose one consolation is if you've bought a 'budget' e-bike, you can then switch it over as time moves forward, as you have the frame, and bars, wheels, motor, batteries and displays can always be changed out to newer parts/pieces. Some motors are not made for the long haul, so I assume if the motor doesn't fit a case within the wheel, the whole wheel assembly can be switched, no matter the size and width? Thanks for your input!

I figured this out pretty quickly when I got serious about buying a new bike. As he said this is why there are so many complaints about after sale customer service for these bikes. Personally I'm not sure that you can protect yourself from these issues even buying from a local dealer as they just add another layer to the whole thing.

Thanks a lot! I was looking throught ebikes and I was getting the impression all the bikes were very similar

Thanks for helping people that may not know this information. Great to know, love your videos

I think you will be okay we all know were getting screwed with most things we buy.

This is so true. I saw a folding 20" fat tire e-bike on the street with no brand. Went online and worked out it must be RDK. But RDK don''t ship to Australia. Then worked out RDK just orders these to various specs from China and badges them. There are many, many differerent brands selling this bike all around the world. The gears spces, battery specs are the same, only the max speed and if it has a hand throttle or not is what is different. Motor brand - OEM!

Thanks for the pointers and the video JohnnyNerdOut

I’m surprised that some of you were not aware of it… I live in China and everything you guys think is made by some reputable brands is made just around the corner here in China. And no… nobody is over looking any manufacturers here. It’s not like American guy walks into massive manufacturing plant and demands something. These factories here produce millions of bikes and China is by far the biggest market. For American clients we just slap some cool looking logo on it and make it look “strong” because of those masculinity issues there. Anyways… You guys don’t make ebikes and even if you put those parts together, you’re using Chinese parts. Batteries, controllers, frames, motors etc… So, does combining Chinese products by American company or person make it more of a American or Chinese made bike? I leave it for you to judge. Btw, Bosch has some great motor designs and things… but please don’t assume those motors to be manufactured in Germany. China is the place where the stuff is made these days🤫

Bought a £350 FIIDO D1 off aliexpress fourteen months ago , best thing I ever bought , done hundreds of miles on it , sure it’s not perfect but I needed a folder and I’m on a budget and I’m more than happy with it , it’s been places where fourteen inch wheels have no right to go including over the Pennine hills with a trailer .

Thanks for your information, great video!

This happened to me. Paid 3K for an electric bike 8 years ago before the craze. Anyway, fast forward to now, I had problems with my controller and the place where I purchased my bike can’t fix it. I contacted the manufacturer and heard nothing back. I ended up buying two Döst bicycles. I really like their customer service.

Great video, thanks for the insights! I’ve seen some of what you mention with white labeled brands and larger companies buying parts so they can offer support.

You just saved me $3000 the ebike I wanted comes from China. A friend of mine did an estimate on what I can build it would cost me $1500 thank you for this video

Many business people have been stealing from others for decades. Appreciate your PSA, educating folks unaware of how business people treat others. I went into a surf shop a few weeks ago, and based on past histories, just to see how horrendous these companies have become. I needed a new pair of basic thongs ('flip flops' in 'Murica) with cloth straps. A pair of full rubber ones went up to $120AU. So impressed with this lunacy, I shared my thoughts on the matter to one of the staff as I walked out. Same quality set at Target, $15...their last pair lasting over 3 years.

Thank you for the info!!!💪🏼😎

Thank you so much for your invaluable information, highly appreciate it.

Thanks for your honesty.

Thanks for the heads up

Thank you for the very Detailed video keep up the great content and I’m sure I’ll have some questions for you in the future I own two different E bikes

Have done two bafang BBS-02 conversions and still no issues after 3k+ miles of abuse!

This was one of the funniest videos I've seen in a while. Thanks I'm getting a crank shaft motor to save repair costs in the long run

This is a great video and confirms my thoughts about ebikes as I have been researching them for a few months now. I really think buying an awesome bike first and converting it is the way to go. Thanks for the video!

The "brands" that are only middlemen is really common with electric guitars. A brand called Cor-tek in Indonesia and other places are the actual maker for about 25 "brands" of guitars. Sure, all the brands order batches of their specific shape, feature list or specific colors, but they are all CorTek guitars. The funny thing is that Cor Tek also sells their own brand called CORT at significantly cheaper prices. In America we pay for a Logo, not just a product.

Payed out for a Specialized Turbo Levo Comp……mostly for the dealer support, luckily I do actually love the bike!!

Great info. This is facts right here.... I do love my hub motor tho 👀. Gonna check out your vid on why they suck, lemme see if it changes my mind

Thanks for pointing that out! Very helpful.

I really learned a lot in your videos keep it up I never knew how companies take of advantage of people.

Thanks man, you just saved me alot of money 👍🏿🙏🏿

Put a dummy near a window to distract the sharp shooters.. Good info.. My first ebike 10 years ago was a hub and service was a nightmare for this very reason.. Got a Trek ebike last month from LBS, I paid more but warrenty is excellent and service shouldn't be an issue.

Great Info!!! Thank you soo much!

Thanks for the heads up, me and my wife are looking at Townie Go.. May have to do some research 1st 👍

Agree with what you say... I have a Shengmilo MX01... if anything goes wrong with it.... I've no idea as to where to go.

Good video!! More people should follow you man! great content!

Thanks for this. Currently looking to get an e-bike and they are all eerily similar. I had a suspicion it was like Amazon where there's 10 different brands but all the products look identical.

I purchased an E-Voyager Pro-Rider which ran fine for several years. It was reduced from the list price of $1200 due to being the pre-LED headlight and non-disc brake model. Then the crank bearing wore out. I contacted the dealer and asked for replacement crank bearings, an LED headlight and disc wheel upgrade. None of these were available and so I had to adapt parts from other makes of bike. Three years later and the same dealer cut any connection with the E-Voyager brand. The value of my bike is now less than the cost of a new battery.

Got my parts from AliExpress and learned through watching lots of videos on building a repair. Cheapest way is to convert an alternator. Built my own battery too! I like hub motors best! Girl power!

I love what you say and stand for plus you make so much sense and I'm getting a mid-drive motor conversion on my bike no so thank you, my friend now I'm a subby, to your channel

I love my full carbon fiber Specialized Stumpjumper and my wife’s new Trek electric Dual Sport. We have unmatched dealer service, with lifetime free adjustments and incredible re-sale value.

Well… if you decide to go with a Rad Power bicycle, now is the time to do it. They have super steep discounts happening through the end of the month, though they may sell out. I got the very base model, no suspension, single-speed called the RadMission. It fits my needs, I think, for a first ebike, which are zipping around town doing errands and grocery shopping a couple times a week. It'll allow me to ditch my big ICE truck, and make me feel a little more virtuous and possibly more healthy. It's also a good backup as I can't really ride my motorbike too much in the winter. I saw a lot of videos, and the RadMission comes out on top a lot of the time for low-cost ebikes. I'm near Seattle, so any big problems and I'll just give them a hard time in person. And I figure I can sell it back for almost what I bought it for I’ve been waiting for a long time to get a budget ebike, and it was really nice to get that price of $499 on the top-rated (according to the preponderance of reviewers), get the PayPal 7% discount, and get an additional 50 bucks off via a referral code. It’ll work for me for short trips around town, mostly for errands and grocery shopping so I don’t have to use my ICE truck I’ve got more research to do, like on the (now half-off) $50 optional LCD display upgrade and if it actually does increase max mph to 24 mph, whether or not I want the compressing seat post (cheaper on Amazon), what kind of helmet to get. And I need to watch the installation video I went back-and-forth on colors, looking at videos, and chose boring black. I’ll get a black helmet as well (the Abus Urban 3.0 on Amazon for about 70 bucks is newer& lighter & less bulky than the Abus 2 that Rad has). I want to be low-key with it all, I decided, and put a lot of those reflective stickers all over (and wear bright shells) And now I have my own 50 buck off free code, but I’m not going to flash the link here. Even with the price break, PP discount, and referral, with accessories it all💰adds up pretty quick 💸 rwrd.io/3oujxvc?c or alternatively put this code in the promo box at checkout: RAFU1QJIQ5C

This is exactly why I have designed and am building my own bike. I can buy an electric bike for what it will cost me to build but I can't get anywhere near the performance and spare parts for it are available at any hobby shop.

I have a bafang converted hardtail. It's been great. A friend has a focus daul suspension bike The power delivery on single trails is better on his 250w Bosch motor compared to my 750w bafang. I'm buying a cube stereo hybrid with new Bosch gen 4 motor. I'm paying big dollars. I have an idea of one of the brands your talking about. My hardtail is going for a good price.

Great video and great sense of humor.

You just saved me so much money!! I love you man !!!!

Could you do a video on HOW and WHERE to go to get a bike cheap and not get ripped off by knock offs? That would be awsome. :) Great video.

Hub motors are fine for many uses. Built many hub drive and mid drive ebikes.

Thank you 🙏🏽

Of course there will be other products that do the same thing. But this guy is giving you what he knows from personal experience about bikes which 99.9% of those buying them won’t know as they shell out a fortune for the same bike they could have bought much cheaper from those who actually make them. Great post, Johnny

Rebadges have been common in the bike industry since the 19th Century, well before mass production. The technology, cost of startup for volume production, and concentrated global logistics (China) just makes it even more prevalent today. For instance, Iver Johnson was one of the early high end bike manufacturers. In the 1880-90s, they also built bikes badged as Lovell Diamonds for Lovell Sporting Goods and that wasn't an unusual situation. Lovell starting building their own when Iver refused to lower their standards to get the prices down and THAT is probably unusual.

Any way we can have a list of 'not middlemen' companies? I'm in the market for a few e-bikes and this is GOLDEN info. Thank you!!!

Same with Laptop computers - some 'brands' make their own, but most have a goto manufacturer that will put your tweaks in a device and place your label and off you go. But like almost everything you buy, sources for components come from a myriad of manufactures - and the one company that assembles it get their name on it.

I bought a used (I assume because of the date on the battery case) 2020 City Coco 1500. It is made in China and refurbished by Kugoo in Russia. At any rate I paid 45,000 rubles back in October of 2021 (I gave the guy an extra 5,000 because I couldn't risk under paying him but I could have got it for 40,000.) I took it completely apart and discovered a rat's nest where the controller sat, rusting there and in the battery compartment, a plug in the tire, etc. (nothing that could not be recovered.) But it was complete and working which is important to note. I know he did make some alterations but nothing major. I checked the Kugoo website and the same scooter went for 15,000 more rubles brand new than what I paid. Long story short I am now doing a rebuild. I am upgrading the battery from a 1500 to a 2000. I am changing the controller, motor, and all the inferior plastic and cheap rubber parts. I expect in the end to be 130,000 into it with 15,000 or so in spare parts that I could sell off or reuse if needed. I want to say what you are saying is true if you are 3-4 hours away from a larger city with retailers or if you are driving distance from stores but here it is isolated and having access to name brands is difficult if not too expensive (if available at all?) I just want to make that clear. Not all consumers are in the driver's seat when it comes time to get what they desire the most in a timely and fair manner. Some people, like myself, do not even have shops that work on these kinds of scooters? I am lucky if I can finish this build with the previously mentioned investment amount. It is just one of the things one must accept when moving out in the boonies.

After doing some research, I bought a LECTRIC brand e-bike. The research I did on several different e-bikes led me to believe that the electronic controls are pretty much the product of a single manufacturer that are shared by most brands, but the physical and mechanical aspects of the various bikes can vary qute a bit. At any rate, buying the LECTRIC was a “no brainer” - best price, best features, best build quality, and best support. Of course it made me question why I would spend $879 for a 60-lb mountain bike that has to be electrically powered (because it is so heavy), as opposed to spending $479 for a 30-lb montain bike that is pedal-only. The answer is simply that an e-bike gives you a whole new cycling experience that involves a collaborative effort between the rider and the machine.

Great Info! I’ll Be Coming To You When I’m Ready For My E-Bike! Good Look Brotha, Very Good Look!!!

Thank you for posting. Facts is, what you say is already happend many of years. If you buy a car, many same parts for every brand are bought nameless by builders. If you buy a amplifier, many transistors are simular.

Thank you !

I figured this out while checking out the market on e bikes. Do you know of customizable options for the controllers? The controllers seem to have a lot of extra plugs for extra options. I was thinking something along the lines of solar panel battery chargers or else hooking up alternate batteries or going dual wheel hub motors.

Seems to be the same with everything these days -- seeing alot of it in escooters as well.

Thank you , thank you . Might take you up on you as resource for e bike .I am not a mechanic .don't even know the button on my phone . Will watch and study .

Good information thanks

Johnny, you"ve got my attention. Great information that has already modified my view of ebike purchase. Had to subscribe, just to see what kind of fatal "accident" you suffer at the hands of the bike sales mafia. LOL

Wow, I never knew that, thank you for sharing this video! I'm getting ready to buy my next setup for conversion, I was thinking of going with the front hub motor like I went with the first one. I may have to rethink that now with maybe a mid drive motor, I like the fact that you can utilize all the rear wheel gears for hill climbing, but the prices on those are still exorbitant. I can get The Hub motor for under $200, and the mid-drives are still going for almost $700 at the very cheapest.

I’m in. Great advise. As long as I can get parts . Tag you just for this reason.

Thanks

There's more to this than just the price though, they are adding VAT to packages to the UK now so that really affects what you can save, there's customs which can hit you with an extra fee if they pick you out, then there's warranty, if your cheaper version from AliExpress goes wrong your screwed, you can definitely make the actual purchase for cheaper but just be aware of having no warranty or after sales care what so ever. Best ebike route is sourcing all the parts yourself and buiding it, The cost of ebikes is an absolute joke.

As a retired global outsourcing executive, you know what most don't, most everything is a re-labled product made offshore. It is a fact of life these days, and I retired in 2008.

Great video love the content new subscriber

Great insight Bro!

This going on with most products to be honest I use to work for a well known tools manufacturer and all they did was buy Chinese made stuff cheap slap some logos on them and a slightly different casing and charge the customers a hell of alot more for the product.

Yes, you got a point. However, you forgot to mention the risks of ordering directly from the manufacturer through alibaba. You forgot to mention the insanely long shipping times, the hardship of getting the warranty claim from the manufacturer, and the inconsistency of the photos from the you actually ordered and most importantly the customs could reject the product if it did not meet regulations. I searched on reddit, there are people who ordered through alibaba and waited for several months ended up not getting the product because customs rejected it.

Thanks for this. Really useful and by watching your videos i manage to convert my mtb to ebike and changed the game completely. As i do quite a bit of off roading i will want to bave a pourpose e mtb . Whether thats a frame amd convert it myself etc.... not sure but qpuld be interesting tp hear what is your take amd advise when converting an mtb to emtb that will take quite a bit of bashing...

Got a hub motor for 8 years and still going strong! What mid drive do you have like that? Hub motors rock!

No wonder lots of bikes from different brands look a like. Just like motorcycles in Mexico and South America have similar if not the same motorcycle but different name.

💯true just build your own if you can.

THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP I JUST BOUGHT A YAMEE DIDNT TAKE IT OUT THE BOX YET BUT THINKING IF I DID THE RIGHT MOVE. BASICALLY LOOKING INTO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE CONTACT BUT NO RESULTS WITH SOME OF THEM.

Thanks !

Hub motors are awesome, what are you talking about? I'm hitting 65mph with my kits all day long. And as a bonus, I've never been stranded due to a broken chain. QS makes some awesome hub motors.

Very interesting and useful information, thank you. Hope you're still alive :-)

thanks bro. been surfing the web for ebike but I changed my mind I will just buy road bike and in the future I will just convert it to ebike.... thanks again

Yup, my Neutral safety switch went out in my 4 winns boat, Kenny's marina wanted $87. I picked up this micro switch from an electric supplier for .84 cents. I've seen that in every industry I've ever been in.

Hope you survive I’m going to build me one thanks for the information

US Specialised and Trek have a lot of their components, from frame, wheels to motors contract manufactured by Taiwans Giant, who in turn have most of their manufacturing done in China. The reality is if you knew the individual manufacturers in China, you could put together a high end/spec bike for a fraction of the price.

2022 and yet the video has not been taken down.

omg, drop this introduction every video PLEASE