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In the specific case of VanMoof, their app isn't strictly required after the bike is set up initially. But the point of the battery is dead-on. Unfortunately,
by veidr 3y ago
In the specific case of VanMoof, their app isn't strictly required after the bike is set up initially. But the point of the battery is dead-on.
Unfortunately, AFAIK virtually all ebikes on the market use proprietary batteries. Do you know of any that don't?
- achikin 3y agoAny bike that uses Bosch battery/motor kits. Those batteries are available on the market separately.
- veidr 3y agoOh cool, thanks. I know about those batteries, but I thought they were usually for conversion kits / DIY ebikes. But this page shows several makers that use them: https://www.bosch-ebike.com/us/service/ebike-models#category=2 https://www.bosch-ebike.com/us/service/ebike-models#category... Unfortunately for me, I don't think any of those are sold where I live (Japan). But a standard motor/battery would definitely be a major plus in my book when looking for a bike to buy. UPDATE: Actually, Cannondale does market a Bosch-powered, roughly-VanMoof-grade bike here in Japan: https://www.cannondale.com/ja-jp/bikes/electric/e-urban/adventure-neo/adventure-neo-3-eq-c68361u https://www.cannondale.com/ja-jp/bikes/electric/e-urban/adve...
- achikin 3y agoYou can check Bosch Chinese competitor Bafang - they copy Bosch solutions and also very popular among bicycle makers. https://bafang-e.com/en/home/ https://bafang-e.com/en/home/
- veidr 3y agoThanks! That's actually really useful. When I bought my last ebike in 2019, I wanted to get a model from USA that isn't sold here in Japan. Ignoring for the moment the regulatory stuff, I found that anyway the battery for ebikes was too big to take on an airplane myself, and too big for FedEx/DHL/etc to ship to Japan from USA. I would have had to arrange my own boat shipping, which seemed like it was going to be too expensive, in addition to being to complicated to deal with while on vacation. AFACT in a quick search, Bosch doesn't sell their ebike stuff here, but there are tons of Bafang motors and batteries readily available. Very interesting!
- achikin 3y agoBafang is even more popular than Bosch in the Netherlands. Many popular brands like VanMoof and Veloretti prefer them due to lower prices, more power and better repairability.
- _zmt5 3y agoThat’s not true, there are many manufacturers that use the same kind of battery and engine. In the Netherlands, most of the bikes I’ve seen seem to use Bosch.
- veidr 3y agoOh really, like who for instance? So far I haven't seen any ebikes other than maybe the no-brand ones on Amazon that do this. (But I would like to know about them if they exist.)
- _zmt5 3y agoAs I and the other commentor pointed out, quite a few bikes, especially the Netherlands, use the same standard engine and battery system by Bosch.
- piva00 3y agoAs an example, Canyon uses Bosch, Fazua, and Shimano batteries.
- achikin 3y agoI own Union E-Fast https://www.union.nl/e-fast https://www.union.nl/e-fast
- ekr 3y agoBafang BBS series had only two wires (positive and ground) connecting the battery to the motor. I think other motors by bafang have similar setups.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- room606 3y agoThere are probably 50+ manufacturers that use Bosch motors/batteries, however e-bikes that use these components tend to be higher quality and considerably more expensive than VanMoof i.e. Riese & Muller, Canyon, Cannondale, Orbea
- TrueGeek 3y agoWe bought a Rad Power City 4 bike and absolutely love it. But so much is proprietary on it. When a piece broke it was in the shop for over a month.