Detroit Bikes DB-E

Smaug

Smaug

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I haven't seen this until now. FaceBook, in its infinite wisdom shared an ad with me on it:

1685467610131.png


detroitbikes.com

DB - E

FAST - 250W Motor! LIGHT - 32lbs! EASY - Ready to Ride in Minutes!
detroitbikes.com detroitbikes.com

The Skinny:
  • 32 lbs.
  • Electronics are all in the hub
  • Regenerative braking
  • Assembled in Detroit. Frame & belt drive are American-made. The rest is global components. Very cool.
  • $2,600 US
 
Thanks for sharing.
I plugged in Zehus to the site search engine and got this back from 2020:
ebikesforum.com

NUA "Unlimited Range" ebike which never needs plugging in

The Nua Electrica has the motor, sensors and battery built into the hub unit, is barely distinguishable from a regular fixie, and its innovative "self-charging" mode means you can get away without ever charging it. "If e-bikes tend to look a little ungainly for your tastes, check out this...
ebikesforum.com ebikesforum.com
 
Self-charging is not "Innovative", it is stupid. You are better off pedaling to just propel the bike, rather than charge the batteries. Regen braking on downhills and such, sure. But, pedal to charge the bike? Think about it, folks, plus the inefficiency, you LOOSE power.

10 years, 25-30,000 miles, second battery, third frame. Same motor. No unnecessary crap, it just works. The labor was in the analysis of the jobs to do, and the requirements to fit within, and choosing the correct types of quality components where needed, and cheap crap when it would do just fine. Cost for motor, latest frame and battery, all total, with two chargers, was actually $625. Vaguely similar bike, more gears, slightly heavier, battery and controller independent of motor, no regen because I need friction-free coasting, and if you can do regen, you can't do that. Oh, mine is faster, and has better range, and is designed for my personal comfort and preferred riding style. Replacing the battery is a simple job, with many options, rather than a tear-down of the motor and installation of individual cells.

This type of bike is mainly for those who want to hide their batteries. And that's fine. But, to "charge your own battery", by pedaling, that's a joke that has been around from the early days of ebikes, and keeps coming back. If you want a workout, just get a regular bike and drag a small parachute.
 
ElHegpah said:
Self-charging is not "Innovative", it is stupid. You are better off pedaling to just propel the bike, rather than charge the batteries. Regen braking on downhills and such, sure. But, pedal to charge the bike? Think about it, folks, plus the inefficiency, you LOOSE power.

10 years, 25-30,000 miles, second battery, third frame. Same motor. No unnecessary crap, it just works. The labor was in the analysis of the jobs to do, and the requirements to fit within, and choosing the correct types of quality components where needed, and cheap crap when it would do just fine. Cost for motor, latest frame and battery, all total, with two chargers, was actually $625. Vaguely similar bike, more gears, slightly heavier, battery and controller independent of motor, no regen because I need friction-free coasting, and if you can do regen, you can't do that. Oh, mine is faster, and has better range, and is designed for my personal comfort and preferred riding style. Replacing the battery is a simple job, with many options, rather than a tear-down of the motor and installation of individual cells.

This type of bike is mainly for those who want to hide their batteries. And that's fine. But, to "charge your own battery", by pedaling, that's a joke that has been around from the early days of ebikes, and keeps coming back. If you want a workout, just get a regular bike and drag a small parachute.
Click to expand...
I assume the regen settings are adjustable. In the article E-Trike linked to, it says it gives power when going uphill (via tilt sensor) and when starting from a stop. Regenerates by sipping a tiny bit of power when pedaling and when going downhill. This may be programmable, so that bike may be set up to work differently than this bike.

***********
Another thing noteworthy about this bike is that it only gives pedal assist up to 15.5 mph (25 kph), since that's the European version of Class 1, which 11 year-olds are allowed to ride over there. Not super-speedy, but that means the hub motor is probably geared lower and therefore more torquey than we might think for 250 W. It's fine for a single speed, I think!

The only possible BIG downside to this, for duty in a flat city anyway, is what happens when the battery pack inside the hub is ready for replacement? Is it designed such that we can remove the rear wheel, pop the side panel off the hub motor assembly and swap out the cells or cluster of cells with a new set from Detroit Bikes or Zehus? Or is it a "send the whole rear wheel back" type of affair? If it's the latter, how much does that cost?

Here's a pic of the hub motor assembly from the link E-Trike's post:
1685544482103.png
 
Hi, self charging tech for ebikes is at a very early stage. $1,000 for a ebike? That's all you can afford? Better off buying a used non-ebike carbon bike and wait for the self charging tech to advance. I own a Specialized ebike that cost more then $1,000. I love it!
 
No, regen has been around for decades.

I clearly said "less than $800" and then specifically $625.

Lame attempt to shame my finances, I thought that was not allowed here?

The only "advancement" in the tech is a sensor to tell you that you are going uphill. Some folks clearly need that.

Specialized a decent bike, but overpriced. My first donor bike was a Specialized, did not last as long as the Walmart donor I switched to, which gives better gearing and more speed. Steel is far better than carbon for an e-bike.

I can swap out my battery in less than 5 minutes, with any one of multiple shapes, sizes, and manufacturers. This company will be out of business within a year.

For those who just don't get it, regen is BRAKING. It SLOWS YOU DOWN. Energy is LOST in the conversion. Pedaling with 5 miles worth of energy to go 3 miles and put one mile's worth of energy into the battery is simply STUPID. It is POINTLESS. I should do the math for you, that is 5 miles of energy to go 4 miles. Actual numbers don't look that good, not counting downhills. THAT is where regen makes sense, if you can handle the constant drag of a regen-capable motor. But to PEDAL to accomplish this? Takes a special kind of thinking for that one.

TANSTAAFL

That this crap keeps coming back, third or fourth one I have seen touting this feature, over many years, just points out the tremendous level of ignorance in consumers.
 
ElHegpa, you’re hijacking this thread. It’s about that Detroit Bikes eBike.

You said you don’t like it, so why not just move on and create a thread of your own to help pick your bike?
 
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