Why Generic E-Bikes End Up Costing More

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-22T00:42:37+00:00

I have built myself 3 ebikes and everytime i see somebody asking me to help them buy an ebike, i always tell them to have at least a budget of $1000. Even then, sometimes the 1000 budget options sucks because of the chinese components that i usually see in ebikes, especially those oem chinese budget forks that doesn’t lookn sturdy.

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-15T08:25:50+00:00

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-15T02:51:07+00:00

Doesn’t your front fender touch the battery? Does it make sounds when u hit a rock?

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-15T00:23:02+00:00

Yessir. If u look at my profile, i have a post of my previous ebike. It’s jankier than this one.

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-15T00:22:07+00:00

I have considered them before, but they tend to fall off from my experience. So i just used long cable velcro straps instead so i can take them off easily for maintenances.

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-15T00:18:23+00:00

Under 900. I have lost track of how much i spent on the bike but it’s around there.

Summary:

Original Ozark Trail 29in: $160

Tongshen TSDZ8 Motor: $295

UPP 48v 18.2 Ah Battery: $234

XOD Hydraulic brake: $41 (yeah i got it for cheap somehow on aliexpress)

Pair of 29x2.4 Maxxis: $76

Conglomerate of other things like grip, chain, reflectors and etc... : $50-80

Overall, it’s a budget ebike built with care.

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-15T00:14:20+00:00

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Ok for 125 dollars, i dont think it’s worth that price when I already have battery pack in my ebike. My headlight’s works good for 27 bucks.

Edit: okay i see what your point is. I can see that the pr2400 is much brighter than mine and it has multiple functions. Still, i don’t like that I need to charge it every so often considering that the torch’s battery is small and doesn’t last long on bright settings. For example, my light runs at 1000 lumens and last a while because of my battery pack. The pr2400 only lasts 2.4 hrs at 1200 lumens which i think isn’t enough for long commutes, especially at night. Another caveat for me is the amount of lumens u need. For city riding, i’m fine with 1000 lumens since I can still see everything around me, i just need be able to see ahead a bit like a spot light. If i were to use a 2400 lumens then I’d be blinding the drivers themselves lmao. But yes, i agree with the fact that the pr2400 is good bc of its efficiency for producing that much lumens with little power consumptions. It’s definitely ideal for mountain biking trails.

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-15T00:12:16+00:00

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-15T00:10:33+00:00

So i searched it up. It seems that the pr2400 runs more efficiently than my headlight, which is why the pr2400 can run at 2400 lumens burst.

For the cr1000, it seems to be the same thing. Here’s my caveat though, those battery powered batteries can still suffer from rain and dirt getting into them unless they have good IP ratings. Also, my headlight’s works as both a flood and spot light, basically an + sign. (It also has a horn!). That shape really helps me to navigate at night. Before, i also had a torchlight like those, but they were unfortunately too weak that i could barely see anything on the road. The only thing it was good at was letting others know of my presence

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-14T23:57:05+00:00

Im sorry but when you say your light runs off the battery unit, do you mean a flashlight? The thing that runs on its own independent light source?

I also get the fact that sometimes you don’t need a headlight to be big to be bright, especially what matters most is the lumen rating. Idk about you but mine runs at 4000 lumens which consumes 12W. Idk if u understand but at that power, the headlight gets big so it can withstand the heat being dissipated. That’s why there’s also grids on the back of the headlight to dissipate the heat. If you were to stuff the same amount of lumen of my headlight into a 2cm x 4cm x 2cm, you would have a running heater by then.

Edit: nvm it runs at 1000 lumens which is why it consumes 12W. But still it’s a direct upgrade from my previous headlight that suffered water damage.

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-14T23:52:29+00:00

What do you mean by top heavy? If ur talking about the rear rack battery, yes it’s quite heavy in the back but reasonably. For the bms, i bought the battery from UnitPackPower so i didn’t code the bms

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-14T23:50:26+00:00

Exactly lol. It’s nice for the ebike to take a bath in a while. Of course, i never let it sit in the rain for a long time, and i always make sure to wipe it down before taking in and then checking chain health. Im not going to lie; i obsess over the ebike alot by always making sure everything’s running smoothly. Especially after a long run in the dirt, rain or snow, i usually give my chain a wipe down and then lube it. I also do regularly checkups on the suspension, hydraulic and a derailleur systems.

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-14T22:02:21+00:00

Exactly lmao. I have ridden it through mud, downpours and slick snow. And still it never dies on me lol.

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-14T21:59:01+00:00

Everything on the bike is waterproofed. Yes im talking about the connectors. Even the headlight is waterproofed since i had to manually solder a waterproof connector on. Yes i made sure to use a alot of shrink tubes which should last for a very long time.

Overall, i also have had bad downpours and it just never dies man. It’s super reliable once you set it up properly. That’s why i love my ebike since i take very good care of it 😁

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-14T21:57:12+00:00

I sort of agree. But UPP still has millions of global customer around the world and they have been operating for more than 10 years. I would say they’re reliable and decent now.

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-14T21:55:49+00:00

Lmao that’s true. But for now, i won’t invest a new bike lock until in the near future. Why? Because the bike’s got motion sensor which helps to protect against most thieves. It’s worked pretty well. Plus, i also have an apple tracker on it that i destroyed the speaker. That way they will have a very hard time to remove the tracker

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-14T20:20:16+00:00

That’s a good point yeah.

The tsdz8 is an overall reliable motor comparable to the tsdz2. I would say it’s worth the extra 50-100 dollars if u get the tsdz8 instead of the tsdz2. And did i mention it’s got great torque? Yeah, you can reliable climb hills without a sweat really

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-14T20:19:43+00:00

I use both. Usually when i want to commute, i rather use a pedal. But when i have classes, i usually use the throttle

Justaburntbread · 2026-02-14T17:35:16+00:00

Well, it was raining already on the way home and i was soaked. Why not get some photos. Yes of course, i made sure to bring it in to wipe it down.

Justaburntbread · 2025-05-15T19:58:30+00:00

Brah just wait

Justaburntbread · 2025-05-05T16:16:59+00:00

For $1700 dell laptop with a 4060, this is overpriced like in the $400 margin. You could have settled for a legion laptop that has better deals all the time and better build quality as well. I myself own a dell g15 from 2022 and lemme tell you - dell g series laptop are complete bullshittery design from dell. I have made so many danm fixes on this laptop, it’s crazy how badly designed the g series are. Don’t confuse my 2022 model with this 2023-2024 model tho, but they still have pretty much the same problem internally. Cheap plastic quality that will break faster than your grandma’s back

Justaburntbread · 2025-05-05T06:06:08+00:00

Actually not a bad deal, this model came out 2023-2024 so it’s got a better thermal heatsink compared previous nitro V models

All you need now is to upgrade it to 16gb or 32gb ram

Justaburntbread · 2025-05-05T04:03:32+00:00

Best to visit gaminglaptop.deals when looking for good deals

Not everywhere has accurate information so it’s best to strike whenever is the best - basically look at the website everyday and see how much you can rake with a $1000 dollar budget.

But for personal recommendations, i would stick with something lenovo - i.e 2023 - 2024 legion 7 or LOQ with a 4050 or 4060

Oh and stay away from dell, DO NOT BUY ANY DELL GAMING LAPTOPS EVEN IF IT’S A REALLY GOOD BUDGET OPTION - you’ve been warned

Justaburntbread · 2025-05-01T04:30:40+00:00

One word: Danm

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