Hardware’s in the House!

Bimotal engineers in assembly mode

Hardware’s in the House!

Bimotal engineers inspecting new custom parts prior to assembly

It seems like ages ago that we closed the books on our last revision of hardware and started designing many updates for the next version of Elevate. In reality, that started only a few months back, around November 2020.

Bimotal Elevate drive unit
Versions of the Elevate drive unit may look similar on the outside…

Everyone on our engineering team has significant experience doing this kind of thing, so there’s a reasonable degree of confidence in our work. With the modeling software we’re using we gain confidence in the basics such as the helical gears meshing together with the right clearances, or shaft mounts in the housing being in just the right position. Yet even these are features you can never be sure of until you start to put everything together.

Optimizations are made faster and more efficient with the help of Ansys tools

Since the boxed parts started to trickle in from the manufacturers, it’s been all hands on deck! Discreet periods of assembly and adjustment merged into a continuous flow in our workshop throughout May and June, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the way it’s all coming together.

Packaging is great until you have to unwrap hundreds of parts

The geartrain has arrived. This comprises gears, bearings, shafts, and more. We’ve assembled it, it spins nicely, and to our geeky eyes it has serious visual appeal!

Bimotal gears
An internal gear, left, and Bimotal’s proprietary brake rotor/gear

The Bimotal custom motor is in. This looks so cool in its unassembled form. We’re really excited about this motor, and would love to show you pictures, but it’s staying under wraps for now. Thorough testing is underway, but we are already excited that it is much quieter than our previous iterations and we’re on track to compete with the best mid-drives available. 

Bimotal Elevate ebike motor casing
Plastic gear and printed circuit board assembly cover beside aluminum gearbox cover

Enclosures and housings are here. The main part is black anodized aluminum, while other parts are plastic. These have come out very well. Sleek says it all.

Our quick-connects may be a small, peripheral feature, but in everyday use these make a huge difference. With these, mounting and dismounting the motor is a breeze. Finished in stainless steel and black, they definitely meet our style standard.

Bimotal Elevate quick connect ebike mechanism
Our proprietary quick-connects assembled onto the main mount

We hustled to assemble the first complete drive unit with new hardware, and not far down the road is our custom Bimotal bottle-sized battery. This should be here in a few weeks, and it goes without saying we can hardly wait.

bimotal elevate battery and battery/bottle cage
The Bimotal 250 Watt/hour battery rendering, left, and plastic prototype parts

Meanwhile, we have some more motors to assemble.

Paul Skilbeck is Bimotal’s blog editor.

All photos: Jason Roesslein.

By Paul Skilbeck

Paul Skilbeck is an international consultant and writer in cycling and micro-mobility, with hundreds of published articles and a few books. He's organized events and journalists, and his advice to companies and organizations of all sizes has led to many successful outcomes. Paul enjoys life with his partner, his dog and several bikes in Berkeley, California.