First Production Run (finished Oct 2023)
We're shipping!
10-30-2023: Production bikes are assembled and being shipped. Thanks to everyone who was patient with us on the journey of our first production run.
Battery parts are in/batteries being made
10-25-2023: Our "Competitor" battery is a workhorse. .3mm nickel plate connections, balancing BMS, capable of 90A of current, 2lbs worth of Epic Resins thermal potting with a minimum of 2mm surrounding every cell, encased in aluminum, and all made right here in L.A.
The cranks are here!
10-15-2023: As you all know, the cranks are one of the two components that have been holding up production and delaying delivery. Now they're here and they are killer.
We're building bikes!
9-9-2023: We're still waiting on cranks and battery BMS/internals. But in the meantime we're building up frames. Look out for an email from us with photos of your build.
The frames are finally done!
7-4-2023: It took forever, and it set us back about a month, but these frames are going to be killer. Now that they're finished, it's going to be a frantic race to get them delivered so we can start assembling.
Pulley/Clutch Covers
5-27-2023: "Are you going to cover that up?" We've heard this question almost daily since we started prototyping. People are nervous about getting something caught in the fast-moving pulley or clutch. We never worried much about it - the transmission system is more functionally out-of-the-way than it looks. Still, Nick did great work designing these MJF PA12 covers, and the new frames will have an additional safety feature sitting right behind the drive sprocket for the new cover to attach to.
Variable Quick Charger
5-19-2023: This weekend at Electrify Expo we used our first batch of JR-T450 chargers. They're the standard for high-end electric bicycle charging. It can slow charge as low as 1amp for long battery life, or charge in less than an hour at as high as 5amps. You can also choose to charge to 80%, 90%, or 100% depending on your needs. All the while, the charger displays your voltage and charge current. For those who have other ebikes, this charger works with any L-Ion 52v pack with a max charge of 58.8
Titanium brake/rotor bolts
5-18-2023: We weren't satisfied with the titanium M6 and M5 bolts on the market. Since every detail matters, we designed our own. These low-profile bolts only weigh around a gram each, and are featured as an upgrade and on our (now discontinued) "Founder's Edition". This shaves a little weight off the bike, sure. But the main reason we decided to design and manufacture these bolts is that it's a sleek-looking way to make every brake, motor, transmission, and controller bolt on our bikes adjustable with a single T25 wrench.
Battery end-caps
5-15-2023: Our battery has undergone a series of constant small design improvements since our Indiegogo campaign last summer. This is one of them: sleek and sturdy aluminum endcaps offering a simple mounting solution. Up next are some nifty thumb screws that make swapping out the battery easier than ever.
"Six Banger" Spline-drive sprockets
5-15-2023: We just got the first batch of out 34t spline-drive sprocket. They turned out great! Black anodized 7075-T6 aluminum. Just 80g, plus a titanium insert (coming soon).
We've got a LOT of wheels to build
5-10-2023: We ordered our inventory of both lightweight and heavy duty rims quite a while ago. All of them finally arrived at our shop today. They're great. Our lightweight rims (pictured) are 31mm wide, 415g, and an excellent way to shave weight in the front for most riders, as well as the back for lighter riders/commuters.
Customize your Chimera!
5-5-2023: We're no longer making the “Founder's Edition”. But we've recently changed our production model so that you can pre-order a Standard Edition Chimera with FE customizations like titanium cranks, Enduro bearings, Tubolito tubes, and more. The website also shows you a total calculated weight-savings for the upgrades you choose!
110/10 Conversion axle
5-1-2023: Our conversion axles are in! This is definitely one of the most esoteric bicycle parts we've made. We use MTB "boost" front hubs to make sure we have as much front wheel strength as possible. But those hubs use a 15mm "thru-axle" that won't work with pegs. So we made this conversion axle. For better or worse, we're probably the only manufacturer in the world making 24" BMX style forks designed for MTB hubs converted to this standard. 🙃
M10x1.5 Titanium Hub Bolts
5-1-2023: Our 6Al-4V "Grade 5" titanium hub bolts shave over an ounce off each of your hubs! Ours are already manufactured, and set to arrive in May along with our titanium cranks.
PF30 bearing cups
4-20-2023: PF30 bearing cups are usually designed for relatively thin 7mm bearings. Ours are designed for the thicker "Spanish" style BMX bearings that are 9mm thick with a 22mm ID. They come complete with everything you need to run BMX cranks - bearing spacers, washers, etc. We have enough of these on hand for our builds, and have more on the way.
CNC stems
4-20-2023: Eventually we'll be designing our own stems. But in the meantime, we were able to work with a reputable company to provide us with one of the high-end CNC stem designs already on the market. 6061-T6 aluminum, 32mm stack, 52mm reach. Just 10.4oz with Ti bolts.
First look: 2023 Founder's Edition
3-30-2023: Aside from a few details (especially tidying up the wiring and battery caps), this is the Founder's Edition bike we'll begin shipping out this summer. Pretty slick!
Slit bolt
3-17-2023: The fork bolt is ultimately a small detail. But we tend to be fanatical about small details. So our fork bolt is really cool.
Titanium Cranks
3-4-2023: Our titanium crank project is looking good. Those who bought our Founders' Edition are going to be thrilled.
We're assembling the transmissions
2-01-2023: The transmission prototyping process was stressful, but now that we've worked out all the kinks, the assembly process is kind of meditative.
Planetary gearboxes
1-30-2023: All our gearboxes for our transmission system are in. These use steel gears, and are custom manufactured to fit our drilled-out GT3 pulley and 4130 steel clutch.
Enduro bearings
1-22-2023: We now have all our Enduro bearings in stock for our Founder's Edition clutches. They're pricey but incredibly durable.
new hubs are in stock!
1-20-2023: High-quality dirtjumper hubs at a competitive price are virtually non-existant. But we worked with a Tawainese manufacturer to make a total workhorse of a hub that has 216 individual points of engagement (or 72 group engagements) and is only 400 grams all-in.
All clutch bearings are in stock
1-3-2023: All but one bearing on the Chimera is a standard size that's easy to find. But this one - the FE425Z2 sprag bearing - has not been in production since the pandemic. It was driving Austin nuts. So we had a whole batch made just for us. Also in are all the standard bearings for our bottom bracket, pulley, clutch, etc.
High-Drive Production is Complete
12-23-2022: Back in October, we announced that we started production on the motorization components for our High-Drive system. We have now finished manufacturing our first run!
MOTORS ARE IN
12-22-2022: The final production motors for all our Indiegogo builds are in stock and being tested. These things look slick and pack a lot of power for their size.
Tester frames are here
12-9-2022: We've been itching to get our hands on the two tester frames we ordered over three months ago. Our frame manufacturer delayed by almost a month but, as usual, sent us some killer frames/forks. Over the next two weeks, we'll be using these frames to test the fit and finish of all our high drive parts, battery, etc.
Encased motor stators
11-25-2022 All the motor stators for our custom inrunner motor are now wound and encased. You'll notice that the stator has three sets of braided wires wound throughout. Each comprises one of the three phases of the motor. In our stator design, each braid of phase wires has 4 slots to wind through.
Motor casing is finished
11-22-2022: A well-designed motor casing offers just enough material for heat dissipation so as not to add too much weight. We think we've nailed it with this sleek cnc'd and black anodized case.
Motor stators are wound
11-22-2022: These are the motor stators for our custom inrunner prior to being encased. You'll notice that the stator has three sets of braided wires wound throughout. Each comprises one of the three phases of the motor. In our stator design, each braid of phase wires has 4 slots to wind through.
Controllers are in stock
11-15-2022: We use the BAC855 from Accelerated Systems in Canada. The company has set a standard for high performance in the EV world, and this sophisticated and powerful controller offers the best efficiency and power-to-weight ratio of everything else we've tried. We'll soon be programming them and fitting them with our custom wiring harnesses.
Tubolito tubes are in
11-8-2022: Our Founder's Edition comes with tubes made from a thermoplastic elastomer that is more resistant to punctures, but less than half the weight of rubber tubes.
Magura brakes are in stock
11-4-2022: All our bikes come standard with a pair of MT5/MT4 brakes and 180/160 Magura Storm rotors. We're stoked to have a full stock ready to install on our first run of bikes.
Hub upgrade
10-20-2022: We've been working with a manufacturer in Taiwan to design a killer hub for the Chimera. Originally, we had a 96 point-of-engagement design. But after a few months of testing, we felt it best to increase for a smoother, more responsive ride. What we have now is a lightweight bolt-on single speed hub with 216 points of engagement.
Frame design
This is a screenshot from the CAD of our frame design. Those who know their BMX history will recognize the Supercross "6 Bar" design inspiration.
Motor connectors
We'll be using Higo Mini 8pin and Amass MT60 connections on our motor. These are plug-and-play, which makes the motor easy to connect/disconnect if you ever need to.
Chimera Motor Final CAD model
This is the final cad model that we sent to our motor manufacturer. The slots that surround the output spindle allow adjustment of the hall sensors. After we carefully adjust them for precise tuning on our ASI controller, we cover them with a waterproof and flexible epoxy.
Fork dropouts
We're making these testers with closed style dropouts just to see if we like them. Probably, we'll stick with the classic open style dropouts everyone is used to.
Fork brake-mounts
Some sleek little IS brake mounts for our forks. Nick nailed this on our very first frame so haven't changed the design since.
Rear dropouts
Cut from 5mm thick 6AL-4V titanium, these dropouts feature IS brake mounts and offer a full inch of travel so that you can adjust your wheelbase for race or freestyle.
Motor plates
These motor mounts are cut from 3mm thick 6AL-4V titanium. The four slots on each plate are designed so that the motor can be bolted on, and then adjusted up or down for proper belt tension.