Testing out the latest production samples

Dear backers,

In our update today, we would like to cover manufacturing progress we’ve made since our last update.

Latest production samples

Building a bike requires assembling many different components together – each playing a unique part in ensuring the performance, robustness, and quality of the final product. For most bikes, a vast majority of these components are standard parts that can be bought off the shelf, with a few customized parts.

Reevo is different – with a unique design that is the first of its kind in the world, all core components such as the hubless wheel, gearbox, fingerprint module, and even the kick stand have to be custom designed and built. Other components such as the pedals and handlebars are carefully-selected standard parts that fit our strict quality and design requirements.

Here are some of the custom parts that have been rolling off the production floor, along with some commentary regarding minor design changes we’ve made since our final prototype:

Gearbox module – all good to go!

Seat post – we experienced a manufacturing issue with the welding process. Initially, the tube became slightly distorted due to uneven cooling. The resulting parts had a tighter inner diameter making seat tube insertion difficult. We’ve since worked with our supplier to change the welding procedure, and we’re happy to report that this is now fixed. Earlier defective parts have been scrapped.

Battery cover – We’ve received some feedback that the battery cover comes loose occasionally during bumpy rides. A new latch design has been implemented to make it more secure.

Fingerprint module – remember this module which we covered in our first Mini Series? A small percentage of manufacturing samples are showing a crack on the housing surface (see red arrow). The problem has been identified to be caused by insufficient material thickness. We’ve since made a design change to remedy this.

Airless tyre mold – yes, the airless tyres are also designed and developed in-house. We’ll be covering our design process and benefits of the airless tyres in an upcoming Mini Series post.

Production challenges

In the spirit of transparency, we would also like to talk about the production challenges that we’ve faced since our last update. Firstly, some standard parts that we’ve ordered are stuck at the port of origin (Hong Kong) due to the extremely high volume of shipments and limited number of ships. We’re continuing to monitor the situation, and will provide an update when this is resolved.

Other than that, the COVID lockdown (movement control order) in Malaysia has been extended to February 4th. Certain factory operations are moving slower than usual due to movement and operating hour restrictions.

Finally, some of our suppliers will be taking an extended break for the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays. We’re pushing as hard as we can for their work to be completed before then.

And that’s it for today!

Thank you once again for your amazing support. On another note, we hope that you’re enjoying the Mini Series. We have to admit that we rather enjoyed looking back at old prototypes and putting down the evolution of Reevo’s development in words. Please let us know if there are any topics you would like us to explore in future Mini Series posts, and we’ll do our best to slot it in.

With love,

The Reevo Team