E bike conversions
Author
Discussion

Cupramax

Original Poster:

10,999 posts

281 months

Monday 15th May 2017
quotequote all
Anyone else attempted to do one of these? There seems to be a huge amount of kits with both hub and mid drive available now and i'm leaning towards the mid drive Bafang/8fun. Thinking about having a go with one on my old stter mountain bike which sits in the garage looking sorry for itself so it doesnt really matter if i fk it up biggrin

Looking at the vids on youtube the performance on some is absolutely nuts, and before someone else say, yes i know we're legally limited to 250w and 15.5mph in the uk.

MKnight702

3,428 posts

243 months

Monday 15th May 2017
quotequote all
I have been tempted. My commute to work is down the A14/M11 which will have yet more delays on until December (December 2020 that is!). The only downside is that my commute is ~56 miles per day so anything other than an ebike is out. However, I still think that it would take me a couple of hours each way so I'm not sure how practical it would be in reality.

TvrJohn

1,070 posts

284 months

Monday 15th May 2017
quotequote all
Cupramax, having similar thoughts, hired a Trek MTB at Kiroughtre in Scotland at easter, great piece of kit, pedal assist bosch mid drive but at £2500 bit expensive.
although heavy with lithiom I battery

Kits do look attractive price wise

marcg

405 posts

224 months

Monday 15th May 2017
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I hear a freewheel function is essential in order that when battery runs out, you aren't pedalling against the magnetism.

MKnight702

3,428 posts

243 months

Monday 15th May 2017
quotequote all
TvrJohn said:
hired a Trek MTB at Kiroughtre in Scotland at easter
Good, I'm heading up to Cardoness in a couple of weeks, I may have to call in to Kirroughtree and give one a go.

spyder dryver

1,330 posts

245 months

Monday 15th May 2017
quotequote all
I converted my Kinesis Maxlight 18 months ago using a kit from Panda bikes. It has a Xiongda 2 speed rear hub motor. Low gear operates up to around 9mph then changes up to high gear which goes on to around 16mph. The level of assist is adjustable. I normally aim for a 50-50 split between my input and the motors. Range wise it will give 40+ miles at medium assist levels. A little less if off road or if higher assist is selected. The speed selection can be manual or auto. The kit included a thumb throttle for a "boost" of power, if required.
I spent a little extra (£300) on a really good high capacity battery. The actual conversion was reasonably straightforward. I even built my own wheel. Total cost was £600 including a new rear rim, spokes and tyre.
It has taken me far and wide, even up a glen or two!
Since taking the pics I have fitted a suspension seat post. Recommended.

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Cupramax

Original Poster:

10,999 posts

281 months

Monday 15th May 2017
quotequote all
Looks great, thanks for posting thumbup

Shelsleyf2

424 posts

261 months

Tuesday 16th May 2017
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I have been thinking about an electric bike conversion . Whould it be possible to tow a small trailer similar to the type used for children and place batteries in the trailer connect these to the bike for an extended range?

Magic919

14,457 posts

230 months

Tuesday 16th May 2017
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500Wh packs weigh about 2.5kg and Bosch have started to offer a pair as a range extender. It would be easier to carry spare ones and replace than extend the wiring to a trailer, but either is possible.