Advise on best kit ....?

[ean_p]

I intend to convert the missus's step through Giant bike to kit electric. being of the more mature years she dreads riding the bike on anything except a flat. To this end we rode the whole of the two canals across France two years ago over a couple of weeks ! So she's not fully adverse to the bike. Our use is mainly while out and about in our camper but our range is limited by her reluctance to take on inclines and longer trips that can be accommodated without exhaustion. So the plan is to convert her bike but what is / are the best kits? We would hope for about a 25 mile endurance which is 50 for a round trip and being step through then needing a flat pac battery etc. My current thoughts are on a middle mounted motor as they seem to have a better press than hub motors ....is this so? Any help , suggestions etc most welcome!

 

[Nealh]

Mid motor only get good Press because the press only try them out, they are bias and don't try out hub motor.
Hub motor allows a more leisurely ride with out the expense of a closed market mid drive.
Mid drive conversion kits are no better then hub drive kits unless of course you want an off road go nay where bike.

 

[ean_p]

Mid motor only get good Press because the press only try them out, they are bias and don't try out hub motor.
Hub motor allows a more leisurely ride with out the expense of a closed market mid drive.
Mid drive conversion kits are no better then hub drive kits unless of course you want an off road go nay where bike.

thanks for the reply Neal! Couple of questions, why / how do hub motors allow a more 'leisurely ride compared to mid drives and why can a mid drive take you 'anywhere' when a hub wont....what are the limitations please?

 

[sjpt]

With mid-drive you have to consider the gears more, as the gears affect the motor as well as your effort. On really steep hills the way a mid-drive uses the gears can be helpful.

Mid drive tends to be more expensive, and much more expensive to fix (especially big brands such Bosch, Shimano etc). Also more wear on the chain and cassette.

You'll need quite a big battery for 50mph round trip, as I expect your wife will want more than just a tad of assistance. Woosh have excellent kits, mainly with bigger batteries than most you see, and excellent advice pre-sales and customer service post sales. The kits use fairly standard parts that will be relatively cheap and easy to fix if anything happens.

Woosh hub kits | Electric Bike Conversion Kits from Woosh

Woosh range of hub kits with choice of front or rear hub motors. Convert your bike into an electric bike.

wooshbikes.co.uk

 

[Nealh]

Limitations for hub bike that can go anywhere may be that some spokes may get broken over very rough terrain, that said I only use hub bikes for 90 -95% of my riding and that includes rough off road. So it is possible.
My hub bike rides any terrain on the South & North Downs, though not at break neck down hill speeds on rough ground.

Hubs don't always require you to be in the correct gear like a mid drive so you can get away with too high a gear without frying the controller. The ride is more leisurely with no need to keep changing gears as often.
Mid drives don't like to be laboured with slow cadence as it causes heat and stress, stalling the motor. Gearing and changing gear is far more important and riding generally is more sports like.

I have had both and for me hub wins every day.

 

[ean_p]

Limitations for hub bike that can go anywhere may be that some spokes may get broken over very rough terrain, that said I only use hub bikes for 90 -95% of my riding and that includes rough off road. So it is possible.
My hub bike rides any terrain on the South & North Downs, though not at break neck down hill speeds on rough ground.

Hubs don't always require you to be in the correct gear like a mid drive so you can get away with too high a gear without frying the controller. The ride is more leisurely with no need to keep changing gears as often.
Mid drives don't like to be laboured with slow cadence as it causes heat and stress, stalling the motor. Gearing and changing gear is far more important and riding generally is more sports like.

I have had both and for me hub wins every day.

thanks for the info Neal, I take it that you are referring to a rear wheel hub? have you a preferred brand as a starting point?

 

[Nealh]

For rear hubs then CST/cassette hub, Aikema 100c if you are light 65/70kg or if heavier Aikema 128c.
Some of my rides aren't just off to the local woods but 160k with rough undulating track taking in the N/Downs, Downs link and S/Downs. The N/Downs is more technical and enclosed with trees etc then the vast open spaces of the S/Downs both make for good riding esp South if one takes in all the routes off the SDW.

The quality of a hub build is key for not breaking spokes.

 

[Nealh]

Combine an Aikema with KT controller and lcd3 or LCD4 and you have one of the best combo's available.