Alien kit conversion

[rustic]

Hi all,

I've been away from Pedelecs for the past 6+ months having sold my Alien Gents Special II at the beginning of the year. Since then I've been using a regular bike over the summer, a 23" (XL) Giant Cypress:

CYPRESS (2011) - Bikes | Giant Bicycles | UK / Ireland

I have definitely missed having the benefits of the electric bike, to the extent that I just haven't been out on my regular bike for the past 2 months. I have now decided to revert back to electric assistance and having had a quick scan of possible options, I'm poised to purchase the road legal 250w 700c Alien conversion kit for £549.

I would have no hesitation in buying an Alien kit, I really enjoyed having the Gents Special II, the Alien customer service was second to none & the prices have always seemed pretty competitive to me.

My only uncertainty is around the 700c wheels & being able to obtain front forks with the required 100mm width to accommodate the front hub motor, the current forks on my bike don't appear anywhere big enough and from a quick look around t'internet I can't find anything suitaable to do the job.

Has anyone had any experience of fitting this piece of kit that could point me in the right direction. Or, before I actually make the purchase, have I missed any Electric bike / or kit developments over the past 6 months that might be suitable for someone of my bulk (6' 5" / 15.5 stone)?

Thanks in advance, Rus.

 

[amigafan2003]

Are you sure your forks aren't 100mm wide? My carbon fibre forks on my Trek FX 7.5 are 100mm wide - I've fitted a Tongxin motor to my.

If your forks aren't 100mm wide but 83mm instead, google for a Cute 85 motor or look at Q85 36V 250W Front Driving V-Brake E-Bike Kit - BMSBATTERY

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You could get this kit, which is essentialy the same but costs a lot less and then use the price difference to get some new forks. 15% off the forks if you're quick.
8Fun Ebike Electric Bike Conversion Kit 36V 250W | eBay
SR Suntour NCX-D-LO-LITE 700c Suspension Fork

 

[rustic]

Thanks for those ideas. My only hesitation with buying a kit is whether there is a ready made bike that would suit my needs - large frame, throttle option & less than £1500 - that has either entered the market in the last 6-12 months, or is proposed for the coming year. I would appreciate any thoughts you might have. Cheers, Rus.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If you look to the right on this page, there's adverts for various suppliers. Most of them have bikes that meet those requirements. If that's not enough, check out Woosh bikes of Southend, 8funbike.com, Bearprint, Powerpedals, Ebay and about fifty million other suppliers.

 

[rustic]

Thanks d8veh, but those are tiny frames on all the ones you mentioned. I'm 6'5" tall & whilst a 21" frame is just about bearable, ideally I'd need something bigger which just doesn't seem available in the ready made ebike market, so I think my initial suspicion that a kit would be the best option would seem to be true. Thanks anyhow, Rus.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Thanks d8veh, but those are tiny frames on all the ones you mentioned. I'm 6'5" tall & whilst a 21" frame is just about bearable, ideally I'd need something bigger which just doesn't seem available in the ready made ebike market, so I think my initial suspicion that a kit would be the best option would seem to be true. Thanks anyhow, Rus.

Have a look at this then. It says up to 6ft 10in
Electric Bicycles - Aurora £999

 

[banbury frank]

Hi rus

If you call me or bob we can supply you a Diamond back peak HD 22 inch frame

Diamondback - Peak HD

with our kit complete fitted Ride away

Demo bike available in Banbury

I also think that Ezee can do similar he is not far away in MK so you cold try both

http://www.cyclezee.com/



Within your budget


Frank

 

[rustic]

Yep the Aurora remains a possible option. It is one of the bigger pre-made bikes on the market and the people at Alien are a pleasure to deal with.

Having previously owned a 21" frame Alien Gents Special II with 26" wheels I really wanted to get something bigger this time. A 22-23" frame with 700c wheels would suit me better, but the market does not seem to offer this.

I will take a proper look at your suggestion Frank. I am not too familiar with Xipi (having been away for a while), but am impressed with what I have seen & read so far.

Thanks again.

 

[indalo]

A 22-23" frame with 700c wheels would suit me better, but the market does not seem to offer this.
Thanks again.

Check your mail Rustic as the market does cater for those who need a larger frame.

Regards,
Indalo

 

[catsnapper]

Apart from small wheel folders such as Dahon and Brompton virtually all modern bikes have forks with 100mm dropouts.
The problem with many 700c forks and some 26", is the taper up to the crown and the relative position of the dropout on the blade. The axle will fit, but the large motor hub can foul the blades on one or maybe both sides.
My Planet-X 700c forks will take a 400W Ezee motor, but a 250W Bafang touches the blade on the non-disc side.

It's a nuisance, but not a not a difficult problem to resolve. There are plenty of forks that should have the correct axle-crown length, rake etc that will have enough room. I've used 26" forks with the correct measurements on 700c wheels(disc only), and I've currently got 24" forks on my 26" tandem.

Cyclocross steel forks are a possible option as they are designed to take wider tyres.

Alan

 

[catsnapper]

Forgot to add:

There are several forks for the 29'er MTB market that would do the job, both rigid steel and suspension.