I don't hear much about Varstrom on the Pedelecs forum, so I thought I'd post my experience.
I had been interested in converting one of my bikes, so I looked around and plumped for Varstron due to the basic reviews and low cost.
I did realise they are a Hong Kong based company, but research showed they have distribution depots in the UK.
They also had the best laid out, easily understandable web page for selecting the spec of kit you want.
The bike I wanted to convert was a Kona Sutra road touring bike, for work commuting and a bit of tour camping.
Thinking 250W wouldn't be enough for loaded touring, I ordered the 48v 500W Bafang BBS02B kit with a 20Ah Samsung battery from Hailong.
It then occurred to me that this was a bad decision, due to the UK law and the penalties if caught.
I have a HCPC job that requires a clean rap sheet!
So, before the kit arrived I emailed their Customer Service dept. (in HK) and asked if I could change the order.
They did reply in time to advise me to reject the delivery and they would re-send with a 250W motor.
But the email went to my junk folder, so I did not actually see it until 1/2 hour after I had accepted the delivery.
Very frustrating, but ultimately my fault. Always check your junk folder.
Delivery was fast though: 2 days.
So began a 3-4 week negotiation with a Customer Service employee (unconvincingly) called 'Kong'.
The problem seemed to be a communication one.
As far as I could make out there was more than one 'Kong' in the conversation.
At first I was advised to send the whole (very heavy) package back for a re-order.
But this seemed a waste, as I only wanted to exchange the motor itself.
The 250W seemed to be out of stock for a while, and they wanted me to return the parts to a Poland depot.
I pointed out the swift initial delivery time and asked for a UK address.
The gave me one and I sent just the motor kit back, recorded delivery.
After two weeks, and some more prompting, the new 250W motor arrived.
So, all good if you get the delivery correct first time.
But a pain in the ass if you get it wrong.
All came good in the end though.
All seems genuine and in good working order.
I have installed the battery and motor, but it's an old bike that needs some more TLC before being roadworthy.
I will post a road test review and build pics soon, when it's finished.
This is the kit I bought:
varstrom.com
I had been interested in converting one of my bikes, so I looked around and plumped for Varstron due to the basic reviews and low cost.
I did realise they are a Hong Kong based company, but research showed they have distribution depots in the UK.
They also had the best laid out, easily understandable web page for selecting the spec of kit you want.
The bike I wanted to convert was a Kona Sutra road touring bike, for work commuting and a bit of tour camping.
Thinking 250W wouldn't be enough for loaded touring, I ordered the 48v 500W Bafang BBS02B kit with a 20Ah Samsung battery from Hailong.
It then occurred to me that this was a bad decision, due to the UK law and the penalties if caught.
I have a HCPC job that requires a clean rap sheet!
So, before the kit arrived I emailed their Customer Service dept. (in HK) and asked if I could change the order.
They did reply in time to advise me to reject the delivery and they would re-send with a 250W motor.
But the email went to my junk folder, so I did not actually see it until 1/2 hour after I had accepted the delivery.
Very frustrating, but ultimately my fault. Always check your junk folder.
Delivery was fast though: 2 days.
So began a 3-4 week negotiation with a Customer Service employee (unconvincingly) called 'Kong'.
The problem seemed to be a communication one.
As far as I could make out there was more than one 'Kong' in the conversation.
At first I was advised to send the whole (very heavy) package back for a re-order.
But this seemed a waste, as I only wanted to exchange the motor itself.
The 250W seemed to be out of stock for a while, and they wanted me to return the parts to a Poland depot.
I pointed out the swift initial delivery time and asked for a UK address.
The gave me one and I sent just the motor kit back, recorded delivery.
After two weeks, and some more prompting, the new 250W motor arrived.
So, all good if you get the delivery correct first time.
But a pain in the ass if you get it wrong.
All came good in the end though.
All seems genuine and in good working order.
I have installed the battery and motor, but it's an old bike that needs some more TLC before being roadworthy.
I will post a road test review and build pics soon, when it's finished.
This is the kit I bought:
BAFANG 48V M215 BBS01B MM G340.250.C for eCity eTour eRoad Conversion
Varstrom provides professional electric assist bicycle solutions, we are one of BAFANG's largest partners in the past 5 years, we sell BAFANG motors, and provide other accessories needed to the eBike conversion, such as batteries, displays, ebrake levers and all the required kits. Varstrom helps...
varstrom.com
