Conversion Kits: Pros and Cons

[EdBike]

The basic idea of a conversion kit is pretty attractive, but there seem to be lots of ifs, buts and caveats in terms of what you should and shouldn't do.

Here's the interesting thing - some 12,000 people are searching online directly for information on conversion kits every month. The idea is to build a definitive miniguide that answers all the big questions and helps them decide, kinda like the Electric Bike Buyers Guide I'm refining at the moment.

First, I wanted to ask for your views and suggestions to make an outline of what can go in the miniguide. So here's the big question:

What do you think are the big issues when choosing an ebike conversion kit?

 

[vectra]

Hi
Good Idea. Here's mine and not necessarily in this order!

1. Price vs ready built bike.
2. Price.
3. Installation- requirements and methods.
4. Fit for purpose-subjective!
5. Installation back-up.
6. Spares availability.
7. Ease of use.
8. Battery life.
9. Battery cost.
10.Weight of kit including and excluding battery.
11.Range.
12.Upgadability in terms of battery.
13.Availability of kit. Does it exist or is it just vapourware at the moment.
14.Maintenance back up.

More, I'm certain!
Regards
vectra

 

[banbury frank]

Wants for E Bike

Range 100 miles +

Battery no more than 1 Kilo

Whole kit no more than 2 kilos

Charge time 20 seconds

Spare battery £ 10

No cables

Price less than £99

warranty 10 years

On site service if it goes wrong in the first 10 years Free

If they cant fix it on the spot a free loan bike

Delivery to your door Free

A bike delivered free on trial for 6 months

The suppler to pay for the electric to charge the bike while on trial


Good Luck

Frank

 

[jerrysimon]

My first entry into E Bikes about 18 months ago was buying a kit. It was an Alien one. I have to say pretty top on the list is backup support. Details here

I had a problem with mine pretty soon after I installed it and they sent me out a new motor inards. I have to say that made a big difference.

They also answered lots of emails about problems and concerns I had both before and after I got the kit.

If you are a DIY bod then kits are a great way to get into ebiking. It seems like longer than 18 months since I became obsessed with ebikes. Been happy with my EBrompton for over a year now though. Oh and I had a s/h Cytronex between that kit and my current Brompton conversion


Regards

Jerry

 

[theskip1]

Range 100 miles +

Battery no more than 1 Kilo

Whole kit no more than 2 kilos

Charge time 20 seconds

Spare battery £ 10

No cables

Price less than £99

warranty 10 years

On site service if it goes wrong in the first 10 years Free

If they cant fix it on the spot a free loan bike

Delivery to your door Free

A bike delivered free on trial for 6 months

The suppler to pay for the electric to charge the bike while on trial


Good Luck

Frank

price is a bit high

 

[Tex]

gear computability for rear hub systems. freewheels are hard to get and have serious quality issues c.f. modern ensembles

 

[Pedalo]

Disc brake compatibility
Battery mounting options
Throttle / pedelec options
Will brake cut out switches work with existing brake levers

 

[Scottyf]

I've found out a few things from just browsing the site and opted for a legal sunlova 250w kit i brought from donna on here. I'l be picking up tomorrow night a marin kentfield hybrid bike to fit the kit to. As i've researched a little on here hopefully i've got something cheap to work with and an introduction into ebike.

However much of the electric terminology and tweaks you can do still escape me.
The kit to fit looks really straight forward but i can see why people run into trouble.

I think people who are serious will spend the time researching or asking questions. Like anything in life you don't learn unless you ask or do.

My first ebike setup will have cost 430 pound. Inc little bits here and there probably 450. Its an expensive commitment t get into it. An i think i.ve done it very cheaply. But you could buy a complete bike for another 100 pound. But i would rather go through the hassle to get a bike and kit i want.

Would be good to have each component is, what all abbreviations mean, what tweaks you can do, your experience on builds you've done ie work arounds with links and guides would be good.

 

[Tex]

My first entry into E Bikes about 18 months ago was buying a kit. It was an Alien one. I have to say pretty top on the list is backup support. Details here

I had a problem with mine pretty soon after I installed it and they sent me out a new motor inards. I have to say that made a big difference.

They also answered lots of emails about problems and concerns I had both before and after I got the kit.

If you are a DIY bod then kits are a great way to get into ebiking. It seems like longer than 18 months since I became obsessed with ebikes. Been happy with my EBrompton for over a year now though. Oh and I had a s/h Cytronex between that kit and my current Brompton conversion


Regards

Jerry

Jerry: is the controller in the battery case or the frame case. that hub motor looks nicely small.

 

[John L]

One thing I've learned is that you need to be a bit of a tinkerer! Lots of little things need adjustment when fitting a kit - brakes and shifters (depending on whether you want to fit a brake cut-off), v-brake adjustment in the case of a front hub motor, bottom bracket in relation to the pedelec sensor, removing the handlebar grip if you want to fit a throttle, mounting the controller on a suitable place on the bike and of course fitting the battery. Ensuring that good connections to the controller are achieved and protected from rain.

So in my opinion a kit isn't for everyone. But I have to say that I'm very happy to have converted my giant bike. I've made many other changes to the bike as a result of fitting the kit (these are personal mods which are not necessary but definitely add to my enjoyment of the bike) - new suspension forks, mechanical front disc brake, combination spd pedals (shimano A530s), suspension seat post (back on again after I tightened the spring) and marathon plus tyres. Doing all this with the help and advice from the forum has taught me lots about bike maintenance.

Now I feel the bike is "mine" - its the way it is because I made it that way. Overall it may have been cheaper to buy a ready built electric bike but I'd probably end up making changes to that as well! So I regard my bike as an on-going project which will I'm sure be subjected to more changes in the future.

John

 

[HarryB]

So I think the overriding questions are:

Are you fitting a kit to save money? It seems logical enough that they should be cheaper as you already have a bike but that is not always the case. One of the best kits (and the only one I would consider) is the Bionx but it works out a lot more expensive to build your own bike this way. Buy a ready made Bionx bike.

Are you a tinkerer? This is the most compelling reason to buy a kit. It must be very rewarding to get it right.

Do you mind the compromises? Where is the battery going to go? I rode a bike with the battery hanging off the back rack. Not a great experience, the weight is too high and far back. Other positions, bags etc make the bike look homemade. Looking homemade is the one thing that put me off kits.

It is odd that we are still waiting for two kits to come on the market - the Cytronex and Wisper - sort of suggests that getting a kit right is not easy. Personally if you are not a tinkerer I would wait for the above kits or buy one of the excellent ready made bikes on offer.

 

[jbond]

It's nice to buy the whole lot as a kit, but if you're into building a bike from a kit, you can guarantee that in 6 months you'll have a whole list of "improvements" you want to make.

So, sources of supply in the UK for individual components. Where can I buy:-
- A Pedelec sensor
- A half throttle (full, thumb, etc)
- 2/3 way switches
- Cycle Analyst, Turnigy, Wattsup
- 36v lights
- Decent brake levers with cut-outs
- Light and heavyweight wire in suitable colours
- Connectors
- Switches

And the big bits
- Battery
- Controller
- Motor (on their own or laced into a rim)
- Motor spares, like replacement gears.

I look forward to the time when Chainreaction, Wiggle, Evans, Amazon et al carry all this stuff. And price competition makes them competitive with no-name eBay sellers in Hong Kong.

 

[Scottyf]

To me, the kit will be a stepping stone to getting a more powerful motor, battery controller but i'm happy to use a pre spec'd kit as a starter guide.

The above with finding out where all the ancillieries can be brought would be useful.

 

[jerrysimon]

Jerry: is the controller in the battery case or the frame case. that hub motor looks nicely small.

Its in the little material case on the frame. Later versions of the kit had it sensibly located within the battery storage unit.

Regards

Jerry

 

[morphix]

my input

I have limited experience of conversion kits, but based on my experience of installing one, here are a few pointers I would cover in a mini guide...

#1 Battery

Since the battery is the most expensive part of any self-build (in terms of cost and weight), don't automatically go for a kit which includes a battery.

Consider whether the battery is right for the kind of bike you're trying to build. Is it too heavy/big, can it mount where you want it to go? You may find a much smaller battery will be adequate for your needs so you can save money and considerably reduce the weight. Why buy a big battery if you only plan to use half the capacity? Consider how far you will travel and how much power you will need then shop around for deals on batteries and look at different sizes that fit your requirements. There are some good deals out there on eBay for instance where you can even order custom size batteries.

#2 Supplier

This is an obvious one but make sure you're buying from a reputable supplier who can supply reliable and safe kits. Look for reviews or recommendations, don't risk your money and safety buying an unknown product from an unknown supplier. This applies equally to conversion kit and battery suppliers.

#3 Security

Many self-build kits come with huge batteries too heavy to carry that mount on a locked rear rack. This gives the obvious appearance of an electric bike and may be an invite to thieves or vandals. Think about how you plan to use your bike and whether you will need to leave it outside.

Fitting a smaller battery has the advantage that it can be mounted in an inconspicuous bike bag which can then be removed from the bike whenever necessary. Most insurance companies won't cover conversion kits or the battery against theft or vandalism if the bike is left outside anywhere.

#4 Motor

Should you buy a front wheel or rear wheel conversion kit? This is probably the first consideration when choosing a kit..and there's a lot of debate over which is best. Both methods have their pros and cons, but from an ease of fitting point of view, front-wheel is the simple choice. If you're not very confident at assembling bikes, then go for a front-wheel motor. Some also say a front wheel motor provides better weight distribution.

With a front wheel motor you will have more cabling over the bike frame of course. Also the motor is more obvious in the front wheel, so these are things to perhaps consider from an appearance point of view.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Really good points Morphix.

And yes Harry it is a lot more complicated to build a decent commercial kit than at first appearance, in fact I would say it is even more complicated than building a new bike! However we have now placed our first production order and hope to have DaaHub in the UK by the end of May.

I am in the process today of fitting DaaHub to a Whyte 28" Hi bred (when I get a moment)! Not finished yet but this will give an idea of the look.



I will post another image at the weekend when I take it out for a test ride.

All the best

David

 

[morphix]

Really good points Morphix.

And yes Harry it is a lot more complicated to build a decent commercial kit than at first appearance, in fact I would say it is even more complicated than building a new bike! However we have now placed our first production order and hope to have DaaHub in the UK by the end of May.

I am in the process today of fitting DaaHub to a Whyte 28" Hi bred (when I get a moment)! Not finished yet but this will give an idea of the look.

View attachment 1807

I will post another image at the weekend when I take it out for a test ride.

All the best

David

Nice looking bike David. This is exactly the type of bike I had in mind when I made my comments earlier..it looks inconspicuous, just like a normal bike.. I think that is a big plus for many, with the technology being well integrated or blended into the bike.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Thanks Morphix, that was the design brief and I am delighted with the way it works and locks onto the bike.

It will of course fit in front of the seat tube and under the cross bar. This makes it look a little more like an electric bike of course but it does lower the centre of gravity.

All the best

David

 

[Tex]

STEALTHY! nice work David.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Thanks Tex!

All the best

David