Convert a bike or buy an ebike?

[Bigbee]

Hi

Im new to this ebike stuff.I want an electric bike and have been looking around and researching for the last month or so.Its very confusing,this site has been a great help thanks.Some of you know how bikes work inside out and Im suprised you havent got into the business of selling them your self?Any way,the going rate for a mountain ebike is £700 up wards.Ive been looking at conversion kits at around £400.I can buy a new normal mountain bike for under £100 and save my self at least £200.Is there a downside to this?The kit Ive seen straps the battery in a compact case to the saddle post and looks really neat.As some ebikes dont have the cables built into the frame the finished picture doesnt look any different to a lot of proper ebikes to me.Can I still get the Government discount scheme with a kit bike?I look forward to your replies,please dont get too technical

 

[Mussels]

The problem with buying seperately is when something inevitably goes wrong, the bike shop will blame your modifications and the kit maker will blame your fitting (probably). I think the kit option is one for someone who has good cycle knowledge and can make the right choices, I may well go for this when if/when I decide to get a replacement for my current bike.
When I got my bike I knew very little and have relied heavily on the after sales support from the shop and the manufacturer, it was worth the extra money. Also you should be comparing £1000+ ebikes with £500+ normal bikes and not £100 ones.

 

[Bigbee]

Thanks for your reply.The conversion kit has BAFANG motor so should be reliable.The rest of the components seem ok,So I'll gamble with the warranty.

I take your point regarding possible quality of bike

This was one bike I plucked out of the air @ £90

:: BRONX CYCLES 08 ::

But going up a grade to these bikes


:: BRONX CYCLES 08 ::

Corvus £263
Pulsar £315
Mensa £170
Trax £130

They seem as good quality of any ebike I saw at this years Cycle 2008??

Im using these bikes as an example and wouldnt necessarily go with any of them

 

[eddieo]

I guess you are considering the Alien kit.... I have a wisper and need a bike for my wife and also considering a kit. As that way I can get her a girly style bike...as she finds the wisper heavy and intimidating.

I was going to go for a trek or specialized....never heard of bronx, but like the style of the monsoon model as I'm sure she would like it. they don't publish their weights though....

any one an opinion on these bronx bikes?

wisper have a kit coming out in new year but bet it will be twice the price of the Alien There is also another ebay seller of bike kits cheaper then the Alien. Members on here have successfully built e bikes with the Alien kit I believe. they may be worth a PM.

 

[maca44]

I'm in the same boat as you & want to make up my own MTB with an electric hub.

Why do you want a MTB as apposed to another type of electric bike ?. The reason I ask is if you want a electric MTB for off road riding then a £100 bike fitted with a kit is not going to be of much use as it will have poor quality parts fitted & for off road electric riding a 36v hub would be better than a 24v due to the extra drag & hill climbing that off road riding will bring so you will want as much power as you can get. I make my own MTB's & from experience a basic good quality hardtail MTB would cost around £400 just to make up yourself excluding any electric upgrade just a basic bike with front suspension.

This guy sells full rear hub electric MTB's & he is a nice chap who will be happy to just give any advice you want. As you can see his setup has the power needed for true off road riding but at a cost.

electric mountain bikes, electric bicycle, electric bike kits, folding bicycles

If it's not off road riding then I guess a hybrid type electric bike would suit & from what I can see you will need to spend a good £700 odd to get anything that is of a good quality.

 

[Bigbee]

Ive discussed this with a friend who imports car parts from the Far East.Ive told him what I know about this industry ( written on a postage stamp).Hes getting me prices on kits and complete bikes.Theres enough margin to compete with Alien.I read that E-MTB were selling well,I dont necessarily need one my self,just some thing that looks good.I may be getting some kit prices soon and would be happy to provide guinea pigs with samples at our cost.There must be a big business in retro fitting as much as complete new bikes.??

 

[bogmonster]

I have been going through the same decision process. I found the bike I wanted (Cytronex) but couldn't get it on Cycle Scheme It is hard for me to justify £1000 at the moment.

None of the other bikes hit the mark for me so I looked at kits. I already have a road bike and I have started to use this to commute to work but I'm finding it hard going and too slow on the way home. Maybe with a bit more fitness.

On the kit front, there are some very expensive kits and some very cheap ones. None of them are quite right for what I want. The Alien kit would be a comprimise but the battery is probably too small for my needs so I am just trying to get fitter. The Alien kit would be a cheap option for me as I would just put it on my existing mountain bike. But my commute is 21 miles each way and very hilly.

What would be ideal for me is a kit using the Tongxin motor and an 8ah battery. Can't find anything like that on the market.

I know some folks here are against kits for good reason but I think it would be more fun to have a go myself.

BM

 

[Bigbee]

Why couldnt the Cytronix get on the Government scheme?Because it starts life as a normal bike and is modified?.Im looking at the more powerful kits,36W that fit snugly on the saddle post and not an ugly rack mounted jobbie

Tell me what you want and I'll ask the question.I thought 13ah was better than 8ah?Why would you want 8 ah?

 

[john]

One of the main advantages of a complete e-bike is that the battery is normally mounted low in the frame, out of the way and giving better handling. Having said that, some kits allow you to do that too.

Kits have the advantage that you can build it just how you like (if you can get the parts), you are not restricted in frame sizes and you can have fun tinkering.

 

[Tiberius]

There's really two ways of doing it diy, with a complete kit, or by collecting the parts yourself. There's also the option of getting a ready made bike that is close to what you want and modifying it. So that makes (at least) 4 routes you could take.

1. Buy ready made
2. Buy ready made and modify
3. Buy kit and fit to bike
4. Buy parts and assemble custom system.

I suppose I can claim experience of all except number 3. Number 4 allows you to think about what you want and specify it, but one of the dangers there of course is overspecifying.

In my experience the part of the system that will cause most problems, take up most time, cost the most, be most difficult to fit, etc, etc, is the battery. A kit or ready made bike, solves the problem of fitting for you, but you may not be getting the optimum battery for your application.

HTH

Nick

PS. John, there is a toxic but somewhat amusing thread on endless-sphere.com about the best position to mount the battery. Low down is best when pushing or parking the bike but it can have strange effects on the handling when its being ridden.

 

[FrancisKing]

Hello. I'm new to this forum.

I have three bicycles already.

A 3-speed shopper (my cheap bicycle)
A Giant hybrid bicycle (my all-weather bicycle)
A road hybrid bicycle (my fast bicycle)

I am interested in buying a kit for the Giant hybrid bicycle. I have three options:

Buy a kit
Buy a bicycle
Buy a moped

Some people buy petrol powered kits for their bicycle. They can do 30+mph. These look like homebrew mopeds , and if I was going that fast, I'd probably want a proper motorscooter instead, with proper brakes, chassis, wheels, that are built for that kind of stress.

I looked into Currie/Izip motors, but couldn't find anything on the web. My needs are quite specific. I live in Bath, and most of the journey in is downhill or flat. Only on the way home do I need some help, over 1/2 mile of steep hills. I'm okay for fitness, I can make the grade on a good day on my lightweight fast bicycle, but not on a bad day. Also, of course, it rains a fair bit in Bath, so the lightweight bicycle (without mudguards) is not so useful then.

I could buy a new bicycle, but I'd rather make something of what I've already got. Three bicycles is enough for me.

I'd like something fairly inexpensive, for attachment to my Giant hybrid. The alternative is to get off and push (which of course is free )

Thoughts, please...

 

[MaryinScotland]

Things to remember about a moped...

Tax, insurance, MOT, compulsory helmet.
If you get stuck in a traffic jam, it's not so easy to hop off and push it on the pavement as it is with a bike (e- or otherwise).
You'll get cold.

I've used lightweight motorbikes in the past, and they have their place, but when most of my riding happens within 5 miles of home, I'm now firmly in the e-bike camp.

Mary

 

[Hooligooner]

I looked into Currie/Izip motors, but couldn't find anything on the web.

LINK: The Currie kit is here...
LINK: ...and this is the Alien kit.