Could someone recommend kit suppliers/options for me?

[DavidSWP]

Hi,

I was wanting to buy an Oxydrive F-Series 700c but always saw on their website that it was 'out of stock' but it would still let you order it! So I emailed them about it and got no response. Then I found some info on their site saying that where the item is marked 'out of stock' they put it on back order and aim to send out in 2 days, and if they can't they will contact you to see if you want to wait longer (which I would have). So I ordered it about a week ago and just checked my PayPal account to find it was refunded soon after payment with a note saying 'out of stock'. So it seems to me that this is no longer a viable option which is a pity, so I am looking for an alternative.

My bike is a Trek Soho Deluxe with front disc brake and Nexus rear hub, and my main requirements are:

1. Must be reliable. I had an ebike conversion a few years ago (Alien) and loved it but the batteries repeatedly failed.
2. Can't use a rear hub motor so must be front hub motor or I've heard some people mention 'mid-drive' kits but I'm not really sure what they are or if suitable.
3. Must be front disc brake compatible (cable operated, not hydraulic)
4. Greatly prefer an option/motor that doesn't cause any drag when cycling without assistance.
5. Must be able to provide assistance up to 19/20 mph for off road use (25 mph would be better) but also be limitable to 15.5mph for use on the road.
6. Need to be able to assist up moderate hills, but not looking for mega hill climbing ability
7. Much prefer mid frame mounted battery as opposed to on the rack
8. Prefer not to have to remove the bottom bracket to fit PAS sensor but not the end of the world if I have to

Budget £500-£600

Thanks, I really appreciate any advice. I am a bit gutted about the OxyDrive being unavailable because it looked perfect. I was going to buy one earlier but I had some issues with my bike that I had to fix first and only recently got around to it.

 

[D8ve]

The mid drive option takes out the bottom bracket and replaces it with a motor with internal sensor. It lets you use your bike with only one loss, a single front chainring.
It drives through your remaining gears. I like them.
D8veh will say he likes hub drive( they are cheap and effective).
The bbs01 will do what you ask. And you can derestrict the speed as well.
I will post my conversion soon. But it's unusual and I expect to get over 125 miles out of my battery 16ah 36v.

 

[Benjahmin]

Hi David,
I converted my Carrera Crossfire (700c) with an Ezee kit. Front hub, comes with a 160mm disc. Standard kit is with an LED handlebar control giving 5 levels of power. I mostly use level two. Bike started with triple front chainring but I ditched the smallest to fit pas sensor. Mine has a 14Ah rack battery giving more range than I need (35mls +) and stupendous hill climbing. I think they can do bottle batteries, you can get him at Cyclezee. As far as I know system can't be derestricted and cuts out at 15.5mph + 10%, so 17 mph. As far as I can tell there is negligable drag when power is of but bike is heavy and feels like pushing through treacle after being used to assist.
Reliability has been and is great. That said I'm not a commuter but I am using it a lot. Can thoroughly recommend the kit and Cyclezee is very helpful.
Ben

 

[DavidSWP]

Hi, the bbs01 looks interesting. I see various people selling on ebay and on some UK websites. Are there any UK sellers that people would recommend?

Also, some things I don't understand after reading about this a little bit - most of the kits seem to include crank arms, but almost everyone will have these already with their bike (of the correct length for them), so seems a bit of a waste, or is there something special about the ones that come with the kit? Other thing is, the chain ring - is it special? I don't see many options on being able to choose the size / number of teeth. How is the speed increased to 'off road' mode, is it software (i.e. done easily on the LCD display) or by altering the size of the front and rear chain rings?

The other thing I'd be concerned about is the chain line. Because I have a rear hub gear and just a single sprocket at the back, I'd want the chain line to be completely straight.

Ezee kit looks ok but a bit pricey and The website Cyclezee doesn't appear to provide much information such as I couldn't find anywhere if its compatible with disc brakes and its a gearless motor so it will be draggy.

Any other suggestions?

 

[STEVEMANFA]

I put a oxydrive kit on my bike just under a year ago, I've done about 700 miles on it and most of it in the wood, I have not had any problems with it and I think it's great.

If there kit will do what you want, why not give them a call and find out when the kit will be back in stock.

All the best Steve

 

[trex]

chain drives have better weight distribution than front wheel drive.

woosh sell them.

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?cdkit

They will have the new controller for their hub kits integrated to the HL battery arriving on Wednesday.

 

[D8ve]

Bbs01 has a non standard mount for the chain ring. But you can buy an adapptor to fit others. I have 46 tooth but would like 52 as downhill I spin out in low 30's. The cranks are standard heavy jobs. Don't worry you can change them if you want.
Buying a kit I would recommend getting from whoosh. As a complete system with garrantee. It's got to be worth spending a few bob more for that.
You can set the cutout speed using the display,but why bother.
In legal mode you accelerate upto 15 mph with ease. Then uphill you keep going working but getting a boost that means you pass any normal cyclist with ease and almost no sweat. The range is good too.
If you up the speed limit then you have a higher flat speed, and on gentle climbs too. Steep ones you would need to up the power as well. This would mean short range and all the issues with being Ilegal.
Down hill you don't need extra power, if you do then perhaps a motorbike is the answer

My experience is the Bbs is not as nice as Panasonic but I can't buy one of those for £600. The sensor and delay on pickup is irritating to me, however.
I pull away from the lights like a sprinter, my bike cruses on the flat at 17-20 anyway so needs no power there. Uphill I do 10 to 15 mph. And downhill my weight and bike helps me go like ** of a shovel (Strava says I've hit 60, I recon 55 anyway) and on power level 9 (set in software) I get huge range over 50 miles for 6Ah so far. Just built up my 16Ah battery so we will see what the range is like in a week

 

[trex]

woosh have a new SWX02 kit arriving Wednesday.

I tested the kit on this bike last summer:

90% power of the classic BPM but 1.5kg lighter.

 

[Yamdude]

woosh have a new SWX02 kit arriving Wednesday.

I tested the kit on this bike last summer:

90% power of the classic BPM but 1.5kg lighter.

What wheel sizes will that kit be available in ?

 

[trex]

I only tested 26 inch and 650B rear, there may be front wheels too, I haven't seen them.
The 650B rear wheel is for their new Bermuda bike arriving next month.

 

[Yamdude]

I'll be wanting 700c rear hub motor for my next kit..... like the look of this kit, with the streamlined battery and integrated controller. Makes it very neat and how a kit looks on a bike is important to me.
But it obviously has to be in my size.

 

[DavidSWP]

I didn't like the sound of 'you agree to have the kit fitted by a competent bike mechanic, on the whoosh site, it sounds like a 'we will use this as an excuse to invalidate your warranty if we feel like it' clause. I've now ordered a kit from ebike-sales. I was tempted at the last minute by the TSDZ2 kit with built in torque sensor which I'll probably regret as there is limited info on the internet about it, so looks like I'll be an early adopter of it.

D8ve, I tend to push very hard when I'm cycling even though I'm unfit I tend to be doing 20mph on the flat. That's my issue really - I remember the pain of cycling the last time and it puts me off doing it very often so really want a slightly higher assistance speed than 15.5mph.

 

[trex]

YD
woosh have 700C with cassette fitting but laced with the Mxus 07C motor which is compatible with this kit, about 0.5kg lighter but about 10% less torquey compared to the SWX02.

 

[D8ve]

Dave
Here is a good report on how the BBS can assist. With conversion details.
Oh if you need illegal it will assist to 50 kph But that's really pushing it. I.E. you stick out and draw attention to yourself.
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/thr...conversion-and-long-distance-commuting.20706/.

 

[trex]

I didn't like the sound of 'you agree to have the kit fitted by a competent bike mechanic, on the whoosh site, it sounds like a 'we will use this as an excuse to invalidate your warranty if we feel like it' clause. I've now ordered a kit from ebike-sales. I was tempted at the last minute by the TSDZ2 kit with built in torque sensor which I'll probably regret as there is limited info on the internet about it, so looks like I'll be an early adopter of it.

D8ve, I tend to push very hard when I'm cycling even though I'm unfit I tend to be doing 20mph on the flat. That's my issue really - I remember the pain of cycling the last time and it puts me off doing it very often so really want a slightly higher assistance speed than 15.5mph.

I think you only have to tell them that you are a competent mechanic.

 

[Yamdude]

woosh have 700C with cassette fitting but laced with the Mxus 07C motor which is compatible with this kit, about 0.5kg lighter but about 10% less torquey compared to the SWX02.

Ok, i'll have to check that out, nearer the time i want to buy something....
Waiting until my battery starts coming to the end of its life, then i'm going to replace the whole kit. Its now 3 yrs old, but still seems to have a lot of life in this 9amp/hr bottle batt.
Requirements i want are..... ease of fitting, i dont want to mix & match components and have to mess about changing wiring or different connectors.
Rear wheel hub motor laced into 700c wheel with black rims & black spokes to match front wheel.
Battery with integrated controller.
The ability to change max speed in LCD display...... majority of the time 15/16mph is fine for me, but on occasions, on the open road, its not enough. Another 5 to 7 mph would suffice.

 

[trex]

KD
the new kit has the cable set cut to fit the bike you saw in the picture. It's plug and play.
I have fitted the same on my bike but with a lightweight motor.

 

[DavidSWP]

Dave
Here is a good report on how the BBS can assist. With conversion details.
Oh if you need illegal it will assist to 50 kph But that's really pushing it. I.E. you stick out and draw attention to yourself.
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/thr...conversion-and-long-distance-commuting.20706/.

Yes it looks great, I was pretty much sold on the BBS motor, I was just diverted at the last moment by the TSDZ2 kit. Impulse buy

 

[snowboarder]

Hi,

I was wanting to buy an Oxydrive F-Series 700c but always saw on their website that it was 'out of stock' but it would still let you order it! So I emailed them about it and got no response. Then I found some info on their site saying that where the item is marked 'out of stock' they put it on back order and aim to send out in 2 days, and if they can't they will contact you to see if you want to wait longer (which I would have). So I ordered it about a week ago and just checked my PayPal account to find it was refunded soon after payment with a note saying 'out of stock'. So it seems to me that this is no longer a viable option which is a pity, so I am looking for an alternative.

My bike is a Trek Soho Deluxe with front disc brake and Nexus rear hub, and my main requirements are:

1. Must be reliable. I had an ebike conversion a few years ago (Alien) and loved it but the batteries repeatedly failed.
2. Can't use a rear hub motor so must be front hub motor or I've heard some people mention 'mid-drive' kits but I'm not really sure what they are or if suitable.
3. Must be front disc brake compatible (cable operated, not hydraulic)
4. Greatly prefer an option/motor that doesn't cause any drag when cycling without assistance.
5. Must be able to provide assistance up to 19/20 mph for off road use (25 mph would be better) but also be limitable to 15.5mph for use on the road.
6. Need to be able to assist up moderate hills, but not looking for mega hill climbing ability
7. Much prefer mid frame mounted battery as opposed to on the rack
8. Prefer not to have to remove the bottom bracket to fit PAS sensor but not the end of the world if I have to

Budget £500-£600

Thanks, I really appreciate any advice. I am a bit gutted about the OxyDrive being unavailable because it looked perfect. I was going to buy one earlier but I had some issues with my bike that I had to fix first and only recently got around to it.

oxydrive website says in stock at moment

 

[Terry1100]

Worth getting in touch with Panda http://www.pandaebikes.com/- I can confirm a "yes" to 6/7 of your questions. My answers inside your quoted post below.

Ollie and Maria at Panda have been promptly responsive to any of my queries and I would happily recommend based on my experience.

1. Must be reliable. I had an ebike conversion a few years ago (Alien) and loved it but the batteries repeatedly failed.
No issues with my front hub conversion - but I can only claim 4 months of commuting with it.
2. Can't use a rear hub motor so must be front hub motor or I've heard some people mention 'mid-drive' kits but I'm not really sure what they are or if suitable.
Mine is front hub
3. Must be front disc brake compatible (cable operated, not hydraulic)
This is the one you'll need to check with them - I have rim brakes so cannot comment
4. Greatly prefer an option/motor that doesn't cause any drag when cycling without assistance.
I am not aware of any drag when riding unpowered - it may be there but I can't feel it
5. Must be able to provide assistance up to 19/20 mph for off road use (25 mph would be better) but also be limitable to 15.5mph for use on the road.
Some "tweakbility" if you have the LCD display version (at a cost in battery life). As far as I'm aware this means it is not properly compliant with regs.
6. Need to be able to assist up moderate hills, but not looking for mega hill climbing ability
Happy with mine uphill
7. Much prefer mid frame mounted battery as opposed to on the rack
Options for frame, seatpost and rack batteries
8. Prefer not to have to remove the bottom bracket to fit PAS sensor but not the end of the world if I have to
Their sensor is 2-part. No issues with slippage so far

Budget £500-£600
Yup - with a mix 'match kit, around £400