Cyclotricity Conversion Kit

[halfmedley]

Hello, I'm thinking of converting my Orbea commuter bike (which I'm very happy with) using a Cyclotricity 250W kit, to help with a few short sharp gradients hereabouts on my daily commute. I'm not interested in huge ranges (my commute is an 8 mile round trip) or great weight (the less the better) just something that wll inject a little help when required. Anyone with any experience of these kits? Any good or should I consider something else? Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

How heavy are you?
Which bike do you want to fit it to?
With the Cyclotricity kit, I would advise you to get at least the LED control panel. The LCD one is even better, but very pricey. They're necessary to get a proper pedal assist function.

 

[Swytch Bike]

It sounds like a 250W kit will be fine for what you need it for, If you only have an 8 mile commute and the hills aren't too steep then a 24V kit would probably be worth considering (as opposed to the standard which is 36V). You'll save money on the battery as well as saving weight because of the reduced number of battery cells inside. Most kits weight about 6-8kg all told and this is definitely worth bearing in mind because you'll noticed the added load on the bike.

Cyclotricity kits are very well regarded, as are the kits from OxyDrive, ElectricBikeConversions, Ezee, ElectricBikeSales (and also ours), worth checking each of these out and comparing features. For instance if you just want the kit for assistance on hills you might like to have one where you can throttle up to max power from a throttle on the handlebar just for those short hill-climbs. As d8veh has mentioned, the LED screen is worth getting as a minimum, LCD screens are price but give you the advantage of being able to adjust the top speed (for off road usage) and show you your trip time, distance and a number of other features.

 

[Nealh]

Three other kit sellers as well Woosh, Eclipse and Cyclezee.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Don't gorget 8Fun UK.

 

[halfmedley]

Hello again, thanks for all the suggestions I shall certainly do more research on the other suppliers you've all mentioned. The 24 volt option sounds promising as I'd like to keep the weight penalty to a minimum, though some of the hills are quite steep. According to google maps an overall rise of 328ft over the four miles one way. A fairly minimalist conversion that doesn't draw too much attention to itself would be ideal. In answer to other questions my bike is an Orbea Plaza, a standard straight handlebar commuter and I weigh 70 kilos so not too much weight for a motor hopefully!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

At 24v, you get 66% of the torque of an equivalent 36v system. For the sake of saving less than 1kg, it's not worth sacrificing the power.

 

[D C]

I've been using a Cyclotricity kit for two years and a couple of thousand miles for pleasure only, mainly off road tracks and quiet tarmac, not commuting.
No problems and the 10 ah rack battery is still behaving as new.
I'm really happy with the kit though I don't have experience of other makes.
A water bottle/frame battery would have given me better weight distribution but the suspension bike to which I originally fitted the kit didn't have room on the frame.
I use throttle only as most of the time I don't want to have help except on the steep uphill sections and I find this is just right for my bike usage though maybe as d8veh says the LED control panel would be an advantage for some folk who use their bike differently and want help more of the time.
the optional LED panel does seem rather expensive at £100 extra, I wonder if there's a cheaper alternative from a different supplier which would work equally well.
Out of the box my kit has had a top speed of around 22 mph and Iv'e several times covered 40 very hilly miles with it though with use on uphills only preferring to use leg power on the flat and slight inclines.
You would I'm sure get 8 miles a day with plenty left over, even if you used full time e power.

Dave.

 

[Be a Biker]

Hi. I converted a hybrid using the Cyclotricity eKit 700c just over a year ago. For a year it was fantastic fun and all worked very well. It was not being used as a commuter, but just for leisure on random weekends. Usually on rides between 20 and 30 miles on varied terrain, nothing too hilly. However, 2 weeks out of warranty the motor packed up. On returning the bike to shop in Surrey I was told it would cost £150 pounds to replace front wheel and motor. After spending over £700 pounds to get my bike upgraded and enjoying only a year of infrequent riding I am bitterly disappointed.
No longer a fan of Cyclotricity.