Cytronex conversion kit

[scotterdavid]

Hello,

I went over to Winchester yesterday to test ride one of the front hub conversion kits made by Cytronex (https://www.cytronex.com/). I was very impressed, however does anyone have an opinion of this kit/company and how they compare with other offerings, please?

The kit is expensive at circa £1000, but the quality is excellent. What I'm interested in is a kit that will give me a boost up the hills and at the end of the day, and is not too heavy (Cytronex kit is 3.6Kg with the bottle battery). In other words, a kit that is powered by a (bottle) battery which is not too heavy. Does anyone know of any alternatives to Cytronex?

Also, do you usually need to fit a torque arm to a front wheel conversion?

Best regards,
David

 

[sjpt]

As long as you have reasonably robust forks and a not too powerful motor you should not need a torque arm. Cytronex motor is not that powerful, they will advise on your particular bike.

The kit is very expensive for what it is; one of the most expensive parts of a kit is for battery, higher capacity = higher cost, and the Cytronex has a very low capacity battery (180 Wh). Might not be an issue if you are happy to ride without assist most of the time and just use it as a helper on the hills. Riders of light road bikes are typically going over 15mph on the flat and so the motor shouldn't be giving any assist or using any current even if turned on.

Look at the lighter Woosh kits (if you don't mind waiting, out of stock right now I think https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?hubkits). I don't think they go quite as light as the Cytronex, but you get a higher capacity battery and a lower cost, and excellent customer service. As it is 'standard' parts any fixing is likely to be much cheaper, with less risk of irreplaceable parts and the whole thing becoming unmaintainable.

I haven't considered a Cytronex kit seriously as it isn't designed for our style of cycling, but I have used the shop a couple of times and found them very helpful. There have been some complaints about their not keeping supplying spare batteries for their older kits; I can't remember the details, search the forum.

Swytch is another obvious one. Not sure on their weight. https://www.swytchbike.com/ They have a very odd way of selling, and mixed customer service.

If you are considering a new bike the Fazua system seems best for lightweight; but I don't think it is available as conversion kit.

 

[vfr400]

It's expensive because they made nearly everything bespoke. That means if anything goes wrong, you're beholden to them. Also a front motor on a road bike or light hybrid type bike is horrible. If you want a nice light-weight kit, you can make your own much better one and save hundreds of pounds.

You want a rear cassette motor

36V250W Shengyi Mini DGW12C Rear Hub Brushless Motor with Cassette Ebike Bike Accionamiento - AliExpress Sports & Entertainment

Buy 36V250W Shengyi Mini DGW12C Rear Hub Brushless Motor with Cassette Ebike Bike Accionamiento at Aliexpress for US $141.16. Find more Sports & Entertainment, Cycling and Electric Bicycle Part products. Enjoy ✓Free Shipping Worldwide! ✓Limited Time Sale ✓Easy Return.

www.aliexpress.com

Bafang will probably be better quality, though harder to find:

G310-G311 - Grin Kits - Product Info

The small G311 front / G310 rear motors from Bafang are well suited for those wanting light and discrete conversion for moderate assist levels. A high reduction helical gear set allows these tiny motors to deliver a surprising punch without any of the buzzing noise commonly associated with...

www.ebikes.ca

A KT controller with LCD4

24V/36V 250W 6Mosfets 12A Brushless DC Torque Simulation Square Wave Controller? - PSWPOWER.com

www.pswpower.com

and a lightweight bottle battery:
tps://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000433503475.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.101e7a5dvLIo3b&algo_pvid=f287529a-978b-4f06-838f-2fc14d09196f&algo_expid=f287529a-978b-4f06-838f-2fc14d09196f-21&btsid=0b0a0ac215927393117166396e649b&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

The whole kit is under £500 including the cost of rim and spokes. Spares will be cheap and easy to fix. total weight of the kit is about 3.2kg. You can set your own speed limit. If you want more speed power in the future, all you need is to buy the 48v version of that battery from Aliexpress for about £200 and you're good to go.

 

[Woosh]

if you want to wait a little bit, I will have my 85SX water bottle kit with 7AH beginning September for about £420.

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/product/uid-121-85sx-13ah/85sx-rear-hub-kit-with-13ah-battery

water bottle battery with controller: