Does what I want even exist?

[Volvos60s60]

Hi

I am not sure if what I want exists yet, or if I need to compromise on parts of my uneducated dream spec!!

First a little background:

Age: 58
Weight: 82 KG
Height: 6'-0"
Fitness: Not bad but certainly no power or group rider
Current bike: 10 year old 24 speed manual hybrid, value is less than my bike lock but I like it! I also have a great & unusual folder - Xootr Swift if anyone is curious
Riding pattern: Sunday rides, maybe 20-30 miles with a pub stop at the midway point, getting a bit more difficult as I get older (not the pub stop!), average 10-11 mph whilst riding mixed gradients (was not much more even when I was younger). Mainly on road, sometimes tow paths. Post ride, knackered & sleep!
Wants: Still want to get some fitness benefit, maybe make 30 miles more the rule than exception. I prefer hybrid cross bar style bikes
Budget £1000-£1500. Any more then it starts to be hard to justify
Uneducated dream spec - (might have to compromise I know): After some googling to understand options, I think cross bar hybrid, crank located motor for balance & handling, belt drive with hub gears for low maintenance & durability, 250w motor size (would prefer 500w but I know everyone will tell me about the 15.5 mph legal limit in the UK, but even so would be willing to consider 500w if available in something other than a mountain bike design) - even if all of this was available it would probably be a multiple of my budget
So, learned friends, what do you recommend please?

 

[Nosweat]

If you want to cycle out of a shop on a new ebike for under £1500 then it won't be doable in your budget without some spannering. The cheapest Nexus-geared bike with a crossbar that I've seen is this Corratec on a 46% off promotion at £1399 but it has a chain (and coaster brake which I love but recognise is not for everyone):

Corratec E-Power 28 Active 8 Coaster 500W Bosch Hybrid E-Bike - EX DEMO | Merlin Cycles

Buy your Corratec E-Power 28 Active 8 Coaster 500W Bosch Hybrid E-Bike - EX DEMO at Merlin. Free worldwide delivery available on most items!

www.merlincycles.com

The cheapest hub geared belt driven bike I can think of right now is the Raleigh Centros GT at £2849:

Buy a Raleigh Centros GT Cross Bar Hub from E-Bikes Direct Outlet

Raleigh Centros GT Cross Bar Hub

www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk

So how can you do it for less than £1500 without buying second hand? Answer: buy a belt-drive pushbike and add a motor and battery. For example:

Cube Travel Pro black'n'brown | Bikester.co.uk

Buy the Cube Travel Pro black'n'brown today at Bikester.co.uk ✓ Quick dispatch and delivery with free returns ✓ Find what you need with Bikester.co.uk

www.bikester.co.uk

has belt drive, cross bar and 8 speed hub and costs just £792.

A decent sized battery and front or crank motor from Woosh costs around £600 plus fitting costs. If you can find something compatible then what you want is potentially doable within your budget. I say potentially because I simply don't know if it's possible to fit a Woosh mid motor to a Gates drive crankset. You might have more luck fitting the front hub motor but the Cube Travel has aluminum forks so I believe you would need torque arms to prevent the forks from snapping under the power of the motor. Certainly before buying anything I would do my homework and check that it all fits together.

I mention Woosh as I have been communicating recently with them regarding the suitability of conversion of my own bike which also has an unusual spec and have found them very helpful but I am aware of other companies that sell conversion kits too.

 

[Volvos60s60]

Hi Nosweat,


Thanks for your very useful reply. The Raleigh Centros 2020 GT looks like just what I'm looking for but it is far too expensive. I'll keep an eye on these over the next few months, maybe after Xmas they might get cheaper, but certainly nowhere remotely near my budget until they are replaced with a new model. However, at least it exists which means others will start to make something similar at some point with the resulting price drops as they start to become the norm

 

[KirstinS]

You could convert a suitable derailleur bike to nexus 8 for under a100. Hub is 55 at planet x now

Shimano Nexus SG-C6010-8R 8 Speed Hub 32H

www.planetx.co.uk

 

[Nosweat]

I think if converting from derailleur to hub gears you would need to retain the hockey wheels or fit a new spring chain tensioner wouldn't you? Otherwise you would need a frame with horizontal dropouts. The main drawback (for me) of vertical dropouts and hub gear would be that a coaster brake hub couldn't be used but that's just my preference.

So yes if the OP wants to convert his existing bike using a hub gear, chain and motor kit then it's his for under £700 including fitting. But the brief was hub gears and belt drive.

 

[KirstinS]

I think if converting from derailleur to hub gears you would need to retain the hockey wheels or fit a new spring chain tensioner wouldn't you? Otherwise you would need a frame with horizontal dropouts. The main drawback (for me) of vertical dropouts and hub gear would be that a coaster brake hub couldn't be used but that's just my preference.

So yes if the OP wants to convert his existing bike using a hub gear, chain and motor kit then it's his for under £700 including fitting. But the brief was hub gears and belt drive.

I actually find alfine far less hassle with a tensioner and vertical dropouts (my current frame) over my previous (horizontal) as I'm not forever re tensioning it. The alfine sprung tensioner (as opposed to a singulator style) also helps with chain line on a mid drive conversion

But, point taken on the belt drive requirement. My bad

 

[KirstinS]

The tensioner I have is this one

https://m.bikester.co.uk/shimano-alfine-ct-s500-chain-tensioner-chain-device-silver-372020.html

And previously used and then ditched the singulator style

https://m.bikester.co.uk/shimano-alfine-ct-s510-chain-device-black-silver-474018.html

 

[vfr400]

There's nothing to stop you using the derailleur you already have to tension the chain. that's what I did when I converted to Nuvinci . I locked it in line with the sprocket using the end-stop adjuster screws so I could chuck the cable and shifter.