Help! First e-bike Halfords or DIY?

[arsenalb225]

I'm a complete newbie at anything related to bikes, I've been reading up on ebikes for a couple days and was looking for some help.

So, after looking at my Bike2work scheme I came across pedelecs as a viable option. My bike2work scheme seems to be best used at Halfords for the full £1000. So my question is do I use the voucher on a mountain bike and convert with a kit from say Woosh or do I buy one of the prebuilt e-bikes from Halfords, if so which one?

I'm confident I could fit a hub motor on my own (unless it's not recommended) after watching some tutorials, the bike would be mainly be used for commuting ~5 miles each way. The journey is almost all flat (London) and I'll probably use it for leisure on the weekend (no more than 10 miles each way). I'd like to go at 20mph cruising, but maybe the legal (15.5) limit is fine. I was thinking a geared hub 250W or 300W/13Ah/36V maybe? Not sure if this is correct. Also would like a more traditional feeling bike but can apply the juice to maintain higher speed without tiring. Should also mention ~6kg in my bag max when commuting if that helps.

In any case, finding a non-electric bike to convert is also confusing. Do I need a steel frame/ fork or hydraulic disk brakes? Which type of bike are best to convert? Also I'm a small guy 5"5/62kg would having a smaller frame affect the space needed for the external battery much? Or are battery racks OK to use (whats the downside)? I'd like to learn more about bikes and pedelecs in general over time so my plan was to purchase a regular bike from Halfords and fit a kit later as perhaps my needs would change instead of being left with a sub-par pre-built.

I was also looking at used mountain bikes that fit the criteria of hydraulic brakes/front or no-suspension/6061 aluminium/steel/carbon frames/ 26" wheels. But because of my height I wasn't 100% sure if small/16"or 17"? would even fit me. Also, I've read that you can convert most bikes but other places the opposite. So I was just wondering what you guys thought would be best and how much I should be spending on a donor bike from Halfords or 2nd hand (if need be). Happy to spend up to £1000 on one from Halfords now and a donor kit in a year or so. Or maybe ~£700 2nd hand and more on a conversion kit later. Which kit should I go for if I take this route and how much would I spend on a kit?

Just wondering if I'm on the right track with all this stuff or if I have it all wrong, googling bike parts and what they do as I go along. I like the challenge and having a project . Any help is appreciated thanks for your time!

 

[Bonzo Banana]

Considering your using the cycle2work scheme I would just go with an e-bike from Halfords to get the maximum discount on your purchase. Something like the Carrera Subway ebike is ideal, simple design that is very versatile. It's basically a rigid mountain bike. Halfords do some brilliant deals on bikes although their pricing is like a roller coaster so best to buy when a bike is at its lower pricing.

 

[arsenalb225]

Considering your using the cycle2work scheme I would just go with an e-bike from Halfords to get the maximum discount on your purchase. Something like the Carrera Subway ebike is ideal, simple design that is very versatile. It's basically a rigid mountain bike. Halfords do some brilliant deals on bikes although their pricing is like a roller coaster so best to buy when a bike is at its lower pricing.

Cool, I think I might just go for that. I was also wondering how you keep these bikes secure. I'm guessing it's not advised to keep these bikes worth 1000s locked somewhere public

 

[Nealh]

Cool, I think I might just go for that. I was also wondering how you keep these bikes secure. I'm guessing it's not advised to keep these bikes worth 1000s locked somewhere public

Depends where and for how long you leave it, 15 - 20 mins to nip in to village/town or city to shop you might be ok, any longer you need to consider removing the battery.
Two very good strong locks thru each wheel will be better then a single flimsy wire lock.

 

[Woosh]

You said you weigh 62kg. I imagine the bike weight may be important to you.

Keep in mind that e-bikes are much heavier than normal bikes.

It's difficult to find an e-bike weighing under 20kgs. The electrics adds about 6-7 kgs to the mechanical bike. So if you set the weight limit at 20kgs, you need to start with a bike weighing 13kgs or less.

 

[Kwozzymodo]

I always think you should start from the point of having a bike you want to ride. Then add the motor, etc. There are some great-looking, great-riding, purpose-built ebikes out there, at various price points.

If I was building my own ebike, I would start with a good quality hybrid and build in a hub motor - total cost around £700.

Obviously, the C2W scheme is very attractive, form a purchase price and tax persepective. So the likes of Halfords are in a good position. The Carrera Subway, as an example, is a great commuter bike.

Take a good look around what is available, and use the website for feedback, and I’m sure you will find what you are looking for.

 

[Nealh]

At 62kgs Op can utilise the lightest motor so the 1.7kg Bafang G370 or the Aikema SX85 would be good and a smaller 8- 10ah battery will be good for at least 30 miles.

 

[Wicky]

I'm guessing it's not advised to keep these bikes worth 1000s locked somewhere public

Custom bike stolen

Hello, I've unfortunately got my bike stolen. The thieve did that on day light and CCTV has captured his face so I'm hoping that maybe we can someday catch him. And the bike is so unique it can only be sold to DIY enthusiasts... so it'll probably someday come back here as well. Here's what my...

www.pedelecs.co.uk

 

[Woosh]

an alternative to a Kryptonite New York D-lock is to start with a non showy bike.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

You said you weigh 62kg. I imagine the bike weight may be important to you.

Keep in mind that e-bikes are much heavier than normal bikes.

It's difficult to find an e-bike weighing under 20kgs. The electrics adds about 6-7 kgs to the mechanical bike. So if you set the weight limit at 20kgs, you need to start with a bike weighing 13kgs or less.

I think the Subway e-bike is probably about that 20kg possibly a smidgen below. The normal Subway is actually lighter than many 700c hybrid bikes like other Carrera models despite having a mountain bike frame and mountain bike wheels because it lacks front suspension and those can add up to 2kg over rigid forks plus the smaller 27.5" wheels can weigh a little less than 700c wheels. Despite its low price there is no compromise to the spec in my opinion it has the stronger freehub based drivetrain meaning you can have decent high gearing too. There is nothing I would want to change about the spec although like most bikes the contact points may need to be changed to suit the rider, saddle, grips and pedals.

 

[Woosh]

Bonzo, the OP is a small guy, 5'5". 27.5" wheels are a tad too big for him.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

Bonzo, the OP is a small guy, 5'5". 27.5" wheels are a tad too big for him.

I don't think rider height has much to do with wheel size, you get children's road bikes that use 700c wheels its all about the frame geometry and how it integrates those wheels into the design. 5'5" isn't that small anyway according to halfords that is the lowest height for a medium 18" size mountain/hybrid type frame. I'm 6'2" and most of my bikes are 26" wheel size and I have a folding bike with 20" wheels.

 

[Woosh]

I don't think rider height has much to do with wheel size

OK, so you have a Subway.
Use a bathroom scale, weigh yourself with and without the bike to see how much the bike weighs. It appears lightweight for a 6'2" 16st guy, completely different for someone 5'5" 9.7st.
Measure also the height from top of the saddle.
On your Subway, he would have to come off the saddle at stops, even if he takes off the rear reflector to lower the saddle to its lowest setting.
Furthermore, for commuting, you will need to fit all the usual paraphernalia: rack, mudguards, lights, bells.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

OK, so you have a Subway.
Use a bathroom scale, weigh yourself with and without the bike to see how much the bike weighs. It appears lightweight for a 6'2" 16st guy, completely different for someone 5'5" 9.7st.
Measure also the height from top of the saddle.
On your Subway, he would have to come off the saddle at stops, even if he takes off the rear reflector to lower the saddle to its lowest setting.
Furthermore, for commuting, you will need to fit all the usual paraphernalia: rack, mudguards, lights, bells.

The reason I push the Subway is its an all-round great bike, its great off-road, gravel paths, commuting and capable of taking lots of abuse but its not heavy because it lacks suspension and has 27.5" wheels and the ebike version should be pretty much the same. I think rigid mountain bikes like that are strong and reliable it doesn't matter the weight of the rider, low weight riders still ride heavier mountain bikes with suspension without problems but yes its heavier than a CF road bike but its still a very good choice. I don't have a commercial agenda to push.

My main bike is quite a lot like a Subway I must admit, again its a rigid mountain bike designed for commuting and riding on pretty much any surface. However I also have a road bike. The Pylon (terrible name for a bike) I'm planning to convert to an e-bike.

 

[Woosh]

The Pylon (terrible name for a bike) I'm planning to convert to an e-bike.

you can fit an XF08C kit on it - it'll give about the same power as your present Subway.
https://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/product/uid-121-xf08c-13ah/xf08c-rear-hub-kit-with-13ah-battery

 

[Kwozzymodo]

The Subway is a good shout. Size wise, you should be able to find a frame to fit. I’ve seen a number of Subs for sale round my way - you could pick one up in really good condition for a touch over £100. I think a new one with hydraulic brakes must be around £400....

 

[Andy McNish]

"The journey is almost all flat (London) and I'll probably use it for leisure on the weekend (no more than 10 miles each way). "

You say that you're 62kg.
Do you have health issues?
If not why do you need an e-bike?

Something like this is much lighter (9kg!), cheaper, much faster on flat tarmac unless you derestrict and it's going to be more manoeuverable.

Planet X Norwegian Blue - that's a full carbon cross bike for £700.

E-bikes excell going up hills, on long tours, on worse surfaces and into strong winds - where the power can be used to reduce effort/go faster.

And I've used mine for 3000km this year. And I do commute (40 minute flat commute each way) on it as well.

But on a flat commute you will spend a lot of your time at the 25kph limit (or working pretty hard to get a 25kg+ bike to go 28kph - much harder than you would to get a cheaper gravel/cross bike to do so).

If I was buying a bike just for the commute and short (<1 hour) rides, it wouldn't be an ebike. And I wish I was 62kg!

Also in dreadful weather, e-bikers are always a little worried about water ingress. Not an issue for traditional bikes - and you can powerwash mud off the latter as well.