First ebike conversion kit recommendations...

[fat guy hat]

Hi Guys.

Long time lurker first time posting so be gentle please.

I have a Carrera Subway 2 which I'd like to put a motor on. My work commute is 4 miles each way but is a bit hilly. Problem I have is working in an office no matter how easy I take it I always get a bit sweaty (not a problem on the way home) and the shower facilities are non existent.

I've been reading the pros and cons of mid drive vs hub, I'd prefer a hub drive purely on looks alone, but happy to be advised by you guys either way.

So can anyone recommend a reliable 500W (or larger) hub drive wheel kit for 27.5" with a suitable battery please?

 

[Paultr]

I am not qualified to reply really as I have only done one conversion but I thought exactly the same as you initially. I ended up buying a similar specced bike to the Subway 2 but was convinced to go for rear wheel drive. My view now is that it is only 250w but can go up hills easily (but I am not that heavy) but the main reason for my post is that the thing I learned most is to keep the overall weight of the converted bike down as low as possible. Second thing but of equal importance is to make sure you get a thumb throttle. You will prefer the pedal sensor (in the right gear) in normal use but the throttle is great to use from a standstill

 

[Benjahmin]

As above. I initially thought,'250w, that's weedy, my sds drill is more powerful than that'. What I didn't realise is that stated motor wattage has bog all to do with what it actually consumes. That is entirely down to the current rating of your controller, and whether your battery is man enought to deliver said amperage without damage.
Ignore all these 1000w motors, they are mostly direct drives. Great at high speed (which makes them illegal on two counts) but crap low speed torque, which means they are rubbish at hill climbing. Also they eat batteries.

A good geared hub, specced at 250w will give you what you need - legally.
And that's from a 65 year old bloke living in West Wales where they don't do flat.
Have a look at the Woosh kits, then come and ask some more questions.

 

[jokskot]

As I've noted elsewhere, you could do a lot worse than buy a Voilamart 250w front hub drive (ca.£125) and 10Ah battery for ca.£160. My thinking was that this would be a cheap taster and I could upscale (at considerable expense) in due course.
In fact I'm very happy with my conversion and have ridden 15 to 20 miles almost every day for the last 4 months over varied terrain.
Detailed advice available, by pm, based on my experience if you decide to adopt this suggestion.

 

[fat guy hat]

Thanks guys, have emailed whoosh.

 

[fat guy hat]

Still looking at this guys, have spoken to whoosh. Have borrowed a friends cross city e today for work and it's really fun.

Would still like something faster though. Which kit & battery would get me to 25mph?

 

[Woosh]

Would still like something faster though. Which kit & battery would get me to 25mph?

it's very easy to do but you should move that question to a new thread in the approriate section of the forum:
http://pedelecs.co.uk/forum/forums/speed-pedelecs-s-pedelecs-non-eapcs-overseas.43/