General Advice for Bike Choice When Doing a Conversion

[harrys]

I own a front motor, one bafang mid motor and a few rear motor conversions. It's important to get the wheel weight down so that they are easier to accelerate.

I once bought a very inexpensive $79USD fat tire bike. Everything was steel, including the rims. I could barely pedal that bike 1.5 miles. In the process of converting to a rear motor fat bike, I replaced everything but the frame. Even with motor/battery it only weighs about 2 pounds more, I can ride that bike 10 miles w/o power because I've reduced the wheel weight by about 3 pounds on both. I saved almost 2 pounds just on tube/tires per wheel.

I mounted my front motor originally on an alloy fork, with double torque plates. I finally changed it to a steel front fork this month. It was hard to find a 20" steel fork that took disk brakes and had a 10" steerer tube to fit my minivello.I went front motor to keep the 8 speed cassette on that bike. The ride is harsh on bumpy roads, and the tire spins on loose or wet surfaces. I tell myself it's worth it to keep the cassette and have "two wheel" drive. I will be doing a second front motor on a cruiser style bike soon.

My mid drive conversion is on a lower end bicycle, but it's still pleasant to pedal and ride. Quite fast if I choose to hammer along, but no need. At my speeds, nothing will wear out. I bought a new chain when I converted it in 2016, but still am using the old one.

What has worn out are two DNP 11T-28T freewheels on our rear motor 20" folder conversions. Both wore out the pawls around 3000 miles. That was predicted, and it happened. I also wore out the rear tire on mine at 2500 miles.

 

[vidtek]

Yeah



hi mate thanks for reply, was hoping for a stronger bat than the 10.5AH don’t mind waiting for new stock arriving. Also bearing in mind I’m not very mechanical minded is this something I’d be able to fit myself without much hassle. John.

It depends on how you intend to use the bike. You haven't yet stated this in any of your replies so we are in the dark with that.
If you want to do a load of off-road trails then that dictates you would need a bike with full suspension. If it's mainly tarmac paths and roads, then full suspension is not necessary.
The distance you intend cycling is also a critical factor in battery choice. For instance, if I had known beforehand my average distance was going to be <10 miles I would not have bought such a large battery, a 10ah one would be more than adequate for my needs.

 

[bulldogboab]

It depends on how you intend to use the bike. You haven't yet stated this in any of your replies so we are in the dark with that.
If you want to do a load of off-road trails then that dictates you would need a bike with full suspension. If it's mainly tarmac paths and roads, then full suspension is not necessary.
The distance you intend cycling is also a critical factor in battery choice. For instance, if I had known beforehand my average distance was going to be <10 miles I would not have bought such a large battery, a 10ah one would be more than adequate for my needs.

Hi vidtek would be mostly tarmac paths maybe some forest trails nothing extreme, as for battery, something that would give me 40/50 miles of range doesn’t need to be super fast but able to handle my 16 stones weight, or is that what the motor is for lol, also don’t know if I need a mid drive or wheel hub any info on that would also be greatly appreciated

 

[vidtek]

Hi vidtek would be mostly tarmac paths maybe some forest trails nothing extreme, as for battery, something that would give me 40/50 miles of range doesn’t need to be super fast but able to handle my 16 stones weight, or is that what the motor is for lol, also don’t know if I need a mid drive or wheel hub any info on that would also be greatly appreciated

You have 3 choices, Front Hub, Rear Hub or Mid-Drive. All have their pluses and negatives. A front hub is easy to fit, if you have a puncture a front hub and mid-drive are much easier than a rear hub to manage. A rear hub is more like driving a small moped especially with a throttle. A mid-drive is more natural but requires more effort unless with a throttle. A front hub can be a rather unnatural and skittish ride especially uphill on a gravel path for instance where it will have a tendency to skid all over the place.

For ease of fitting, a rear hub is the most difficult followed by the front hub as you have to replace the spokes and re-tension. A mid-drive is the simplest, but requires a carefully chosen donor bike with particular emphasis on the bottom bracket arrangement. It is very difficult to match a full-suspension bike with a mid-drive arrangement.

If I were in your position I would go for either a rear hub on a light full-suspension bike or a mid-drive with a pneumatic seat post to compensate for the lack of suspension on the average lightweight road bike.
Cheers Tony.

 

[bulldogboab]

You have 3 choices, Front Hub, Rear Hub or Mid-Drive. All have their pluses and negatives. A front hub is easy to fit, if you have a puncture a front hub and mid-drive are much easier than a rear hub to manage. A rear hub is more like driving a small moped especially with a throttle. A mid-drive is more natural but requires more effort unless with a throttle. A front hub can be a rather unnatural and skittish ride especially uphill on a gravel path for instance where it will have a tendency to skid all over the place.

For ease of fitting, a rear hub is the most difficult followed by the front hub as you have to replace the spokes and re-tension. A mid-drive is the simplest, but requires a carefully chosen donor bike with particular emphasis on the bottom bracket arrangement. It is very difficult to match a full-suspension bike with a mid-drive arrangement.

If I were in your position I would go for either a rear hub on a light full-suspension bike or a mid-drive with a pneumatic seat post to compensate for the lack of suspension on the average lightweight road bike.
Cheers Tony.

All good info Tony, the bottom bracket on my bike is 73mm so I was thinking of going for the bafang. John.

 

[vidtek]

All good info Tony, the bottom bracket on my bike is 73mm so I was thinking of going for the bafang. John.

John- Sounds good. Carefully check out the difference in pricing between online suppliers and their track record with issues/warranty/support against UK suppliers such as Whoosh.
When I looked at this for my conversion, I found the difference was less than £30, and I was happy to buy mine from Whoosh as their support is absolutely brilliant, you can chat to them on the 'phone with a native-English speaking mechanic with install problems etc.
UK suppliers are however having supply chain issues due to massive increase in orders due to the pandemic.
You pays your money and takes your chances......
Cheers Tony.

 

[bulldogboab]

John- Sounds good. Carefully check out the difference in pricing between online suppliers and their track record with issues/warranty/support against UK suppliers such as Whoosh.
When I looked at this for my conversion, I found the difference was less than £30, and I was happy to buy mine from Whoosh as their support is absolutely brilliant, you can chat to them on the 'phone with a native-English speaking mechanic with install problems etc.
UK suppliers are however having supply chain issues due to massive increase in orders due to the pandemic.
You pays your money and takes your chances......
Cheers Tony.

Indeed Tony , I had a brief conversation with whoosh but that was about a wheel hub kit, I’ll contact them again find out if they have the bafang in stock!! and yes I’d rather deal with them as they have a good reputation actually looking for two kits so here’s hoping. John.

 

[bulldogboab]

We have not much stock to speak of at the moment. I do hope that we'll return to a more normal stock levels in October.

The only battery in stock at the moment is the G30 small bottle 10.5AH made with Samsung cells.
For your Carrera, I would recommend the XF08C kit:
it's in stock.
https://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/product/uid-264-xf08c-g30/xf08c-rear-hub-kit-with-g30-105ah-battery

Hi mate me again lol, do you happen to have the bafang mid drive in stock looking for two kits thanks. John.

 

[sjpt]

For ease of fitting, a rear hub is the most difficult followed by the front hub as you have to replace the spokes and re-tension.

That is, if you want to keep your old rim and just buy a motor (plus new spokes). The hub kits usually come with the wheel complete.

 

[bulldogboab]

John- Sounds good. Carefully check out the difference in pricing between online suppliers and their track record with issues/warranty/support against UK suppliers such as Whoosh.
When I looked at this for my conversion, I found the difference was less than £30, and I was happy to buy mine from Whoosh as their support is absolutely brilliant, you can chat to them on the 'phone with a native-English speaking mechanic with install problems etc.
UK suppliers are however having supply chain issues due to massive increase in orders due to the pandemic.
You pays your money and takes your chances......
Cheers Tony.

Hi again Tony would a 52v 17ah battery be compatible with the bafang 48v 750w kit as I’ve sourced one, but don’t want to commit till I find out if it’s compatible to the kit as I’m a bit confused about the battery being 52v and the kit being 48v or should I try and source a 48v battery. John.

 

[vidtek]

Hi again Tony would a 52v 17ah battery be compatible with the bafang 48v 750w kit as I’ve sourced one, but don’t want to commit till I find out if it’s compatible to the kit as I’m a bit confused about the battery being 52v and the kit being 48v or should I try and source a 48v battery. John.

John- I don't really understand why you are looking at a 48v kit and a 52v battery??? It will probably work ok, but why do it and take a risk with warranties etc? There are plenty of 48v batteries out there which will work within specification and not jeopardize your warranty.

 

[bulldogboab]

John- I don't really understand why you are looking at a 48v kit and a 52v battery??? It will probably work ok, but why do it and take a risk with warranties etc? There are plenty of 48v batteries out there which will work within specification and not jeopardize your warranty.

yeah mate it was only because they didn’t have 48v in stock, I’m torn between mid drive and hub now as I want to stay on right side of law, is 250w with a good battery able to assist on medium inclines Tony as that’s my biggest concern, if so I think I’d go down that route, no pun intended lol, woosh advised on a hub kit but I didn’t think the 10.3 ah battery would be what I’m looking for as I’d be looking to do 30/40/50 miles on occasion again thanks for taking the time to reply . John.

 

[vidtek]

John - 50 miles is a pretty long ride...my bum would never survive the pounding!
As you are a big man if you were to attempt that sort of ride including hills on e-power alone with a 10.3ah battery you would probably end up at about 15 miles short. If you put some effort in, then easily do-able.

The way I ride, I would be easily able to do upwards of 200 miles on my 14.ah battery if it was possible for me to actually sit on the saddle for that length of time. With a 10.3ah battery, probably about 130 miles or so.

As I said before, it depends so much on how much effort you are prepared to put into your ride. I try never to switch the assist on at all when I have the wind behind me or going downhill or on the flat with little wind, but I normally just poodle along at 6-10mph so not much wind resistance. I switch it on again for just the slightest incline or headwind (I am such a lazy slob...).

If you are really concerned about the 10.3ah battery letting you down why not try it for a few weeks then if on a long ride you decide you need more, buy another battery and stick it in a saddle bag or backpack as a backup. Talk your concerns over with Andy, explain your misgivings about range and see what he says. I think he'll probably allay your fears. He may even do a deal on a try before you buy scenario and take the 10.3ah back and swap it for a bigger one when in stock. I think you may be pleasantly surprised at what a 10.3ah battery can give you. I know my 14ah is way over the top for my needs.

You do need to be brutally honest about the amount of effort you will be putting into your ride. Think about your un-powered cycling now and decide how you will be using the assist.

 

[bulldogboab]

John - 50 miles is a pretty long ride...my bum would never survive the pounding!
As you are a big man if you were to attempt that sort of ride including hills on e-power alone with a 10.3ah battery you would probably end up at about 15 miles short. If you put some effort in, then easily do-able.

The way I ride, I would be easily able to do upwards of 200 miles on my 14.ah battery if it was possible for me to actually sit on the saddle for that length of time. With a 10.3ah battery, probably about 130 miles or so.

As I said before, it depends so much on how much effort you are prepared to put into your ride. I try never to switch the assist on at all when I have the wind behind me or going downhill or on the flat with little wind, but I normally just poodle along at 6-10mph so not much wind resistance. I switch it on again for just the slightest incline or headwind (I am such a lazy slob...).

If you are really concerned about the 10.3ah battery letting you down why not try it for a few weeks then if on a long ride you decide you need more, buy another battery and stick it in a saddle bag or backpack as a backup. Talk your concerns over with Andy, explain your misgivings about range and see what he says. I think he'll probably allay your fears. He may even do a deal on a try before you buy scenario and take the 10.3ah back and swap it for a bigger one when in stock. I think you may be pleasantly surprised at what a 10.3ah battery can give you. I know my 14ah is way over the top for my needs.

You do need to be brutally honest about the amount of effort you will be putting into your ride. Think about your un-powered cycling now and decide how you will be using the assist.

Brilliant response as as always Tony bravo mate , yeah I’ll have a chat with woosh seems the most sensible thing to do, I’ll also have to really consider dropping to a 250w to stay legal no point getting a 750w and having plod on my case could turn out to be a waste of time and money thanks for everything buddy. John.

 

[Nealh]

The only reason to have more power is if you wish to go at moped speeds all the time, then you inherently add far more danger not only to your self but also bike failure.

 

[bulldogboab]

The only reason to have more power is if you wish to go at moped speeds all the time, then you inherently add far more danger not only to your self but also bike failure.

Thanks neal appreciated mate.