Gin X

Az. · Oct 20, 2023

LesG said:
The Vitus Mach 1 Three looks very interesting, but excuse my ignorance how could this be converted as it has hub gearing on the back wheel, does this mean the conversion would have to be mid or front motor ?

Yes.

I had a bit of a set aback yesterday, I spoke again to the bike shop that quoted me £80 to do the conversion, when I told him about the amount of power and torque that I would prefer to cope with the hills in my area he said "you want a 500w motor" when I said I wanted to use it mainly on roads he said "you'll never get caught, the police are only interested in things like that in major cities" That does not inspire me even if true, if I broke the law I know that I would get caught, that's just my luck lol.

You can get really high torque and have legal bike, but it would require a bit more effort than just buying first kit. Seneagle is best person to talk to.

Chances of being caught on illegal bike are low (unless you ride bike with massive motor like some delivery riders), but if you get caught then it is driving an uninsured illegal motor vehicle ... things can get nasty then.
I have bike with basic kit and have no problems with hills.

Looking at all my options and with the hassle involved by not doing the conversion myself I think I would be better buying a ready made ebike from Whoosh or similar.

It is your choice. Whatever you choose we will be happy for you.

I want to thank you all and AZ in particular for your participation in this discussion, I'll still be around asking stupid questions in the future.
Thanks again
Les

You are most welcome. I have an impression it is just a beginning of cycling adventure. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.

Peter.Bridge · Oct 20, 2023

LesG said:
Thanks again AZ.
The Vitus Mach 1 Three looks very interesting, but excuse my ignorance how could this be converted as it has hub gearing on the back wheel, does this mean the conversion would have to be mid or front motor ?

I had a bit of a set aback yesterday, I spoke again to the bike shop that quoted me £80 to do the conversion, when I told him about the amount of power and torque that I would prefer to cope with the hills in my area he said "you want a 500w motor" when I said I wanted to use it mainly on roads he said "you'll never get caught, the police are only interested in things like that in major cities" That does not inspire me even if true, if I broke the law I know that I would get caught, that's just my luck lol.
Looking at all my options and with the hassle involved by not doing the conversion myself I think I would be better buying a ready made ebike from Whoosh or similar.
I want to thank you all and AZ in particular for your participation in this discussion, I'll still be around asking stupid questions in the future.
Thanks again
Les

The 250w figure is a manufacturers nominal rating - effectively saying that motor can run at 250w without overheating. In reality the peak power (up hills)that legal motors can run at is much more than that. I can quite understand people sticking to the 250w nominal legal limit - what would happen if you were involved in an accident ?

At your weight there are plenty (if not most) legal 250W nominated motors that would cope with 10% gradient hills - as @saneagle says, for a first order approximation, look at the voltage * peak controller current

Nealh · Oct 20, 2023

Power to climb hills isn't goverened by motor watt ratings but by controller out put ratings.

FastFreddy2 · Oct 20, 2023

LesG said:
Looking at all my options and with the hassle involved by not doing the conversion myself I think I would be better buying a ready made ebike from Whoosh or similar.

Having read this thread from end-to-end, I think that is a wise choice. Earlier in the year I went through the same multitude of options, and got good advice from the members here. I know a little more, and when my back stops feeling like a grenade has gone off in it, I plan to continue my second conversion of a used bike (or one I've owned for a number of years), both with equipment sourced from Woosh. If you are not (yet) experienced enough with bike mechanics to do your own conversion, or have a local bike outlet that wants to keep you as legal as they should, then buy new/buy with warranty is the way to go. You have the budget to buy something that will be suitable for your needs. I wouldn't get too involved in the specifications, unless you really understand them. Tell the potential supplier what you want, and let them advise you on what they sell that's suitable.

The one thing I will add is, try to avoid any bike that doesn't have decent front suspension. While some of the suggestions here have included rigid forks, I doubt you will be enjoying any bike with something that doesn't soak up the horrible condition of British roads with their endemic pot-hole problem. Skinny road tyres might be okay for the lycra racers, but not so nice for us folk of a certain age.... With front suspension, something like £30 on a suspension seat post if needed will help cushion the lumps and bumps of uneven tarmac. Something fatter than road tyres will let you venture into some gentle offroad cycle tracks too.

Good luck with your choice.

Nealh · Oct 20, 2023

Suspension is simply a marketers trick to sell a bike , most systems on cheaper bikes are pretty rubbish and tbh all they do is add weight.
Better to fit over size tyres and run lower psi , better then cheap suspension is a suspension stem but they are some what more expensive then the basic coil springs.
Redshift systems aren't cheap but are unobtrusive and hardly anyone would notice one unless they know what they are looking at or for, 70% of damping is the claim Redshift make for their efficency .

saneagle · Oct 20, 2023

Nealh said:
Suspension is simply a marketers trick to sell a bike , most systems on cheaper bikes are pretty rubbish and tbh all they do is add weight.
Better to fit over size tyres and run lower psi , better then cheap suspension is a suspension stem but they are some what more expensive then the basic coil springs.
Redshift systems aren't cheap but are unobtrusive and hardly anyone would notice one unless they know what they are looking at or for, 70% of damping is the claim Redshift make for their efficency .

My carbon road bike is surprisingly comfortable with 25mm tyres; however, my titanium one with carbon forks gives me a jolt when I go over a grain of sand.

FastFreddy2 · Oct 20, 2023

Nealh said:
Suspension is simply a marketers trick to sell a bike , most systems on cheaper bikes are pretty rubbish and tbh all they do is add weight.

Given a choice between bumping up/down a kerb, or rolling into a pot hole with or without cheap front suspension, my wrists are glad for some give in the initial shock from either, provided by my cheap front suspension.

You are right, in that front suspension forks undoubtedly add weight. You are also right, that MTB style bikes wouldn't sell quite so well if they had rigid from forks. But any I've used, from 60mm NEX forks on a road bike to 120mm air Rockshox on a full susser, have always provided some help in keeping my wrists from breaking. Then there is the potential for isolating the micro-vibration from tarmaced surfaces.

As the OP is looking for a "touring" bike, should they really choose a style of fork usually synonymous with with a road racing bicycle where weight and wind resistance is to be kept to a minimum? Even cheaper suspension forks are going to help keep front wheels stay round/undamaged, by absorbing some of the kinetic energy of the bike and rider, when riding into and over a kerb or similar obstacle like a pothole. Even the trike I have access to, has (air) shocks for each wheel. In fact I haven't ridden a bike without at least front suspension for over 25 years. I couldn't imagine recommending to anyone, save a 17 year old interested in road/track racing, having a rigid front fork?

Redshift circa £190 from Chamazon. Review: https://road.cc/content/review/249893-redshift-sports-shockstop-suspension-stem

Specialised Future Shock (as shown in the link) circa £400. As fitted to a 7.3kg road race bike.

Peter.Bridge · Oct 25, 2023

Woosh said:
.. Ananda crank drive motor ..

Is this something new ? Do you think there will be a kit version ? What are the pros and cons vs a BBS01 or TSDZ2

Nealh · Oct 25, 2023

Ananda is one of the china manufacturers who are only OEM, occassionally one may see a used hub for sale.
Like a lot of china mid drives announced in the past they are hard to come by , even akm's mid drive prior to buying Tongsheng company were impossible to source unless in volume or OEM..

Peter.Bridge · Oct 25, 2023

Possible bargain donor bike (medium so no good for me)

Rocky Mountain mountain bike Element 950 Full suspension | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Rocky Mountain mountain bike Element 950 Full suspension at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Az. · Oct 29, 2023

Did you buy a bike already?

Tredz have some interesting offers at ths moment. For example:

£980 with code NEARLYNEW20

Raleigh Array Crossbar - Nearly New - M 2023 - Electric Hybrid Bike - Out of Stock | Tredz Bikes

Raleigh Array Crossbar - Nearly New - M 2023 - Electric Hybrid Bike. Out of Stock. All Electric Bikes are delivered free to the UK mainland*, 365 day returns & Price Match.

www.tredz.co.uk

Az. · Oct 31, 2023

https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/cannondale/adventure-2-hybrid-bike-931346?clickref=1100lxUZvWPW&utm_source=partnerize&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=digidip_net#colcode=93134603

£279 with code EXTRA20

Gin X

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