Hi All

[06thundertrucker]

Hi all, thanks for the addition.
Quick background intro and then why I'm here...if anyones interested lol!

41 yr old male, been cycling for 39 years, mainly off-road, bit of an adrenaline junkie that USED to go big or go home! Last 5 years my time on the bike has really suffered due to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME. First I had trouble accepting that I couldn't acheive what I used to without spending days in bed after so I gave up on cycling.
Turns out that I need cycling now more than ever for my mental health and I'm back doing it but, I just can't do much of it without being floored the next day or two. I'm not looking for an extreme e-MTB, now I would just like to be able to enjoy the countryside (off road) on fairly tame tracks with my dog in the basket (2.5kg chihuahua) for a few hours without the negative impact

Been looking at ebikes/conversions seriously for the last year and every time I think I have it figured out what I need, I read something else and bamboozle myself! This site always seems to crop up during a search for info. so I thought I'd see if I can learn a bit more and finally make a decision.

Thanks again, any advice on where to post questions about kit/bike advice greatly appreciated.

 

[vfr400]

A bike with a hub-motor is best for on-road riding and light trails, and a crank-drive for anything steep or where you're going to get bogged down.

One thing to consider is who's going to fix it when it goes wrong. The cheaper Chinese bikes can normally be fixed yourself. More and more bikes from known brands have comms between the electrical parts, which means dealer only service and repair, so you have to make sure that you have a dealer for those nearby.

 

[Benjahmin]

Most crank drive bikes are torque sensing, requiring the riders effort to be sensed then a multiple power return given. In other words, you have to put effort in to get power back.
Given your condition I would recommend you look at bikes or kits that have a pas system (most hub drives have this). Should you get knackered before getting home, this will allow you to simply ghost peddle to get assist from the motor as mere crank rotation is detected.
I would say a rear hub kit on the bike of your choice would be a good place to start..

 

[06thundertrucker]

Thanks guys, I am going to post a pic of my donor bike plus conversion kit vs info on a bike Ive seen to shortly with pros and cons for me. Shall I post this on the general topic?

 

[Nealh]

Torque sensing drive is a also a PAS drive system.
The PAS
which Benjamin talks of is a crank sensor with a magnet disc aka a cadence type sensor, some after market mid drives have an internal cadence drive such as the BBS.