Hi everyone

[Moss Creeper]

In researching for my intended ebike purchase I came across this forum and learned more in 10 minutes looking here, than I had in the previous weeks of browsing all over the net, and so I'm very pleased to join this community
As a retired engineer I have been looking at conversion kits and wondered if anyone here has had any experience with these, and any recommendations as to the best ones for my purpose, and ease of fitting etc.
I will be hopefully be mostly riding on local lanes and cycle tracks with some green lanes thrown in and a few challenging climbs.
I might add I am not fit (yet), and have replacement knees and arthritis, but will hopefully improve over time as my distances increase.

 

[LeighPing]

Hi and welcome.

You don't need to be fit. But for sure you can use them to get fitter, lose weight and get out and about into the fresh air.

Your height, weight and intended budget might help some here to advise a good bike or kit for your consideration.

 

[Tabs]

Hello moss creeper,plenty of folk on here have fitted conversion kits and I'm sure you'll find all the information you need,I fitted a kit from EBC which has been good so far (just over 1 years use in all kinds of weather) there's plenty of kits available or you can put your own kit together if you do a bit of research.

 

[Benjahmin]

Have a look at Panda bikes and Woosh.

 

[Moss Creeper]

Have a look at Panda bikes and Woosh.

Thanks guys for answers and support, if it helps, I am 5ft 10" and weigh, to me a shocking 17+ stone, I have been laid up with my knee ops etc. for some time but am improving and dying to build or buy my bike and get out on the saddle. I would like some recommendations and info on the type of kit, front/rear/crank drive, motor and battery power, or bike suitable for my needs. I am a forum newby and also feel I don't know enough to ask the right questions, but I'm looking! So can anyone point to any applicable threads or have personal experiences or recomendations they might share. Cheers All, Moss Creeper.

 

[Benjahmin]

Hi Moss,
There are two methods by which the bikes control detects rotation of the pedals in order to give power. One is torque sense, the other rotation sense (pas). Given what you say about your knees I would guess that the latter would suit you better. With this type you can continue to get power by merely rotating the pedals, i.e. not having to put any weight on the pedals. So, if your knee starts hurting, you can still get home. A torque sense system requires you to put effort in to get power.
The majority of european mid drive bikes are torque sense. The majority of chinese hub bikes are pas. As far as I know pretty much all kits are pas.

Mid drive kits drive through the bikes gearing, requiring correct gear selection to allow the motor to operate in its power band and not over heat or stall.

Geared Hub motors drive the wheel through its own internal reduction box ( mostly 5:1 planetary gears). Given your current weight, have a look at Woosh's bpm motor.

A full acting throttle can legally be fitted to a kit or retro fitted to a bought bike. Not all oem bikes will accept them.

 

[Moss Creeper]

Have a look at Panda bikes and Woosh.

Hi Guys!
I see that Panda Bikes have their
PANDA Sprint Electric Bike: 8 speed cassette, Panda MDRIVE system, 13Ah Dolphin Battery
at 38% discount for £750! This seems a great deal.
Are their any issues with these bikes I should know about?

 

[Gaz]

Does look a good price on the Panda. I'd suggest considering the Woosh Big Bear and Wisper 905SE (or 705SE if a step through would be easier on your knees). The best answer is of course to try a few out - I found out I didn't like the bike I wanted, and really liked the bike I wasn't initially that interested it.

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?bigbear

https://wisperbikes.com/e-bikes/905-se-crossbar/

Gaz

 

[Benjahmin]

Looks like a nice enough bike at that price. As Gaz said, it's always a bit risky buying a bike you haven't even sat on. However might be worth giving Panda a call. I'd want to know
a What cells are in the battery
b Do the forks have disc brake mounts (if not I'd definitely be looking at Magure HS11 front brake as an extra).
c Are there mounts for a rear rack.
d To clarify that the advert seems to be saying that the bike is supplied with a kit that you fit yourself. If so this seems to fit your o.p.

Not sure what make the motor is, maybe others will recognise it.
I,ve bought from Panda and found them to be helpful and responsive.

 

[Tabs]

Looks like a good deal(frame looks like a GT) but as somebody already said a mid drive with torque sense might not suit you??

 

[topographer]

If you have some challenging climbs but bad knees then the Q128 motor would be a good starting point for a conversion. Lots of torque but without the torque sensing of a crank drive. There are plenty of relevant threads already. Just put 'Q128' in the forum search thingy.

 

[Moss Creeper]

Looks like a good deal(frame looks like a GT) but as somebody already said a mid drive with torque sense might not suit you??

Hi Guys!
J
This morning I've been struggling to get my desktop fixed and sorted from malware. Beware where you browse!!
Thanks for all the advice. Looking at you all have said, the Panda bike despite the good price will not be suitable for my needs, and you are right.
I struggle to get on my road bike with a crossbar and the only way I can get off is a controlled fall off, and very embarrassing . So I definitely need a step through type, and I will also require PAS not torque sense.
So, I have a donor bike in mind that has been in storage for 15 years, it was used only once, in a charity ride by a family friend who gave it to me when they moved abroad. It is an Apollo Shimano with 21 gears and a 20" steel frame No. H6122685, it has 26" wheels, V brakes, and has 105mm between the front fork dropouts, and a square taper bottom bracket. It is a solid steel frame and forks (no suspension). and is a sort of MTB/hybrid with knobbly tires. And I will be using this on our local area rods which are mainly flat with some challenging climbs, and some good green lanes, paths and tracks.
I think I should be looking at a rear drive kit with a fairly beefy motor and battery.
I feel like I'm asking to be spoon fed, but as your advice so far has been pivotal in my quest for the right kit/bike, please feel free to give your advice
as to the right motor and battery power etc. in fact any comments will be
greatly appreciated. Thank you all so far! what a great forum.
when I finalise my purchases, I will post here how I get on with them.
Cheers All.

 

[Benjahmin]

Have a look at Woosh rear wheel BPM kit. Wife has a Big Bear with BPM front hub, it is a prodigious hill climber, very torqy. The Q128 has a lot of good press on here, for 21 gears I think it would be the Q128H. D8veh, elsewhere, has said that a Q128 36v run from a 48v battery is a very capable machine, quick and lots of torque for hills. (Note: you would need a 48v controller).
The latter is what I'm thinking of for my next conversion. Do I need one? Well, no but it kinda gets addictive

 

[Moss Creeper]

Have a look at Woosh rear wheel BPM kit. Wife has a Big Bear with BPM front hub, it is a prodigious hill climber, very torqy. The Q128 has a lot of good press on here, for 21 gears I think it would be the Q128H. D8veh, elsewhere, has said that a Q128 36v run from a 48v battery is a very capable machine, quick and lots of torque for hills. (Note: you would need a 48v controller).
The latter is what I'm thinking of for my next conversion. Do I need one? Well, no but it kinda gets addictive

 

[Moss Creeper]

Hi all soz for the double post.
I think this should now be in another forum but all the previous replies are in here.
I have been looking at whoosh's bafang kit but thought it may be a bit weak for my weight so looked for a 500w kit with 48v battery and controller as suggested here. I looked at EBC's 500w kit but this comes with a 36v batt and controller. However EBC have a deal on for the 1000w kit with 48v batt and controller for £549, but I'm wondering if it may be a bit of a beast.
What do you guys think??

 

[Tabs]

I think those motors are direct drive(the 1000w one definitely) general opinion on here is that a geared motor is better,have a look through the posts about the different motors before you decide.

 

[Benjahmin]

A 1000W motor is probably direct drive, good for high speed on the flat, not good for hill climbing. Geared hubs are the better option for hills/weight.

Don't get hung up on the motor ratings. The wattage rating of the motor is merely it's continuous rating. i.e. the power it can take for ( I think it's) 1 hour without overheating. In usage terms it's virtually meaningless. A 1000w motor is not more powerful than a 250W one, it all depends on the controller.

A 17A controller @ 36V will give you 612watts on max setting. So what does '250w motor' mean?
Likewise a 20A controller @ 48V will knock out 960watts, providing the battery is capable of delivering 20A.

Sorry crossed with Tabs' post.

 

[Moss Creeper]

A 1000W motor is probably direct drive, good for high speed on the flat, not good for hill climbing. Geared hubs are the better option for hills/weight.

Don't get hung up on the motor ratings. The wattage rating of the motor is merely it's continuous rating. i.e. the power it can take for ( I think it's) 1 hour without overheating. In usage terms it's virtually meaningless. A 1000w motor is not more powerful than a 250W one, it all depends on the controller.

A 17A controller @ 36V will give you 612watts on max setting. So what does '250w motor' mean?
Likewise a 20A controller @ 48V will knock out 960watts, providing the battery is capable of delivering 20A.

Sorry crossed with Tabs' post.

Dont be sorry, as a newbie the more the merrier, thank you for explaining the motor/power ratings and it does seem a geared motor is the better option for me. It may be a daft question but how can I tell which are direct drive or geared motors, it doesn't appear in the specifications.
regards Moss.

 

[Benjahmin]

Generally speaking the DD motors are physically bigger and are rated 500w and above.

 

[Moss Creeper]

Generally speaking the DD motors are physically bigger and are rated 500w and above.

Hi Everyone [again]
It's time to make a choice on a kit. So I think I need a rear drive kit, with a fairly powerful geared motor and battery [for my weight] and pedelec controlled. Has anyone have a good kit in mind with a fast delivery time?
I have in the past bought stuff from China and have no qualms about doing so if the extra lead time is compensated by a much lower price. Saying that I don't have a clue about import duty and such, and would prefer to source all required parts from one place and not mix and match. My budget would be £700 max. less would be preferable.
Cheers Moss Creeper.