kit for new donor bike - Schwinn Interlink Urban Bike

[davie150]

Hi, I have bought a cheap bike and am looking for some advice on a suitable conversion kit for it.

I have previously installed a kit years ago on my Metro bike,but the battery stopped taken a charge just a few months after getting it and I stupidly gave away the rest of the kit to a guy at work.
I came across this bike for £100 and have purchased it as I need to get more active and get my general fitness up and even before it has arrived I am considering converting it to an e bike.

Do I need to buy anything extra as this bike has hydraulic brakes, or can I just fit a hub wheel without fitting the brake levers that come with it? I am thinking that if I apply the brakes, then I will be intending to stop and therefore will not be pedalling the bike, so the motor will not be working against the brakes and damaging the motor.

Anyways, any suggestions, I have fitted a rear wheel kit previously and ampretty confident that I would manage to fit a mid motor as well, what would your guys suggestions be

 

[Peter.Bridge]

My suggestion would be talk to Woosh - torque sensor , power based pedal assist controller, motor wheel and battery from £449 https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?tskit

 

[RollingChunder]

Do I need to buy anything extra as this bike has hydraulic brakes, or can I just fit a hub wheel without fitting the brake levers that come with it?

The advice is install at least one cut off sensor if you use a throttle. Throttles are very prone to shorting out when wet which will tell the controller to use maximum power. A brake cut off is a safety measure to stop the bike flying away from you (it can happen when you're not fully on the bike to steer away from obstacles too).

Without a throttle, I wouldn't worry about it. The cut offs aren't really about saving the motor from damage as hopefully the brakes and motor won't be both on full whack for more than a second. As I say, it's insurance against a shorted throttle.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

The Woosh torque sensor kit does not have a throttle and doesn't have brake sensors (I don't think you need brake sensors because the torque sensor only activates the motor when you are applying pedalling force - not just when the pedals are turning)

Depending on your cycling style, then you don't really need a throttle with the torque sensor - you can start off, apply some force to the pedals and the motor kicks in for hill starts and starts when you are in the wrong gear

 

[saneagle]

Hi, I have bought a cheap bike and am looking for some advice on a suitable conversion kit for it.

I have previously installed a kit years ago on my Metro bike,but the battery stopped taken a charge just a few months after getting it and I stupidly gave away the rest of the kit to a guy at work.
I came across this bike for £100 and have purchased it as I need to get more active and get my general fitness up and even before it has arrived I am considering converting it to an e bike.

Do I need to buy anything extra as this bike has hydraulic brakes, or can I just fit a hub wheel without fitting the brake levers that come with it? I am thinking that if I apply the brakes, then I will be intending to stop and therefore will not be pedalling the bike, so the motor will not be working against the brakes and damaging the motor.

Anyways, any suggestions, I have fitted a rear wheel kit previously and ampretty confident that I would manage to fit a mid motor as well, what would your guys suggestions be

There are some cheap conversion kits that work quite well, there are some expensive ones that don't work any better, and some middle-priced ones that work the same. There are also some that work better. What's better depends on your requirements: The weight it has to haul, the speed, the distance, where you ride, legal compliance and your personal preferences.

Brake sensors are needed on many kits because the motor controller causes the motor to run on after you stop pedalling. Some controllers, mainly those made by KT (Kunteng), don't do that, so don't need brake sensors. Different sizes, shapes or types of pedal sensor make no difference in that respect because it's the motor controller that causes the run on, though the controller can get a more precise idea of when you're pedalling from a torque sensor.

Different kits have different control systems, though most of the common ones are the same and don't have KT controllers. All of them only give power when you pedal if you set them for legal compliance. There are three main types of control system that suit different people:

1. The common ones have speed control algorithms that give maximum power at low speed and reduce the power as you approach a range of selected speeds (typically 5). That system is a little clumsy.

2. The KT controllers give you a range of selectable power levels, so you can select the assist level you want and pedal as hard or easy as you want, which is what I prefer because it gives you the most control about how much power you get and how hard you need or want to pedal.

3. There are systems that give power according to how hard you pedal, which have some sort of pedal torque sensor. They might feel more like a normal pedal bike, but you have to pedal with some effort to get maximum power. With the other systems, you can sort of air-pedal if you want a rest.

I'm not going to include recommendations for serious off-road riding because you didn't mention that. I'm assuming that you want to generally ride around on roads, cycle paths and light trails.

Throttles are very useful for hill-starts and when you stop in a gear that's too high to start up again. Throttles are legal under two conditions: It can only operate without pedalling up to a speed of 6km/hr, and power must stop when you stop pedalling when you're above 6km/hr. In other words, it can work as a start assist and/or it can work as an independent power/speed control that instantly over-rides your pedal assist setting, which is very useful if you need an instant boost of speed or power, like roundabouts, taffic lights about to change, short steep hills, etc. Some controllers (KT) allow both of those conditions to be set, most will only allow one of them, and some will only give complete independent use regardless of those conditions, which is not legal.

 

[Az.]

Brake sensors are not necessary, but installing them is a good practice. Please don't save few pounds and skip this point.
For example you can use them as a clutch while changing gears.

 

[scbk]

I've ordered one of the same clearance schwinn bikes off ebay, still not been collected by dpd yet......

£98 inc delivery for a bike with hydraulic disc brakes!


Defiantly worth fitting brake sensors;
a) for safety
b) you can use them as a clutch to change down gears

 

[saneagle]

b) you can use them as a clutch to change down gears

You don't need to do that with a hub-motor.

 

[Az.]

You don't need to do that with a hub-motor.

You don't have to if you plan well in advance, but it makes changing gears much easier. Especially before stopping on red light.

 

[scbk]

Yep I mean changing down gears as you roll up to a junction. You might not need to actually brake, so I will pull on the levers enough to activate the sensors so I can pedal to get down some gears ready to take off again

 

[saneagle]

Yep I mean changing down gears as you roll up to a junction. You might not need to actually brake, so I will pull on the levers enough to activate the sensors so I can pedal to get down some gears ready to take off again

OK, thanks, I'm with you now.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

Yep I mean changing down gears as you roll up to a junction. You might not need to actually brake, so I will pull on the levers enough to activate the sensors so I can pedal to get down some gears ready to take off again

Yes, I can "ghost pedal" without applying any pedalling force to change down gears so the torque sensor doesn't activate the motor