New member! Looking for first ebike or kit...

[Benjahmin]

The Yosepower kit would do you. My only reservation would be the controller built into the battery, also it's make is not one I've heard of. Could possibly be an OEM one which might be hard to source in the future if needed, others may clarify.
Otherwise looks to be a kit that will be plug and play and get you going.
It WON'T be dongleable as this applies to proprietry mid drives only and would immeadiately make it illegal anyway.
There may be vectors within the controller which will allow terminal speed adjustment. However if the winding code of the motor is correct for the wheel size then this will limit maximum rpm by the laws of physics.
The 6kph limit on the throttle may be adjustable to allow hill starts, wrong gear starts and quicker traffic junction pull aways. Depends on the controller/display functions.

Yosepower are now supplying to the UK from a UK wharehouse. I've used them in the past and, when I did have a problem with a battery, they replaced it no hassle.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

This sounds like a good shout... I think I'm going to get rid of everything I have now (the carrera, my carbon racer, my hybrid) and put all the money into buying a nice light CX frameset and a kit to go with it. I could just convert my road bike, but the 700 25c tyres are as wide as I can go on there and I think I'd like to go a little wider for comfort.

Is this the kit you mean? https://yosepower.com/collections/e-bike-conversion-kit-with-battery/products/e-bike-conversion-kit-36v-250w-rear-motor-kit-for-freewheel-with-36v13ah-battery-and-charger

I was thinking something more like this so you have a freehub on the hub motor for cassettes rather than a freewheel. Then perhaps choose your own third party battery, maybe a lower capacity smaller battery that could go in a saddle bag. You can get some physically small batteries using the latest high quality cells.

E-Bike Conversion Kit 36V 350W 26"/27.5"/28" (700C) Rear Cassette Motor Bicycle Hub Motor Conversion Kit

Upgrade your bicycle with our E-Bike Conversion Kit featuring a 36V 350W Rear Cassette Motor. Compatible with 26", 27.5", 28" (700C) bikes, this kit transforms your ride with enhanced power and efficiency for versatile cycling adventures.

yosepower.com

Note that this is a 350W kit and slightly faster than the legal limit and its whether you want to take the risk but to be honest such a kit would be very minimal visually and I'm sure wouldn't be perceived as a over powered ebike. The battery would be near enough invisible in a saddle bag and the motor would be hidden behind the cassette. You would be dropping a lot of people who may not even be aware you are on an ebike.

As for the best donor bike perhaps something like a Claris based gravel bike but its really down to how much you want to spend on the bike and how strong you need it. If I was buying I'd probably go for something like a Voodoo Limba or similar.

I did notice this on hotukdeals.

Seat Post Mounted Pannier Rack With Quick Release Clamp - £7.97 delivered @ moorelargeoutlet / eBay | hotukdeals

www.hotukdeals.com

Sort of rack that you could mount the controller and a small battery underneath and still make use of the rack on top for carrying stuff.

 

[zombiemax69]

I was thinking something more like this so you have a freehub on the hub motor for cassettes rather than a freewheel. Then perhaps choose your own third party battery, maybe a lower capacity smaller battery that could go in a saddle bag. You can get some physically small batteries using the latest high quality cells.

E-Bike Conversion Kit 36V 350W 26"/27.5"/28" (700C) Rear Cassette Motor Bicycle Hub Motor Conversion Kit

Upgrade your bicycle with our E-Bike Conversion Kit featuring a 36V 350W Rear Cassette Motor. Compatible with 26", 27.5", 28" (700C) bikes, this kit transforms your ride with enhanced power and efficiency for versatile cycling adventures.

yosepower.com

Note that this is a 350W kit and slightly faster than the legal limit and its whether you want to take the risk but to be honest such a kit would be very minimal visually and I'm sure wouldn't be perceived as a over powered ebike. The battery would be near enough invisible in a saddle bag and the motor would be hidden behind the cassette. You would be dropping a lot of people who may not even be aware you are on an ebike.

As for the best donor bike perhaps something like a Claris based gravel bike but its really down to how much you want to spend on the bike and how strong you need it. If I was buying I'd probably go for something like a Voodoo Limba or similar.

I did notice this on hotukdeals.

Seat Post Mounted Pannier Rack With Quick Release Clamp - £7.97 delivered @ moorelargeoutlet / eBay | hotukdeals

www.hotukdeals.com

Sort of rack that you could mount the controller and a small battery underneath and still make use of the rack on top for carrying stuff.

Thanks! This is great information... looking at the Claris and the Voodoo, I don't know much about gravel bikes but they're so heavy! Makes me inclined to use my road bike as a base as that weighs about 8.5kg. Plus the kit should have the bike weighing in at around 14/15kg (I think?!) - a saving of 4kg on the current Carrera I have, which would hopefully allow me to get my foot down a bit on the flat sections/downhill. I wouldn't need the bike to be super strong - I weigh 72kg

 

[Bonzo Banana]

Thanks! This is great information... looking at the Claris and the Voodoo, I don't know much about gravel bikes but they're so heavy! Makes me inclined to use my road bike as a base as that weighs about 8.5kg. Plus the kit should have the bike weighing in at around 14/15kg (I think?!) - a saving of 4kg on the current Carrera I have, which would hopefully allow me to get my foot down a bit on the flat sections/downhill. I wouldn't need the bike to be super strong - I weigh 72kg

At 72kg you probably don't need a particularly strong bike even with ebike components added. The only issues are comfort and punctures really if you are limited on tyre size and doing a lot of commuting then it could be an issue. Remember the hub motor peaks at about 48Nm and the average person produces between 20-50Nm sustained force depending on age and fitness. There will be a lot more power driving the rear wheel, the frame will get a harder time of it. Is your current bike suitable for conversion with regard the gears. It has a standard freehub for up to a 10 speed cassette I think so not compatible with 11 or 12 speed if your current bike has that. Also what about brakes the kits typically come with brake levers compatible with V brakes and mechanical disc brakes but you don't have to use them. If you use throttle control only then you just use the throttle when you need it so no need for brake levers with cut offs and if you are using the pedelec system with the supplied cadence sensor you need to factor in even if you stop pedalling there is a small delay before the assistance stops where as the brake levers with cut off are faster. Lets be realistic though if you are mainly cycling under your own power and using the motor mainly for hills I personally don't see the need for brake levers with cut offs.

I feel the weight of the bike is far less of an issue with an ebike, your just as fast if not faster going downhill, you might take longer to build up speed on the flats but momentum is better and for the hills who cares as the motor is doing a lot of the work. The benefits of a gravel bike are superior braking, superior grip (wider tyres), superior strength, superior comfort (wider tyres), more abuse-able. You'll also have more options where you can ride including rougher ground, shortcuts etc. However obviously there is a small weight penalty.

 

[zombiemax69]

At 72kg you probably don't need a particularly strong bike even with ebike components added. The only issues are comfort and punctures really if you are limited on tyre size and doing a lot of commuting then it could be an issue. Remember the hub motor peaks at about 48Nm and the average person produces between 20-50Nm sustained force depending on age and fitness. There will be a lot more power driving the rear wheel, the frame will get a harder time of it. Is your current bike suitable for conversion with regard the gears. It has a standard freehub for up to a 10 speed cassette I think so not compatible with 11 or 12 speed if your current bike has that.

It's only 8 speed cassette, so wouldn't be an issue... It's this one https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/bh-speedrom-105-l51-review/ but fitted with a 16 speed set up. I think I'm happy to sacrifice comfort for speed.

Also what about brakes the kits typically come with brake levers compatible with V brakes and mechanical disc brakes but you don't have to use them. If you use throttle control only then you just use the throttle when you need it so no need for brake levers with cut offs and if you are using the pedelec system with the supplied cadence sensor you need to factor in even if you stop pedalling there is a small delay before the assistance stops where as the brake levers with cut off are faster. Lets be realistic though if you are mainly cycling under your own power and using the motor mainly for hills I personally don't see the need for brake levers with cut offs.

I think yes, mainly I'll be propelling the bike and just to deal with the climbs more quickly I'll use the assistance. I had a brief look into cut off sensors though and believe you can add them to brifters (?). I'll have to have a thorough look through the forum for some "how to's"

I feel the weight of the bike is far less of an issue with an ebike, your just as fast if not faster going downhill, you might take longer to build up speed on the flats but momentum is better and for the hills who cares as the motor is doing a lot of the work. The benefits of a gravel bike are superior braking, superior grip (wider tyres), superior strength, superior comfort (wider tyres), more abuse-able. You'll also have more options where you can ride including rougher ground, shortcuts etc. However obviously there is a small weight penalty.

Thanks so much for this advice... I think you're right. A gravel bike seems to be the way to go - I'm thinking of getting something like this and building it to spec... though the cheapskate in me just wants to use the roadbike I have.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144713145025?_trkparms=ni_actn:nav|ni_nt:WATCH_ITEM_ENDING_SOON|ni_apos:2|ni_sg:1|ni_pos:2|ni_st:READ|ni_wh:1|ni_nid:617741352691|ni_nsid:144713145025|ni_et:1663525910000|ni_bn:1&_trksid=p2380424.m570.l5997

 

[zombiemax69]

Ok, I think I've made a decision. I'm going to sell the carrera and go with the 350w kit. For now I'm going to stick it on my whyte hybrid... it weighs about 10kg 18 speed, hydraulic disc brakes and is already kitted out with mudguards and 700 x 32 tyres. I'll keep a look out for a nice cx frame an when the right one comes up switch it all over.

Thanks for the help

 

[dellmor]

i bike with a dongle will do it but the batt wont have much left after 22 miles so you would need to charge it for the return home or use 2 500w batts.

depending how fast i spin the cranks i can get about 25 miles from my 500w bosch batt.

bike with a dongle ??,anyone on here to explain that??

 

[Zlatan]

bike with a dongle ??,anyone on here to explain that??

Pedelecs are limited to max powered speed of25km/h (15.5mph)..A dongle tricks bike ecu into thinking its always going under that speed, so continues giving power to much higher speeds.
On my own Haibike the Dongle (fitted between rear wheel sensor and pick up) halves the pulse at speeds over 5mph.(this seems to vary on mine?) This means bikes info display is seriously corrupted. (bike actually doing double speed indicated and double shown distance covered, consequently averages ruined. Some modern dongles can get around this I believe. I removed mine, it affected range too much and they are illegal. (mine was fitted when purchased)
Highly unrecommended.

 

[soundwave]

in the bosch app with my kiox display it shows half the mileage im really doing as it is double in the komoot app lol.

 

[Zlatan]

in the bosch app with my kiox display it shows half the mileage im really doing as it is double in the komoot app lol.

Mine claimed to do that but actually couldn't. Below 10 mph (or so) computer worked fine and gave representative figures but above some threshold would suddenly show a slower speed (ie half). Trouble was neither myself or the computer knew how much time had been spent either side of threshold. I,d guess more modern dongles inform ecu as and when pulse is halved and then correct display accordingly. Generally my 29km standard route varied between 15 and 20km when dongle was on.

 

[soundwave]

the 6.63 miles is what the kiox says and the same in the bosch app but on komoot it uses the phones gps and shows double the mileage as over 12 miles and that's me trying to go slow lol.

tho after a software update this bloody kiox now records every ride and syncs to the phone when both are powerd on just there is no gps data.

seems only the bad ass dongles are working on the new gen 4 smart motors but if gps is built in the the bikes displays and connected to a phone it can be tracked with a live data signal via wifi.

then no dongles will work as could brick the motors when ever they wanted to and tracked 247 and sod that.

 

[zombiemax69]

Ok, finally got my order in... went for this battery

36V 13Ah Hailong Li-ion Battery E-Bike with 5 Gold-plated Round Plug

36V 13Ah Down Tube Battery Lithium-ion Battery with 5 Gold-plated Round Plug Electric Bicycle Bottle New Black DIY for Mifa, Vaun, Prophete, Avocet,Viking,Lectro,Byocycles, Tianneng 1.Technical DataVoltage: 36VCapacity: 13AhEnergy: 481WhDischarging plug: 5 Gold-plated round plugWeight(with...

yosepower.com

and this kit

E-Bike Conversion Kit 36V 350W 26"/27.5"/28" (700C) Rear Cassette Motor Bicycle Hub Motor Conversion Kit

Upgrade your bicycle with our E-Bike Conversion Kit featuring a 36V 350W Rear Cassette Motor. Compatible with 26", 27.5", 28" (700C) bikes, this kit transforms your ride with enhanced power and efficiency for versatile cycling adventures.

yosepower.com

should be arriving in the next couple of days - then I'll do a little build thread when I put it together

 

[guerney]

I'd be interested to read about how many miles you get from that battery, and under what circumstances.

 

[zombiemax69]

I'd be interested to read about how many miles you get from that battery, and under what circumstances.

I'll be sure to report back and let you know.

 

[zombiemax69]

Only just getting around to doing this... been off work with stress since end of October and only just starting to feel myself again! Had a few teething problems fitting the yose kit.

- Trigger shifters wouldn't sit right with the thumb throttle, so decided to swap from 9 speed trigger to 8 speed grip shift
- Rear caliper fouled the hob, so converted to rim brakes. This works out ok, I can now use the included left brake lever, so I have one cutout.
- The inside of my bottle cage allen bolts rounded off when I tried to remove then, so I cut slots in them - then the riv nuts started spinning in the frame So this is the only delay now. I'm going to cut em off tomorrow and drill some new holes in the frame to fix the battery, then should be good to go.

I have one more addition, got a carbon crank that I want to fit. It's octalink (I think) fitting though, so will need to use the alternative pedal assist sensor - then it should be good to go.

 

[zombiemax69]

I got impatient and stuck the battery on the rack. Goes really well... noticeably quicker than the carrera I had and much lighter too.

 

[zombiemax69]

First proper run on this today... Google maps took me via a marshy park which slowed me down loads

Decent ride though. Used about half of the charge on the battery.

 

[Zlatan]

Well done. Looks great. Decent speed aswell, in fact averaging just shy of 16mph is fast. Good heart work out too. Nice one.

 

[zombiemax69]

That's better... much clearer route. Cycling into the wind but didn't make too much difference.

 

[zombiemax69]