Nice to meet you

[Corgikev]

Hi, I’m Kev,
I joined to get some advice on which way to go.
I’ve not got a great deal to spend on an ebike, as I’m looking at needing two. (One for me, one for my Mrs).
my idea is to take them on the back of my camper where ever we go and use the bikes to explore the area, rather than taking the van and trying to find somewhere to park. Or maybe rides down the canal towpath.
im probably looking at a conversion kit. I’d think rear wheel over front wheel is the better of those two? But I’m also looking at a mid motor conversion too. (The torque on some of these seems to be twice the rear wheel option). Being a “big lad” 20st. (for now), what are people’s thoughts?
Are the conversions advertised on eBay from Voilamart worth considering ? How much wattage am I looking at needing to get me up a fair gradient ?
Thanks.

 

[Jonah]

Welcome to the forum Kev.

Because of the way torque is measured, centre drive motors always quote higher values than hub. This doesn’t mean they really have more torque. Roughly double the hub value for a comparable figure. I suggest you have a look at the kit page on the Woosh website. You will find lots of useful information on there and get a good overview of the alternatives available.

Woosh hub kits | Electric Bike Conversion Kits from Woosh

Woosh range of hub kits with choice of front or rear hub motors. Convert your bike into an electric bike.

wooshbikes.co.uk

 

[Nealh]

The cheap ebay kits like Voilamart are cheap for a reason, they use basic speed control with either single or three speed systems . The 250w hubs lack torque and are weedy, the larger D/D hubs (500w/1kw) are pretty lack lustre and are really only suitable for very flat terrain. They lack range with poor battery options, a decent D/D hub kit would cost as much or even more then a geared 250w hub kit if they were truly supplied with a controller and battery capable of making them work properly.

 

[Benjahmin]

Hi Kev,
Welcome.
Note the advice about Direct Drive motors. They quote big wattage figures to draw in the unwary, but they really will not do what you want.
For hub drive, a geared 250w motor is favourite. Legal, capable and pretty much bullet proof. For you Woosh's BPM motor would do the job (though I think they're stamped 350w). If the wife's lighter then there are less torquey alternatives. Speak to them, they will advise.
Mid drive conversions can throw up chain line issues and are dependent on the bottom bracket being the right size. Also, if the bike has gear and/or brake cables that go under the bottom bracket, there may be some mods needed.
Mid drives are a bit more technical to drive. You need to be aware of the gear you are in to keep the motor in it's rev range. If you're in the wrong gear at traffic lights or a junction you can strain the motor.
With hubs it's point and go. You use the gear that suits you (not the motor)and just peddle to get power. A more relaxed approach I think, allowing you to bumble along and take in the countryside.

 

[sjpt]

Definitely talk to Woosh. https://wooshbikes.co.uk/ I think they now have BPM front marked 250w.

Front wheel has disadvantages but they may well not matter for you. One is traction on bigger hills with slippery surface; one is slight steering issues if you ride hard and accelerate in corners. The traction issue does not get worse for heavier riders, you need more traction but you have correspondingly more weight on the front. It also has the advantage that it is driving the front and your normal effort is going into the back which can be very helpful (eg up slight slopes with slippery grass/mud). It doesn't mess at all with the gearing. You need fairly robust forks for front wheel drive.

 

[Corgikev]

Thank you for the replies. I had a feeling “you get what you pay for”. Looking at Woosh from the link Jonah provided, there are numerous hubs, so I’ll spend a while “perving”.
i’ll update when I’ve made my mind up on which ones I get.
Thanks again for the replies

 

[Fat Rat]

Hi welcome to the site

 

[Corgikev]

After speaking to Tony at Woosh, my mind was made up on the DWG22C 48v 12ah hub with 60Nm torque.
BUT, (and this is a trait I’ve been burdened with most of my life lol), having looked at his alternative options, I’m tempted to go for a mid motor. TheTongsheng TSDZ2 with 48V 12AH HL. I didn’t realise the mid motor could also be throttle controlled, so no peddling required.
I am just wondering which would assist the most on an incline?
there’s also less gears for the Mrs to worry about, as the front deraillure would be removed.
Thanks for your input guys.

 

[sjpt]

After speaking to Tony at Woosh, my mind was made up on the DWG22C 48v 12ah hub with 60Nm torque.
BUT, (and this is a trait I’ve been burdened with most of my life lol), having looked at his alternative options, I’m tempted to go for a mid motor. TheTongsheng TSDZ2 with 48V 12AH HL. I didn’t realise the mid motor could also be throttle controlled, so no peddling required.
I am just wondering which would assist the most on an incline?
there’s also less gears for the Mrs to worry about, as the front deraillure would be removed.
Thanks for your input guys.

Mid motor works through the gears, so can give better assist on hills. You may need to use the gears a little more than with a hub drive to make the most of it though.

 

[Benjahmin]

Mid drive is definitly a more technical ride. You have to be in the right gear for the motor so as not to strain it. Also gear changing on hills (under load) is a bit of an art.
'Ow much mechanical sympathy does Mrs Corgikev have?
My wife deals with her 7 gear Big Bear ok, but when she was on a 21 gear hybrid she was always crunching gears and complaning it was too hard. She's not thick - just not a life long cyclist.

 

[Corgikev]

Mid drive is definitly a more technical ride. You have to be in the right gear for the motor so as not to strain it. Also gear changing on hills (under load) is a bit of an art.
'Ow much mechanical sympathy does Mrs Corgikev have?
My wife deals with her 7 gear Big Bear ok, but when she was on a 21 gear hybrid she was always crunching gears and complaning it was too hard. She's not thick - just not a life long cyclist.

I’m happy with 21 gears, though I don’t use the lower 7 as much as the others. My Mrs on the other hand is very new to whole gear change thing as seems to stay in the middle first 3. Not a speed deamon by any stretch.
quite a leisurely pace which suits me if I’m honest

 

[sjpt]

I’m happy with 21 gears, though I don’t use the lower 7 as much as the others. My Mrs on the other hand is very new to whole gear change thing as seems to stay in the middle first 3. Not a speed deamon by any stretch.
quite a leisurely pace which suits me if I’m honest

Definitely a hub drive (or an education course).

 

[Corgikev]

After some deliberation, I’ve settled on a hub kit for the Mrs DWG22C and a mid motor TSDZ2 CD Kit 48V 12AH For mine.
Looking forward to having a play once they arrive.
Thanks again for the advice

 

[Corgikev]

Mid drive is definitly a more technical ride. You have to be in the right gear for the motor so as not to strain it. Also gear changing on hills (under load) is a bit of an art.
'Ow much mechanical sympathy does Mrs Corgikev have?
My wife deals with her 7 gear Big Bear ok, but when she was on a 21 gear hybrid she was always crunching gears and complaning it was too hard. She's not thick - just not a life long cyclist.

It’s been a while since I rode my bike... Probably 15 years. Mechanically I’m good (engineer by trade). Been out on the bikes today for a short 6 mile ride over varying terrain and I’m blown away by the assistance you get (and both bikes were only on the lowest settings.
My knees are feeling it a bit now I’ve been sat for a wee while, but that’ll soon pass. First bit of exercise we’ve had in years! Love it!

 

[Corgikev]

Catastrophe hit today!
4 miles up the canal and my pedals rotate, but don’t engage with the chain ring. (Tongsheng mid motor). Fortunately, I bought a kit with a throttle, so managed to get back to the start of the ride where I’d left the van.
ive emailed Andy at Woosh hopefully be sorted soon. Gutted it’s gone, I’ve done 114 miles that’s all.

 

[Woosh]

Unplug the throttle and the brake sensors from the LCD then try the pedal assist again.
Just to be sure that one of the three sensors (the throttle and brake sensors) is not malfunctioning.

 

[Corgikev]

Unplug the throttle and the brake sensors from the LCD then try the pedal assist again.
Just to be sure that one of the three sensors (the throttle and brake sensors) is not malfunctioning.

Hi, I tried that, but it didn’t work.
when using the throttle, the pedals want to move. So, taking your feet off them, the cranks rotate. I can rotate the pedals backwards and the chain wheel and chain all move backwards, but when I pedal forwards, just the cranks move, the chain wheel stays put, until the motor is operated by the throttle.

 

[Woosh]

it seems the main gear has gone wrong. Best thing is to leave it to Andy to sort it out for you.

 

[Corgikev]

it seems the main gear has gone wrong. Best thing is to leave it to Andy to sort it out for you.

Thanks, I’ll send another email to him as I can’t for the life of me find the one I sent yesterday with a video attached.
Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it, especially being a Sunday