Sympathetic conversion ideas for Raleigh Clubman from the 80's
- Thread starter Vin
- Start date
Mid Drive Pashley Sovereign TSDZ2
I have recently converted my Sovereign Roadster to Mid drive. The goals of the conversion was to make this heavy bike more usable in hilly areas while preserving the look and character of the bike. The Tongsheng motor fitted with a little fettling; I had to grind out the welds on the bottom...
www.pedelecs.co.uk
Best wishes
Thanks for the replies. It would only be for preserving the knees uphill/ along the straights is fast enough so something lightweight and low power which is unlikely to impact safety of the brakes. The black bag/ bottle could be used to hide some of the electrics
something low power and discreet like this
Apollo Phaze Mens Electric Mountain Bike - M, L Frames | Halfords UK
Apollo Phaze Mens Electric Mountain Bike - M, L Frames | Halfords UK
AKM100/Q100H motor from BMSbattery:
bmsbattery.com
Kt controller kit from Topbikekit or BMSB (S06S). Block connector type.
bmsbattery.com
Bottle battery from Aliexpress
fr.aliexpress.com
Toolbag for controller under seat
To be honest, I wouldn't bother converting that bike. It would be better to leave it as it is and get a cheap catalogue bike to convert. When you have a motor, the bike doesn't really matter unless you need comfort, off-road capability or something like that. Also, disc brakes are better for an electric bike.
Q100H 36V350W Rear Driving EBike Hub Motor RPM 201
Q100H 36V350W Rear Driving V-brake, rim-brake, Disc-Brake compatible E-Bike Hub Motor. Its reduction ratio is 12.6. The Q100H is more powerful than...
bmsbattery.com
S06S 250Watts Torque Simulation Sine Wave Controller
S06S 250Watts Torque Simulation Sine Wave Controller for 24Volts or 36Volts battery pack E-Bike System
bmsbattery.com
Batterie Lithium pour Vélo Électrique, Mini Bouteille, 36V, 14Ah, 7Ah, 36V, 48V, 7Ah, 10.5A, 18650, Bafang Tongsheng, 500W, 350W, 250W - AliExpress 18
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
fr.aliexpress.com
Toolbag for controller under seat
Bag Bicycle Saddle Bag Bike Saddle Storage Bag Bicycle Bag Seat Rear Tool Pouch | eBay
Weaves the belt type to design, available in each kind of saddle place. Easy to attach to saddle or remove with strip. Attaches the lamp beltSpecial zipper design. With zipper to double the content of the bag.
www.ebay.co.uk
To be honest, I wouldn't bother converting that bike. It would be better to leave it as it is and get a cheap catalogue bike to convert. When you have a motor, the bike doesn't really matter unless you need comfort, off-road capability or something like that. Also, disc brakes are better for an electric bike.
This is where many of us started, but in my (admittedly limited) experience in the world of conversions the words "lightweight", "low power" and "uphill" don't belong in the same sentence. Lightweight and low power won't get you up hills very well.
Whatever kit you end up fitting, you will inevitably go faster than you did before, and the added weight will generate extra momentum downhill which will find those caliper brakes wanting - particularity in the wet.
In my lifetime I've had rod brakes and caliper brakes with steel rims - marginally better than putting a foot on the tyre! Caliper, centre-pulls, cantilever and v-brakes - all with alloy rims and OK on an analogue bike if adjusted regularly.
One of my conversions is a 90's rigid MTB that came with canti's. I very soon substituted v-brakes and these will stop the now quite heavy bike, but at the cost of rapid pad or rim wear. I choose very soft pads (Clarks Elite) to save the rims. If I could fit disc brakes to it I wouldn't hesitate.
I recently swapped the v-brakes on my hybrid to Zoom full hydraulic discs. The difference is like night and day- and I don't have to worry about wearing out the rims.
I'm no speed freak, but I wouldn't contemplate converting anything that doesn't at least have v-brakes as a minimum. My beloved 90's Claud Butler touring bike has canti's, but it stays as it was built because I know that a conversion will completely spoil the feel of the bike and it will still be an inadequate compromise.
If you are determined to convert the Raleigh you need to check the drop out dimensions.
It needs to be 100mm for a front hub or 135mm for a rear hub.
Whatever kit you end up fitting, you will inevitably go faster than you did before, and the added weight will generate extra momentum downhill which will find those caliper brakes wanting - particularity in the wet.
In my lifetime I've had rod brakes and caliper brakes with steel rims - marginally better than putting a foot on the tyre! Caliper, centre-pulls, cantilever and v-brakes - all with alloy rims and OK on an analogue bike if adjusted regularly.
One of my conversions is a 90's rigid MTB that came with canti's. I very soon substituted v-brakes and these will stop the now quite heavy bike, but at the cost of rapid pad or rim wear. I choose very soft pads (Clarks Elite) to save the rims. If I could fit disc brakes to it I wouldn't hesitate.
I recently swapped the v-brakes on my hybrid to Zoom full hydraulic discs. The difference is like night and day- and I don't have to worry about wearing out the rims.
I'm no speed freak, but I wouldn't contemplate converting anything that doesn't at least have v-brakes as a minimum. My beloved 90's Claud Butler touring bike has canti's, but it stays as it was built because I know that a conversion will completely spoil the feel of the bike and it will still be an inadequate compromise.
If you are determined to convert the Raleigh you need to check the drop out dimensions.
It needs to be 100mm for a front hub or 135mm for a rear hub.
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Thanks,
So simple! Trying out the Revos e-bike conversion kit
Thanks for sharing, I was thinking something low powered like this may be ideal
So simple! Trying out the Revos e-bike conversion kit
That's the sort of bike that spends a lot of time above 25km/h. You would have to decide the outcome you want before choosing how to get there.
Assistance only on the hills, and try to retain the above 25km/h percentage, or accept that post conversion you will spend far less time above that speed?
If the former, very limited options as any added weight is a problem. Swytch amongst others in theory try to solve this, but have too many other issues to recommend. Probably the lightest front hub motor you can find with as close to zero drag when not helping as possible, and a tiny battery calculated to match the amount of uphill you anticipate. But even that much added resistance and weight is noticeable to a speedy rider, and the drug of assist is addictive.
If the latter, you would be better choosing a different bike. Any normal kit will be like towing a caravan with your Ferrari, with dodgy brakes.
Assistance only on the hills, and try to retain the above 25km/h percentage, or accept that post conversion you will spend far less time above that speed?
If the former, very limited options as any added weight is a problem. Swytch amongst others in theory try to solve this, but have too many other issues to recommend. Probably the lightest front hub motor you can find with as close to zero drag when not helping as possible, and a tiny battery calculated to match the amount of uphill you anticipate. But even that much added resistance and weight is noticeable to a speedy rider, and the drug of assist is addictive.
If the latter, you would be better choosing a different bike. Any normal kit will be like towing a caravan with your Ferrari, with dodgy brakes.
The Cytronex kit is worth looking at for what you want, but at over £1000 it's very overpriced for what it is.
www.cytronex.com
Electric Bike Conversion Kit | Cytronex Electric Bicycle | Electric road bike
Electric bicycle conversion kit from Cytronex converts any bike into an lightweight ebike. C1 is an easy to install, retro fit, electric bike conversion kit at affordable price.
www.cytronex.com
Vivax ASSIST - The E-Bike System
Vivax ASSIST - The E-Bike System; Sophisticated motor power is hidden in the bike‘s seat tube. It only weights 1.8 kg (inkl. battery). Press the button and the motor delivers 200 watts to the crankshaft.
store.pedalrevolution.co.uk
For les than half the price of the Cytronex (and with better customer service)
But probably a bit bulkier and more obvious than you want; and with a bag battery rather than a bottle one.
I'm not one of the group that think it essential to have hydraulic disk brakes on any ebike, but the brakes on your bike (and my similar Claude Butler) were always pretty terrible.
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
I'm not one of the group that think it essential to have hydraulic disk brakes on any ebike, but the brakes on your bike (and my similar Claude Butler) were always pretty terrible.
Vivax is (was) a company local to me. They went under after spending a lot of money on a specialist building / shop just before Covid hit, they never recovered. The shop is now a specialised pet food store.Vivax ASSIST - The E-Bike System
Vivax ASSIST - The E-Bike System; Sophisticated motor power is hidden in the bike‘s seat tube. It only weights 1.8 kg (inkl. battery). Press the button and the motor delivers 200 watts to the crankshaft.store.pedalrevolution.co.uk
A Q100H is a very good choice, but the controller needs to go inside a box and it does add a little clutter. It would have to be front wheel, because the rear dropouts are smaller?
For this Raleigh Mixte, I used a low cost TSDZ2 mid drive. For me, this is less expensive than buying a motor/wheel and controller, I had some teething problems with my motor, not being used to a true 250W motor. I've ridden it 2000 miles this year. Top speed is based on hardI am able to pedal that day. It's torque sense, and the system is intended to respond to your pedal pressure. It used to be 18 mph and now it's about 24 mph. This bike is from the 70's, and my best days are from there.
The caliper brakes are fine for pedelec speeds. This bike comes in around 40 pounds.I use a small 26 cell 48V battery made with Sanyo GA cells. Good for 300WH and almost 40 miles.
For this Raleigh Mixte, I used a low cost TSDZ2 mid drive. For me, this is less expensive than buying a motor/wheel and controller, I had some teething problems with my motor, not being used to a true 250W motor. I've ridden it 2000 miles this year. Top speed is based on hardI am able to pedal that day. It's torque sense, and the system is intended to respond to your pedal pressure. It used to be 18 mph and now it's about 24 mph. This bike is from the 70's, and my best days are from there.
The caliper brakes are fine for pedelec speeds. This bike comes in around 40 pounds.I use a small 26 cell 48V battery made with Sanyo GA cells. Good for 300WH and almost 40 miles.
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