What conversion kit

[Jonah]

I’m not too sure but I would be hesitant to put a front hub in a carbon fork. What size are the dropouts?

 

[Woosh]

hello Tigs,

there are a lot of kits out there, some are integrated, some are not. Take a look by all means at the kits I sell, they are divided roughly into two groups: mid drive (also known as crank drive) kits that as the name implies, replace the bottom bracket and chain rings, drive the chain directly. The other group is geared hub kits, motor wheels with built in reduction gearbox. Both groups are highly integrated, that is plug and play using waterproof connectors, no soldering. There is not much cables to hide, you can coil the excess cables and tuck them inside a small section (5-6") of heat shrink sleeve, then cabletie the sleeve between the seat tube and the rear mudguard.
The choice of power and battery capacity depends on what you want of the kit. You can have small (XF07), medium (SWX02), large (BPM) motors, small (13AH), medium (15AH), large (17AH) battery, downtube or rack mount, to suit your requirements.
Take a look, if you have any question, just ask.
crank drive kits:
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?cdkit
hub kits:
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?hubkits

 

[ChrisBike]

For what it is worth, my wife has a Bobbin with a Cytronex C1. She absolutely loves it. The bike looks fantastic, is very light and works well. She's not had any problems with it at all.

She's also got an electric MTB and that is a mid-drive and very heavy (21kg). But both bikes serve very different purposes.

I've joined here as I'm looking to convert an old carbon road bike for commuting. So I'm interested in what people would recommend. QUOTE]

We also have a C1 conversion: Planet X Carbon frame, Sram force 22. Total cost about £2,500.

The set-up was not easy. Exchange of photos with Cytronex drew suggestions that the wiring looms would be damaged if the bends were too tight, but the problem seemed to arise with the sensor, which can easily get knocked out of position.

The experience (and cost) we're enough to make me look at the commercial stealthy options on sale. I have an Orbea Gain on order (other brands are available). On paper, it has a bigger battery and a longer range. And it doesn't look remotely like an e-bike. In Shimano 105 format with hydraulic discs, it costs about a grand more than the C1 conversion. For what it's worth, I think that the days of the bottle battery are over (excepting diy enthusiasts).

When the new bike arrives, I intend to do a number of head to head tests and I will publish the results here.

 

[Tigs]

I’m not too sure but I would be hesitant to put a front hub in a carbon fork. What size are the dropouts?

Thanks. The dropouts are standard quick release 9mm with lawyers lips. So something will need to be filed with a 10mm axle.

 

[Tigs]

Thanks Chris. I must admit to having googled the Obrea Gain already. But I was thinking about a cheaper option, hence this DIY idea. I do look forward to the head-to-head though!

 

[ChrisBike]

Thanks. The dropouts are standard quick release 9mm with lawyers lips. So something will need to be filed with a 10mm axle.

Filing dropouts could be an issue (depending on how beefy they are to begin with), but I wouldn't worry about carbon forks per se. I suspect the torque applied during disc braking on modern machines will be condsiderably more than that generated by the hub motor.