Help! Which bike to convert

[demonpanda]

I currently own a corsair vegance E and im planning to upgrade to a converted bike with 250w Bafang mid drive, any advice on what bike to buy, I do a 8 mile commute wtih 20m weekend rides live in a hilly area with bumpy roads

 

[saneagle]

I currently own a corsair vegance E and im planning to upgrade to a converted bike with 250w Bafang mid drive, any advice on what bike to buy, I do a 8 mile commute wtih 20m weekend rides live in a hilly area with bumpy roads

Why do you want to use a mid-drive for that type of riding when a hub-motor will do it much better and be cheaper, more reliable, have lower running costs and give a better ride?

When you have a motor, a lot of the things that make a normal bike good become unnecessary.The important things are hydraulic disk brakes, as your average speed will be much higher, a place to mount the battery in the midle of the bike and a frame that suits whichever motor you choose and its power. for a mid-drive motor, that means it should have astandard BSA type bottom bracket with no stuff attached to it, and it needs to be a clean hole all the way through. For a hub-motor, no through-axle wheels.

Additionally for hub-motors, the cheaper 7 speed gears give more options and for mid-drives avoid expensive 10-speeds or more. Both are pretty good with 8 or 9-speeds.

 

[demonpanda]

Why do you want to use a mid-drive for that type of riding when a hub-motor will do it much better and be cheaper, more reliable, have lower running costs and give a better ride?

When you have a motor, a lot of the things that make a normal bike good become unnecessary.The important things are hydraulic disk brakes, as your average speed will be much higher, a place to mount the battery in the midle of the bike and a frame that suits whichever motor you choose and its power. for a mid-drive motor, that means it should have astandard BSA type bottom bracket with no stuff attached to it, and it needs to be a clean hole all the way through. For a hub-motor, no through-axle wheels.

Additionally for hub-motors, the cheaper 7 speed gears give more options and for mid-drives avoid expensive 10-speeds or more. Both are pretty good with 8 or 9-speeds.

Can you suggest a hub motor im not sure on the difference i just knew mid drive was better then the rear im currently using, I thought it was better at hill riding atlesat

 

[Oldie]

I recently converted a Merida Big 7 bought off ebay. Very easy mid drive install as the cables were all routed along the top tube (some Merida's are different). Turned out to be a great bike for the steep forest trails near where I live.

However, you have to plan your gear changes to avoid excessive strain on your chain whereas my hub driven Claud Butler is so much easier for day to day stuff.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

I have bought a 24 speed Claud Butler Legend step through off Facebook Marketplace for the princely sum of £40 (there's loads of suitable bikes on Facebook)


I've bought some upgraded Clarks brake pads for the v brakes, some puncture resistant tyres and the woosh xf08c rear hub kit with 20AH rear rack battery and rack and I'm going to convert it myself ( I also have a Boardman 29er with BBS02B drive that a friend converted)

Plenty of room for the pas sensor and 16mm diameter

 

[Brik]

Plenty of room for the pas sensor and 16mm diameterView attachment 51846

You may need to remove that plastic cable guide to allow the motor to fit. On my bike I had to cut it in half and flip it around, ended up using the front derailleur routing for the rear, also had to shorten the screw.

 

[Woosh]

You may need to remove that plastic cable guide to allow the motor to fit. On my bike I had to cut it in half and flip it around, ended up using the front derailleur routing for the rear, also had to shorten the screw.

can you show us a picture of your bike?

 

[Brik]

can you show us a picture of your bike?

I could do but I've re-read Peter's post and now see that he is fitting a rear hub motor, I was confused by reference to the mid mount BBS motor which is what I had issues with regarding the cable routing.