Electric bike or conversion?

[audi321]

Hi all, I'm contemplating a new bike, but wondered if it's better to buy a decent 'normal' bike and 'convert' it to electric (from a cost and nice little project pov) or if an off the shelf electric bike is a better buy.

The off the shelf ones look awful imo, so I'm favouring a conversation at the moment, just not sure how they're done.

Thanks for any advice.

[bonerp]

audi321 said:

Hi all, I'm contemplating a new bike, but wondered if it's better to buy a decent 'normal' bike and 'convert' it to electric (from a cost and nice little project pov) or if an off the shelf electric bike is a better buy.

The off the shelf ones look awful imo, so I'm favouring a conversation at the moment, just not sure how they're done.

Thanks for any advice.

quite expensive too.

But there are a few good brands now. I've owned a KTM and now have a FLX. Both great bikes and cost around £2k.

Haibike https://www.haibike.com/gb/en are quite impressive.

If you convert, it'll be a rear or front wheel drive as opposed to crank drive. Pro's and cons of each. Obvs will have visible wiring and need the battery clamping somewhere - mine is built into the frame so quite neat and safe from damage.

Edited by bonerp on Friday 21st June 09:59

[anonymous-user]

some of the newer road e-bikes look more bike like these days

https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/bikes/e-bikes/

https://www.colnago.com/en/bikes/e64/

[Dog Star]

Off the shelf eBikes look awful? Are you smoking crack or something?

I've just taken delivery of this....



You reckon you can knock something with a Bafang kit or some hub drive thing that looks better?

I also have one of these - you cannot possibly tell me this doesn't look slick....



I'd go shop bought for serious use.

[Barchettaman]

The newest e bikes have very well integrated batteries and motors.

Go back a couple of years and although they’re not as slick, the assisted riding experience is essentially the same.

Here’s mine, the previous generation Cube Reaction (as above), bought lightly-used for €900:



The new Boardman bike posted above has the new Fazua Evation drive system, smallish mid motor and a nicely integrated battery. It looks very good indeed!

Edited by Barchettaman on Friday 21st June 12:35

Edited by Barchettaman on Friday 21st June 12:35

[Mr Ted]

If you want to convert a bike there are mid-drive kits available, you don't need a hub motor these days, I have built a couple using GoSpade kits , similar to the Bafang mid drives,

Converting an existing bike is cost effective and perfectly reversible so you can change bike and re-install the kit.



This is my old single speeder with added electricity and it's a blast, I've done a couple of longish off road rides, over 30 miles with 2000ft of climb and still had battery left.

Current project is to fit another kit to Mrs Ted's Pashley!!

https://www.gospadebike.com/

[austinsmirk]

I was following a debate/argument/slanging match on a MTB FB forum about ebikes this week.

is it true they're all capped at a max 15 mph ??? the writer was banging on about how amazing they were uphill- great- but I can't see the point if you can then only descend with on/off road at 15 mph- you'd be barely moving !

[Dog Star]

austinsmirk said:

I was following a debate/argument/slanging match on a MTB FB forum about ebikes this week.

is it true they're all capped at a max 15 mph ??? the writer was banging on about how amazing they were uphill- great- but I can't see the point if you can then only descend with on/off road at 15 mph- you'd be barely moving !

The pedal assist doesn't work after 15mph - going downhill that's irrelevant; you can actually go down hills and a lot of jumps/berms type stuff quite a bit quicker than a normal MTB because the ebikes are a lot more stable. You only really need the pedal assist going uphill - that when you will destroy a manually pedalled bike, very often they'll be pushing the bike.

I will admit that on the flat I tend to ride on the 15mph limit or thereabouts. You can ride through it on your own power, of course.

Watch some of the videos on youtube on the EMTB channel - they only bother with UK legal ebikes and often test them against various pre=downhill riders, olympic MTBers and stuff. And they'll beat them.

ETA: as to road bikes - this video is a great example of how fun they are....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8tV8cWeY3Y

Edited by Dog Star on Friday 21st June 15:12

[Mr Ted]

austinsmirk said:

I was following a debate/argument/slanging match on a MTB FB forum about ebikes this week.

is it true they're all capped at a max 15 mph ??? the writer was banging on about how amazing they were uphill- great- but I can't see the point if you can then only descend with on/off road at 15 mph- you'd be barely moving !

To be legal as pedelecs and allowed on anything other than private land the assist should stop at 15mph and the maximum continuous motor power allowed is 250W,

Some kits allow you to change the maximum assist speed but in reality I have found 15mph plenty fast enough on the trails, and as soon as the trail goes downhill I am going much faster using my meat motor and some gravity assist.

In reality the power definition means that you can run much more power for periods of time as long as the motor 'rating' is 250W continuous. So if you look at the Bosch CX spec, in highest assist it gives 300% or 750W (1 horsepower!) .

e-MTBs are great enablers, IMHO you need a higher base fitness to ride a MTB off road than you do to ride a road bike on the road. It can be very discouraging to struggle on the ascents and I have met and chatted to a lot of e-MTB riders who have suffered life changing events which means the only way they can get out is using an e-MTB.

I am fortunate with my fitness so I love riding my meat powered MTB, but I also love riding my meat plus electricity MTB, it's a different experience but just as much fun, there's room for both and the folks who moan at the e-MTBs need to realise that , for some riders, it's their only option.

If anyone says I am cheating when I am out riding the e-MTB I quietly tell them that having had : a heart attack, 3 stents and a double heart bypass would they like to look me in eye and repeat it! That's all true and I am very fortunate in having recovered to my former fitness but it is good for educational purposes!

[Coolbanana]

austinsmirk said:

I was following a debate/argument/slanging match on a MTB FB forum about ebikes this week.

is it true they're all capped at a max 15 mph ??? the writer was banging on about how amazing they were uphill- great- but I can't see the point if you can then only descend with on/off road at 15 mph- you'd be barely moving !

Yep, 15mph or 25km/h max. After that, it is all you - and it is a much heavier machine when you get no assist to help you.

You can adjust the power assist level, for the Bosch motors on eMTB's it is Off, Eco, Tour, eMTB and Turbo.

I ride mine in Off and Eco when on paved roads to conserve the battery - that way I can get around 120km (75miles) out of it. I ignore Tour and use the eMTB mode when off-road mostly, which is essentially an 'Automatic' mode in that it works from low to high assist according to your input. I ignore the Turbo mode, which I imagine for some is fun but a battery monster.

I prefer my MTB...no question. I like the lightweight handling and speed - yep, a 'normal' MTB is a lot faster than an eMTB in every way except going uphill. My 24kg eMTB (160mm forks, Trail set-up) is a tank compared to my 9.5kg MTB (100mm forks, XC set-up). On the flat and downhill as well as handling speed, the MTB is quicker.

For hills, the eMTB is much faster. I also like my eMTB for more technical terrain because it is very confidence-inspiring as it rolls, tank-like over all obstacles thanks to its weight, Trail geometry and power assist.

Yesterday, I did a 90km (56miles) off-road cross country ride on my MTB with 1641m of climbing, my eMTB would have been a lot quicker but I still prefer the handling and 'chuckability' of my MTB.

You can get very fit riding an eMTB providing you match the assist with a good level of effort of your own - especially if you use the lower assist modes in conjunction or exceed the assist level often in the higher modes. I like to ride both and I see the eMTB as an excellent 'recovery' ride after hard efforts on my MTB. In fact, I am probably riding each bike roughly equally nowadays as part of my circa 400km (250miles) weekly off-road workouts

Try one, they are great fun and I'd recommend them to anyone! They can be great for everyone, not only those who have various health reasons to overcome.

[Mr Ted]

Coolbanana said:

Yep, 15mph or 25km/h max. After that, it is all you - and it is a much heavier machine when you get no assist to help you.

You can adjust the power assist level, for the Bosch motors on eMTB's it is Off, Eco, Tour, eMTB and Turbo.

I ride mine in Off and Eco when on paved roads to conserve the battery - that way I can get around 120km (75miles) out of it. I ignore Tour and use the eMTB mode when off-road mostly, which is essentially an 'Automatic' mode in that it works from low to high assist according to your input. I ignore the Turbo mode, which I imagine for some is fun but a battery monster.

I prefer my MTB...no question. I like the lightweight handling and speed - yep, a 'normal' MTB is a lot faster than an eMTB in every way except going uphill. My 24kg eMTB (160mm forks, Trail set-up) is a tank compared to my 9.5kg MTB (100mm forks, XC set-up). On the flat and downhill as well as handling speed, the MTB is quicker.

For hills, the eMTB is much faster. I also like my eMTB for more technical terrain because it is very confidence-inspiring as it rolls, tank-like over all obstacles thanks to its weight, Trail geometry and power assist.

Yesterday, I did a 90km (56miles) off-road cross country ride on my MTB with 1641m of climbing, my eMTB would have been a lot quicker but I still prefer the handling and 'chuckability' of my MTB.

You can get very fit riding an eMTB providing you match the assist with a good level of effort of your own - especially if you use the lower assist modes in conjunction or exceed the assist level often in the higher modes. I like to ride both and I see the eMTB as an excellent 'recovery' ride after hard efforts on my MTB. In fact, I am probably riding each bike roughly equally nowadays as part of my circa 400km (250miles) weekly off-road workouts

Try one, they are great fun and I'd recommend them to anyone! They can be great for everyone, not only those who have various health reasons to overcome.

Absolutely agree, they are great fun, I found a neat trick of switching the assist on part way round sweeping gravel corners and getting the back end sliding out, takes me back to my motocross days 30 years ago!.

The World Health Organisation estimates 20 million UK residents are physically inactive and that 1 in 6 deaths are related to inactivity, that's nearly 100,000 people dying a year in the UK from inactivity, just think how many lives could be saved if a just a fraction of those inactive folks got an e-bike! Puts road deaths into perspective!

[Jumpy Guy]

Mr Ted, where did you buy your espade kit ?

[Register1]

On a recent trip to China, I was invited to a eBike factory.


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Some very interesting bikes.
35 mph (in unrestricted mode) distance 40 miles

[Mr Ted]

Jumpy Guy said:

Mr Ted, where did you buy your espade kit ?

I got it off fleabay then bought a second kit from the same guy, I will dig out his details and pm them to you.

And this what I did with the second kit!

[sunnygym]

Does anyone have a recommendations for a company that could supply and install an electric conversion for a cube nuroad pro fe as pic bellow in and around London and the south east ?

[gangzoom]

audi321 said:

The off the shelf ones look awful imo, so I'm favouring a conversation at the moment, just not sure how they're done.

Not sure how you could bodge something at home that looks better than like this?

[audi321]

gangzoom said:

audi321 said:

The off the shelf ones look awful imo, so I'm favouring a conversation at the moment, just not sure how they're done.

Not sure how you could bodge something at home that looks better than like this?

[Img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52610901988_c97c9b8837_c_d.jpg[/thumb]

Agreed. But I did write that almost 4 years ago!

[Driver101]

sunnygym said:

Does anyone have a recommendations for a company that could supply and install an electric conversion for a cube nuroad pro fe as pic bellow in and around London and the south east ?

I know in other areas there are adverts offering the service on Gumtree.

The Bafang kit isn't too hard to do yourself. There are guides on YouTube to help.

Edited by Driver101 on Saturday 28th January 18:59

[gangzoom]

audi321 said:

Agreed. But I did write that almost 4 years ago!

[StressedEric]

sunnygym said:

Does anyone have a recommendations for a company that could supply and install an electric conversion for a cube nuroad pro fe as pic bellow in and around London and the south east ?

Woosh Bikes are in Southend.

They would probably do it for you, they have a very good reputation.

I fitted one of their kits to my own e-bike, works a treat.

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/