Hi from the Isle of Wight!

n0bs

Just Joined
Aug 11, 2017
4
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Isle of Wight
Hello all,

I'm Neil, friends call me nobby, usually further shortened to nobs (which is fortunate as "nobby" was already taken on this forum!).

I've got a very light use 2015 Scott Scale hardtail which I up-specced when I bought it... But since some early rides has basically sat gathering dust because I underestimated how unfit I'd become since I was last riding regularly. And the Island has a lot of hills.

So, I've been looking at the possibility of electrifying my bike - and (in my usual rash manner) went right ahead yesterday and ordered a 250/1000w rear hub kit from Cyclotricity. My riding intentions are mainly commuting, and the route is 95% off-road, so I reckon the 1000w motor is a great option for potentially unstressed, reliable electric assistance.

I've been following threads here - which as with all forums tend to focus on "issues" with various e-bike solutions - and I'd like to add my experience to the mix as it develops.
 
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Deleted member 4366

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I don't want to rain on your parade, Neil, but it's a real shame that you didn't tell us before you ordered that kit because there's much more suitable kits.

You can make that kit work, but it won't be a bed of roses.

The motor has a freewheel thread, so you're going to lose your nice gears. You can go up to 7-speed with a freewheel before it becomes too wide, so your shifters and derailleur won't index properly. You need to find a DNP freewheel otherwise your gearing will be much too low. Most freewheels have 14T top gear, which means that you can't really pedal past 15 mph.

You'll probably have trouble with fitting the pedal sensor if you have an ISIS type crank. I always upgrade the crankset to a 48T Hollowtech one, which gives even better gearing and makes easier fittingog the pedal sensor.

You will need two torque arms for that motor to stop it from twisting out of the drop-outs and you'll need to file the drop-outs deeper to accommodate the 14mm axle.

Once installed, and the gearing sorted, the motor is OK, but they're not very efficient at low speed, so don't expect a lot of range. The motor is very heavy and it doesn't have a clutch, so pedalling without power won't be fun.

There's much more suitable kits for a nice bike like yours. Another option would be to get a cheap steel-framed MTB with 7 speed freewheel gears, and convert that instead. There's very little advantage on using a nice bike like yours as a donor. Everything that makes it nice will be nullified by that kit.
 

n0bs

Just Joined
Aug 11, 2017
4
2
60
Isle of Wight
Argh! Wow, that sounds like a whole heap of problems. Well, the kit arrives today - I guess based on your advice d8veh it sounds like I need to send it back and think again.

Thanks for taking the time to give me such a detailed list of issues I'd face!

You mentioned that there are "much more suitable kits" out there d8veh. Could I ask if you have any recommendations?
 
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Deleted member 4366

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This is what I use. It's powerful, light, allows cassette gears and it's silent.

Q128C motor from BMSBattery
Kunteng sine wave controller from PSWpower
S-LCD3 display from PSWpower
48v 11.6Ah battery from BMSBattery

BMSBattery sell batteries with the sine wave controllers and the rest of the kit included. The only other thing you need is a torque arm from them to complete the kit.

The controller from PSWP gives more flexibility and a battery from Eclipse Bikes is probably better quality and has UK support.

WOOSH are about to sell some 48v kits. It might be worth waiting to see what they are.

The kit you ordered can work, but I think it would be better suited to a cheaper bike. I don't know about IOW, but you can get such bikes for about £30 second hand. They have the right gears and it's often straight-forward to fit the pedal sensor and other stuff. Steel frames don't need torque arms.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,407
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Good morning N0bs,

I would recommend the £499 XF08C kit.
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?hubkits

You get to keep the nice Octalink bottom bracket and Deore gearset.
The only thing you need to buy in addition to the kit is one or a pair of hydraulic brake sensors. You can of course your own brake sensors with a reed switch and a magnet.

Here is how the pedal sensor is fitted to an octalink BB:

 

n0bs

Just Joined
Aug 11, 2017
4
2
60
Isle of Wight
Thanks for the recommendations d8veh and Woosh, much appreciated. I'll be taking some more time to digest all this info, and come to a more informed decision!

Something I didn't mention in my original post is that my bike is a 29er - which seems to reduce the kit choices out there. I'm increasingly feeling that I may be better off selling the Scott and putting the money into a new project or pre-built bike.
 
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n0bs

Just Joined
Aug 11, 2017
4
2
60
Isle of Wight
Thanks again for the advice guys, I really appreciated it. The upshot of all this is that in the end I decided to forget about the DIY approach and go for a pre-built bike. Powerbike World (Powerbikeworld.com) is a company based a couple of miles from me, run by Simon Wells, a great local guy. I spent a good part of the afternoon with him today drinking tea and talking bikes, I tried out a full suspension Trek running Bosch mid-motor which was great - a very comfy ride but a bit bloody hefty, and so in the end I chose to stick with a hardtail and I'm getting a 2017 Cube Reaction HPA Pro 500.

And I'm about to stick my Scott on "Wightbay"...